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in this melting pot to help to shape students’ lives ‘I would like for
— to help them remain intellectually curious
lifelong learners who better understand the world us to be the first
and to prepare them for this rapidly moving
fourth industrial revolution and all the impacts university that
that it’s going to have on society and culture.
I can’t imagine a better opportunity to make the embraces this idea
world a better place.”
with regard to the
Making Tucson Home
fourth industrial
In addition to getting to know all things UA,
Robbins also has been getting acquainted with revolution.’
his new Arizona home, taking in-state trips to
places like Phoenix, Flagstaff, Sedona, Tubac, the
White Mountains and the Grand Canyon.
He’s also been exploring Tucson’s music and
food scene — sampling the cuisine at the Arizona
Inn, Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails, Maynards
Market & Kitchen and Café Poca Cosa, to name
a few. And as an enthusiastic golfer, unfazed by
the desert heat, he’s been making his way around
the city’s golf courses, even braving blistering
triple-digit temperatures to play 36 holes at the
Randolph North course on the Fourth of July.
On Father’s Day, Robbins’ sons — 25-year-old
Clay, who works for Square Inc. in San Francisco,
and 23-year-old Craig, a photography student
at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena,
California — visited their dad in Tucson. Craig,
Robbins says, was “mesmerized” by the Center
for Creative Photography. Robbins, too, has
been enjoying the university’s arts and cultural
Robbins takes his commitment to students offerings, and he looks forward to attending
and their success very seriously. That’s why he campus performances during the school year
loves it so much when they stop him on campus along with as many sporting events as possible.
to say hello. It’s also why he promised a group Although he’s still new on the job, Robbins
of incoming freshmen at a send-off event in hopes to stick around the UA for a long time, and
California that he’d visit them in Coronado has told the Arizona Board of Regents he’d like to
Residence Hall and challenge them in foosball, stay in the position for at least a decade.
pool and pingpong. During that time, he hopes to rally people
“What greater responsibility can you have around a shared vision for the UA.
than being responsible for 18- to-25-year-olds “The extraordinary loyalty, school spirit and
who are often leaving home for the first time multigenerational commitment of families for
— to help give them the tools of leadership, their children and grandchildren and great-
cultural competence, critical thinking, financial grandchildren to come here says a lot about the
competence, health competence and a way to university,” he says. “The idea is not how we
open up their world to think bigger than they can make the U of A great again, because we are
thought before?” Robbins says. already great, but how we can make it greater?
“That’s why I think diversity of all kinds — And it’s not going to be me alone. It’s going to
gender, race, cultural, geographic, socioeconomic be me listening and trying to be a connector,
— is so important,” he says. “Bringing it together motivator, cheerleader and enthusiast.”

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