The University of Arizona will invest a $10 million gift to name a new integrated business and engineering undergraduate program. The gift marks the conclusion of the university’s nearly decade-long "Fuel Wonder" campaign, which has reached its goal of raising $3 billion, the university will announce at a ceremony Tuesday.
The new Integrated Business and Engineering degree program is a cross between the university’s Eller College of Management and its College of Engineering.
The program is “the only undergraduate program of its kind in Arizona,” according to a UA media briefing. It will focus on giving undergraduate students an education that blends technical expertise with business leadership skills.
“The degree program responds to growing demand by businesses for graduates with technical expertise and business acumen,” said the UA statement. “It provides a solid foundation in technical problem-solving and strategic management, blending engineering design, software, artificial intelligence, and biomedical devices with business analytics, accounting, marketing and entrepreneurship.”
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The dedication ceremony to name the new program will take place at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, at UA’s applied research building.
Garimella
Gov. Katie Hobbs, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, UA President Suresh Garimella, UA Foundation CEO John-Paul Roczniak, Eller College of Management Dean Karthik Kannan and Kim Ogden, the Craig M. Berge Interim Dean of the College of Engineering, are scheduled to speak at the ceremony.
The donors of the $10 million gift, whose names will be announced at the event, will speak about their motivations to support workforce development.
The investment completes the university’s target of reaching $3 billion through the Fuel Wonder fundraising campaign, whose public phase started in November 2023. The UA started counting gifts towards this goal much earlier, in January 2017.
At the time of its public launch in 2023, the campaign had raised about $2.04 billion.
Priorities for the campaign included bolstering student success, faculty innovation and community involvement through athletics, arts and public media.
The specific priorities and projects the fundraising campaign focuses on are undergraduate scholarships; endowed faculty chairs; intercollegiate athletics programs; the Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies; discovery, research and innovation; and more.
The University of Arizona shown on the first day of classes for the fall 2026 semester.
Reporter Prerana Sannappanavar covers higher education for the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson.com. Contact her at psannappa1@tucson.com or DM her on Twitter.
Prerana Sannappanavar
Higher Education Reporter
