Spring 2024 Letter from the Dean
Franke Honors Wildcat Community,
As we come to the close of the 2023-2024 academic year, we celebrate and honor the Class of ’24 who will soon graduate. This is such a special time for our students and soon-to-be alumni as they reflect on their academic journeys and all they have accomplished. We here in the W. A. Franke Honors College share in the pride that these students feel, and we are so excited for all that lies ahead for them as they go out into the world and become leaders and positive change-makers.
I am also excited to announce that after more than a year of serving as Interim Dean at the W.A. Franke Honors College, I am officially the Franke Dean. I look forward to building on the amazing momentum we have created in the college as a locally and nationally recognized hub of innovation.
In this spring newsletter, we celebrate this year’s Alumni of the Year Award recipients, Drs. Mark and Mindy Zeitzer. Mark and Mindy both earned undergraduate degrees with Honors from the University of Arizona. Their careers are marked by impressive professional accomplishments in health care as well as immense dedication to the communities they serve. They embody the mission and values of the W.A. Franke Honors College.
In our Alumni Spotlight, we are excited to feature Grace Faerber who graduated in 2020 from the University of Arizona Franke Honors College with majors in East Asian Studies and Global Studies and a law minor. She went on to receive a Master’s in International Studies with a concentration in International Politics from Johns Hopkins University in 2022.
A year ago, we launched It’s An Honor, a podcast where I share engaging conversations that spark inquiry and growth. I invite you to listen and if you’ve been following us, I hope you will continue to tune in for these interesting and engaging conversations.
Finally, we invite our recent alumni to celebrate with us at our second Wildcat Wednesday Alumni Mixer on May 15 at Culinary Dropout in Tucson. It welcomes our recent alumni and our newest graduates to network and reconnect with fellow Honors Wildcats. We hope you will join us!
As we head into summer, our work continues as we prepare to welcome a new batch of Franke Honors Wildcats in the fall. I wish to express my deepest gratitude for the excellent work done by the faculty and staff of the College over the year. I also want to thank all of you, our alumni, and friends, for your support and commitment to Franke Honors. I wish you a relaxing and enjoyable summer.
John Pollard , PhD
Franke Dean, W.A. Franke Honors College
