University of Arizona President Robert N. Shelton welcomed more than 70 new faculty members to the UA, “a premier institution of the world, nation and the state,” on Monday at a luncheon held during the New Faculty Orientation Day.

The president introduced many UA vice presidents and other administrators and spoke of the UA's mission of service to the community. “We are here to serve the people of Arizona, the Southwest and, through those efforts, also the nation,” Shelton said.

Executive Vice President and Provost Meredith Hay urged the new faculty members to be engaged in the University community and its shared governance and thanked them for joining the Wildcat family and the “best land grant university in the West.”

Shelton and the University Teaching Center hosted the luncheon as part of the campus community’s effort to meet and greet new faculty while helping them learn about the UA. The University Teaching Center, the Office of University Events and External Relations coordinated a slate of events for the day that helped familiarize the newcomers with life on campus, including tours of the Main library, the Learning Technology Center and the University Teaching Center. They also were given an overview of the Dean of Students Office and services available at the Disability Resource Center.

The new faculty members come from as far as Sweden and will be teaching not only on main campus but also at off-site locations such as the Maricopa Cooperative Extension Office and the UA South campus.

One of the those attending the luncheon was Guangyao "Sam" Wang, an assistant specialist in cropping systems, is a new College of Agricultural and Life Sciences faculty member and will work at the Maricopa Agricultural Center.

Though he has been with the plant sciences department since May, Wang wanted to experience the new faculty orientation to better familiarize him with campus resources.

Wang will work on finding solutions to agricultural issues affecting Arizona and the Southwest, including diminishing water supplies in the desert regions. He said he looks forward to “working with the cooperative extension partners located in every part of the state; we’ll be able to share our knowledge with one another to make recommendations to make the most of what water we do have for crops.”