The University of Arizona is set to honor the groundbreaking research and transformative teaching of its faculty at the 2025 Luminaries Outstanding Faculty Awards. This event, scheduled for October 16 at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, highlights the achievements of faculty members who are pushing the boundaries of scholarship and education.
A key feature of the ceremony is the conferral of Regents Professorships, a prestigious title that represents the pinnacle of faculty achievement at the University. This honor is reserved for professors whose work is recognized on both national and international levels and is limited to a select 3% of the university’s tenured and tenure-track faculty.
Three distinguished faculty members will be acknowledged as new Regents Professors this year. Their appointments, confirmed by the Arizona Board of Regents in April, include Jiang Wu, a professor of East Asian studies and director of the Center for Buddhist Studies.
Jiang Wu expressed his gratitude for the honor, stating it is “an affirmation of not only my efforts, but humanities research in general.” As a leading scholar in Chinese and East Asian Buddhism, Wu’s research focuses on the historical spread and transformation of Buddhism, emphasizing the importance of understanding its journey for international and spiritual connections.
He noted, “Buddhism came from India and spread into Central and East Asia before making its way at the turn of the century into Western Europe and the United States. The history of that journey is very important because it tells a story of international, human connection and the cultivation of spirituality.”
In addition to recognizing long-standing faculty achievements, the Outstanding Faculty Awards also highlight the contributions of newer scholars. Assistant Professor Kerri Rodriguez from the College of Veterinary Medicine will receive an Early Career Scholar Award for her work as director of the Human-Animal Bond Lab.
Rodriguez described the recognition as “incredibly motivating” and emphasized the importance of her field, noting that the college has one of the largest teams studying the human-animal bond globally. Her research integrates veterinary medicine, psychology, and animal behavior to explore the health benefits of human-animal relationships.
She explained, “Our goal is to put strong science and data behind those stories in order to document and quantify how animals can be impactful in clinical applications. Pets are not a cure-all solution, but a means of assisting in PTSD care, or working with children with autism, or first responders.”
The 2025 Luminaries Outstanding Faculty Awards will celebrate Rodriguez, Wu, and numerous other faculty members, commencing at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 16. Attendees can register online and find more details, including a complete list of honorees, on the event’s website.
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