A ceremony is planned for NAU-Yuma at 8 p.m., May 15, where 951 students are eligible for graduation. About one-third of NAU-Yuma students attend classes in person and the remainder take classes online.
NAU President Rita Cheng is traveling to Yuma for the graduation ceremony, where she plans to congratulate students on the accomplishment of earning a degree, an achievement she said will contribute to the economic and cultural development of the state.
Numerous degree programs are available through NAU-Yuma with the largest enrollment in the master’s of administration, bachelor’s of business administration and the public administration 90-30 program, where students earn 90 credits at the community college level and complete the final 30 credits at NAU.In the 1970s, NAU faculty traveled by plane to teach classes in Yuma. The educational outreach expanded and became more formalized over time, assisted by evolving technologies.
NAU-Yuma was established as a branch campus in 1988 at Arizona Western College. Since then, NAU’s presence has grown and facilities have been built to accommodate the growing number of students earning baccalaureate degrees in Yuma.
In 2007, NAU-Yuma became a Hispanic-serving institution, a designation by the U.S. Department of Education that creates opportunities for federal funding and faculty support.