5-to-50 Campaign

In 2003 we launched the 5-to-50 Campaign for Geography & Regional Development. The campaign is called 5-50 because 2008 - a short two years down the road now - will mark the 50th anniversary of the first degree awarded in this Department. In May of 1958, we awarded our first BA/BS degree with a major in "Area Development." Among the courses offered toward that degree were "Industrial Geography," "Economic Geography of the US," "Conservation of Natural Resources," "Urban Planning and Development," "Geomorphology," and "Climatology". (A few years later, in 1964, the first MA degree and in 1977 the first PhD were awarded.)

The 5-to-50 Campaign will continue for two more years and conclude with a major celebration in 2008 to mark the milestone. If you are graduate of the Department, or just a friend who wants to contribute to our success, please consider donating to one of the following funds, named after classical and pre-modern geographers.

To donate to GRD, select either the Printable Donation Form or the UA Foundation's Online Giving Website (be sure to select "Geography & Regional Development" as the designation)

Strabo Student Research Fund. Born in what is today central Turkey, Strabo (circa B.C. 64 - A.D. 20) had an enormous impact on our knowledge of ancient geographers. This account will be directed to students at all levels, to fund aspects of any research-related project they might be engaged in as well as field courses and course field trips.

Varenius Technology & Infrastructure Fund. Named for the European scholar, Bernhardus Varenius (1622-1650), who made significant contributions to geography in his short life. The purpose of this account is to provide the Department with funds necessary to purchase and upgrade instructional technology and related infrastructure.

von Humboldt Faculty Research Fund. Named after the great German geographer Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), this account will provide faculty with seed money for research, thereby initiating and expanding research projects in the field and in the laboratory.

Ptolemy Development Fund. Named for the last of the great Greek geographers, Claudius Ptolemaeus (A.D. 90-168), this general fund will be used to expand the Department's operating budget and for emergency and/or strategic purchases.

The Janice Monk Visiting Distinguished Professor in Feminist Geography

The Janice Monk Visiting Distinguished Professor in Feminist Geography fund was founded to celebrate Jan's dedication and contributions to geography. As everyone who knows Jan can attest, she has been a tireless and enthusiastic advocate for the discipline for well over 30 years. From the start of her career in the US academic system as a geography graduate student at the University of Illinois, to its culmination with over two decades directing the University of Arizona's Southwest Institute for Research on Women, Janice Monk has demonstrated an enduring commitment to promoting geography domestically and internationally at the same time that she helped to originate and promote feminist geography and the careers of hundreds of geographers, men and women. Our campaign is intended to honor Jan Monk in a manner that keeps her spirit and commitment to feminist geography alive and that continues to shape generations of faculty and students to come.

Each year a feminist geographer of outstanding reputation is invited to the University of Arizona campus for a special weeklong campus visit and lecture. The lecture is also delivered at a major international conference and is published, following peer review, in Gender, Place and Culture as "The Jan Monk Distinguished Lecture." The week of campus activities, together with the annual lecture, constitute an enduring and fitting reminder of Jan's substantial contributions to the discipline that will be celebrated year after year. The inuagural year for the event saw a visit in Spring 2006 of Professor Ruth Fincher from the University of Melbourne.

Download a form to donate to the Janice Monk Distiguished Professor fund.