Farewell, and Thank You

Dear colleagues,

21 years ago, I left my family and home in India at 18 to pursue new opportunities in the U.S., and the University of Arizona welcomed me with open arms. Over time, this institution and community became my home, and I often say that while I was born in India, I truly grew up in Tucson.

Now, I find myself facing an even tougher decision—leaving my U of A family and this incredible place that has shaped me both personally and professionally. I have taken an opportunity to serve in another inaugural role as Chief Data Officer and Vice President for Enterprise Planning at the University of Utah. It has been an absolute privilege to be part of the University of Arizona’s data community, working alongside so many brilliant and dedicated colleagues to build a data culture and strategy that is second to none. One of my proudest accomplishments here has been successfully merging Business Intelligence (BI) and Institutional Research (IR), creating a cutting-edge model that’s elevated the university’s approach to data. Together, we’ve transformed how the university thinks about data—making it not just a resource, but a powerful driver of insight, action, and innovation.

Leading UAIR has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I am incredibly proud of what we have built together. In my role, I’ve had the privilege of overseeing key institutional deliverables like Arizona Profiles and the Interactive Fact Book, while expanding their reach and impact. In the past years, UAIR has cultivated a unique data dynamic on campus, empowering users with robust self-service capabilities in UAccess Analytics to explore and analyze data on their own through expanded data warehousing capabilities. It has been an honor serving our growing data community of over 4,600 provisioned users, who run roughly 10M analyses each fiscal year. I’ve had the pleasure of supervising the introduction of new data tools, revamped dashboards, streamlined subject areas, and trainings to foster deeper engagement and insight.

Through campus collaborations on projects and initiatives such as Student Census Reporting, Rankings Support, Faculty Pay Equity Studies and more, I’ve had the opportunity to work with colleagues across the institution who have significantly influenced both my professional growth and my overall experience at the university. These collaborations have sparked new data literacy opportunities for the university, including the Institutional Data Summit, which I had the pleasure of overseeing the inaugural event last year and hope you all are excited to attend again in a couple weeks. The passion, dedication, and expertise of this community have made every challenge worth tackling and every milestone worth celebrating.

Though I will soon be embarking on a new journey, a part of my heart will always remain here in Tucson. I am forever grateful for the friendships, collaborations, and memories made along the way. UAIR didn’t just shape my career—it helped define who I am, and this team will continue to support the university’s community with all its data needs. Thank you for being such an important part of my journey. I look forward to seeing the incredible things this great university will continue to accomplish.

With gratitude,

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Ravneet Chadha

Associate Vice President and Chief Data Officer

The University of Arizona