The University of Arizona (also referred to as U of A, UA, or Arizona) is a public research university located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. UA was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885 (twenty-seven years before the Arizona Territory achieved statehood). The university includes the University of Arizona College of Medicine, which operates a medical center in Tucson, and a separate 4-year M.D. college in downtown Phoenix. As of the 2012-2013 calendar year, total enrollment was 40,223 students.[8] The University of Arizona is governed by the Arizona Board of Regents. The mission of the University of Arizona is, "To discover, educate, serve, and inspire."[9] Arizona is one of the elected members of the Association of American Universities (an organization of North America's premier research institutions) and is the only representative from the state of Arizona to this group.
