Former UA president launches website touting success

A week after stepping down as President of the University of Arizona, Robert C. Robbins has launched a new website promoting his work as a “Leader, Innovator and Educator.”

Robbins relinquished his role as president on October 1, following a tumultuous year during which his handling of the school’s multi-million-dollar financial crisis and messaging around it was repeatedly called into question.

Robbins announced his resignation in April, saying he’d step down when his contract expires in 2026 or when the Arizona Board of Regents selected a replacement.

New president Suresh Garimella assumed the position on October 1, with the Arizona Daily Star reporting last month that Robbins would be paid through the end of his July 2026 contract.

Robbins will be earning a base salary of $734,407, after taking a 10% pay cut in March amid the deficit.

The morning Garimella started work, the website drrobertcrobbins.com transitioned from a landing page that said “launching soon” to a full website with pages highlighting Robbins’ areas of business, news and insights and a photo gallery.

The site includes sections detailing Robbins’ values, fundraising and research, with the homepage boasting that during his seven-year tenure, Robbins and his staff, raised more than $2.8 billion dollars for the UA.

“President Robbins increased the institutional endowment by 62%, from $741 million to more than $1.2 billion,” the site says. “He also secured naming rights to several colleges and programs.”

Robbins shared the website on X earlier today, saying that it was a “profound honor” to serve as UA president and that he’d always hold the “entire Wildcat community” close to his heart.

Tucson Spotlight ran the website’s URL through the Wayback Machine and found it first became active on August 9 with the “launching soon” message. A quick check of related websites shows the same “launching soon” message and background photo at robertcrobbins.com, although it’s unclear if Robbins intends to use this site, as well.

Drrobertcrobbins.com advertises Robbins areas of expertise as higher education, research, health and wellness, business innovation and entrepreneurship and college athletics, with additional information available about each of these individual skill sets.

“Leading with vision and unwavering dedication to student-athletes, fans, alumni, and the multitude of communities they bring together, Dr. Robert C. Robbins cultivates champions both on and off the field,” according to the teaser for his work with college athletics.

The section goes on to say that Robbins used his influence and expertise to forge a path for the UA to join the Big 12 Conference and refers to Robbins as a leader in athletics.

The site also includes celebrity endorsements that support Robbins claims.

“Dr. Robbins at his best. Trust me, he's the reason the University of Arizona is in the Big 12,” according to New York Times Bestselling author Armen Keteyian.

In the section called “In Dr. Robbins’ Own Words,” the former president shares his “personal thoughts, reflections, and stories” through his “blogs, journals, and writings, offering a unique insight into his world.”

As of yesterday, the page only included two op-ed pieces written for Business Insider, both of which were published last month.

Both of the pieces were about the pandemic and titled “The Plan That Offered My University The Ability to Start Up Again Despite Coronavirus” and “How I Tackled COVID-19 as a University President and Held an In-Person Graduation Ceremony in 2021.”

The website, which introduces Robbins as a “leader, innovator, educator and internationally recognized cardiothoracic surgeon who builds successful cross-disciplinary enterprises,” makes no mention of the UA’s deficit, which was initially thought to be as high as $240 million.

“Dr. Robert C. Robbins has exemplified strategic leadership at an AAU university, by skillfully advancing ambitious goals and furthering the institutional mission,” according to the site.

Caitlin Schmidt is Editor and Publisher of Tucson Spotlight. She previously worked for the Arizona Daily Star and has been reporting on Southern Arizona for a decade. Contact her at caitlin@tucsonspotlight.org.