As Arizona’s semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries continue to grow at a rapid pace, Northern Arizona University’s Steve Sanghi College of Engineering is launching a new degree program designed to help meet the state’s workforce needs.

Beginning this fall, NAU will offer a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Engineering Technology, a flexible, workforce-focused degree pathway that prepares students for careers in microelectronics, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing in as little as three years. The 90-credit bachelor’s degree creates a more accessible pathway into engineering careers through a hands-on, applied curriculum and a streamlined transfer model with Arizona community colleges.

The program follows a 45-45 completion structure, allowing students to complete 45 credits at a community college and 45 credits through NAU. Courses will be delivered through synchronous remote instruction at NAU’s North Valley campus in Phoenix and at Pima Community College in Tucson, increasing access for statewide students.

Addressing Arizona’s growing semiconductor workforce

Designed with workforce readiness in mind, the program emphasizes practical engineering application, systems implementation, testing, quality control, systems analysis, manufacturing, fabrication, process control and project management. Students will gain technical and problem-solving skills aligned with the needs of Arizona’s rapidly evolving manufacturing economy.

“This new bachelor’s degree empowers students to identify real-world engineering challenges and develop practical solutions,” said James Palmer, associate dean for academic affairs at the Steve Sanghi College of Engineering. “We are creating a more accessible pathway into engineering careers while preparing graduates to support Arizona’s growing microelectronics and semiconductor industry.”

Arizona has emerged as one of the nation’s fastest-growing semiconductor hubs, with more than $200 billion in semiconductor-related investments announced in the Greater Phoenix region since 2020, including expansions from Intel, TSMC and Amkor Technology. TSMC alone has committed up to $165 billion toward Arizona operations, including multiple fabrication plants and advanced packaging facilities expected to create thousands of technical and manufacturing jobs.

Industry demand continues to grow for professionals with applied engineering and advanced manufacturing skills in areas such as process engineering, manufacturing systems, equipment operations and yield enhancement. NAU’s new degree program was developed to help students quickly enter these high-demand career fields while supporting Arizona’s long-term economic growth and domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity.

The program also aligns with NAU’s strategic commitment to expanding access to affordable, student-centered educational opportunities that prepare graduates for meaningful careers and long-term success.

Students interested in learning more about the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Engineering Technology program should contact SCE@nau.edu.

PHOENIX (AP) — The two Republican congressmen running for Arizona governor pitched themselves at a debate Wednesday as the only candidate with broad enough voter appeal to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs amid the state’s affordability struggles.

U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, who is the GOP primary’s frontrunner and has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, portrayed himself as being able to cross party lines and having the right experience to be the state’s chief executive.

“There’s not a doubt in my mind, if you look at the polling data that you’re going to find, I am the most competitive with Katie Hobbs of anybody on this stage in any Republican in the state,” Biggs said.

U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, who has survived three tough Democratic challenges in recent years, believes his focus on government finances and his drive to bring new business to the state make him the singular Republican candidate.

“These are wonderful people, but they’ve never actually been in the great battle,” Schweikert said of Biggs and two other Republican opponents.

Businessman Scott Neely, who ran an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in 2022, said after the debate that if Biggs wins the primary, Republicans will lose the election.

The winner of the July 21 primary will face Hobbs, who’s running unopposed in the primary.

Biggs has served five terms in the U.S. House, representing a heavily GOP district in the eastern Phoenix suburbs and serving at one time as chairman of the ultra-right U.S. House Freedom Caucus.

Before that, Biggs served in the Arizona Legislature from 2003 through 2016, including four years as president of the state Senate. He battled with then-Republican Gov. Jan Brewer on a Medicaid expansion in 2013 and pushed school choice measures and bills targeting abortion providers.

Biggs is one of Trump’s top defenders in Congress and supported Trump’s false claims the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

Schweikert, a budget hawk known for railing against government debt, has represented an affluent district that includes parts of northeast Phoenix and Scottsdale for eight terms. He served in the Arizona House in the 1990s and as Maricopa County’s treasurer in the 2000s.

Schweikert has focused his congressional career on sounding the alarm about the federal budget deficit and the ballooning U.S. debt, often in late-night speeches to a nearly empty House chamber and bleary-eyed C-SPAN viewers. Schweikert has praised Trump’s 2017 tax cuts but has called for more spending cuts to reduce federal borrowing.

His reputation was tarnished by ethics scandals. In 2022, he received a $125,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission for misappropriating campaign funds. Two years prior, he agreed to pay a $50,000 fine and accept 11 campaign finance violations after an investigation by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics. In his last three general campaigns for Congress, Schweikert staved off challenges from Democrats. Biggs voiced support for Arizona’s recent passage of a three-year moratorium on tax incentives for new data centers – a move Hobbs also has touted. “They shouldn’t be given a break,” Biggs said, noting the large amounts of power and water that data centers use.

Schweikert bemoaned Arizona’s unfavorable affordability rankings as “pretty miserable,” but said consumer prices don’t come down magically. He vowed to aggressively recruit businesses to Arizona and push for wage growth.

Both congressmen were asked about the expired healthcare subsidies for those getting coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

“We’re going to have to deal with the reality of subsidization of everything in the economy is not going to work,” Schweikert said.

Biggs said he introduced legislation in Congress to bring down healthcare costs and also voiced support for Trump’s proposal to send money directly to Americans for health savings accounts so they can handle insurance and health costs as they see fit.

by Shelby Evans, Cronkite News
June 17, 2026

SCOTTSDALE – “Seven.”

“Eight.” 

“One.” 

“Two.” 

Forty adults gather in a circle around a sand volleyball court at Indian School Park. They count off to divide into eight teams for the volleyball matches. 

The camaraderie of recess sports persists among the group. Play for the joy of playing. 

“It is a stressful time to be an adult, right?” said Phoenix Fray city commissioner Hilary Neste. “So we want to encourage people to play. That is our mission.”

Adult social leagues have grown in number and size as more adults turn to them as a way to find community and stay active. 

According to a 2025 report from Morning Consult, 58% of adults work out or play sports at least once a week. 

The Valley has options for those majority of adults, Municipalities, like the City of Phoenix, offer community leagues, Arizona Sports League offers divisions of play for eight sports in locations spread across the metropolitan area and OutLoud Sports offers LGBTQ+ inclusive year-round options. 

Fray Phoenix is a private adult social sport league provider. As dusk brings relief to the Arizona summer air, players begin gathering at the four sand volleyball courts every Sunday night at 7 p.m.

Pete Sanchez, a 55-year-old dad of three, participates in three Fray Leagues a week. 

“Sundays is sand volleyball,” Sanchez said. “Then Mondays is flag football, Tuesdays is adult kickball.

“I enjoy the competition. I make a lot of friends, and friends where we actually hang out and go out.” 

Each league has a pay-for-play model. Six weeks of indoor volleyball starting in August at a social or athletic level costs non-members between $75-$85. 

Privately owned social sports leagues are growing in size across the country. Organizing the leagues became such a large undertaking that the Sport & Social Industry Association has been connecting member organizations with resources since 2010. 

Chris Giebner, a founding member of SSIA, has owned and operated Tampa Bay Club Sport since 2002. 

“It’s not an industry for the faint of heart,” Giebner said. “The raw truth of it is we’re in a business where half your customers lose every night.” 

He first participated in a social league when he moved to Florida from Cincinnati in 1996. 

“I Joined a start up, fledgling soccer league as a free agent,” Giebner said, “then on that first day, I ended up meeting who became my wife.”

It is a story that Giebner has seen repeated in the 30 years since. 

“We have tracked, probably hundreds of marriages,” Giebner said. “I’ve probably been to dozens of weddings of people I met through Club Sport. We’ve seen dozens of on-field marriage proposals.”

Romances put the social in social sports in Phoenix as well. Jordyn Graham joined a Fray volleyball league when she moved to Phoenix from Texas. Michael Donovan moved to the area from New Hampshire. 

“I would just show up at my game and leave,” Graham said. “He was like ‘hey, you should start coming to free play.’ And I was like ‘hmmm, maybe’ and then he was like ‘well here’s my number. I’ll text you.’” 

Since then, the couple has dated and are now engaged. 

“With us being together, it brought me out more,” Graham said. “Meet more people, made new friends and other connections.” 

Tampa Bay Sports Club Sport has expanded into six cities in Florida and employs 15 full-time people with 80 part-time employees. They have about 80,000 players a year across their leagues, Giebner said He associates the growth to Gen Zs and Millennials moving away from a drinking culture.

“Those generations aren’t drinking as much as Gen X, and my generation,” Giebner said. “More of those generations are looking for something active to do, and I think our industry and our product is right up that alley.”

Fray United is headquartered in Washington D.C. and has leagues based out of Jacksonville, Florida, and Phoenix. Neste is the only full-time employee in Arizona and operates as the city commissioner. Sports options are available across the Valley spanning from Avondale, Glendale, Scottsdale and Gilbert. 

“We always have new players joining us, which is so great,” Neste said. “You meet people that you wouldn’t meet in other areas, like going out to a bar.” 

Phoenix Fray offers two divisions on Sunday nights: a social and an athletic. Athletic includes a higher level of play for a bit more competition. 

“We want to be in the Athletic league,” Sanchez said. “Our team is pretty good but we just can’t seem to win when it comes to the playoffs. 

“Everybody’s always asking when are you guys going to athletic and I’m like “no, we need to win social before we deserve to move up.’”

The sport still prioritizes socialization and Neste highlighted the access social leagues offer to players who are new to the sport. 

“The way youth sports is going is everyone is specializing,” Neste said. “I think more adults are going to want to try new things because they never got to try it when they were children.”

At Indian School Park, the athletic and social leagues compete for the first two scheduled hours. By 9 p.m., the teams gather in a circle and count off into new teams that combine the levels of play.

“We stay after and we mix the teams up,” Neste said. “It’s a lot harder to yell at someone during the game if you know them on a personal level, right? So, we encourage them to interact with each other instead of just their own team.”

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Social sport leagues heating up in Arizona as adults look to connect <p>Shelby Evans, Cronkite News<br /> June 17, 2026 <p>SCOTTSDALE – “Seven.”<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>“Eight.”  <p>“One.”  <p>“Two.”  <p>Forty adults gather in a circle around a sand volleyball court at Indian School Park. They count off to divide into eight teams for the volleyball matches.  <p>The camaraderie of recess sports persists among the group. Play for the joy of playing. <div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>“It is a stressful time to be an adult, right?” said Phoenix Fray city commissioner Hilary Neste. “So we want to encourage people to play. That is our mission.” <p>Adult social leagues have grown in number and size as more adults turn to them as a way to find community and stay active.  <p>According to a 2025 report from Morning Consult, 58% of adults work out or play sports at least once a week.  <p>The Valley has options for those majority of adults, Municipalities, like the City of Phoenix, offer community leagues, Arizona Sports League offers divisions of play for eight sports in locations spread across the metropolitan area and OutLoud Sports offers LGBTQ+ inclusive year-round options.  <p>Fray Phoenix is a private adult social sport league provider. As dusk brings relief to the Arizona summer air, players begin gathering at the four sand volleyball courts every Sunday night at 7 p.m.<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>Pete Sanchez, a 55-year-old dad of three, participates in three Fray Leagues a week.  <p>“Sundays is sand volleyball,” Sanchez said. “Then Mondays is flag football, Tuesdays is adult kickball. <p>“I enjoy the competition. I make a lot of friends, and friends where we actually hang out and go out.”  <p>Each league has a pay-for-play model. Six weeks of indoor volleyball starting in August at a social or athletic level costs non-members between $75-$85.  <p>Privately owned social sports leagues are growing in size across the country. Organizing the leagues became such a large undertaking that the Sport & Social Industry Association has been connecting member organizations with resources since 2010. <div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>Chris Giebner, a founding member of SSIA, has owned and operated Tampa Bay Club Sport since 2002.  <p>“It’s not an industry for the faint of heart,” Giebner said. “The raw truth of it is we’re in a business where half your customers lose every night.”  <p>He first participated in a social league when he moved to Florida from Cincinnati in 1996.  <p>“I Joined a start up, fledgling soccer league as a free agent,” Giebner said, “then on that first day, I ended up meeting who became my wife.” <p>It is a story that Giebner has seen repeated in the 30 years since. <div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>“We have tracked, probably hundreds of marriages,” Giebner said. “I’ve probably been to dozens of weddings of people I met through Club Sport. We’ve seen dozens of on-field marriage proposals.” <p>Romances put the social in social sports in Phoenix as well. Jordyn Graham joined a Fray volleyball league when she moved to Phoenix from Texas. Michael Donovan moved to the area from New Hampshire.  <p>“I would just show up at my game and leave,” Graham said. “He was like ‘hey, you should start coming to free play.’ And I was like ‘hmmm, maybe’ and then he was like ‘well here’s my number. I’ll text you.’”  <p>Since then, the couple has dated and are now engaged.  <p>“With us being together, it brought me out more,” Graham said. “Meet more people, made new friends and other connections.” <div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>Tampa Bay Sports Club Sport has expanded into six cities in Florida and employs 15 full-time people with 80 part-time employees. They have about 80,000 players a year across their leagues, Giebner said He associates the growth to Gen Zs and Millennials moving away from a drinking culture. <p>“Those generations aren’t drinking as much as Gen X, and my generation,” Giebner said. “More of those generations are looking for something active to do, and I think our industry and our product is right up that alley.” <p>Fray United is headquartered in Washington D.C. and has leagues based out of Jacksonville, Florida, and Phoenix. Neste is the only full-time employee in Arizona and operates as the city commissioner. Sports options are available across the Valley spanning from Avondale, Glendale, Scottsdale and Gilbert.  <p>“We always have new players joining us, which is so great,” Neste said. “You meet people that you wouldn’t meet in other areas, like going out to a bar.”  <p>Phoenix Fray offers two divisions on Sunday nights: a social and an athletic. Athletic includes a higher level of play for a bit more competition. <div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>“We want to be in the Athletic league,” Sanchez said. “Our team is pretty good but we just can’t seem to win when it comes to the playoffs.  <p>“Everybody’s always asking when are you guys going to athletic and I’m like “no, we need to win social before we deserve to move up.’” <p>The sport still prioritizes socialization and Neste highlighted the access social leagues offer to players who are new to the sport.  <p>“The way youth sports is going is everyone is specializing,” Neste said. “I think more adults are going to want to try new things because they never got to try it when they were children.” <p>At Indian School Park, the athletic and social leagues compete for the first two scheduled hours. By 9 p.m., the teams gather in a circle and count off into new teams that combine the levels of play.<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>“We stay after and we mix the teams up,” Neste said. “It’s a lot harder to yell at someone during the game if you know them on a personal level, right? So, we encourage them to interact with each other instead of just their own team.” <p>This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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