On its face, the Arizona Board of Regents and the universities they govern have little, if anything, to do with the state’s Medicaid program or Gov. Jan Brewer’s plans to expand it in accordance with the federal Affordable Care Act.

Fred DuVal’s gubernatorial campaign is semi-official after filing an exploratory committee today, making him the first Democrat to test the waters for the state’s top office in 2014.

The Goldwater Institute is going to ask a federal court to let it intervene in a lawsuit pitting a non-profit, student lobbying group against the Arizona Board of Regents. The institute, a conservative policy advocacy group, set the wheels of the lawsuit in motion in September by questioning the legality of a $2 student fee that funds the Arizona Student Association, which contributed $126,806 in support of Proposition 204.

Gov. Jan Brewer asked the Arizona Board of Regents to support her controversial AHCCCS expansion plan, arguing that it would free up general fund money for higher education.

The regents, the majority of whom are Brewer appointees, quickly granted her request, passing a resolution in support of both her overall budget plan and her proposal to increase Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

Tuition bills for students at Arizona’s three universities will no longer include a $2 fee to fund a politically active, non-profit group.

The bills will contain a check box instead allowing students to contribute voluntarily to the Arizona Students Association, a group that advocates on student issues and lobbies at the Legislature.

Briefing lawmakers Wednesday, presidents of Arizona’s three public universities said they have met the state’s mandate to do more with less.

Two ousted members of the Maricopa Integrated Health System board of directors say they lost their seats in November after the head of a nonprofit that assists it and another former member targeted them for their opposition to a nearly billion-dollar bond issue for a new hospital.

As 2012 comes to a close, some Arizona politicos have reached new heights of prominence and power. Others saw once-promising careers hit the wall.

Jeff Flake and Kyrsten Sinema gained influence and stature in the nation’s capital, while Andy Biggs reached the pinnacle of power in the Arizona Senate.

Meanwhile, former Senate President Russell Pearce and his successor, Sen. Steve Pierce, fell from grace, while a slew of Republican candidates once again failed in their bids to reach the halls of Congress.

The Arizona Board of Regents approved a three-year contract worth more than $1 million for new board President Eileen Klein.

Now that the economy is recovering, universities and state agencies are seeking budget increases and have asked Gov. Jan Brewer to fight for at least $500 million in new spending.