Arizona State University
Arizona State Institution (ASU) is a public research university located in Phoenix. ASU is one of the largest public colleges in the United States by enrollment, having been founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature. Undergraduate students can choose from 350 degree options offered by ASU’s 17 colleges, more than 170 cross-discipline centers and institutes, and more than 400 graduate degree and certificate programs. ASU had a faculty of more than 4,700 professors as of January 2022.
When the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature passed an act to form a normal school to train teachers for the Arizona Territory on March 12, 1885, it became Arizona State University. On a 20-acre tract largely given by Tempe residents George and Martha Wilson, the campus consisted of a single, four-room schoolhouse. On February 8, 1886, the first class included 33 students. The institution was also known as Tempe Normal School of Arizona (1889-1903), Tempe Normal School (1903-1925), Tempe State Teachers College (1925-1929), Arizona State Teachers College (1929-1945), Arizona State College (1945-1958), and Arizona State University (1958) by a 2-1 margin of the state’s voters.
The institution discontinued teaching high school courses in 1923 and made a high school diploma a condition for entrance. Tempe State Teachers College was founded in 1925 and offered four-year Bachelor of Education degrees and two-year teaching certifications. The school was renamed Arizona State Teachers College after the 9th Arizona State Legislature permitted Bachelor of Arts in Education degrees.
Grady Gammage, then president of Arizona State Teachers College at Flagstaff, was named president of Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe in 1933, beginning a nearly 28-year stint second only to Swetman’s 30 years at the helm.
ASU expanded through the development of the Polytechnic campus and extended education sites under the direction of Lattie F. Coor, president, from 1990 to 2002. During his 12-year tenure, he increased his dedication to diversity, undergraduate education quality, research, and economic development. A successful fundraising effort was part of Coor’s legacy to the university: more than $500 million was invested in areas that would significantly impact ASU’s future through private donations.
Michael M. Crow was elected as the university’s 16th president in 2002. He described his vision for ASU as becoming a “New American University”?one that is open and inclusive?at his inauguration. He established a goal for the university to meet the Association of American Universities criteria and become a member.
The economic downturn that began in 2008 hit Arizona particularly hard, resulting in significant budget cuts at ASU. As a result of the cuts, ASU capped enrollment, closed more than four dozen academic programmes, merged academic departments, consolidated colleges and schools, and reduced university faculty, staff, and administrators; however, with the economy improving in 2011, the university continued its campaign to expand the West and Polytechnic Campuses, as well as establish a low-cost, teaching-focused extension campus in Lake Havasu City.
The Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU was established in 2015 as the fifth ASU campus. Mayo Clinic established collaborative degree programmes in health care and law and shared administrative positions, laboratories, and classes at the Mayo Clinic Arizona site through education and research partnerships.
The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law’s new home, the Beus Center for Law and Society, opened in fall 2016 on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus, transferring staff and students from the Tempe campus to the state capital.
Campuses and Locations
| Fall 2020 | Fall 2019 | Fall 2018 | Fall 2017 | Fall 2016 | Fall 2015 | Fall 2014 | Fall 2013 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | 103,609 | 96,726 | 89,888 | 83,544 | 79,442 | 74,139 | 67,498 | 62,082 |
| Graduate | 25,179 | 23,225 | 21,361 | 19,986 | 18,704 | 17,183 | 15,762 | 14,646 |
| Total campus-based enrollment | 74,795 | 75,698 | 73,875 | 72,947 | 72,362 | 71,305 | 69,511 | 66,770 |
| Online | 53,993 | 44,253 | 37,374 | 30,583 | 25,784 | 20,017 | 13,749 | 9,958 |
| Total including online enrollment | 128,788 | 119,951 | 111,249 | 103,530 | 98,146 | 91,322 | 83,260 | 76,728 |
Tempe Campus
The Tempe campus of Arizona State University is located in downtown Tempe, Arizona, about eight miles (13 kilometers) east of downtown Phoenix. The campus is about 660 acres in size and is considered urban. It’s built around wide pedestrian malls and is surrounded by an arboretum. With over 70,000 students enrolled in at least one class on campus in fall 2017, the Tempe campus is also the largest of ASU’s campuses.
West Campus
The West campus, established in 1984 by the Arizona legislature, is located on 277.92 acres in a suburban region of northwest Phoenix. The West campus is approximately 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of Downtown Phoenix and 18 miles (29 kilometers) northwest of the Tempe campus. The West campus has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride and is powered almost entirely by solar panels.
Downtown Phoenix Campus
On the north side of Downtown Phoenix, the Downtown Phoenix campus opened in 2006. The campus is designed to look like a city, with several huge modern academic buildings mixed with commercial and retail office buildings. In addition to the new buildings, the campus involved the adaptive reuse of numerous old structures, including a National Register of Historic Places-listed Post Office from the 1930s.
Organization and Administration
The president of the university, who is also the institution’s chief executive officer and chief budget officer, is appointed and elected by the Arizona Board of Regents. The president carries out the Board of Regents’ decisions, maintains authority over the university’s assets, and serves as the university’s official representative to the Board of Regents. The provost, vice presidents, deans, faculty, directors, department chairpersons, and other officers help the chief executive officer in the institution’s management. Administrative officials and general counsels are likewise chosen and appointed by the president.
ASU Online
ASU Online offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate degree programs through an online platform. The online degree programs are accredited in the same way that the university’s regular face-to-face programs are. Online students are taught by the same professors as on-campus students and obtain the same diploma. ASU online programs enable students to learn in highly interactive situations through student participation and technologically tailored learning environments. In April 2015, ASU Online announced a collaboration with edX to create the Global Freshman Academy, a one-of-a-kind curriculum. Students do not need to submit a high school transcript or GPA to apply for the courses. All interested students are welcome to apply.
Starbucks and ASU Online launched a partnership called the Starbucks College Achievement Plan in June 2014. The Starbucks College Achievement Plan provides full-tuition coverage to any benefits-eligible workers who enroll in ASU Online’s undergraduate degree programs. ASU Online had moreover than 25,000 students enrolled as of spring 2017.
Libraries
ASU’s library housed 4.5 million books as of 2013. The library system of Arizona State University is the 34th largest research library in the United States and Canada.
Hayden Library is currently undergoing renovations on Cady Mall in the heart of the Tempe campus. It is ASU’s largest library building, being opened in 1966. The underground entrance beneath Hayden Lawn, connected to the above-ground portion of the old library, was formed by an expansion in 1989. Hayden Lawn is divided into two floors, with a monument is known as the “Beacon of Knowledge” rising from the center. At night, the underground library illuminates the beacon.
The Arizona Board of Regents approved a $35 million repurposing and refurbishment project for Hayden Library in the 2013 Capital Improvement Plan. Hayden Library’s front door was reconstructed in addition to expanding space and refurbishing the facility. The open-air moat area that serves as an outdoor study space will be enclosed to expand the library’s inside capacity.
Sustainability
The School of Sustainability has been instrumental in establishing the university as a “leader in sustainable business academics.” The institution is widely regarded as one of the most forward-thinking and moral organizations incorporating sustainable practices into its business strategy. The university has adopted several difficult sustainability goals. The construction of a huge recycling and composting operation that will eliminate 30 percent of trash and divert 90 percent of garbage from landfills is one of the various goals outlined in the university’s prospectus. This effort will be supported by informing students about the advantages of avoiding excessive consumption, which adds to waste. The Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability includes ASU’s School of Sustainability. The School was founded in the spring of 2007 and began accepting undergraduate students in the fall of 2008. Sustainability majors, minors, and certificates are available at the School.
Traditions
Maroon and Gold
The oldest color linked with Arizona State University dates back to 1896, when the Tempe Normal School was founded. In 1898, maroon and white were added to the color scheme. ASU’s “golden promise” is symbolized by gold.
Every student will receive a beneficial educational experience, according to the guarantee. Gold also represents the sunshine that Arizona is known for and the sun’s power and impact on the environment and economy. When the sporting teams were known as the “Normals,” the initial jerseys worn by athletes linked with the university were black and white. On game days, The Inferno, the student section, wears gold.
Victory Bell
Arizona State University reinstated the custom of ringing a bell after each football team’s victory in 2012. The university’s ROTC cadets bring the bell to different occasions and ring it following Sun Devil’s triumphs. The first Victory Bell was rung in the 1930s, but the tradition died out when the bell was removed from Memorial Union for renovations in the 1970s. The bell had shattered and could no longer ring. The gold-painted bell, gifted to the institution in the late 1960s, is a campus landmark.
The Lantern Walk
The Lantern Walk, which goes back to 1917, is one of ASU’s oldest traditions. It is one of ASU’s “most cherished” traditions, and it is an occasion used to honor persons involved with the university throughout its history. The event is open to anybody connected to ASU, including students, alumni, faculty, workers, and friends. This changes slightly from the original practice, seeing the seniors lead the freshman up “A” Mountain with lanterns. It was defined as a custom of “good will among the classes” and a mechanism to ensure that incoming students carry on the university’s traditions. The senior class president would describe ASU’s traditions, and the freshman would repeat an oath of commitment to the university.
Student media
The State Press is the university’s student-run, independent news organization. The State Press covers all four ASU campuses for news and activities. The content of the State Press website is primarily the responsibility of student editors and managers. These publications are supervised by an independent board and led by a university-employed professional consultant.
The Downtown Devil is a student-run news website published by students at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication for the Downtown Phoenix Campus.
Blaze Radio is ASU’s only student-run radio station. The Cronkite School of Journalism owns and funds Blaze Radio, which students entirely administer. On its official website, the station provides a 24-hour online feed.
Extracurricular Programs
The extracurricular engagement program at Arizona State University is active. Educational Outreach and Student Services (EOSS) is located on the second floor of the Student Pavilion on the Tempe campus and offers clubs, sororities, fraternities, community service, leadership, student government, and co-curricular programs for students.
The volunteer campus tour guide organization Devils’ Advocates was created in 1966 as a strategy to attract National Merit Scholars more competitively. It is the oldest student organization on campus. ASU alumni number over 1,100.
Changemaker Central is a student-run centralized resource hub that catalyzes student-driven social change by encouraging students to engage in social entrepreneurship, civic engagement, service-learning, and community service. In the fall of 2011, Changemaker Central locations debuted on all ASU campuses, offering everyone with flexible, creative workspaces. The project is fully student-led and contributes to ASU’s institutional social inclusion and entrepreneurship commitments. While taking advantage of ASU’s various resources and chances for participation, students can use the area to meet, work, and join new networks and collaborative enterprises. Changemaker Central’s signature programs, such as Changemaker Challenge, help students on their path to becoming changemakers by building communities of support around new solutions/ideas and expanding access to early-stage seed funding. The Changemaker Challenge is looking for undergraduate and graduate students from throughout the institution who are passionate about using innovation to improve our local and global communities. Students can win up to $10,000 to help fund their innovative initiative, prototype, venture, or community partnership.
Alumni
More than 180 firms based on ASU ideas have been formed through the university’s exclusive intellectual property management company, Skysong Innovations, which garnered more than $999 million in external capital. Along with MIT, Stanford, and Harvard, the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association put ASU in the top ten nationally and No. 11 globally for U.S. patents given to institutions in 2020. Doug Ducey, Jane Dee Hull, and Evan Mecham, Arizona’s governors, attended Arizona State. Mark Brnovich, the Attorney General of Arizona, is an ASU graduate. Major League Baseball All-Stars Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia, Sal Bando, and Paul Lo Duca are among the prominent athletes that attended ASU.