Arizona State University

Arizona State University (commonly referred to as ASU or Arizona State) is a public metropolitan research university[8] located on five campuses across the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area,[9][10] and four regional learning centers throughout Arizona. The 2016 university ratings by U.S. News & World Report rank ASU No. 1 among the Most Innovative Schools in America.

ASU is the largest public university by enrollment in the U.S. It has approximately 82,060 students enrolled in the year 2014 including 66,309 undergraduate and 15,751 graduate students. ASU's charter, approved by the board of regents in 2014, is based on the "New American University" model created by ASU President Crow. It defines ASU as "a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but rather by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves."

ASU is classified as a research university with very high research activity (RU/VH) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Since 2005 ASU has been ranked among the top research universities, public and private, in the U.S. based on research output, innovation, development, research expenditures, number of awarded patents and awarded research grant proposals. The Center for Measuring University Performance currently ranks ASU 31st among top U.S. public research universities. ASU was classified as a Research I institute in 1994, making it one of the newest major research universities (public or private) in the nation.

Students compete in 25 varsity sports. The Arizona State Sun Devils are members of the Pac-12 Conference and have won 23 NCAA championships. Along with multiple athletic clubs and recreational facilities, ASU is home to more than 1,100 registered student organizations, reflecting the diversity of the student body.To keep pace with the growth of the student population, the university is continuously renovating and expanding infrastructure. The demand for new academic halls, athletic facilities, student recreation centers, and residential halls is being addressed with donor contributions and public-private investments.


> History

>> 1885–1929

Arizona State University was established as the Territorial Normal School at Tempe on March 12, 1885, when the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature passed an act to create a normal school to train teachers for the Arizona Territory. The campus consisted of a single, four-room schoolhouse on a 20-acre plot largely donated by Tempe residents George and Martha Wilson. Classes began with 33 students on February 8, 1886. The curriculum evolved over the years and the name was changed several times; the institution was also known as Arizona Territorial Normal School (1889–1896), Arizona Normal School (1896–1899), Normal School of Arizona (1899–1901), and Tempe Normal School (1901–1925). The school accepted both high school students and graduates, and awarded high school diplomas and teaching certificates to those who completed the requirements.

In 1923 the school stopped offering high school courses and added a high school diploma to the admissions requirements. In 1925 the school became the Tempe State Teachers College and offered four-year Bachelor of Education degrees as well as two-year teaching certificates. In 1929, the legislature authorized Bachelor of Arts in Education degrees as well, and the school was renamed the Arizona State Teachers College. Under the 30-year tenure of president Arthur John Matthews the school was given all-college student status. The first dormitories built in the state were constructed under his supervision. Of the 18 buildings constructed while Matthews was president, six are still currently in use. Matthews envisioned an "evergreen campus," with many shrubs brought to the campus, and implemented the planting of Palm Walk, now a landmark of the Tempe campus. His legacy is being continued to this day with the main campus having been declared a nationally recognized arboretum.

During the Great Depression, Ralph W. Swetman was hired as president for a three-year term. Although enrollment increased by almost 100 percent during his tenure due to the depression, many faculty were terminated and faculty salaries were cut.

>> 1930–1989

In 1933, Grady Gammage, then president of Arizona State Teachers College at Flagstaff, became president of ASU, a tenure that would last for nearly 28 years. Like his predecessor, Gammage oversaw construction of a number of buildings on the Tempe campus. He also oversaw the development of the university, graduate programs. The school's name was changed to Arizona State College in 1945, and finally to Arizona State University in 1958. At the time, two other names considered were Tempe University and State University at Tempe.

By the 1960s, with the presidency of G. Homer Durham, the University began to expand its academic curriculum by establishing several new colleges and beginning to award Doctor of Philosophy and other doctoral degrees.

The next three presidents—Harry K. Newburn, 1969–71, John W. Schwada, 1971–81, and J. Russell Nelson, 1981–89—and Interim President Richard Peck, 1989, led the university to increased academic stature, creation of the West campus, and rising enrollment.

>> 1990–present

nder the leadership of Lattie F. Coor, president from 1990 to 2002, ASU grew through the creation of the Polytechnic campus and extended education sites. Increased commitment to diversity, quality in undergraduate education, research, and economic development occurred over his 12-year tenure. Part of Coor's legacy to the university was a successful fundraising campaign: through private donations, more than $500 million was invested in areas that would significantly impact the future of ASU. Among the campaign's achievements were the naming and endowing of Barrett, The Honors College, and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts; the creation of many new endowed faculty positions; and hundreds of new scholarships and fellowships


In 2002, Michael M. Crow became the university's 16th president. At his inauguration, he outlined his vision for transforming ASU into a "New American University" — one that would be open and inclusive, and set a goal for the university to meet Association of American Universities criteria and to become a member.Crow initiated the idea of transforming ASU into "One university in many places" — a single institution comprising several campuses, sharing students, faculty, staff and accreditation. Subsequent reorganizations combined academic departments, consolidated colleges and schools, and reduced staff and administration as the university expanded its West and Polytechnic campuses. ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus was also expanded, with several colleges and schools relocating there. The university established learning centers throughout the state, including the ASU Colleges at Lake Havasu City and programs in Thatcher, Yuma, and Tucson. Students at these centers can choose from several ASU degree and certificate programs.

During Crow’s tenure, and aided by hundreds of millions of dollars in donations, ASU began a years-long research facility capital building effort, resulting in the establishment of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, and several large interdisciplinary research buildings. Along with the research facilities, the university faculty was expanded, including the addition of three Nobel Laureates.Since 2002 the university's research expenditures have tripled and more than 1.5 million square feet of space has been added to the university's research facilities.

The economic downturn that began in 2008 took a particularly hard toll on Arizona, resulting in large cuts to ASU's budget. In response to these cuts, ASU capped enrollment, closed down about four dozen academic programs, combined academic departments, consolidated colleges and schools, and reduced university faculty, staff and administrators; however, with an economic recovery underway in 2011, the university continued its campaign to expand the West and Polytechnic Campuses,[39] and establishing a set of low-cost, teaching-focused extension campuses in Lake Havasu City and Payson, Arizona.

In 2015, the existing Thunderbird School of Global Management became the fifth ASU campus, as the Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU. Partnerships for education and research with Mayo Clinic established collaborative degree programs in health care and law, and shared administrator positions, laboratories and classes at the Mayo Clinic Arizona campus.

The Arizona Center for Law and Society, the new home of ASU’s Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, will open in fall 2016 on the Downtown Phoenix campus, relocating faculty and students from the Tempe campus to the state capital.


> Organization and administration

The Arizona Board of Regents governs Arizona State University as well as the state's other public universities; University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University. The Board of Regents is composed of twelve members including eleven voting, and one non-voting member. Members of the board include the Governor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction acting as ex-officio members, eight volunteer Regent members with eight years term that are appointed by the Governor, and two Student Regents with two years term, serving a one-year term as non-voting apprentices. ABOR provides policy guidance to the state universities of Arizona. ASU has five campuses in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona including the Tempe campus in Tempe; the West campus and the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale; the Downtown Phoenix campus; and the Polytechnic campus in Mesa. ASU also offers courses and degrees through ASU Online and at the ASU Colleges at Lake Havasu City in western Arizona, and offers regional learning programs in Thatcher, Yuma and Tucson.

The Arizona Board of Regents appoints and elects the president of the university, who is considered the chief executive officer and the chief budget officer of the institution. The president is responsible for the execution of measures enacted by the Board of Regents, controls the property of the university, and acts as the official representative of the university to the Board of Regents. The chief executive officer is assisted through the administration of the institution by the provost, vice presidents, deans, faculty, directors, department chairs, and other officers. The president also selects and appoints administrative officers and general counsels. The 16th and current ASU president is Michael M. Crow, who has served since July 1, 2002.


> Campuses and locations

ASU's academic programs are spread across campuses in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area; however, unlike most multi-campus institutions, ASU describes itself as "one university in many places," inferring that there is "not a system with separate campuses, and not one main campus with branch campuses." The university considers each campus "distinctive" and academically focused on certain aspects of the overall university mission. The Tempe Campus is the university's research and graduate school center. Undergraduate studies on the Tempe campus are research-based programs designed to prepare students for graduate school, professional school, or employment. The Polytechnic campus is designed with an emphasis on professional and technological programs for direct workforce preparation. The Polytechnic campus is the location of many of the university's simulators and laboratories dedicated for project-based learning. The West campus is focused on interdisciplinary degrees and the liberal arts, while maintaining professional programs with a direct impact on the community and society. The Downtown Campus focuses on direct urban and public programs such as nursing, public policy, criminal justice, mass communication, and journalism. ASU recently relocated some nursing and health related programs to its new ASU-Mayo Medical School Campus. Inter-campus shuttles and light rail allow students and faculty to easily travel between the campuses. In addition to the physical campuses, ASU's "virtual campus", housed at the university's SkySong Innovation Center, provides online and extended education.

>> Tempe campus

ASU's Tempe campus is located in downtown Tempe, Arizona, about eight miles (13 km) east of downtown Phoenix. The campus is considered urban, and is approximately 642 acres (2.6 km2) in size. The campus is arranged around broad pedestrian malls and is completely encompassed by an arboretum. The Tempe campus is also the largest of ASU's campuses, with 59,794 students enrolled in at least one class on campus. The campus is considered to range from the streets Rural Road to Mill Avenue and Apache Boulevard to Rio Salado Parkway. Currently, Arizona State University is the 2nd largest campus in the United States, only Ohio State is bigger.

The Tempe campus is ASU's original campus, and Old Main, the first building constructed, still stands today. Old Main was previously known as the Normal School when it was first constructed, and was originally a teachers college. There are many notable landmarks on campus, including Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Palm Walk, which is lined by 111 palm trees, Charles Trumbull Hayden Library, the University Club Building, Margaret Gisolo Dance Theatre, and University Bridge. In addition, the campus has an extensive public art collection, considered one of the ten best among university public art collections in America according to Public Art Review. Against the northwest edge of campus is the Mill Avenue district (part of downtown Tempe) which has a college atmosphere that attracts many students to its restaurants and bars. Students also have Tempe Marketplace which is a shopping, dining and entertainment center with an outdoor setting and is about 1.8 miles away from campus. The Tempe campus is also home to all of the university's athletic facilities.

>> West campus

The West campus was established in 1984 by the Arizona Legislature and sits on 250 acres (1.0 km2) in a suburban area of northwest Phoenix. The West campus lies about 12 miles (19 km) northwest of downtown Phoenix, and about 18 miles (29 km) northwest of the Tempe campus. The West campus is designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride, and is nearly completely powered by a 4.6MW solar array. This campus is home to the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, and selected programs of the W. P. Carey School of Business. The campus, patterned after the University of Oxford’s architecture, has recently opened a new residence hall, dining facility and recreation center

>> Polytechnic campus

Founded in 1996 as "ASU East," the ASU Polytechnic campus serves 10,521 students and is home to more than 40 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in professional and technical programs through the College of Technology and Innovation, and selected programs of the W. P. Carey School of Business/Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, the School of Letters and Sciences, and focuses on professional and technological programs including simulators and lab space in various fields of study.[50] The 600-acre (2.4 km2) campus is located in southeast Mesa, Arizona, approximately 25 miles (40 km) southeast of the Tempe campus, and 33 miles (53 km) southeast of downtown Phoenix. The Polytechnic campus sits on the former Williams Air Force Base.


>> Downtown Phoenix campus

The Downtown Phoenix campus was established in 2006 on the north side of Downtown Phoenix. The campus has an urban design, with several large modern academic buildings intermingled with commercial and retail office buildings. In addition to the new buildings, the campus included the adaptive reuse of several existing structures, including a 1930s era Post Office that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Serving 17,151 students, the campus houses the College of Health Solutions, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, College of Public Service and Community Solutions and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In the summer of 2013, the campus added the Sun Devil Fitness Center in conjunction with the original YMCA building. Expected to open in the summer of 2016, ASU's law school is moving from the Tempe campus to the Downtown Campus.


> Academics

>> Admissions

Admission to any of the public universities in Arizona is ensured to residents in the top 25% of their high-school class with a GPA of 3.0 in core competencies. For fall 2014, ASU admitted 84.3% of all freshman applicants and is considered a "selective" university by U.S. News & World Report. Average GPA of enrolling freshman was 3.50; the middle 50% range of SAT scores was 1020-1270 for critical reading and math combined; and the middle 50% range ACT composite score was 22-28. All freshman are required to live on campus.

Barrett, The Honors College is ranked among the top honors programs in the nation. Although there are no set minimum admissions criteria for Barrett College, the average GPA of Fall 2014 incoming freshmen was 3.80, with average SAT scores of 1300/1600 and ACT scores of 28.9. The Honors college enrolls 5,416 undergraduate students, with 409 National Merit Scholars.

ASU currently enrolls 8,787 international students, 10.7% of the total student population. The international student body represents more than 130 nations and more than 60 student clubs and organizations exist at ASU to serve the growing number of students from abroad.[90] The growth in the number of international students in 2014 at ASU is a 33.6% increase over the 2012 figure.

>> Academic programs

ASU offers over 250 majors to undergraduate students, and more than 100 graduate programs leading to numerous masters and doctoral degrees in the liberal arts and sciences, design and arts, engineering, journalism, education, business, law, nursing, public policy, technology, and sustainability. These programs are divided into 16 colleges and schools which are spread across ASU's six campuses. ASU also offers the 4+1 accelerated program, which allows students in their senior year to attain their master's degree the following year. However the 4+1 accelerated program is not associated with all majors, for example in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College the 4+1 accelerated program only works with Education Exploratory majors. ASU uses a plus-minus grading system with highest cumulative GPA awarded of 4.0 (at time of graduation). Arizona State University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.