Arizona State University

Arizona State University (commonly referred to as ASU or Arizona State) is a public metropolitan research university located on five campuses across the Phoenix, Arizona, Metropolitan Area.[8][9] A sixth campus located in northwestern Arizona is known as the ASU Colleges at Lake Havasu City.[10]

ASU is the largest public university by enrollment in the United States.[11] Founded in 1885 as the Territorial Normal School at Tempe, the school underwent a series of changes in name and curriculum. In 1945 it was placed under the direction of the Arizona Board of Regents and renamed Arizona State College.[12][13][14] A 1958 statewide ballot measure gave the university its present name. ASU was classified as a Research I institute in 1994, thus, making it one of the newest major research universities (public or private) in the nation.[15][16][17]

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.[18]

ASU’s charter, approved by the board of regents in 2014, is based on the “New American University” model created by current ASU President Michael Crow. It defines ASU as “a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom we exclude, but rather by whom we include 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 awards bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees through 16 colleges and schools across all of its campuses: the original Tempe campus, the West campus in northwest Phoenix, the Polytechnic campus in eastern Mesa, the Downtown Phoenix campus, The Mayo Clinic/ASU Medical School in Scottsdale, and the Colleges at Lake Havasu City. ASU’s Online campus offers 41 undergraduate degrees, 37 graduate degrees and 14 graduate or undergraduate certificates which together have earned ASU a top 10 ranking for Best Online Programs.[19]

Students will compete in 24 varsity sports beginning in 2016.[20] In conjunction with the transition of the men’s ACHA club hockey team to Division I of the NCAA, the 24th varsity sport will be an NCAA women’s team: Rowing is among the favored possibilities. The Arizona State Sun Devils are members of the Pacific-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.[21] 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.[22][23] ASU’s residential halls accommodate one of the largest residential populations in the nation