History of Arizona State University

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This is the history of Arizona State University.

[edit] Founding

Originally named the Tempe Normal School, the institution was founded on March 12, 1885 after John Samuel Armstrong first introduced House Bill 164, "An Act to Establish a Normal School in the Territory of Arizona to the 13th Legislative Assembly of the Arizona Territory. The bill passed the House on March 6 and the Council on March 11, then on March 12, 1885 was signed by Governor F.A. Tritle, thereby founding the institution known today as Arizona State University. Instruction was instituted on February 8, 1886 under the supervision of Principal Hiram Bradford Farmer. Land for the school was donated by Tempe residents George and Martha Wilson, allowing 33 students to meet in a single room.^[1]

The school opened its doors with a mission of “instruction of persons…in the art of teaching and in all the various branches that pertain to good common school education; also, to give instruction in the mechanical arts and in husbandry and agricultural chemistry, the fundamental law of the United States, and in what regards the rights and duties of citizens.”^[2]

Campus of Tempe Normal School. 1908.

[edit] Early years

At the beginning of the 20th century the schools name was changed from Tempe Normal School to the Normal School of Arizona, and President Arthur John Matthews brought a 30-year tenure of progress to the school.

Old Main

Under his tenure the school was given all-college student status; before becoming a college the Normal School enrolled high school students with no other secondary education facilities. The first dormitories built in the state were constructed under his supervision. Of the 18 buildings constructed while Matthews was president, six are still in use. He envisioned an "evergreen campus," with many shrubbery brought to the campus and the planting of Palm Walk, now one of the feature landmarks of the school. His legacy is being continued today: the main campus is a nationally recognized arboretum.^[3]

Matthews also sought to accredit the Normal School outside the state. To garner national recognition for the school, he served on national education organization boards. During Matthews’ tenure the school remained a teacher's college, however he struggled to attain status as a university throughout his time as president.^[4]

An extraordinary event occurred when former President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Tempe school on March 20, 1911. From the steps of Old Main he spoke about the expected growth of the school. He had dedicated the Roosevelt Dam the day before and was impressed with Arizona. Although it would be another year before the territory became a state, he noted benefits to central Arizona’s growth and that of the Normal School would result from construction of the dam.^[5]

During the Great Depression, Ralph W. Swetman was hired as president for a three-year term.^[6] This was a time of uncertainty for educational institutions. Although enrollment increased by almost 100% during his tenure due to the depression, many faculty were terminated and faculty salaries were cut. The first self-supported summer session was also created during this time, and continues to grow today.^[7] The North Central Association became the accrediting agency for Arizona State Teachers College.

[edit] Gammage years

Gammage Auditorium,which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985

In 1933, Grady Gammage, then president of Arizona State Teachers College at Flagstaff, became president of Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe, a tenure that would last for nearly 28 years.

In 1937, both the graduate division and its first master's program were created.

On March 9, 1945, the three state institutions of higher learning came under the authority of one Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees ASU today.^[8]

After the end of World War II, the university saw unprescedented growth. Dr. Gammage had foreseen that the G.I. Bill of Rights would enable thousands of returning veterans to enroll in college. Many veterans vowed to return to the state following the war due to the fact they received military training in Arizona had fallen in love with the state. The numbers within one year were staggering: in the fall semester of 1945, 553 students were enrolled; over the weekend semester break in January 1946, enrollment increased 110 percent to 1,163 students. Successive semesters saw continuing increased enrollment.^[9]

Like his predecessor, Dr. Gammage oversaw the construction of a number of buildings on the Tempe campus. Dr. Gammage oversaw the development of the university and the renaming of the Arizona State College to Arizona State University. His greatest dream was that of a great auditorium, which came to fruition after his death. He laid the groundwork for the auditorium with Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed Gammage Auditorium. The auditorium was built in 1964 and has become the universities hallmark building.^[10]

[edit] Years of growth and stature

During the 1960s, with the presidency of Dr. G. Homer Durham, Arizona State University began to expand its academic curriculum by establishing several new colleges (the College of Fine Arts, the College of Law, the College of Nursing, and the School of Social Work) and through reorganizating what has become the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Most important, perhaps, the university gained the authority to award Doctor of Philosophy and other doctoral degrees.^[11]

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, expansion of the campuses, and rising enrollment. But early in this time period also emerged a political nightmare when Morris Starsky - a tenured philosophy professor - was fired for his participation in the anti-war and civil rights movement.^[12]

Under the leadership of Dr. Lattie F. Coor, from 1990 to June 2002, ASU grew to serve the Valley of the Sun through multiple campuses and extended education sites. His commitment to diversity, quality in undergraduate education, research, and economic development underscored the university’s significant gains in each of these areas over his 12-year tenure. Part of Dr. Coor’s legacy to the university was a successful fund-raising campaign. Through private donations, primarily from the local community, more than $500 million was invested in targeted areas that significantly impact the future of ASU. Among the campaign’s achievements were the naming and endowing of the Barrett Honors College, the Katherine K. Herberger College of Fine Arts, and the Morrison School of Agribusiness and Resource Management at ASU East; the creation of many new endowed faculty positions; and hundreds of new scholarships and fellowships.^[13]

[edit] Crow era

Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building I

On July 1, 2002, Michael Crow would become the university's 16th president. At his inauguration, President Crow outlined his vision for transforming ASU into a New American University—one that would be open and inclusive. As the only research university serving the entire metropolitan Phoenix area, Crow has stated that ASU is in a unique position to evolve together with the city into one of the great intellectual institutions in the world.

The Biodesign Institute is the result of a major capital campaign designed to increase ASU's involvement in biotechnology.

ASU has embarked on its most aggressive capital building effort in more than a decade. The university is adding one million square feet of world-class, grade A research infrastructure. ASU hopes to take a leading role in biomedicine and biotechnology,and other new medical therapies.

With the growth of the state of Arizona, especially the surrounding Phoenix metropolitan area, the school has grown as well. Under President Crow several new initiatives are being pursued, the most notable of which is the Biodesign Institute. Additionally, a gift of $50 million was given to the College of Engineering, now the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, a $50 million dollar gift to the College of Business, now the W.P. Carey School of Business, an additional $100 million by Ira and Mary Lou Fulton for the College of Education and various Presidential initiatives, and $25 million dollars by businesswoman Julie A. Wrigley to establish the Global Institute of Sustainability.^[14]

Although Crow has outlined many initiatives for change, he has not been regarded as popular with faculty and students, mainly due to his reputation as a micro-manager. Opinion of his vision for the university is largely divided.^[15][16]

The university was selected to host the third United States Presidential debate on October 13, 2004 at Gammage Auditorium. Edward Prescott of the W.P. Carey School of Business was awarded the 2004 Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (also known as The Nobel Prize in Economics), a first for an ASU faculty member.^[17]

[edit] Future directions

Since his inauguration in 2002 as President, Michael M. Crow has made the most significant strides in the university's history to grow both its enrollment and research activity. Through the pseudo-motto "Access. Excellence. Impact." and his idea of the New American University, Crow has announced plans to expand the university to more than 90,000 students by 2020;^[18] founded several organizations which promote entrepreneurial, social embeddedness; and created the first degree-conferring School of Sustainability in the United States.

[edit] References