Arizona State University

To establish ASU as the model for a new American University, measured not by who we exclude, but rather by who we include; pursuing research and discovery that benefits the public good; assuming major responsibility for the economic, social, and cultural vitality and healthand well-being of the community.

ACCES AND QUALITY FOR ALL

• Expand university access to match Arizona diversification and grow
• Improve freshmen persistence to 90 percent
• Enhance university graduation rate to 70-75 percent as soon as possible
• Develop ASU culture that represents a commitment to quality and community outreach
• Enroll 100,000 continuing education and degree completion students
• Enhance linkages with community colleges so as to expand baccalaureate degree production
• Enhance student development and individual student learning

NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE UNIVERSITY BY 2012

• Become a leading center for interdisciplinary science and technology
• Become a leading center for discovery and scolarship in the social sciences, arts and humanities
• Enhance research and discovery competitiveness to more than $300 million (in 2006 dollars) in annual research expenditures
• Enhance regional economic competitiveness thorugh research

ESTABLISH NATIONAL STANDING IN ACADEMIC QUALITY AND IMPACT OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS IN EVERY FIELD

• Attain national standing in academic quality for each school
• Attain national standing in the value added to our graduates in each school
• Become the leading university academically in at least one core subject within each schooñ or college

ENHANCE OUR LOCAL IMPACT AND SOCIAL EMBEDDEDNESS

• Enhance linkage to local and regional social and community development groups
• Establish/develop/enhance linkages and partnerships with local, regional and national NGO's, governments and public agencies, and private sector firms with a focus on community development
• undertake applied sustainability research that impacts the social, environmental and economic
• Provide an objective and ongoing monitoring role for the region's progress thorugh the ASU Indicators

Teaching, research and service

At ASU, drawing new groups of students into higher education is one of its’ core practices. First generation college students are enrolled at ASU from all over the region, and ASU has built structures and programs to support students and the communities to which they are connected. ASU set a new enrollment record in the fall of 2010 with over 69,000 students and 9,200 of them in the freshman class. The freshman class is 34 percent ethnic minority.  ASU has the highest number of National Hispanic Scholars in the country, with a record total of 335 students. As of Fall 2010, 1,372 American Indian Students, from many different American Indian Nations are enrolled at ASU. In Tempe, 70 percent of freshmen now live on campus, reflecting ASU’s emphasis on living and learning communities that help students succeed academically and reach their goals. Each year ASU awards over half a billion dollars in all types of financial aid to more than 46,000 students, including almost $117 million in scholarships and $65 million in grant funding. Since 2003, ASU has increased the number of high-level faculty members and experts on campus with the addition of 156 new award recipients, fellows or academy members, which include three Nobel laureates, 11 National Academy of Sciences members, eight American Academy of Arts and sciences members, 91 Fulbright American Scholars, 25 Guggenheim Fellows and two members of the Royal Society. ASU is at the forefront of a new educational paradigm, expanding access to education and creating more opportunities for qualified students to succeed.

Social embeddedness is a university-wide, interactive and mutually supported relationship with the communities of Arizona. ASU has 476 community outreach programs in 540 locations, offered by 139 different units, totaling 1136 outreach opportunities. Nearly 10,500 ASU students provided almost 400,000 hours of community service in 2010. ASU offers over 80 courses that integrate community service with academic content. ASU works with communities in a variety of ways. For example, in collaboration with tribal stakeholders, ASU is building educational programs that are relevant to the issues faced by American Indian communities.  Another program, the Sun Devil Promise, collaborates with school districts to make sure that thousands of qualified Arizona students are familiar with the university and know what they need to do to get in. ASU and Teach For America have initiated a large-scale partnership to improve education for Arizona’s children. ASU now graduates nearly 170 new teachers each year through this partnership.  ASU strengthens communities by contributing to community dialogue and responding to communities’ needs.

Arizona State University has made an institutional commitment to sustainable development.  ASU launched its sustainable operations plan in 2007 with the signing of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. ASU revolves its sustainable efforts around four critical pillars: carbon neutrality, zero water/solid waste, active engagement, and principled practice. ASU’s Carbon Neutrality Action Plan serves as a blueprint for obtaining a net zero carbon footprint on all campuses. The plan involves ASU mitigating 100 percent of its carbon emissions from energy, agriculture and refrigerants, and waste-related sources by 2025, and 100 percent of its carbon emissions from transportation by 2035. ASU commits to minimizing waste through diversion and aversion practices such as: more efficient fixtures, better water management, and distribution of effluent water for use by mechanical and irrigation systems. ASU’s solid waste is diverted from the landfill through recycling, repurposing, reusing, composting, and reduced consumption. Each campus serves as living laboratories for sustainable development with programs such as Campus Metabolism, which is an interactive tool for examining real-time energy and water use on campus. Campus Harvest is another example of ASU engaging our community in planting and harvesting food on campus for local and campus consumption.  ASU’s last pillar, principled practice is one that brings together a campus wide network of faculty, students, and staff to collaborate and develop additional sustainable programs. Programs such as Farmers Markets, Green Building Designs, Arboretums, and Grounds Bicycles for service workers are just a few to name. ASU is leading the way with initiatives such as the Global Institute of Sustainability, School of Sustainability, and many curriculum directed course work, research, and outreach opportunities on sustainable development.