Arizona State University

General Information

Arizona State University, located in Tempe, Arizona, was established in 1885. It was established as the Territorial Normal School and opened its doors to students in 1886. It went through several name changes until it adopted its present name in 1958. ASU consists of seven locations across Arizona, one in Washington, D.C., and a known presence in Shanghai, China. The main administrative campus is located in Tempe, Arizona. The school system is also known for its Innovation Center, Polytechnic campus, and even a research facility. Today, it’s one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the U.S., with more than 50,000 students on its Tempe campus, more than 11,000 on its downtown Phoenix campus, more than 5,000 on its Polytechnic campus, and 30,000 online students. It offers about 350 undergraduate degree options and more than 400 graduate degree and certificate programs. Its colors are maroon and gold, and its athletic nickname is the sun devils.

On Campus

Notable attractions at ASU include Camp Tontozona, located in the Mogollon Rim region, which conducts research on mountain terrain but is better known as the site of the football team’s preseason practices; the Center for Meteorite Studies, founded in 1961 and home to the world’s largest university collection of meteorites (more than 30,000); and the Solar Energy Engineering and Commercialization program, focused on both researching and the practical applications of solar energy technology.

ASU is also home to some important artistic destinations. The Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium, completed in 1964, was one of the last commissions taken on by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It’s one of the world’s largest university performing arts venues in the world with a capacity of 3,017. Similarly, the Sundome Center for the Performing Arts is the largest single-level theater in the United States. The ASU Art Museum, founded in 1950, features more than 12,000 pieces with emphases in contemporary art, post-WWII American ceramics, historic and contemporary American and European prints, and Southwest and Latino artists.

Some noteworthy campus traditions include “A” Mountain, a 60-foot letter “A” installed on the nearby Tempe Butte that gets painted gold before the first football game of each season; the Lantern Walk, in which a procession of students carry lanterns through campus and up “A” Mountain during the week before Homecoming; and the Victory Bell, a bell heard across campus after every football victory.

Notable Alumni

Notable ASU alumni include comedians Jimmy Kimmel, Steve Allen, and David Spade; actress Lynda Carter; golfer Phil Mickelson; baseball legend Barry Bonds; sportscaster Al Michaels; fashion designer Kate Spade; former Arizona Governors Jane Dee Hull and Evan Mecham; and Fatmir Sejdiu, former President of Kosovo.

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