Printer-friendly version
It’s been known for quite some time that ASU is one of the largest public universities in the United States. This year is no different, with yet another record-breaking enrollment of 67,082, as The State Press reports.
As the numbers grow, so do the campuses for the university touting the slogan “One university in many places.”
Students are spread across the valley, attending one or more of the four campuses of ASU. Each campus is unique with its own features, people and culture.
Tempe Campus
Open date: Established in 1885 as teachers college.
Enrollment: 52,734
Hang-out spots: The Memorial Union (MU), Student Recreation Center (SRC), Hayden Library or any of the campus malls and dorms — students can be found almost anywhere.
Colleges: Katherine K. Herberger College of the Arts, W.P. Carey School of Business, The College of Design, Mary Lou Fulton College of Education, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and The School of Sustainability
At the core of the university, the Tempe campus is where it all started and home to the most sun devils.
With a large diverse student body almost anything goes, whether it’s what students are wearing or their mode of transportation to class. Students can be seen wearing anything from pajamas and sweatpants to business suits, swimsuits and tank tops to just a casual t-shirt and jeans and riding bikes, skateboards, scooters and more.
There is always plenty going on at the MU or on Hayden Lawn, including special events, lunchtime concerts and vendors.
Sophomore Zack Keiser from the West Campus says, “It’s a lot bigger and there’s more diversity it seems.”
Business and film senior Ben Foster has attended Tempe campus since he was a freshmen.
“I like [Tempe] campus. It’s alive, vibrant, people are friendly,” Foster says.
Foster says Tempe campus also offers more of a “college experience.”
West Campus
Open Date: Established in 1984 by the state legislature as ASU’s second campus
Enrollment: 9,572
Location: Northwest Phoenix
Hang-out spots: Starbucks in the Library, the café and, unlike the other campuses, students often sit and hang out in the shade outside on benches and in courtyards.
Colleges: College of Human Services, College of Teacher Education and Leadership, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences and the School of Global Management and Leadership.
The West campus has a very simple yet nice layout and has been called a scenic campus with its brick and sandstone buildings, several courtyards, breezeways, small fountains and plenty of shade.
One of the things criminal justice sophomore Keiser says he likes about the West campus is it has a nice community and it’s smaller — it only takes five minutes to walk from one end of campus to the other.
Although there are some dorms, this campus is mostly a commuter campus. Students say the parking is convenient.
Students tend to dress a little nicer; you won’t find anyone wearing pajamas or sweats to class.
Downtown Phoenix Campus
Open date: Established in Fall 2006 in partnership with the City of Phoenix as part of a larger plan to revitalize and redevelop the city’s urban core.
Enrollment: 8,431
Hang-out spots: The University Center first floor and basement, little-known Wells Fargo Student Center at the Arizona Center, the YMCA where ASU students receive a free membership, and the brand new Taylor Place residential dorms have also become a gathering place for underclassmen and upperclassmen alike.
Colleges: College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation, College of Public Programs, the School of Letters and Sciences and The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
For a more metropolitan experience, students can head to Downtown Phoenix, the newest of the ASU campuses.
Amidst the skyscrapers, construction and businesspeople, newcomers will find several ASU buildings have popped up along with an influx of Sun Devils.
“I definitely feel a more positive energy. It seems like there’s actually life downtown,” tourism management senior Adorian Walker says.
Students are a little more concentrated in the handful of ASU buildings and it’s an odd sight to see anyone in sweatpants or work-out clothes.
A unique feature is the campus is so new and there is a lot of redevelopment in downtown, students can make this campus what they want of it.
Polytechnic Campus
Open Date: Fall 1996
Location: Southeast Mesa
Enrollment: 9,614
Hang-out spots: Student Union
Colleges: College of Technology and Innovation, School of Applied Arts and Sciences, Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness and the School of Educational Innovation and Teacher Preparation
The Polytechnic campus has been around for over a decade, offering students more of an emphasis on professional and technical programs in a more serene setting.
The Polytechnic Campus (once called the East Campus) is the former Williams Air Force Base. Among the old military buildings, new modern buildings have sprouted, creating a balance of old and new.
The rural campus has plenty of desert landscaping and is surrounded by empty fields and small developments. The campus itself is quite spread out, sharing over 600 acres with with Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Mesa Community College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, an Air Force research laboratory and a Maricopa County elementary school.
For the most part the campus is quiet, except for the occasional small airplane passing overhead to the Williams Gateway Airport.
Air traffic management junior Jen Hilton says she likes the polytechnic campus because of how small it is. “I really like it here, I’m not a big fan of main because of how big it is,” Hilton says.
Other benefits to this campus are the small class sizes and convenient parking.
Ever since the beginning, ASU has grown and expanded to meet the needs of the valley it serves and continues to do so with President Michael Crow’s ambitious plans for the New American University.
By the year 2020, ASU projects a total student enrollment of 90,000.
As each campus grows they will maintain their own uniqueness that draws new students to it each year.
So whether students want to have the traditional college experience a city setting, a quiet rural experience, or attend a picturesque campus ASU offers it.
