Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon spoke about the success and continuation of the partnership between ASU and the city at a reception at the Downtown campus Wednesday morning.
“The new model is going to be universities, the private sector and the local governments being transparent, accountable, quicker and knowledgeable,” Gordon said. “That’s what’s going to succeed, and that’s why Phoenix has already been moving forward — because we created these partnerships four years ago.”
Gordon said the results of the integration of ASU with local governments continue to move the Valley forward.
“It’s not just Downtown Phoenix — it’s the West Valley and the East Valley,” Gordon said. “It’s amazing every day if you just ask to learn what the University, in partnership with some entity, is doing.”
At the reception, Gordon also talked about the importance of education. He said the funding for education should be increased through private-public partnerships instead of being cut.
“Education has always been our future in terms of the economic development and success of this country,” Gordon said. “That’s where new ideas, new scientists, new doctors, new business individuals and new technologies have been discovered, discussed and then put out into the private sector.”
Gordon visited the Downtown campus as part of community visits that he makes on a monthly basis. The reception was held on the ninth floor of the University Center from 8 to 10 a.m. Along with Gordon and other speakers, five students representing the Downtown campus schools were able to speak to members of the community about what their colleges had accomplished, offer and are working on.
Sam Richard, a nonprofit leadership and management senior, spoke on behalf of the College of Public Programs, and helped organize the event. Richard said the most exciting part about the Mayor’s breakfast was the opportunity to showcase what the Downtown campus has to offer.
“When the mayor comes out to the community, it is an opportunity for the mayor to take a pulse of his community, but it’s also an opportunity for wherever he’s visiting to showcase what they have going on,” Richard said.
ASU community-engagement liaison Malissa Geer, who put the breakfast together with Richard, said the opportunity to highlight the Downtown campus to the community is immeasurable.
“It’s a great opportunity for our schools and colleges that the elected officials, business leaders and our faculty all know that we enjoy our schooling and that we value it,” Geer said.
Gordon said what began as an idea conceived by ASU President Michael Crow and himself on the back of a napkin over five years ago has led to a campus of thousands of students, the restoration of beautiful buildings in Downtown Phoenix and the creation of new ones.
“The city of Phoenix is the only city in the country that has actually built public universities, and this should be the model of all cities if they want to succeed in the 21st century,” Gordon said.
Reach the reporter at snrodri2@asu.edu.
