In 2008, ASU set the goal of enrolling 100,000 students by 2020. If this number is eye-popping, a reality check is in order — we currently have over 70,000 students enrolled and ASU is growing.
An additional 30,000 students is possible in reality, not just some pipe dream. The latest step taken toward reaching that goal is the securing of funding for a Lake Havasu campus.
Officials reported that they have the money necessary to build the campus after a $1 million donation from Mr. and Mrs. James Santiago brought the project past its $2 million funding requirements.
The location is part of a new program called Colleges@ASU, which offers lower-cost degrees to students. The selection of majors is more limited, but includes popular ones. The initial available options at the Lake Havasu location are communications, life science, psychology, and general studies majors.
Another bright spot is that tuition will be lower here than at any of the four campuses in the Valley. With skyrocketing tuition costs, any lower-cost option for a post-secondary education is welcomed.
The Lake Havasu campus, which is set to open in the fall of 2012, marks a significant turning of the tide. Just two years ago our state was passing unprecedented budget cuts, and there were talks of closing down either the Polytechnic campus or West campus, or even both.
What’s more is that the University wants its online campus enrollment to reach 30,000 by 2020. Currently more than 20 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs are offered fully online. Currently there are 3,500 students enrolled in the online campus.
There are also talks of opening a campus in Payson, Ariz., which is about 90 miles northeast of Phoenix. The decision could come before the end of the year, and is another opportunity to increase accessibility to higher education through ASU.
Those who argue that this expansion is an unnecessary overreach do not understand the unique situation the Valley faces when it comes to higher education. Philadelphia is the fifth-largest city in the country with a population of over 1.5 million, while Phoenix is No. 6 with a population of over 1.4 million.
While the sizes are similar, the situation in higher education is far from the same. There are 17 four-year universities and colleges in Philadelphia and only two in Phoenix. There is a large gap to fill here, but ASU may just be up to the task.
There is a need for higher education in the state as well. Only one in four Arizonans have a college degree, lower than the national average of 27.5 percent.
The extension of ASU across not only the Valley, but also the state should be given a warm welcome, not a rolling of the eyes.
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