ASU President Michael Crow charts polytechnic course for ASU's Polytechnic campus

January 01, 2003

Arizona State University President Michael Crow proposed a new direction for ASU's Polytechnic campus at his Nov. 8 inauguration, unveiling a new model for ASU's smallest, but fastest growing campus.<separator></separator> Crow and ASU's Polytechnic campus administrators are developing plans to turn ASU's Polytechnic campus into a polytechnic campus, one where a thread of technology is weaved through every academic program.<separator></separator> Polytechnic schools share an emphasis on professional, career-oriented academic programs as their core mission, with particular strength in highly technological fields such as engineering and technology. Crow has suggested that ASU's Polytechnic campus, as Arizona's polytechnic, ought to further define itself by stretching the technology thread, such that all students would develop particular competence in the use of technology in their disciplines, as well as a broad understanding and competence in technology more generally.<separator></separator> "I feel very excited about doing something unique out here," Crow told faculty, staff and students at a meeting to discuss the plans. "We have an opportunity to build something around the seeds that are already planted here."<separator></separator>Crow said the issue of a name change for ASU's Polytechnic campus had not been decided, but he said that what the campus is called is not as important as its direction, such as being "grounded in technology in all fields."<separator></separator> "The world could benefit from a university campus that evolves from that theme," Crow said.<separator></separator>Crow, ASU's Polytechnic campus Provost Chuck Backus and other ASU administrators are working on a plan to create a polytechnic programmatic mix for East that will include moving some programs from ASU Main. The plan will help ASU's Polytechnic campus increase its enrollment to 20,000 students.