ASU Visionaries celebration supports student scholarships

April 24, 2006

Arizona State University’s hosted its fourth annual Visionaries Celebration Dinner at the West campus Saturday, April 22. The event recognizes forward-thinking individuals who have made significant contributions to the growth and vision of higher education at ASU's West campus. Proceeds from the fundraising event support student scholarships.<separator></separator>The Visionaries event was attended by more than 300 guests including ASU faculty, student ambassadors, and local business, community and political leaders. The event generated $60,000 in support of the scholarship endowment.<separator></separator>This year, four visionaries were honored for their involvement and commitment to ASU’s West campus infrastructure, to the future prosperity of the West Valley and to the state of Arizona. The honorees were:<separator></separator>Edwin and Margaret Delph. The Delphs participated significantly in the growth and development of Moon Valley and Deer Valley. They have a long history of community involvement and a solid commitment to ASU’s West campus. The Delphs have contributed two significant scholarship endowments and endowed visiting professorship in ethics. To date, 68 students have received Delph scholarships.<separator></separator>Robert L. Fletcher. Fletcher was instrumental in lobbying the state legislature to secure necessary funding to build ASU’s West campus. He was president of the Founders’ Council, where he assisted the development office in cultivating support for the university. The Fletcher family also contributed a gift of land that resulted in the establishment of an endowment fund in support of the Fletcher Library, the first building constructed on the campus.<separator></separator>Gerald McSheffrey. McSheffrey’s direction and influence is evident in the distinctive architectural design of the West campus. From 1985 to 1989 he served as vice president of ASU’s West campus, leading the campus as colleges and academic programs were being established. McSheffrey is the former dean of ASU’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design.<separator></separator>WESTMARC. In 2004, WESTMARC responded to the Board of Regents’ study of the proposed redesign of Arizona’s public university system, adopting its principles for the future of ASU’s West campus. WESTMARC strongly advocated for the expansion of research, graduate and doctoral programs in education, social services, criminal justice, business and the sciences at the West campus.