Universities and downtowns: Phoenix's big breakthrough

Public affairs professor John Hall discusses Arizona State University and the impact the new Downtown Phoenix campus has for the university and Phoenix.

"Arizona State University, originally founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885, has decided it’s imperative to have a major presence in the heart of newly-vibrant downtown Phoenix, one of America’s newest big cities.

"Its move of major facilities to downtown Phoenix is rooted in the twinned epiphanies of two visionary and ambitious leaders, ASU President Michael Crow and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.

"For both leaders, shared values have driven the partnership. With Crow’s leadership, Arizona State is undergoing an intensive makeover to become a model for the 'New American University,' one designed to develop an 'unprecedented combination of academic excellence, broad access and impact,'" writes Hall.