(Re)imagine

Re:design
Re_build
Co-designing
new models for
higher education
Design Book 2.0
 (Re)imagine
Re:design
Re_build
Co-designing
new models for
higher education
Design Book 2.0
© Copyright 2024
Arizona State University
Arizona Board of Regents
Co-edited, written, designed and produced in
collaboration among ASU University Design Institute™,
ASU Enterprise Brand Strategy and Management,
Curiosity & Co. and ASU VisLab.
Lead editors: Tamara Webb, Lindsay Kinkade, Joel Dupuis (Design Book 1.0)
Lead designer: Lindsay Kinkade
Co-designers: Omar Mota, Beatrice Guo
Printed by students in the
ASU Print and Imaging Lab.
In this book
The power of (re) re: re_ 01

(Re)imagine higher education in the future

A lot has changed 06

Higher education must grow

and change as well 10

Re_build putting the principles into practice

6 university design
imperatives 15 Permission to re:design
at the largest scale 47

Re:design blueprints for implementation

ASU’s boldest ambitions 49
In a world that won’t
stop changing,
re:design is imperative 35 Writing a new charter 51

What is co-design 37 The New American University

and Design aspirations 52
Who actually does
the re:design 39 Mileposts of change,
a timeline 74
Ways to think about
transformative co-design 43
University Design Institute

(Re)imagine, re:design
and re_build with the
University Design Institute 78
 The power of
(re) re: re_
“To design is to devise courses of action aimed
at changing existing situations into preferred ones.”
— H E R B E R T S I M O N , N O B E L L A U R E AT E
Current higher education models and institutions are
inadequate. There is a growing disconnect between
societal needs for education, budgets to support
education, and how institutions address the growing
need for educational access. The time is now for those
institutions to change, to remake themselves.
There is a power in the doing, but there is a
regenerative and expansive power in the RE-doing.
There is incredible opportunity in the RE. What we
thought was a prefix is the gateway to unleashing
exponential value.
RE is the site where change happens, it is a catalytic
space of change. What are we re/learning now? Which
aspects of our work have been (re)imagined lately? What
are we going to re:design now?
When we say university design, this is what we mean —
(re)imagining, re:designing, re_building what education is
and how it moves in the world. Our approach to university
design is guided by the belief that universities must
become engines for social transformation and economic
success. We are taking responsibility for our role in the
world and working on it together.
This book is for system-level thinkers, transformation-
minded leaders, and people who have the ability, interest
and drive to affect change.
If this is you and you are ready, let’s get started.
Michael M. Crow
President, Arizona State University
Chair, University Design Institute
R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 1
(Re)imagine higher education
in the future
The world is changing at a rate that
is unprecedented in human history.
Technology disruptions, economic
and political upheaval, ecosystem
collapses, gender and racial issues —
all are impacting the world we live in.

We have invented the tools to see the

state of things, but we have not yet
acted to change the future of our planet.

Our sector, higher education,

has contributed to both changes
and insights and is being deeply
affected too.

We helped create these problems.

What are we doing to fix them?

It is hard to see the big picture when we are embedded in the day to day. In order to
2 (RE)IMAGINE R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 3
reimagine, we have to zoom all the way out. What we see at this level is a world in flux.
 The scale and speed of the
changes we are making to
the Earth have no historical
precedent and very few
geological precedents.”
— U N ES C O I N T ER N AT I O N A L C O M M I S S I O N O N T H E F U T U R ES O F ED U CAT I O N

4 (RE)IMAGINE R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 5
A lot
has
changed
US$207B 90% 108.4M 86%
growth of refugees or adults with
global market greenhouse gas forcibly displaced access to
size for artificial emissions people worldwide a smartphone
intelligence since 1970 — UNHCR, 2023 — PE W R ES E A R C H
— U . S . E N V I R O N M E N TA L CENTER, 2021
— S TAT I S TA , 2 0 2 3
P R OT E C T I O N
A G E N C Y, 2 0 2 3

We have to look far back in order to look far forward. Sometimes the
6 (RE)IMAGINE R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 7
models and analogs we have to look to are far away from us in time.
And will
continue
to rapidly
change
9.8B 76% 83M 1ft
people across projected 10-year jobs will disappear predicted rise
increase in in the next 5 years in global sea
the world to be higher education — WORLD ECONOMIC levels by 2050
fed by 2050 enrollment FORUM, 2023 — PE W R ES E A R C H
— WO R LD R ESO U R C ES by 2030 CENTER, 2021
I N STIT U TE /U N — U N ESC O

8 (RE)IMAGINE R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 9
Higher
Education
must grow
and change
as well “The consequences of underinvestment
(in higher education) include brain drain
and talent loss, limited access to applied
research capacity for local problem-
solving, limitations to economic growth
due to low levels of skills in the workforce,
low-quality teaching and learning at every
level of education, and, perhaps most
glaringly, expanded wealth inequality
within and among nations.”
— WORLD BANK, 2021

Higher education holds a variety of potential

keys to solving many of our current and future
social and economic concerns.

10 (RE)IMAGINE R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 11
We need “Higher education now sits
new, bold at the crossroads of tradition
and new possibilities. ”
and more
— UNESCO
robust models Many teaching and learning approaches
from the dawn of universities in the early
11th century are still present in those
institutions today. While the resilience of
higher education systems and traditions is
undeniably impressive, it is no longer
in our best interest to be successful
models of ideal universities of the past.
Gold-standard models have
historically focused on pure academics
and fairly independent research agendas.
These models are fundamentally
ill-equipped to meaningfully impact
society. Furthermore, more traditional
university models are suffering.
Around the world, we are witnessing
university closures, lack of capacity and
low employability of college graduates,
to name but a few indicators of trouble.
Higher education, in some ways, has a
growing image problem. Still, the positive
promise and potential of the post-
secondary sector are visible.
12 (RE)IMAGINE
Higher education is
where talent is nurtured,
innovation is advanced,
and interdisciplinary and
cross-industry collaboration
is facilitated.
The current task is to ensure
that we are broadly inclusive in talent-
building at all levels, innovating for the
public good, and bringing the spectrum
of appropriate partners and partner
types to the table for research, teaching,
learning and funding.
While there is no universal formula or
singular approach to higher education
leadership around the world, we posit
that the outlined tasks require deep
changes in our models through what we
have identified as six key university
(re)design imperatives.
R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 13
 6
Transformative
Modernized Agile inclusive learner
university leaders experience
mission and culture Curricular,
Expanding beyond Demonstrations of pedagogical and
academics and
research to
flexible leaders,
structures, systems
support approaches
to address new types
of learners and
university design
imperatives
incorporate broader and policies,
societal concerns and investments new demands of
and needs. in leadership at postsecondary
graduates.
multiple levels.
will collectively drive
sustainable transformation

Diversified
These imperatives create the
Robust Collaborative partnerships culture and structure of how
digital and civic-minded and financial a successfully (re)imagined
solutions research models university functions.
Incorporation of and discovery Ways to approach
All parts of the higher education
current and future- system have to be on the table and
Ways to comprehensively university funding
sensitive digital open to change. If you are not holistically
and collaboratively address needs beyond single
technologies reviewing systems and policies, with a
pressing research sources or government
in teaching and broad team of experts and stakeholders,
challenges and social dependencies.
learning, university you are not building capacity to
problems across fundamentally change the trajectory
operations and
disciplines, institutions of the institution.
student support.
and geographies.

Let’s briefly review each imperative.

14 (RE)IMAGINE R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 15
 Six university design imperatives
Modernized
How are we positioned to support
our local communities?
In specific underdeveloped
40%
nations, fewer than 10% of the
population is enrolled in higher
“Higher education must be
education institutions, such as
universities or colleges, which
gross tertiary constitute tertiary education. If
education we believe that higher education
should be accessible to more
enrollment rate, people, are these numbers
worldwide meeting our goals? What else
— U N ESC O, 2020 can we do to expand access?
16 (RE)IMAGINE
The university mission is a declaration of institutional
purpose, ambition and values. Optimally, it serves as a
key driver and accountability measure for leadership,
partners and other critical decision-makers, and serves
to motivate the broader university communities.
Universities with missions that are attentive to
the public good — in access, research and action —
improve perception of the value of higher education and
ultimately enhance the well-being of both the institution
and society.
A university mission designed to serve
the public good will also dynamically
influence the other five identified
university design imperatives.
A university mission
centered on the public good will
both demand and attract …
• Compassionate leaders from a broad section
of backgrounds and areas of expertise. It will also
promote a culture of innovation and agility to be
able to accommodate diverse communities and
evolving challenges and resources.
• Quality teaching and learning support for all
students at all stages throughout the lifelong
educational journey.
• Digital solutions that are inclusive of the
sensitivities in access, technological threats and
opportunities for meaningful impact.
• Research collaboration across a range of
stakeholders, disciplines and geographies focused
on comprehensively solving social problems.
inexorably positioned as a • Diverse and sustainable funding models as well
as investors and partners who are looking to also
solutions partner, alongside
fulfill social responsibility goals and objectives.
and in collaboration with
government, private industry
and civil society.”
— U N IV ER S IT Y D ES I G N I N STIT U TE
R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 17
 A reimagined university
that serves the masses and
has an embedded civic role
needs the right people across
the institution. And, we need
to rightly empower them with
the right systems, policies
and structures.
The impetus to change and desire to transform are
merely parts of the solution to the university redesign
equation. Pressured by an increasing variety of internal
and external pressures and tasked to serve a variety of
constituents, higher education leaders must acquire
and employ a diverse set of skills and capacities, many
previously deemed outside of the scope of a college
president, chancellor or head. Further, we need
leaders across the entire higher education enterprise
Six university design imperatives who are supported by a culture that enables them to

Agile and inclusive

innovate from where they are.
Embracing nonlinear planning and enabling agility
in the institutions and policy environments are critical
steps in the process.

Critical culture and

systems shifts

200+ Out ...

Rigid
bureaucracies
>
In ...
Entrepreneurial
collaboratives
the number of Slow predictable
>
Agile, leapfrogging
colleges and growth solutions
Incremental Transformational
universities having >
outputs outcomes
How are we fostering an environment senior roles with Elitist and Equity-minded
in which our key stakeholders are words such as exclusive
>
and inclusive
intimately included and empowered to “innovation” in Input-focused > Outcome-driven
make decisions and influence change?
their title
— E N TA N G L E D S O L U T I O N S , 2 0 1 8

18 (RE)IMAGINE R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 19
 There are new variables, new competitors, new
considerations both directly and indirectly having a big
impact on our reality, especially regarding the span and
focus of the learner experience.
Six university design imperatives

Transformative
Who is a 21st-century
college student?
What do students need to

learner
learn now?
What is the role of the
instructor/professor?

experience
Access to higher education is but one component of
the equity ladder. The accessed higher education must
be meaningful and meet demands and expectations in
terms of outcomes. Moving forward, higher education
models need to embrace teaching and learning activities
that enhance reach as well as effectiveness. The
curricula and pedagogical approaches must be inclusive,
How are we nurturing student pertinent and agile while postsecondary matriculation
success throughout the lifelong and graduation policies should be intentionally designed
to fit the needs of the local society and economy.
educational journey?
We are all students and learners; our wildly and
rapidly changing world demands it. And we must meet
all students and learners where they are, with what
they need, when they need it. To do so, it is critical to
collaborate with and across relevant industries and
experts to build and deliver appropriate curricula and
generate the needed capacities and skills.

Critical innovations Key challenges

• Inter-/cross-/ • Quality assurance
multidisciplinary • Mobility and
approaches harmonization
• Experiential and • Faculty training
project-based learning • Contextual relevance
• Competency-based • Faculty incentives
Our changing world
offerings

50%
• Community and
will continue to • Hybrid models industry buy-in
generate future • Entrepreneurship training • Poorly regulated AI
jobs that don't exist • Virtual reality and and tech industries
today. How do we artificial intelligence • Inadequate policy
of all employees design universities
environments
will need reskilling to prepare "Master “Even with the larger pool of graduates of tertiary
by 2025
Learners" that education, many do not have locally relevant skills needed
can adjust to the
— WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
for a successful integration into the labor market. ”
new demands?
— WORLD BANK

20 (RE)IMAGINE R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 21
 Mass amounts of informational knowledge
exists in a device in your pocket,
Six university design imperatives
containing 20,000 years of human

Robust
wisdom. The university doesn’t own
everything anymore.

Is a classroom

digital
still required?
What does this mean
for us?

solutions The use of digital systems in higher education has become

necessary to maintain and improve administrative
efficiency and to leverage teaching, learning and
research in ways that truly support social and economic
development.
Why and how are we as institutions incorporating Projections about the importance of digital tools in
education have been around for decades. Early nudges
current and future-sensitive digital technologies in to adopt advanced computing technologies and systems
university operations and student support? saw small waves of acceptance and notable valleys of
resistance. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and COVID-
19, however, dramatically increased the pressure on
universities, forcing them to make rapid shifts to digitally
enabled teaching. Some shifts were smooth and designed
to be sustained beyond the pandemic. Most were not.
Regardless, what we learned is that the digital tools are
here, and will refine, stay and evolve.
Now, the charge is for leaders to clearly define their

44% mission and objectives to get maximum value from these

enhancements. As technology now permeates most
of university IT leaders aspects of our lives, it is challenging to be consciously
aware of its multiple dimensions and clearly identify the
reporting their campus
various interacting parts. Discovery tools to regularly and
as engaged in digital comprehensively assess institutional digital readiness and
transformation.* capacity are key in the creation of actionable strategies
— EDUCAUSE, 2021 and tactics to achieve necessary transformation.

*EDUCAUSE defines digital

Key challenges Key opportunities
transformation as: “a series • Student connectivity and • Expanded outlets
of deep and coordinated equitable access for learning
workforce, culture and • Infrastructure investments • Improved cost
technology shifts that enable • Faculty development effectiveness
new educational and operating • Staff training and retention • Smart campuses
models and transform an “ChatGPT will not take your jobs; • Data-driven
• Leadership adaptation
institution's operations, someone who knows how to use it will. ” • Supportive public policies decision-making
strategic directions and
• Increased global
value proposition.” — J A S P R E E T B I N D R A , A I E X P E R T, 2 0 2 3
collaboration

22 (RE)IMAGINE R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 23
 “Standard operating procedure in
industrial and government laboratories,
Six university design imperatives interdisciplinary collaboration in academic
settings is essential to applied research

Collaborative initiatives that depend for their effectiveness

on team efforts to address intractable
challenges on the scale of global climate

and civic-minded change and destruction of ecosystems. ”

— MICHAEL M. CROW AND WILLIAM B. DABARS, 2020

research and
“ T H E F I F T H W AV E : T H E E V O L U T I O N O F A M E R I C A N
H I G H E R E D U C AT I O N ”

Does research matter?

Is the lab building for the ivory tower
or the world?

discovery
To solve the grand challenges of the world, we could include:
• A field expert + an engineer + a doctor + a technologist
• Modern science + indigenous knowledge systems
• A pragmatist + an ethicist
We need many perspectives approaching and
collaborating on all aspects of the challenges we face.
How are we collaborating with each Beyond the inclusion of multiple industries and
other and across industries to address disciplines, representation in research is also needed
grand challenges? across geopolitical regions, socioeconomic levels and
institutions and institutional types. Though sometimes
daunting to implement and manage, such cross-cultural
collaboration enriches and sometimes even enables
necessary discovery. The diverse research teams
bring together invaluable and unique resources and
questions. These networks and assets afford levels
and depths of inquiry and validation unattainable by
a single entity, regardless of how brilliant or talented
the independent scholar or how highly ranked the
individual institution.
Traditionally inclined to compete in higher education
communities, we need to reimagine how to more
Engineering and chemistry
strategically connect and tackle global and even local
faculty and students from Kings

⅓
problems together. The pace and scale of rising threats
College London, Arizona State
mandate this new norm for teamwork.
University and University of New
South Wales Sydney, through a
PLuS Alliance initiative, co- Challenges and Opportunities
estimated proportion designed a solution to global considerations • Solutions with more
of business challenges around access to • Intellectual property “real world” impact
electricity. The internationally
incubators that are patented thermogalvanic brick
and licensing • Development of market-
• Varied and decentralized ready skills and
university-based generates electricity "as long as employable talent
quality control
— J O U R N A L O F T E C H N O LO GY the two faces of the brick are at
• Different operational • Increased and diversified
TRANSFER different temperatures."
and working cultures investment and financing
across partners
"Plus Alliance - Thermogalvanic bricks project," YouTube, Oct. 23, 2019
24 (RE)IMAGINE R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 25
 Six university design imperatives
Diversified
Which partners in our networks could
benefit in new ways from collaboration?
US$100B
finance gap for countries to
reach their education targets
“The experience of COVID-19
— U N ESC O, 2023
Higher education is only one part, and
a complex part, of stretched education
budgets for governments around the
world. Digital transformation goals place
— J E F F S E L I N G O , A U T H O R , F O R M E R E D I TO R
further pressure on higher education
decision-makers to expand and diversify
funding sources and models.
26 (RE)IMAGINE
Higher education,
worldwide, has tended
to rely heavily on one or
two sources for financing
— government revenue
and tuition.
There have been many indicators and proof points
of the vulnerability of this model over the past several
decades; however, unique economic pressures have
exacerbated the risks and forced action. For some
institutions, the results ranged from cuts to tuition hikes
to mergers and ultimately closure. For those institutions
that actually remained solvent and maintained their prior
offerings and ownership models, sustainable revenue
diversification continues to surface as a fundamental,
yet somewhat elusive, design goal.
Root causes of declining financial stability
in higher education
• Fundamental changes to university funding
• Policy constraints
• Slow adaptation to market needs
• Limited commercial ways of thinking
— J I S C A N D E M E R G E E D U C AT I O N , 2 0 2 1 .
T H E F U T U R E O F R E V E N U E D I V E R S I F I C AT I O N
I N H I G H E R E D U C AT I O N
Limited revenue pipelines, restrictive policy
environments, and rigidity in academic offerings
and philosophy have emerged as primary culprits in
the declining financial sustainability of universities.
Acknowledging the tenuous nature of both public
subsidies for higher education and cost-sharing with
students and families, new and/or alternative revenue
sources are being increasingly tested. Emerging
pipelines have been met with varying degrees of
success and acceptance. The pipelines can be grouped
into at least six primary categories:
exposed challenges for
• Philanthropy and university foundations
higher ed’s financial stability
• Strategic corporate and private sector partnerships
and workforce that had been
• Institutional mergers
accumulating for years.”
• Diversified online courses and credentialing
• Real estate investments and diversified asset utilization
C H R O N I C L E O F H I G H E R E D U C AT I O N , U D I
G LO B A L F E L LO W • Technology transfer
R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 27
 These six university
design imperatives
are critical to
sustainable and
meaningful higher
Modernized Agile inclusive Transformative
university leaders and learner education
mission culture experience transformation.

Robust Collaborative Diversified

digital and civic-minded partnerships
solutions research and and financial
discovery models

28 (RE)IMAGINE R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 29
Re:design drafting blueprints
for implementation
At the University Design Institute,
we believe higher education has
a fundamental responsibility to
All organizations are operating
improve human and planetary well- in environments and structures
being. Our vision is for universities to that were designed at one time.
emerge as powerful engines of social Does their original design still work
today? Does it actually serve its
transformation and economic impact. intended audiences? Does the
structure match the resources and
Utilizing a co-design approach, context in which it operates now?
we help partners envision the
future and move from problems to
prototypes. We relentlessly focus on
advancing bold, novel, scalable and
sustainable models and solutions
for higher education.

Which structures and ideas are no longer serving your audiences, your team and your
30 RE:DESIGN R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 31
partners? What if everything was on the table to be redesigned?
 Where others have landed may
not be where you are trying to

Design is the act of

go. The key is working in your
own local context, being in
motion and innovating the
very way you move based on
changing terrain.

imagining a better future and

systematically working
to realize that future. ”
— B R U C E M AU , D ES I G N ER , F U T U R I ST, AU T H O R O F M A S S I V E C H A N G E A N D D ES I G N PA R T N ER
I N A S U ’ S R EP O S I T I O N I N G O F I T S EL F A S A S O C I A L LY D R I V EN EN T ER P R I S E

32 RE:DESIGN R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 33
 In a world that won’t
stop changing,
re:design is imperative
Higher education has a fundamental responsibility
“What you do makes a difference, to solve society’s problems and contribute to thriving
and you have to decide what kind local and global communities. Universities can and
of difference you want to make.” should serve as drivers of social impact and economic
— J A N E G O O D A L L , E N G L I S H P R I M ATO LO G I S T
value. Yet most higher education institutions around the
A N D A N T H R O P O LO G I S T world were designed to solve societal needs for a very
different era.

We need new models to transform universities into

institutions that advance purpose-driven partnerships,
collaboration across sectors, leapfrogging ideas and
a relentless focus on innovation. We must commit to
redesigning structures, cultures and practices to evolve
into more relevant, resilient and adaptive systems of
teaching, learning and impact.

University design is a strategic, inclusive and forward-looking process

in which educational institutions, government, industry, nonprofits, civic
groups and learners have a voice in shaping the future of higher education.

The power of university design lies in the collaborative and optimistic nature
of its approach. The co-design process invites a wide group of stakeholders
to imagine, to prioritize, to prototype, to iterate and to implement together,
and always with a belief that change is possible when we all work together.

Minu Ipe
Vice Chair and Managing Director
University Design Institute

34 RE:DESIGN R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 35
 What is
co-design?
Co-design is a strategic
approach using structured,
collaborative facilitation to
distill perspectives, tools and
ideas from a wide variety of
stakeholders.
It helps institutions (1) develop
and test innovative ideas with key
stakeholders and (2) implement new
initiatives with reduced risk.

Co-design applies a few key principles that are

imperative for transformation to sustain and thrive in
(Re)imagine Re:design Re_build higher education. First, co-design incorporates systems
thinking, a principle that acknowledges and takes

Prototyping and
responsibility for how all elements of a system affect

Discovery Blueprints for the other elements. Second, the principle of dispersed
expertise is applied in co-design, which invites diverse

and ideation implementation transformation sets of knowledge and experiences into the room to
ensure challenges and solutions are considered from
multiple perspectives. Finally, co-design practices the
Understand the varied perspectives, Develop structures, strategies and Implement blueprints and principle of iteration, or starting to build something good

needs and opportunities of the
co-designers; collectively identify
and articulate the key, contextualized
issues to be addressed.
processes to be applied and enacted
in the desired context and for the
desired outcomes.
iterate as needed to achieve
desired outcomes and future.
instead of unrealistically waiting to build something
perfect, as the method to advance ideas.
Transformation initiatives shaped through co-design
are more inclusive, more meaningful and more likely to
result in sustainable change.

36 RE:DESIGN R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 37
 Who
actually does
the re:design?
Everyone.
When you commit to co-design,
every stakeholder is a designer.
Building on the expertise and insights of
communities that will be impacted by the
work, design processes should be
participatory and inclusive.

Engaging a network of global experts

is recommended to broaden perspective
on transformation initiatives.

38 RE:DESIGN R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 39
 Levels for
transformative
co-design
A holistic approach
is needed because actual and Leader- Institution- System-
sustainable change in higher level level level
education requires attention to Individual University Country
(re)design at multiple levels. Consortium
Develop design Build capacity for Ministry of
expertise in current universities to design Education
and future leaders and implement new
to accelerate and models and drive Engage diverse
scale impact. transformation. stakeholders to
address opportunities
and systemic barriers
to change.

40 RE:DESIGN R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 41
 Ways to
think about
transformative
co-design
Exponential opportunity, impact and growth

The design process sets out to

answer key questions:

• Who do you want to be

as an institution?
• Who do you want to serve?
• What are shared values and
common interests?
• How might you leverage current
strengths to advance the
institution more effectively?
• What type of leaders do you need?
• What will it feel like to work,
teach, study, research here?

42 RE:DESIGN R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 43
 _
Re build Putting the principles
into practice
The University Design Institute is
based at Arizona State University,
a living laboratory of innovation with
over 20 years of intentional and
applied university design experience.

At ASU, we know how challenging

a structural and cultural transition
can be. We have been in the same
position ourselves.

We have transformed our own

structures and culture and rebuilt
them at all levels.

How do the invisible systems get integrated in the new space of thriving? The metaphor of
44 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 45
blueprints to real-life spaces uses renderings to bring the future into the present.
 Permission to
re:design at the
largest scale
“Education is the kindling of a
flame, not the filling of a vessel.” What do you see for your organization in six
months, a year, 20 years? Is it really where you
— S O C R AT E S
want to go? What are the core gravitational
forces shaping where you are now?

New creative and productive forces are arising

that can foster innovation at all levels. Are you
harnessing them? Or are you still working with
the forces of the past?

For over 20 years at ASU we have sought

out opportunity and rebuilt ourselves to
channel these new forces.

By reimagining who we are and how we move in the world, we have

allowed ourselves and our structures to be reshaped by powerful new
forces of collaboration, inclusion, strategic partnership and diversified
models for business and value creation.

This change has put us into an abundance mindset, has positioned us for
sustained growth and has empowered our entire enterprise to deliver on
the social responsibilities we committed to together.

We used this process in our own institution, redesigning it from the

core outward.

46 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 47
 In one of the largest public art projects on
campus, artist BJ Krivanek designed the
installation of the word EXPLORE and text
fragments and letterforms etched on the glass

ASU’s
façade. They include letters from Latin-based,
Native American and Asian languages, as well as
numbers and punctuation marks, to represent
the universal potential of language.

Our challenges boldest

ambitions
• Rapid socio-
economic change
• Increased global
competition
• Rapid cultural
We set out to build a comprehensive metropolitan
diversification
research university that is an unparalleled
• Limited higher education
combination of academic excellence and
infrastructure
commitment to its social, economic, cultural and
• Historical physical and environmental setting.
fiscal constraints in units
• Physical constraints on Build for the 21st century.
core campus Shed party school image and prepare for the future.
• Underperforming
pre-K–20 education Build for teaching and discovery.
• Limited public and Become the place where everyone can learn and
private support for ASU hybrid new ideas are possible.

Options we considered Build for the community.

• Replication model
Create the university as social enterprise.
Building a university like
Minnesota,
Ohio State, UCLA
• Build one university in many places.
• Incremental model
Linear extrapolation to future • Build the university around strong,
from ASU of today entrepreneurial colleges and schools.
• Differentiation model • Create a design that allows colleges and schools
Building the New American to grow and prosper to their intellectual and
University
market limits.

The space itself is also a teacher. How is art and provocation present in your learning
48 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 49
spaces? How can every new element be designed to inspire?
 We rewrote
our mission,
creating the
university’s first
charter, which
serves as our
North Star and
ASU is a comprehensive
public research university,
our very reason
measured not by whom it for being.
excludes, but by whom it We used the opportunity to
recommit to our state, to our citizens
includes and how they and to a sustainable future that we
succeed; advancing research build together.

and discovery of public value; These values are the foundation of

what attracts students from around
and assuming fundamental the world.
responsibility for the
economic, social, cultural
and overall health of the
communities it serves.

50 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 51
 ASU has remade itself into a

New
American ASU nine design aspirations

Nine design aspirations guide the ongoing

University evolution of ASU as a New American University.
These institutional objectives are integrated in
ee pillars anchor
From agency the ASU Public Enterprise
to enterprise innovative ways throughout the university to
In order to achieve its charter,
ASU has reorganized its internal
achieve excellence, access and impact.

ee pillars anchor the ASU Public Enterprise

structures to an enterprise model.
Advances academic excellence
through the faculty and growing the Leverage Enable student
quality, scope and scale of campus
immersion and online programs.
our place success

Transform Fuse intellectual

society disciplines

Value Be socially
entrepreneurship embedded

Advances research, innovation, Serves learners across their entire

strategic partnerships, lifespan, from kindergarten to high
Conduct Engage globally
entrepreneurship and international EdPlus@ASU
school to midcareer to post-retirement. use-inspired
development.
ASU Enterprise Partners
research
ASU Public
Enterprise ASU Enterprise Technology Office
Office Units EdPlus@ASU Practice principled
ASU Enterprise Marketing Hub innovation
ASU Enterprise Partners
ASU Public ASU Preparatory Academy
Enterprise ASU Enterprise Technology Office
Office Units
ASU Enterprise Brand Strategy
ASU Enterprise andHub
Marketing Management

ASU Preparatory Academy

Let’s take a closer look.

52 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 53

“Our faculty and students
are working together
with our surrounding
populations ... in
research that rapidly
moves from the lab
to the community to
have a real impact for
better health.”
— DEBORAH HELITZER,
PRO FES SO R AN D D E AN O F
THE COLLEGE OF
H E A LT H S O L U T I O N S
Fastest
growth in
life sciences
employment
the Phoenix metro area
topped the nation, ahead
of Seattle, Denver, Boston
and other major metro
areas in growth
22,000+
jobs in life sciences in
metro Phoenix at the end
of 2020
54 RE_BUILD
Phoenix
Bioscience Core
The area includes a new
227,000-square-foot building, called
850 PBC, provides key biomedical
facilities and resources that most
startups and many researchers
previously were not able to access.
These include clinical trial areas, dry
labs with high-tech equipment for
crunching numbers, a wet lab with
resources for complex analytical
chemistry and molecular biology
analyses, a cardiovascular and
exercise physiology laboratory, and a
rehabilitation and motor control lab.
ASU design aspirations
Leverage
our place
ASU embraces its culture,
socioeconomic and
physical setting.
By partnering with bioscience experts at
other local universities and businesses
in the local market, ASU is working to
catalyze a bioscience and innovation
core in downtown Phoenix. The core is
poised to revolutionize health and drive
economic growth to benefit Arizona
and beyond.
ASU scientists are working on a
vaccine that could prevent people and
dogs from developing multiple types of
cancer. It would be a groundbreaking
innovation protecting countless lives
every year. It’s one of several lifesaving
interventions researchers are striving
to make a reality at the Phoenix
Bioscience Core.
Research like this is quickly elevating Phoenix’s
profile as a hotbed for life sciences innovation, says
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. Years of investments,
planning and development are now bearing fruit as life
science companies and university researchers improve
health while bringing new opportunities to Arizona.
R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 55
 ASU design aspirations

Transform
society
ASU catalyzes social
100+
top-ranked online
change by being bachelor’s degrees in
connected to the Starbucks College
Achievement Plan
social needs.
What started as a conversation
between former Starbucks CEO
Howard Schultz and Arizona State
University President Michael M.
7,500+
Crow led to a shared philosophy Starbucks
and the idea of providing access partners have
to lifelong learning worldwide. graduated from
And they decided to do just ASU
that, starting with Starbucks *As of December 2021
employees (“partners”). To Be Welcoming,
addressing bias through
understanding the
60+
The ASU + Starbucks partnership makes this
possible for eligible U.S. partners. to choose human experience
from 100+ bachelor’s degree programs offered
100% online. Public spaces and third places are companies partnering
more welcoming to all when we
Learn more at starbucks.asu.edu celebrate our shared humanity.
with ASU in innovative
By understanding each other, we ways to bring
“The Starbucks College Achievement deepen connections. To encourage education to their
Plan has really armed me with the more meaningful conversations
teams,
tools to go out and be someone I’ve on this topic, leaders at Starbucks
reached out to the experts at ASU
always aspired to be. I just maybe to create this 15-course curriculum. including Starbucks, adidas, Uber,
didn’t know how.” Desert Financial Credit Union and
others
— R O B E R T L . , A S U G R A D U AT E T H R O U G H S C A P

56 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 57
 ASU Innovation Open

Powered by the Ira A. Fulton Schools of

Engineering, Breakthrough Energy Ventures
and the eSeed Challenge, ASUio is designed to
advance student-led startups that are tackling
$1.3 billion the world’s most challenging problems. In 2022,
ASU design aspirations

in external funding
30 teams representing 20 universities made it as
finalists, including student entrepreneurs from Value
for ASU’s Skysong MIT, Stanford and Johns Hopkins University.

Innovations startups
ASUio, in its sixth year, awards one of the
highest prize purses among collegiate pitch
entrepreneurship
competitions in the U.S. with prize sponsors like
ASU uses its knowledge
ASU passed the milestone in its portfolio at
Skysong Innovations, the entity that brings Amazon, Avnet and BD.
ASU research into the marketplace.
and encourages
$1B

innovation.
Sustainability $530.3M Students, alumni and community
$800M
members tap into the startup
ecosystem, funding sources and
$600M Devices $214.3M
supportive networks. With the
support of its entrepreneurial
arm at Skysong Innovations,
$400M Energy $200.6M ASU has become one of the top-
performing U.S. universities in
Diagnostics $151.9M terms of intellectual property inputs
$200M
(inventions disclosed by ASU
Therapeutics $89.7M

Tools, reagents $41.2M researchers) and outputs (licensing

0 deals and startups).
Vaccines $35.2M
Software, networking $25.5M
Materials, nanotech $7.2M Mentorship, funding and collaborative spaces are
Source: Skysong Innovations, 2023
critical to the success of launching new venture
concepts. ASU’s J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship
+ Innovation Institute maintains a directory of
networks that can provide not only the financial

200+ support startups need, but also the training,

mentorship, capital and communities to help turn
startups based SOURCE Global, an ASU startup now at
big ideas into a reality.
The Venture Devils program guides student,
on ASU intellectual SkySong in Scottsdale, was founded by faculty and community-based entrepreneurs
property Cody Friesen, an engineering professor. through the process of launching a venture
The company creates clean water using by providing dedicated mentorship as well as
have generated more than solar power to pull it from the air. Friesen access to funding opportunities and venture
$1.3 billion in investment now mentors other startups. development workspaces.
capital to date.
Learn more at skysonginnovations.com and
entrepreneurship.asu.edu

10 11
58 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 59
 ASU design aspirations
Conduct
use-inspired
research
ASU research has
purpose and impact.
By redefining the 21st-century
university as a knowledge
enterprise, ASU has inspired
its faculty and students to lead
discoveries from the behavior
of nanoparticles to the birth of
galaxies, unveiling answers about
our ancient past, our global future
and everything in between.
Our interdisciplinary, solutions-
focused approach to research,
entrepreneurship and economic
development is centered on
discovery that matters and the
fusion of intellectual disciplines in
order to solve complex problems.
With $677.3M in total research
expenditures in FY21, ASU is one
of the fastest-growing research
enterprises in the United States.
Learn more at research.asu.edu
8 9
60 RE_BUILD
1,340
new U.S. patents* with
166
new patents in FY22
— U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
report in which ASU is the first
assignee for the patent
*From July 1, 2002 to Dec. 7, 2022
1 MechanicalTree™ = 1,000 trees
Popular Science picks ASU professor’s
MechanicalTree as a 2019 top technology.
4,100
The device was developed by Professor
invention disclosures
Klaus Lackner and his colleagues at ASU and
commercialized by Carbon Collect. Over the since 2003
next decade, Carbon Collect plans to deploy
MechanicalTree farms globally to mitigate carbon
emissions.
$677.3M
estimated total
research
expenditures
ASU is one of the fastest-growing
research enterprises
in the U.S. It was named #6 in the
Center for Negative
U.S. for total research expenditures
Carbon Emissions
among universities without a
Klaus Lackner, a pioneer in carbon medical school.
capture, views a greenhouse that
— National Science Foundation HERD
will be fed carbon dioxide from his
prototype materials at his lab in ASU’s
survey, 2022
Center for Negative Carbon Emissions.
Companies are building on his ideas to
achieve climate goals.
R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 61
 Mentorship
Students can find mentors
through ASU’s mentor network,
or connecting with a professor
on a research project.

Tutoring ASU design aspirations

ASU offers free tutoring and
writing help to catch up or get
ahead in classes.
Enable
Academic advising
Advisors help ensure students
student
are taking the right classes and
are on the most efficient path to
success
graduation.
ASU is committed
eAdvisor™
Students can see what classes to the success of
they need to take, in which
semester and receive alerts if each unique student.
they fall off track.
Quality higher education
First-year success should be available to any
coaching student capable of performing
Students get support in their
university-level work,
transition to college life with a
peer mentor who can offer tips regardless of socioeconomic
and advice. status or geographic
constraints. This objective is
ASU Mobile App
central to the ASU Charter and
Allows students to easily access
grades, schedule and financial organizational design.
aid information. They can also The university is dedicated
find ASU events, maps, library
resources and more, all on their
to providing all learners with
phones. accessible and valuable
pathways to knowledge, and
Counseling services preparing Universal Learners®
To support emotional well-
being, ASU offers professional
capable of lifelong adaptation.
counseling services as well as
confidential 24-hour support.
Coaching and support
Family support
Families are part of the college Paula Guzman, an academic advisor from
journey, too. ASU offers the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
resources and information to on the West Valley campus, meets with a
keep them connected. student to make sure they are taking the
right classes to graduate on time.

24 25
62 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 63
ASU design aspirations

Fuse
intellectual
disciplines
ASU creates
36
interdisciplinary
knowledge by schools
transcending academic
disciplines.
174
What is the outcome? A new
interdisciplinary
learning setting that primes ASU’s
institutes and
students to become master
learners who, with the support
centers
of exemplary faculty and staff,
are capable of tackling society’s
most complex and important
challenges.
We have torn down the walls
between disciplines, finding
connection points between the
seemingly unrelated research of
different departments.
We have created entirely new
academic units, centers and Biodesign Institute
institutes devoted to the study of We deliver the future of nature-
emerging fields that encompass inspired scientific innovation
many disciplines. today for the betterment of human
health, community safety and
global sustainability.

64 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 65
 Community partnerships
At the Pause + Play installation in Mesa, design and architecture students
designed and built an installation for the first Prototyping Festival for the city of
Mesa. Unlike most projects that often apply a top-down approach, the professor
and students proposed to prototype the process rather than the object. They
partnered with Porter Elementary, a Title I school in the city of Mesa school
ASU design aspirations

73,762
district, collaborating with 75 sixth graders to design the installation.

student engagements
Be socially
across all socially
embedded activities embedded
21,295,811 ASU connects with
hours of student communities through
engagement
mutually beneficial
160 partnerships.
engaged courses
For ASU, partnering with our

300+ communities is not an afterthought.

It is a fundamental part of our
study abroad programs institutional identity. Tethering
our success to the success of

514 our communities has inspired us

to achieve more and continually
community-engaged recommit to the public purposes of
programs that involve higher education. Embeddedness
students allows us to expand our reach
into communities that are often
647 forgotten, increase efficiency,
prepare and strengthen a capable
on-site community-based 21st-century workforce and amplify
learning opportunities
mutually desired outcomes.

66 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 67
 In the ASU Enterprise

ASU design aspirations

25
Engage international locations

globally 200+
academic partnerships
ASU engages with
people and issues 453
locally, nationally and research and sponsored
projects globally
internationally.
13,000+
Through formal and emergent international students
partnerships and collaborations, ASU
grows its innovation infrastructure to
maximize impact. 85
study abroad locations
The scale and complexity of today’s
global challenges are significant,
but not insurmountable. Expanding In Global Futures Laboratory

knowledge and developing new

solutions for these topics calls for
diversity of expertise, perspective
740+
and international collaboration. ASU scientists and
has made global engagement a core scholars in GFL
design aspiration, motivating our
establishment of global partnerships
Global Futures
Laboratory
1,300+
that enable us to increase the breadth
ASU has convened some of students in the
and depth of our initiatives. These
relationships take us beyond our
the world’s best scientists, College of Global
borders, stretch our minds, enhance
scholars and innovators to
Futures
launch the Global Futures
our capacities, and help build a safer, Laboratory, a leading-
edge effort to help create
more secure world. Through the ASU-Cintana Alliance
a habitable future that
Through the ASU-Cintana partnership, Alliance
members share best practices across regions and
facilitates well-being for all.
Learn more at globalfutures.
140,000+
fields of study, offer exchange opportunities for
students and faculty, provide dual-degree programs
asu.edu
students
with other members, and benefit from the scale of a “Powered by ASU”
global community of member institutions.

68 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 69
Dimensions ASU design aspirations

of character Practice
Moral principled
• Identify and acknowledge
fundamental values. innovation
• Utilize moral and ethical
decision-making. ASU places character
and values at the
Civic
• Understand culture and context.
center of decisions
• Engage multiple diverse and actions.
perspectives.

This powerful approach helps

Intellectual ensure we are not just innovating
• Develop habits of an informed for the sake of change but to fulfill
systems thinker. our values.
• Reflect critically and
When using Principled
compassionately.
Innovation, we start with a basic
question about any prospective
Performance change or course of action: We
• Design creative solutions. can, but should we? Principled
• Navigate uncertainty and Innovation is a practice that
mitigate consequences. offers reflective approach to
change that centers the well-
being of humanity, communities
and society as a whole. It is a
When individuals practice Principled Innovation, framework for ethical decision-
their actions exhibit the empathy, honesty and
making that can be embraced
humility inherent in moral character; the desire
to serve others that is part of civic character; the by individuals, organizations
truth-seeking impulse of intellectual character; and systems. It informs simple,
and the problem-solving commitment of everyday decisions and complex
performance character.
actions at all levels.

70 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 71
Nine core dimensions of
leadership at ASU
1. Think expansively,
think differently
Imagine how things could be.
Anticipate what the future may
bring and translate into action.
4. Nurture a culture
that values inclusion
and innovation
Create and support a
culture where creativity
flourishes and diverse
groups of individuals thrive.
7. Lead with courage
Take risks, advance bold ideas,
challenge the status quo and
established conventions while
bringing people along.
72 RE_BUILD
2. Support ongoing
adaptation
Identify adaptations that will
sustain the institution over the
long term. Develop prototypes
and experiments and make
adjustments regularly.
5. Champion collaboration
Advance ideas by leveraging the
knowledge assets of the
institution and by addressing
barriers that discourage
interdisciplinary and cross-
functional collaboration, both
between and within units.
8. Execute with influence
Operate beyond authority alone.
Find ways to leverage people
and mobilize resources to move
efforts forward.
3. Be innovators and
institution builders
Advance innovative ideas and
build institutional structures,
practices and routines that will
sustain the institution over time.
6. Develop a pipeline
of leaders
Identify talent early and invest
in the next generation of leaders
for the institution. Actively
engage as a mentor or coach for
leaders in the pipeline.
9. Engage with empathy
Recognize the needs and
perspectives of users before
designing solutions. Attend to
the needs of people on teams
to create productive work
environments.
Leadership
development
In constructing an adequately reinforced structure,
there needs to be a continuous supply of
builders, who are empowered to implement
as well as critically challenge and enhance the
blueprints and plans, when needed.
Anchored by the institution’s charter and driven by the nine
university design aspirations, leaders at ASU design systems,
processes and new initiatives within their spheres of influence,
keeping the university on a trajectory of innovation as it evolves
into the future.
ASU has developed a suite of formal leadership programs that
inspire and provoke thinking, conversations and action across and for
the community.
The suite of programs exist for those in formal leadership roles as
well as those who lead in many ways without titles or positions. It is for
those who want to measure their success by the culture and capacity
they build in their units and people they lead. It is for leaders who want
to build an enterprise that is innovative, adaptive, agile and ready for
change well beyond their own tenures.
The leadership programs are built around nine core dimensions
of leadership and habits of mind unique to success at ASU but
applicable well beyond the ASU community.
R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 73

Since 2002
Mileposts
of change
at ASU
August 2008
Second phase of a
reorganization. Changes
are driven by opportunities
for intellectual synergy,
and result in $2.7 million in
savings. More than a dozen
colleges and schools are
reorganized.
December 2014
EdPlus launches to
enhance access to
technologically enhanced
learning opportunities
across all modalities. New
developments include
delivery of learning in virtual
environments.
74 RE_BUILD
July 2002
Michael M. Crow
becomes ASU’s 16th
president.
2008
Design visionary and social impact leader Bruce
Mau collaborates on the creation of ASU’s bold
brand look. The practice of design continues to be
democratized throughout the university, inviting
innovation and reinvention at all levels.
September 2015
ASU is named “No. 1 Most
Innovative School” by U.S.
News & World Report (an
honor that would be granted
a record nine times, from
2016 to 2024.
“The New American
University: A New
Gold Standard”
November 2002 December 2002
President Crow delivers ASU initiates partnership
inaugural remarks that
included the outline of
with Mayo Clinic in
Arizona. The partnership
design imperatives to will continue to grow,
shape the university forming an alliance
moving forward. between ASU and Mayo
Clinic, the recognized
world leader in patient
care, education and
research.
January 2009
Completes the third
phase of a university-
wide academic
reorganization. Academic
redesign is now part of the
institution’s DNA.
21
March 2018 September 2020
The Barbara Barrett & ASU launches Julie
Sandra Day O’Connor Ann Wrigley Global
Washington Center opens in Futures Laboratory,
Washington, D.C. encompassing the new
College of Global Futures,
a major research institute,
a solutions service and
engagement initiatives.
March 2003
ASU begins collaboration
with the city of Phoenix to
establish the Downtown
Phoenix campus.
Community members help
shape it.
May 2009
President Barack Obama
speaks at ASU. The
President Barack Obama
Scholars program is
created. Michael M. Crow
is named one of Time’s 10
Best College Presidents.
Three pillars anchor the ASU Public Enterprise
ASU Public
Enterprise
Office Units
ASU Enterprise Brand Strategy
November 2020
ASU Enterprise model
launches, structuring
the university’s
activities into
Academic, Knowledge
and Learning
Enterprises.
April 2003
Groundbreaking for the
Biodesign Institute, the first
interdisciplinary research
institute in the U.S. entirely
devoted to bio-inspired
innovation.
August 2009
ASU Online launches to
provide broad access
to high-quality higher
education, building dozens
of degree programs across
disciplines, including
science and engineering.
EdPlus@ASU
ASU Enterprise Partners
ASU Enterprise Technology Office
ASU Enterprise andHub
Marketing Management
ASU Preparatory Academy
January 2021
ASU renames its film
school after actor and
filmmaker Sidney Poitier,
the first Black man to
win the Academy Award
for best actor. Poitier is
known for breaking racial
barriers and embodying
characters with dignity
and wisdom.
August 2006 October 2006
Downtown Phoenix The School of
Sustainability launches as
campus opens. Schools
include the Walter Cronkite the first comprehensive
degree-granting program
School of Journalism and
of its type in the nation.
Mass Communication,
With many building
Sandra Day O’Connor
renovations and new
College of Law, College of
buildings earning LEED
Health Solutions, and Watts certifications, ASU will be
College of Public Service named No. 1 in the U.S. for
and Community Solutions. sustainability by the Sierra
Club in 2021.
September 2014 June 2014
ASU becomes a founder Starbucks establishes a
of the University partnership to enhance
Innovation Alliance to access to education for
transform education by its employees. Thousands
increasing the number of “partners” have now
and diversity of college graduated through the
graduates in the U.S. program and over 16,000
are currently working toward
their degrees.
May 2021 June 2022
ASU’s new Health Futures ASU is named a Hispanic-
Center, home of the Mayo Serving Institution by
Clinic and ASU Alliance the U.S. Department of
for Health Care, is the Education, a major milestone
latest development in the in its enterprisewide
nearly two-decades-long commitment to increase the
relationship between the diversity of its student body.
nation’s most innovative
university and the world
leader in health care.
January 2008
December 2006
ASU SkySong Scottsdale
First phase of a
Innovation Center opens,
comprehensive academic
reorganization completed.
offering a unique hub for
innovation, technology and
All 21 deans report directly
business development.
to the executive vice
In 2023, ASU will have
president and university
raised $1.3 billion in external
provost, giving more
funding by the startups in its
autonomy to deans, with
portfolio at Skysong
each one responsible for
Innovations, the entity that
academic excellence and
brings ASU research into
student success in his or
the marketplace.
her school or college.
November 2014
ASU establishes its first-ever charter, articulating its
dedication to the inclusion and success of students, and
to a responsibility to the communities it serves.
June 2023 Oct 2023
ASU joins the prestigious ASU’s Psyche mission
Association of American launches. The first ASU-
Universities. The association led deep-space mission
comprises elite research launches from Kennedy
universities such as Harvard, Space Center. The journey
Stanford, UCLA and the to the metal-rich asteroid
University of Washington. called Psyche offers a unique
The award reflects the window into the building
university’s academic and blocks of planet formation.
research strength.
R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 75
 Through design,
the culture of a major,
research-driven public
university in the United
States has been inextricably
and forever altered. ”
— M I C H A EL M . C R OW, A S U P R ES I D EN T

76 RE_BUILD R E D E S I G N I N G E D U C AT I O N 77
 (Re)imagine, re:design
and re_build with the
University Design Institute
While the messages and narratives in this design
book require some degree of generalization, global
trends are indeed evident, disruptive and undoubtedly
pressure higher education to transform. And, there
are globally applicable responses to these pressures.
New, bold and adaptive models along the six university
design imperatives are needed if higher education is
to remain viable and enabled to help solve grand
Michael M. Crow, President
societal challenges.
Arizona State University
When ASU set forth on its transformation journey two Chair, University Design Institute
decades ago, we knew we had to redesign ourselves
from the core outward. We focused on purpose, we
recognized the importance of context, we committed to
an inclusive process and we applied design principles
that gave us the structure and freedom needed to
reimagine, redesign and rebuild the institution. Today
we are a comprehensive knowledge enterprise
dedicated to the simultaneous pursuit of excellence,
broad access to quality education and meaningful
Minu Ipe, Vice Chair and
social impact. Managing Director
The University Design Institute was born out of this transformation University Design Institute
process. Today we support ASU’s ongoing transformation and we support
transformation in countries, systems and institutions around the world. We
help reimagine a future with new possibilities. We help develop blueprints to
redesign strategies, structures, processes and metrics. And we help rebuild
higher education by developing capacity for sustainable change.
Because UDI sits within the unique living laboratory of ASU, we
understand the challenges that global higher education is facing and we
have lessons learned that come from the complex transformation process.
We have been here before, we have worked with countless others in their
journey, and we use these experiences to grow and support others as they
move forward. Change is possible
We invite you to join us in the transformation journey. when we work together.
For more about UDI, visit our website: udi.asu.edu

78 RE_BUILD
 Let’s
(re)imagine
re:design
re_build
together.

udi.asu.edu