Arizona State University Memorial Union: A Legacy of Community and Service
Arizona State University's Memorial Union (MU) stands as a testament to the institution's growth, commitment to community, and dedication to honoring those who have served the nation. From its humble beginnings as a space for a few thousand students to its current status as a dynamic hub for a vast and diverse university population, the MU has played a pivotal role in shaping the ASU experience.
Inception and Early Years
The Memorial Union first opened its doors in 1956, providing 109,000 square feet of space to accommodate the nearly 6,000 students then enrolled at ASU. The name "Memorial Union" was chosen to serve as a living memorial for those who have courageously served our country in the military services. A plaque near the north entrance doorway lists the major donors who contributed to the initial construction, highlighting the community's support for this important project.
Arizona State University's predecessor was created in 1885 by the Thirteenth Territorial Legislature to train teachers and teach agriculture and mechanical arts. Constructed before Arizona achieved statehood, Old Main is dedicated on Feb. 4, and is the first building in the township of Tempe to be wired for electricity. President Theodore Roosevelt speaks at Tempe Normal School: “It is a pleasure to see such buildings, and it is an omen of good augury for the future of the state to realize that a premium is being put upon the best type of educational work. The Department of Commerce first appears in the 1916 course catalog. Arizona State Teachers College offers its first graduate degree, a master’s in education. ASC earns authorization to grant bachelor’s degrees. The Arizona State College BBS offers students an at-the-time rare venue for real-world, hands-on experience. A measure placed on the ballot by citizen initiative recognizes the longstanding efforts to advance the fast-growing college. The School of Engineering is launched and the first engineering class graduates. Today, the nationally recognized Ira A. KAET-TV launches at ASU, offering educational programming directed at students attending the university. ASU West campus is established by Arizona Legislature as the university’s second campus.
Growth and Evolution
Since its opening, the MU has undergone a number of renovation projects as well as several additions to the original structure. These expansions and updates reflect the university's increasing enrollment, evolving student needs, and commitment to providing a modern and relevant campus experience.
The MU's growth mirrors ASU's own transformation over the decades. From its origins as a normal school focused on teacher training, ASU has evolved into a comprehensive research university with a global reach. Key milestones in this evolution include:
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- Early 20th Century: Expansion of curriculum and degree offerings, including the introduction of graduate programs.
- Mid-20th Century: Official change to Arizona State University.
- Late 20th Century: Establishment of multiple campuses and increased focus on research and innovation.
- 21st Century: Transformation into a "New American University" with a commitment to accessibility, diversity, and societal impact.
A Hub of Campus Life
The Memorial Union is more than just a building; it is a central gathering place for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests. It fosters a sense of community, unifying the institution by embracing diversity and providing a space for connection, collaboration, and engagement. The MU houses a variety of services and amenities, including:
- Dining options: From quick snacks to full meals, the MU offers a range of culinary choices to satisfy diverse tastes and dietary needs.
- Meeting and event spaces: The MU provides versatile spaces for student organizations, academic departments, and external groups to host meetings, conferences, and other events.
- Student services: A variety of student support services are located within the MU, including advising, career services, and disability resources.
- Recreational and entertainment facilities: The MU offers opportunities for students to relax and unwind, with amenities such as a bowling alley, game room, and movie theater.
Setting a Standard of Excellence
Arizona State University Memorial Union sets a high standard of excellence for its outstanding programs, exceptional services, dynamic people and unlimited opportunities. The college union advances a sense of community, unifying the institution by embracing the diversity of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests.
ASU’s rise in national prominence is reflected in various rankings and achievements:
- Research Institution: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies ASU as a Research I institution.
- Innovation: U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks ASU as one of the most innovative universities in the country.
- Sustainability: ASU is recognized as a leader in sustainability, with top rankings for its green practices and commitment to environmental stewardship.
- Graduate Employability: ASU is highly ranked as a university for graduate employability, according to Global University Employability Survey 2016.
Key Moments in ASU History
- 2002: Michael M. Crow becomes the university’s 16th president and unveils his vision for a “New American University.” Since 2002, ASU has established more than a dozen new transdisciplinary schools and launched large-scale research initiatives and innovative programs in the humanities and social sciences.
- 2004: Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium is the site of the final presidential debate before the election, featuring nominees John Kerry and George W. Bush.
- 2006: ASU and the City of Phoenix announce a transformative partnership for the development of the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus, which is approved by a 2-to-1 margin by the city’s voters.
- 2009: President Barack Obama delivers the May ASU commencement address. “The commitment at an institution like ASU, which is diverse and gives opportunity to all, that’s the hallmark of real success,” he tells a crowd of more than 70,000.
- 2014: ASU unites with edX to create the Global Freshman Academy, a collaboration offering first-year college-level courses for academic credit on the edX platform, dramatically increasing access to higher education for students around the world.
- 2017: ASU launches an interdisciplinary initiative called the Blockchain Research Lab, the first of its kind in academia.
- 2019: ASU Fulton Schools of Engineering professor Cody Friesen wins the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize for invention by developing solar-powered technology that can generate drinking water from sunlight and air. The 2017 invention lays the foundation for Zero Mass Water, an ASU startup that provides clean drinking water in communities, refugee camps, government offices, hotels, hospitals, schools, restaurants and homes around the world.
- 2020: ASU gathers a vast collection of its online resources onto a single platform called ASU for You to ensure learning continues throughout the COVID-10 pandemic and beyond.
- 2021: The Thunderbird School of Global Management breaks ground on its new global headquarters on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus with an expected completion date of April 2021 - its 75th anniversary.
- 2022: ASU renames its film school after the first Black man to win the Academy Award for best actor, Hollywood icon Sidney Poitier. The move signifies the university’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity, according to ASU President Michael M. Crow.
- 2023: ASU launches the Global Futures Water Institute to tackle the water challenges of the Southwest and beyond using ASU’s water expertise in collaboration with local communities. ASU reaches a milestone with 100,000 students graduating from ASU Online since the …
ASU Archives: Preserving the University's History
The Arizona State University Archives chronicle approximately 140 years of school history - and at 7,200 linear feet, cover roughly the length of 24 Frank Kush Fields. They also serve all four of ASU's campuses through material access, collaborations and outreach.
“ASU’s University Archives encompasses the history of the school from the beginning, all the way back to the 1880s until now,” said Shannon Walker, university archivist with the Community-Driven Archives Initiative who currently manages both the University Archives and the archival collections at Thunderbird School of Global Management. “University Archives is vast, deep and immense. It’s also very rich and unique. "This repository reflects the lasting impact that generations of innovative ASU students, faculty and leaders have made to shape our university, our communities and the world.”
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University Archives was established by the University Libraries in 1972 with the appointment of Alfred Thomas as ASU’s first university archivist. In 1973, the archives' collections were moved to the President's Cottage, the home of past presidents Arthur John Matthews, Ralph Swetman and Grady Gammage, between 1907-1959. In 1985, the University Archives became part of the Department of Archives and Special Collections. Archives collections and reference services were moved to the Luhrs Reading Room of Hayden Library in 1995.
The archives contain a wealth of information about ASU's history, including:
- KAET Recordings/Videos: Jonathan Wilcox, a project manager in collections care and processing, has been placed in charge of digitizing and preserving these old formats. Wilcox said he watched episodes of Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to ASU in 1964, the 1984 presidential debate between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale and, most intriguing of all, a news clip on Tempe’s famous Big Surf, which closed in 2019 after a half-century in business.
- ASU Athletics: The collection also includes radio broadcasts of Sun Devil baseball appearances in the 1967 and 1969 College World Series; seven motion pictures from the 1958 football season, including the complete Arizona State College at Detroit game; and photographs and documents regarding the Arizona Territorial Football League Championship Cup awarded to the 1899-1900 Tempe Normal School football team after they defeated the University of Arizona and went on to win the league championship.
- ASU Photograph Collection: This collection houses images showing Arizona State University buildings and campus scenes over the decades, including photographs of architectural drawings, groundbreakings, construction, dedications and interiors.
- Carleton Moore Papers 1949-1953, 1976: This collection consists primarily of research files, notes and an alphabetical list of names, subjects and references to places used to write “A Bibliography on Meteorites.” It was published in 1953 before Moore arrived at ASU in 1961 as the founding director of the Center for Meteorite Studies.
- The Office of the President Records: This collection consists of records received from six principals and six presidents of Arizona State University and predecessor institutions, including the Arizona Territorial Normal School, Tempe Normal School, Arizona State Teacher's College and Arizona State College. It also includes personal papers and research materials collected and compiled by the University Archives staff.
- Student Newspapers: Originally the newspaper was published as Tempe Normal Student (1906-1925), then the Tempe Collegian (1925-1930), the Collegian (1930-1936) and The Arizona State Press (1936-1937). In 1937 The State Press became the official student newspaper of Arizona State University and continued in paper format until 2014, after which it has been published online. They also rolled out a monthly format called State Press Magazine.
ASU Today
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States. It was one of about 180 "normal schools" founded in the late 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. One of three universities governed by the Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona State University is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities - Very High Research Activity". The Arizona State Sun Devils compete in 26 varsity-level sports in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big 12 Conference. Sun Devil teams have won 165 national championships, including 24 NCAA trophies.
ASU has four campuses in the Phoenix metropolitan area and regional learning centers throughout Arizona, in addition to facilities located in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Hawaii. Unlike most multi-campus institutions, ASU describes itself as "one university in many places", implying there is "not a system with separate campuses, and not one main campus with branch campuses". The university considers each campus "distinctive" and academically focused on certain aspects of the overall university mission. The Tempe campus is the university's research and graduate school center. Undergraduate studies on the Tempe campus are research-based programs that prepare students for graduate school, professional school, or employment. The Polytechnic campus is designed with an emphasis on professional and technological programs for direct workforce preparation. The Polytechnic campus is the site of many of the university's simulators and laboratories dedicated for project-based learning. The West Valley campus is focused on interdisciplinary degrees and the liberal arts, while maintaining professional programs with a direct impact on the community and society. The Downtown Phoenix campus focuses on direct urban and public programs such as nursing, public policy, criminal justice, mass communication, journalism, and law, as well as the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Valley Metro Rail connects the Tempe and Downtown Phoenix campuses, and inter-campus shuttles allow students and faculty to easily travel between the campuses.
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