Arizona State University: Then and now
ASU is a school with more than 130 years of history, having evolved from a one-room building on a plot of land that formerly served as a cow pasture to a state university with five campuses across metropolitan Phoenix.
But many don’t know that ASU’s current incarnation has its roots in the tumultuous 1960s.
Known previously as Arizona State College, the institution finally was performing all official functions of a university by 1958, having gained approval to confer Masters of Arts and Masters of Science degrees.
That year, after a long battle with University of Arizona supporters, Arizona citizens voted to rename the school Arizona State University.
ASU as we know it began to emerge soon after.
The university established seven new colleges during the 1960s under university President G. Homer Durham – including colleges of fine arts, law, nursing, engineering and social work – and added research centers, according to the ASU website.
These changes helped ASU earn the authority to award the Doctor of Philosophy and other doctoral degrees, an important distinction that vaulted the university into two decades of important research work, eventually earning it Research I status in 1993.
Durham also brought cultural activities such as performances and exhibitions of music and the arts to ASU, setting the stage for the university to become the cultural epicenter it is now.
Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium was completed in 1964 and its inaugural concert was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra.
While some campus landmarks have come and gone – Varsity Inn, an iconic campus hangout, was demolished in 1964 – some structures from the past remain.
There’s Cady Fountain, which has served as a popular meeting spot and background for graduation photos since its construction in 1968. Hayden Library was completed in 1966 and still sees a flurry of students every day, though its picturesque underground entrance wasn’t added until 1989.
Another long-standing landmark is Manzanita Hall, a residence hall built in 1967 that at the time was the tallest building in Tempe and absolutely iconic with its distinct, hexagonal windows.
Designed to be “a Hilton hotel with a thousand beds,” the massive building was a testament to the school’s speedy growth, according to ASU Now. It was later gutted, with renovation completed in 2013, though the fancy facade remains the same.
Fast facts
The university had 10,000 students in 1960.
Nearly 75,000 full-time students were enrolled across ASU’s four metropolitan campuses in fall 2019.
The relatively recent ascension of ASU may help explain a fun fact about the university: A full 56 percent of living ASU alumni are 45 years old or younger.