Updates from the President

For the second consecutive year, Arizona State University is excited to partner with McGraw-Hill Education to present the Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education , an annual award recognizing the most dynamic and pioneering game-changers who are reimagining the education landscape. Among their achievements, this year's awardees have separately introduced new ways to teach engineering to school-age learners, made meaningful progress in improving Latino college attainment, and created a global platform that uses technology to facilitate unparalleled access to a free and open exchange of knowledge and ideas. ASU is proud to help add a new chapter to the McGraw family's legacy of advancing education excellence and we look forward to amplifying this tradition in the future.

I invite you to learn more about these amazing educators, and about the 2017 ASU GSV Summit, where they will be receiving their honors on May 9.

Speaking of leaders who are advancing innovation to help advance access to quality education, I'm looking forward to welcoming Howard Schultz, executive chairman of Starbucks, to ASU next month. Howard will address the Class of 2017 during our University Commencement on May 8, and share his perspectives as a transformative leader for Starbucks and a dedicated advocate for creating life-changing opportunity.

Late last month, it was announced that ASU and Starbucks are expanding the Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP), our tuition-reimbursement plan that gives 15,000 Starbucks employees (known as partners) the chance to complete their college degree through ASU Online. Our new "Pathway to Admission" program will assist Starbucks partners in earning the academic qualifications necessary to gain admission to ASU and enroll in SCAP. Interested participants will earn their admission by completing a specific curriculum through the Global Freshman Academy. 

ASU is appreciative of the opportunity to collaborate with an energetic and community-minded leader and company like Starbucks, and I hope you will join us for what will be a very special celebration of our new graduates in Sun Devil Stadium.

I was also thrilled to recently announce that the AZLoop team was selected to be one of 24 team finalists in the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition . The team of approximately 100 students is led by two student leaders from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and includes students from ASU, Northern Arizona University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The AZLoop team has been meeting weekly since last year to refine its design for the high-speed, regional transit system of the future. The SpaceX contest started with nearly 1,300 teams from around the world and finalists were chosen after an extensive review process.

Knowing the amount of time, energy and work that the team put in to reach the finals, it was a pleasure to send the team a special congratulatory message for the day they learned the good news. These innovative scholars are great exemplars of the talent and creativity that exists at ASU, and I hope you will join me in wishing them good luck as they move to the next round.

On the topic of student quality, I am pleased to add that ASU is now one of a small number of U.S. universities - including Harvard University, the University of Chicago and Stanford University - that can claim students who have won Rhodes, Marshall and Churchill scholarships , which are among the most prestigious awards based on academic performance and personal character. Only approximately a quarter of these distinguished scholarships are awarded to students attending American public universities, which speaks significantly to the high caliber of our scholarship recipients and to the quality learning, living and discovery opportunities that exist across ASU. We're very proud to acknowledge these outstanding members of our university community.