Updates from the President

As another example of Arizona State University's demonstrated commitment to innovation and excellence, I am pleased to share that the Global University Employability Survey 2016 ranks us ninth in the U.S. for preparing best-qualified graduates. ASU placed higher than MIT, Columbia and UCLA and was one of only two public universities listed in the Top 10 by the recruiters and managing directors polled.

ASU's transdisciplinary focus aims to foster student success by empowering them to explore diverse interests, control the clock speed of their learning, and work across disciplines to become adaptable "master learners" capable of adjusting to a rapidly changing workforce. ASU's selection as a top producer of high-quality graduates tells us that these efforts are producing positive outcomes for both employers and our alumni, both in Arizona and across the country.

It is gratifying to see further evidence of the meaningful role ASU plays in preparing our students to thrive - a result of the collective effort of our extended university community - and to know that our collaboration is making Arizona stronger and more competitive.

A university functions as many things, one of which is a problem-solver. ASU has taken that role a step further by dedicating itself to use-inspired research and to taking fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves. That said however, not all problems are created equal, which is why it is critical that the solution-focused thinking we apply also be sufficiently sophisticated in its scope and creativity. This idea, the need to look beyond the identification of a single "silver bullet" solution and instead setting a discovery strategy that takes into account a full inventory of knowledge perspectives, is the subject of my most recentLinkedIn Pulse blog post. 

Using U.S. health care as an example, I explore how the narrow lens used in the search for scientific solutions is impeding our discovery of socially useful outcomes, and how universities will need to look past "low hanging fruit" in order to reach new answers of vital significance.

At ASU, our actions in the area of health care and many other complex domains are driven by this desire to look at the big picture and spearhead equally vital solutions. Learn more about this in the next feature.

The relationship between the Mayo Clinic and ASU has produced many exciting and collaborative education, funding and research programs over nearly 15 years and as our newest effort shows, we have no plans to slow down.

In the last month, we announced the establishment of the Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University Alliance for Health Care, a comprehensive partnership model that draws from the best of our organizations with the aim of:

• Transforming medical education and health care in the United States;
• Helping physicians to reduce costs;
• Simplify the system of health care delivery; and
• Save more lives.

Pairing our strengths as the most innovative university in the nation with those of the world leader in health care to more produce leading-edge physicians, research and treatment solutions is a pioneering opportunity for our university community and for Arizona. To learn more about our multifaceted alliance in greater detail, I invite you to watch my conversation below with Dr. Wyatt Decker, vice president of Mayo Clinic and president/CEO of Mayo Clinic Arizona.

Each year, we at Arizona State University convey our collective gratitude by hosting a university-wide Salute to Service, a week-long series of special events designed to recognize the significant contributions that our nation's veterans and active military make toward the advancement of our democracy. We feel very fortunate that many of our students, faculty, staff and alumni have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and it was a privilege to focus our attention on these members of our ASU and Arizona community. 

This year's celebration, themed "Bound by Service, Driven by Innovation", featured lectures and panel discussions, family activities, and special athletic events. It also provided an important opportunity to tell the stories of our Sun Devil veterans and to increase awareness about the network of programs and resources that exist to support the success of our veteran and active duty military members at ASU. We feel great pride to be acknowledged as #1 in Arizona and Top 100 four-year "Best for Vets" institutions by Military Times, as well as a top school in the 2017 Military Advanced Education & Transition Guide to Colleges and Universities.

If you would like to experience this very memorable week, please watch the 30-minute documentary below produced by ASU. Our documentary of last year's Salute to Service recently earned a Rocky Mountain Emmy Award.