ASU officials and the City of Phoenix celebrated the groundbreaking of the Thunderbird School of Global Management’s new building near First and Polk streets on Monday afternoon.
The five-story, 112,000 square feet building will provide a hub for global students and professionals to collaborate.
Sanjeev Khagram, dean of Thunderbird, said the partnership between ASU and Thunderbird will have great benefits for future leaders.
“We plan to partnership with the great institution and the great leadership of Arizona State to make the world a better place, to train the future of business leaders, government leaders, leaders of civil society, that will make all of our lives better,” he said.
Arizona State University President Crow said the merger between ASU and Thunderbird became a reality, during the celebration.
The decision to move Thunderbird to central Phoenix is because it embodies an “emergent hub of intellectual and creative energy,” he said.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, who also attended the celebration, said that Phoenix will become a global city with Thunderbird being a part of the downtown campus.
“We are trying to build an even stronger downtown, that is the hub of commerce (and) that is a place you will want to visit if you are visiting our country from anywhere in the world,” she said. “Thunderbird is such a key partner in us as we build a dense walkable downtown and our innovation district.”
According to Khagram, Thunderbird prides itself on being a “champion of globalism, since it’s foundation.
“We are bringing together, the world’s top ranked master’s in management degree with the nation’s most innovative school in a state-of-the-art facility that will allow us to reach new heights in educating global leaders and will allow us to maximize what I truly believe are the great opportunities of the fourth industrial revolution,” he said.
Mayor Gallego said the relationship between Phoenix and Thunderbird is a global relationship as she is excited to open a new global headquarters next year in Mumbai to, “deepen the City of Phoenix’s relationship with India.”
Thunderbird is expected to open in April 2021, which celebrates its 75th anniversary. It was founded in April 1946.
Contact the reporter at asalaspo@asu.edu
