ASU interdisciplinary approach lauded

The new issue of Newsweek describes ASU as "a leader in the movement to radically redesign higher education and the role of universities around the globe."

The article points to ASU moving away from "traditional departments, lumping pieces together into custom-built 'transdisciplinary' institutes." One example of this is the ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration that was created two years ago by integrating earth and planetary science, astrophysics, and systems engineering.

The article also highlights the university's effort to serve as an economic driver for the state's economy, pointing out the School of Sustainability bringing "together professors from 35 disciplines studying urban development in Phoenix and across the Southwestern United States, bringing in expertise on subjects ranging from desert-water ecology to energy-saving building design.

Newsweek attributes ASU's approach to university president Michael Crow.