After dreaming about it for a decade or so, a few short years ago, some local folks began talking about having a four year university right here in Lake Havasu City. Dr. Bill Ullery was one of those visionaries, and together with his small group of founders, this true believer kept this kind of talk alive by presenting the ideas of their Havasu Foundation for Higher Education to everyone and anyone who would listen. Everyone loved the idea, but many would turn their heads and roll their eyes and under their breath mumble, “Won’t happen in my lifetime.” Well, this community has just demonstrated what it can do when its determined people come together, agree upon something and move forward together. Not only is it happening within a few years after the talk began, this community is demonstrating what it is actually capable of. What an extraordinary feat the doers of Lake Havasu City have accomplished. Even Robert McCulloch would be amazed and so very proud of what his city has done.
Beginning the third week in August of 2012, 70 to 75 students started classes at the Lake Havasu City campus of Arizona State University. Being a university town has so many tremendous benefits, it would take hundreds of pages to describe them. One of those undeniable benefits is that the youth of Lake Havasu City will be exposed to more and more possibilities of higher education, which more than likely will encourage them to do better throughout their early educational years and cause them to have much higher academic expectations for themselves as they progress through school.
It is a proven fact that when a four year university moves into a town, it brings the potential for more businesses to locate there, which provides more jobs and employs more of the youth so that their dream of college has a better chance of becoming a reality. Combine this ASU campus with the opportunity presented by Mohave Community College for an associate’s degree or a certification program, then finding a job and saving to continue their education, our youth can now plan to stay here and complete their studies here. They will build their lives and families here rather than moving away to seek further education and better jobs.
In November of 2005, the Havasu Foundation for Higher Education became an official non-profit organization with the purpose of bringing a four year university to Lake Havasu City. By 2009, it had 1,900 members and another 1,000 plus came aboard in 2011.
They were able to raise the money needed, secure the location and contract the architectural firm of Clark Architects, Inc. Jerry Clark gave us some great insight to the process and considerations of this project.
The HFHE really did their homework and captured a great advocate and architect in Jerry Clark. He has been a strong believer in how much this project will positively impact our community, and he outlines a few of those possibilities for us. He says, “The manner in which ASU will benefit this area is very broad.” He reiterates that our county’s youth will notice the emphasis being put on higher education and begin to believe from the first grade through high school that they have equal access to the college dream which will increase our percentage of high school graduates, as well as give us a higher percentage of college graduates in Mohave County.
Jerry points out that many students who graduate from Lake Havasu City ASU will return to work or start their own business and raise their families here, bringing more residents and jobs to our area. When more residents move in, the utility companies, retailers, medical services, etc. have more customers and the economic cycle continues to spin in a very positive manner for Havasu.
His firm worked with the legislature and Board of Regents to design a campus that would serve the needs of ASU, as well as utilize the assets of our community in the most efficient way. “The legislature wanted more universities in the rural areas of Arizona,” he explains. He was quick to talk to the powers that be about the idea of a campus in Lake Havasu City.
“The local chapter of the ASU Alumni has over 800 alumni, friends and graduates of ASU in Mohave County,” Jerry explains, “They believe that new industry, especially high tech companies; will be attracted to Lake Havasu City and Mohave County because we are a university city.”
This alumni chapter and the HFHE, started a capital project to convert the existing middle school to a university campus, which in Jerry’s words was, “Like shooting for the moon.” Their aim was impeccable, but first they had to remove all of the concrete and utilities and totally reinstall them and completely reconnect the campus fiber optically to every classroom. Every ASU campus is connected to each other for inter-learning opportunities. Not only has Lake Havasu City signed on for a four year university, we have also gone high-tech with the whole project.
The funding for this project was mainly from donations. The land and old middle school were donated, so the cost to the citizens of Lake Havasu City has been virtually nothing. However, everyone will share in the multitude of benefits ASU will bring.
In the HFHE studies conducted, it was found that the area south of Los Angeles and north of San Diego have a staggering number of high school juniors and seniors. This presents a tremendous draw for our local ASU campus due to proximity, but mainly because the out of state tuition is $3K to $4K less than the California institutions. Another consideration, according to Jerry, is that the California universities are already overcrowded. Our ASU campus is projected to begin slowly and experience managed growth of up to approximately 6,000 students within 15 to 20 years. Also, with all the renewed and enhanced focus on education in Mohave County, this will also help grow Mohave Community College, providing additional benefits to our town and our citizens.
Another great plus for the Havasu area is our strategic transportation corridors accessing I-40, I-10 and I-8 offering easy access to metropolitan areas of Southern California, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Of course, Lake Havasu City is already known as a top spring break location. This will be viewed as a positive in the recruitment process.
Being a part of ASU makes Lake Havasu City part of the top tier of U.S. universities as reported by U.S. News and World Report. Forbes Magazine calls ASU Lake Havasu City the “best buy” among American colleges, and The Princeton Review says ASU is on the honor roll for the ‘greenest’ colleges in the U.S. The awards are expected to continue for the Lake Havasu City campus especially with Clark Associates, Inc. at the helm of the design for opening and for future expansions.
Clark Associates, Inc. is a full service design oriented firm with its headquarters in Lake Havasu City. Jerry Clark is a registered architect, licensed to practice in 18 states and is regularly commissioned to do projects throughout the United States. In addition to his Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from Arizona State University, he is also a licensed realtor and holds a general contractor’s license in the state of Arizona.
Jerry is the principal of Clark Architect, Inc. and maintains a staff of professional, dedicated people including Derald J. Meister, Architect in Training who began his education at Mohave Community College studying uniform building code.
The firm of Clark Associates, Inc. has been awarded many honors for outstanding design in residential housing, residential use projects, restaurant design and resort design. The list of awards is substantial. They demonstrate how innovative Jerry’s design concepts continue to gain recognition for State Government buildings, high-rise and mid-rise commercial office projects, retail centers, conference centers and a host of project types completed by his firm.
Selecting Jerry Clark to design the Lake Havasu City ASU campus provides another reason to applaud this project. Jerry has been and continues to be extremely involved in a multitude of professional and civic organizations including serving as Chairman for the City of Phoenix Planning Commission, elected national vice president of the American Institute of Architects, served on the Phoenix Symphony Association Board of Directors and dozens of additional affiliations. His architectural firm is nationally recognized and respected. We can be extremely proud to claim that Clark Associates, Inc. designed our university campus.
Now that the university has come to town, it brings with it job opportunities for professors, administrative personnel, security, grounds maintenance, etc. Both students and professors from outside of Lake Havasu City will need housing; therefore, bringing a much needed boost to Havasu’s real estate market during the growth of the university. Student housing could generate more jobs for local contractors for things like maintenance and upkeep.
These new residents, whether they are full year residents or not, will need to buy gas, food, personal items, clothing, obtain dry cleaning, etc. on an ongoing basis – which will create more jobs for local merchants. The downtown area could become a hub of restaurants and entertainment for students and university staff much like Mill Street in Tempe.
All of this means more jobs for our community, and more money flowing through our local businesses. It is very important that we remain positive and offer a friendly welcome to staff and students alike because there are too many communities out there just waiting for the benefits a university would bring to them. Even if you may never interact or see a staff member or student, you will benefit. Restaurants will offer enhanced menus… there will be more restaurants for you to choose from, more choices for many of your day-to-day items because of the increased need generated by the university. Imagine the increased cultural activities and events a university may bring for your enjoyment.
For all of those who retired in Lake Havasu City and want so much to see the grandkids, why not invite them to attend college right here – where you can thoroughly enjoy their company and keep an eye on their progress and safety?
Any questions about safety and security can be addressed by our top notch police department that is continually updating training and maintaining order throughout our neighborhoods. These fine officers have the training, knowledge and ability to compliment university security. If we simply try to encourage our current youth to participate in educational programs, we could be assisting our local law enforcement in having the lowest crime rate around! Remember, university students are here for one purpose: to gain an education. Let’s welcome them and show them respect and gratitude for choosing our community in which to get that education.
Tourism is one of the best ways to advertise a university town and our local tourism officials have done an outstanding job of putting Lake Havasu City on the map. Having the London Bridge made Lake Havasu City famous and now with our ASU campus, we can invite families of students and staff alike to visit our town.
Aside from the many potential financial benefits which we have discussed at length, think of the cultural benefits that will enhance our area. Local theater groups will have larger audiences thereby affording more productions. With youth more focused on education and the arts, more ballet and dance studios, art studios and art galleries, etc, there is a huge potential for cultural growth in our area.
There is much excitement around the opening of ASU Lake Havasu City, and there are many people to thank for bringing this to fruition. The most impressive thing is to recognize that this town came together and actually got a four year university to say ‘yes’ to locating here. It was no small feat, yet this community did it. You rock Lake Havasu City!
–LIVING MAGAZINE