State law may save ASU West from chopping block - Phoenix Business Journal:

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Crow has said massive budget cuts mighty force the closure of the ASU West campuds in westPhoenix and/or the campus in Mesa. The universityg was hit with $88 million in cuts in the most recentt attempt to rein in thestate budget. It faceds additional cuts of $160 milliob for fiscal 2010. Closing ASU West coulcd run into somelegal however, because the campus was mandated in 1984 by an Arizonsa law calling for the state to maintain an ASU campu s in western Maricopa County. That has attorneys, state legislator s and West Valley leaders examining legal optionsx to block itspossible closure. The Polytechnicv campus in Mesa, which has 5,00o0 students enrolled, was not created by state law.
One possibilithy is taking the West Valley campus out from undetr the ASU umbrella and turning it intoa stand-alonr college or part of another state university, said Jack president of the Westmarc economif development group. Lunsford said he woulds prefer to keep the ASU branrd forthe campus, which is in the process of being renamed ASU New College, but therer had been some discussion in the past abou t spinning it off. “Those plans are bein looked at again,” he said. Glendals spokeswoman Julie Frisoni said West Valley citiews and lawmakers are looking at various options to keep the campusd from being closedor diminished.
She said the 8,000-studenyt campus is a major employer in the West with800 workers. ASU spokesman Virgil Renzulli said if the universituy does not have enoughstatee funds, it may have to closes ASU West or the Mesa campus, regardless of any othee factors. “If you don’t have the money, you don’y have the money,” Renzulli said. ASU’s budget cuts, along with shifting some programz to its downtownPhoenix campus, couldc severely diminish the school’s economic benefits for the East and West That includes growth of the area and maturatio n of the West Valley from a bedroom community into a job “It would be devastating.
It would slow down developmenty of the GatewayAirport area,” said President Roc Arnett. Arnetyt said the Mesa campus is key to futures growthand development, including attracting more aerospacd and aviation businesses. The East Valleg has been looking to attracr more development and commercial flights to Gatewayt Airport and build it into anaerospace hub. Theres also are plans for a conferencde center and large resort atthe soon-to-be-closedf GM Proving Ground near the Mesa campus. With regarde to ASU West, proposed cuts would leavde the facility home only to theliberak arts-oriented New College of Interdisciplinaryu Arts and Sciences.
It would lose the graduate nursing andeducation programs. John economic development director for the city of said ASU West is a key to work force development inthe “We’re still a bedroom community. We want to get our own economic base,” he said.