“Thunderbird expanding its presence in Downtown Phoenix is about more than just a new building—it is about tapping into Phoenix’s position as a global city.””

Kate Gallego

Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management broke ground Monday on a new state-of-the-art global headquarters on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus.

The construction of a cutting-edge hub of international leadership underscores ASU’s commitment to Thunderbird and its students from around the world and to the importance of exceptional leadership and management education for generations to come.

Regent Fred DuVal, ASU president Michael M. Crow, Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego, Thunderbird’s director general and dean, Sanjeev Khagram, and Thunderbird Global Alumni Network co-chairman, Hiroshi Hamada, will be on hand to celebrate the launch of a new era for Thunderbird and ASU.

“For more than 70 years, Thunderbird has been a hidden gem in Arizona,” Mr. Crow said. “Now it will be a crown jewel in the center of our emerging global city, connecting ASU, our state and our country to the world and providing the best in leadership and management education.”

Thunderbird’s new home will have an open design that integrates meeting rooms, study space, offices, a large event venue and flexible areas for dining and collaborative work.

“Our new world-class headquarters is a fitting home for the world’s number one ranked Master’s in Management at the number one ranked school in innovation in the U.S. It will connect our students and alumni around the world in one physical and digital space,” Mr. Khagram said. “This building will go a long way in advancing our mission of educating global leaders who can maximize the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to create inclusive and sustainable prosperity worldwide. None of this would be possible without the generous contributions of our global network of over 45,000 Thunderbird alumni.”

Construction is scheduled for completion in the fall semester of 2021 when the Thunderbird community will also be celebrating the 75th anniversary of the school’s founding.

The new headquarters is part of a broader revitalization of Thunderbird that started when the school joined ASU in 2014 and includes revamping curriculum, hiring eminent professors to add to the school’s renowned faculty and opening new satellite Centers of Excellence around the world to support recruiting, executive education, alumni and community engagement, professional English courses, thought leadership, applied research, and fundraising.

Thunderbird’s new building will be located on land owned by the city of Phoenix, which is contributing more than $13 million to its construction.

“Thunderbird expanding its presence in Downtown Phoenix is about more than just a new building—it is about tapping into Phoenix’s position as a global city,” Ms. Gallego said. “Everyday our city is attracting more companies that compete on an international scale and Thunderbird is training the next generation of these global business leaders.”

Thunderbird’s new building will include:

• Five stories and 112,000 square feet of space
• an interactive Global Forum where speakers from any remote location can address and engage with students
• an Innovation Lab for experiential learning that includes a Global Situation Room and a Language Lab enhanced by augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology
• a Heritage Lounge that commemorates the school’s prolific history here in Arizona and internationally
• a modern Thunderbird Pub on the building’s top floor inspired by the school’s iconic original campus pub
• rooftop and outdoor recreational spaces
• LEED Silver certification

Thunderbird School of Global Management is a unit of the Arizona State University Knowledge Enterprise. For more than 70 years, Thunderbird School of Global Management has been the vanguard of global management and leadership education. Thunderbird creates sustainable and inclusive prosperity worldwide by educating future-ready leaders capable of tackling the world’s greatest challenges. Thunderbird’s Master of Global Management was ranked #1 in the world for 2019 by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education. Arizona State University is ranked #1 in innovation by U.S. News & World Report.