ASU sign with sunburst logo, yellow foliage, and geometric pattern above.

The University Design Institute

Our Work at Arizona State University

The Enterprise Design Practice at the University Design Institute builds on-going design and leadership capacity at Arizona State University for continuous and sustained innovation.

The Enterprise Design Practice at UDI supports ASU across two dimensions: Enterprise Design Initiatives and ASU-Centric Leadership Development.

Enterprise Design Initiatives

UDI works with leaders and units on design challenges of strategic importance to the institution.
We shape engagements using the Design+Build framework that is grounded in ASU’s Charter and
Design Aspirations. We leverage our deep understanding of ASU to accomplish this work, and utilize a collaborative co-design philosophy that includes multiple stakeholders in the design process. UDI brings future-focused design processes, expert facilitation and a variety of design tools to our engagements.

The outcomes of our work include new or redesigned schools, units and initiatives, and innovative
solutions that accelerate ASU’s ability to have impact for learners and the communities it serves. Beyond these deliverables, our work supports culture and capacity building at ASU in multiple ways:

  1. The co-design process develops skills for design and innovation among participants.
  2. Leaders and units are supported to accelerate impact.
  3. Every engagement reinforces the importance of design to the evolution of the institution.

Advancing Progress Across the Enterprise

ASU is a living laboratory of innovation. Enterprise Design is about unlocking the potential for creative co-design. Our leadership programs enable emerging and established leaders to actively innovate and grow their impact. Our design services create intentionally inclusive spaces that lead to more meaningful and impactful outcomes. 

Exemplar Projects Include:

50+

Enterprise Design projects to date

700+

Leaders Trained

ASU-Centric Leadership Development

The University Design Institute engages ASU through three senior-level leadership
development programs, preparing ASU’s next generation of leaders.

Project Spotlight

School for the Future of Innovation in Society

UDI collaborated with the School for the Future of Innovation in Society in their journey to increase impact. By establishing formal pathways for engaging individuals from ASU, the school, and the broader community, insights from these conversations were gathered and utilized by a select group of faculty, staff, and students to develop design recommendations. Over six months and through more than 10 meetings, over 1,000 community ideas were collected, enabling leadership to craft a well-informed vision for the school's future. 

Three young adults seated on yellow modular seating in a corridor, looking at a laptop together.

Impact and News for our work at ASU

A view of the Barrett, Honors College courtyard
Under Dean Tara Williams' leadership, Barrett, The Honors College at ASU undertook a comprehensive, community-driven initiative to redefine its mission and…

The ninth cohort of the Advance Leadership Initiative gather for a group photo
Following six months of immersive development, 18 faculty and staff members from across Arizona State University have completed the Advanced Leadership…

34 faculty and staff gather outside for ASU Leadership Academy graduation
Projects focused on AI, student success, and institutional innovation took the spotlight as ASU graduated its twelfth Leadership Academy cohort in May 2025.…

Redefining the Landscape of Public Higher Education

ASU set out to build a comprehensive metropolitan research university with unparalleled academic excellence and commitment to its social, economic, cultural and environmental setting.

  • Build one university in many places.
  • Build the university around strong, entrepreneurial colleges and schools.
  • Create a design that allows colleges and schools to grow and prosper to their intellectual and market limits.

About ASU

 

ASU rewrote its mission, creating the university’s first charter, serving as the North Star and its very reason for being. ASU used the opportunity to recommit to the state of Arizona and its citizens, and to a sustainable future that it could build together. These values are the foundation of what attracts students from around the world.
 

Nine design aspirations guide the ongoing evolution of ASU as a New American University. These institutional objectives are integrated in innovative ways throughout the university to achieve excellence, access and impact.
 

 

Portrait of Michael Crow, President of ASU.

Through design, the culture of a major, research-driven public university in the United States has been inextricably and forever altered.

Michael M. Crow President of ASU