After two and a half years since its groundbreaking ceremony — and construction throughout a pandemic — the new home of Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University is ready to open its doors.
Celebrating and honoring Thunderbird’s historic past, the new global headquarters will embrace the future, redefining how a global management school should operate.
Thunderbird School of Global Management’s new $70 million global headquarters building is now the “most technologically advanced building of any leadership, management or business school in the world.”
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“We set out to create a transformative headquarters that honored our 75 years of Thunderbird traditions and, at the same time, would be a beacon for global leaders and citizens from here in Phoenix, to Arizona, to the United States, and to all countries and regions across the world,” said Sanjeev Khagram, director general and dean of the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Over 2,500 alumni, students, faculty, staff, community members and regional partners from across the globe are expected to attend Thunderbird’s grand opening and 75th anniversary global reunion taking place April 4–10. The new building is on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus (401 N. First St., Phoenix, AZ 85004), adjacent to buildings housing the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, and the College of Health Solutions.
The proximity of the new building to other ASU colleges provides Thunderbird students with immediate access to cross-disciplinary programs to broaden their research and facilitate a multidisciplinary experience for their graduate education. Over half of the current students are international, coming from countries all over the world.
‘Most technologically advanced’ school in the world
Spanning 110,000 square feet — spread over five floors — the new global headquarters building for Thunderbird School of Global Management features state-of-the-art technology and celebrates cultures and regions from all across the world.
Moore Ruble Yudell and Jones Studio, the architects of the nearly $70 million new global headquarters for Thunderbird, labeled the structure the “most technologically advanced building of any leadership, management or business school in the world.”
Once inside it is easy to understand why. Students can learn a new language in its immersive virtual reality language lab, visualize and interpret data using artificial intelligence, and connect with the greater global community using the latest in immersive and virtual communications found throughout the building.
“Thunderbird’s new most technologically advanced global headquarters is a physical manifestation of our vision to be the most global and digital leadership and management school in the world,” Khagram said.
Spanning 110,000 square feet — spread over five floors — the building features state-of-the-art flexible classrooms, 1,600 square feet of displays, regional heritage lounges featuring art donated from alumni representing a variety of artifacts from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe, and so much more. The Thunderbird Pub, on the fifth floor with rooftop views of the Phoenix skyline, is a feature many alumni are looking forward to enjoying during the reunion week. The interior design elements of the pub capture the true spirit of Thunderbird’s original campus in Glendale, Arizona, with a look toward the future and the next 75 years of Thunderbird and beyond.
“Nowhere in the world is there both the No. 1 ranked school for global management, Thunderbird, and the nation’s No 1. most innovative university, ASU,” Khagram said. “We are celebrating not only the last four years when we advanced the most remarkable turnaround in higher education history, but the promise of global inclusion, innovation and impact we will achieve in the years ahead.”
Celebration for all
Members of the community are invited to partake in the 75th anniversary celebration and global reunion festivities from April 4–10. Throughout the week, master classes will take place featuring many of the faculty and course instructors for Thunderbird’s Executive Education program. Topics cover…
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