ASU renames public service college after receiving $30M gift
Oct 3, 2018, 3:29 PM
Mike and Cindy Watts (Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions Photo)
(Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions Photo)
PHOENIX — Arizona State University’s College of Public Service and Community Solutions has a new name — and a $30 million donation to help the school transform communities.
The gift, one of the largest in ASU history, came from Mike and Cindy Watts, founders of Phoenix-based Sunstate Equipment Co.
On Monday, ASU revealed the rechristening to the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions.
“The Watts are lockstep with our mission of embracing the communities we serve and taking full responsibility for their long-term success,” said ASU President Michael Crow, according to the college’s website.
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The college is home to ASU’s schools of public affairs, criminology and justice, social work and community resources and development, as well as 20 research centers.
More than 7,000 students are enrolled in its 13 undergraduate and 23 graduate degree programs, according to the college’s website.
The Watts’ donation will fund, among other things, a project to revitalize Phoenix’s Maryvale community, where Mike and Cindy grew up.
“I have always felt that giving people a reason to be optimistic, to believe in dreams is important,” Mike Watts said.
