Higher Education Initiative
Increasing
educational opportunities and attainment for young adults and
adults returning to college is a top priority for the City of
Mesa. To achieve that goal, Mesa City Council is committed to
expanding and attracting higher education and to developing
quality projects that create high-wage jobs.
Mesa has a number of assets that make it attractive to
institutions of Higher Education. With the expansion of
Metro Light Rail,
the Mesa Arts Center, the remodeled
Mesa Convention Center
and more than $500 million in planned investments in the next
five years,
Downtown Mesa is an attractive destination for
students, faculty, businesses and residents.
Additionally, the East Valley population has grown
exponentially over the last decade, creating a demand for increased educational opportunities.
Realizing Success
As part of the Higher Education Initiative, the City
completed a Higher
Education Feasibility Study, Market Analysis, and Business
Development Strategy focused on recruiting additional private
post-secondary education providers to serve residents in Mesa
and Greater Phoenix, and to attract out-of-state students to the
region.
In 2011, the city released a higher education RFI to seek
partnerships with private post-secondary education
providers who were interested in expanding to Mesa. The City
recieved interest from several institutions and in January 2012
announced the first partnership with
Benedictine University. Following
that success, the City announced partnerships with Albright
College, Westminster College and Wilkes University.
Westminster and Wilkes will be tenants in the
newly formed
Mesa Center for
Higher Education and
Albright College will begin classes in the Fiesta District
starting in the Spring of 2013.
Learn More About Mesa's Newest
Higher Education Partners