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6 Month Reflection

Lifelong learning with Lindsey Beagley

6 Month Update

June 11, 2021

I cannot believe it’s been 6 months since our community first opened! It has been exciting to see familiar faces and meet new community members as Mirabella at ASU rapidly grows and takes shape. Founding Members are getting settled and venturing onto campus. We have issued ASU SunCard IDs to Mirabella at ASU Founding Members who have moved in to enable them to explore campus, access facilities, and take advantage of all that the university has to offer.

Destination Tours

In addition to weekly campus tours, Hayden Library orientations, and Downtown Tempe walkabouts, we have been taking tours to a variety of campus destinations to help everyone get their bearings, including:

  • A maiden voyage of the Mirabella shuttles over to the ASU BioCollections to see ASU’s nine distinct natural history collections
  • A guided sunset walking tour to see two major public art installations on campus by James Turrell and Leo Villareal
  • A private tour of rare and distinct manuscripts like one of the original editions of The Federalist in the ASU Civic Classics collection
  • A walking lecture with a faculty member from the School of Life Science to learn about the desert plantings around campus
  • Guided birding tours at various sites including Tempe Towne Lake and Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Campus Plantings Walking Tour: School of Life Sciences faculty Elizabeth Makings takes a group of Mirabella residents on a campus tour, including the secret garden, to show them the desert plantings all around campus.

Tour of ASU BioCollections: Director of the ASU BioCollections, Dr. Nico Franz, guides Mirabella residents through nine natural history collections.

Tempe Tales Public Art Scavenger Hunt: Mirabella residents take a guided tour of Downtown Tempe and the Mill Avenue district while searching for 14 jackrabbits which are part of a public art installation commissioned by the Downtown Tempe Authority from Tucson artist Mark Rossi.

Tour of ASU BioCollections: Director of the ASU BioCollections, Dr. Nico Franz, guides Mirabella residents through nine natural history collections.

Civic Classic Collection at Hayden Library: Mirabella at ASU residents are leafing through a first edition of The Federalist, one of the many rare manuscripts available to discover at learn in the ASU Civic Classics Collection, curated by the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership.

Guest Speakers

We’ve hosted deans and faculty from across the university who shared their expertise on a wide range of new topics, including:

  • Shakespeare as a Teacher of Politics (School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership)
  • Creating a Sense of Place through Oral History (Southwest Borderlands Studies)
  • Dangerous Worlds in Planetary Geoscience (Center for Meteorite Studies)
  • Solar-powered Educational Learning Library in Developing Nations (School for the Future of Innovation in Society)
  • The Arizona Constitution and Federalism (School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership)
  • Citizen-centered Smart Cities and Social Robotics (Fulton Schools of Engineering)

Oral History Workshop: Dr. Rafael Martinez Orozco, professor of Southwest Borderlands and program faculty for the Master of Arts in Narrative Studies program, teaches Mirabella residents how to articulate their sense of place through practices found in oral history.

Special Events

We’ve hosted a variety of special events and experiences to encourage interaction with ASU students, alumni and academic leaders and introduced the community to signature ASU experiences:

  • Initiated an intergenerational storytelling project with the ASU Leadership Institute which will capture Sun Devil stories
  • Hosted a Mirabella at ASU Pat’s Run, a 4.2-mile or 0.42-mile run/walk race event and fundraiser in support of the Pat Tillman Foundation. Residents, staff and staff family members joined in the fun!
  • Residents cheered on Sun Devil Football at a special limited seating practice and came out to support ASU Baseball with free tickets to Saturday night games
  • Hosted a student artist reception to congratulate and recognize 12 ASU students whose creative works were selected to be displayed at Mirabella’s inaugural art walk exhibit.
  • Concluded the first year of our mentoring pilot with the Next Generation Service Corps/Public Service Academy
  • Initiated a new summer pen pal program with Barrett, The Honors College students who are eager to get to know Mirabella residents

17th Annual Pat’s Run: Mirabella residents enjoying breakfast at Mirabella’s Dolce Vita Bistro after participating in the 17th Annual Pat’s Run, a 4.2 mile walk to raise funds for veteran scholarships through the Pat Tillman Foundation. Student Artist Reception: Mirabella resident chats with the student artist from whom she bought a print of his painting to hang in her new apartment.

Student Artist Reception: “Shell Study” a geometric hanging sculpture made of wood was created by Master of Fine Arts student Matthew Baral. This sculpture was on display during Mirabella’s inaugural art walk exhibit and purchased by the community to hang permanently at the entrance of the art walk.

Student Artist Reception: School of Art Director Melissa Button interviews student artist about her experience as an art student at ASU.

Featured Resident Thoughts

What I have found most thrilling is to see Mirabella community members forging their own paths on campus. What makes Mirabella at ASU distinct is that campus is right outside your door, and you are encouraged to connect and plug in to whatever intrigues you, engages your unique experiences, and ignites your sense of purpose.

Karen B. took a Spanish course last semester and began hosting an intergenerational Spanish conversation group at Mirabella. She worked with the School of International Letters and Cultures to promote the opportunity, and now the group has been meeting for over 4 months and still going strong!

Craig L., a retired mechanical engineer, was already volunteering at a Title 1 school in Mesa teaching coding to K-12 students when he moved into Mirabella and discovered the makerspace at ASU’s Hayden Library. He began consulting with ASU students on how to design an object in a CAD program and print out on a 3-D printer. His first creation? A spaghetti spoon! Craig plans on organizing a trip for his students to explore the makerspace and experience 3-D printing themselves!

Bonnie K., retired from a career in finance, wanted to revisit music and counseling which she had earned degrees in as an undergrad and graduate student many years ago. She was introduced to the Director of the Music Therapy program at ASU and is now supporting Master of Music Therapy students to develop programming at the Musical Instrument Museum.

Mirabella resident and ASU alumnus (’58) takes his family on a hike to the peak of Tempe Buttes (”A” Mountain), something he says he hasn’t done in 40 years.

Dick R. and Janet S. recently sold their sales consulting firm and are used to being busy and active during the week. Dick immediately got plugged into the dynamic Entrepreneurship + Innovation scene at ASU offering his expertise as a pitch judge and a venture coach to students who are starting-up new businesses and bringing their solutions to market. Janet S. linked up with the Dean of the College of Health Solutions after a lecture and discovered their focus on interdisciplinary curriculum. She is now negotiating a new position as a Visiting Faculty member who will teach business skills to healthcare administration students in the Fall semester.

Kelly O. made it clear from the outset that he likes to stay busy and was eager to dive in and engage with and support students who were preparing to enter the field from which he recently retired. As a retired CEO of a hospital and the founder of several healthcare technology companies, Kelly got plugged into ASU’s Health Entrepreneurship Accelerator Lab (HEALab) and the Mayo Clinic and ASU MedTech Accelerator program which both provide early stage medical device tech companies with an entrepreneurial curriculum and personalized business development support.

Chuck R. was part of Mirabella’s mentoring pilot program with the Public Service Academy. As the Founding Director of ASU’s School of Sustainability, he was matched with a student studying mechanical engineering with a focus on energy and environment, but they hit it off (albeit virtually) as Chuck took a special interest in Jairo’s passion for addressing issues of climate change and its impact on his home country of Puerto Rico where he resided during the pandemic. Both Chuck and Jairo continue to chat biweekly.

Musicians-in-Residence

I’m also pleased to share that we have selected our Mirabella at ASU Musicians-in-Residence who will be moving into Mirabella in August to perform and program musical experiences for the community. We are pleased to welcome three Doctorate of Musical Performance students and one Master of Music Therapy students from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts who collectively specialize in: collaborative piano, vocal performance (opera, jazz, musical theater, popular), choir direction, movement/dance, and bassoon! We are looking forward to the ensembles, performances, workshops, and dance experiences they will be implementing in the Fall.

Residents at ASU

Finally, nearly 50 residents have taken ASU courses during our Spring and Summer semesters. Despite the fact that Mirabella at ASU residents may enroll in nearly any ASU course, the most popular classes have been an anthropology course called “Buried Cities and Lost Tribes” as well as Film and Media Studies courses called “Great Comedy Films” and “Hitchcock”. In fact, a trio of Founding Members who are taking the online course on Alfred Hitchcock and have decided to meet up to watch the films and discuss together over the summer.

Welcome Sigourney

Sigourney Schaffer joined the Mirabella’s ASU Engagement team in April as a Campus Experience Coordinator. She will head up the coordination and logistics for campus tours and on-site lectures as well as procure tickets to Sun Devil Athletics events and arts & culture performances around campus. We are thrilled to welcome her back! Go Devils!

Additional Resources

Here is an important listen for anyone discovering ASU’s social mission and vision for a 21st century university: Our American Stories: The Blue Collar Leader of America’s Most Innovative University

ASU Thrive Magazine: The official magazine of Arizona State University Summer 2021.  Vol. 24, No. 3

We are only just getting started! This year is all about exploration. My hope is that all Founding Members will begin to feel a sense of true belonging to the ASU community and excitement about what they will experience and accomplish here as lifelong learners and pioneers of this new retirement living model.

Sincerely,

Lindsey Beagley Director, Lifelong University Engagement Mirabella at ASU 480-317-6100 Lindsey.Beagley@asu.edu