The Westward Ho
The Westward Ho, originally constructed in 1928, was once a famous hotel visited by Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor and John F. Kennedy. Today, the upper floors are subsidized housing for the elderly and mobility impaired, and the ground floor is the home of the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions.
Research
⭐ Research
Building on a legacy of excellence, ASU has rapidly enriched its research enterprise. In just 10 years, the university has more than doubled its research funding and is recognized as one of the fastest-growing research universities in the United States (NSF Higher Education Research and Development Survey). By redefining the 21st-century university as a knowledge enterprise, ASU has inspired its faculty and students to lead discovery, most notably space exploration, electron microscopy, sustainability and human origins. Our interdisciplinary, solutions-focused approach to research, entrepreneurship and economic development is centered on discovery that matters and the fusion of intellectual disciplines in order to solve complex problems.
ASU Community Collaborative at the Westward Ho
The ASU Community Collaborative at the Westward Ho is an inter-professional service unit that provides ASU students with real world service learning opportunities, while enhancing the quality of life and functioning of individuals and communities.
The program fuses student learning with community solutions through its student-run interprofessional services center located on the ground floor of the Westward Ho, a subsidized housing complex for 300 seniors and individuals with disabilities. Under the supervision of ASU faculty, students from multiple disciplines provide a variety of free psychosocial and preventative health services and activities to residents of the Westward Ho.
The goals of the program are two-fold:
1) The program will provide an innovative, real-world learning environment for students in which they will gain direct service experience while also serving a real need in the community. Students will learn the skills of their field, building increased knowledge and ability in direct practice, including client engagement and clinical assessment. In addition, by working alongside peers from several different disciplines, students will build skills in team-based communication and problem solving, and confidence in working as members of an interprofessional team.
2) The program will provide onsite supportive services to the residents of the Westward Ho that will facilitate improvement in multiple dimensions of wellbeing. By participating in various psychosocial services, preventative health and nutrition education, and recreational activities, residents will gain improved management of health and nutrition, improved fitness and a more engaged, active lifestyle, increased socialization and community engagement, and ultimately, improved overall quality of life.
The program fuses student learning with community solutions through its student-run interprofessional services center located on the ground floor of the Westward Ho, a subsidized housing complex for 300 seniors and individuals with disabilities. Under the supervision of ASU faculty, students from multiple disciplines provide a variety of free psychosocial and preventative health services and activities to residents of the Westward Ho.
The goals of the program are two-fold:
1) The program will provide an innovative, real-world learning environment for students in which they will gain direct service experience while also serving a real need in the community. Students will learn the skills of their field, building increased knowledge and ability in direct practice, including client engagement and clinical assessment. In addition, by working alongside peers from several different disciplines, students will build skills in team-based communication and problem solving, and confidence in working as members of an interprofessional team.
2) The program will provide onsite supportive services to the residents of the Westward Ho that will facilitate improvement in multiple dimensions of wellbeing. By participating in various psychosocial services, preventative health and nutrition education, and recreational activities, residents will gain improved management of health and nutrition, improved fitness and a more engaged, active lifestyle, increased socialization and community engagement, and ultimately, improved overall quality of life.
