ASU Changing Futures®: CISA

Change the future with the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts

Developing versatile leaders through applied learning CISA is transforming higher education to drive real-world solutions.

Today’s complex challenges require versatile leaders who can integrate multiple disciplines. One of Arizona State University’s fastest growing colleges, the College of Integrative Sciences (CISA) empowers students to combine fields for career success and community impact.

“Our multidisciplinary approach truly sets us apart,” says Joanna Grabski, dean and foundation professor in CISA. “We use a polytechnic model that combines applied sciences and arts with career-connected learning that prepares our students to transition directly into the workforce.”

CISA serves nearly 10,000 students across three schools: the School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology, the School of Applied Sciences and Arts and the School of Applied Professional Studies. Through applied learning, students gain practical expertise in areas from mental health to animal care to user experience.

Through Changing Futures®, students will become solution-makers in high-demand fields such as sustainability, applied sciences, counseling and project management, shaping Arizona’s future and beyond.

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CISA inspires learners to realize their potential, create knowledge, and engage in the world with compassion, collaboration and innovation.

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CISA’s applied biological sciences program provides excellent preparation for students interested in a variety of careers, from veterinary medicine to wildlife conservation.

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Preparing students through mentorship, fieldwork and other real-world experiences We enable students to flourish in high-demand fields.

CISA’s applied biological sciences (pre-veterinary medicine and natural resource management) programs prepare students for veterinary medicine and nature-based careers amid national shortages. Our hands-on approach covers emerging infections, animal reproduction, large animal care, and human-wildlife co-existence. We provide mental health support to students, help with vet school applications and connect students to internships and mentoring professionals.

Students explore diverse animal care and management pathways that could lead to veterinary school, graduate school, and other opportunities in the field.

“Students in pre-veterinary tracks engage with zoos, aquaria and industry professionals to learn about captive and companion animal care and wellbeing. Field trips provide hands-on applied learning and a time for students to engage with wildlife professionals to learn about conserving Arizona’s wildlife,” says Professor Heather Bateman, CISA’s associate dean for graduate studies and research. “By giving students access to clinical and research faculty, students’ real-world experiences will prepare them to understand multiple dimensions of today’s challenges.”

Through donor support and collaboration with ASU’s Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center, students access AR/VR training for animal diagnostics and client interactions.

Additional opportunities include Pre-Vet Club activities and fieldwork learning.

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We embrace our region’s vibrant past and drive its inspiring future Many Latin American identities and experiences come together in the American Southwest, from first-generation immigrants to families who have lived here for more than 15 generations.

CISA established the Latinx Oral History Lab to document and celebrate our region’s vivid narratives. This unique initiative amplifies Latin American voices from the East Valley and beyond, preserving the rich stories that shape our community.

It also extends CISA’s commitment to experiential learning by providing students with opportunities to engage in real-world research and analysis.

“The East Valley will continue to see major growth with new industries moving in,” says Vanessa Fonseca-Chávez, assistant vice provost of ASU’s Polytechnic campus, associate dean of inclusion and student success in CISA, and co-director of the Latinx Oral History Lab. “CISA, primarily located at ASU’s Polytechnic campus in Mesa, will be an important part of this expansion and there are countless Latinx stories we can capture as the region continues to grow.”

Collaboration is key to our success. The Latinx Oral History Lab is building partnerships with the Chandler Museum and other cultural organizations to honor and share the experiences of underrepresented communities.

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The Latinx Oral History Lab is more than a repository of tales; it is a crucible where storytelling is honored as both an art and a science.

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From military service to career success

The work of the Office for Veteran and Military Academic Engagement focuses on three pillars: community, teaching and research.

“Together, we ensure that military-affiliated students have all the resources they need – academically, professionally and personally – to thrive at ASU and in their future endeavors.”

— Wanda Wright Peter M. and Michelle H. Wilver Director of the Office for Veteran and Military Academic Engagement Assistant teaching professor in CISA

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CISA is home to ASU’s Office for Veteran and Military Academic Engagement (OVMAE), where veterans benefit from innovative educational opportunities and personal support to help them transition to civilian life as students and then integrate into the workforce with promising careers. We are proud to provide: •

Tailored academic offerings: Our first-in-the-nation applied military and veteran studies degree enables professionals in healthcare, nonprofit, mental health, municipal and government areas to better serve military communities. The degree also explores innovative research that supports veterans and active military and offers opportunities to attend major academic gatherings such as the Veterans in Society Conference.

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Impactful community programs: Our Verses for Vets and Music for Vets programs invite military-affiliated community members to leverage the power of artistic expression to process their service experiences, connect with one another and foster community understanding.

“We take seriously the mission of bridging the militarycivilian gap,” says Manuel Avilés-Santiago, vice dean and professor in CISA. “That’s why we bring veterans together through a variety of opportunities that support healing, creativity and resilience.”

By connecting students to internships, mentorships and career-coaching, we help veterans successfully transition to civilian careers. We ensure ASU is a veteran-friendly environment by training faculty and staff to serve students who have served our country.

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ath our students just earning a shaping the future. rless innovators, ciplines and orld impact.

— Manuel Avilés-Santiago Interim Dean and Professor, College of Integrative Sciences and Arts

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Support transformative learning and community impact

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Your support for Changing Futures will enable CISA to scale its forward-thinking approach to higher education to positively impact more students and communities.

Your gifts will allow CISA to develop more well-rounded leaders who are prepared to meet future challenges. Together, we can build a legacy of impactful change across Arizona and beyond, shaping a brighter future for communities around the world.

Join CISA in delivering transformative learning experiences that empower students to draw on diverse expertise, solve complex problems and drive innovation.

Thanks to our community of supporters, CISA is preparing graduates who have the skills to serve their communities and to change futures.

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Change futures

by supporting

Transform global education

Empower community resilience

Reshape our relationship with the planet

CISA’s student success initiative is strategically investing in interdisciplinary humanities, applied biological sciences and enrichment opportunities to provide learners with the support they need to reach their educational goals. With additional resources, we can expand educational access to talented students from economically disadvantaged communities, fund groundbreaking research and create more opportunities for students to showcase their work.

ASU is proud to be one of the top military-friendly universities in the country, with more than 18,000 military-affiliated students.

CISA provides support to these students via the Office for Veteran and Military Academic Engagement. The office facilitates veteran-focused events, degree programs and research that supports veteran and military initiatives and enhances the impact that veteran students have on their communities.

Amid pressing environmental challenges from habitat loss to water scarcity, the Polynator Project in CISA’s School of Applied Sciences and Arts is driving sustainable solutions. The Burrowing Owl Conservation Project creates safe habitats for endangered burrowing owls. The Polytechnic Vertical Farm addresses food security and Arizona’s water crisis with waterefficient farming. Scaling these initiatives will enable many more ASU students to engage in an applied and integrative education so they can learn how to protect ecosystems and, as a result, build a resilient, sustainable future.

The Latinx Oral History Lab amplifies Latin American voices and stories while giving students hands-on experience in research and analysis. Changing Futures will support research projects on topics that include Latinx spirituality, media studies, health determinants and more.

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the College of

Integrative Sciences and Arts Inspire tomorrow’s game changers

Build the future of health

Advance technology for good

In a rapidly evolving professional landscape, CISA’s School of Applied Professional Studies is preparing future leaders through career-connected, industry-focused and sustainability-minded education. Programs in project management, user experience, organizational leadership and technical communication equip learners with in-demand skills, readying them to drive change in growing industries. Through new partnerships, community outreach events and increased engagement with K-12 education, the School of Applied Professional Studies is creating a more inclusive future in the professional world while contributing to economic growth in the East Valley and throughout the state.

The veterinary field faces a critical shortage, with long wait times and overwhelmed staff. ASU’s applied biological sciences (pre-veterinary medicine) degree in CISA addresses this shortage through hands-on learning opportunities preparing students for animal care careers. With donor support, we’re building a resilient workforce for animal health.

The CRUX (Communication in Research and User Experience) Lab is advancing user experience and communication design solutions that shape how users engage with technology. Through projects, including communicating the complexities of water sustainability to rural populations and increasing user engagement with arts advocacy in local news media, the lab empowers students to lead user experience research that addresses real-world challenges and strengthens communities. The CRUX Lab also conducts projects in ASU’s Dreamscape Learn labs which offer immersive and collaborative learning approaches via virtual reality.

Mental healthcare access remains limited, particularly for culturally diverse populations. CISA’s School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology responds by expanding services in the East Valley, offering Spanish-language care, and increasing mental health assessments for ASU students and residents.

Through professional development and innovation, the school is strengthening ASU’s healthcare leadership across Arizona.

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About us The College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (CISA) is a leader in integrative, applied and career-connected learning. Our deep commitment to student success and the ASU Charter prepares graduates for careers across the sciences, humanities, social sciences and veteran initiatives. Providing opportunities for students to integrate learning and doing through applied curriculum, helps them discover their passion, leads to employment success and helps graduates develop transferable skills they can draw from throughout their lives.

ASU Charter ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.

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