ASU welcomes students to new downtown Mesa campus

A new ASU campus in downtown Mesa is officially open.

State of play: The Media and Immersive eXperience Center (MIX) is the fifth ASU campus in the Valley.

• It will house the Sidney Poitier New American Film School, where students can study film, video production and digital technology.

• The $100 million facility was largely paid for by the city.

Why it matters: Other ASU campuses have driven major economic growth in their surrounding areas. Mesa is counting on a similar return on its investment.

• The city anticipates more than $16 million annually in direct and indirect revenue.
• Since the city council voted to authorize the campus in 2018, once-sleepy downtown Mesa has seen significant new residential and retail development.

Flashback: ASU's road to downtown Mesa hasn't been easy or universally popular.

• In 2016, Mesa voters rejected a tax increase proposal that would have funded the ASU campus and public safety facilities.
• Two years later, the council voted to fund the campus without raising taxes.

What they're saying: Erin Rice, a junior majoring in film and media production, tells Axios Phoenix she was thrilled to see ASU make a substantial investment in art programs in her hometown.

• Aaliyas Thompson, a junior in the same program, tells us he's watched the building go up for the past year and is excited to have new equipment and facilities to produce films.

Worth your time: As ASU expands into downtown Mesa, some residents worry about what could be lost