Thunderbird History

Quick Hits

• Thunderbird was founded in 1946 in Glendale, Arizona, as the American Institute for Foreign Trade.
• Its original campus occupied Thunderbird Field No. 1, a World War II pilot-training base that opened in 1941.
• Thunderbird joined Arizona State University in 2014.
• The school relocated to ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus in 2018, initially operating from temporary space.
• Students began using the new F. Francis & Dionne Najafi Thunderbird Global Headquarters in 2021.

From Airfield to School

• Thunderbird Field No. 1 opened in 1941 as a civilian-operated pilot-training base supporting the World War II effort.
• Pilots from the United States and other countries trained there, giving the site an international character from its earliest years.
• After the war, Lt. Gen. Barton Kyle Yount helped transform the former airfield into the American Institute for Foreign Trade.
• The school was chartered on April 8, 1946, with an early focus on foreign trade, regional studies, languages, and cross-cultural communication.

A Global Management Identity

• Thunderbird developed a distinctive educational identity centered on preparing people to work across borders, cultures, markets, and sectors.
• The phrase “Borders frequented by trade seldom need soldiers,” associated with founding faculty member and later president William Lytle Schurz, became a longstanding guiding principle.
• Over time, Thunderbird expanded its programs, global reach, alumni network, and academic focus while retaining its international orientation.

Becoming Part of ASU

• Thunderbird joined Arizona State University in 2014.
• The combination connected Thunderbird’s global management tradition with the scale, resources, and academic ecosystem of ASU.
• In 2018, Thunderbird moved from its longtime Glendale campus to ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus.

The Downtown Phoenix Era

• Before the new headquarters was completed, Thunderbird operated from temporary space in Downtown Phoenix.
• Ground was broken for the new Global Headquarters in 2019.
• Students began using the five-story headquarters in 2021.
• The building was designed to combine advanced learning technology, accessibility, sustainability-minded design, global art and artifacts, and visible connections to Thunderbird’s history.
• Its floors are organized as a journey backward through Thunderbird history, from future-facing learning spaces on Floor 1 to the school’s founding era and the Pub on Floor 5.

Thunderbird Today

• Thunderbird is the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.
• Its current mission is to educate visionary leaders who innovate with a global digital mindset to shape future organizations for enduring impact.
• Thunderbird combines degree programs, executive education, research, global initiatives, experiential learning, and a worldwide alumni community.