Economy
The Next Destination for Liberal-Arts Education Is ... Arizona?
The mayor of Mesa lured five liberal-arts colleges to town as part of a creative strategy to boost local economic activity and to keep smart students in the region.
This article is part of a weeklong America 360 series on Mesa.
MESA, Ariz.—There was a time when Lesly Herrera, 18, dreamed of going to college out of state. As the first member of her family to pursue a bachelor's degree, she knew she wanted a school that offered small class sizes and personal attention, but she also wanted the full college experience—living on campus and the opportunity to make friends with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. She had her eye on a number of small, private, religious schools across the country, places like Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.