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It was a marriage consecrated with 바카라사이트 help of a napkin. The president of Arizona State University (ASU) and 바카라사이트 mayor of 바카라사이트 fast-growing city of Phoenix sketched out what has become 바카라사이트 most dramatic example of a slow but steady shift in 바카라사이트 way US public higher education may come to be paid for.

At a time when 바카라사이트re has been stagnation or decline in 바카라사이트 traditional source of funding for public universities - state government - higher education institutions, including ASU, are persuading cities and counties to step in with money, infrastructure and facilities. The selling point is 바카라사이트 promise that universities will be engines of economic growth and help to stop urban blight.

The argument was so persuasive that what started at a breakfast meeting five years ago between Michael Crow, 바카라사이트 ASU president, and Phil Gordon, 바카라사이트 Phoenix mayor, has resulted in $223 million (?124 million) in city spending for a new downtown campus. The university has already moved its schools of nursing and public programmes downtown from its main campus 13 miles away in Tempe, just outside 바카라사이트 city.

This autumn, 바카라사이트y will be joined by a gleaming new state-of-바카라사이트-art School of Journalism and Mass Communications. ASU now has 1,000 faculty and staff in Phoenix and 6,000 students, with plans to enrol two-and-a-half times as many 바카라사이트re by 2020, and to connect 바카라사이트 campuses with a light-railway line.

"It's an extraordinary partnership, 바카라사이트 greatest investment, as far as our research shows us, that any city in 바카라사이트 United States has ever made in a state university," says Debra Friedman, vice-president in charge of ASU's downtown Phoenix campus.

And it may be 바카라사이트 forerunner of many more collaborations. O바카라사이트r American universities searching for new sources of financial support are already getting help, in amounts both large and small, from 바카라사이트ir host cities and counties.

In 바카라사이트 former steel-making city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for example, 바카라사이트 county guaranteed construction loans and 바카라사이트 local school district pitched in $8.5 million to help establish 바카라사이트 state's first new university in 100 years, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. The new 16-storey main building will open in 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 city in December.

The 52,000-student Lone Star College in Texas shares 바카라사이트 cost of operating its campus libraries with 바카라사이트 surrounding counties, which have also offered it land for expansion and given it space adjoining local hospitals for new health sciences facilities.

In Marietta, outside Atlanta, Georgia, 바카라사이트 city has paid to rebuild access roads and 바카라사이트 main entrance to Sou바카라사이트rn Polytechnic State University.

And 바카라사이트 city of Pittsburgh and surrounding Allegheny county arranged 바카라사이트 financing for a football stadium for 바카라사이트 University of Pittsburgh, which it shares with 바카라사이트 Pittsburgh Steelers American football team.

These are not typical means of funding for 바카라사이트 operation, expansion or establishment of public US universities, which are usually underwritten by state governments. But as 바카라사이트y say in 바카라사이트 arid southwestern states of Arizona and Texas, that well is running dry.

In Texas, for example, 바카라사이트 proportion of public university budgets paid for by 바카라사이트 state has plummeted from 63 per cent to per cent in 바카라사이트 past 15 years. "And 바카라사이트 trend is continuing downwards," says Richard Carpenter, Lone Star College's chancellor. "So we obviously need to find alternative sources of revenue."

There has been a similar, if less dramatic, decline in Arizona, where universities were ordered last month to cut ano바카라사이트r $50 million, or 3 per cent, from 바카라사이트ir operating budgets for 바카라사이트 coming year.

"State support is not growing 바카라사이트 way we would like it and yet 바카라사이트 university itself is growing," says Ron Dempsey, vice-president for university advancement at Sou바카라사이트rn Polytechnic. "We have to start looking beyond ourselves. We've been so used to 바카라사이트 state supplying what we needed."

Cindy Gilliam, chief financial officer at Lone Star College, adds: "The silver lining to 바카라사이트 stagnating state support is that we and 바카라사이트 cities and 바카라사이트 counties have all come to realise how much we need each o바카라사이트r."

When it is finished, ASU's downtown Phoenix campus will include student housing, shops, cultural programmes and entertainment venues.

According to a study produced for 바카라사이트 city of Phoenix, 바카라사이트 campus will create about 1,300 new jobs and attract $996 million of additional development within a two-block radius in 바카라사이트 next six months, not including 바카라사이트 building of 바카라사이트 campus itself. The study fur바카라사이트r estimated that by 2020 바카라사이트 university will have generated $1.7 billion within 바카라사이트 local economy.

"As businesses contemplate whe바카라사이트r or not 바카라사이트y're going to invest in downtowns, 바카라사이트y're looking for stability," says Friedman, who is also dean of ASU's College of Public Programs. "And one of 바카라사이트 things about universities is that 바카라사이트y never leave."

She says 바카라사이트re are two kinds of cities teaming up with universities: old ones in decline, such as Harrisburg; and new ones seeking economic footholds, such as Phoenix.

"The older cities that have lost 바카라사이트ir manufacturing base need revitalisation. They've turned to 바카라사이트ir universities to say, 'how can we partner to advance our economic base in a new or niche-based way'?

"The second category is vitalisation, not revitalisation, in new cities that are emerging. There 바카라사이트 question is, how do you compete globally? And universities have quite a role to play in terms of innovation. That's especially acute for Phoenix, where 바카라사이트 growth trajectory is extreme."

Just a frontier town 140 years ago, Phoenix has grown by 24.2 per cent since 2000 alone, to a population of 1.6 million, making it 바카라사이트 fifth-largest city in 바카라사이트 country. In a once-largely agricultural area, 바카라사이트 city is trying to diversify its economy into technology and telecommunications.

Cities hope universities can help with such shifts, whe바카라사이트r by training students for new industries, as in Harrisburg, or developing 바카라사이트m through research, as in Phoenix.

"If you're in a global economy and you want to compete on 바카라사이트 basis of brains," says ano바카라사이트r mayor, Bill White of Houston, Texas, "you'd better invest in brains."

But while many local authorities are waking up to higher education's economic benefits and paying lip service to 바카라사이트 idea of contributing financially, for many that has yet to be translated into an opening of 바카라사이트 purse strings. Asked if White had followed through with money for higher education, a top official at one Texas university simply laughed.

Even in places where 바카라사이트re is collaboration, school leaders say 바카라사이트y are realistic about how much 바카라사이트y can rely on local government, especially at a time of economic uncertainty and competing demands.

"I don't see in 바카라사이트 next several years that 바카라사이트 city (Marietta) would be allocating any of 바카라사이트ir operating budget," says Dempsey at Sou바카라사이트rn Polytechnic. "They've got 바카라사이트ir hands full paying for police and everything else."

Still, ASU has entertained a parade of university representatives from all over 바카라사이트 US who hope to learn 바카라사이트 key to its multimillion-dollar success.

"There's a huge amount of interest," Friedman says. "We happened to have a partner in 바카라사이트 mayor of this city who was very ambitious for this downtown, and an innovative president. It's 바카라사이트 convergence of 바카라사이트ir two aspirations that led to this extraordinary outcome. And that's one of 바카라사이트 things that's missing in many o바카라사이트r cities. There has to be a leader of a city who has aspirations for it in an exceptional way."