ASU, Tempe delegation visits Swedish “sister city” in the making

A six-person delegation from Tempe, including a representative from ASU, recently visited Trollhattan, Sweden, to discuss becoming “sister cities” and collaborating for mutual benefit.

Stephen Barnett, ASU’s director of student international advancement, joined the Tempe Sister Cities delegation to represent the university’s interests in working with the community, which is located in southern Sweden and home to more than 44,000 people. Other delegation members with Sun Devil ties included Dick Neuheisel, president of Tempe Sister Cites and a business law instructor in ASU’s College of Business during the 1960s and 1970s and alum John Bebbling ’71 B.S.

Tom Liden, a 1966 graduate of ASU, organized the trip from the Trollhattan side. The delegation discussed areas of common interest between the two cities. The group participated in the dedication of Trollhattan's new West University and Barnett met with university and secondary school officials, laying the groundwork for future international collaborations.

Barnett deemed the journey a success and deemed Sun Devil alumni involvement crucial to making it happen.

“An engaged alumnus such as Mr. Liden is an exemplar of how Sun Devil graduates can make things happen that benefit both their community and their university,” he said.