
Ever higher education
An interview moderated by Shelly C. Lowe, chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

ASU President Michael M. Crow on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Affirmative Action in university admissions
To the ASU community: As we reflect on the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding the use of affirmative action in university admission decisions, I urge you to pause and consider the progress Arizona State University has made in attracting a student body that is representative of the people of Arizona.
Mission and goals 2028




ASU endowment topped $1.25 billion

Officially opened the Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health
Named No. 1 in the US and No. 2 globally for Designated a Hispanic Serving Institution
Earned best-ever NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) for ASU athletic programs and ranked first in the Pac-12
Opened the Media and Immersive eXperience Center as part of ASU @ Mesa City Center
Designated No. 1 in Innovation for the eighth straight year
Celebrated the official opening of the historic Herald Examiner Building in downtown Los Angeles, home to the ASU California Center
Record enrollment in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering tops 30,000 students
Ranked No. 6 in research expenditures among 750 other institutions without a medical school
Launched the Sidney Poitier New American Film School
Celebrated 11 consecutive years of ASU ranking as a top producer of Fulbright winners
Earned a seventh consecutive “#1 in innovation” national ranking
Completed the $90 million renovation of Hayden Library on the Tempe campus and reopened the 21st century facility for spring 2020

Broke ground on the Mesa City Center, a state-of-the art project dedicated to leading-edge media production and technology that will serve students, entrepreneurs and the surrounding community
Announced the State Farm Pathways for the Future program, a collaboration to help high school and community college students to prepare for the future workplacemade possible bya $30 million gift from State Farm
Launched ASU For You, a set of online resources to support learners of all ages, teachers and parents, and some at no cost
With the help of a $2 million emergency grant from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, ASU ramped up critical COVID-19 testing, research and personal protective equipment production
Unveiled a new PPE Response Network web site that connected university and community resources to hospitals in critical need of personal protective equipment
The BiodesignInstitute at ASU developed a game-changing saliva-based COVID-19 test with 100% diagnostic accuracy and began administering the new test to protect first-responders
For the safety of the Class of 2020, ASU hosted its first-ever virtual University Commencement due to COVID-19, which included the first graduate cohort of the Uber-ASU partnership
Starbucks expands the ASU-developed, anti-bias online curriculum to the public at no cost
Outfitted classrooms on all ASU campuses with state-of-the-art technology in preparation for ASU Sync, a fully interactive remote learning platform that was one of three options available to ASU students in fall 2020
Announced a partnership with the Arizona Department of Health Services to provide free saliva diagnostic testing for COVID-10 in high-need, underserved communities across the state
Welcomed more than 127,500 students to the fall 2021 semester at ASU, a nearly 8% increase from fall 2019, and more than 53,000 ASU Online students, its largest fall enrollment
Launched the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, “a medical center for the Earth,” designed to study and develop solutions to keep our planet habitable for future generations
Named “#1 in innovation” by U.S. News & World Report for the sixth consecutiveyear
The National Institutes of Health awarded ASU’s Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center a $4.7 million federal grant to increase COVID-19 testing in underserved communities around Arizona
Named Sally C. Morton as executive vice president to lead the ASU Knowledge Enterprise, an organization with annual research expenditures upwards of $640 million
Named Nancy Gonzales as ASU’s new executive vice president and provost, and Maria Anguiano as the founding executive vice president of the ASU Learning Enterprise, an initiative that will grow access
Announced a partnership with James Turrell to advance the completion, educational use, and conservation of his masterwork, the Roden Crater

Turrell’s work at Roden Crater is a fusion of art, engineering, astronomy, architecture and neuroscience.
Shared plans to establish a new ASU location to serve as a world-class hub for digital innovation in science, technology and the arts in downtown Mesa, Arizona
Announced a new tuition and program fee structure that extends ASU’s commitment to Arizona resident students and simplifies individual course and program fees for undergraduates
Broke ground on the Health Futures Center as part of the Mayo-ASU Alliance for Health Care
Designated a top 10 university in patent rankings among all universities worldwide
Collaborated with MIT to offer the world’s first stacked online master’s degree in Supply Chain Management
Received the inaugural “Seal of Excelencia” for ASU’s commitment to Latino student success

Expanded our educational access partnership with Uber to include to eligible drivers and their families

Named the #1 most innovative school in America for the fifth consecutive year

Broke ground on the new headquarters of the Thunderbird School of Global Management in downtown Phoenix
Celebrated the 5th anniversary of the Starbucks College Achievement Plan
Announced the Decision Center for Educational Excellence in partnership with the Helios Education Foundation

President Michael Crow speaks at the announcement of the Decision Center for Educational Excellence Powered by Helios Education Foundation.
Opened the Barbara Barrett & Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Washington Center in Washington, D.C.
Times Higher Education ranks ASU in the top 1 percent of the world’s most prestigious universities
ASU’s freshman retention rate passes 85%, exceeding the national average and 11 percentage points up from 2002
ASU ranked #1 most innovative school in the nation for the fourth consecutive year


ASU was ranked #1 most innovative school in the nation for the fourth consecutive year
Launched Campaign ASU 2020, ASU's first-ever comprehensive development campaign
The Arizona State Legislature passed $1B Research Infrastructure II legislation
Formed the PLuS Alliance with King’s College London and the University of New South Wales
Global Freshman Academy launched by EdPlus and edX

ASU welcomed the largest and most diverse freshman class in its history
The class included 11,500 freshmen students representing every U.S. state and 74 countries
ASU named the “#1 Most Innovative School” for the second consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report

Announced the Mayo Clinic Arizona State University Alliance for Health Care

In 2016, ASU welcomed it largest and most diverse freshman class in its history. 11,500 freshman students representing every U.S. state and 74 countries.
Published Designing the New American University
Participated in The Economist and ASU co-sponsored webcast series, Re-inventing Higher Education
ASU named the "#1 Most Innovative School" by U.S. News & World Report

Donated $1.2M to fund the directorship of the ASU Public Service Academy
Designated a LinkedIn "Influencer"
Browse through the archive of LinkedIn op-eds penned by President Crow on a wide range of higher education related topics


President Michael Crow was appointed to the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council (HSAAC) by US Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson
Presented “Universities as Partners in Global Development” to the World Bank Group
Received the inaugural American Council on Education Award for Institutional Transformation
Established the Starbucks College Achievement Plan in partnership to enhance access

Became Founding Chairman of the University Innovation Alliance

Established ASU's first-ever official university charter
EdPlus launched to enhance access to technologically-enhanced learning opportunities across all modalities.

The American Council on Education (ACE) has named Arizona State University the first recipient of an award created to recognize a college or university which, during a period of great change in higher education, has responded to challenges in innovative ways that allow the institution to thrive.
Launched the Transatlantic Higher Education Partnership with Dublin City University
A comprehensive alliance designed to create new learning and research experiences for students, expanding economic development and creating positive outcomes for communities in Arizona and Ireland

Named University Vice-Chair of the Council on Competitiveness
Received the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Academic Leadership Award
A recognition bestowed to presidents of U.S. higher education institutions who are fulfilling their leadership duties with vision, dedication and creativity, and demonstrate a commitment to excellence and equity.

Delivered the Robert H. Atwell Lecture at the 94th Annual Meeting of the American Council on Education
Named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Published "Citizen Science U." in Scientific American


Arizona State University student paddle board down to Lake Havasu. ASU Colleges at Lake Havasu City began operation in 2012.
Published "Time to Rethink the NIH in Nature
Recognized by Slate as one of the “Most Innovative and Practical Thinkers of Our Time”

All ASU colleges and schools are engaged in entrepreneurship

Ford College Community Challenge winners are announced during the ASU Demo Day. 100% of ASU’s colleges and schools are engaged in entrepreneurship
Led a coalition of college and university presidents in support of the DREAM Act
Read the letter
ASU nearly doubled the total number of enrolled minority students
Since 2002, the number of enrolled minority students increased from 11,487 to 21,060.
Completed the third phase of a university-wide academic reorganization
Announced budget and efficiency actions following state budget cuts
Published “The Challenge for the Obama Administration Science Team” in Issues in Science and Technology
Hosted U.S. President Barack Obama at University Commencement and announced the Barack Obama Scholars Program
Launched ASU Online to provide broad access to high-quality higher education
Published "Overcoming Stone Age Logic" in Issues in Science and Technology

By 2009, the total number of minority students enrolled at ASU had nearly doubled since 2002 (11,487 to 21,060)
Opened the SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center
Presented the National Academy of Sciences Arthur Sackler Lecture, Opportunities and Limits in the Creation of Useful Knowledge for Sustainable Development
Completed the second phase of a university-wide academic reorganization
Donated salary bonus to need-based financial aid fund

ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, SkySong, launched in 2008.
Published "None Dare Call It Hubris: The Limits of Knowledge" in Issues in Science and Technology

ASU Downtown Phoenix campus secured bond election funding
Founded the nation’s first School of Sustainability
Became a founding signatory of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment
Completed the first phase of a comprehensive academic reorganization

Classes began at ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus in August 2006
Conceptualized the Decision Theater at ASU
Announced ASU's Comprehensive Development Plan for a New American University
Announced ASU's expansion as "One University in Many Places"
Launched the Global Institute for Sustainability at ASU

ASU's Global Institute for Sustainability launched in July 2004.