Citation
Michael M. Crow, Ph.D.
Mr. President, I have the honor of presenting Michael M. Crow, President of Arizona State University.
Dr. Crow, you became Arizona State University’s 16th president during the summer of 2002. Since that time you have rightly earned a reputation as one of the most accomplished university presidents in the country. Over the last decade, you have guided the transformation of ASU into one of the nation’s leading public metropolitan research universities, an institution that combines the highest levels of academic excellence, inclusiveness to a broad demographic, and maximum societal impact — a model you term the “New American University.”
Under your leadership, ASU has established more than a dozen new transdisciplinary schools and large-scale research initiatives such as the HYPERLINK “http://biodesign.asu.edu/” Biodesign Institute, the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, the Global Institute of Sustainability, and the Institute for Humanities Research. During your tenure the university has tripled research expenditures, completed an unprecedented infrastructure expansion, and increased the number of faculty receiving prestigious awards and honors including ASU’s first Nobel Prize, in Economic Sciences.
Your transformation of Arizona State University has required the courage to question long-held assumptions about higher education, the boldness to propose a revolutionary approach within the academy, and the passion and persistence to render your sweeping vision into remarkable results. The model you have created and now champion inspires higher education leaders to reconsider what is possible within the realms of undergraduate and graduate studies, research, and business and community partnerships, and move in directions once believed beyond the scope of an academic institution. Where some see limits, you perceive opportunities; where others bow to tradition, you defy it.
Dr. Crow, you insist that the higher education community innovate and adapt so that we are educating students who are prepared to take on the pressing challenges of our time. Through your groundbreaking work at Arizona State University, you continue to raise the bar for all of us.
Mr. President, on behalf of the Trustees, faculty, students and staff of Clark University, I request that the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, be conferred on Michael M. Crow.