Why Michael Crow’s leadership deserves recognition

Arizona has spent years positioning itself as a state that punches above its weight — a place where innovation and talent translate directly into economic competitiveness. Few leaders have had a bigger hand in shaping that trajectory than Dr. Michael Crow.

When Crow arrived at Arizona State University in 2002, he didn’t just take over a university, he took on a challenge: how to build an institution that matched the needs and ambitions of a fast-growing state. Today, it’s hard to look at Arizona’s economic progress without seeing his fingerprints.

Crow’s idea of a “New American University” wasn’t an academic slogan; it was a bet on Arizona’s future. While other states narrowed access or pulled back, he pushed ASU to expand — in scale, in research, and in reach — and to align itself with the industries and workforce demands defining the modern economy.

That strategy paid off at exactly the right time. As Arizona shifted toward advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, bioscience, defense, and other future-focused sectors, ASU became one of the country’s strongest pipelines of engineers, scientists, problem-solvers, and innovators. It also became a magnet for research partnerships and private investment that helped accelerate entire industries.

And unlike many universities, ASU didn’t grow at the expense of access. Access was the strategy. Crow insisted on opening doors wider, not smaller, giving Arizona something many states are now scrambling to recreate: a workforce that reflects the size and diversity of its population. In a state growing as quickly as ours, that has been a competitive advantage.

It’s also why ASU consistently ranks at the top nationally for innovation and social mobility, indicators of whether graduates can move directly into the jobs employers are creating right now.

Today, when national outlets talk about Arizona as a hub for semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, defense, and other next-generation industries, they’re describing a story ASU helped write. And when companies tell us why they invest here, ASU’s talent, research, and problem-solving capacity are almost always near the top of the list.

Crow also pushed both policymakers and the business community to think bigger: to compete nationally and globally, to treat education as a core economic asset, and to build a workforce ready for a new economy.

That mindset has shaped nearly every major economic win Arizona has landed over the past two decades. And as ASU continues to evolve, so does our state — with the connection between the two clearer than ever.

Arizona’s next decade will demand even more: more skilled workers, more research capacity, more industry-university partnerships, and more leaders willing to think as boldly as Crow did when he arrived on the scene.

This month, the Arizona Chamber will honor Dr. Michael Crow with the 2025 Heritage Award, recognizing leaders whose vision has helped define our state’s success story. It’s a well-earned moment for someone who helped shape not just a university, but Arizona’s economic future.

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating his contributions.

The Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry Heritage Award Dinner is tonight, December 11, 2025 at the Arizona Biltmore. Event details.