Arizona State University President Michael M. Crow addressed an audience of about 1,500 at ASU Gammage on Wednesday, focusing on the ongoing relationship between democracy and higher education. The event, “Changing Futures: Impact and Outlook,” is part of the university’s Changing Futures campaign, which seeks to attract philanthropic support and partnerships to help prepare future leaders for complex societal challenges.
Crow began his remarks by framing both democracy and higher education as “unfinished work.” He told attendees, “This is not an academic lecture. I’m going to try to draw you into a challenge.” With the United States approaching its 250th anniversary, Crow emphasized that this milestone should be seen as a reminder that democracy is still evolving.
“You are all alive in the early months of 2026,” Crow said. “You are going to be a part of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States. And that’s not a done project. That’s a project that’s still underway.”
The Changing Futures campaign targets six main areas: increasing educational access, developing leaders, promoting sustainability, strengthening communities, advancing health, and fostering impactful technology.
Crow described democracy as fragile and unfinished, reliant on institutions like universities that must adapt to changing societal needs. He said, “We’re not running this university just to produce scientific results or great musicians or accountants or philosophers. Philosophers of what? Engineers for what? Engineers for the success of the thing on which our very existence depends.”
He contrasted ASU’s inclusive approach with traditional models rooted in exclusion and hierarchy. Quoting from the Declaration of Independence, Crow stated: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” He added: “It doesn’t say some people. It doesn’t say privilege. It doesn’t say test scores at age 14 or 15 or 16. It says all people.”
Crow acknowledged shortcomings in higher education’s history but noted ASU’s adoption over a decade ago of a charter focused on access, public-value research, and community outcomes.
According to Crow, enrollment among Arizona residents has increased from about 49,000 students two decades ago to nearly 71,000 today. Online education has also expanded significantly: “In 2009, we had essentially no online degree-seeking students,” he said. “This semester, we had 117,766.” He stressed that this growth was achieved without quotas or lowered standards: “We didn’t set diversity quotas,” Crow said. “We made the university accessible. Period.”
He pointed out that undergraduates from families earning less than $20,000 annually have grown from fewer than 1,000 in 2003 to more than 6,000 today. Graduation numbers have risen from about 12,000 annually to over 40,000 without negative impacts on employment outcomes or wages.
“Don’t tell me you can’t do this,” Crow said. “We proved you can.”
During opening remarks at the event held January 14 at ASU Gammage on Tempe campus, Sun Devil Women’s Basketball Head Coach Molly Miller spoke about discipline and energy within her team.
ASU Executive Vice President and University Provost Nancy Gonzales joined President Crow for a Q&A session addressing ASU’s growing influence locally and internationally.
Gretchen Buhlig, CEO of the ASU Foundation for a New American University—who closed out the event—highlighted philanthropy and partnership as key drivers behind turning ambition into impact: “We can’t do this alone,” Buhlig said. “Please join us and be part of our mission. We are not retreating. We are advancing from Arizona to the world.”
Crow responded directly to criticism suggesting large universities sacrifice research excellence for accessibility by citing data showing annual research expenditures now exceed $1 billion at ASU—a level reached without having a medical school until recently.
“You can be great at research and accessible,” he said. “You can educate 200,000 people and still be excellent.”
Crow referenced new initiatives such as launching a medical school focused on health outcomes rather than only producing physicians; building laboratories like Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory after Arizona did not receive a national lab; creating schools dedicated to ocean futures and conservation; developing immersive virtual reality classrooms; and forming partnerships aimed at broadening educational access.
He asked: “Why shouldn’t a university in a democracy be available to everyone?”
As ASU approaches America’s semiquincentennial celebration in July 2026—a period marking significant reflection for many U.S.-based organizations—Crow called for collective participation beyond university leadership or faculty: “This is unfinished work,” he said. “And we’re all responsible for it.”
ASU has received recognition for its innovative approach; it was named number one in innovation by U.S News & World Report for eight consecutive years based on nominations by college presidents and other academic leaders (https://news.asu.edu/20220911-university-news-asu-no-1-innovation-us-news-world-report-eighth-year?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=asu&utm_campaign=ASURankings&utm_term=USNWR).
Additionally,the City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department is partnering with an ASU tech startup called Argos Vision—which develops smart traffic cameras—to pilot technology aimed at improving safety through advanced data analysis (https://www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/street-transportation/2420).
Buhlig summarized the campaign’s message by inviting wider involvement: “Please join us and be part of our mission.”
