PCA Honors ASU’s President, Michael Crow

September 1, 2011

On Thursday, September 1 at the Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix Community Alliance will honor Arizona State University (ASU) President Michael Crow with the organization’s Center City Starr Award.

President Michael Crow is being recognized for transforming Arizona State University (ASU) into one of the nation’s leading public metropolitan research universities.  Crow created for ASU a model of academic excellence that he terms the “New American University.”  Under his direction ASU pursues teaching, research, and creative excellence focused on the major challenges of our time, as well as those central to the quality of life, sustainable and economic development of Arizona and the nation.  He has committed ASU to sustainability, social embeddedness, and global engagement, and championed initiatives leading to record levels of diversity in the student body.

There is no adequate way to estimate the impact that President Michael Crow has had on the emergence of Downtown Phoenix as a 21^st Century City.  The expansion of major colleges into the downtown area, such as the College of Nursing and Health Innovation and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication with their state-of-the art facilities located in the heart of Downtown Phoenix have created a renaissance of new academic energy to the city.  Martin L. Shultz, PCA’s current Chairman, was the Chair of the ASU Alumni Association when Dr. Crow came to ASU regarding the award, “Michael’s leadership in bringing ASU Downtown, a vision that works, has added a young enthusiastic dimension to Downtown’s new critical mass.”