President Crow's Vision

ASU is facing an internal ideological struggle over its mission

The university is caught in a battle over its soul and direction.

ASU President Michael Crow received the prestigious Edison Award on Friday—an honor established in 1987 to recognize excellence in innovation, design, and the development of new products and services. He shared the spotlight with Jensen Huang, CEO and founder of tech giant Nvidia, who was also honored with an achievement award.

What President Crow said during the ceremony stood out to me—and it’s something everyone should hear. His vision for ASU has never been about exclusivity. Instead, he’s built a university defined not by whom it rejects, but by whom it includes and helps to achieve excellence. Too often, we equate a “great university” with elitism, admiring institutions simply because they turn away 95% of applicants. Crow is challenging that model—and redefining what greatness in higher education really means.

It means helping everyone be excellent. And as an Xer philosopher who watched Bill and Ted growing up, “be excellent to each other” is good Aristotelian advice. Helping ASU on access, inclusion, and excellence is a message I am happy to work to support. Yet, I also see that these terms are being given a different meaning by those who want to impose critical theory on all of ASU>

President Crow has called for a bold departure from the traditional elitist model of higher education—and I believe he’s made real progress in that direction. Inclusion, in his vision, means exactly that: anyone who meets the admission requirements should have the opportunity to attend. That’s why ASU now serves over 183,000 students, both online and in person. The goal isn’t just access—it’s excellence. ASU aims to offer high-quality programs that transform the lives of students, uplift their families, and strengthen society as a whole.

Crow also spoke about his broader vision for the country. He expressed a powerful idea: that making America great isn't a partisan slogan, but an ongoing responsibility. “Not only can we make America great again,” he said, “how about making America great always?” For that to happen, he argued, the nation must sustain unmatched scientific and technological leadership. “And everyone wins. The whole world wins—but America wins specifically.”

But here’s the challenge: within ASU, there is a growing effort to co-opt President Crow’s vision of inclusion and redirect it toward divisive and discriminatory ends. So far, ASU has lost over $200 million in grant funding—money the federal government deemed tied to discriminatory practices. Some faculty have embraced an interpretation of inclusion that centers on conflict theories, where justice means identifying and penalizing so-called oppressors based on skin color, sex, and religion, while providing special advantages to those labeled as oppressed, also based on skin color, sex, and religion.

If we want to protect and preserve President Crow’s vision, we must act on two fronts. First, we need to call out the misuse of “inclusion” when it becomes a vehicle for ideological discrimination. Inclusion should uplift everyone—not divide people into camps of guilt and grievance. Second, we must go beyond the pursuit of scientific and technological dominance. While those are vital, they are not enough. We must also help students wrestle with the foundational questions—about knowledge, reality, and value—that lead to a meaningful life. History and literature are filled with cautionary tales of civilizations with astonishing technologies but hollow, disoriented souls. Let’s not repeat that mistake. Let’s equip ASU students to lead not just productive lives, but meaningful ones.

Conflict-based philosophies and critical theory cannot provide the foundation for a meaningful life. At their core, these frameworks reduce human relationships to power struggles and divide society into competing categories of oppressors and oppressed. Rather than fostering unity, growth, or mutual understanding, they often sow resentment and hostility. They thrive on grievance, not grace. In the name of justice, they cultivate suspicion and animosity. That is not inclusion—it is division dressed in virtue signaling.

If we want ASU to remain a leader—not just in innovation, but in human flourishing—we must ground education in something deeper. True inclusion does not pit groups against each other. It invites every student into a shared pursuit of truth, beauty, goodness, wisdom, and meaning. That’s the kind of education that changes lives—and that’s the kind of university we should work to protect.

To conclude, it is worth noting that Crow’s vision for ASU is a very Christian vision. Christianity is the only truly inclusive institution. It does not divide people into grievance groups and exact revenge for centuries-old wrongs. It teaches about God’s grace to all through Christ. The worst sinner can be redeemed by his faith in Christ and lead a life of excellence.

Thank you, President Crow.

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2025-04-03/asu-president-highlights-higher-education-innovation-amid-funding-threats