Michael M. Crow became the sixteenth president of Arizona State University on July 1, 2002. He is guiding 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 he terms the "New American University." ASU pursues comprehensive excellence focused on the major challenges of our time, as well as those central to the quality of life, sustainable development, and economic competitiveness of Arizona and the nation. He has committed the university to sustainability, social embeddedness, and global engagement, and championed initiatives leading to record levels of student diversity. During his tenure, ASU has more than quadrupled research expenditures, completed an unprecedented infrastructure expansion, and chosen the nation's most innovative school by U.S. News & World Report for the last five years.