This isn't the New York Times story about Arizona State University that Michael Crow (pictured) hoped his former colleagues at Columbia University would ever have to read.
Crow, the president of ASU, has received plenty of criticism over the years for his grandiose plans to expand the university while simultaneously polishing its research capabilities. Today's budget realities are now denying ASU the full glory he hoped to bestow upon it, and the Times is there to cover his woes.
The Times story even includes an unflattering quote from the State Press, ASU's student newspaper:
"The New American University has died; welcome to the Neutered American University," the student newspaper editorialized last month the morning after the latest cuts were announced.
The main theme of the story seems to be not just whether the country can afford as many publicly funded research universities as it had in boom times, but whether Crow's personal vision for ASU should even be attempted in this economic climate. And the story leans towards an answer: Hell, no.
Whatever the national situation, and however big Crow's ego, that negative answer sure might not be right for Arizona's long-term health.
