"In the Age of AI, the Key Challenge for Universities Is Cultivating 'Master Learners'" [Great University Transformation] 15

Interview with ASU President Michael Crow
AI Enables Learning More, Faster, and Deeper
Limiting Students to One Major Is Unrealistic
Korea Should Also Offer Multiple Pathways to Learning
Transformed into an Inclusive University under President

"Students at Arizona State University (ASU) do not graduate with just one or two majors. Some students have as many as five majors and even receive scholarships. Our goal is to cultivate 'master learners'-people who can learn anything-who are essential in the age of artificial intelligence (AI)."

Michael Crow, President of ASU, stated in an interview with Asia Economy at the Four Seasons Hotel in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on September 29, "AI enables people to learn more, faster, broader, and deeper," adding, "So why should universities require students to major in only one subject?" He emphasized, "Universities should not be arenas for scholars to compete with each other, but institutions that move toward social outcomes," and insisted that, "To keep pace with the rapid industrial changes in the AI era, universities must drive rapid innovation in all areas, including educational and instructional innovation, performance innovation, and research innovation."

Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Since President Crow took office in 2002, ASU has pursued a different path from traditional elite universities by adopting the 'New American University' model. Instead of the Ivy League's 'elite for the few' approach, ASU has aimed to be an 'inclusive university' that offers opportunities to many students. Students are not selected solely based on scores such as the SAT; instead, their potential and willingness to take on challenges are evaluated. ASU has promoted remote learning and created online degree programs, discarding the fixed notion that students must be present on campus to learn. Last year, ASU partnered with OpenAI to utilize ChatGPT at the university level, creating a customized AI tutor. ChatGPT was even named 'the most active professor of the year.' Thanks to constant innovation that breaks with convention, ASU has been selected as 'the most innovative university in the United States' for 11 consecutive years by the global university ranking agency, US News & World Report.

This innovation attracts a large number of students to ASU every year. For the fall semester of this year, 80,000 full-immersion (on-campus) students from 160 countries have enrolled at ASU, and 110,000 students from around the world are enrolled in online degree (digital immersion) programs. President Crow's belief that the most important factor in student selection is not 'scores' but the 'desire to learn' at university-and that universities must provide educational services that meet this desire-is what draws students from around the world to ASU.

The increase in students has led to greater profitability. ASU's annual revenue is $6.5 billion (about 9.1 trillion won). This is an increase of $1.5 billion from $5 billion two years ago. President Crow explained, "We fund ourselves through university activities and operate additional multi-billion-dollar partnership-based projects," adding, "There is little government support." He further stated, "Universities should not be operated solely as government agencies. While maintaining their public mission, they must be run in an 'entrepreneurial manner,' diversifying revenue streams, forming partnerships, and securing their own funding." This stands in stark contrast to domestic universities that select a few elite students based on a one-point difference, yet fail to make global university rankings and struggle financially due to frozen tuition fees, relying solely on the tuition paid by these students.

Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

He diagnosed that, as in Korea, universities can no longer survive with a closed structure that ranks students by multiple-choice test scores and shuts the door to higher education, nor can they nurture the talent needed in the AI era. President Crow commented on the Korean college admissions system, saying, "Excessive reliance on school grades narrows the spectrum of intellectual types and ultimately limits the creativity of society." He emphasized, "If you keep raising admission standards, universities cannot grow, and even qualified individuals are excluded. We pursue inclusion, not exclusion." ASU keeps its doors wide open to those with a desire to learn.

This naturally leads to talent development through industry-academia cooperation. The university not only trains students to enter companies but also actively responds to the demand from professionals already in the industry who seek to acquire the skills needed for their work. This is an unfamiliar scene in Korea, where the admissions system centers on students entering university all at once in their third year of high school.

President Crow explained, "ASU identifies the specific needs of companies and designs curricula and retraining programs accordingly." The university opens nearly free digital degree pathways for employees to reskill and upskill, and for the special needs of overseas production bases, it collaborates with local universities to train customized talent. President Crow introduced the cases of Starbucks and Intel. He said, "Many Starbucks employees did not feel the need to go to university," but "we created an almost free online degree pathway for them to teach practical skills, and to date, more than 20,000 have earned ASU degrees." He also noted, "Intel requested ASU to train personnel to work at its packaging facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, so we worked with six universities in Vietnam to train 300 master's and doctoral-level engineers."

Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

President Crow's philosophy is clear. The goal of the university should be expanded from 'the university itself' to 'society as a whole,' and the learning system should be combined with digital and AI technologies to enable faster, broader, and deeper learning. He stressed, "The key to innovation is to change university culture to be 'innovation-oriented,' and for everyone to work toward the success of the community and nation, not just the university itself." President Crow believes that the moment universities become trapped in rank competition with other institutions, the momentum for change weakens; conversely, when the purpose of a university is redefined as creating social value, innovation becomes an operating principle, not just a campaign.

His message to Korean universities is also clear. In student selection, universities should offer multiple pathways to learning to select creative talent; within universities, various attempts at the department and college level should be permitted; and industry-academia cooperation should start with demand-driven design. He urged, "Universities must innovate as rapidly as industries do," and added, "It is time for Korean universities to accelerate."