At Arizona State University's Undergraduate Commencement on Monday evening, Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Rafael Reif told the Class of 2018 that they now had the ability and responsibility to hold open doors that will allow others to pursue an education and better themselves.
Before Reif's remarks at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix, he and ASU President Michael M. Crow sat down with Adriana De Alba, who graduated this week from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU, for a wide-ranging interview that included discussion of what each institution does to provide access to higher education and what the two university presidents admire about their colleague's institutions.
De Alba started with a topic that ties the three of them together: what it was like to be the first in their families to go to college and how that has affected their leadership at two of the world's most innovative universities.
Providing access to higher education
Mutual admiration society
Full interview
Videos by Deanna Dent and Jamie Ell.
More Sun Devil community
Photos: 2025 Tempe Open Door
Arizona State University's 13th year of Open Door events concluded on the Tempe campus on Feb. 22.Snakes, science and little pig tails were just some of the sights and subjects that delighted…
Adventure coaching takes student support outdoors
On a recent sunny morning, a circle of Arizona State University students is flinging colorful balls and toys to each other on a lawn. Each student had to focus on all the items flying through the air…
Photos: 2025 Polytechnic Open Door
Families explored sound, automotive technology and other engineering fun at Saturday's ASU Open Door, where the Polytechnic campus' specialities came into the spotlight.The free annual event welcomes…