Arizona State University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

ASU employees serve on the City of Tempe’s Transportation Commission in official roles reflecting their status as ASU employees in Tempe. As part of this work, they have:
(1) Helped shape laws and regulations for electric scooter use.
(2) Helped the City of Tempe purchase sustainable buses and served on the RFP selection committee.
(3) Supported a motion encouraging the City of Tempe to fully electrify their municipal vehicle fleet.
(4) Supported a motion approving a letter of support to the City of Tempe Mayor and City Council for the city’s draft Climate Action Plan.
(5) Supported the development of Tempe’s Adaptive Streets Implementation Design Guide as well as the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Guide.
(6) Liaison to help the City of Tempe create its new TMA program and micro-mobility hub program.

Currently, ASU's Director of Commuter Services and TDM serves as Chair of the Transportation Commission with a term from 1/1/2022 to 12/31/2024.


Additionally, ASU’s transportation staff advised the City of Phoenix on their electric scooter regulations and serve on the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) air quality technical advisory committee.

ASU is a founding member of the TE Activator, a regional Arizona group that was started in 2021 and is working to bring about the electrification of the transportation sector for the benefit of all Arizonans. No organization can accomplish this outcome alone. Our coalition of key regional stakeholders includes municipalities, utility providers, corporations, NGOs, and academia collaborating to get things done better, faster, and with transformative results. The Activator model is centered on action plan transparency, member accountability via setting public goals and progress reporting, and the principle of results orientation with a focus on near-term outcomes. Our collaborative action focuses on four strategic priorities, which serve as our blueprint:
1) Empower all citizens to take part in the TE transformation.
2) Prioritize high-use vehicles.
3) Deploy critical charging infrastructure in anticipation of the transformation of mobility.
4) Ensure the benefits of TE are equitably shared by all Arizonans.

ASU's membership in the activator was affirmed by Dr. Morgan Olsen, ASU's executive vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer. The Activator engages local/regional/state government leadership on electric vehicles, hosts community outreach events, and provides input on state electrification program proposals. ASU staff participate in this work on an ongoing basis (as part of their work as university employees) and the university hosts public events to support the TEA's goals.

Advocacy efforts by the TE Activator have included:
1) Hosting multiple regional Mayors and state government officials at electric vehicle education and advocacy events, which provides ASU and others the opportunity to advocate for strategic investment in electric vehicles and charging stations.
2) Writing a letter to the State of Arizona about strategically applying for federal funding for EV charging stations along the state's alternative fuel corridors (note: ASU is not within these corridors).
3) Regular meetings of the Activator that bring together municipal officials and representatives from the Salt River Project, a regional public power utility that is a political subdivision of the State of Arizona.
4) President Crow has signed multiple letters in support of electric transit buses for Valley Metro, our regional transit provider.


President Crow signed the IEN Sustainable Retirement Pledge in 2022, signaling university support for changing this state policy and enabling the incorporation of sustainable investing options.
https://assets.nationbuilder.com/intentionalendowments/pages/6178/attachments/original/1670942249/Sustainable_Retirement_Pledge_With_MEPs_Lang_%282%29.pdf?1670942249

ASU President Michael Crow on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA)

Statement from President Crow, June 2020:
"The challenge for DACA recipients and other undocumented students is not over. ASU will continue to support a permanent resolution that addresses residency for all undocumented students."
https://president.asu.edu/statements/statement-from-asu-president-michael-m-crow-on-us-supreme-court-decision-to-uphold-daca

Arizona Mirror, November 2021, "Common-sense immigration reform is popular and will drive economic security. Congress must act quickly."
"As the president of Arizona State University and the chairman of the board of trustees of the ASU Foundation, we see firsthand the incredible contributions that Dreamers and undocumented students are making. We strongly support a new proposed regulation from the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen the legal underpinnings of the DACA program in the face of legal challenges."

https://www.azmirror.com/2021/11/02/common-sense-immigration-reform-is-popular-and-will-drive-economic-security-congress-must-act-quickly/



President Crow has also advocated for the federal government to address refugee issues, February 2022:
"The time for the administration to act on private sponsorship initiatives."
https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/02/25/we-need-new-pathway-higher-ed-help-refugees-opinion


ASU supported the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022.

President Michael Crow signed a letter supporting the US's engagement with the UN's Paris Climate Accord (April 2021):
https://secondnature.org/wp-content/uploads/NDC-Sign-On-Letter_-Higher-Ed_FINAL2021.pdf

A delegation of ASU leadership, faculty, and students participated in COP27 in November 2022 to push for global climate action, including:
- Peter Schlosser, vice president and vice provost of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory
- Amanda Ellis, senior director of global partnerships and networks for ASU’s Global Futures Laboratory and former ambassador for New Zealand to the United Nations
https://news.asu.edu/20221118-asu-brings-energy-and-carbon-capture-solutions-expertise-global-climate-conference-cop27