ASU is currently aspiring to climb up in the rankings in
U.S. News and World Report under the leadership of its 16th president, Michael Crow, who
took office in July 2002. Toward this goal several initiatives are being pursued, the most notable of which is the Arizona
Biodesign Institute. Additionally, two gifts of $50 million each were given to the College of Engineering and the College of Business; both were named
after their benefactors. The COE is now the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, and the COB is now the W. P. Carey School
of Business. Administrators hope that the extra money will help both schools move up in national rankings.In a sign of increasing national prominence, ASU was chosen to host the third Presidential debate on October 13, 2004 at Gammage Auditorium. In an
additional boost to the school's prestige, it was announced just days before the debate that Dr. Edward Prescott of the
W. P. Carey School of Business would be awarded the Nobel Prize in
Economics. Not only did ASU have its first Nobel Laureate in 2004; it also
received the honor of having the director of its Biodesign Institute, Dr. George Poste, named Scientist of the Year by
R&D
Magazine.