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J. Russell Nelson served as ASU's president from 1981 to 1989. He believed
that the educational mission was the most important part of the university,
and that everything else was subordinate to that, including athletics. Although
his administration was marked by disharmony with the athletic department, he
worked to make athletics a source of pride for the university. One of Nelson's
goals was to make ASU a multi-campus institution. He met this goal with the
establishment of ASU West in 1983, which brought education to western
Maricopa County. Student enrollment also increased from 37,000 to 40,500 students
under Nelson's tenure. Nelson brought a new focus to computer-assisted learning
and research within the university, and provided computer literacy training for
the community. In the Spring of 1988, ASU completed its most successful
fund-raising campaign to date, surpassing its original $75 million goal. Research
grants doubled during Nelson's tenure, positioning ASU to be recognized
as a major research university.
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