ASU launched a new Web site last week highlighting student and faculty experiences at ASU.
Kimberly Loui, executive director of the Office of University Initiatives, said the Web site, My New American University, is directed at the ASU community as a whole, offering examples of the New American University through the stories of faculty and students.
"The idea behind the Web site is really to tell the stories of the people at ASU," Loui said.
The Web site, mynew.asu.edu, discusses the New American University initiative, including eight goals of the initiative.
My New American University also features a video project with students and faculty sharing their stories through video.
"We know that everyone at ASU has their own story," said Gary Campbell, who was in charge of interviewing the project participants, "Whether it's you as a student or as a staff member or as a faculty member. So what I wanted to do was just get in there and just talk to [the video project participants]."
Campbell, the editor and publisher for the ASU News Web site, said his goal was to get to know the participants and get it on film.
The video project currently consists of six videos on the Web site, the newest of which is also embedded on the My New American University homepage.
Manfred Laubichler, a biology professor at ASU, is the subject of the most recent video.
In a two-minute clip, he discusses his job and how he ended up at ASU.
"As an undergraduate, when I blew up a plant in a plant physiology lab, it was suggested that I become a theorist," Laubichler said in the video. "To be able to pursue both of my interests — theoretical biology and history of biology — that was not considered a good option at other places. That attracted me to ASU."
Loui said all of the students and faculty in the video project thus far were chosen organically; other students or faculty nominated the participants, not media relations. She added that the project is still looking for participants.
"If folks are interested in being a part of the video project, they're more than welcome to contact us," Loui said. "We've done about two video shoots to date with about eight to ten people. The process is that we usually interview over a period of a few days, then edit those and release them from week to week."
The "contact us" link on the page about the video project leads directly to a page emblazoned with the Office of the President logo. Loui said that all requests to be in the video project first pass through the Office of the President.
Because the Web site for My New American University has only been formally live for about a week, Loui said, the site has not yet been marketed heavily. As a result, many students, like undeclared sophomore Jordan Moon, are unaware My New American University even exists.
"I didn't even hear about [the Web site]," he said. "I think there should have been a better job about getting it out to the students. But now that I know about it, I'll definitely try to see what [the University] is thinking of doing. I want to go to that Web site right now and see what [it] is all about."
Reach the reporter at: brittany.mccall@asu.edu.
