President Crow conversation to be webcast live

'2013 and beyond' open to worldwide Sun Devil community

Each year since his appointment as president of Arizona State University, Michael M. Crow has maintained an aggressive public speaking schedule across the U.S. addressing the status and course of ASU. One of these engagements, held locally each year, is reserved for residents of the communities surrounding ASU’s four campuses, and is designated a “conversation.” This year’s address, on Jan. 22, will also be a “conversation,” but will utilize technology to make it truly interactive for a much larger audience. For the first time, Crow’s address will be carried live via an internet webcast for ASU friends around the world.

“2013 and Beyond: Where do we go from here? – a conversation with ASU President Michael M. Crow” will be held at the Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway. The program and webcast will run from 7-8:30 p.m., Arizona time. The in-person event begins with a reception at 6:30. Admission to the event at Tempe Center for the Arts is free, but advance registration is required through the ASU Foundation’s Presidential Engagement Programs office, 480-727-7208, or asufoundation.org/pepcrow.

Stacy Holmstedt, senior director of internet marketing for the ASU Foundation, says offering a webcast of Crow’s address for participants who can’t attend is a logical extension of the president’s concept for the event. “President Crow is enthusiastic about engaging ASU supporters in innovative ways,” says Holmstedt, “and the university is fortunate to have the technology to reach those supporters no matter how far they are from Tempe.” The webcast will be available at asufoundation.org/peplive.

Holmstedt notes that distant participants don’t need to wait for the event to begin the conversation. “We’re also utilizing email to allow questions to be submitted in advance,” she says. “Anyone can submit a question at any time to president@asu.edu.” Though the live event may not allow time for Crow to answer every question from the stage, Holmstedt says the office of the president will follow up unanswered questions via email after the event.

“President Crow’s address offers us another opportunity for expanding the conversation,” Holmstedt adds, “as we open it up to the Twittersphere. We’ll be live-tweeting from @asupresoffice, hashtag #PEP2013.”

Crow strongly believes in the importance of communication opportunities that support constructive dialogue. “Ideas and questions from our community are integral to the ongoing evolution of ASU, from determining its strategic direction to how it can help reconceptualize higher education in America and around the world. With the first decade of the New American University behind us and a new year ahead, the time is ideal to examine where we have been – as an institution and a state – and how our current environment is shaping our focus and objectives.”

“2013 and beyond: Where do we go from here?”, sponsored by the ASU Foundation’s Presidential Engagement Programs, is part of a series of premier community outreach events connecting metropolitan Phoenix and communities across the nation to Arizona State University’s visionary scholars and ideas. For other events in the series, visit asufoundation.org/pep.

Erik Ketcherside, erik.k@asu.edu
Communications Manager | Editorial Services
ASU Foundation for A New American University
480-965-0545