Inspired by King

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
  – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On Monday, the SDSU campus was closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Throughout the country, people provided a public service and volunteered in their local communities to celebrate the Civil Rights leader.

At SDSU, honoring King’s legacy isn’t a once-a-year opportunity. Sure, we march in the annual MLK Parade, hold an on-campus luncheon in his honor and fondly recall his visit to campus.

But, we also work in and with the community every day. We – from students and employees to local alumni – regularly ask ourselves that question King raised so many decades ago.

Whether it’s collecting donations for the local food bank, raising money for worthy causes like Light the Night, or using elbow grease to help improve a home for a community member, Aztecs are helping their neighbors most in need.

Honestly, it’s simply who we are — as the oldest and largest university in the region, we can’t help but shape San Diego and be engaged with its residents. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

In a galaxy far, far away….

So this may come as a shock to you…but I am not an astronomer.  You may have thought so if you talked to me over the past couple of weeks as I tried to explain what our astronomy professors had just discovered. Honestly, the only thing I really knew about astronomy – until now – was what Orions’ belt looked like (I could pick those three stars in a row out of the sky on most nights).  Of course, there’s Google Skymap, which is really fun to use…in the middle nowhere when you can actually see the stars in the sky.

It’s one of the favorite parts of my job: getting an astronomy lesson on Monday and then a lecture on how the brain works on Tuesday.  Remember when you were in college and you had to take one of those GE classes and you were like “when will I ever use this!” – well, welcome to my world everyday!

The story of the discovery went public yesterday and now it’s the reporters’ job to tell the story, thank goodness! But I had to tell it first. And that my friends, is why you should always pay attention in class – even if you think it’s pointless.

P.S. We used Storify to capture what the world was saying about our story when it went out. Check it out!

[View the story "SDSU Discovers Planets That Orbit Two Suns" on Storify]

Top University Videos of 2011

One of the most powerful forms of media is video. I’ve heard it called the “You’ve got to see this” factor, that transcends language. If a video is fun, funny, unique or moving, people will watch it, share it, comment on it — and it will help get your message across in a powerful way.

As a professional in higher education, I particularly like to see what other universities are doing when it comes to video. So following, in no particular rank or order, are 6 of the best university videos that I found from 2011.

1. San Diego State University – I’ll start with our own. We’ve gone away from the typical institutional television spot showing faculty members in labs coats and tried to do something a little more fun, that shows both the passion of our alumni, and the reach we have into the community. Our institutional spot focused on a chant that the student section does before every home basketball game – “I Believe.” The commercial features several prominent alumni, including the founder of the Rubio’s Fresh Mexican food chain, Ralph Rubio, and the mayor of San Diego, Jerry Sanders. But the best part is what we did after the commercial debuted. We were able to get Mayor Sanders to join the student section before a game to lead them in the chant. And we captured it on a smart phone (Not all videos need to be professionally produced to have impact). But the video was a hit and shows the excitement and atmosphere at our games.
   
   
2. Boston University – Boston Red Sox, Behind the Lens.  We all like to share stories about our successful alumni.  BU does a great job on this feature, shadowing this sports photographer as he shares his experiences taking pictures at historic Fenway Park in Boston. The production value of the video is outstanding, very creative, weaving in still photography, making it look as though it’s moving. And the story is compelling, like something you might see on a network sports show.
   
3. University of Toledo – #whyUToledo. This is a great example of an integrated approach to new media. It started as a Twitter campaign, asking people why they chose UT. Then they took the images of the actual Tweets and made a video out of it, with voice overs of (supposedly) the students reading their Tweets. Really fun, forward thinking, great way to connect with the generation that is currently looking to go to college.
   
4. McMaster University – This Month with the President. While this is a very simple concept, execution is not always as easy. McMaster sits down, in a different location, each month with the president of their university and has him discuss a particular topic. It’s not scripted, there’s no teleprompter. It’s just him sharing his thoughts. It’s a great way to personalize someone who, often times, people on campus don’t get to interact with.
   
5. University of Oregon – Call me a Duck. I’m a sucker for Hip Hop songs being used in non-traditional places. And this one is outstanding. It’s actually sung by an a Capella group from UO that went on a national television singing competition show. It’s an amazingly well produced music video that shows school pride, passion and creativity.
   
6. Bowling Green University – Stroh Center Rap. One of the challenges in the Advancement and Development world is educating people – particularly students – about the importance of philanthropy to a university. The typical introduction of a newly built and/or named building is a press release and a ribbon cutting ceremony with a photo opp. The opening of Bowling Green’s new basketball arena, The Stroh Center, was anything but typical, thanks to this video. The rap talks about the people who made the building possible, including how much money they gave. – “He will melt your face with his philanthropy” — And the video features those donors. The production value of the video is excellent. But for my money, getting the donors to participate in the video is well worth the watch.
   

What great university videos did you produce or see this past year?

Commencement is Here!

Commencement ceremonies may not happen until May, but for me they’re right now.

Let me explain.  I’m currently building a new commencement website.  There is a great deal of information to organize and communicate and I am neck-deep in it all.

Commencement is the most important thing we do.

Much of the information is geared toward students, but families and friends are also included. Schedules and other critical instructions are sorted by college.

Commencement captures a feeling of momentous achievement for many graduates, illustrated by this SDSU graduate from 2011.

Believe it or not – if you have a twenty-something college student for a child, my guess is you believe it – some students don’t know their college.

That’s right.  After four-plus years and all those classes in the Arts and Letters Building, some literature major will email commencement organizers to ask, “What’s my college?”

This prompted me to include on the site a list of majors and departments by college.  I’m sure we’ll still get those emails.

Cynicism aside, commencement is the most important thing we do.  More important than the novel discoveries, innovative programs and community service, graduating students defines the value of San Diego State University.

I’m reviewing hundreds of photos from last year’s commencement and I’m struck by the emotions captured in each snapshot – a mix of elation, pride, satisfaction.

A few knowing students look afraid, perhaps about entering the real world.

But most look happy.  They leave campus with terrific memories, hard-earned achievements and the initiative to take on their next challenge.

To the class of 2012, I offer a hearty, “Congratulations!”

All in a Year’s Work: Top 10 SDSU Media Hits of 2011

Well, 2011 was an exciting year for San Diego State!  From a Sweet 16 appearance to a bittersweet send-off for President Stephen L. Weber, 2011 will be a year that all Aztecs will remember.  In the spirit of year-end lists that seem to populate news sites these days, I thought I would share some of SDSU’s biggest national news stories of 2011. And since I had a hand in placing most of them, I suppose this is a little bit of job security as well! We’ll keep at it in 2012 and next December I hope to have a list just as long! -Gina

1. CNN.com featured San Diego State University student veterans in the story “Veterans transition from war zone to classroom.”
2. The Los Angeles Times reviewed the Weber era in the story “Departing San Diego State president leaves a long, distinguished legacy.”
3. A full nine months before we publicly launched our campaign, the New York Times included San Diego State University’s comprehensive fundraising campaign in their story “Amid Cuts, Public Colleges Step Up Appeals to Alumni.”
4. ABC News featured research by San Diego State public health professor Joni Mayer in the story “Stricter Laws Needed to Keep Kids Away From Tanning Beds.” And in part because of her research, in 2012 California will become the first state in the country to ban indoor tanning for teens under 18.
5. “Raising Graduation Rates, and Questions” in Inside Higher Ed featured SDSU’s graduation rates that nearly doubled over 1o years.
6. Associated Press wrote a story on new research from SDSU psychology professor Jean Twenge about today’s college students  being more confident than previous generations in “New data on college students and overconfidence.” I can always count on Jean for at least one solid national hit each year!
7. SDSU geology professors Tom Rockwell and the always entertaining Pat Abbott appeared on CNN and Headline News to help explain the uncommon earthquake on the East Coast. They were also interviewed by USA Today and others.
8. ESPN’s story “SDSU studies surf sustainability” featured our new Surf Research Center. Forget the puns, this research is all about doing good in places where surf is a tourist attraction.
9. SDSU launches only the second LGBT major in the nation and the San Diego Union-Tribune comments section lights up!
10. The new Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit in New York City is curated by SDSU religious studies professor Risa Levitt Kohn. She talked about it on NPR last month after being featured in dozens of national publications.

And in honor of our “plus one” in this week’s NCAA College Basketball rankings, SDSU’s march to the Sweet 16 in March was probably the biggest SDSU story of the year.  But it wasn’t just our student athletes that made a name for themselves in 2011, “The Show” went national and was tagged among the best student section in all of college basketball by ESPN.