The West Virginia University Alumni Magazine has been recharged and redesigned to pull readers into its pages and take them on a sweeping tour that explores the scientific, cultural, political and economic relevance of WVU in the state and around the world.
The Fall 2009 issue is in the mail and is complemented by an interactive online site at http://wvualumnimag.wvu.edu.
“This isn’t just the latest issue,” said Chris Martin, vice president for University Relations. “This magazine and its Web site represent a new visual and narrative direction, and a new strategy for engagement with our alumni and friends. WVU is redefining the role of the land-grant university for the 21st century, and the magazine is both an illustration of that mission and an invitation to all the University’s constituents to share insights, ideas, dialogue and debate as part of that mission.”
The journey begins in “Community” – the first of the magazine’s four comprehensive sections – where readers are invited to explore the many ways the University collaborates with its local and international neighbors. It continues in the “Solutions” section, where readers learn about WVU’s push for rural health care, its breakthroughs in health and national security research and its commitment to creating a cleaner, healthier planet.
In the “Change” section, readers discover how the University is transforming itself and adapting its mission to thrive in a rapidly evolving, and increasingly global, world. Its pages feature College of Law alumnus Mike Perry, who built the Heritage Farm Museum and Village in Huntington, and students from the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism, who are teaching the state’s rural newspapers new ways of telling stories in this changing media landscape.
In the fourth and final “Small World” section, the magazine demonstrates how WVU breaks through psychological and geographical barriers to embrace global perspectives in health care, arts, business and beyond.
“Everyday we encounter the innovations and leadership our students, faculty and alums demonstrate across industries and around the globe,” said Dana Coester, the Executive Editor of the magazine and a professor at the journalism school. “We wanted to share these stories in a way that sparks dialogue about the challenges ahead. We live in a world in flux – and WVU has a place at the table for leading change.”
On the Web site, visitors can view the contents of the entire magazine in an online flip format and link to several multimedia projects, including a video of College of Creative Arts Dean Bernard Shultz discussing how the arts open a world of new perspectives and remind us what it means to be human.
Unique to the new site is a “Roundtable” section, where readers are invited to share their comments and insights on some of the magazine’s more provocative ideas, offering their own visions for evolution and change.
“The new website provides an opportunity for members of the WVU family to engage with the magazine, the university and each other” Coester said. “We hope to hear from this powerful community – voices wanted.”
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CONTACT: News and Information Services
304-293-6997