3 questions to a higher ed blogger: Michael M. Crow, Arizona State University President, from “The President’s Post”

The Arizona State University President is one of the first higher ed presidents (well, he is probably the first. If you know another, let me know) to blog and podcast on a regular basis. He has been blogging at “The President’s Post” since early December and plans to start podcasting every week this month. With the help of Virgil Renzulli from the Office of the President at ASU, I was able to ask President Crow my questions (actually 4, and not the regular 3) a few weeks ago.

1) Why did you decide to start the President’s Post? And, why did you choose blogging over podcasting?

I decided to start the blog in an effort to enhance communication with students. Although I regularly interact with student leaders, while I respond to e-mails and letters from students, and while I have held town halls with students, the blog provides one more way to interact with students. We’re currently experimenting with podcasting and I hope that we can add that feature to the blog [this] semester.

2) On “The President’s Post”, comments are open and monitored. Who’s in charge of monitoring them? Does your office also monitor what other bloggers write about you or your university?

Denise Quiroz, director of communications in the president’s office, reviews the comments that are posted. She provides me with regular updates and summaries of the comments. My office does not monitor other bloggers who write about ASU in any systematic way.

3) How often do you plan to post on your blog? Do you think you will still be blogging in a year from now? And, if you do, how will you measure the success of this experiment?

It’s my goal to post on the blog twice a week. But, I view this as an experiment. As we go along, we’ll learn what works and what doesn’t work. So, in that spirit, it’s my hope and intention to be blogging a year from now. The primary measure of whether the blog is successful will be student feedback.

4) Would you advise your peers to start their own blogs? Why? Don’t you think there’s a risk to open such a direct communication channel?

I don’t think there are any risks in starting the blog. Improving communication with students is an obligation that I take seriously. I really think the biggest risks arise from not trying hard enough to communicate with students and other university constituencies.