ASU Retirees Association (ASURA) Video History Project Interviews
This collection includes interviews of Arizona State University retirees, including administrators, faculty, and staff. The video interviews were conducted by the ASU Retirees Association (ASURA) beginning in 2001. Videos are approximately 1 hour each.
Filtering by
- All Subjects: New American University
- All Subjects: Film School
Gus Edwards, Professor of Theater and Films, retired from ASU in 2010. Gus first came to ASU as Playwright in Residence in 1984-86 and returned as an Associate Professor in 1988.
In the interview Gus talks about growing up in St. Thomas and moving to New York City in 1959. Gus goes on to discuss:
• Living and Working in New York
• Becoming a Playwright culminating with presentation of “The Offering” performed by the Negro Ensemble Company.
• His Academic Career teaching theater at ASU
• His thought about writing
• His experiences teaching film, the creation of a Film School, and Running Wild Films
• Challenges, the need for University’s to promote experimental work, and the need to follow your passion
Charlie Arntzen joined ASU in August 2000 as the Florence Ely Nelson Presidential Endowed Chair and retired in 2016 from the School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute. Charlie was the founding Director of the Biodesign Institute.
Important ASU stories include:
1) the creation of the Biodesign Institute,
2) the design and operation of the Biodesign labs,
3) the development of ZMapp to fight Ebola,
4) The New American University - a discussion of the importance of collaboration, and
5) several comments about Presidents Coor and Crow and Provost Glick
Brian Foster came to ASU in 1980 as Associate Professor of Anthropology. He became chair in 1982, then was Dean of the Graduate College from 1986 to 1994. He went on to the University of Nebraska as Dean of Arts and Sciences. He served as Provost at the University of New Mexico ( 2000 - 2005) and at the University of Missouri (2005 - 2014). He is Provost Emeritus and Professor of Anthropology Emeritus at the University of Missouri - Columbia. In the interview, Brian describes his early life and education in Dixon IL before entering college at age 28. Brian's varied University academic experiences bring a unique view of the current state of University education and particularly of the pioneering changes taking place at Arizona State University.