Remote Interviews with NYUAD Community Members [IN PROCESS], September 2021 - September 2024, inclusive

Video-recorded session with former NYUAD Running Community Members - Corey Meyer (Class of 2015) and Ross Jiang (Class of 2020)- including Wayne Young, Director of Wellness recorded on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021 and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Academic Librarian for Archives and Special Collections at NYUAD. Conducted as part of The Memory Project.

In this interview session, the participants reflect on their journey to NYU Abu Dhabi and their experiences of building a compelling running community. They begin by sharing their first impressions of Abu Dhabi. Wayne and Corey reflect on the transition from the Sama Tower campus to the current Saadiyat campus, and subsequent changes in the athletics facilities including the indoor, outdoor tracks and a more sophisticated gym. Wayne and Corey also recall their initial struggle in building a running team, one reason being very few interested students. Wayne developed specific training programs and encouraged students in every way. Ross and Corey talk about their participation in different running events including the 10km race and Triathlon. Wayne emphasizes that over time he has built connections with different people in the UAE who invite and help NYUAD to take part in various events. Finally, everyone shares that the running spirit and team building was a valuable experience for them.

Video-recorded session with former NYUAD Running Community Members Matthew MacDonald (PE Curriculum Manager), Wayne Young (Director of Wellness), Ramon Wrzosek (Class of 2021) and including Alex Erdmann, former visiting scholar in the Computer Science department, on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021 and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Academic Librarian for Archives and Special Collections at NYUAD. Conducted as part of The Memory Project.

In this interview, the members reflect on their journey to NYU Abu Dhabi, and their experiences of building a compelling running community. They begin by sharing about their arrival and first impressions of Abu Dhabi. Then, they discuss how they met each other. They recall a SIG called 'On Your Feet' which helped and encouraged students to join the running community. Alex reflects on his intense running practice all across Saadiyat Island. Ramon considers running as a factor of sound physical and mental health. Matthew shares the growth of the running community over the years from 5-10 students to 30-40 students on track. At the end, they all share their unique experience of the Wadi Bih cross country race from their practice to participating and having a memorable finish.

Video-recorded session with Suparna Mathur, Director of Community Outreach (2013-2021), recorded on Wednesday, September 1, 2021 and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Archivist and Assistant Academic Librarian at the NYUAD Library. Conducted as part of The Memory Project.

In this interview session, Suparna Mathur discusses being from Toronto, Canada. She has South Asian Indian heritage but she has spent the majority of her life in Abu Dhabi, UAE, as she grew up there, studying at the American Community School (ACS). The earliest stages of her career were in Toronto, where she worked in the non-profit and public sector, fundraising campaigns, and event management. Later on, she moved back to Abu Dhabi to start a non-profit group connecting community charities and nonprofits with community members, which prompted Ms. Renee Dugan, her supervisor, to hire Suparna at NYU Abu Dhabi, after being formally introduced by the CEO of Aramex. She was very excited for the opportunity, having heard of no similar project in the region. Suparna started out as having an ambassador role, connecting her corporate work with NYUAD's first few initiatives, but through time, this evolved to a full-time position. Throughout the conversation, she explains how NYUAD's recognition was cultivated through dinners, meetings with partners and helping students give back to the community. She highlights the program pillars: working with middle and high school youth (peer mentorship), deepening work with individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, and working with migrant communities in Abu Dhabi, immersing in the UAE culture and heritage, and lastly, environmental sustainability, all designed at Community Outreach. She ends by highlighting the students' engagement and involvement in creating a greater community.

Video-recorded session with the members of NYUAD Community Outreach - Renee Dugan, Suparna Mathur, on Sunday, September 19th, 2021 and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Academic Librarian for Archives and Special Collections at NYUAD. Conducted as part of The Memory Project.

In this interview, the members reflect on their journey and roles at NYU Abu Dhabi from its early days, and their experiences of building connections with a wider community/organizations. Renee shares her journey at NYUAD from its early days, starting as a Director of Admissions to founding Director of Community Outreach and current role as Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Life. Similarly, Director of Community Outreach, Suparna, also shares about her experience working with NYUAD. Both reflect on their contributions and initiations in building a broad foundational network of NYUAD, approaching numerous academic and social groups/organizations and establishing NYUAD as a center for collaboration, especially regarding meaningful and sustainable engagement for students. Suparna recalls how Community Outreach worked hard to include a variety of volunteering opportunities and increasing their accessibility for students and staff. The two also shed light on how Community Outreach works collaboratively to prepare, plan, and execute programs keeping in mind the core mission of NYUAD and adding value to student life.

Video-recorded session with Theresa Powell, Deputy Chief for People and Performance at NYU Abu Dhabi, on Sunday, October 17th, 2021 and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Academic Librarian for Archives and Special Collections at NYUAD. Conducted as part of The Memory Project.

In this interview, Theresa shares about her journey to NYUAD, her contributions and experiences while working in the HR Office. She talks about her first impression of Abu Dhabi, the culture, people and climate, which are completely different from her previous workplaces back in London. She vividly recalls her first day at the Downtown campus and the warm welcome she received. She has fun memories of shifting to the Saadiyat campus and adjusting to new campus life. Theresa mentions the work she has accomplished, like the Saadiyat Social, hosting onboarding cultural orientation to the new staff and faculty, and employee service and recognition parties. Engaging, volunteering, and communicating with students is what excites her. Theresa, at the end, says she is very proud and happy for being part of NYUAD.

Video-recorded session with Dustin Harris, Senior Designer in the Public Affairs and Communication Team at NYU Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday, November 17th, 2021 and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Academic Librarian for Archives and Special Collections at NYUAD. Conducted as part of The Memory Project.

In this interview, Dustin shares about his journey to NYUAD, his contributions and experiences while working as a Senior Designer in the Public Affairs and Communication Department. He shares how he first heard about NYUAD and his earliest impressions of Abu Dhabi. He speaks about his initial roles and responsibilities of collaborating, helping and setting expectations of his team regarding designing and branding of the university at a crucial transitional phase of a growing global institution. Dustin outlines his work which has ranged from maintaining public websites, ad campaigns, to hosting large events like Commencement ceremonies, and Marhaba. He fondly remembers the entire creative work process, put together resulting in the creation of a meaningful logo and tagline for the 10th Year Anniversary celebration.

Video-recorded session with Tegan Mc Duffie, Instructor of Project and Stage Management, recorded on January 9, 2022 and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Archivist and Assistant Academic Librarian. Conducted as part of The Memory Project.

In this interview, Tegan describes how she got invited to be a stage manager for a production at NYUAD, which eventually led her to a full-time job. She explains her first impressions of Abu Dhabi, and then working at NYU Abu Dhabi on productions such as RealAD, but she also emphasizes best practices as an instructor and considerations around the cultural context of the country. She touches upon the important aspects of dealing with various equipment and how students have utilized equipment in their Capstone pieces. Tegan discusses NYUAD's signature theater programs and finally reflects on her personal experience and growth period while at NYUAD.

Video-recorded session, with John Pine, Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at NYU Abu Dhabi, recorded on Monday, January 24, 2022, and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Librarian for Archives and Special Collections, NYUAD Library. Conducted as part of The Memory Project.

In this interview, John Pine, talks about his experience at NYU Abu Dhabi as Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving between 2018 and 2022. Prior to joining NYUAD, Pine served as Director of Outreach Programs at the NYU office in New York for five years. He shares that he was impressed by the diverse multicultural environment offered at NYU Abu Dhabi. As a Director of Alumni Relations, he created a strategic plan for improving alumni engagement with a focus on 4 key areas: 1) alumni-to-alumni engagement through traditional methods (e.g., events, regional programs, career support); 2) alumni-to-student support via mentorship and advising; 3) communications and marketing (sharing alumni stories in different media, e.g. social media, website); 4) philanthropy. Pine also shares his memories from organizing reunion dinners for alumni to sharing alumni stories in different mediums, such as Beyond Saadiyat and a podcast in collaboration with the Career Development Center.

[summary in process]

This is Session 1 of a two-session set of interviews conducted as part of Bryan Waterman's exiting NYUAD.

Note: there are two recordings in this first session; the first recording is the bulk of the interview, and then a 4-minute epilogue was added to describe Bryan's Zoom background, which is an image of artwork that was special to him.

[summary in process]

Video-recorded session with Deborah William - Clinical Full Professor at the School of Liberal Studies of New York University and facilitated by Lauren Kata - Assistant Academic Librarian for Archives and Special Collections. Conducted as part of The Memory Project.

In this interview, NYU affiliated faculty member Deborah Williams of the Literature and Creative Writing program delves into various aspects of her experience at NYU Abu Dhabi since the days of the Downtown campus. She highlighs student engagement and the evolution of the curriculum over time, as well as her involvement in initiating literary journals and community reading events. Williams also reflects on the residential aspect of campus life, sharing personal anecdotes about living accommodations and community dynamics. Additionally, she addresses pressing issues such as diversity, labor rights, and the quality of discourse within the institution, emphasizing the need for meaningful conversations and systemic change. Despite facing institutional challenges, Williams expresses appreciation for the extraordinary students and colleagues she has encountered at NYU Abu Dhabi.

[summary in process]

[summary in process]

Video-recorded session, with Sebastian Grube, former Community Engagement and Marketing Officer at NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, recorded on Friday, June 24, 2022, and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Librarian for Archives and Special Collections, NYUAD Library. Conducted as part of The Memory Project.

In this session, Sebastian Grube shares his experiences at NYU Abu Dhabi as a member of the Class of 2018 and a former Community Engagement and Marketing Officer at NYUAD Art Gallery. Grube shares how he experienced Candidate Weekend at Sama Tower and witnessed the Saadiyat campus construction. He also shares that interacting with upper class students who had lived in Sama Tower enabled him to get to know and navigate around Abu Dhabi better. The multicultural setting and academic interdisciplinarity offered at NYUAD changed Grube's perspective on what it means to be a global leader and assisted him throughout his journey as a Music and Theater program double major student, and as Art Gallery Community Engagement and Marketing officer. Grube is now looking to continue his journey as an artist who brings artistic sensibilities into business context

Video-recorded session with Judi Olson, Instructor of Costume Design and Arts and Humanities Representative on the Academic Staff Committee of Staff Council at NYUAD, recorded on Monday, July 4th, 2022, and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Librarian for Archives and Special Collections, NYUAD Library. Conducted as part of The Memory Project.

Judi Olson graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 2009 and joined NYU Abu Dhabi in 2012. Between 2012 and 2016, Olson worked part-time on theater productions and joined NYUAD full-time in 2016. During her first four years, she worked on multiple student productions such as The Ramayana, The Aeneid, A Dream Play, and The Odyssey. In this interview session, Olson talks about the fluidity of the theater program and the transient nature of NYUAD, as well as the challenges and accomplishments of the past six years. Olson also shares nostalgic memories of the brunch culture in Abu Dhabi as a tradition of the expat community in the UAE, and her participation in the Abu Dhabi Choral Group.

Video-recorded session with Jennifer McGlennon, Former Vice Provost of NYUAD Graduate Programs, facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Academic Librarian for Archives and Special Collections. Conducted as part of The Memory Project.

Jennifer McGlennon provides a comprehensive overview of her role as the founding Assistant Vice Provost of Graduate Programs at NYU Abu Dhabi. She shares her background in academia and consulting, including her involvement in educational projects across Indonesia, Australia, and the UAE. McGlennon reflects on the cultural shifts she witnessed in the UAE, particularly in Dubai, where she previously spearheaded educational initiatives. The interview delves into the complexities of establishing graduate programs at NYUAD, highlighting negotiations with department chairs in New York and the challenges of harmonizing institutional cultures across NYU's diverse schools. McGlennon emphasizes the importance of aligning resources and policies to support the needs of PhD students and faculty members, navigating funding arrangements and support services for international scholars. Throughout the discussion, McGlennon underscores the collaborative efforts between NYUAD and stakeholders, including the UAE government and NYU's central administration. She discusses the role of strategic research projects in shaping academic offerings and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, concluding by reflecting on NYUAD's evolution into a premier academic institution in the region.