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	<img alt="Au Sable website homepage" src="{filedir_5}Website-Homepage.jpg" style="float: right; width: 250px; height: 168px; " />When speaking to prospective students, one of the greatest challenges is finding the right mix of story, description, and pictures to convey the Au Sable experience.&nbsp;There is a tremendous amount of lived experience that permeates the Au Sable location and community that in the end, one wishes deep down that each student could &ldquo;just experience it yourself&rdquo; to know what it&#39;s like. &nbsp;The past 10 months, Au Sable staff has taken that challenge to the internet. &nbsp;Earlier this month, Au Sable unveiled its <a href="http://www.ausable.org">new website</a>, a gateway for prospective students, alumni, supporters, Christians curious about creation care, and many others into Au Sable&rsquo;s work and community.</p>
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	The new website has a number of exciting features that will help the Institute keep the Au Sable community up-to-date on what&rsquo;s happening around campus.&nbsp; New features include a <a href="{filedir_11}news_and_resources/news/">news</a> and <a href="{filedir_11}news_and_resources/blog/">blogs</a> page, <a href="{filedir_11}news_and_resources/photo_gallery/">photo albums</a>, information about <a href="{filedir_11}courses/faculty_and_fellows/">faculty members</a>, and ways for <a href="{filedir_11}alumni/">alumni</a>&nbsp;to connect.&nbsp; Besides new features, the website uses a new web program for updates, making it simpler and more easy for staff to post content regularly.</p>
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	The new website enables current and prospective students to register for classes, view faculty profiles, and get answers to their questions easily. In addition, alumni will also find an online home where they can connect with fellow alumni and faculty, learn about <a href="{filedir_11}alumni_and_grad_fellows/job_postings/">job opportunities</a>, send in articles and photos of their activities at Au Sable, and keep up-to-date on Au Sable activities. Many alumni have expressed the view that being part of Au Sable was a life-changing experience for them, and the website will serve as one way that the bond created during their field studies will extend beyond their time spent on campus. Alumni will be invited and encouraged to submit articles for blogs, research papers, and updates about their professional activities through the alumni section.</p>
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	<img alt="ASI Website news page" src="{filedir_5}News-webpage.jpg" style="float: left; width: 250px; height: 202px; " />Carolynn Van Namen, an <a href="http://www.ausable.org/about/board/">Au Sable board member</a> who lent her considerable experience to creating the website, says, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited about the new website overall because I believe it will convey Au Sable&rsquo;s significance in the realm of Creation care and environmental stewardship to a broader audience. Au Sable has the opportunity to become better known beyond its immediate circle of support to reach the greater Christian community. Since we are an educational organization, the site can serve as a recruitment tool for prospective students who will be able to gain insights and understanding about ASI&rsquo;s courses, programs, faculty and fellow students online.&rdquo;</p>
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	Au Sable&rsquo;s new website will accomplish several important goals of ASI&rsquo;s strategic plan, such as enabling greater outreach and facilitating more participation among our constituents. The new site will attract visitors through internet search and appeal to a broader audience through its improved design and user experience.&nbsp; The organization already has a strong connection to its alumni and friends that can now be expanded to those who may not be aware of its mission or even know of its existence. This opportunity will help to enhance the value of Au Sable&rsquo;s offerings and encourage more Christians to embrace the important service that Au Sable provides to students around the country. The new site will reveal the treasure that students, faculty and alumni know Au Sable to be and share its message and mission globally through its online presence.</p>
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	If you have website design or programming experience and would be willing to lend your expertise, please contact Dieter, dbouma@ausable.org. We would love your help with small troubleshooting matters related to the new website.</p>
