Cathy Dunn is an acquisitions librarian at her alma mater, Mississippi State University. Lougan and Cathy talk about how she chose her career and the way digital information has changed the landscape of being a librarian. They also discuss the importance of libraries when it comes to the dissemination of information in the current age.

Eric Stoller is the vice president of digital strategy at GeckoEngage. You may know him from his articles on Inside Higher Ed, his speaking engagements and his consulting work around digital engagement. He’s always loved doing marketing and public relations, but never wanted to work for an agency. Eric’s experiences in student development services at University of Illinois Chicago and enrollment management at Oregon State University really cemented interest in the intersection of technology and student success. He’s had an incredible and unique journey through the world of higher education.

What’s better than actually going to the HighEdWeb Conference? Recording an episode with your friends that actually went! At least that’s what Lougan is telling himself this week as he welcomes Jackie and Jon-Stephen back to the show along with new guest Alaina Wiens. We chat about what it’s like running social media for the conference, and the various presentations they gave. We also talk about the “golden nuggets” they are taking back home this year. 

It’s been a crazy week, and we’ll be back next week with a new episode. For now, enjoy this rebroadcast episode with Jon McBride!

Jon McBride works at Brigham Young University as the media relations and social media manager. Since he started at BYU 6 years ago, he has begun to develop a strong and creative social media strategy. In this episode, he explained how he loves that his department is adaptive to the field of communication. Jon tells us about the time he pitched Beyonce’s publicist, and also chats with Lougan and Jackie about his student social media team and their thoughtful Instagram stories on tough campus topics.

Ashley Alvarado is a doctoral student at the University of South Carolina where she serves as a teaching assistant while obtaining her Ph. D in literature. Lougan and Ashley talk about how general education classes teach students to analyze and interpret information, as well as think critically. We also talk about Ashley’s plans for doctoral research, specifically diaries and their place in literature.