natalie williams & the many bird mascots of the OVC

For our final episode of the 2018 season, we chatted with Natalie Williams from Iowa State University. As the academic coordinator for men’s basketball and women’s softball, she monitors and supports student-athletes academically to ensure compliance with NCAA academic eligibility rules and to make sure they maintain their athletic scholarships. In college, she played volleyball so she believes her experience as a student-athlete can help her advisees. She loves how her job deals with both the athletic and academic side. We have a great discussion about the challenges of her job and her plans for the holiday season.

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christine figgener & the sea turtles

Christine Figgener is a marine conservation biologist, a Ph.D. candidate at Texas A&M University and Time Magazine recently recognized her as a ‘2018 Next Generation Leader.’ Christine is credited with helping spark the anti-plastic movement with her viral video of a straw being pulled from a turtle’s nose. She loves how research is connected to mentorship. After graduation, she hopes to focus on science communication to build the gap between scientists and non-scientists.

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kyle johnson & mainland amazon prime is better

Kyle Johnson is the Dean for Information Technology & Services at Chaminade University in Honolulu. He grew up in the Carolinas where he started working in higher ed at his alma mater, Duke University. Kyle serves as the chief information officer for the institution and we chat about life in Hawaii and the unique challenges dealing with information technology at a small institution on an island in the middle of the Pacific. We also discuss Chaminade’s mission to extend the educational experience to students on isolated islands in Micronesia.

And always remember, there are two people you should always make happy at work. The people that can fix your computer, and the people who buy the toilet paper.

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jake mclean & the moldy acronym

This week we were excited to talk with Jake McLean, the assistant director of leadership development and service at Monmouth College. We start the show with a discussion of the classic 90’s Disney Movie “Smart House” from episode 138. Jake tells us about his work on the co-curricular side of things working with students through Monmouth’s various leadership programs. We then talk about Jake and Jackie’s upcoming TV show watchlists, debate what baking shows are the best and discuss the evolution of Gordon Ramsey.

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