Kevin Singer is a PhD student in higher education at North Carolina State University where he serves as a Research Associate for the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey (IDEALS). He also serves as Co-Director of Neighborly Faith, an org helping evangelical college students to build bridges of friendship with people of other faiths, and teaches world religions at two community colleges. IDEALS recently released a national report called “Friendships Matter” about befriending people across all faiths. Lougan and Kevin talk about consequences of online behavior as well as empathy in conversations one might disagree with. When he’s not in higher ed, he’s hanging out with his wife and their 4 kids.

Links to cool stuff

• Kevin on Twitter
• Kevin on Linkedin
• Kevin’s Website
• IDEALS Research

Kelsey Ryan the coordinator of fraternity and sorority life at University of Memphis. After deciding that pharmacy school wasn’t for her, she chose a career in student affairs working with fraternity and sorority life. Kelsey is a true advocate for Greek Life on campus, and we discuss how Greek organizations contribute to the community and how a few bad apples can tarnish the good work of others. 

Link to cool stuff

• Kelsey on LinkedIn

On this week’s episode, we talk sit down with John Delony, the Associate Provost and Dean of Students at Belmont University. John talks about how his own mental health challenges proved to be an important turning point in his life. Those events inspired him to take counseling classes at Texas Tech and join a crisis team to help grieving families. All of these experiences have profoundly shaped his approach to working with students. 

Talk about a higher ed superhero, Thea Zunick serves as the director of student life at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. On top of that, she is an adjunct professor University of the Sciences and Montclair State University while volunteering for AFA, NASPA, and greek organizations. She talks about the platforms that online classes can use to create engagement. The group talks about how meetings can be unproductive at times. 

Links to cool stuff: 

• Thea on Twitter
• Thea on LinkedIn

It was great having the insightful Kristen Lemaster on the show this week! She works at Vanderbilt University as the program coordinator in the Office of Inclusion Initiatives and Cultural Competence. Kristen works to facilitate trainings on diversity across the campus and works to advise and support the Vanderbilt Association of Hispanic Students and the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Chinese Association. On the show, we talk about the important work she does and the importance of personal relationships and partnerships across the institution. 

Links to cool stuff: 

• Kristen on Twitter
• Kristen on LinkedIn
• Kristen on Instagram