Beyond Boundaries Podcast

In this episode, Rob talks with Distinguished Professor of Law & Religion and Professor of Political Science John Inazu and Distinguished Professor of Religion and Politics Mark Valeri about their brand-new Fall 2020 Beyond Boundaries course Religious Freedom in America. The conversation covers their own backgrounds, research, their work in the Danforth Center for Religion & Politics, how they met and conceived of the new course together, some wisdom for first-year students, and their landlord/tenant relationship as well. 

In this episode, Rob sits down with Dean Steve Malter who is the Senior Associate Dean of Experiential Learning & Strategic Initiatives at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St Louis and Co-Founder of the Israel Summer Business Academy. Dean Malter discusses his role and history at WashU and briefly discuss the Israel Academy. We also discuss the brand-new Beyond Boundaries course he will be teaching this Fall with Professor Andrew Reeves from Political Science called the Business of Elections. We are also joined by Steve's dog 'Finn' and the origins of Finn's name. Give a listen! 

In this episode, Rob talks with current Beyond Boundaries Program Class of 2023 students Ranen Miao and Christine Nguyen. They talk about their first year in the program, the student group and leadership positions they enjoy all across campus (including Ranen's role as SU President), being stuck in Appalachia when word of the campus closure went out, their favorite places on campus to eat and study, and advice they have for incoming first-year students. 

In this episode, Rob interviews Dean Jill Stratton affectionately known by generations of students as the 'Dean of Joy'. Dean Stratton is the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Residential Learning at Washington University in St Louis and has been a trusted advisor and special counsel to the Beyond Boundaries Program. Dean Stratton has enjoyed 27 years at WashU and will soon be departing for a new position as an Assistant Provost for Experiential Learning at Vanderbilt University. We reminisce about Jill's early years at WashU, her teaching in the areas of leadership and psychology, and her advice to college students moving forward in these uncertain times. 

In this episode, Rob interviews a pair of current Beyond Boundaries students in Olin Business student Harrison Tanaka from Laguna Niguel, CA and Engineering student Josh Sturgell from Neenah, WI. Both reflect on their first year as students in the first year of the program as it relates to classes and extracurricular opportunities. We also discuss the city tours led by their classmate Liam Dai and what they've been doing to pass the time in quarantine. 

In the episode, Rob chats with the brilliant team behind the popular Beyond Boundaries 'Bear Bridge' course Empathy First: Solutions With Heart led by two faculty across the university in Liz Kramer from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts and the Office of Socially Engaged Practice and Jennifer Harpring from the Brown School of Social Work and Director of Field Education. Joining them as well is graduate student and Instructional Assistant for the course, Marissa Price. Their class delves into methods, processes, and approaches in integrating empathy into decisions used in design and social work and features unique panel conversations with experts in health, law, and business. The class is a unique feature of the Beyond Boundaries Program curriculum as one of two 'Bear Bridge' courses that actively incorporate a community-engagement component to the course design. 

In this episode, Rob interviews current Beyond Boundaries Program student Liam Dai from Kansas City, MO. Liam is a student in the Olin Business School pursuing a number of different interests related to urban planning and construction. Rob and Liam discuss the miles-long walking tours that Liam has led for his classmates all over St Louis in an effort to see the civic challenges St Louis faces up-close and personal. They also talk about what Liam is up to during quarantine and his contacts with developers in both St Louis and Kansas City. 

A special two-for-one episode that starts with an interview of Merry May Ma, undergraduate Teaching Assistant for the Beyond Boundaries course Designing Creativity with a background in Film & Media Studies and a PNP major followed by an interview of incoming Class of 2024 Beyond Boundaries Program student and Sikeston, MO native Jordan Lin. 

In this episode, Rob interviews the trio of WashU faculty representing 3 different divisions at WashU in Dr Brian Carpenter, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dr Nancy Morrow-Howell, Professor of Social Policy with the Brown School of Social Work and Director of the Harvey A Friedman Center for Aging, and Dr Susan Stark, Professor in Occupational Therapy with the School of Medicine. Together these talented faculty members teach the longest-running Beyond Boundaries class each Fall called When I'm 64: Imagining the Future of Aging. They talk about the early ideas for the course, their individual areas of expertise, and what advice they would give their younger 1st Year college selves (if they could). 

In this episode, we talk with Jessie Wills who is entering the Beyond Boundaries Program in the Fall as a proud member of the Class of 2024. We discuss Jessie's interests that cut across disciplines in the areas of fashion design, anthropology, and global health. We discuss the program she did at Parsons on the visual presentation of fashion, what she's been doing to pass the time in quarantine and her interest in rowing and learning to play the guitar.