Conversations on the Oaks

At a faith-based institution, a role that can go unnoticed, but serves an important purpose, is that of the chaplain. What exactly is a chaplain's role and how does the chaplain help students through their college journeys? Rev. Herbert Brisbon III, Dillard University's chaplain, joins the podcast to discuss how he serves the University community, even doing his part in student retention. Learn more about Dillard's Office of the Chaplain.

Part of Dillard University's legacy is the line up of festivals and cultural events that have happened on The Oaks. Some of these events include the Festival of Afro-American Arts, the Jessie Covington Dent Festival, and productions by the Dillard Players’ Guild. Around the same time as some of these festivals, one of the biggest jazz festivals in the world began at a small outdoor venue in New Orleans; and some Dillard alumni believe that the scene on Gentilly Boulevard served as inspiration for the Crescent City's vibrant festival culture. During Black History Month, Dillard featured information and images from some of those festivals and events from the late '60s and early '70s. John Kennedy '10, former Dillard University archivist, joined "Conversations on the Oaks" to talk about these important cultural events.

Eddie Francis switches from one side of the microphone to the other to talk about Dillard University's brand evolution campaign, "Write Your Legacy." The director of communications and marketing discusses the development of the campaign and why it focuses on language. Danielle Miller, Dillard's communications specialist, hosts this episode of "Conversations on the Oaks."

We live in a world of computers and computer technology. However, there is a gap in gaining access to this very important skill and knowledge base in the Black community. At the same time, the career options are plentiful with a plethora of in-demand roles. Dennis Sigur is an assistant professor of computer science, a Dillard University ACUE Distinguished Teaching Scholar and a program manager of the Dillard HBCU C2 Initiative. He visited "Conversations on the Oaks" to talk about the world of computer science and the opportunities for students. In September of 2022, Professor Sigur took a team to the BE Smart Hackathon in Dallas, where they won the Best Engineering Design award.

Dr. Rochelle L. Ford began her tenure as Dillard University's eighth president July 1, 2022. In her first week, she hit the ground running, representing the University at ESSENCE Festival of Culture events and signing an MOU with the Department of Homeland Security. Ford took the time to sit with "Conversations on the Oaks" to discuss her vision for Dillard as well as her background. She even gives mass communication majors a glimpse of what they can expect from her as one of their professors. Ford also discusses how she intends to write her legacy.

At Dillard, mock trial is more than a competition. It is an opportunity to diversify the legal field by exposing future Black lawyers to the courtroom environment. After competing among a field of more than 700 teams at the American Mock Trial Association's regional tournament, Dillard Mock Trial is one of 192 teams moving on to the national championship's Opening Round Championship Series. The feat is significant because Dillard is one of fewer than 10 HBCU mock trial teams and one of only four in Louisiana.  Amaya Ronczyk, president of Dillard's mock trial team, joins "Conversations on the Oaks" to explain how mock trial works, its importance to her and her peers, and what makes the Bleu Devils so good.

Whether it is helping people through a pandemic, disaster recovery or personal situations, social workers are there. But their work isn’t limited to helping people from under-resourced communities. Even the well-off need social workers. Octavia Edinburg, a social work instructor at Dillard University, discusses where we see--and even don't see--social work in our everyday lives.

In the wake of Hurricane Ida, images of empty supermarket shelves were posted on social media and shown on news outlets thanks to issues with the supply chain. Such challenges are not new, however, due to COVID-19. To answer calls by the business community, Dillard University added supply chain management as a concentration of the business administration program. Dr. Dorian Williams, dean of Dillard’s College of Business and an assistant professor of economics, joined "Conversations on the Oaks" to help us understand why the supply chain is a component of business that is important for the public to understand.

Aside from the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been numerous public conversations about public health, but what exactly is public health? Dr. Rachael Reed, interim chair of Dillard University's School of Health and Wellness and an assistant professor of public health, joins the podcast to define the field. She also talks about which public health issues she is keeping her eyes on and the University's new health science program.

The Ray Charles Program in African-American Material Culture at Dillard University is truly one of a kind. It is the only one of its kind in Louisiana and a rarity in the United States. Zella Palmer, director and endowed chair of the Ray Charles Program joins “Conversations on the Oaks” to talk about that program, the influence of food plus Dillard’s new minor if food studies.