Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Life, JoNes VanHecke  ’88, reflects on attending Gustavus, embarking on a career in student  affairs, the purpose, responsibilities, and rewards of her current  position, the qualities that make for a successful dean of students, and  the special appeal of her alma mater. Click here for a transcript.

Luanne Bigbear ’91, an educator in Shelton, Washington, recalls her time  at Gustavus, where she double-majored in History and Art and Art  History, recounts her path from there to high-school teacher (including  learning about her birth family along the way), and describes the  innovative curricular initiatives she has participated in, among them  Native-infused curriculum through a program at the Smithsonian’s Museum  of the American Indian. Click here for a transcript.

The Rev. Dr. Matthew Cadwell ’95, on his journey from Scandinavian Studies and Religion major (Phi Beta Kappa) at Gustavus to Vicar-in-Charge at the venerable Old North Church in Boston, the impact of Covid-19 on Old North, his “theological hero,” the English Christian socialist F. D. Maurice, and the history of and his vision for Old North’s congregation. Click here for a transcript.

Gustavus graduate and psychological science major Conrad Oddoye ’20 on his Ghanaian origins, his path from Edmonton, Canada, to Gustavus, sports and music in his life, his experience and perspective as a student of African background, composing and recording for the theatre and dance department’s online production of Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage, and his position with The Emily Program in Minneapolis.

Dr. Rodney A. Caruthers II, the 2020-21 Bruce Gray Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Religion at Gustavus, discusses his  northern/southern family background, his A.M.E pastor mother and the impact of his parents on him, his path from studying architectural design and psychology to seminary to scholar of the composition of ancient Jewish and Christian texts, and his perspective as a Black man on his work and the death of Mr. George Floyd and its aftermath. Click here for a transcript.

Valerie Heider, ’11, on her path from Honors History and Scandinavian Studies at Gustavus to a graduate degree and career in historic preservation, currently with the Minnesota Historical Society, where among the projects she manages is the National Historic Landmark Washburn-Crosby A Mill Complex in Minneapolis. Click here for a transcript.

Hayley Russell, professor of health and exercise science and recipient of the Swenson-Bunn Teaching Award at Gustavus, on her education, research, and teaching in kinesiology and the psychology of sport injury, connecting with faculty colleagues at Gustavus, her love of teaching and role in fostering faculty conversations about improving it, the factors that shape individual responses to sport injury, and the exercise physiology major. Click here for a transcript.

Donald Myers, Gustavus Class of ’83 and Director and Senior Curator of the College’s Hillstrom Museum of Art, talks about his education and career in art, the origins and collections of the Hillstrom Museum, his responsibilities as director, some of the museum’s memorable exhibitions, including two focused on infamous art forger Elmyr de Hory, and why creating and studying art matters so much. Click here for a transcript.

Gustavus junior and triple-major Emily Joan Falk '22 (Political Science, Spanish, and Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies) discusses her social justice activism on and off campus, including her involvement in Indivisible-St. Peter/Greater Mankato, Students for Reproductive Freedom, and the annual student-run Building Bridges conference. Click here for a transcript.

Jeff Dahlseid, Gustavus Class of ’90 and Professor in the Departments of  Biology and Chemistry and Biochemistry program at his alma mater,  recalls his undergraduate and graduate experiences, and talks about  researching messenger RNA and “nonsense-mediated mRNA decay,”  collaborating with and mentoring undergraduates in the lab, changes in  science education and Gustavus itself, and what the Biochemistry and  Molecular Biology program offers. Click here for a transcript.