For this 50th episode, previous podcast guest Kathy Lund Dean of the Department of Economics and Management at Gustavus interviews host Greg Kaster about the origins of the podcast, influences on his love of history, his work as inaugural holder of the James M. McPherson Endowed Professorship in American History at Gustavus, and engaging with the public as a historian. Click here for a transcript.

Gustavus Professor of Theatre and Dance Michele Rusinko on how she went from science to dance while never quite leaving science behind, the happenstance that led her to Gustavus, her choreographic process, Positive Psychology, teaching dance, and the liberal-arts wellspring of her artistry. Click here for a transcript.

Recent graduate Katie Aney ’18 on her path to Gustavus and from there to Harvard Medical School, her love of science and tennis, her research into pancreatic cancer, and what her alma mater offers those who choose it as their college. Click here for a transcript.

Gustavus alum Joel Johnson,’96, the Sanford Peter Schotten Distinguished Professor and member of the Department of Government and International Affairs at Augustana University, talks about his experiences at Gustavus and then Harvard, why democracy requires an argument for it, defending liberal democracy through literature, and the case for studying political science. Click here for a transcript.

Professor Melissa Lynn of the Department of Mathematics, Computer  Science, and Statistics at Gustavus on hating and then loving math,  researching sums-of-squares formulas, teaching math and programing,  machine learning, and gender inequities and discrimination in  mathematics and the sciences. Click here for a transcript.

Gustavus Head Football Coach Peter Haugen on his path to coaching,  football as a vehicle for bringing diverse people together and promoting growth on and off the field, and the challenges, responsibilities, and  rewards of being a college head coach. Click here for a transcript.

Professor Amy Seham of the Gustavus Department of Theatre and Dance talks about researching and performing improv, social justice theatre, directing in an educational setting, the benefits of majoring in theatre, this spring’s play on campus and adjusting its production due to COVID-19. Click here for a transcript.

Professor Anna Versluis of the Gustavus geography department talks about how and why she became a geographer, researching, living in, and rethinking Haiti, southern Minnesota farmers’ attitudes toward changes in farming, the 2019 Gustavus Nobel Conference on climate change, the weekly Reconciliation Circles on campus, innovating her teaching, and the case for majoring in geography at Gustavus. Click here for a transcript.

Richard Aune, Gustavus Class of ’81 and the College’s Associate Vice President and Dean of Admission, on his path to Gustavus and eventually its admission office, the changes and continuities in that office over time, and the crucial, challenging, and rewarding work (now amid a pandemic hammering higher ed) of building a new entering class each year. Click here for a transcript.

Pianist Esther Wang, the Ethel and Edgar F. Johnson Professor of Fine Arts and member of the music department at Gustavus, on her path to music and the piano, performing as a soloist and accompanist, interpretation in music, teaching a course on music and nature, and what is special about the music major at Gustavus. Bonus: A piano interlude. Click here for a transcript.