For this special 100th episode of the podcast, Greg speaks with Rebecca Bergman, the 17th and first woman President of Gustavus, about her background, her paths to the chemical engineering major at Princeton, a career in biomedical engineering at Medtronic, and eventually the presidency of Gustavus, the similarities and differences between leadership in the private sector and nonprofit academe, the qualities of a successful leader, her work and achievements as president, her long-term hopes and case for the institution, and what she does to recharge.

In advance of the 27th annual student-run Building Bridges Conference at Gustavus, ”Knowledge Is Power: Dismantling Systematic Bias in Educational Institutions,” conference co-chairs Mad Chase and Ellie Hartmann, Class of ’23, speak about their paths to and experiences at the College, the purpose of Building Bridges, the work of organizing the conference, their roles as co-chairs, the focus and lineup of this year’s conference, the rewards of their involvement in it, and #WhyGustavus.

Professor Samuel Kessler, holder of the Ake and Kristina Bonnier Chair in Jewish Studies in the Department of Religion at Gustavus, talks about his background and paths to his BA in History, PhD in Religious Studies, and the Bonnier Chair, the origins and logic of the latter, learning and teaching about “lived religion,” varieties of Judaism and being Jewish at Gustavus, falling for Berlin while studying there as an undergraduate, his book nearing completion about the nineteenth-century Chief Rabbi of Vienna and public intellectual Adolf Jellinek, and the American Jewish author Philip Roth.

The Honorable Krista J. Jass ’90 talks about her path to becoming a Gustavus undergraduate and then lawyer, public defender, and now judge in Minnesota’s Fifth Judicial District, the scope of her judgeship, her involvement in Family Dependency Treatment Court, preparing for a case and writing a decision, what makes her an effective judge, the role of law and the courts in our democracy, and the impact of Gustavus on her life.

Gustavus Head Volleyball Coach Rachelle Sherden and Academic All-American team member and recent graduate Kate Holtan talk about the impact of the pandemic on the team and its seasons, their backgrounds and paths to volleyball, coaching, and Gustavus, the attractions of volleyball and ingredients of successful playing and coaching, Kate’s academic experience and involvement in the Gustavus Women in Leadership Conference, and what makes Gustavus distinctive.

Former Minnesota Poet Laureate and Gustavus Professor Emeritus of English Joyce Sutphen converses about growing up on a dairy farm, her path to poetry and the faculty at Gustavus, her 12 years between dropping out of and finishing college, an arresting turning point in a London theater, and writing and memorizing poetry. Special bonus: she also reads an older and forthcoming poem of hers.

Artist Kristen Lowe, Professor of Art and Art History at Gustavus and, as a recent profile put it, “one of the most important working artists in Minnesota,” on charcoal and drawing, her formative education at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, an amazing opportunity and experience at the Louvre fresh out of graduate school, creating the works for her exhibit “Battle at the River Bottom: Drawings and Videos” at Gustavus’s Hillstrom Museum of Art, women and art, and why art matters.

Jim Hearn '82, three-time All-American tennis player and history major at Gustavus, on his undergraduate years, love of tennis, how he became involved in the real estate industry, founding the real estate investment firm ApexOne, the nature of the firm and his role in it, and what it takes to succeed in business (spoiler alert: writing well matters more than you might think).

Margaret Anderson Kelliher '90, who was recently named the next director of public works for the City of Minneapolis, talks about her path from family farm to Gustavus, politics, Minnesota state representative, and, eventually, Speaker of the Minnesota House (only the second woman to serve in that position), her experience as Speaker and a candidate for governor and later Congress, her position as Commissioner of Minnesota’s Department of Transportation, and the department’s  purview, present focus, and ongoing work. Bonus: Advice for students based on her Gustavus experience.

Gustavus professor emeritus of classics William (Will) Freiert reflects on his Jesuit education and path to classics, the development of the classics  department at Gustavus and his and his classicist spouse Professor Emeritus Patricia Freiert’s roles in that, his teaching career at a Jesuit prep school in  Washington, D.C. and then Gustavus, connecting ideas and the past (antiquity) and present, his love of theater, and the meaning and importance of the liberal arts. Click here for a transcript.