Rocking the Academy

In this episode of Rocking the Academy, co-hosts Roopika Risam and Mary Churchill talk with Katie Rose Guest Pryal, co-founder of Blue Crow Books and author of Life of the Mind Interrupted: Essays on Mental Health and Disability in Higher Education, about her ideas for the future of higher education. We talk with Katie about mental health and disability in higher education, the challenges of an academic culture that rewards overworking, the importance of self-care, and being able to bring your whole self to your work. Katie sees hope for a different future of higher ed through supportive programs for graduate students that stress emotional support, collaboration, and a holistic approach to academic work.

Find us on Twitter: @roopikarisam, @mary_churchill, and @krgpryal.

In this episode of Rocking the Academy, co-hosts Roopika Risam and Mary Churchill talk with Schuyler Esprit, Founding Director, Create Caribbean and Program Officer, University of West Indies, Open Campus, about her ideas for the future of higher education. We talk with Schuyler about her academic journey, the role of digital humanities in her work, the importance of working with high school students, and the trade-offs that come with administrative work. Schuyler sees hope for a different future of higher ed and the world through the her work with students in Dominica and throughout the Caribbean.

Find us on Twitter: @roopikarisam, @mary_churchill, and @schuyleresprit

In this episode of Rocking the Academy, co-hosts Roopika Risam and Mary Churchill talk with Kelly J. Baker, Editor of Women in Higher Ed, about her ideas for the future of higher education. We talk with Kelly about her own alt-ac work, sexism in higher ed, and the adjunctifiation of higher ed. Kelly sees hope for a different future of higher ed in the radical activism of students on campus.

Find us on Twitter: @roopikarisam, @mary_churchill, and @kelly_j_baker

In this episode of Rocking the Academy, co-hosts Roopika Risam and Mary Churchill talk with Alex Gil, Digital Scholarship Librarian at Columbia University, about his ideas for the future of higher education. We talk with Alex about the ways his background in postcolonial and textual scholarship led him to work in digital humanities, the nature of labor in libraries, and his visionary work beyond the boundaries of the university through projects like Rikersbot. Alex sees hope for a different future of higher ed in this collaborative work being done outside of the academy.

Find us on Twitter: @roopikarisam, @mary_churchill, and @elotroalex

In this episode of Rocking the Academy, co-hosts Roopika Risam and Mary Churchill talk with Lee Skallerup Bessette, Learning Design Specialist at the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship at Georgetown University, about her ideas for the future of higher education. We cover the role of social media and blogging in Lee’s career, her advocacy for contingent faculty, and the importance of focusing on students.

Find us on Twitter: @roopikarisam, @mary_churchill, and @readywriting

In the premiere episode of Rocking the Academy, co-hosts Roopika Risam and Mary Churchill talk with Paula Krebs, Executive Director of the Modern Language Association, about her ideas for the future of higher education. We cover new initiatives at the MLA, Teaching at Teaching Intensive Institutions, and groundbreaking work in digital humanities. Hopeful innovations include new tools and new contexts such as podcasts and Twitter, mergers and consortia, and the role of digital humanities in rethinking race, class, and accessibility.

Find us on Twitter: @roopikarisam, @mary_churchill, and @paulakrebs