For our first episode of The Campfire, we interview Diane Chase, vice president for academic innovation, student success, and strategic initiatives at Claremont Graduate University. Thanks to Diane and her team, CGU has been particularly successful in helping students transition to a temporary, hybrid-online learning model. Unlike many universities seeing shortfalls during the pandemic, CGU enrollment has remained stable. Diane is also an archeologist. For over 25 years she and her husband Arlen Chase, a professor at Pomona College, have directed archaeological excavations at Caracol, Belize. In this episode, Jeremy talks with Diane about how she cultivates success in higher education as both an administrator and archaeologist.

For a transcript of this episode, email cgupodcasts at gmail.com and include the episode title.

Vievee Francis, recipient of the 2017 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, and Lori Anne Ferrell, John D. and Lillian Maguire Distinguished Professor in the Humanities, talk about the impact of poetry on self-expression, how learning poetry is a modern-day luxury, and how social media is changing people's ideas about poetry. Lori Anne also discusses Forest Primeval's remarkable poetic structure, which directly influenced its receipt of the Kingsley Tufts Award. Additionally, Vievee shares her own journey through the world of poetry, and offers insight into her own inspirations. For a transcript of this episode, email cgupodcasts at gmail.com and include the episode title.

Jenny Darroch, the Henry Y. Hwang Dean of the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito School, talks about how the principles of management formulated by business visionary Peter Drucker still resonate today. Darroch discusses Drucker’s enduring legacy with Nick Owchar, CGU’s executive director of advancement communications, and talks about how the Drucker School has used his philosophy to evolve to better serve its students, and its alumni, in a world that is far different than the one their parents lived in. For a transcript of this episode, email cgupodcasts at gmail.com and include the episode title.

We talk with two Claremont Graduate University doctoral students studying Public Health: Amay Singh, who is interested in global health-related stigmas, and Rebecca Ingrim, who is researching infectious diseases and causes of disabilities. Singh examines efforts to de-stigmatize health issues faced by women in India through public policy, education, and awareness, as well as how her experiences in her country of birth shaped her goal of working in global public health. Ingrim discusses how her mother's struggle with ovarian cancer sparked her interest in learning about health and the human body. Both offer unique perspectives on their experience at Claremont Graduate University and discuss academic and career goals. For a transcript of this episode, email cgupodcasts at gmail.com and include the episode title.

Listening Reference:

[02:00] Singh discusses stigma in public health, specifically faced by women in India.

[06:41] Singh discusses why her experiences in India led her to want to study stigma in public health, influence public policy, and spread awareness and education.

[07:50] Ingrim talks about her experiences with her mother being diagnosed with ovarian cancer and how that increased her interest in studying diseases and health.

[11:37] Ingrim explains how her PhD will help her map out infectious diseases and determine where and how she can intervene to stop them.

[14:35] Singh explains the practical outcome of her degree: either working with the United Nations to influence policy and decrease stigma, or working in India to work directly with citizens and spread awareness and education.

[20:05] Ingrim discusses how people can work to prevent infectious diseases.

[23:14] Both students discuss the best parts of their experience at Claremont Graduate University, including the passionate professors in their program.

[28:08] Both students talk about how they explain their studies to families and students outside of their program.

Quotes from the episode:

• “23% of girls drop out of school in India due to the stigma related to menstrual issues.”
• “The less vaccinations communities take, the more diseases seem to spread.”

Mentioned in the episode:

• Amay Singh
• Rebecca Ingrim
• CGU School of Community & Global Health
• Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program
• Master of Public Health (MPH) program
• GIS at CGU
• Heather Campbell, Professor & Chair, Department of Politics & Government

For the first episode of The Campfire, we interview Professor of Religion Patrick Mason, an accomplished scholar and authority on the topic of Mormonism. Mason examines Mormonism’s humble beginnings, as well as more complicated topics such as the politics surrounding the religion and how it has developed over time. He compares Mormonism to other religious minorities, exploring the paradox of a religion creating violence while searching for peace.

Mason also provides personal nuance, touching on the question of what it takes to be both a scholar and a Mormon and balance faith with the pursuit of knowledge.

For a transcript of this episode, email cgupodcasts at gmail.com and include the episode title.

Listening Reference:

[04:05] Growing up Mormon

[07:50] History of Mormonism

[10:20] Mormonism's differences from other branches of Christianity

[12:30] Who is Mormon?

[16:38] Mormonism revised

[22:30] How social media has changed Mormonism

[28:06] Mormonism as a religious minority

[35:50] The paradox of why religion engenders violence

[39:13] Why Mormonism is so popular in America 

Mentioned in this episode:

Mormon Studies Council at CGU

Department of Religion at CGU

The Mormon Menace: Violence and Anti-Mormonism in the Postbellum South

Extermination Order

The Ambivalence of the Sacred by Scott Appleby

Welcome to The Campfire. This is the idea place where thinkers and leaders from Claremont Graduate University talk about their intellectual, creative, and personal journeys. For a transcript of this episode, email cgupodcasts at gmail.com and include the episode title.