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The Academic Life

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Mar 25, 2021 • 47min

University Press Submissions and the Peer Review: A Discussion with Rachael Levay

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear about: acquiring manuscripts, what editors do, and how the peer review process works.Our guest is: Rachael Levay, the acquisitions editor at University Press of Colorado and Utah State University Press.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman From Dissertation to Book by William Germano Association of University Presses Subject Area Grid. These documents list every publishing subject area and which university presses have historically acquired in them and are still acquiring in them. It’s a fabulous research tool when thinking about which press to submit one’s work to. Platypus: The Blog of the Humanities Common Team. “Rethinking Scholarly Communication: Open Peer Review” details a 2019 Twitter chat about what open peer review looks like currently and could look like in the future. ASK UP: Authors Seeking Knowledge from University Presses. This Association of University Presses site offers answers to many common questions about finding a publisher, working through the process, and more. A discussion of stylish academic writing A discussion about university presses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
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Mar 22, 2021 • 56min

Pandemic Perspectives: From a Vice President of Student Affairs

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at dr.danamalone@gmail.com or cgessler@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: reflections on the shutdown, lessons learned, leading through change and ambiguity, impacts and challenges facing students, the future of higher education, and the distinctive nuances of a vocation versus a job.Our guest is: Dr. Zebulun Davenport, the Vice President for Student Affairs at West Chester University. He earned his Doctorate in Higher Education and Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, an M.Ed. in College Student Personnel Administration, and a B.S. in Communications/Public Relations from James Madison University. His contributions have advanced campus culture, organizational structure, and student success. Dr. Davenport has served as a Vice President for Student Affairs for three institutions and under his leadership, two of those divisions of student affairs have received Diverse Magazine’s the distinction of “Most Promising Places to Work.”His expertise includes student retention, outcomes assessment, strategic planning, and strategies for assisting first-generation college students. Dr. Davenport’s publications include co-authoring two books entitled First-Generation College Students – Understanding and Improving the Experience from Recruitment to Commencement; and Student Affairs Assessment, Evaluation, and Research: A Guidebook for Graduate Students and New Professionals, a chapter in an edited volume entitled The Student Success Conundrum, in B. Bontrager (Ed.), Strategic Enrollment Management: Transforming Higher Education; a chapter in an edited monograph entitled Creating Collaborative Conditions for Student Success in S. Whalen (Ed.), Proceedings of the 8th National Symposium on Student Retention 2012, and a chapter in the fourth edition of The Handbook of Student Affairs Administration in Jossey Bass 2016. He has presented at workshops for numerous public agencies; educational institutions; state, regional, and national conferences; as well as to thousands of college students and professionals throughout his career.Your host is: Dr. Dana Malone, a higher education scholar and practitioner with a background in student affairs. Dana has known Zeb for several years. His dynamic personality and ability to relate over what really matters in work and life sparked a kindred connection from their first meeting.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: Working with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman  Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni  Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman  Uncommon Candor: A Leader's Guide to Straight Talk by Nancy K. Eberhardt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
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Mar 18, 2021 • 1h 3min

The Self-Care Stuff: Parenting and Personal Life in Academia

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear about: navigating academia, gender creative parenting, and a discussion of the book Raising Them.Our guest is: Dr. Kyl Myers, author of Raising Them: Our Adventure in Gender Creative Parenting. Kyl is a sociologist, parent, partner, professor, and advocate of gender creative parenting. Kyl’s work has been featured on social media, a TedX Talk, and in numerous articles. She can be found at raisingzoomer.com and at kylmyers.com.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: TheybyParenting.com Parenting Beyond Pink and Blue, by Christia Spears Brown Gender Revolution, Documentary from National Geographic Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon Raising Them: Our Adventure in Gender Creative Parenting by Kyl Myers Raising Baby Grey, video and story from The New Yorker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
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Mar 15, 2021 • 46min

Pandemic Perspective from an Adjunct: A Discussion with Dawn Fratini

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear about: the paid and unpaid workload required of adjuncts, Dawn’s personal pandemic perspective as she had to suddenly pivot from teaching on campus to teaching online, the effect of the pivot on her students, and her love of film studies and why she’s hopeful for the future.Our guest is: Dawn Fratini, who has nearly twenty years adjunct teaching experience at the community college and college level. She is currently an adjunct professor at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts where she teaches courses in Film History, Animation History, the Walt Disney Company, the Horror Genre and more. She hold an MFA in Screenwriting and is a PhD candidate at UCLA’s School of Film, Television and Digital Media. She researches technical labor in Hollywood and is currently completing her PhD dissertation, The Genies in the System: The Motion Picture Research Council, 1947-1960.Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. Christina and Dawn are members of the Friday Morning Molas, a writing group founded during the pandemic. Christina is the co-creator the Academic Life channel for NBN with Dr. Dana Malone, a channel they started during the pandemic.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Margaret Herrick Library, Digital Collections. UCLA Oral History Digital Collection. Media History Digital Archive. The Internet Archive. Aca-Media podcast of the Society of Cinema and Media Studies, which looks at a variety of issues in the field, including teaching during the pandemic. Teaching Media, which hosts an online journal on media pedagogy, and also serves as open source for sharing teaching ideas and resources. SCMS Precarious Labor Organization. "The Precarious Labor Organization provides community and advocacy for the Society’s members who are in positions without job security or a clear route to promotion and advancement."  SCMS. "The Society for Cinema and Media Studies is the leading scholarly organization in the United States dedicated to promoting a broad understanding of film, television, and related media through research and teaching grounded in the contemporary humanities tradition.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
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Mar 11, 2021 • 57min

How to College: A Conversation with Lara Hope Schwartz and Andrea Malkin Brenner

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: what you need to know before you go, the talk you need to have with your family and friends before you leave for school, what to do when you get there, and a discussion of the book How to College.Our guest is: Lara Hope Schwartz, the co-author of How To College. She has served as a Faculty Fellow at American University’s Center for Teaching, Research, and Learning. She teaches at American University’s School of Public Affairs, and serves as Honors Program Director. Previously, Lara was Director of Strategic Engagement at the American Constitution Society for Law & Policy, Courts Matter director at Media Matters, Legal Director at the Human Rights Campaign, and Vice President of External Affairs at the American Association of People with Disabilities. She earned her Juris Doctor Cum Laude from Harvard Law School and her AB in English and American Literature Magna Cum Laude from Brown University.Our guest is: Andrea Malkin Brenner, PhD, the co-author of How To College. She was a faculty member in the Department of Sociology at American University for 20 years, and directed the University College program. She created the American University Experience (AUx) Program, a mandatory full-year course that serves as a college transition course, and a cross-cultural communication class. She holds a BA in Sociology from Brandeis University, an MA in Curriculum, Instruction and Administration in Higher Education from Boston College, and a PhD in Sociology from American University. She currently consults with colleges that wish to create their own first-year transitions courses.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She specializes in decoding diaries written by rural women in 19th century America.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: How to College: What to Know Before You Go and When You’re There, by Andrea Malkin Brenner and Lara Hope Schwartz What Parents Should do to Help Students Prepare for The First Year of College https://www.pennlive.com/opini... Lara Schwartz and Andrea Brenner virtual interactive workshop focused on building college learning communities where open, respectful, and collaborative communication can flourish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
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Mar 4, 2021 • 1h 1min

Exploring Careers After Graduation: Writing for the Kid’s Lit Market

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear about: the steps to creating a writing career after college; the children’s book market; the difference between a pitch, a hook, a logline, and a synopsis; the importance of building a support network; and a discussion of the book Premeditated Myrtle.Our guest is: Elizabeth C. Bunce, the author of the Myrtle Hardcastle mystery book series. Elizabeth’s books are inspired by real places and cultures of the past, often with otherworldly or magical elements. She has been writing for as long as she can remember, and has always been interested in literature, folklore, history, and culture. She studied English and anthropology in college. When she’s not writing, she’s usually making something—cosplay, needlework, historical costuming, quilting—but not cooking.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She specializes in decoding diaries written by rural women in 19th century America. She belongs to a critique group for children’s book writers, and has been an active member of SCBWI for over a decade. When she’s not reading, writing, podcasting, or teaching, she can be spotted taking walks along the shore and working on her nature photography. She seldom cooks.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth Bunce Wired for Story by Lisa Cron The Magic Words: Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults by Cheryl Klein Book in a Month by Victoria Lynn Schmidt Stealing Hollywood: Screenwriting Tricks for Authors by Andrea Sokoloff The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators The Highlights Foundation The Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
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Mar 1, 2021 • 1h 45min

Pandemic Perspectives: Three Students Share

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: the different perspectives of three students sharing the same house in a small Oregon town during the pandemic, how all of their academic plans have been affected, why eliminating the SAT and standardized tests might increase college application rates, what’s helping them each get through the pandemic, and what gives them all hope for their futures.Our first guest is: Will Sumerfield, a junior at UC San Diego studying Cognitive Science and Computer Science, with a goal to achieve a Doctorate in Machine Learning. He is now taking classes remotely from his family’s home in Oregon, trying to decide if he’ll return to campus for his senior year of college, and what the pandemic means for his graduate school plans.Our next guest is: Branislav Petrovic, a water polo player from Serbia who came to Oregon as a foreign exchange student planning to spend his senior year at an in-person American high school, seeing how Americans really live, and applying to colleges, but has had to change nearly all of those plans.Our final guest is: Olivia Sumerfield, the president of her senior class, now taking her classes online, applying to colleges she’s never been able to visit, preparing for her future as a doctor, and wondering about the merits of taking a gap year.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. Christina supports her pandemic-life well-being by working on her photography, taking long walks in nature, and going to [online] meditation class. Will and Olivia are her cousins.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: Excelling in College: Strategies for Success and Reducing Stress by Jeffrey Kottler Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education by Justin Reich Learning Innovation and the Future of Higher Ed  What Students Really Think About Online Learning  Online Learning and the Pandemic Impact International Cultural Exchange Services The Geisel Library at UCSD Call of Cthulhu (Video Game) Cognitive Science at UCSD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
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Feb 25, 2021 • 1h 2min

Exploring STEM, Insulin Research, and Why We Get Sick

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: about Dr Bikman’s unconventional path to pursuing degrees in science, why scientists need to do a postdoc, what it means to have your own lab, the important role of insulin in the body, and a discussion of the book Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease--And How to Fight It (Benbella Books, 2020).Our guest is: Dr. Benjamin Bikman, associate professor of Physiology & Developmental Biology at BYU, where he has his own lab and is currently exploring the contrasting roles of insulin and ketones as key drivers of metabolic function. He frequently publishes his research in peer-reviewed journals and presents at international science meetings. He lives in Utah with his wife and children, and strongly believes in the importance of a work-life balance.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She specializes in decoding diaries written by rural women in 19th-century America. She supports her work-life balance by taking long walks, and making time for her loved ones.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: Why We Get Sick by Benjamin Bikman Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz Getting the Most Out of Your Postdoc Determine Whether A STEM Major Is The Right Choice  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
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Feb 18, 2021 • 55min

Faculty versus Administrative Positions: A Discussion with Karin Lewis

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at dr.danamalone@gmail.com or cgessler@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: key characteristics of administrative and faculty roles, ideas about administrative leadership versus management, questions to consider if you’re on the fence about which route to pursue, lessons learned, and ways to cultivate collaborative and supportive working relationships in either role.Our guest is: Dr. Karin Lewis, an associate professor in the Teaching and Learning Department in the College of Education and P-16 Integration at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). She teaches undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral courses in cognition, learning, and human development, writing for inquiry, and diversity, equity, and inclusion, and she mentors doctoral students in their scholarship. She has an extensive network of colleagues and scholars as Past-Chair of the UTRGV Women’s Faculty Network and President-Elect of the UTRGV Faculty Senate with a demonstrated record of collegial collaboration and leadership among her colleagues across the university, as well as nationally. She brings experience as a peer reviewer and editor for several publishers and academic journals, as well as professional conferences, such as AERA. She demonstrates a steadfast commitment to productive collaboration, an ethic of care, social justice, and culturally responsive transformative pedagogies, with expertise in qualitative research methodologies.Prior to joining the faculty at UTRGV, for nine years Karin served as Assistant Provost of Undergraduate Education and Executive Director of the Department of Academic Enhancement at the University of Kentucky.Your host is: Dr. Dana Malone, a higher education scholar and practitioner. Dana first met Karin as a doctorate student at the University of Kentucky when Karin hired her as a graduate TA to teach courses offered out of Academic Enhancement.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: Brown, B. (2018). Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. Random House Books. Covey, S. (2013). 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. Simon & Schuster. Gordon, J. (2017). The Power of Positive Leadership: How and Why Positive Leaders Transform Teams and Organizations and Change the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sinek, S. (2011). Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. Penguin Group. The work of Dr. Wayne Dyer, Coach John Wooden, and Maya Angelou, as well as the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania Podcasts: Unlocking Us, Dr. Brené Brown; Dare to Lead, Dr. Brené Brown; Super Soul Conversations, Oprah Winfrey and The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
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Feb 15, 2021 • 49min

Pandemic and the Student Parent: A Discussion with Brooke Lombardi

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at dr.danamalone@gmail.com or cgessler@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: realities of the shutdown with two young children; the internal reckoning when things beyond our control force a change in course, timeline adjustments and impacts on research as well as lessons learned and finding beauty in life amidst deep challenges.Our guest is: Brooke Lombardi, M.S., a social worker and Ph.D. candidate at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Brooke researches perinatal health, specializing in the intersection of sexual victimization and the perinatal health care needs of women. Her dissertation is focused on the connection between lifetime experiences of sexual victimization and perinatal mental health disorders, such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety. She has co-authored papers related to perinatal health, human trafficking, and substance misuse in the perinatal period. Brooke is also a birth doula, adjunct faculty member at Elon University, partner, and mother to two.Your host is: Dr. Dana Malone, a higher education scholar and practitioner. Dana met Brooke as a live-in Resident Director (RD) and Brooke was an undergraduate Resident Assistant (RA) on staff. They stayed connected after Brooke graduated, and over several years, a beautiful friendship unfolded.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: Inside Higher Ed article: “Surviving the Pandemic as Grad Student Parents” The Chronicle of Higher Education article: “Covid-19 and the Academic Parent” Inside Higher Ed article: “A Double Whammy For Student Parents”  Institute for Women’s Policy Research report, Student Parents in the Covid-19 Pandemic: Heightened Need and Imperative for Strengthened Support Interview with authors of You’re Doing it Wrong: Mothering, Media, and Medical Expertise (RUP) on NBN Gender Channel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

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