Learning for Life @ Gustavus

Gustavus Adolphus College
Learning for Life @ Gustavus

History professor Greg Kaster explores the intersections of liberal arts learning, current events, and real-world problem solving from the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minn. From conversations with cancer and climate change researchers to behind-the-scenes glimpses into higher ed decision-making, Kaster's short, engaging interviews introduce listeners to the people behind the ideas.

  1. OCT 29

    “Greg Kaster: A Legacy of Learning and Leadership"

    Professor Greg Kaster's love for learning and deep appreciation for the people around him left an indelible mark on Gustavus Adolphus College, creating a lasting legacy beyond the classroom. This past summer, on June 22, 2024, Greg unexpectedly passed away. In this episode, Carley, who worked closely with Greg on his podcast, interviewed professors who knew him well. She spoke with his colleagues in the History Department, Professors Kate Aguilar, Kate Keller, Glenn Kranking, Maddalena Marinari, and David Tobaru Obermiller as well as a few colleagues from across campus: Jennifer Ackil (Psychological Sciences), Jill Locke (Political Science), and Eric Vrooman (English). They all reflected on his passion for fostering a rich intellectual community. Greg's legacy was not just in his work but in how he engaged with, inspired, and learned from those around him. Whether collaborating on projects, mentoring students, or discussing history, he nurtured a spirit of curiosity and respect that made everyone feel valued. His dedication to the pursuit of knowledge and his genuine care for others will forever be remembered as a hallmark of his time at Gustavus.

    1h 8m

  2. MAY 28

    "Studying and Countering Hate"

    In this last episode of the 2023-24 academic year, Kenneth S. Stern, JD, Director of his alma mater Bard College's Center for the Study of Hate, leading expert on antisemitism and hate, and past speaker at Gustavus talks about his path from Brooklyn (NY) to Bard to Willamette Law School in Oregon; becoming involved in American Indian Movement co-founder Dennis Banks's thirteen-year legal case and eventually representing Banks before the United States Supreme Court in U.S. v. Loud Hawk, et al.; drafting the international "working definition of antisemitism" and criticizing what he sees as its misuse; conspiracy thinking and antisemitism; the student protests and encampments in response to Israel's ongoing retaliation in Gaza for the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023; his concerns about hate in the present moment; and some steps for countering it.   For helpful online materials about hate and how to counter it, see the Bard Center for the Study of Hate website, https://bcsh.bard.edu.   Note: Thank you for listening this past fall and spring, and please continue when the podcast resumes in September 2024.

    1h 11m

  3. MAY 21

    "Be Curious (and Play Hockey)"

    International student, graduating senior, and Management major Thomas Patterer, ’24, has combined academic excellence with athletic success at Gustavus, earning him Academic All-Conference honors from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  In this episode Thomas talks about growing up in his native Klagenfurt, Austria; coming to the United States for the first time to attend community college and play hockey in Williston, North Dakota; transferring to Gustavus and playing defense on the men’s hockey team; what he loves about the sport; his other experiences at Gustavus, including winning second place in the Gustie Entrepreneur Cup competition; his plans following graduation; and his pitch for what will soon be his alma mater.

    1h 5m

  4. MAY 7

    "Grief, Loss, and Identity"

    Dr. Patricia English-Schneider of the Gustavus Communication Studies Department talks about her background and love of musicals; her not exactly straight path to undergraduate and graduate degrees in her field; how she came to be a Com Studies prof at Gustavus; the genesis and content of her recent award-winning co-edited book, Narrative and Grief: Autoethnographies of Loss; the impact of loss (including her own) on one’s identity; co-teaching a Gustavus travel course on “War, Memory, and Identify in Cambodia and Vietnam”; and the liberal-arts nature of her discipline and department.  (Note: She and Greg are both proud graduates of Northern Illinois University.)

    1h 6m

  5. APR 26

    “I Have Become the Person I Was Meant to Be”

    Helena Shanks, ‘12, co-owner of River Rock Coffee and Tea, a fair-trade coffeehouse in St. Peter and Mankato, MN, on her family background and path from the Fargo-Moorhead area to Gustavus; majoring (for a time, uncertainly) in Chemistry; what she learned while working as an employee at River Rock both before and after graduation; how and why she eventually transitioned from employee to co-owner with two other women (founder Tamika Bertram and Katie Aho); the responsibilities of ownership and how the ownership team functions; how being an owner has changed her; the alignment of her values and River Rock’s; and her case for Gustavus.

    1h 5m

  6. APR 10

    “I’m Not Just Changing What I’m Putting on Television Screens”

    Jillian Hiscock, Gustavus class of 2005 and owner of the newly-opened (as of March 2024) A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis, the only bar in Minnesota devoted entirely to women’s athletics, speaks about her background and path to Gustavus; some of her formative experiences there, including a philosophy course on schools and society; her work in college admission and then for two nonprofits dedicated to helping young people from underserved communities succeed in college and careers; originating and opening the acclaimed A Bar of Their Own without any prior business experience; her vision for the bar; and a one-word post-it note from her dad years ago that in its own way says much about her and how she approaches life and learning.

    1h 6m

  7. MAR 26

    "From Small-Town Pharmacist’s Daughter to Leading Global Investment Professional"

    150 episodes and counting!  For this 150th unique episode of the podcast, Greg speaks with special guest Marcia Page, Gustavus Class of ‘82 and Chair of the Board of Trustees, about growing up in Olivia, MN, where her dad was a pharmacist and drugstore owner; what she learned at a young age from both her parents; her path from Olivia to Gustavus; her expectation of becoming a pharmacist and how and why that plan changed; memorable experiences at her alma mater; the turning points, relationships, serendipity, and entrepreneurialism that led to her co-founding Värde Partners in 1993, “a leading global alternative investment firm” with 13 billion dollars in assets; her founding of MPowered Capital in 2021, an investment firm committed to diversity in the industry; her work on the Gustavus Board; and her aspirations for Gustavus in the years ahead.

    1h 6m

  8. MAR 19

    "In-Betweenness, Boxing, Philosophy, and Buddhism"

    Dr. John Cha, faculty member in the Department of Religion and Japanese Studies program at Gustavus, talks about the challenges and impact of growing up Asian-American on Chicago's South Side and in Quincy, Illinois; the influence in his teen years of Huey Newton and Bruce Lee; his academic path to philosophy and religion; being hired by Gustavus; understanding and teaching phenomenology; his comparative research on the 20th-century French phenomenologist Michel Henry and the 8th-century Indian philosopher Śaṅkara; teaching students about non-Western religions; and why learning about religion in general is important.

    1h 8m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

History professor Greg Kaster explores the intersections of liberal arts learning, current events, and real-world problem solving from the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minn. From conversations with cancer and climate change researchers to behind-the-scenes glimpses into higher ed decision-making, Kaster's short, engaging interviews introduce listeners to the people behind the ideas.

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