Saint Mary's Currents Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

This past season, college basketball phenom Caitlin Clark shattered records, showcasing the undeniable impact of what's been coined the “Caitlin Clark Effect.” This phenomenon isn't just boosting ticket sales and revenue; it's also sparking significant conversations about the role of women in sports. In this episode, we sat down with Amber Zitzow, head coach of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota’s women’s volleyball team to talk about  Clark’s success, athletics at Saint Mary’s, and the future of women's sports. We also spoke with Izzy Goettelman about her experiences playing basketball for Saint Mary’s and how the "Clark effect" has influenced her journey.

The rise of special education students along with a shortage of special education teachers is a concern for schools in Minnesota and across the nation. This month Ben Rodgers speaks with Kate Nelson, program director for the M.A. in Special Education program at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, to understand what has led to this current situation and what can be done to combat it.

The recent closure of the labor and delivery unit at Fosston Hospital in northern Minnesota has raised numerous concerns about the healthcare crisis across rural Minnesota and the U.S.  With reports that more than half of the hospitals in the nation are no longer offering maternity care, and with the 2022 Minnesota Department of Health findings showing a severe shortage of health practitioners of all types in our state, we turn to one of our experts at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota to share her perspective on this alarming issue. In this episode of Saint Mary’s Currents, we sit down with Julie Gauderman, DNAP, associate director of the nurse anesthesia program, and discuss the healthcare crisis's impact on practitioners, patients, and communities.

In our first episode of season three, Ben Rodgers and Michael Ratajczyk, associate professor of business and program director for the B.S. and M.A. in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics programs, discuss artificial intelligence and it’s impact on the workforce and workforce development.

On Jan. 19, 2023, the United States hit its debt limit, sparking economic and political concerns. But what does it mean when the debt limit is hit and what steps can be taken to correct the issue? Andrew Scott, an assistant professor of business, joins Saint Mary’s Currents host to discuss what national debt is, what policy prescriptions politicians might use to combat the issue, and how those policies might affect the average American.

In this episode of Saint Mary’s Currents, podcast host Ben Rodgers is joined by Tricia Klosky, Ph.D., associate professor of criminal justice, to discuss the psychology of serial killers and why, at a time when true crime entertainment is on the rise, society has such an interest in these individuals.