UConn 360: The UConn Podcast

UConn 360

Bringing you everything that's fun, surprising, and unique about Connecticut's top 25 public research university.

  1. MAY 5

    Episode 162: Let’s Meet Coach Candle

    Jason Candle joins us on this episode of the UConn 360 podcast and was named the football coach last December after completing a very successful 11- year tenure as the head coach at Toledo. He led the Rockets to a school-record 81 wins over that time with nine bowl appearances and 12 NFL Draft picks. Jason also served as an assistant coach at Toledo for seven years before becoming head coach and started his coaching journey at Division III powerhouse Mount Union, his alma mater. As a player, he won national championship at Mount Union in his junior and senior seasons. He just wrapped up his spring practice here at UConn as he has rebuilt the Husky roster from as team that has made two-straight bowl appearances. We also salute and congratulate the UConn Class of 2026 as commencement takes place this weekend!

    15 min

  2. APR 15

    Episode 161: A Children’s Book Author Is a Soon-To-Be Grad

    Our guest this episode is Luisana Duarte Armendáriz, who is a doctoral student concluding her studies at UConn this spring. She is already an accomplish author of children’s literature and is a graduate assistant in the Creative Writing Program in the Department of English. She has had an incredible variety of experiences in her life, ranging from graphic designer to high school teacher to an acceptance to medical school. She started writing children’s books when applying for graduate school and has written “Julieta and The Diamond Enigma” with its sequel “Julieta and The Cryptic Rose” set for release in the fall. Before we get started with Luisana, we talked about Izzy’s experience covering the NCAA Men’s Final Four for University Communications.

    17 min

  3. APR 2

    Episode 160: Final Four(s) Here We Come!

    The UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams are the talk of the sports world this week as both teams are head to the NCAA Final Four. This podcast is a media roundtable taking a look at the upcoming games in Indianapolis and Phoenix. We start with the long-time color announcer on the UConn Radio Network Wayne Norman and then we talked to four student journalists – Sam Calhoun and Matt Dimech, who cover the men’s team for The Daily Campus; and Jake McCreven of the Daily Campus and Kaden Knapp of WHUS-91.7 FM radio, who cover the women’s team. The student journalists talk about what it is like to cover a team while still in college and what their future plans are. And we have predictions…Go Huskies!

    35 min

  4. APR 1

    Episode 159: Dance The Night Away

    Our guest on this episode is Pagie O’Keefe, who is the vice president of communications for HuskyTHON 2026. HuskyTHON is a year-long effort by UConn students to raise funds and awareness for Connecticut Children’s, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. This effort culminates in an 18-hour dance marathon that features thousands of Huskes. This year’s HuskyTHON dance marathon took place two weekends ago and over $2.2 million was raised. HuskyTHON is the largest Children’s Miracle Dance Marathon in the country by participants and the second-highest by amount raised. HuskyTHON is entirely student-run, led by a management team of 32 undergraduate student leaders, who work to make it better each year. Over the past 27 years, HuskyTHON has now raised over $17 million.

    12 min

  5. MAR 6

    Episode 158: A Positive Voice at UConn

    Jonelle Reynolds is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives here at UConn and brings a positive outlook to us on this episode of the podcast. She has been at UConn for over a decade and currently develops, manages, and supports culture, engagement, and inclusion strategies across the university. Jonelle’s work blends strategy and operations, identifying gaps in resources and training and partnering with faculty, staff, and students to design programs, streamline processes, and strengthen community. She also has a background in marriage and family therapy and gives us some good ideas on how to make those relationships successful in our lives. A native of Guyana, she earned her doctorate degree from UConn, her undergraduate from Baruch College in New York City and has a master’s from Oklahoma State.

    14 min

  6. FEB 18

    Episode 157: Inclusion and Civil Rights at UConn

    Our guest on this episode is Dr. Jeffrey Hines, who leads the Office for Inclusion and Civil Rights for both UConn and UConn Health. The office ensures the University’s commitment and responsibility to foster equitable and inclusive working and learning environments. Jeff has an amazing background as he earned his undergraduate degree and medical degree from Brown University. He then did his residency in obstetrics and gynecology and served as a battalion surgeon during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. In January, he was the keynote speaker at the Connecticut Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission Commemoration. In the podcast, he reflects on King, Black History Month, and the recent passing of the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

    16 min

  7. FEB 5

    Episode 156: A New Look at Resiliency

    Keith Bellizzi is a professor of gerontology in Human Development and Family Sciences here at UConn. He has spent the last two decades studying resilience, cancer survivorship, healthy aging, and behavioral change. Keith recently published a new book entitled “Falling Forward: The New Science of Resilience and Personal Transformation.” Bellizzi was diagnosed with cancer in his early 20s and has faced the disease four times. The book explores how experiences can change the terrain of one’s life and how you move forward on different ground. Keith takes a look at the topic of resiliency and what it means today and how it is perceived differently in previous decades. It’s not pushing through and being tough all the time, but more about vulnerability and honesty. Keith also talks about living longer in a healthy way and what caretakers for the elderly need to do to keep their own piece of mind.

    13 min

  8. JAN 21

    Episode 155: Baking For All the Huskies

    Eric Merkle is the long-time Bakery Manager for UConn Dining Services and oversees a staff of over 20 full-time bakers and student workers. The UConn Bakery produces thousands of muffins, cookies, and baked goods each week. The bakery starts each day at 3:30 a.m. – long before the rest of campus is awake. Eric studied bakery and pastry at the world-famous Culinary Institute of America. Each year, the bakery holds a pie sale for Thanksgiving, where members of the public can leave their Thanksgiving baking up to Eric and his staff! Everyone can get a taste of UConn by ordering from the online bakery. Eric’s cupcakes were also featured prominently in the recent UConn holiday video! Eric brought sample of a lemon chiffon cake (see the photo) and we all gave it a try!

    16 min
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4.9
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

Bringing you everything that's fun, surprising, and unique about Connecticut's top 25 public research university.

Information

  • Creator
    UConn 360
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2018 . All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    UConn 360: The UConn Podcast

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