“For and With Others” ft. Marquette University’s Kimo Ah Yun I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Thirty-Seven Post

In the thirty-seventh episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Kimo Ah Yun, President of Marquette University. As a communication scholar, Ah Yun opens by discussing how he designs messages and leverages platforms in ways that reach various internal and external constituents, emphasizing the ways those efforts also had to change as he accepted appointments as a dean, provost, and president. He then discusses how he came to serve as a communication scholar, the teachers who invested in him, and the ways he seeks to invest in students. After serving on the faculty at Cal State Sacramento for twenty years, Ah Yun describes how the core of Marquette’s mission of service “for and with others” led him and his family to move to Milwaukee. That move then allowed Ah Yun to integrate the life he was leading at Church with the life he was leading at the university in ways that advanced Marquette’s mission as a Jesuit Catholic university. Ah Yun offers insights concerning the discernment process that also led him to accept appointments as Marquette’s provost and president while also offering advice for other laypersons considering appointments as presidents at Church-related colleges and universities with long histories of clerical leadership. Drawing from insights gained through long-standing service as a scholar, teacher, and educational leader, Ah Yun concludes by offering insights concerning his understanding of the academic vocation and how he seeks to draw upon Marquette’s mission as a means of helping all members of the community flourish.

“An Appeal to the Head and the Heart” ft. John Brown University’s Charles W. Pollard I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Thirty-Nine Post

In the thirty-ninth episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Charles W. Pollard, President of John Brown University. Pollard opens by sharing how his vocation was shaped by the study of law and the study of English. Each practice of study allowed Pollard to cultivate his gifts in ways that made it possible for him to navigate the created order while also being of service to others. He then explores how mentors such as his father, fellow students, and teachers contributed to his vocational formation. Pollard shares how those seemingly disparate forms of vocational formation converged through service he offered on various organizational boards and now for over two decades has offered as president of John Brown University. As a president, Pollard discusses how he views himself as a scholar-practitioner who, despite the demands for his time, still regularly co-teaches a course. He also discusses how he views philanthropy as a practice of storytelling and board service as the cultivation of fiduciary community. Pollard then closes by sharing how the university and the Church can be of even greater service to one another in the years to come.

“Bridge to the Church” ft. Lipscomb University’s Candice McQueen I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Thirty-Six Post

In the thirty-sixth episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Candice McQueen, President of Lipscomb University. With extensive service in both K-12 and higher education settings, McQueen starts by discussing the educational benefits that emerge when greater integration between grade levels or years in school occurs. Teachers can more readily engage students in terms of content and content complexity. Students can more readily appreciate the connections between their educational pursuits which ideally come to be understood as a seamless whole. McQueen then speaks about her own discernment to serve as an educator, how it started in a fifth-grade classroom, transitioned to teaching future teachers, and eventually included administrative service as a school dean and commissioner of the state of Tennessee’s Department of Education. McQueen discusses the discernment process that led her to accept the appointment as Lipscomb’s president, her aspirations for the university, and the relationship the university shares with the Churches of Christ or Restoration Movement. McQueen closes by discussing how that relationship influences her understanding of the academic vocation, the formation of educators who serve at Lipscomb, and the ways Lipscomb and the Churches of Christ can grow in service to one another in the years to come.

“When in the Boat Together” ft. the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities’ David A. Hoag I Saturdays at Seven – Special Episode Post

In this special episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with David A. Hoag, President of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Hoag opens by discussing the investments Christian colleges and universities make in fostering relationship between faith and learning and how the CCCU is prepared to increase efforts to resource member institutions in relation to that priority. Those efforts include David’s appointment of John Addleman who will work with an advisory board to oversee the preparation of related programs and materials. Hoag then discusses the influences that mentors such as Dennis F. Kinlaw and authors such as Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. and Ernest L. Boyer had on his calling to education. That calling and the service Hoag sought to offer compelled him to accept appointments at his alma mater, Asbury University, Greenville University, Trinity International University, and eventually as president of Warner University. Hoag then details his appointment as the CCCU’s president, the ways serving as an association president differs from serving as a university president, and his plans for how the CCCU can be of even greater service in years to come to its institutions. Hoag closes by explaining how he understands the qualities and characteristics of the Christian academic vocation and how the health of that vocation is dependent upon the health of the relationships colleges and universities share with the Church.

“When in the Boat Together” ft. the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities’ David A. Hoag I Saturdays at Seven – Special Episode Post

In this special episode of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with David A. Hoag, President of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Hoag opens by discussing the investments Christian colleges and universities make in fostering relationship between faith and learning and how the CCCU is prepared to increase efforts to resource member institutions in relation to that priority. Those efforts include David’s appointment of John Addleman who will work with an advisory board to oversee the preparation of related programs and materials. Hoag then discusses the influences that mentors such as Dennis F. Kinlaw and authors such as Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. and Ernest L. Boyer had on his calling to education. That calling and the service Hoag sought to offer compelled him to accept appointments at his alma mater, Asbury University, Greenville University, Trinity International University, and eventually as president of Warner University. Hoag then details his appointment as the CCCU’s president, the ways serving as an association president differs from serving as a university president, and his plans for how the CCCU can be of even greater service in years to come to its institutions. Hoag closes by explaining how he understands the qualities and characteristics of the Christian academic vocation and how the health of that vocation is dependent upon the health of the relationships colleges and universities share with the Church.

“Cross Invitations for Christian Leaders” ft. the Anglican Church in North America’s Archbishop Steve Wood I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Thirty-One Post

In the thirty-first episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Archbishop Steve Wood of the Anglican Church in North America. Wood begins by sharing the theological distinctives that historically define Anglicanism, the ways those distinctives are drawn from the nature of parish life, and the ways those distinctives are designed to frame our days. He talks about his own calling to the priesthood, the ways he derives a sense of vocational joy from being of service to parishioners, and the obedience he found himself needing to exercise when called to serve as bishop and now archbishop. Wood explains how the Anglican Church in North America emerged, the relationships it shares with the global Anglican communion, and the structures being put into place to support the growth it has experienced. Wood then closes by discussing ways that the Anglican Church in North America and Church-related colleges and universities can be of greater service to one another in the years to come which, in his estimation, is rooted in the continued nurturing of relationships.

“A Sense of Wonder about the World” ft. the University of Delaware’s Stephen M. Barr I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Twenty-Nine Post

In the twenty-ninth episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Stephen M. Barr, President of the Society of Catholic Scientists and Professor of Physics Emeritus at the University of Delaware. Barr begins by unpacking the basics of the Grand Unified Theory for non-physicists. He details why the pursuit of such a theory has garnered widespread interest, the explanations that harbor the greatest potential, and the experimental efforts that need to be made to prove or disprove those explanations. Barr then shares that he always knew that mathematics and physics would be fundamental to how he exercised his vocation and that the only real decision he had to make was when choosing particle or high-energy physics as a sub-field. Barr discusses the ways the Society of Catholic Scientists has grown in recent years along with the programming and fellowship they offer including programs for high school students focused on cultivating a love for science as well as an appreciation for the relationship faith and science share. Barr then concludes by discussing his understanding of the academic vocation, the virtues physicists need to cultivate, and the vices against which physicists need to be vigilant.

“Mathematics as Multi-Dimensional” ft. Harvey Mudd College’s Francis Su I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Twenty-Eight Post

In the twenty-eighth episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Francis Su, the Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College. Su opens by discussing what motivates mathematicians and how the strange, uncanny, wonderful, and unexpected encounters are often the ones that excite them the most. In Su’s opinion, mathematics is defined as a habit of mind that is constantly undergoing formation. When such a process is well-oriented, strange, uncanny, wonderful, and unexpected encounters become sources of joy, inviting new ways to see and experience the world. Su shares that while his own formation as a mathematician eventually took on such an orientation, that process proved challenging, demanding deep reflection upon what he was uniquely called to contribute and the ways mathematics could serve as a means for such contributions. Along those very lines, Su contends that mathematics education often asks too little of students, demanding that they merely perform as human calculators, not as individuals in pursuit of truth to which mathematics is uniquely positioned to contribute. Su closes by sharing how mathematicians and the habits of mind they exhibit can be of greater service to colleagues in other disciplines, how scholars in other disciplines can be of greater service to mathematicians, and how both groups can work together to contribute to the mission of the Church.

“The Mystery is the Journey to a Valid Proof” ft. Northwestern College’s Kim Jongerius I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Twenty-Five Post

In the twenty-fifth episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Kim Jongerius, Professor of Mathematics and Chair of the Department of Mathematics at Northwestern College. Jongerius begins by exploring the role mystery plays in the pursuit of mathematical forms of truth. Shying away from mystery, especially when conjoined with an inability to appreciate what other disciplines offer, can greatly limit what mathematicians discover. In contrast, embracing mystery and what other disciplines can offer can open previously unimaginable possibilities. Jongerius offers details concerning her formation as a mathematician, the encouragement she received from teachers, and how she came to think of the study of mathematics as comparable to learning another language. As someone who greatly enjoys writing and studied English as well as mathematics as an undergraduate, Jongerius argues the distinctions between mathematical and linguistic abilities are more the creation of social comfort than reality. Jongerius discusses her service as president of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences (ACMS), lessons she learned about the role mathematics should play in general education, and ways to encourage and support the next generation of mathematicians. When closing the conversation, Jongerius explains how mathematicians can be of greater service to scholars in other disciplines as a well as the Church.

“Abstract Realm of Glory” ft. the University of San Diego’s Satyan L. Devadoss I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Twenty-Four Post

In the twenty-fourth episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Satyan L. Devadoss, the Fletcher Jones Professor of Applied Mathematics and Professor of Engineering at the University of San Diego. Devadoss opens by exploring how mathematicians quite often find themselves encountering that which is mysterious. Acknowledging that mystery, persisting through it, and, at times, identifying results that may explain it yield intrinsic joy for mathematicians. Devadoss discusses that while he experienced that sense of joy in high school and college, he lost contact with it for the first few years of graduate school. Eventually, he found that playfulness—playfulness that offered little to no immediate use was one way to reconnect with that joy. Devadoss claims that eventually scholars in other disciplines may identify a use for what mathematicians offer but that process, while still with no guarantee, may take decades or even centuries. Devadoss’s own book-length projects concerning discrete and computational geometry as well as unsolved mathematical problems were designed as sites where that joy may be found. Devadoss then closes by discussing the rapid acquisition of power mathematicians are presently experiencing and how the greatest expression of their vocation during this season may be to “bend the knee” and share that power with scholars working in other fields—fields, according to Devadoss, that often demand persistence through far more complexity than mathematicians face.

“To Live with the Problem” ft. Westmont College’s Russell W. Howell I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Twenty-Seven Post

In the twenty-seventh episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Russell W. Howell, the Kathleen Smith Chair of Natural and Behavioral Sciences at Westmont College. Howell opens by discussing how mathematicians often find themselves confronted by results they find mysterious and for which no immediate explanation exists. He provides a couple of examples of such mysteries within mathematics that have attracted the interest of mathematicians for generations. Howell explains how his initial sense of calling to the ministry was refocused toward mathematics and the ways he believes his platform as a mathematician has given him unique opportunities to share the love of Jesus Christ. For Howell, his focus on mathematics is most profoundly expressed through his appreciation for the subdiscipline of complex analysis and the ways he has introduced students to the joy that emerges from such a focus. As a leader in conversations concerning the relationship mathematics and faith share, Howell describes what prompted him to co-edit two book projects on that topic and the impact of those texts within and beyond the classroom. Howell then closes by detailing the virtues mathematicians need to cultivate in order to pursue work in their discipline as well as the virtues that will allow mathematicians to share their work with scholars in other disciplines.

“The Precision of Mathematics” ft. the University of Notre Dame’s Mark Behrens I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Twenty-Six Post

In the twenty-sixth episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Mark Behrens, the John and Margaret McAndrews Professor of Mathematics at the University of Notre Dame. Behrens begins by unpacking the unique ways mathematics provides logical and replicable results. He also notes mathematics can prove mysterious when connections between results one did not expect, or at least initially did not expect, emerge. Identifying those connections, however, yield some of the greatest forms of satisfaction mathematicians can experience. Behrens shifts to talking through the ways various mentors fostered his love for mathematics and eventually his expertise in topology. As one who served as the editor for various prominent mathematics journals, Behrens also offers insights concerning the rapid nature of new results emerging in subdisciplines such as topology. He also discusses how mathematics, once a discipline dominated by individual efforts, is now dominated by collaborative efforts. The conversation then closes with Behrens sharing his understanding of the virtues mathematicians are well served by cultivating, the vices mathematicians are also well-served by confronting, and the ways mathematicians can be of greater service to scholars in other disciplines.

“Sequencing Success” ft. the Institute for Family Studies’ Wendy Wang I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Twenty Post

In the twentieth episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Wendy Wang, the Director of Research for the Institute for Family Studies. Wang opens by discussing the research she and her colleagues conduct concerning the Success Sequence—a set of three steps that when followed in order (high school graduation, employment, and marriage) greatly increase a young person’s chance of flourishing in relation to a variety of measures. Wang offers details concerning her own vocation including her early research experience in China, coming to the United States to do doctoral work in sociology, and lessons she learned when working in a variety of roles for the Pew Research Center. She then shares her insights concerning the ways sociological data can be of benefit to policy makers seeking to improve the lives of families and children, occasions when we may ask too much of data, and occasions when we may ask too little of data. Wang then closes by exploring ways the data she and her colleagues collect can be of benefit to a variety of institutions including the Church, Church-related colleges and universities, and ways the Church and Church-related colleges and universities can work together when striving to improve the lives of families and children.

“Deep Listening to Teenagers and to Children” ft. Indiana Wesleyan University’s Amanda Hontz Drury I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Twenty-One  Post

In the twenty-first episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Amanda Hontz Drury, Professor of Theology and Ministry and Director of the Imaginarium at Indiana Wesleyan University. Drury opens by discussing the discernment process that led her to establish the Imaginarium as well as the commitments that animate it. One commitment is a desire to leverage innovation in ways that shares the timeless commitments of the Christian tradition with children and adolescents. Another commitment is children and adolescents have far more to offer in terms of feedback concerning programs focused on their development than is often perceived. Drury then offers details concerning her own faith formation and how a haunting question concerning the persistence rates of adolescents in terms of faith formation proved foundational to how she understands her vocation as a clergyperson and scholar. As someone eventually appointed to the faculty with whom she studied as an undergraduate, Drury also reflects on the key components of that transition and lessons that may be of benefit to faculty members making comparable transitions. Drury then closes by discussing how her understanding of the academic vocation is best exercised by having one foot in academe and one foot in the Church.

“Sprinkle Liberally with Joy” ft. the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities’ Donna Carroll I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Nineteen Post

In the nineteenth episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Donna Carroll, President of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU). Carroll opens by discussing how the student bodies served by Catholic colleges and universities have grown more ethnically diverse and the ways those student bodies reflect the ethnic diversity of the Catholic Church. Drawing upon insights she accumulated while serving as president of Dominican University for twenty-seven years, Carroll details how she and her colleagues adjusted their engagement with their changing student body, the ways they sought to engage the parents of those students, and the ways they built bridges with the parishes those families called home. Ream then asks Carroll to share what her long-standing tenure as Dominican’s president allows her to offer presidents with whom she now consults on a daily basis as president of the ACCU. While financial and strategic plans prove important, a large part of what Carroll indicates she strove to offer at Dominican and now seeks to offer when working with various presidents is attunement to mission. The conversation then closes with Carroll offering details concerning her assessment of the relationship shared by Catholic colleges and universities and how that relationship can be strengthened in the coming years.

“Bridging Chasms of Suspicion” ft. Westmont College’s Jeff Schloss I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Seventeen Post

In the seventeenth episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Jeff Schloss, the T. B. Walker Professor of Natural and Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Center for Faith, Ethics, and the Life Sciences at Westmont College. Schloss opens by discussing whether humans are inherently collaborative or competitive beings, the ways relevant disciplines converge and diverge in terms of providing possible answers, and what theological understandings concerning being human add to the debate. Ream asks Schloss to explore how and when Schloss’s fascination with biology began, the experiences and teachers who influenced that fascination, and how that fascination eventually became the foundation of Schloss’s commitment to the academic vocation. Schloss also discusses how environments and cultures such as Westmont College (where he serves as a faculty member) and institutions and organizations such as the University of Notre Dame, the University of Oxford, the Center for Theological Inquiry, and BioLogos (where he served as a visiting scholar or fellow) shaped that commitment. Ream then asks Schloss to explore the virtues Schloss sought to cultivate in service of the academic vocation as well as the vices against which Schloss finds it important to remain vigilant. Their conversation then closes with a brief discussion related to Schloss’s views of the Church and the role the Church plays in grounding the aspirations and orientations of the Christian scholar.

“Going Down Deep” ft. the University of Southern California’s Morten Lauridsen I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Fourteen Post

In the fourteenth episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Morten Lauridsen, Distinguished Professor of Composition Emeritus at the University of Southern California. They open their conversation by talking about Lauridsen’s practice of going down deep, the role that practice plays in his ability to appreciate what a particular text has to offer, and how he sets that text to music. To cultivate a more contemplative and environmentally responsible campus, the value of that practice compelled Lauridsen to lead the charge at the University of Southern California (USC) to eliminate gas powered leaf blowers. The value of that practice also led Lauridsen to spend time on Waldron Island in Washington State’s San Juan Islands where Lauridsen composed some of his most critically acclaimed works. Lauridsen then discusses his calling to compose music, efforts he made when an undergraduate to study at USC, and efforts he made while serving as a faculty member and chair of the composition department at USC (efforts that included establishing the graduate program in film scoring). Lauridsen discusses the details related to some of his compositions including “Lux Aeterna” and “O Magnum Mysterium.” Ream and Lauridsen then close their conversation by discussing the ways poetry played critical roles in Lauridsen’s efforts as a teacher and composer.

“Generous and Gentle Conversations” ft. Pepperdine University’s Jay Brewster I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Eleven Post

In the eleventh episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with Jay Brewster, Professor of Biology and Provost at Pepperdine University. Brewster begins by discussing the role undergraduate research can play in the lives of students and why its benefits merit it being classified as a high impact pedagogical practice. Brester then offers an overview of the lessons he learned from leading Pepperdine’s Summer Undergraduate Research and Biology (SURB) program as well as lessons he and his colleagues learned from leading comparable efforts with high-risk students (i.e., in terms of persistence to graduation such as first-generation college students) during their first semester in college. Ream asks Brewster about his own formation as a scientist, his abiding interest in cellular health, and the transition he made from conducting research full-time to integrating research into his approach to teaching. They discuss the article Brewster contributed to the fall 2024 theme issue of Christian Scholar’s Review, what Brewster learned from the role nature played in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s exercise of the academic vocation, and the challenges facilitated by Emerson’s emerging transcendentalism. Ream and Brewster close their conversation by talking about the roles Christian called to science can play in easing tensions that may surface between the Church and the university.

“Finding God in All Things” ft. Boston College’s David Quigley I Saturdays at Seven – Season Two, Episode Nine. Post

In the ninth episode of the second season of the “Saturdays at Seven” conversation series, Todd Ream talks with David Quigley, Professor of History, Provost, and Dean of Faculties at Boston College. As the chief academic officer, Quigley opens by exploring how he seeks to foster cultures reflective of the unique foci held by a myriad of academic units at Boston College while also striving to foster a culture across those units reflective of the charisms of the founding order, the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits. As an example, he discusses Boston College’s commitment to formative education and how such a process is expressed in the reform and advancement of the core curriculum. Ream and Quigley then discuss Quigley’s calling to history, the teachers and scholars who nurtured it, and the ways Quigley seeks to express that calling through teaching, writing, and service. One way Quigley has sought to express that vocation is by exploring the riches in his childhood hometown of New York City, his present hometowns of Boston and Cambridge, and the creation of means on and beyond the Boston College campus for various publics to appreciate those riches. Some of those recent means include walking tours of Boston for new members of the Boston College faculty and for undergraduate students enrolled in the courses Quigley teaches in the core curriculum. Quigley then discusses the discernment process that led him from service as a full-time faculty member to a full-time administrator along with his commitment to continue to teach at least one course a year. Ream and Quigley close their conversation by exploring Quigley’s vision for the academic vocation, his vision for the academic vocation for Boston College’s faculty, and the relationship those visions share with the Society of Jesus and the Archdiocese of Boston.