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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sarah Calhoon Cuthill, ’85, on her path to Gustavus from the south Chicago suburbs; her love of music and fascination with France and international relations; studying abroad in high school and college; majoring in international economics; the twists and turns of her career path, eventually leading to her partnership status with Deloitte Global; her varied leadership work with the firm over the years; her case for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; her membership on the Gustavus Board; and what makes Gustavus extraordinary.
Communication Studies major Abigail (Abby) Vizenor, ’25, talks about her background and path to Gustavus; a memorable January Term in St. Maarten; interning for CADA, Inc., which supports survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence; her research and articles about the myth of "false reporting" and, most recently, teen dating violence; her enjoyment of Hamilton the musical and interest in sports photography; and her pitch for Gustavus. Bonus: Her spoken word rendition of a number from Hamilton.
Gustavus students Ainsley Langerud, ’24, and Alex Dillon, ’25, co-chairs of this year’s annual student-run Building Bridges (BB) Conference at the College on Saturday March 2, 2024, talk about their backgrounds and paths to Gustavus, the conference’s focus on childhood poverty, the work and rewards of planning BB and (without giving too much away) what attendees can expect, and their cases for majoring in History and Geography respectively. Tickets to the conference are required and free for students and the public, except for the separate luncheon tickets, and can be obtained here: https://gustavus.edu/diversity/buildingbridges/
Allie Skjerven Boyd, Gustavus Class of 2010, talks about her background and path to Gustavus, why she majored in History and Russian Studies, her path from graduation to working in the private sector with Fortune 500 companies Nestle and Clorox, how she obtained her current position with the Minnesota-based global firm Datasite, the nature, challenges, and rewards of her employment in the corporate world, the value of her humanities education in that setting, and her case for Gustavus and the liberal arts.
Dr. Pamela Kittelson of the Biology Department and Environmental Studies program at Gustavus talks about growing up in Colorado, her path to college and eventually an unanticipated PhD in plant biology, coming to Gustavus, teaching Gustavus students in the field and abroad in India and Bangladesh, the ingredients of teaching excellence, directing the campus Fellowships Office, her ongoing research on “diversity and change in plant populations,” the adverse impact of human beings on “the biological world” and how that affects her personally as a human being and someone who studies it, and what makes liberal arts colleges special.
Lt. Col. Jess Langerud, ’96, on his path to Gustavus and its nursing major, and from there to nursing and medical-related work in both the civilian and military (U.S. Army) sectors, the nature of his work and what he loves about it—including a major project with Poland’s military and his newest position as commander of an Army Reserves civil affairs battalion—the ongoing value of his Gustavus education, and his advice for leading a rewarding professional life.
Kevin Quealy, ’03, majored in Physics at Gustavus and is currently editor of The Upshot, the online data visualization feature of the premier U.S. news organization. In this episode, Kevin talks about his path to Gustavus and physics, how and why he went from there to the Peace Corps in South Africa, then the Missouri School of Journalism, and eventually The Upshot, where he has been in various roles since its inception in 2014, the feature’s purpose and the work involved in creating content for it, and one of his favorite Upshot stories concerning a certain Nike shoe.
Laura Abbott, ’06, on her early love of history, her path to Gustavus, how and why she became a ranger with the National Park Service, her work as a ranger on the National Mall in Washington, DC, including at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, leading running tours focused on various aspects of DC history, her subsequent posting at the pre-Civil War Fort Scott in Kansas, her current work at Yellowstone, what might come next in her NPS career, the transformative impact of Gustavus on her life, and her pitch for our nation’s parks.
Dr. Jeff La Frenierre of the Gustavus Environment, Geography, and Earth Sciences Department at Gustavus on his path to the discipline of Geography, how and why he decided to research glacial melt and its impact on people and communities, the process and challenges of conducting research outdoors at high elevations in the Andes, including Gustavus students in his fieldwork, the findings and significance of his research, his objectives as a teacher, and the appeal of teaching at a liberal arts college.
Senior Abby Joy Neptun, ’24, talks about her path from Chicagoland to Gustavus, majoring in Communication Studies and minoring in Political Science, her summer 2023 internship experience with World Chicago (a nonprofit organization dedicated to “citizen diplomacy”), her current fellowship with Emily’s List, her co-curricular involvement on campus, the transformative value of a liberal arts education, and what in her eyes makes Gustavus so special. Bonus: A special gift to listeners from Abby Joy at the episode’s conclusion.
Bridging Town and Gown: Shanon Nowell, Executive Assistant to the Provost of Gustavus and Mayor of St. Peter, Minnesota, where the College is located, on her background in theater, path to Minnesota and Gustavus, position in the Provost’s office and what she enjoys about it, decision to run for mayor, successful campaign, her priorities for the city, the honor of being mayor, and what makes St. Peter and Gustavus so special.
Ashley Ley '23 and Tessa Yeager ’24, co-chairs of the 2023 Gustavus Building Bridges Conference on March 4, talk about their backgrounds and paths to Gustavus, how and why they became involved in Building Bridges, the rewards of their involvement, developing this year’s conference topic and title, highlights of the conference program, their experiences as, respectively, a summer undergraduate research fellow at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and a campus Sustainability Intern, and their pitches for Gustavus.