Office Hours with John Gardner Podcast
1) Episode 181- The Critical Role of Higher Education with Suzanne Benally
Suzanne Benally (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa)—Executive Director, Swift Foundation Suzanne has worked in the higher education and the non-profit sector for 40 years. Committed to social justice, diver...Show More
2) Episode 180- Reshaping the First Year Program with Aleksondra Hultquis
Aleksondra Hultquist is an Associate Professor of Critical Thinking and First-Year Studies at Stockton University. Her teaching focus is in Critical Thinking, and a variety of General Studies courses,...Show More
3) Episode 179- Experiential Education with Antonio Merlo
Antonio Merlo, PhD, became Drexel University’s 16th president on July 1, 2025. An accomplished higher education leader, scholar and professor, Merlo joined Drexel after serving since 2019 as the Anne ...Show More
4) Episode 178- Integrating Arts and Leadership with Carin Silkaitis
Carin Silkaitis is Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and a Professor of Humanities. Carin has also served UAS in a number of Interim positions, including Provost (AY25), Dean of Research & Spons...Show More
5) Episode 177 - Exploring Public History with Evan Faulkenbury
Dr. Evan Faulkenbury is the University Historian for the University of South Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. in History from UNC Chapel Hill, and before joining USC in 2024, he taught U.S. and public histo...Show More
6) Episode 176- Systems Thinking in Higher Ed with Marcella David
Marcella David is a higher education leader, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and Provost at Columbia College Chicago, a liberal arts college with a creative arts focus. Prior to that, s...Show More
7) Episode 174- Mission-Driven Leadership with Michael B. McGinnis
Michael McGinnis was appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs at Saint Francis University in July 2022. Dr. McGinnis has 29 years’ experience in higher education and currently in the 2025-2026 c...Show More
8) Episode 172- Empowerment through Education with Mays Imad
Mays Imad received her undergraduate training in Philosophy from the University of Michigan, focusing on Philosophy of Science and Consciousness. She earned her Ph.D. in Cellular and Clinical Neurosci...Show More
9) Episode 171- A Practitioner's Guide to Supporting Graduate Students with Valerie Shepard
Valerie Shepard, PhD, CSAEd, is a student affairs scholar-practitioner who currently serves as the Senior Content and Assessment Analyst for UCLA Recreation, which is organized under Campus Life in th...Show More
10) Episode 171-Navigating Academic Leadership with J. David Arnold
As an academic leader and author, J. David Arnold has focused on learning communities, first-year programs, strategic planning with faculty and promoting the “teacher-scholar” model of faculty profess...Show More