New College of Florida

Higher Education

Defending the Freedom to Learn with Jeremy C. Young & PEN America

Jeremy C. Young is the Program Director of Freedom to Learn at PEN America where he focuses on defending academic freedom in schools and on campuses across America. He joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about the unprecedented assaults on the New College of Florida and what we all can do about it.

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Higher Education

Colleges on the Brink of the Culture Wars with Dr. Eric Schickler

Dr. Eric Schickler is a Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley where he is currently working on a book about polarization in American politics. He joins host and fellow New College alum, Mike Palmer, in a discussion about what’s happening at New College, what it says about the current state of higher education and politics in America, and what we can do about it.

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Higher Education

Academic Freedom, Civil Liberties, and Emerging Technology with New College Alum Jennifer Granick

Jennifer Granick is the surveillance and cybersecurity counsel with the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. She litigates, speaks, and writes about privacy, security, technology, and constitutional rights. She is the author of the book American Spies: Modern Surveillance, Why You Should Care, and What to Do About It and is an alum of New College of Florida along with host Mike Palmer. She joins Mike in a conversation about her work with the ACLU, her perspectives on the current situation at New College, and her thoughts on education and the future of work in light of the emergence of generative AI and Chat GPT.

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Higher Education

Doing Data Science at a Liberal Arts College with Aaron Hillegass

Aaron Hillegass is an author, the Founder of Big Nerd Ranch, and the Director of Applied Data Science at New College of Florida. He’s also the Executive Director of the Kontinua Foundation. He joins host and fellow New College alum Mike Palmer in a wide-ranging conversation about the blend of skills and digital competencies in machine learning, data, and AI that are becoming increasingly essential for professional success and career growth.

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Higher Education

Leading an Innovative Liberal Arts College in Challenging Times with Dr. Patricia Okker

Dr. Patricia Okker is the President of New College of Florida, the innovative honor’s college in the Florida system. She joins host and New College alum Mike Palmer to talk about what makes a New College education unique and how a liberal arts education can prepare you for the world of work and community engagement. Note: this episode was recorded in December prior to the recent appointments to the Board of Trustees.

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Learning

Storytelling and Sociology at the End of History with Dr. Daniel Harrison

Dr. Daniel Harrison joins Mike to talk about his latest book, Live at Jackson Station. We hear how Dan became a Sociology Professor at Lander University in South Carolina before we dive into the importance of storytelling as Dan tells the story of Jackson Station, a legendary blues bar in Greenwood, South Carolina in the 1980s and early nineties. We learn about the tolerance and diversity of the music scene at the bar before things take a “True Crime” turn with a bush ax attack in the parking lot at 3am. Along the way Dan and Mike muse about the relevance of sociology and the future of higher education.

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Social Emotional Learning

Trauma-Informed Social Emotional Learning with Noah Teitelbaum

Noah Teitelbaum is the Executive Director of Empowering Education. That means he does a bit of everything, from chatting with the principals and teachers using the program to managing program updates to writing SEL children’s stories about bunnies (https://empoweringeducation.org/book/). Empowering Education is a non-profit that enables learning by contributing to the social and emotional wellness of students, families, and educators through a mindfulness-based bilingual SEL curriculum. They offer an accessible, trauma-informed, affordable, and easy-to-use curriculum for K-8 teachers and SEL specialists to use in the classroom.

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Higher Education

2020 Student Voting Engagement with Dr. Mark Sanders and Melissa Griffith

Dr. Mark Sanders, a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at UNC Charlotte, returns to the show to talk to Mike and Melissa about student voter engagement, the relevance of philosophy, and the importance of supporting faculty and the broader community. Mark describes the work that is being done by FacNet, the Faculty Voting Rights Engagement Network where he is on the Steering Committee.

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