Positive and mutually beneficial relationships between faculty and staff are essential to the mission of Christian colleges. We say we want to form and develop the whole student, and that type of holistic support is most effective when communication between curricular and co-curricular groups. But how do we arrive at that level of collaboration? Dr. Mark Muha's expertise in this area is featured in the January episode. He talks about his research on the factors that predict faculty and staff collaboration and how to apply this knowledge to improve your collaboration efforts this semester.

Chapters:

0:00 Dated mid-season update of the Lions and Eagles

2:30 Introduction of guest (it's Mark)

8:42 Mark's professional background

14:38 Lead-up to Mark's dissertation topic

18:16 Starting presumptions about how collaboration works

22:10 Study outcomes - what predicts collaboration?

28:50 Practical outcomes

38:50 Adapting relational coordination theory to your context

46:20 How to start improving your collaboration this month

Discover Mark's Work:

Mark's ACSD Growth Journal Article: Pursuing Campus Collaboration That Works: Assessing the Impact of Relational Leadership and Work Engagement on Relational Coordination between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs in Christian Higher Education

Our guest this month wrote his doctoral dissertation around the year 2020, when our country engaged in a nationwide conversation about race and racism. While the social and political contexts are different from five years ago, Dr. Jarad Russell's research on the racial attitudes of white students remains relevant to our work today. Join us as we learn about three primary ways that white students think about race and how that can inform our work in student development.

0:00 Mark and Kara's latest fitness pursuits

6:20 Guest bio (plus an ACSD Retreat plug)

12:07 Speed round

16:11 Background of Jarad's research area

22:20 Categories of racial attitudes

30:42 Violence and hate crime trends

36:50 Talking about race with mentors vs peers

39:28 How does your research apply to our listeners?

47:40 Resources for further learning

Jarad's The Racial Attitudes of White Students at a Christian Institution in ACSD Growth

Jemar Tisby's website

Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us by Claude M. Steele

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

Faithful Antiracism by Christina Barland Edmondson and Chad Brennan

Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Initiated by the first "Dear Colleague" letter, what we now know as Title IX work, or the prevention of and response to sexual assault and sexual harassment, is both incredibly challenging and deeply good. Our guest was a VP for Student Development at the time of that first Dear Colleague letter. He describes the ways the work has changed since 2011, the value of campus prevention efforts, the importance of staff training, and the opportunity for restorative justice that Title IX represents. Episode notes include links to books discussed throughout the conversation.

Chapters:

0:00 Kara's dissertation update

3:55 Guest bio8:36 Speed round

13:20 Gerald's background in Title IX

16:20 Important Title IX landmarks since 2011

19:55 Increasing prevention vs perfecting process

28:40 Advice for young professionals

36:30 Burnout in Title IX

40:30 Institutional support for federal compliance initiatives

47:00 Where to learn more

Episode notes:

Sexual Citizens by Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan

Sex and the Soul by Donna Freitas