We're transitioning between fall and winter sports seasons at Simpson, so Athletic Director Marty Bell stops by the podcast this week to talk about the progress he's seen across the board during his tenure leading the college's athletic programs.

The 2024 elections are in the rear-view mirror, and Simpson political scientists Adrienne Gathman and Kedron Bardwell are on the podcast this week to dissect the results. They not only make sense of Donald Trump's return to the presidency, but also the struggles of the Iowa Democratic Party and how Democrats might mount a comeback in the next two years.

John Cardamone is the director of international education and study abroad at Simpson College, where he's rebuilding Simpson's once-leading international programs back to where they were before COVID-19. On this week's episode, John talks about his background in international education, Simpson's upcoming May Term study-abroad opportunities, and how he's working to expand the destinations and affordability of study abroad for Simpson students.

The new vice president for student development at Simpson College, Matt Hansen, is retaining his existing title as dean of students and is on the front line of helping make a vibrant experience for students outside the classroom. On this episode of the podcast, Matt talks about his career journey to Simpson, his program's recent Iowa Safe Schools Award, and how Simpson is helping its students be engaged in the 2024 elections.

A funny thing happened to English professor CoryAnne Harrigan on her way to the start of the Fall 2024 term: Just a week before class began, she was asked to take over as academic dean of Simpson College on an interim basis. Two months later, Harrigan says that, while she wasn't looking for the job, she's been learning on the fly and becoming comfortable with leading the academic program. On this episode of Speaking of Simpson, Harrigan talks about her journey to Simspon, the roles she's played on campus, and the wholly unexpected offer to become academic dean.

Jay Byers is now officially Simpson College's 25th president after his inauguration this past Friday as part of Homecoming weekend. Terry Handley, chairman of the Simpson Board of Trustees, presided at the ceremony, with a wide array of speakers representing Simpson's faculty, students, alumni, the Indianola community, and the broader world of Iowa higher education. Inaugurations are one of the most special events colleges hold, and this week's episode captures the excitement on campus as Byers digs into his presidency.

Commencement is just around the corner at Simpson, unleashing hundreds of new graduates on the world. For this final episode of Season 5 of Speaking of Simpson, Director of Career Services Kelsey Bolton shares where those graduates are likely to turn up in the months ahead. The college's First Destinations Report shows that 94% of Simpson grads either land employment or graduate-school admissions — and an amazing 78% of them will stay in Iowa to help make the Hawkeye State a more educated and professional place to live.

The new commissioner of the American Rivers Conference, Marie Stroman, is on the podcast this week to talk about the Division III sports league of which Simpson is a member. Known since 1922 as the Iowa Conference, the ARC rebranded in 2018 with the addition of Nebraska Wesleyan as its eighth member institution. Stroman talks this week about her work bringing Simpson together with its conference peers and the challenges in running a Division III league in an age of Division I giantism.

Terry Branstad, governor of Iowa during most of the years from 1983 to 2017 and then ambassador to China from 2017 to 2020, visited Simpson on April 2 to take part in a conversation with Simpson President Jay Byers on the future of U.S.-China relations. This week's podcast is a recording of that event, which took place in front of Simpson staff and students in Pote Theatre and was sponsored by the John C. Culver Center for Public Policy.

John Della Volpe of the Harvard Institute of Politics will deliver the annual Culver Lecture at Simpson College on Thursday, April 4.  He joins the podcast this week to talk about the influence of Gen Z voters — today's college students and others born after 2001 — in national politics. Della Volpe is a former adviser to the Biden campaign and administration and the author of Fight: How Gen Z Is Channeling Their Fear & Passion to Save America.

Campus Day 2024 — Simpson College's oldest tradition, dating to 1889 — is just around the corner. It's a day of (we hope) springtime weather, community service, and campus fun. Elise Boulton, the head of the student planning committee for Campus Day 2024, stops by the podcast this week to talk about the event and its history, and what she and her fellow planners in the students body and on the college staff have up their sleeves for this year's edition.

Cal Dobbs isn't only a transgender educator and activist. The Venice, Calif., native also has run across the United States and completed the Triple Crown of Hiking to bring awareness of transgender rights and to fight the onslaught of anti-trans legislation being debated across the nation. Dobbs will be speaking at Simpson College on March 19 in a talk supported by Simpson College Department of Athletics and PRIDE, the college's LBGTQ+ student organization.

After several years of a sometimes-strained relationship, Simpson College and the city of Indianola are working together again on a number of fronts to improve the community for all. Indianola Mayor Stephanie Erickson, a Simpson alumna, stops by the podcast this week to talk about the work she and Simpson President Jay Byers are undertaking to build the bond between town and gown.

Brad Bjorkgren just completed his ninth season as men's basketball coach at Simpson — but it was first since suffering a stroke in May 2023. Bjorkgren is on the podcast this week to talk about his stroke, the road to recovery, and the joy of being back on the sidelines to coach the men's program.

When World War II saw thousands of Iowans fight in the European and Pacific wars, f40,000 German, Italian and Japanese prisoners of war were brought to the Hawkeye state to help with farm labor. Chad Timm, a professor of education at Simpson and himself a former high school history teacher, has spent decades researching the stories of those POWs in Iowa, the camps they lived in, and the relationships they developed with Iowans of that era. Chad stops by the podcast this week to talk about his research and his broader work helping secondary educators teach history.

Simpson just announced the addition of acrobatics and tumbling as its newest varsity sports — and its 26th overall. Athletic Director Marty Bell is on the podcast this week to talk about the process of adding a sport that has little footprint in the Midwest and how Simpson will go about building its newest program.

February is Black History Month at Simpson and throughout the nation. Keyah Levy, the college's vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, stops by the podcast this week to talk about the events on the schedule as well as the broader efforts at making Simpson a more diverse, equitable and inclusive learning community

Education students and faculty  at Simpson have new classrooms, curriculum labs and technology that put the college at the cutting edge of teacher training in Iowa. Kate Lerseth, the chair of teacher education at Simpson, is on the podcast this week to talk about the new facilities and the challenges facing the future of teacher preparation and public education.

Simpson's 60-year-old Dunn Library has just opened after an 18-month remodeling project. College Librarian & Archivist Cyd Dyer is on the podcast this week to talk about Dunn's history and what users will find when they visit the new space in the center of campus.

The first associate dean for student success at Simpson, Teresa Swan Tuite manages several programs and offices that help students succeed in the classroom and across campus. She comes on the podcast this week to talk about how that effort is key to Simpson's mission, and how it often means concentrating on individual student success.

Coming off a 16-3-2 season, Simpson women's soccer coach Jeremy Reinert visits the podcast to talk about the Storm's run to an NCAA national tournament birth in Division III. Despite a second-round, season-ending loss to Wisconsin-LaCrosse in the tournament, Simpson is well positioned to make another tournament run in 2024.

For 15 years, Lisa Carponelli has brought her expertise in local television news to Simpson students. Now she's back on the air as a part-time weekend anchor at WHO-TV Channel 13 in Des Moines. Carponelli joins the podcast this week to talk about her work at Simpson, her recent return to the airwaves, and — as if that's not enough to keep her busy — her line of women's cycling clothing Velarosa

Simpson's longtime director of speech, debate and mock trial, Spencer Waugh, has stepped into a new role at the college this fall, becoming the college's first leader of the Center for Exploratory Studies and director of academic recruiting. Spencer comes on the podcast this week to talk about his transition and his work helping undecided students find a path to determining what they'll study at Simpson.

Winning national championships isn't news for Simpson's speech, debate, and mock trial program — but having new leadership is. This week's podcast features new SDMT director Tiana Brownen, new assistant Justin Fields, and veteran assistant Marisa Mayo talking about the challenges of taking over the nationally prominent program and their hopes for the season just getting started.

Tracy and Jason Dinesen are longtime members of the Simpson community — she a faculty member in Spanish and administrator, he a graduate and adjunct accounting professor — who've done something many of us long to do: Sell their possessions and move to another country. In the Dinesens case, they and their two teenaged sons have moved to Portugal, and they tell their story on this week's podcast episode. The Dinesens also are documenting their story on their own podcast, As The Dinesens Turn, which you can find on all major podcasting platforms.

It's Homecoming 2023 at Simpson College, and Alumni Director Andy English stops by the podcast this week to talk about the traditional and the new events that will welcome alumni and community to campus for Simpson's premier fall celebration. The football team takes on Coe for the biggest event of the week, but Homecoming 2023 offers a full range of events for campus visitors young and old.

Colleges and universities must be accredited by an outside body for their students to qualify for governmental financial aid — and for students and their families to know that schools produce the higher education they need to succeed in life and career. This week, Jennifer Miller, dean of continuing, graduate and online education at Simpson, talks about her leadership of Simpson's reaccreditation process with the Higher Learning Commission.

Andrea Singsass '05 is founder and CEO of The Tyne Group, a leadership coaching and development firm based in Cedar Rapids. She's on the podcast this week to talk about how she found her calling, balancing personal and professional life, and her passion for supporting American military spouses around the globe.

The associate director of Drake's Constitutional Law Center, Miguel Schor, is our podcast guest this week. Professor Schor delivered the 2023 Constitution Day lecture at the college, speaking on the many challenges confronting constitutional government in the United States and his proposals for fixing them.

It's hard to miss Jay Byers these days — the new Simpson College president has put an emphasis on telling the college's story — in person, in the media, and on social channels. Byers stops by the podcast this week to tell his story: How he came to Simpson as an undergraduate 35 years ago, his work as an alumnus and board member, and now as president of the college. He also details the new All-In On Iowa financial aid program that will provide full-tuition scholarships for students of families earning less than $100,000 per year and students from each of Iowa's 99 counties.

The new academic year is in full swing at Simpson College, and chemistry professor Adam Brustkern welcomed more than 380 new students at the college with his All-College Convocation talk on Aug. 30. Brustkern's message to the students: Embrace change, and let Simpson's faculty serve as the catalyst to that change. Brustkern gave the talk by virtue of winning the 2023 Distinguished Teaching Award at last spring's commencement.

Football and fall sports are in the air as a new year launches at Simpson, and Athletic Director Marty Bell stops by the first episode of Speaking of Simpson's new season to talk new momentum across the board. There's a new football staff on board, multiple new assistant coaches in many sports, and plans ahead for new programs and facilities. 

With the state legislature passing a raft of laws to discriminate against transgender Iowans, Simpson students Cassidy Daub and Kenneth Norris come on the final podcast of the 2022-23 academic year to talk about their experiences in their hometowns, their families, on the Simpson campus and beyond. 

With up to 75% voting turnout among Simpson students, the college has been named one of America's Voter-Friendly Campuses by the Fair Elections Project and Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Seth Andersen, director of the John C. Culver Public Policy Center at Simpson, is our guest this week to talk about the college's non-partisan efforts to turn out student voters regardless of party affiliation or ideology.

With transgender rights front and center in Iowa political debates, We Are Iowa local journalist Nora J.S. Reichardt grabbed national headlines when she recently came out as transgender on the air. Nora visited with Multimedia Journalism and Foundations students about her transition and how Iowans have responded.

Death row survivor Anthony Ray Hinton, author of The Sun Does Shine, will speak at Simpson on Tuesday, March 29. That's because student Lexi Johnson took the lead in booking him after she read his book. Johnston joins the podcast this week to talk about how Hinton's story inspired her as a criminal justice major, and why she went to work bringing him to speak at the college.

Simpson's history faculty don't simply lecture about history — they help students live it through the innovative Reacting to the Past method of teaching. Simpson history professor Rebecca Livingstone is out with a new co-authored book on learning history through role-playing, Monuments and Memory-Making: The Debate over the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1981-1982. She stops by the podcast this week to talk about the RTTP method of teaching and how she is using it in classwork at Simpson.

Simpson College started its men's and women's gymnastics programs this year — the first Iowa small college to do so. Men's coach Colin Payne and women's coach Emily Barrett Payne are on the podcast this week to talk about how they've begun the gymnastics tradition at Simpson and how they're already posting successes in NCAA competitions.

Kim Keller Senger '92 is national director of corporate and foundation support at National Jewish Health in Denver. She joins the podcast this week to talk about how Simpson helped her build a career of service and development for one of the nation's largest respiratory hospitals. As with so many Simpson alumni, Senger has taken the skills and mindsets built at Simpson to find a career she couldn't have imagined when she graduated.

The teaching of American history has become increasingly politicized as the culture has become more divisive, and Simpson faculty and students often find themselves in the middle of those debates. History professor Nick Proctor and Education professor Chad Timm are on the podcast this week to talk about how the History Wars impact their teaching in Simpson's history courses and in the preparation of the next generation of Iowa's history teachers.

Marsha Kelliher recently announced her intention to step down as president of Simpson College after recently becoming engaged to be married. She stops by the podcast to talk about her decision to retire, her accomplishments during her three years as president, and the challenges facing Simpson College and higher education in the years ahead.

Simpson's Writing Across The Curriculum approach to liberal education shows the college's commitment to building writing skills across all disciplines. Writing Center Director Colin Payton guests this week to talk about his desire to build a culture of writing at Simpson in which all students seek out his center's help, and he also discloses plans for the center to grow to build oral, visual and electronic communication skills.

New Simpson head coach Reed Hoskins is on the podcast to talk about his effort to rebuild a Storm football program that's been on a slide in recent years. After two 1-9 seasons, the Storm hopes 'to be an annoyance' for teams in the American Rivers Conference this coming season, Hoskins says.

Greater Des Moines Partnership President & CEO Jay Byers '93 joins the podcast this week to talk about his Simpson Experience and his work with the partnership, which is the metro's biggest economic and community development organization. Byers is also on the Simpson College Board of Trustees, and he says the college is a critical developer of talent and economic value in the region.

After three seasons as Simpson's women's volleyball coach, KK Palea has taken a program that once was an American Rivers Conference doormat and has it posting winning season records. Now Palea is helping Simpson launch a new men's volleyball program that will start competition in January 2023. KK stops by the podcast this week to talk about his mission to turn Simpson into a college 'volleyball mecca' in Iowa.

One in five women nationally are victims of sexual misconduct during their years at college and university. Simpson College has just been awarded a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to improve its education, preventing and adjudication of students, staff, and faculty on sexual violence. Heidi Levine, vice president of student affairs and planning, comes on the podcast to talk about the grant and how it will strengthen Simpson's efforts.

Simpson's programs in speech, debate and mock trial dominate national competitions, so this week we turn to competitors Ryan Corcoran, Abby Fry and Ryan Magalhaes to learn what drives them to compete at the highest levels.