Channel U: Union Institute and University

Authors of Union Presents: Fields of Poison by Dr. Michael Halperin

Welcome to Authors of Union. We talked with Dr. Michael Halperin, a 1993 Ph.D. graduate of Union. Dr. Halperin is an author, playwright, screen and television writer. One of his latest books is 'Fields of Poison'. The book recounts the odyssey of Antonio Velasco from a village in rural Mexico to a life of backbreaking labor as an eleven-year-old migrant farm worker in America. He rose to the heights of the scientific and medical professions investigating and preventing life-threatening pesticide poisoning. Against enormous odds, he developed diagnostic protocols and treatment of toxic pesticides that have a long-term impact on public health. Dr. Velasco’s story represents the American ideal that the nation benefits from generations of immigrants.

Dr. Halperin is an author, playwright, and screen and television writer. He has served as Executive Story Consultant for 20th Century-Fox and Story Editor at Universal Television, and writer-producer for MCA Television. He is the author of the bestselling “Jacob’s Rescue: A Holocaust Story.” His book “Black Wheels” was a National Education Association choice for its African American 100 Best Book List. Others, “Judaism: Embracing the Seeker,” and  ​“Writing the Second Act” were Writer’s Digest Book Club selections. In addition, he is the playwright of four plays. Visit his website to learn more about his work.

The host for the interview-style podcast is Dr. Linwood Rumney, professor in Union’s General Education Program, poet, and author. He is the winner of the 17^th Annual Gival Press Poetry Award for Abandoned Earth. Rumney's poems and nonfiction essays have appeared in many publications including the North American Review and Crab Orchard Review. His translations of Aloysius Bertrand, an early practitioner of the modern prose poem in French, have appeared in Arts & Letters and Hayden’s Ferry Review. Rumney recently completed his Ph.D. as a Charles Phelps Taft Dissertation Fellow at the University of Cincinnati.

Authors of Union Presents: ’Hope Interrupted’

Welcome to Authors of Union. Today’s guests are Union alumna Jennifer Mooney and journalist Byron McCauley, co-authors of 'Hope Interrupted'. They describe the book as a cautionary tale of hope and fear. It is a story of optimism and existential dread. Byron, an award-winning columnist, and business executive, and Jennifer, an award-winning communications executive with a scholarship in psychology, lean into hope and ask if there is or ever truly was an American Dream.

The host for the interview-style podcast is Dr. Linwood Rumney, professor in Union’s General Education Program, poet, and author. He is the winner of the 17^th Annual Gival Press Poetry Award for Abandoned Earth. Rumney's poems and nonfiction essays have appeared in many publications including the North American Review and Crab Orchard Review. His translations of Aloysius Bertrand, an early practitioner of the modern prose poem in French, have appeared in Arts & Letters and Hayden’s Ferry Review. Rumney recently completed his Ph.D. as a Charles Phelps Taft Dissertation Fellow at the University of Cincinnati.

Learn more about Union’s Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies

Join us for a conversation about Union's Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies, which highlights students who focused on Humanities & Culture, Education Justice & Equity, and Public Policy & Social Change. Together they talk about how they found Union, identify highlights from their experience there, and share thoughts for future students.

 

Humanities & Culture: Dr. Tamara White graduated from Union's Ph.D. program, earning a doctorate in Interdisciplinary Studies and certificates in Museum Studies and Design Thinking. Dr. White's work focuses on the intersection of art and social justice 

 

Education Justice & Equity: Angie Brown is a Ph.D. candidate at Union. Every day she progresses toward completing her dissertation, which focuses on parental involvement in public schools at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Public Policy & Social Change: Dr. Jen Kramer-Wine also graduated from Union's Ph.D. program, earning a doctorate in Interdisciplinary Studies and a Specialization in MLK Studies. Kramer-Wine's work focused on restorative justice policy creation, adoption, and implementation in two urban school districts.

 

If you are interested in learning more about Union's Ph.D. programs, please visit myunion.edu. 

 

Authors of Union: The Poems of Peter Caccavari

Welcome to Authors of Union. Today, we are going to talk with Dr. Pete Caccavari, who has written his first chapbook of poetry, Minor Loss of Fidelity, shipping soon from Finishing Line Press. The book depicts people reacting to their environment – whether natural or human-made – and their struggles to make sense of those encounters. Caccavari's poems chronicle a variety of losses, but also a variety of hard-won gains. These encounters with the environment are mirrored in encounters of content with poetic forms. Personal history, natural history, and poetic history undergird the present, and these gird the present for the future. (Source: Finishing Line Press)

Caccavari wears two hats. By day, he is the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Title IX Coordinator for Union Institute & University. His job requires compliance and attention to detail. “I enjoy that job very much – it’s where I can satisfy my desire for order."  By night, his creative side emerges. “Poetry, on the other hand, lets me color outside the lines and break the rules.”

Caccavari earned his bachelor of arts in English from Xavier University and his M.A. Ph.D. in English from Rutgers University.  He lives in Cincinnati and credits the beauty of the landscape and city as inspiration.

The host for the interview-style podcast is Dr. Linwood Rumney, professor in Union’s General Education Program, poet, and author. He is the winner of the 17^th Annual Gival Press Poetry Award for Abandoned Earth. Rumney's poems and nonfiction essays have appeared in many publications including the North American Review and Crab Orchard Review. His translations of Aloysius Bertrand, an early practitioner of the modern prose poem in French, have appeared in Arts & Letters and Hayden’s Ferry Review. Rumney recently completed his Ph.D. as a Charles Phelps Taft Dissertation Fellow at the University of Cincinnati.

 

Authors of Union Celebrates National Poetry Month

In this episode of Channel U, we celebrate National Poetry Month. Our guest is Union Institute & University alumna Lois Roma-Deeley (Ph.D. 2000). The award-winning poet, educator and current Poet Laureate of Scottsdale, Arizona will read selected poems from her books and discuss her work, her approach to writing, and her journey as a writer.

Her most recent full-length book of poetry is The Short List of Certainties, winner of the Jacopone da Todi Book Prize. She is the author of three previous collections: Rules of Hunger, northSight and High Notes, which was a finalist for the Patterson Poetry Prize. Her fifth book of poetry, Like Water in the Palm of My Hand, is forthcoming from Kelsey Books in 2022. Roma-Deeley's poems have been featured in numerous literary journals and anthologies, nationally and internationally. Roma-Deeley was named the 2012-2013 U.S. Community College Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and CASE. Roma-Deeley founded and directed the Creative Writing and Women's Studies programs at Paradise Valley Community College as well as the Creative Writing Women's Caucus of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs. Roma-Deeley is Associate Editor of Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry.

Authors of Union features a conversation with one of our published authors. Your host is Dr. Linwood Rumney, professor in the UI&U General Education Program, poet and author. He is the winner of the 17^th Annual Gival Press Poetry Award for Abandoned Earth. His poems and nonfiction essays have appeared in many publications including the North American Review and Crab Orchard Review. His translations of Aloysius Bertrand, an early practitioner of the modern prose poem in French, have appeared in Arts & Letters and Hayden’s Ferry Review. His fellowships include the American Antiquarian Society, The Writers’ Room of Boston, and the St. Botolph Club, as well as a residency from the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center. He recently completed his Ph.D. as a Charles Phelps Taft Dissertation Fellow at UC.

Caregiving: The Unnoticed Role During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In addition to being Women’s History Month, March was also Social Worker Month. In this special episode of Channel U, our host Alexis Glennon will speak with guest Jessica King McLaughlin about the role of caregiving in our society, how caregivers have been affected during the pandemic, and discuss potential policy solutions that could help caregivers. 

Host Alexis Glennon, LCSW-R is a Core Faculty and Field Director at Union Institute & University within the Bachelor of Science in Social Work program and a Doctor of Social Work student at the University at Buffalo.  She is also a Research Fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Social Work Health Futures Lab. Her research area is digital literacy skills for social workers and the social work profession's role in tech justice. Along with her academic appointments, Alexis has a private practice specializing in treating trauma and the clinical assessment and application of digital literacy skills for clients.

Our guest is Jessica King McLaughlin. She is a Ph.D. candidate at the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. Jessica earned her undergraduate degree from Emory University and her master’s in social work from Boston College. Jessica is a licensed clinical social worker and has worked as an in-home therapist and in community mental health with children and families, and, most recently, as a medical social worker in a hospital setting. Presently, Jessica is an assistant researcher with the Paul Freeman Financial Security Program in the Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging and an adjunct professor at the University of Denver. Jessica's clinical work with multigenerational families motivates her research interests in dementia, financial well-being across the life span, informal working caregivers, and workforce policy implications for caregiver burden.  

The Psychology of a Survivor

In this episode of Channel U, we will discuss the casting process of reality television shows and the parallels to everyday success and psychology. Heather Hans joins us again as host. She is a Ph.D. student at Union Institute & University with a concentration in Ethical & Creative Leadership. She is a psychotherapist and has master’s degrees in social work and business administration. Heather is a TV expert guest and does a weekly mental health segment on 9News Denver. Her research interests are using TV and media to empower people to reach their goals by using visualization and improvisation.

Heather’s guest is Jesse Tannenbaum, the Head Casting Director of CBS reality shows Survivor, Big Brother, and Amazing Race. Jesse has worked primarily with CBS since 2013 on all of their reality competition shows and is also working on new projects for the network. He has a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Central Florida and prides himself on working well with others and being a team player. He’s working in an industry that he loves and that's reflected in his work.

Being a Man-Womanist with Pastor Aaron L. Dobynes, Ph.D.

Dr. Aaron L. Dobynes, Sr. is passionate about Black history, womanist theology, and the “Beloved Community.” This podcast combines all topics into one as Dr. Dobynes discusses being a man-womanist, the differences between womanism and feminism, the disrespect Black women have historically experienced, his thoughts on God being a woman, and so much more.

Our guest is alumnus Dr. Aaron L. Dobynes (https://www.shiloholdsite.org/pastor.html), who graduated from Union’s Ph.D. program in 2015. Dr. Dobynes is the senior pastor at Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site) in Fredericksburg, VA. A native of Alabama, Pastor Dobynes is a fourth-generation preacher who met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the age of five. Pastor Dobynes self-identifies as a man-womanist and an advocate for women.

Host Dr. Paula D. Royster is a 2018 graduate of the Union Ph.D. program. The active scholar-practitioner and full-time professor is a two-time Fulbright Scholar recipient. She is also a member of the U.S. Department of State Diversity Speaker’s Bureau roster and served two years as a peer-reviewer for the Fulbright Commission. She founded the Center for African American Genealogical Research, Inc (CAAGRI), a non-profit organization established to reunite as many African families as possible using genealogy research tools, historical narratives, and genetic DNA analysis wherever possible.

Black History Month: Featured Podcast with Dr. Kimarie Bugg – Part 2 of 2

Continue listening to the second installment of this Black History Month featured podcast, focusing on Black Health and Wellness. Your host is Lisa Akers (https://myunion.edu/member/lisa-akers-phd/), PhD, RDN, IBCLC, RLC, FAND. She is joined by lactation expert Dr. Kimarie Bugg, D.N.P., FNP-BC, M.P.H, IBCLC (https://myunion.edu/member/kimarie-bugg-dnp-fnp-bc-mph-ibclc/).

Be sure to listen to the first part of this two-part series as you won’t want to miss any of the discussion. Here are references/links to help you find more information:

• Asiodu, I. V., Bugg, K., & Palmquist, A. E. (2021). Achieving breastfeeding equity and justice in Black communities: past, present, and future. Breastfeeding Medicine, 16(6), 447-451.
• Bartick, M. C., Schwarz, E. B., Green, B. D., Jegier, B. J., Reinhold, A. G., Colaizy, T. T., ... & Stuebe, A. M. (2017). Suboptimal breastfeeding in the United States: Maternal and pediatric health outcomes and costs. Maternal & child nutrition, 13(1), e12366.
• Merewood, A., Bugg, K., Burnham, L., Krane, K., Nickel, N., Broom, S., ... & Feldman-Winter, L. (2019). Addressing racial inequities in breastfeeding in the southern United States. Pediatrics, 143(2).
• https://maternalhealthlearning.org/

Black History Month: Featured Podcast with Dr. Kimarie Bugg Part 1 of 2

In this final Black History Month featured podcast, highlighting the 2022 theme of Black Health and Wellness, we will focus on maternal and infant health and the inequities that have plagued Black communities throughout history.

Our guest is lactation expert and Union faculty member, Dr. Kimarie Bugg, D.N.P., FNP-BC, M.P.H, IBCLC (https://myunion.edu/member/kimarie-bugg-dnp-fnp-bc-mph-ibclc/). Dr. Bugg is President and CEO of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE), a national nonprofit created in 2011 to address breastfeeding inequities in the African American community, and a career perinatal and neonatal nurse professional. Dr. Bugg has spent nearly four decades working in the Atlanta Metropolitan area and nationally in mostly African American communities promoting perinatal health, breastfeeding, and community-based impact solutions.

Dr. Bugg is joined by host Lisa Akers (https://myunion.edu/member/lisa-akers-phd/), PhD, RDN, IBCLC, RLC, FAND. Dr. Akers is currently the Program Chair for the Bachelor of Science in Maternal Child Health: Human Lactation, the Master of Arts in Health and Wellness, the Master of Arts in Human Lactation Studies, and the Master of Arts in Applied Nutrition and Dietetics Programs at Union Institute & University.

Join us now for this timely and thought-provoking discussion. This is a two-part series, so be sure to listen to both segments (once available). Dr. Bugg mentions numerous articles and websites during this podcast. Here are references/links to help you find more information:

• Asiodu, I. V., Bugg, K., & Palmquist, A. E. (2021). Achieving breastfeeding equity and justice in Black communities: past, present, and future. Breastfeeding Medicine, 16(6), 447-451.
• Bartick, M. C., Schwarz, E. B., Green, B. D., Jegier, B. J., Reinhold, A. G., Colaizy, T. T., ... & Stuebe, A. M. (2017). Suboptimal breastfeeding in the United States: Maternal and pediatric health outcomes and costs. Maternal & child nutrition, 13(1), e12366.
• Merewood, A., Bugg, K., Burnham, L., Krane, K., Nickel, N., Broom, S., ... & Feldman-Winter, L. (2019). Addressing racial inequities in breastfeeding in the southern United States. Pediatrics, 143(2).
• https://maternalhealthlearning.org/