Urban Impact

Kean University students and faculty are revolutionizing urban design through innovative, community-centered learning and research. This episode highlights how architecture students at Michael Graves College are tackling real-world issues including food justice, youth empowerment and sustainable urban planning, and making a lasting impact in their communities.   Urban Impact is recorded and produc...

Two prominent New Jersey mayors, Plainfield’s Adrian Mapp and Passaic’s Hector Lora, discuss how they are driving innovative solutions to address the state’s 200,000-unit affordable housing shortage. Learn how their collective advocacy and efforts to amplify community voices are reshaping urban policy and development across 32 municipalities.   Urban Impact is recorded and produced at Kean, New Je...

Think those iconic Girl Scout cookies are just a sweet treat? Think again. Natasha Hemmings, CEO of Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey, reveals how the organization is shaping tomorrow’s leaders, one badge and bold idea at a time. Tune in to learn how the Girl Scouts, in partnership with Kean University, are sparking curiosity and driving transformation—literally—through the innovation of a new mobil...

Ndaba Mandela discusses legacy, leadership and community-driven change in the latest episode of Urban Impact. Learn about his very personal connection to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and how he’s carrying forward his grandfather Nelson Mandela’s vision for a brighter future. #Leadership #NdabaMandela #UrbanImpactPodcast #NelsonMandela

In this special kickoff to Season Three of Urban Impact , Kean University President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed. D., defines what it means to be an anchor institution and explains the critical role institutions like Kean play in building community partnerships and driving local development. He discusses the University’s unique contributions to the local community and shares his vision for the evolving...

Hear how Kean University’s innovative efforts led to a prestigious Silver STARS rating for sustainability. Hosts Michael Salvatore and Barbara George Johnson talk with Felice Vazquez, Kean’s senior vice president for planning and special counsel to the president, about the importance of sustainability in higher education. Urban Impact is recorded and produced at Kean, New Jersey’s urban research u...

Sustainability ambassador Allison Edgley is back! In part two of her episode, she shares what she learned firsthand about sustainable practices in China and Iceland and discusses the small but impactful steps individuals can take to cut down on single-use plastics, food waste and overconsumption. Urban Impact is recorded and produced at Kean, New Jersey’s urban research university. The podcast is...

Sustainability guru Allison Edgley, Ed. D. discusses the keys to successful sustainability initiatives, her role as a sustainability ambassador and how small, everyday actions can lead to significant environmental impacts and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Did you know eight out of 10 Americans have faced trauma at some point in their lives? This statistic opens up profound discussions about the world of trauma-informed care in this episode of Urban Impact , featuring Kean Assistant Professor Jennifer Vinces-Cua, Ph. D. Learn how community support can foster healing and resilience.

Kean Assistant Professor Alex Stribing, Ph. D., discusses the transformative role of adapted physical education in bridging gaps, promoting inclusion and fostering wellness among students with disabilities. Dive into the passion and creativity fueling Stribing’s commitment to making physical education accessible to everyone. #InclusiveEducation #WellnessForAll

Learn more about rising sea levels, the critical role of dunes along the Jersey Shore and innovative strategies to address climate challenges with Kean Assistant Professor Dr. Jun Cheng, Ph. D. on our latest episode of Urban Impact . Urban Impact is recorded and produced at Kean, New Jersey’s urban research university. The podcast is now available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Po...

On this episode of Urban Impact , geologist and Kean University Assistant Professor Jun Cheng, Ph. D., takes us “down the shore” to discuss how the changing climate is impacting one of New Jersey’s most iconic and treasured landscapes: its beaches.  Urban Impact is recorded and produced at Kean, New Jersey’s urban research university. The podcast is now available on all major podcast platforms, in...

On Season Two’s third episode, Urban Impact takes a dive into the controversial topic of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) with Nicky Sheats, Ph. D., J.D., director of the Center for the Urban Environment at the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean. Sheats breaks down the problems with CCS from an environmental justice point of view and why plans to implement it will...

On Season Two’s second episode of Urban Impact , we explore environmental justice with Nicky Sheats, Ph. D., J.D., director of the Center for the Urban Environment at the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean. Sheats explains the disproportionate impact of pollution on low-income neighborhoods and communities of color; how the Canadian wildfires brought a visual element to...

Kean Launches Season 2 of the Urban Impact Podcast with architect and Michael Graves College Dean David Mohney to discuss the role of architecture and design in community engagement and health.  Urban Impact is recorded and produced at Kean, New Jersey’s urban research university. The podcast is now available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google, and at kean...

On the 10th and final episode of Season One of Kean University’s podcast, Urban Impact, hosts Michael Salvatore, Ph. D., and Barbara George Johnson, JD, recall their favorite moments from the first season. Take a listen and hear what caught their attention as the podcast’s season draws to a close.

On the ninth episode of Urban Impact, astrophysicist and Kean Associate Professor David Joiner, Ph. D., pulls back the curtain on artificial intelligence, revealing its current limitations, flaws and even potential biases.

On the eighth episode of Urban Impact, English professor and director of the Master of Arts in Writing Studies program, Mia Zamora, Ph. D., discusses the potential impact of artificial intelligence in the classroom and why she believes a humanistic approach is critical to working with emerging technologies like A.I. Urban Impact is recorded and produced at Kean, New Jersey’s urban research univers...

On the7th episode of Urban Impact, Ana I. Berdecia, director of the Center for the Positive Development of Urban Children at the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University, discusses the impact teachers have when they embrace the different cultures of their students and why stepping up cultural celebrations and measures that embrace diversity are key to engaging stud...

On the 6th episode of Urban Impact, Senior Vice President for Entrepreneurial Education Initiatives Sancha Gray, Ed. D., discusses how intentionally developing programs that engage families in the education of their children supercharges positive outcomes, increases graduation rates and has the potential to disrupt the cycle of poverty in families. 

On the 5th episode of Urban Impact , Kean Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs David S. Birdsell, Ph. D., explains what nonprofits need to do to maximize their impact and how they became such an important part of America’s social support network.

On the 4th episode of Urban Impact , biologist Brenna Levine, Ph. D., discusses how the population density and higher average temperatures of urban areas make them susceptible to invasive species that are disrupting their biodiversity.

Daniela Shebitz, Ph. D. explains what an ethnobotanist is, why urban farming and micro forests are so important, and why solving the Earth’s carbon problem comes down to individuals, not corporations.

On the second episode of Kean’s podcast, Urban Impact , Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs David S. Birdsell, Ph. D., explains what Kean’s urban research designation means for students, researchers and communities across New Jersey.

What happens when a university is officially designated an "urban research" university? On the first episode of Urban Impact , Kean Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs David S. Birdsell, Ph. D., explains Kean’s important role as New Jersey’s first urban research university and the impact of the designation. Please SUBSCRIBE & RATE! Visit the Urban Impact webpage here: www.ke...