Mile Higher Ed Podcast

Have you ever wondered what a higher education class at DU is like? Then you won’t want to miss this! For our Season 3 finale, we are featuring the Higher Ed in Film and TV Seminar and its students. Dr. Marc Johnston Guerrero joins Sarah and Caitlyn to talk about the seminar course he taught in winter quarter, how he developed the syllabus, and what the Higher Ed Seminars are all about. Then, we b...

In this special episode of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn talk to Ceyoncé, a student in the Master of Media & Public Communication program at the University of Denver. They recently took the Higher Education Seminar course “Higher Ed in Film & TV,” which Dr. Marc Johnston Guerrero taught this past winter quarter. We are excited to share their final class project “Defying Gravity,” a pod...

On this episode of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn talk with Dr. Dwenna Holden, a graduate of the Ed. D. program.   Dr. Dwenna Holden has spent over 20 years in education at the secondary and post-secondary levels both as an educator and administrator. Her focus of praxis and research has been a critical interrogation of cis-white, able-bodied, heteropatriarchal colonial structures, especially a...

In this episode of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn talk with Dr. Michael LaFarr, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health and Wellbeing at the University of Denver and alumnus of the Higher Education Master’s program. We talk about what health care looks like in the context of higher education, how to support students’ holistic wellbeing, and how his degree in higher education shaped his career traj...

On this episode of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn talk to Dr. Ally Garcia, State Director for Adult Education Initiatives at the Colorado Department of Education and Adjunct Faculty in the Higher Education Department at the University of Denver. We talk about her experience in the EdD program, her teaching philosophy of Challenge-and-Support, and how she centers learners in her work both in the...

On this episode, Sarah and Caitlyn speak with Dr. Audrey Townsend, Director of Experiential Learning at the University of Denver. We talk about why experiential learning is important, how to choose between a PhD and an EdD, and how DU pushes its students to curate a meaningful education.  About our guest: Audrey Townsend, PhD (she/her) serves as the Director of Experiential Learning within the 4D...

In this episode, Sarah and Caitlyn talk with Dr. Dong Dinh, who is the Director of First at DU, and an alum of both the Higher Education Master and EdD programs at the University of Denver. We talk about serving first-generation students, how first-gen supports must span the whole college experience, and reflecting on those who have helped to support us in our journeys.   About our guest: Dr. Dong...

In this episode, Sarah and Caitlyn are joined by Jessica Boynton, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, and Amber Rux, M.A., Assistant Director of Student Affairs, both at the University of Denver  Sturm College of Law.  We talk about what supporting students in   About Our Guests:  Since 2015, Jessica Boynton has been serving law students as the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs...

In this episode of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn talk to Dr. Jim DeLung, Dean of Academic Success in Career and Technical Education at the Community College of Aurora. We discuss innovations in higher education, what constitutes career and technical ed, and those things that inspire us in challenging times.    About our guest:  Dr. Jim DeLung  serves as the Dean for Community College of Aurora...

In this Season 3 premiere of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn speak to Frank Winchester, Assistant Director of Student Rights and Responsibilities here at the University of Denver and current student in the EdD program. We talk about Frank’s journey, how he uses his EdD coursework in his practice, and the importance of connecting authentically with and serving today’s students.  About our guest: ...

In this episode of Mile Higher Ed, we revisit the very first episode of the podcast we recorded! Caitlyn interviews Sarah about her article “Using Intersectionality to Reimagine Title IX Adjudication Policy” was recently published in a special issue of the Journal of Women and Gender and Higher Education.    About our guest:  Dra. Sarah Hurtado  has been with DU Higher Education since 2018. She fi...

While Sarah and Caitlyn work on Season 3 of the podcast, we are revisiting this season 1 episode where we talked to Dr. Michele Tyson, Clinical Associate Professor of Higher Education and Director of Faculty Advising at the University of Denver. We talked about the legacy of women’s colleges and women’s leadership programs in higher education. Michele had recently co-authored a chapter in the book...

Sarah and Caitlyn are still hard at work on Season 3 of the podcast. In the meantime, we’re revisiting this season 1 episode with Dr. Cecilia Orphan, Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Denver, and Director of Partnerships for the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC). We talked about Regional Public Universities and Rural-Serving Institutions and why these sec...

This week we are revisiting our season 1 episode where we talked to Dr. Chris Nelson, Associate Professor and now Chair of the Higher Education Department at the University of Denver. She kindly joined us while on her sabbatical to talk with us about her co-authored piece called “(Re)wiring Settler Colonial Practices in Higher Education: Creating Indigenous-Centered Futures Through Considerations...

While Sarah and Caitlyn work on Season 3 of the podcast, we are revisiting this season 1 episode where we talked to Dr. Laura Sponsler, Clinical Associate Professor of Higher Education and now Director of Faculty Development for the Office of Faculty Affairs. We talked about Teaching & Professional Faculty, also called Non-Tenure-Track Faculty, based on an article Dr. Sponsler had recently pub...

Would you like to contribute to the Professor William E. Cross Jr, PhD Memorial Scholarship? Click here .  Want more information about the University of Denver’s master’s and doctoral programs? Click here .   Mile Higher Ed is produced within the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver by Dr. Sarah Hurtado and Caitlyn Potter Glaser.  Our theme music is “Summer” by Liborio Conti...

In this special bonus episode of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn talk to Megan Jarrad from the Morgridge College of Education’s Office of Admissions. She answers questions about how to apply for a higher ed degree program, how to approach financial aid, and what prospective higher ed students need to know.  Are you interested in a master’s or doctoral degree in higher education? You could start...

This past December in 2024 the DU community lost Professor Emeritus of Higher Education, Dr. William E. Cross, Jr. Dr. Cross, known to friends and colleagues as Bill, was a preeminent scholar of psychology and Black identity development. In this episode, we are remembering the life and work of Dr. Cross by speaking with three people who knew him well.  First, we speak to Kahlea Hunt-Kabir, DU High...

In this episode of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn speak with Dr. Darin Stewart, Professor of Higher Education and outgoing department chair and Dr. Chris Nelson, Associate Professor of Higher Education and incoming department char. We talk about the role of a department chair, accomplishments of the DU higher ed faculty, and creating relational spaces and community as faculty and leaders in hig...

In this episode of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn speak with EdD program alumna Dr. Sarah Gutierrez, Assistant Director of Student Conduct for Academic Integrity at Colorado State University. We talk about the world of student conduct, the challenges of AI in today’s classroom, and we learn more about her Dissertation in Practice about the transfer student experience.  About our guest:   Dr. Sa...

In this episode of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn speak with EdD program alumna Dr. Mary Elliott, who is Executive Director of Residence Life and Auxiliary Services at Colorado School of Mines. We talk about building community through residential education, supporting students with autism, and becoming a leader in higher education.   About our guest:   Mary Elliott started her professional care...

In this episode of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn speak with Nate Hernandez, current master’s student and president of the Higher Education Student Association (HESA). We talk about HESA’s work, the Higher Ed community at DU, and how to get the most out of your DU Higher Ed degree program.   About our guest: A Venezuelan immigrant originally from Florida, Nate Hernandez (he/him) is masters stud...

In this episode of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn speak with master’s alumnus Brandon Bishop, the Advocacy and Strategy Manager at Warren Village, a non-profit organization providing affordable housing and education opportunities for single parents and their children. We discuss the incredible mission of Warren Village, how policy decisions shape access and outcomes for higher education, why ch...

In this episode, Sarah and Caitlyn talk with Katie Kleinhesselink, a PhD candidate in Higher Education, and Essa Njie, a second year PhD student in Higher Education at DU. We discuss their recent research project examining state funding models for Broad Access Institutions, which they presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) 2024 conference. We also talk about what it...

In this episode of Mile Higher Ed, Sarah and Caitlyn speak with Dr. Marc Johnston Guerrero, Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs and Professor of Higher Education at the University of Denver. We talk about being a mentor, building intentional community, and how to cultivate professional relationships and mentorships.    About our guest: Dr. Marc Johnston Guerrero is an accomplished schol...