One Heart

CSPday is March 14, 2024. Emma McDowell, Philanthropy Engagement Coordinator, joins us to talk about how our community comes together on CSPday to make a significant impact for our students. CSPday Website Alumni Association Facebook Page Alumni Association Instagram Account

In fall 2013, CSP's student census showed 82 international students. A decade later, that number is more than ten times greater at 855. Director of International Student Services Tiffanie Loeb Schneider joins the podcast to talk about her personal experiences with and love for international education and how CSP serves its burgeoning population of international students.

In his role as University Pastor, Tom Gundermann seeks to embody CSP's promise to "honor Christ and welcome all" through his ministry. Reflecting on his long family history and legacy at CSP, he shares why CSP means so much to him and how grateful he is to serve the CSP community.

No matter where God has called Dr. Laurie Friedrich, she's been able to fulfill her calling and passion for education students of all ages. Now as a professor in CSP's graduate teacher education programs—and wife of President Brian Friedrich—she shares about what it means to serve her alma mater and follow in the footsteps of professors that made a lifelong impact on her.

First year student Drew Prachar joins the podcast to talk about his experiences over his first semester at CSP. He shares how he came to choose CSP, the ways he's grown and changed as a college student, and the activities and faculty members who have made an impact on him thus far.

Alumna Jeri Bates has built a career in the recruiting and human resources world, finding a fit with her natural giftedness and inspired by her experiences at CSP. She continues to be an active alum and encourages other alumni to use their gifts and experiences to serve CSP students.

Alumnus Daniel Mueller serves as President & CEO of Volm Companies and shares his story of being a student at CSP, pursuing his career, and giving back to CSP through Volm. As a significant donor to CSP, Volm has provided scholarships and internship opportunities for CSP students and recently committed to an academic program start-up gift.

With a double major in Biology and Theology, legacy student Bella Woodford shares why she chose CSP and how her academic pursuits are preparing her for a life of service.

As a dual degree alumna (BA in English and MFA in Creative Writing), Danielle Sarim developed close relationships with faculty in the English department and beyond. These individuals helped her explore her calling as a writer and develop new skills and mindsets about her art, where she explores her natural curiosity for people and the world. In this episode, she talks about her experiences at and...

Student Charlene Botones shares how she's found her home at CSP, from the moment she set foot on campus as a visiting student to the present. As a psychology major with minors in communications and music and involved in a number of extracurricular activities, Charlene is active and engaged as a vital member of our community.

Leah Martin earned her B.A. in studio art and an M.A. in Organizational Management at CSP and has spent the past 15 years as part of CSP's enrollment management/admissions team. In this episode, she shares how significant a part of her life CSP has been and how the passion of faculty and staff drive student success.

Rev. Vue Lee came to CSP as a traditional student when he was 33 to pursue a course of study in CSP's pre-seminary program. Through his experiences at CSP, he began a Hmong Bible study, and went to seminary to become a pastor. He now serves as the mission executive for the Minnesota South District of the LCMS, where he comes alongside churches and leaders to help them with outreach and evangel...

Paul von Kampen serves as the Director of Choral Activities and Director of Church & School Relations Through the Fine Arts at CSP. He shares about his passion for music and how students can be part of something unique and special as members of music ensembles. As the lead for A Concordia St. Paul Christmas , Paul lays out his vision for this festive concert, which will be held December 8-10....

Happy Thanksgiving, listeners! We're taking a week off from posting a new episode and replaying Pakhoua Vang's interview from earlier this year. We return next week (Nov. 28) with a new episode featuring Paul Von Kampen.

Dillon LaHaye, B.A. '15, came to CSP to study marketing and play football. After graduation, he began a career in school transportation, routing buses for various school districts, where he discovered gaps in transportation for students experiencing homelessness and other challenges. This led Dillon to start a company called Collaborative Student Transportation, which ensures that all students...

Growing up on a farm, Dr. Mandy Brosnahan became fascinated with infectious disease and discovered her calling in biology. After joining the CSP faculty in 2013, Mandy has been a passionate educator and researcher and now serves as the Dean of the College of Health and Science, a growing part of CSP's academic offerings.

Lee Pao Xiong is the Director of the Center for Hmong Studies at CSP. This one-of-a-kind institution is a remarkable museum and archive of the rich history and legacy of the Hmong people. In this interview, Lee Pao shares his personal journey from his early years in Laos to his time in refugee camps in Thailand, to his eventual emigration to Indiana and move to Minnesota. He unpacks what the Cente...

As a retired family physician, Dr. Lori Utech, B.A. '79 saw her career as more than a job or practice, but an opportunity to serve others, including launching a free clinic in St. Louis for uninsured people. In this episode, she shares about her calling as a medical doctor, her experiences at CSP that prepared her for that experience, how she's served CSP as a member of the Board of Regent...

Dr. Jerrod Brown, assistant professor of forensic behavioral health, directs the Master of Arts in Human Services with an emphasis in Forensic Behavioral Health and a second emphasis area in trauma, resilience, and self-care strategies programs at CSP. He is deeply curious about human behavior and among his interests is the gut-brain axis and how so many everyday factors can impact our physical an...

After an inflection point in her life, Kate Schnake decided to live in a van and travel across the country. At the same time, she explored her options for further education and discovered CSP's MA in Strategic Communication Management program. She shares how CSP Global allowed her to complete her degree while building meaningful friendships with her cohort and attending classes in 24 different...

Dr. Laura Wangsness Willemsen, associate professor in CSP's doctor of education program, shares about her research in Tanzania about the effects of climate change and how she received a Fulbright Scholarship to support this work. Laura also explains how she connects her own scholarship to her pedagogical work with CSP students. Click here to view a few of Laura's photos from Tanzania.

Matt Eicheldinger, B.A. '09, M.A. '12 is an educator who used stories from his life to motivate his middle school students. When he found that not only were these stories effective, when written down, they inspired even the most reluctant of readers. This put Matt down a path of becoming a published author. In 2021, he launched a Kickstarter campaign to self-publish Matt Sprouts and The Cu...

Last week, CSP announced its largest single philanthropic gift in our 130 year history, a $10M gift from Rev. Jim and Karen Laatsch. Vice President of University Advancement Mark Hill joins the podcast to talk about this gift and how his department engages with alumni, donors, and friends of CSP to build meaningful relationships that benefit these constituents and CSP's students. Read the Laat...

CSP celebrates its 130th birthday on September 13, so it's the perfect time to take a look back at some of the university's history. Rev. Bill Otte, H.S. '64, J.C. '66 grew up on CSP's campus as his father, Dr. Harold Otte, served on the faculty and administration. Bill later became a high school and college student and witnessed many changes at CSP and the surrounding area ove...

As we celebrate the start of CSP's 131st academic year, Vice Provost of CSP Global, Dr. Kimberly Craig shares what fall enrollment looks like, how CSP is countering trends within higher education, and what exciting new programs and academic offerings are coming soon.