Providence College Podcast

Karen Kruzan '87 has hit upon a novel way to combine her social work and psychotherapy skills, as well as her innate passion for organization. For more than a decade, she has worked as a Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization, "providing relief without judgment for those ready to face their organizing challenges." In this podcast episode, Kruzan discussed the evolution of her...

Dr. Marcy Zipke, professor of elementary and special education, teaches language and literacy courses at PC. In her latest book, Playing With Language: Improving Elementary Reading Through Metalinguistic Awareness , she shares fun and engaging ways that teachers and families can help children think about words and sounds to build skills for reading, such as telling and writing jokes and riddles. Z...

One year into the COVID pandemic, Sarah Heavren '21 is documenting this period of history through a research project with the Rhode Island Historical Society, Providence Public Library, and Phillips Memorial Library's Archives and Special Collections. Heavren is recording Zoom interviews to create an oral history of how members of the Providence College community have tackled this difficult time....

Catching up with Father Cuddy. Rev. James Cuddy, O.P. '98, PC's vice president for mission and ministry, returns to the podcast as our community celebrates Holy Week. Father Cuddy shares his thoughts on the impact of the pandemic on PC's students and its Dominican community. He praises the students for their resiliency and describes the challenges and opportunities related to providing ministry in...

Mindfulness is big business. In recent years, it's grown into a billion-dollar industry,  with Fortune 500 companies providing mindfulness training for their employees. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Christopher Lyddy of the Providence College School of Business about his recent research about mindfulness in the workplace, which confirms some of the benefits but also reveals some previously unk...

Catch up with Rich Gotham '86, president of the Boston Celtics, in this conversation with Cayleigh Griffin '14, sideline reporter for the Houston Rockets. Gotham shares his thoughts on how the pandemic has impacted professional basketball and offers an insider’s look at the Celtics. Subscribe to the Providence College Podcast on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher , Google Play , and YouTube .  Vi...

On International Women's Day, learn more about Providence College's Women's and Gender Studies Program with Dr. Abigail Brooks, associate professor of sociology and the program's director, as well as Kara Berlin-Gallo '21, who is majoring in both history and women's and gender studies. The two discuss the history of the program, the decision to include gender in its title, and the milestones that...

This week, listen to something completely different on the Providence College Podcast. Enjoy this episode of Wordplay, a podcast that will feature short audio plays and monologues that reflect the dignity and spiritual nature of the human person. Rev. Matthew Powell, O.P., associate professor emeritus of theatre, directs these comedies and dramas. Michael Joseph '90 and Kate Marks '90, a married c...

The Black Studies Program at Providence College is celebrating its 25th year. The program, which offers the Black studies minor, credits its founding to student activists and their faculty allies — forebears of students fighting for equity and justice in and beyond the campus community today. Dr. Zophia Edwards, assistant professor of sociology and director of the Black Studies Program, joins the...

For a researcher, there are few feelings more rewarding than discovering the source for which you’ve been searching. For American Studies major Daniel Rooney ’21, this source was the key to unlocking the stories of more than 200 political radicals deported from the United States aboard the US Army Transport Buford in 1919 and the families they left behind. Rooney’s findings form a chapter in a for...

Many people have found themselves unexpected things due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the list of 2020 accomplishments for Shannon Rafferty Sullivan '00 is pretty impressive. The social work major was named president and chief operating officer for Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, and she oversaw the transformation of a suburban office building into one of Rhode Island's field hospitals...

Meet Rev. Justin Bolger, O.P. and Rev. Peter Gautsch, O.P. — friars, chaplains, bluegrass artists. They’re members of the Hillbilly Thomists, a bluegrass band of Dominican friars that just dropped its second album on the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas. Hear from Father Justin and Father Peter, learn about bluegrass history, and listen to selections from the new album, “Living For the Other Side,” in...

Over the four decades since he graduated from PC, Tim Hassett-Salley '81 put both his majors to good use. The psychology and music double major is a psychotherapist, an executive in the workers' compensation and disability management industry, and also plays in a band. The Plymouth, Mass., resident recently published a novel, Two Strikes and You're Out, which draws on some of his experiences as a...

Thanks to a $15,000 grant from the Nellie Mae Educational Foundation, Dr. Ashley Smith-Purviance, who teaches in both the Department of Public and Community Service Studies and the Black Studies Program, has created a program for Black girls at Providence's Gilbert Stuart Middle School called “Black Girl Magic.” Brittney Smith '23, a marketing major and Black Studies minor, is one of four PC women...

Rev. Nicanor Austriaco, O.P. '20G planned to spend a sabbatical year at the University of Santo Thomas in the Philippines. However, after the country locked down while he was visiting over spring break, the professor of biology and of theology started working on COVID disease modeling for metro Manila. Father Nic discusses this unexpected foray into public health for a country with limited resourc...

The episode of the Providence College Podcast that had the most listens in 2020 was recorded in March, but the topic is still very relevant now: a discussion with Dr. Holly Taylor Coolman and Dr. Dana Dillon on Catholic social teaching and COVID-19.   Coolman and Dillon shared their perspectives as educators and theologians on social distancing, remote learning, and how Catholic social thought pro...

This week we speak with Rick Cordella '99, chief revenue officer and executive vice president of Peacock, NBC's new over-the-top streaming service. Cordella identifies the challenges and benefits of launching a streaming video service during a pandemic. We discuss the unique aspects of Peacock compared to other streaming services and where the industry as a whole is headed as customers continue to...

Like everything else, Lessons & Carols, PC's signature Advent celebration, was different this year. If you missed the video earlier, sit back and listen to the readings, as well as the musical performances from previous years. Subscribe to the Providence College Podcast on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher , Google Play , and YouTube .  Visit Providence College on Facebook , Twitter , Instag...

As the United States begins distribution of the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week, surveys show that many Americans don't trust that it will be safe or effective. On this episode of the PC Podcast, hear from Dr. Alexandria Caple, a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Psychology. Her research focuses on methods for misinformation correction — people who have false beliefs, and how...

Rev. Patrick Briscoe, O.P. joins the Providence College podcast to discuss Fratelli Tutti , the recent encyclical letter from Pope Francis addressed to all people of good will. Father Briscoe illuminates the theological heart of Fratelli Tutti — the Parable of the Good Samaritan — with distinctively Dominican insight, offers practical applications of Pope Francis’ message, and explores both the ti...

Dr. Sean Reid has been PC’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost since July. A decorated Navy officer whose academic expertise is in finance, Reid has a long record of achievement in the military, the private sector, and higher education. He shares his observations on the work of the PC faculty and others to continue providing a high-quality academic experience during a pandemic,...

As millions of Americans prepare for a very unusual Thanksgiving meal this year, listen to this episode of the Providence College with Dr. Alex Orquiza, assistant professor of history.  Orquiza, who worked as a classically trained French chef before he became an academic, discusses the colloquium he co-teaches, Development of Western Civilization (DWC) Through Food, which connects themes from the...

If you missed composer and activist Joel Thompson's discussion during Homecoming of his celebrated work, The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed , catch up on the Providence College Podcast. This powerful work for chorus and chamber orchestra, written in 2014, commemorates unarmed members of the Black community who died due to police violence. The New York Times' feature on Thompson's piece, "He Turne...

For Veterans Day, check in with Capt. Matthew Lombardo '11, a helicopter pilot for the New Jersey Army National Guard. Lombardo is currently deployed in Kuwait as a detachment commander, piloting UH-72 and UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. A New Jersey native, Lombardo is a police officer in Paramus, N.J., and has military roots in his family — one grandfather was a Korean War vet in the U.S. Air Force...

Prospective students and their families always have questions about admission and financial aid this time of year — but this isn’t a typical year by any means. Raul Fonts, PC's dean of admission and financial aid, and Sandra Oliveira, executive director of financial aid, discuss how COVID has changed the landscape of admission. Subscribe to the Providence College Podcast on Apple Podcasts , Spotif...