Advertise on podcast: Vision Podcast

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Joseph Thompson, associate professor in the Department of History and the new interim director for the Institute for the Humanities. Dr. Thompson has a lot of great ideas for the Institute including some upcoming events, so we have him on to discuss all things humanities.

In this episode, we’re joined by Kelli Anthony, Instructor II in the Department of Communication, Media & Theatre, as well as a communication specialist and graphic designer for the College of Arts & Sciences. She is one of many people on campus leading the charge to get online content ADA compliant. We wanted to have Kelli on the tell us why online accessibility has become a university priority, how the university is responding to new requirements, and what this transition means for faculty and students moving forward.

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Shannon Harmon, the Instructional Support Specialist at the Center for Innovation in Teaching Excellence (CITE) at Mississippi State University. Shannon has created a number of AI initiatives to support teachers, including several successful AI workshops. We wanted to have her on to talk about AI on campus and the resources available from CITE to help all of us navigate this emerging technology.

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Keith Moser, professor in the Department of Classical & Modern Languages and Literatures. Dr. Moser researches all types of cool stuff; including 20th and 21st century French and Francophone literature, social and ecological justice, globalization, ecocriticism, and environmental philosophy, among many other important topics. As part of his research, Dr. Moser has become an expert in monster studies. This episode highlights his recent article “Capitalism’s Haunted Screens: The Hyperreal Spectacle in Dawn of the Dead and Thanksgiving” as well as the summer’s recent horror movie releases.

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Bonnie O’Neill, Professor in the Department of English. Dr. O’Neill is an expert in early American literature. As July 4th is just around the corner, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we have Dr. O'Neill on to talk about just that. Most Americans know the highlights—"We hold these truths to be self-evident...life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"—but fewer know that those famous words were revised, debated, and edited by committee before they ever reached the page. Join us as we examine the Declaration of Independence as a piece of writing: How was it crafted? Why has it endured? And what happens when later generations return to it to challenge America to live up to its own ideals?     Declaration of Independence: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript   Declaration of Sentiments: https://www.cas.msstate.edu/sites/www.cas.msstate.edu/files/2026-07/Declaration%20of%20Sentiments%20%281%29.pdf   What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?: https://www.cas.msstate.edu/sites/www.cas.msstate.edu/files/2026-07/Douglass_speech_abridged_med%20%281%29.pdf   Gettysburg Address: https://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm

Vision Podcast is celebrating with this special 100th episode! What better way to celebrate than with faculty who are special to so many of us? With us today are three Robert Wolverton, Sr. Legacy Award recipients who are well-known and loved on campus. We discuss their time at MSU, the legacies they have built, as well as all the other exceptional teachers they've worked with along the way.

In this episode, we’re joined by a team that has taken on the important challenge of expanding the university’s child advocacy certificate into a much more robust and interdisciplinary minor. The team consists of Dr. Laura Boltz, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, who is the principal investigator on a Child Advocacy Studies Expansion grant, as well as Dr. Arazais Oliveros, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, and Kristina Schoenthaler, Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychology.

In this episode, I'm joined by Hannah Coleman, Admissions Coordinator for the College of Arts & Sciences, and Mar Kyles, Academic Coordinator in the Department of Sociology. They are finishing up with the Staff Mentoring Program as a mentor and mentee pair, so I have them on to share the experiences, growth, and insights from both of their perspectives.

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Dana Dillard, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and director of the bachelor’s of social work program at MSU. Dana and the Department of Sociology are celebrating Social Work Month with a student-focused event this week, Wednesday, March 18th, from 9:30 to 11:30 am in Bowen Hall 260. The event is open to social work students, faculty, alumni and anyone interested in learning more about the profession. In honor of National Social Work Month, I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight social work, which is often misunderstood and overlooked.

In this episode, we are joined by a group of College of Arts & Sciences faculty members who are putting on a political ideology debate for MSU students and the community as a whole. We have Dr. Manuel Rodeiro, Dr. John Bickle, and Dr. Giorgi Lebanidze, all from the Department of Philosophy and Religion as well as Dr. Brian Shoup, The Department Head of Political Science and Public Administration. Their two departments are working together to put on the event, so we have them on to discuss this awesome idea.

In this episode, we’re joined by Marty Lang, MFA, assistant professor in the Department of Communication, Media & Theatre as well as Dr. Samyak Shertok, assistant professor in the Department of English. Both are recent book authors who will be highlighted at the College’s upcoming Book Tasting event on Thursday, February 19 at 4 p.m. in the Grisham Room of the Mitchell Memorial Library. We  have them on to highlight the event and peak inside the world of book authoring.     event info: https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2026/02/college-arts-and-sciences-pairs-books-msu-cheese-book-tasting-event

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Jesse Goliath, assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures. He recently won the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Community Connections Mosaic Award,   a national honor recognizing those who advance advocacy and positive change in the forensic sciences. We discuss his award, the Mississippi Repository for Missing and Unidentified Persons, and his work with statewide law enforcement agencies like field recovery and analysis of cases.     The Mississippi Repository for Missing and Unidentified Persons: https://www.missinginms.msstate.edu/

In this episode, I'm joined by Kristina Schoenthaler, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychology who studies college burnout. We talk about resilience and burnout as they relate to a college campus, especially this time of year in the midst of finals. To end, we discuss what we can do to best help ourselves and each other.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Ted Atkinson, Professor in the Department of English. He recently published a new book titled “Monumental Designs: Infrastructure and the Culture of the Tennessee Valley Authority.” We have him on to learn about his research and the new publication.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Morgan Robinson, Director of the Institute for the Humanities. The Institute is gearing up for all the events and programs it hosts on campus, and we discuss the the first event, “The Great Balancing Act: Student-Athletes at Mississippi State,” happening this month on September 24 at 6 P.M. in the new Duff Center Auditorium (room 1150).