Engage
Translating the value of higher ed and the need for transformative learning experiences to internal and external audiences. My practice is dedicated to clarity and reach.
Upcoming & Recent Speaking Engagements
November 2026
The Sun Also Rises: 100 Years Later
Upcoming lecture at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
October 2026
AI Integration in Higher Ed
Upcoming presentation at the AAC&U AI in Higher Education Conference in Atlanta, GA.
July 2026
To Feel More Than You Understand: A Special Issue of The Hemingway Review Roundtable
Hemingway Society Conference, July, Toronto.
Moderated a roundtable with Linda Patterson Miller and Ann Putnam (special issue editors) and contributors: Melissa Antonelli, Cathy MacHold, Tracie Nicolai, and Steve Wright. The roundtable and special issue (Spring 2027) address the challenges and rewards of integrating personal perspectives into academic writing.
June 2026
Leading Now
Association of Departments of English/Modern Language Association Online Development Workshops, June, 2026.
Moderated a roundtable with Linda Patterson Miller and Ann Putnam (special issue editors) and contributors: Melissa Antonelli, Cathy MacHold, Tracie Nicolai, and Steve Wright. The roundtable and special issue (Spring 2027) address the challenges and rewards of integrating personal perspectives into academic writing.
October 2025
“Unsettled Ground: Environmental Anxiety in Hemingway’s In Our Time, Smith College, Northampton, MA
Lecture, Smith College, Northampton, MA, Ocotober 2025.
In this panel talk on the continued relevance of In Our Time, I examined how Hemingway’s conflicted and often inconsistent views of nature echo into the present. His contradictions, I argued, mirror our own as we confront the complexities of our relationship with the natural world today.
June 2025
From Transaction to Transformation: Revitalizing the Liberal Arts in the Age of AI
American Academic Leadership Institute's Senior Leadership Academy, Washington, D.C., June 2025.
The threats from generative AI to student learning offers an opportunity to change the conversation about what we do with students in Higher Ed. Current conversations with students and parents tend to focus on ROI measured by employment and salary outcomes, creating a transactional approach to education. If students use AI to replace the work of learning (cognitive off-loading), they deprive themselves of the experiences that build the neural networks and deep learning that ultimately secure their success–personal and professional–in the world. Generative AI, thus, presents a challenge/opportunity to leaders in Higher Ed to change the conversation from transaction to transformation. My fellow team members for this presentation are J.R. Hurstwit, Kathryn Shields, and Steven Shapiro. Transaction to Transformation website.
May 2025
Navigating Change
Montgomery County Community College's Administrator's Day Workshop, Blue Bell, PA, May 2025.
With co-panelists Ally Arthur-Lowry and Stephanie Allen, we discussed how leaders can help their teams navigate change while ensuring equity and maintaining well-being.
Transactional vs. Transformation Education: Realizing the Promise of a Mission-Driven Core Curriculum
ACSSJ National Gathering, Online, May 2025.
Discussed the challenges of crafting transformational core curricula in an increasingly transactional educational environment. I argued that we tend to focus mostly on WHAT we teach in core curricula, when really our focus should be on HOW we teach core courses. I believe a core curriculum animated by mission can connect students to their sense of purpose—and that sense of connection to a larger purpose can be a game changer for student engagement. This presentation reprises a presentation I gave at Elms College in Chicopee, MA in November 2024.
Scholarship and Public Impact
Engaging lectures on the future of higher education, AI in higher ed, academic innovation, collaborating with faculty, connecting with students, public scholarship, and, of course, Hemingway.
Public Speaking
Workshops
Workshops on leading in higher ed, communicating effectively, managing difficult conversations, building culture, change management, and more.
Selected Media Appearances
The Strange Case of Henry James's Testicles
BBC Radio 4, August 2017.
Discussion of Hemingway's opinion of Henry James and specifically Hemingway's reference of James's "obscure hurt" in The Sun Also Rises. My bit begins around 22 minutes and goes through to the end of the program.
Listen here.
What Makes The Great Gatsby So Great?
Radio Times with Mary Moss-Cohane, NPR, May 2013.
Discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald's enduring novel at the time Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation was released. I attribute the resilience of The Great Gatsby to Fitzgerald's ability to capture--both thematically and stylistically-- American ambivalence about wealth and beauty.
Listen here.
"Christmas in Paris" - December 2025
"The Blind Man's Christmas Eve" - December 2024
"A North of Italy Christmas" - December 2023
"The Christmas Gift" - December 2022
"Christmas on the Roof of World" - December 2021
"God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" - December 2020
One True Podcast - Holiday Series
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