Wabash On My Mind

This episode features Coach Jake Gilbert ’98, the Little Giants’ new head football coach. Coach Gilbert discusses his advice for freshmen in the first two weeks, a preliminary rundown of potential starters, and what makes for a great Saturday morning (Episode 387).

This episode features Dr. Jeremy Hartnett ’96, Professor of Classics and this year’s recipient of the McLain-McTurnan-Arnold Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. Hartnett discusses growing into and beyond the mantle of the Wabash Classics Department, sharing a meal as sharing knowledge, and showing the students the actually existing Roman people (Episode 386).

This episode features Associate Professor of German at the end of his tenure as Dean of Students, Dr. Greg Redding, as he reflects on becoming a one-year dean for six years, expanding access to wellness and mental health resources, and the “karmic” moments of serving his alma mater from an administrator’s point of view (Episode 385).

This episode features long-standing Professor of Economics Dr. Frank Howland on the eve of his retirement from the College, discussing his career path and tenure that lead him to revitalize the department, develop new courses of study, and foster a new major across his 37 years at Wabash (Episode 384).

This episode features this year’s Commencement speakers from the class of 2025, Luis Rivera and Logan Weilbaker, as they reflect on their academic achievements, progress on their speeches, and what it feels like to carry the burden of saying “goodbye” (Episode 383).

This episode features Lacrosse attackman Quinn Fitzgerald, Wabash class of 2026, discussing the particular skills needed to serve in his position on the field, his unique entry into the sport, and leaving a legacy for future Little Giant Lacrosse players (Episode 382).

This episode features professor of Mathematics & Computer Science, Dr. Chad Westphal, discussing his shift from skateboarding to applied math, the usefulness of empathy in the classroom, and the department’s first year connecting Wabash students in collaboration with Purdue’s National Data Mine Network (Episode 381).

This episode features senior Logan Weilbaker ’25, whose senior project entailed directing Wabash Theater’s winter season mainstage production of 12 Angry Men. Alongside cast member and WOMM co-producer Adam Phipps ’11, Logan discusses running a “hard ask” in five weeks, directing his former director professor Michael Abbott ’85, and what it takes to set up an immersive theatrical experience (Episode 380).

This episode features student researchers Evan Baldwin ’26, Luis Sanchez ’25, and Elijah Wetzel ’27, each of whom presented at this year’s Celebration of Student Research. Their research hails from a broad range of disciplines: seeking equity in disability, sensing patterns in constitutional religious freedom clauses, and measuring dark matter wake forces (Episode 379).

This episode features alumnus coach and two student athletes of the Little Giants baseball team on an immersion learning trip to the Dominican Republic, recalling the 90-mile-per-hour fastballs in neighborhood ballparks, giving an old glove to a young player, and some reflections on humility in view of how others play the game (Episode 378).

This episode features three student participants in Thanksgiving Break immersion learning in Costa Rica, recalling the cultural surprises of seeing research topics in-person, fresh fruit every morning, and the bonding experience inherent to travel abroad (Episode 377).

This episode features the Lloyd B. Howell Professor of Chemistry at Wabash, Dr. Lon Porter, as he discusses his role as facilitator of the annual Celebration of Student Research, as the faculty advisor to the Wabash Dork Club, and his 2016 receipt of the McClain-McTurnan-Arnold Excellence in Teaching Award (Episode 376).

This episode features two seniors with a variety of experiences in the art of deliberation, Andrew Dever ’25 and Jacob Weber ’25, discussing their Moot Court records, the Wabash Democracy and Public Discourse initiative, and traveling to Athens to participate in a forum on democracy (Episode 375).

Our final episode of the year features attendees at the 2024 Big Bash Alumni Reunion weekend last June, in advance of the 2025 event scheduled from June 6th through June 8th in the summer of 2025 (Episode 374).

This episode features Lewis Dellinger ’25, Ethan Hendricks ’25, and Oscar Jacome Huesca ’25, recipients of this year’s Kenneth Rhys Rudolph Memorial Scholarship for European summer study abroad. The three students discuss their travels to Italy, Ireland, and Austria, and the advice they would give to others aspiring to study abroad (Episode 373).

This episode features Dr. Bob ’77 and his wife Lea Anne Einterz, co-founders of AMPATH, a global health network that seeks to improve the health of the Kenyan population and prevent the spread of HIV in the region. Rich and the pair discuss the tough trials of trailblazing, the raising of their children around the Kenyan culture, and how the power of one relationship can be foundational for an entire program (Episode 372).

This episode features Dr. Crystal Benedicks, the 44th LaFollette Lecturer, discussing her study of the Spasmodics, balancing the teaching and researching of writing, and how to craft an English Department course (Episode 371).

This episode features Chancellor's Professor of Radiology, Pediatrics, Medical Education, Philosophy, Liberal Arts, Philanthropy, and Medical Humanities and Health Studies at Indiana University, Dr. Richard Gunderman ’83, discussing how to create thin spaces, why he chose a career in radiology, and many words of wisdom (Episode 370).

This episode features senior member of the Little Giants Swimming and Diving team Connor Craig ’25 and Head Coach Will Bernhardt, discussing what they like to see on the pool deck during a meet, the status of the team this season, and their unlikely meeting sixteen years prior (Episode 369).

This episode features philanthropists and deeply-connected leaders of the newly-formed Wabash Women’s Collective, as they share their first impressions of Wabash from their past, their motivation for helping Wabash men, and how to assume a mantle of philanthropic vision and execution (Episode 368).