College of Education and Human Ecology podcast shines light on faculty and student

Produced by the College of Education and Human Ecology, the “Ohio State University Inspire” podcast is a monthly podcast that highlights the voices of notable people at Ohio State. Credit: Vincent Lucarelli | For The Lantern

Nestled between racks of summer clothes in her daughter’s closet and speaking into her husband’s old microphone, Robin Chenoweth records words she hopes will reach across state borders and oceans. 

“The Ohio State University Inspire” podcast is produced by the College of Education and Human Ecology and hosted by Chenoweth, a communications specialist for the college. The podcast, which publishes new episodes monthly, began in the summer of 2020 and focuses on topics that highlight the vision and work of the college, such as allyship in higher education, the Land-Grant College Act of 1862 and racism in K-12 education.

“It’s time-consuming, but I think we get a reward when people learn just incredible things about our students, and we provoke conversations and when our faculty get the recognition that they deserve,” Chenoweth said. 

Chenoweth, an Ohio State alumna, said Don Pope-Davis, the dean of the college, reached out to her with the idea for the podcast at the beginning of 2020. Although she was initially reluctant to turn to podcasting after a lifetime of writing as a freelancer and for organizations such as the Columbus Dispatch and the Ohio State Alumni Magazine, Chenoweth said she ultimately found her footing.

“I didn’t think I would do very well with that,” she said. “I’m a bit surprised how you learn and you grow in the moment.”

The podcast’s first episode, “Black and gifted: A trailblazer’s backstory,” was released in July 2020 and featured Donna Ford, a professor in the Department of Educational Studies. Chenoweth said the interview with Ford was eye-opening for multiple reasons. 

“She was amazing, and I was also just amazed that she was willing to tell that story,” Chenoweth said. “It was what shaped her for her career and doing what she’s doing, which is incredible work, working to make sure that children of color are recognized as gifted and talented.” 

Other faculty interviewed in past episodes include Matthew Mayhew, a professor in higher education and administration, Stephen Gavazzi, a professor in human development and family sciences, and Pope-Davis. Each interview has been similarly insightful, Chenoweth said. 

“These stories would just come out,” Chenoweth said. “I knew them as people, but they had these amazing backgrounds, childhoods, events that happened in their lives, and I was just floored by what I was getting out of them.”

Soon after recording the episode with Ford, Chenoweth said the pandemic forced in-person interviews to switch to a virtual setting. 

Carol DelGrosso, the audio engineer for the podcast and an Ohio State alumna, said going remote was an exercise in flexibility.

“You have to adapt, learn how to do something, do everything you just put into place; you have to do it differently,” DelGrosso said. “But we found some good solutions.” 

Similar to Chenoweth, DelGrosso said the “OSU Inspire” podcast was a new challenge for her as her previous experiences had been in effects, motion graphics and video editing. She said the podcast created a safe environment for her to experiment in.

“It’s really something that, you know, took some focus on my part to really make sure I had the right tools in place, I had the right methodologies in place,” DelGrosso said. “This was a great experience for me to, you know, see what was effective and try some things out.”

Since the podcast was founded, the topics covered have included discrimination against the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders community, African American Vernacular English and other topics that Chenoweth said affect students. 

“You have to be nimble, and you have to reflect the concerns and the issues of people that are listening to it,” Chenoweth said. “I think one of the most important things for me, though, is that the podcast needs to broaden perspectives in ways that listeners might not have expected.”

“OSU Inspire” is free for interested listeners on Podbean, Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts, according to the website, and new episodes are posted monthly.