Empowering Student Success Through Creative Collaboration: A Conversation with Dr. Eric Guinivan

Welcome back to the CFI Faculty Lounge Podcast, where we explore the ideas, experiences, and challenges shaping academic life. In this episode, Grammy-nominated composer and associate professor Dr. Eric Guinivan joins us to talk about teaching, creativity, and the ongoing effort to support students while sustaining a meaningful work-life balance.

Dr. Guinivan shares:

• Early teaching experiences, from high school marching bands to graduate teaching at Indiana University
• His innovative work at a public charter school with mixed-age classrooms and peer mentorship
• How enthusiasm, analytical thinking, and creativity shape his teaching philosophy
• Strategies for setting boundaries and maintaining well-being as a faculty member
• Reflections on a workload equity project and what it revealed about faculty expectations
• Thoughts on collaboration, composition, and stepping outside his creative comfort zone

Tune in for an inspiring conversation about empowering students, embracing experimentation, and building a collaborative learning environment rooted in care.

CFI Faculty Lounge Podcast would love hearing from you! Do you have a question for our guests, a teaching tip to share, or a story about faculty life? Send us a message by clicking on this text. Your message might make it into a future episode.

From Rural Roots to Global Classrooms: A Conversation with Dr. Modjadji Choshi

Welcome back to the CFI Faculty Lounge Podcast, where we explore the experiences, challenges, and strategies of dedicated educators. In this episode, host Dr. Eric Magrum speaks with Dr. Modjadji Choshi, Associate Professor of Nursing at James Madison University, about her inspiring journey from a remote village in South Africa to becoming a globally experienced nurse educator.

In this episode, Dr. Choshi shares:

- Her clinical and academic path through South Africa, Ireland, and the U.S.

- Insights from her PhD research on self-care among rural women post-coronary intervention

- The value of empowering nursing students and staying current with industry advancements

- How she creates supportive, student-centered learning environments

- The transformative impact of her South Africa study abroad program on cultural competence and hands-on learning

Dr. Choshi’s story is a powerful reminder of the global dimensions of healthcare education and the role educators play in shaping compassionate, culturally competent practitioners.

Tune in for an engaging conversation on nursing, mentorship, and the future of community-based learning.

CFI Faculty Lounge Podcast would love hearing from you! Do you have a question for our guests, a teaching tip to share, or a story about faculty life? Send us a message by clicking on this text. Your message might make it into a future episode.

Imaginative Teaching, Embracing Discomfort, and Leading with Play – A Conversation with Dr. Delores Phillips

Welcome back to the CFI Faculty Lounge Podcast, where we explore the experiences, challenges, and strategies of dedicated educators. In this episode, host Eric Magrum speaks with Dr. Delores Phillips, Director of the African, African American, and Diaspora Studies Center at JMU, about her journey through higher education and her bold, creative approach to teaching and leadership.

In this episode, Dr. Phillips shares:

-How her path began as a teaching assistant at the University of Maryland.
-The value of imagination and play in creating meaningful learning environments.
-Why she encourages students to demonstrate knowledge through more than just traditional essays.
-How discomfort, especially in conversations about race, can lead to deeper understanding.
-The ongoing challenge of balancing personal well-being with professional responsibilities.
-The role gaming and community play in her self-care.
-The advice she’d give her younger self: Love yourself. Face the challenge. Ask for help.

Dr. Phillips offers a compelling look at how joy, challenge, and transformation can coexist in education. Tune in for a reflective and energizing conversation about teaching, equity, and care.

DISCLAIMER:

Dr. Phillips uses the phrase “heavy guns” as a metaphor to describe the powerful, creative, and courageous contributions her students bring to class discussions.

CFI Faculty Lounge Podcast would love hearing from you! Do you have a question for our guests, a teaching tip to share, or a story about faculty life? Send us a message by clicking on this text. Your message might make it into a future episode.