The University’s podcast shared stories from faculty, students and alumni

In April, La Salle University debuted the 20th & Olney podcast, representing a new storytelling opportunity to share stories of transformational student successes, professional outcomes, and faculty thought leadership.

“There was plenty that was packed into this first season, with 14 guests across 12 episodes talking about life on the frontline of the pandemic, celebrating La Salle’s mission, and describing student mental health, supply chain disruptions, sports achievements, and so much more,” said Christopher A. Vito, La Salle’s senior director of strategic communications and 20th & Olney’s executive producer. “And there’s more on the way for Season 2.”

If you missed Season 1, here are some of the highlights:

Episode 11: The pandemic’s corporate culture shock
“What companies are going to start realizing is the potential (they have) to generate a competitive advantage. And if they are not generating that competitive advantage, they can be relatively certain that their competitors are,” said Patrick Coyle, Ph.D., assistant professor of management and leadership at La Salle University’s School of Business.

Coyle explained the difficult and often complex decisions businesses are facing due to the pandemic.

Episode 9: A few minutes with Interim President Tim O’Shaughnessy, ’85
“I’m really excited to welcome everybody back,” O’Shaughnessy said on a recent episode, recording during the summer. “So far, my time on campus has been, honestly, just a little too quiet. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Episode 7: Achieving the goal of Major League Soccer
“I wasn’t going to swing and give it half a chance. I made sure that I was going all out to get an opportunity,” said John McCarthy, ’14, a goalkeeper in Major League Soccer. McCarthy set records for the Explorers in saves, shutouts, career save percentage, and games played. Today, he suits up in MLS for Inter Miami.

Episode 6: Making STEM accessible for all
“Mentoring is one of my passions. Just because you don’t see anyone at the table [who] doesn’t look like you, doesn’t mean you don’t belong. You definitely do belong there,” said Angela V. Harris, M.S. ’08.

A senior project marketing manager with Microsoft, Harris discussed the barriers she and others have encountered while pursuing a career in STEM—and the scholarship she established at La Salle to help change that.

Episode 2: What does it mean to live Lasallian in the 21st century?
“What’s important is to hold on to the spirit and the values that undergirds our Lasallian educational mission from its beginnings,” said La Salle’s Vice President of Mission, Diversity, and Inclusion Br. Ernest J. Miller, FSC, D.Min., during a discussion about the state of the Lasallian mission.

Never too late to tune in
You can access Season 1 of the 20th & Olney podcast on any of the major streaming services, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio and Spotify.

—Shea Wright