Bellarmine Magazine Podcast: The Pineapple

You will enjoy listening to this heartwarming holiday story as told by Dr. Kingsolver.

Dr. Paul Pearson directs the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University. The hours of operation for the Merton Center are from 8a to 5p. He offers up this very funny "first holiday away from home" story that adds to the good times that accompany the holiday season and holiday memories.

Whatever you believe to be true about Santa, in this holiday story Dr. Helen Grace Ryan explains the true meaning of the holiday, traditions and family..

Tim Sturgeon is the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Bellarmine University, but before that he was a student at Bellarmine. Mr. Sturgeon came to Bellarmine for the academics and for the tennis program. Today, he reflects on that first year that could have ended horribly were it not for the fantastic faculty at Bellarmine.

Leslie Maxie-Ashford is Director of Housing and the Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Bellarmine University. What many students don't know is that Ms. Maxie Ashford has been living life in the residence halls for a long time. Her history in college dorms dates back to her freshman year in college.

Dr. A. T. Simpson talks about his first year at Dartmouth College. He says he entered as a Math major but quickly learned his strong talent and skills were in Music. Dr. Simpson also offers valuable advice on the importance of getting involved.

Dr. Gregory Hillis has taught at Bellarmine University for nine years and says he is still learning. One of the more popular courses on the academic menu is Hillis' course that explores the life and writings of Thomas Merton.

Guest: Dr. Annette Harris Powell, Associate Professor of English at Bellarmine University and Director of First Year Writing offers tips on how to enjoy the first year of college. She talks about how to make friends, how to communicate with your professor and the benefit in knowing more about the city the college is located in.

Dr. Gregory Hillis is an associate professor of Theology at Bellarmine University. Dr. Hillis, father of three, has worked at Bellarmine for the past nine years and says he teaches the two required theology courses for Bellarmine University students and a course that studies the life of Thomas Merton. Bellarmine University houses the Thomas Merton Center.

Bellarmine University Inauguration of Dr. Susan M. Donovan, October 27, 2017

Zane Khandwala is Director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics at Bellarmine University. He says the young program, less than five years, has grown in popularity and its ability to meet the needs of its students. As the institute's first director, Khandwala is proud of the program and anticipates tremendous growth that will take him away from the classroom and more in the branding and marketing of the institute.

Zane Khandwala is Director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics at Bellarmine University. The program, now in its third cohort, has learned as much as it has taught. The institute began as a ten month program, then changed to a full time day program, then moved to a nightly program that has proven to be the most successful. Institute students now have classes twice nightly each week and then all day on Saturdays.

Bellarmine University Public Safety Director Debbie Fox says a large scale emergency preparedness drill last year proved she had worked to do to make sure the campus was ready to respond to an aggressive event. Director Fox says the number one threat to the Bellarmine campus is weather. Last year close to three dozen weather warnings were issued in and around the Bellarmine campus.

Part Two-interview with Heather Boutell, Director of Financial Aid at Bellarmine University. Ms. Boutell explains the logic behind moving the start date to receive financial applications for student aid to October. www.fafsa.gov Ms. Boutell says it is very important for Bellarmine University students to pay attention to the date because Kentucky scholarship money is given out on a first come first serve basis.

Heather Boutell is Director of Financial Aid at Bellarmine University. Ms. Boutell recently travelled to Washington, along with a small army of college financial aid managers to speak out against proposed cuts to the federal work study program. Ms. Boutell has been on her job at Bellarmine for sixteen years and encourages students to fill out their new fafsa forms as of October at www.fafsa.gov

Part Two of conversation with Tim Sturgeon, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Bellarmine University talks about recruitment efforts and admission policies. Mr. Sturgeon says his team of recruiters have a saying that is "they're not here, until they're here". The interpretation of that statement is that the college recruitment field is a highly competitive business that seems to never end.

Since 1987, Tim Sturgeon has been the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Bellarmine University. Mr. Sturgeon says there has been a change in the college recruitment landscape. He says for starters fewer high school students are applying to college and he says students are applying to more schools. Listen to Mr. Sturgeon talk about how the college admissions world has changed and he shares what he thinks about college acceptance rates.

Part 2- interview with Steve Santo, General Manager of Dining Services at Bellarmine University. Santo brings three decades of food service experience to Bellarmine and says a lot has changed in the college food service industry including what students prefer to eat and how they want their food items packaged. Fewer students sit down and enjoy a meal and instead favor a grab-and-go lifestyle.

Just when you thought you'd tried every kind of burger out there, and the chief of Bellarmine University Food Services comes up with a new twist on the standard burger. The reveiws on the new burger are not in yet, but the General Manager for Dining Services (Steve Santo) stopped by the Pineapple Studio to talk about food service changes in menu and hours for the current school year at Bellarmine University. Take a listen to our conversation with Steve Santo and then take the Food Favorites Quiz.

Part 2 - interview with Leslie Maxie Ashford, Director of Housing and Associate Dean of Students at Bellarmine University. Ms. Ashford talks about how the Housing Department staff welcome new students to campus which includes a comprehensive mentoring program. In her tips to freshman, Ms. Ashford encourages students to get to know their professors. She says far too many students never get to know their professors and miss out on great opportunities that could include internships or job offers.