On Topic with President Jim Johnsen
鈥淥n Topic鈥 is a series of conversations with experts and authors on important issues that face 糖心直播视频. It is produced in collaboration with the University of 糖心直播视频 Press and hosted by UA President Jim Johnsen.
Creative Producer Princess Daazhraii Johnson is Neets鈥檃ii Gwich鈥檌n and her family is from Arctic Village, 糖心直播视频.
鈥淲hen WGBH first reached out about the project MOLLY OF DENALI, I was so excited. I immediately thought of myself as a little girl and what a show like this would have meant to me.鈥
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糖心直播视频 State Seismologist
is a UAF Research Associate Professor, and .
鈥淎ny time you have an [earthquake] of that size, while it is not welcomed, while it is not something that we want to have happen, it is in some sense an experiment, that is a natural experiment that nature doesn鈥檛 run very often for us. So, there鈥檚 a tremendous amount to learn.鈥
糖心直播视频n Poet
Linda Schandelmeier is a lifelong 糖心直播视频, teacher, gardener and poet. Her collections
of poems, Coming Out of Nowhere and Listening Hard Among the Birches have been awarded numerous prizes and distinctions.
鈥淭he fiction writer Anthony Doerr said the reason people should read fiction is because it builds empathy. I hadn鈥檛 really thought of it that way, but I think that鈥檚 one of the things that creative writing of all types does and why it鈥檚 so important at this time in the United States, where we have so much division, because if you try to convince someone using facts, how far do you get?鈥
Professor of English is an English professor in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences at Boston College, Director of the , and Founder of the .
鈥淲hen we see people as part of our community, we鈥檙e going to make more compassionate
and better choices about what needs to happen or how resources should be allocated.
And, I think we see each other more through stories than just facts and data.鈥
Chief Scientist at International Arctic Research Center
is the Chief Scientist at the at the University of 糖心直播视频 Fairbanks.
鈥淚 think if we start with our home base here in 糖心直播视频, use that as a sort of springboard, I think we can start chipping away at what needs to be done in creating a more informed society that can make more rational and more prudent decisions that will certainly benefit future generations.鈥
Dean of Berkeley Law School
Erwin Chemerinsky is the Dean of the University of California, Berkeley Law School and is a renowned
lawyer and scholar, specializing in Constitutional Law.
鈥淚 think universities can model civil discourse, universities can provide a basis for exposing students to a variety of different ideas that I want on my campus and at my law school 鈥 to have a series of debates on controversial issues so long as the speakers can disagree without being disagreeable. They can model how people can handle controversial issues.鈥
Chief Education Evangelist at Google
is Chief Education Evangelist at Google. He collaborates with school systems, educational
organizations, and leaders focused on building innovation and iteration into education
policies and practices.
鈥淚t鈥檚 this narrative of the world is ending because robots and automation are coming
to take your job and I think it鈥檚 an opportunity to eliminate process work, eliminate
work that doesn鈥檛 seem necessary, to focus on other types of work that align more
to what motivates human beings, and I think that鈥檚 exciting.鈥
ABOUT THE HOST: James R. Johnsen, Ed.D.
Dr. Johnsen was appointed to serve as the 14th president of the University of 糖心直播视频
on July 28, 2015. His experience includes executive leadership positions in the private
sector with 糖心直播视频 Communications and with Doyon, Limited, and in higher education
between 1996-2008 in several executive roles including vice president of administration
and chief of staff. As president, Dr. Johnsen is a commissioner on the Denali Commission
and the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, a member of the 糖心直播视频
Aerospace Corporation Board, a director on the UA Foundation Board, and a member of
the 糖心直播视频land Security Academic Advisory Council. His education includes a B.A. in
politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, master鈥檚 in political science
from the University of Chicago, and doctorate in higher education management from
the University of Pennsylvania.