For New Arts and Sciences Podcast, Familiar Host Digs into Some Unfamiliar Territory
Timothy McDonald, Ph.D., Rockhurst professor of music, is no stranger to the airwaves.
For approximately eight years, McDonald hosted a classical music show on now-defunct Kansas City radio station KXTR, interviewing guests ranging from superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma to Michael Stern, music director of the Kansas City Symphony, and previewing the classical music events across the region.
Now, at the request of the college鈥檚 current dean, Jennifer Friend, Ph.D., McDonald is back in the interviewer鈥檚 chair for a new show 鈥 this time, an on-demand podcast available on聽,听, or wherever you might get your podcasts聽鈥 that showcases everything happening in the academic unit鈥檚 cultural and academic landscape.
鈥淚t kind of reaches out into something I鈥檓 very interested in. Faculty have a general interest in research, student research and activities,鈥 he said.
With Nathaniel Bozarth, academic marketing manager, in the producer鈥檚 role, the Arts & Sciences podcast has six published episodes so far. Topics have ranged from the importance of studying foreign languages, undergraduate research into fruit fly genetics, the Companions in Chillicothe prison educational program, and, of course, the classical music of the classical orchestra and vocal ensemble that McDonald directs, Musica Sacra. Most episodes feature a faculty or other expert and at least one student talking about a given project or event.
That means McDonald is often speaking with guests about subjects that fall outside his particular expertise. But McDonald said he sees himself more as a facilitator for each conversation, not an expert himself.
鈥淎 big part of it is settling into the role and letting the guest tell the story,鈥 he said.
Years in the dean鈥檚 office were helpful, though, in giving him an understanding of a number of different subject areas, from biology to English. And he has a natural curiosity and appreciation for the scope of events and projects going on at any given time on the Rockhurst campus.
鈥淲e have so much research and great student work happening across the board, and I really look forward to finding out more about that,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of all the things we are doing institutionally. It鈥檚 interesting to me, but at the same time really reflects our mission and values.鈥
It鈥檚 not the only podcast in the works for the University, either. Bozarth will be the host of the Helzberg School of Management鈥檚 new podcast, Analyze This, designed to highlight the people who use data to solve real-world problems. That podcast is also available for free on ,听, and other podcast distribution services.