APSU College of Arts & Letters to launch new podcast celebrating the work of its professors
(Posted on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022)

Earlier this month, the College of Arts & Letters at Austin Peay State University unveiled a new podcast – “Govs on the Go.”
The podcast launched with a focus on celebrating the stories of the college’s alumni. Now, the podcast is adding a second edition – “Govs on the Go: Faculty Spotlight” – that will highlight the teaching and scholarly achievements of the college’s faculty.
The first episode will be available on Monday, Nov. 21, and feature Dr. Jordy Rocheleau from APSU’s Department of History and Philosophy discussing his new book, “New Interventionist Just War Theory: A Critique.”
“It is exciting to see students first presented with these sorts of philosophical issues and challenges and what their response is,” Rocheleau tells Dr. William “Buzz” Hoon, Arts & Letters dean, in the new podcast. “Sometimes (students) are really challenged or sparked by something, really want to jump in and discuss it and that is when that light bulb comes on.”
Hoon will host each episode of the podcast, and the college will release new episodes featuring faculty from each department every two weeks.
Video versions of each podcast will be on the Arts & Letter’s YouTube channel, and audio versions will be on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRadio, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Pandora and Google Podcasts.
‘Govs on the Go: Alumni Edition’
When Hoon started at Austin Peay in August, the rich stories of alumni, faculty and students impressed him. Taking inspiration from an alumni podcast he started at his previous institution, he began reaching out to alumni from the college to help share their stories.
And on Nov. 4, the college launched “Govs on the Go: Alumni Edition” to highlight why alumni chose to attend Austin Peay and study in their areas. Each episode celebrates Arts & Letters alumni successes while giving encouragement and relatable experiences to current students.
The first episode features 2019 Art + Design graduate Ashanté Kindle, an artist and 2022 Master of Fine Arts graduate from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut. The second episode, featuring 2016 communication graduate Brittney Hitch, will publish on Friday, Nov. 18.
Future podcasts
Hoon already is working on future podcasts. They include:
‘Govs on the Go: Faculty Spotlight’
- Stanley Yates, professor in the Department of Music.
- Tamara Smithers, associate professor in the Department of Art + Design.
- Talon Beeson, associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance.
- Allie Johnston, assistant professor in the Department of Languages and Literature.
- Tracy Nichols, associate professor in the Department of Communication.
‘Govs on the Go: Alumni Edition’
- David Britton, a 2010 graduate from the Department of History and Philosophy, is the park manager of Dunbar Cave State Park and Port Royal State Historic Area in Clarksville.
- Maxie McClintock, a 2002 graduate from the Department of Theatre and Dance, is a film, TV and theatre actor in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Charles Knight, a 2005 graduate from the Department of Languages and Literature, is the executive director at USW Benefit Funds in Nashville.
- Hallie Hogan, a 1984 graduate from the Department of Music, is chair of the Department of Music at Elon University in High Point, North Carolina.
The production team
A team of graduate and undergraduate students and alumni led by Professor Karen Bullis from the Department of Communication is helping to produce the podcast.
They are Meghann Stamps, Kat McClung, Shaterra Pryor, Jim Spight, Paul Edward Schuhart, Matthew Wix, James Ingersoll, Peyton Jula, Taylor Slifko, Patton Cook, Austin Staggs, Aaron King, Dakota Stansfield and Maya Brown. And communication Professor David Ellison captured the drone footage used in the podcast intro.
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