Indiana Jones has nothing on Professor Gerardo Aldana, who served as a consultant and earned a role in the super-hero blockbuster Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Adventure! Intrigue! NDAs! What a glamorous way for Schooled Radio to end the year.

Gerardo Aldana is professor of Chicana/o Studies at UC Santa Barbara. He is the author of Calculating Brilliance: an intellectual history of Mayan astronomy at Chich'en Itza, and The Apotheosis of Janaab Pakal: Science, History and Religion at Classic Maya Palenque, among other books and articles. Professor Aldana's academic intervention has been to introduce a history-of-science-based approach to the study of Ancient Mayan astronomy. Following methods developed to study modern and ancient sciences, he investigates astronomical records relative to their historical, political, religious, and economic contexts in addition to reconstructing their internal logic and quantitative utility.

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs carries an enormous variety of responsibilities: almost everything that is not academics, research, HR, or facilities falls under its umbrella. Today's guest, Dr. Margaret Klawunn, talks about her path to being the head of Student Affairs at UC Santa Barbara and what keeps her inspired.

Dr. Margaret Klawunn has served as the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UCSB since 2015. In this role, she oversees approximately 30 departments that provide academic support, health and wellness services, and co-curricular programming for graduate and undergraduate students. Dr. Klawunn is currently the chair of the UC council for Student Affairs and is also a member of the UC Academic Planning Council. Prior to joining UCSB, Dr. Klawunn was the Vice President for Campus Life at Brown University. Over 19 years at Brown, she taught in Gender Studies and had a range of positions in academic advising and campus life. She has a Ph.D in American Literature from Rutgers University.

Our guest for this episode is a familiar voice on Schooled Radio: Dean Jeffrey Milem! While we've previously focused on his role as Dean of the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, in this episode we talk about his primary focus as a researcher, which is equity in higher education. With new cases before the Supreme Court, we talk with Jeff about what's at stake.

Dr. Jeffrey Milem’s research focuses on the ways in which colleges and universities can be organized to enhance equity, access, and success for all students. With his colleagues Mitchell Chang and Anthony Antonio, he co-authored Making Diversity Work on Campus: A Research Based Perspective, published by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, which translates research demonstrating the educational benefits of diversity to develop a “roadmap” for college leaders of the conditions that must be in place if they are to maximize the opportunities for teaching and learning that racial diversity provides. Milem contributed to two of the three books that Justice Sandra Day O’Connor cited in her majority opinion in Grutter v. Bollinger as being influential in helping to document the university’s claim regarding the educational benefits of diversity. He also worked closely on amicus briefs for both iterations of the Fisher v. Texas case.

As a widely recognized expert in the area of racial dynamics in higher education, Dr. Jeffrey Milem has been commissioned to do research by numerous groups including, the Harvard Civil Rights Project and the American Educational Research Association’s Panel on Racial Dynamics in Higher Education. He also worked with the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education and the American Council on Education to present a series of technical assistance workshops on affirmative action and college admissions. Professor Milem has given speeches and/or provided consultation on racial dynamics to different national education organizations as well as various public and private higher education institutions across the country.