Part of Inauguration Day programming, REDtalks—a series of 12-minute conversations and performances—showcased University of Redlands faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends. The event was hosted by Evan Sanford ’17, television producer, prize-winning student radio producer, host, and executive director of the Redlands Chamber of Commerce. Below are excerpts from each talk:
“Our young people need to be technologically proficient. However, computing skills alone are not enough. We need to equip them with knowledge, skills, and ethical courage to design equitable tech that dismantles existing power dynamics, protects nondominant groups, represents everyone, and most importantly, prioritizes the wellbeing of society.”
—San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Digital Learning Innovation Department Coordinator Sonal Patel ’24
“Community colleges and institutions of other sorts, which may not dominate national news, realize that the welfare of their specific town and region is part of their own future. … The future of this institution is tied to the future of this town and its surroundings—the Inland Empire, Southern California, and [includes] people of different backgrounds who might not have always been part of the University of Redlands community.”
—Writer Jim Fallows
“It takes courage to listen to things that are uncomfortable. It takes courage to show empathy and to really try to put yourself in others’ shoes. … We have to have the courage; we have to be able to listen and think about the other side.”
—School of Business & Society Professor Sean W. McHenry-Acosta ’07, ’09
“Our students have gone all over the world. We see them doing service when they study abroad, from Africa to Salzburg. It’s very diverse and there’s need everywhere. The great, transformative experience of service has just been such a rich experience for me professionally. To see a young person who doesn’t quite know what they’re capable of doing, or where they fit in [yet], rise and meet the community where it needs to be met has been a blessing.”
—Office of Community Service Learning Director Tony Mueller
“These are three questions that you should ask yourself to help develop your brand: How closely are you living your life, both personally and professionally, aligned to your values? What are the goals that you’re working towards and how do your values play into them? What different choice could you have made in your life to help you live in alignment with your values?”
—Sony Music Creative Sync Licensing Assistant Manager Mike Barker ’15
“One can say I’m an indigenous Mexican American native to Los Angeles, with English as my second language. I consider my upbringing a part of a cross-cultural world that is deeply embedded in the roots of who I am. Growing up, one of the most distinct memories I have is the work ethic that my parents demonstrated. My mom cleaned houses and my dad, who graduated with a degree in engineering in Mexico, worked as a school district technician until he retired. I watched my parents work long hours, and then they came home every night to study English or go to night school.”
—KPCC Southern California Public Radio Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Elsa Luna ’04
“If you see someone struggling, it is very powerful to ask, ‘How can I help you?’ In the asking—believe me—you might save a life.”
—Addiction psychiatrist Patrick Lillard ’62
“I want to talk about another institution that has strength and promise in communities all around the country and in Redlands—and that is the public library. We know that public libraries are more than providers of books and information, and they’re more than providers of programs … they’re more than the sum of the parts of their collaborations.”
—Writer and linguist Deborah Fallows
“We as Black people, or people of color, also have a duty—when we get into these positions—to mentor others and to set an example.”
—School of Business & Society Senior Associate Director of Enrollment Management Pamela Allen-Coleman ’16, ’20
“People need access to [speech-language pathology] services, especially services that are no-cost or low cost. The solution we have provided to this problem is … the activity that we generate Monday through Friday at our Truesdail Clinic. We have assessment and treatment services for individuals of all ages, we have a dedicated playground, we have specialty clinic rooms, and we’ve offered many community-based programs through the years.”
—Communication Sciences and Disorders Chair and Professor Lisa LaSalle
“My first love encounter in mathematics was with a series equation … Ramanujan’s series, named after one of the world’s most brilliant mathematicians, Srinivasa Ramanujan. [It was special because] in the midst of learning about Greek, German, and French mathematicians, this was the first time I got to learn something about an Indian mathematician—a native of my own country.”
—College of Arts and Sciences student Gavi Dhariwal ’22
“To be the best team we can be, everyone in the room has to be accountable to each other. … When you’re accountable to each other, you have to understand and respect that responsibility. It ties the entire thing together. If everyone does their job, you help each other get better. The best players I’ve been around, they help the people around them get better.”
—Former National Football League Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner
“The definition of good mental health is being aware of the people around you, and being aware of the impact upon those people of your behavior. Is it neutral? Is it negative? Is it positive?”
—Glenair, Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Peter Kaufman
“There is a shortage of speech-language pathologists in the local community and also nationally, which affects the fact that graduate students need to be trained and educated. Our graduate program has increased its enrollment, which will help the workforce locally and nationally in the future.”
—Communication Sciences and Disorders Professor and Clinic Director Julia Schuler
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity along a continuum. … If we really want to solve food insecurity, we have to erase poverty. That’s a daunting task, but it’s also why we need to work with national and state governments to coordinate responses at huge scales.”
—Professor and Fletcher Jones Endowed Chair in American Politics and Policy Renée Van Vechten
Watch a recording of the event or learn more about the University of Redlands.
