Celebrating the Leadership Podcast's 50th Episode
Monday, December 7, 2020
Just two years ago, the university-wide Buccino Leadership Institute launched, and with it came an influx of new ideas. Those ideas were quick to become reality, all thanks to the dedicated efforts of students and faculty alike. The idea for the podcast was to be the first podcast dedicated to developing young leaders at the college level as they begin to embark on their professional careers. On November 2nd, 2018, the very first episode aired with Dr. Gerald P. Buccino, the namesake and chief benefactor of the Institute, as the guest. In that episode alone, Dr. Price and Dr. Buccino covered topics that are not limited in the scope of only a college education, but what makes a team work. Dr. Buccino discussed the importance of soft skills, self-perception, goal setting, and competition, not forgetting to mix in the important reminders to "stand out" and "rise above the rest".
Week after week, as the podcast released new episodes and gained in popularity, Student Director Audrey Pennington juggled managing the student-led podcast initiative on top of all the responsibilities that come with being a college freshman. Leading her team is only a portion of her actual responsibilities, however she would also serve as the Chief Engineer. Editing the episodes, tweaking each 30-minute interview until she reaches the polished and professional product seen on the podcast, is no easy task. As time moved on and the next generation of Buccino leaders were introduced, she always encouraged the new hosts, never bringing to attention the time it must have taken to remove all of the "oo's" and "uh's".
In addition to Audrey working tirelessly on editing and managing the podcast, Shannon Moran was another who worked diligently to get guests on the show. Serving as the podcast's Head of Strategy was no easy task, but Shannon would always be excited when she was asked to explain what her role entailed. As the Head of Strategy, Shannon sent countless emails and direct messages to people with all kinds of stories and backgrounds. She would be the catalyst for getting many fantastic guests on the show, such as Julie Foudy, a two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist.
Even as the Coronavirus pandemic shook the nation, the Podcast team stood strong. Although they lacked the equipment that they were accustomed to at the WSOU studio in Seton Hall, the slight downgrade in microphone quality was not a problem for the team that learned so much about adaptability in their LEAD 1000 class at the Institute. In May, the team finished the semester by interviewing now retired legendary Associate Dean, now Director Emeritus, Mike Reuter. And once September hit, they never missed an upload.
In essence, the students and faculty at the Buccino Leadership Podcast Initiative are not just celebrating their 50th episode, they are celebrating the countless instances of successes and failures and the endless hours of preparation and persuasion that it took to get them onto the six platforms, five continents, and the 2500+ downloads they have amassed today. That is the beauty of an initiative that is faculty-backed and student-led.
Click here to listen to the Seton Hall Undergraduate Leaders Podcast.
Categories: Business, Campus Life
