Faith in Every Footnote¹: A Podcast for Graduate Students

Questions and Answers, with Kim Matheson and Ben Peters

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:16:00 -0400

Choosing a graduate program is only the first question; funding, family, dissertations, job searches, mentors, and professional boundaries soon follow. Kimberly Matheson, the Laura F. Willes Research Fellow at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University, and Ben Peters, professor and chair of Media and Communication at the University of Tulsa, offer frank, information-dense answers drawn from their experience. Together, they place graduate training within discipleship to Jesus Christ, showing how family, service in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, professional boundaries, and intellectual integrity can keep a scholar grounded while the work moves forward.

Disciple-Scholarship in STEM, with Aaron Franklin

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:14:00 -0400

Can an engineer carry a technical problem to the Lord the way the brother of Jared carried sixteen stones up Mount Shelem? Aaron Franklin, the Edmund T. Pratt Jr. Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and senior associate dean in the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University, explores what discipleship to Jesus Christ looks like in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Drawing on The Spiritual Physics of Light and What Is Truth?, he connects scripture with polar coordinates, light emitting diode circuits, carbon nanotubes, and the humility to place our best work in God’s hands.

Flourishing Together, with Amy Harris and Christopher Jones

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:11:00 -0400

Academic life is rarely a solitary achievement. Amy Harris, professor of history and coordinator of the Family History Program at Brigham Young University, and Christopher Jones, assistant professor of history and family history, share how mentors, writing groups, family, and congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints carried them through graduate school and into their careers. Rooted in discipleship to Jesus Christ, their stories, including a tribute to the late historian Kate Holbrook, show how scholars flourish when they make room for one another.

Beyond the Tenure Track, with Conor Hilton

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:08:00 -0400

After earning a doctorate in English literature, Conor Hilton stepped beyond the tenure track and found a new use for his training as an editor in the University of Iowa College of Nursing’s Office for Nursing Research and Scholarship. He joins Rosalynde Welch, Shawn Tucker, and graduate student co-host Lara Buckwalter to reflect on how discipleship to Jesus Christ shaped that discernment, what an 18-month job search taught him, and why a generous reader can turn scholarship into an act of love.

Methods and Boundaries, with Matthew Wickman

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:04:00 -0400

Matthew Wickman, professor of English and coordinator of the Faith and Imagination Institute at Brigham Young University, joins Rosalynde Welch, Shawn Tucker, and graduate student co-host Lara Buckwalter to discuss academic methods, disciplinary boundaries, literature, and spiritual experience. Together, they explore bringing religious questions into academic work, learning across disciplines, praying over scholarship, and allowing rigorous study to deepen faith in and discipleship to Jesus Christ.

Women in Academia, with Jane Wise

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:24:00 -0400

In this episode, Jane Wise, an attorney and emerita faculty member who taught legal writing at Brigham Young University Law School for more than 25 years, joins Rosalynde Welch, Shawn Tucker, and graduate student co-host Lara Buckwalter to discuss women in academia and the legal profession. Together, they explore navigating competitive institutions, responding to exclusion with curiosity and empathy, integrating family and professional life, and finding joy through relationships, service, and discipleship to Jesus Christ.

Preparing for the Academic Life, with Brigitte Madrian

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:23:00 -0400

Brigitte Madrian, dean of the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University, joins Rosalynde Welch, Shawn Tucker, and graduate student co-host Noah Adams to discuss preparing for an academic career. Together, they explore choosing a doctoral program, working with a faculty advisor, developing as a teacher and researcher, navigating imposter syndrome, and seeking guidance from the Holy Ghost in academic work.

Writing the Dissertation, with Joseph Stuart

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:22:00 -0400

Historian Joseph Stuart joins Rosalynde Welch, Shawn Tucker, and graduate student co-host Noah Adams to discuss the realities of writing a dissertation. Together, they explore finding meaning in repetitive work, responding to difficult feedback, overcoming perfectionism, and accepting support when graduate study becomes overwhelming.

Faith Challenges, with Jared Halverson

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:20:00 -0400

In this episode, Jared Halverson joins Rosalynde Welch, Shawn Tucker, and graduate student co-host Lara Buckwalter to discuss how faith can develop through the intellectual challenges of graduate study. Together, they explore the creation, fall, and atonement pattern of faith, navigating questions with humility, and keeping both the mind and heart centered on Jesus Christ.

The Latter-day Saint Graduate Student, with Spencer Fluhman

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:18:00 -0400

In this inaugural episode of Faith in Every Footnote, historian Spencer Fluhman joins Rosalynde Welch, Shawn Tucker, and graduate student co-host Noah Adams to discuss what it means to be a disciple-scholar. Together, they explore how scholarship centered on Jesus Christ can deepen discipleship, build Zion, and bring greater purpose and joy to graduate study.

Introducing Faith in Every Footnote¹

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:09:00 -0400

Faith in Every Footnote explores how graduate students can pursue rigorous scholarship while strengthening their faith in Jesus Christ. Hosted by Rosalynde Welch of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, this ten episode series features conversations about intellectual growth, spiritual commitment, and finding joy in the pursuit of learning. All episodes arrive in early September.