The Seed Field

Millions of Americans Have Unfinished PhDs. Can We Help Them Graduate?

Over 30% of people who start a PhD don’t graduate within ten years. This can be a grand disappointment and a real setback—and it can hold learners back from contributing to their full ability. But today, degree completion programs are helping some of these students to return to the academy, finish their studies, complete their research, and claim their diplomas. So what goes into designing a degree completion program? In this conversation with Diane Richard-Allerdyce, the founding director of the Completion Pathway in Antioch’s PhD in Leadership and Change, we ask her about all of these questions—and learn how taking into account educational trauma and structural barriers is key to helping students finally complete their dreams.  – – – Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the PhD in Leadership and Change [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/leadership-management/phd-leadership-change/], and the Completion Pathway [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/leadership-management/phd-leadership-and-change-completion-pathway/] that Diane directs. You can also read the announcement [https://commonthread.antioch.edu/antioch-university-launches-phd-in-leadership-and-change-degree-completion-pathway/] of the creation of the Completion Pathway. This episode was recorded November 21, 2025 and released December 17, 2025.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Social Media Manager: Selina Starling Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPoint.   Additional Production Help: Jen Mont, Amelia Bryan, and Laurien Alexandre. – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].

Athletic Training Started in D-1 Athletics. It Can Be So Much More.

Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the MS in Athletic Training [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/graduate-school-of-nursing-and-health-professions/ms-in-athletic-training/] that Ally chairs. You can also visit the main page for the Graduate School of Nursing and Health Professions [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/graduate-school-of-nursing-and-health-professions/]. To learn more about the Coalition for the Common Good, visit the CCG website [https://www.ccgedu.org/].  This episode was recorded October 22, 2025 via Squadcast and released November 19, 2025.  – – – The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPointe, and Liza Wisner.   Additional Production Help: Amelia Bryan, Jonathan Hawkins, Jefferson Blackburn-Smith, Gina Calcamuggio, Jenny Hill, Kati Skon, and Laurien Alexandre To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit  theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org] . To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow  Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity] . – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].

How Do Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners Treat Trauma “From Every Angle”?

Physical and mental health are deeply connected, yet the medical field too often treats these as entirely separate domains. Deana Batross says that this is unfortunate, because medical procedures (like heart transplants) often have psychological side effects, and mental health conditions (like complex PTSD) often have physical causes. Luckily, Deana is a  Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners trained in the biopsychosocial model that sees the patient as a whole person. In this conversation, Deana discusses how she thinks about trauma, shares how her students in Antioch University’s Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner program study this topic, and discusses her work advocating for greater access to physical and mental healthcare. – – – Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/graduate-school-of-nursing-and-health-professions/psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioner-overview/] that Deana chairs. You can also visit the main page for the Graduate School of Nursing and Health Professions [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/graduate-school-of-nursing-and-health-professions/]. If you’d like to listen to a related podcast episode, try our conversation with the psychologist Stephen Southern about expressive writing's potential for treating complex PTSD: “Therapists Are Using Creative Writing to Treat Complex PTSD—and Build Resilience [https://commonthread.antioch.edu/podcast/s8-e-2-therapists-are-using-creative-writing-to-treat-complex-ptsd-and-build-resilience/]”. You may also be interested in our conversation with the therapist Rachele Moskowitz about somatic approaches to therapy: “Using Somatic Therapy to Understand the Trauma in Our Bodies [https://commonthread.antioch.edu/podcast/s4e2-using-somatic-therapy-to-understand-the-trauma-in-our-bodies/]”.  This episode was recorded September 22, 2025 via Squadcast and released November 5, 2025.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPointe, and Liza Wisner.   Additional Production Help: Amelia Bryan, Jonathan Hawkins, Melinda Garland, Jefferson Blackburn-Smith, Gina Calcamuggio, Jenny Hill, Kati Skon, and Laurien Alexandre. – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].

Nurses See Health Inequities Every Day. Can Doctoral Study Help Them Tackle These Problems?

From their position on the frontlines of healthcare, nurses intimately understand the issues facing their patients and communities. To tackle these big-picture problems, mid-career nurse practitioners are increasingly returning to school to get their Doctor of Nursing Practice degree (DNP). As today’s guest, Jeffrey Fouche-Camargo explains, “It's all about the clinical settings and how we can take those problems that we encounter in our day-to-day work and, you know, come up with solutions on how to fix that.” In this conversation with the Founding Director of Antioch University’s DNP program, Jeffrey shares about the theoretical basis of nursing, his own doctoral project around postpartum care after caesarean, and how he’s hoping the DNP program will bring Antioch’s social justice mission to nurses in the heart of their careers. – – – Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the Doctor of Nursing Practice [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/graduate-school-of-nursing-and-health-professions/doctor-of-nursing-practice-programs/] program that Jeffrey directs. You can also visit the main page for the Graduate School of Nursing and Health Professions [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/graduate-school-of-nursing-and-health-professions/]. To learn more about the Coalition for the Common Good, visit the CCG website [https://www.ccgedu.org/].  If you’d like to listen to a related podcast episode, try our conversation with Rachel Chickerella from earlier this year, “Bi+ Mental Health Is a Crisis. Why Is No One Talking About It?” [https://commonthread.antioch.edu/podcast/s8e5-bi-mental-health-is-a-crisis-why-is-no-one-talking-about-it/] This episode was recorded September 18, 2025 via Squadcast and released October 8, 2025.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPointe and Liza Wisner Additional Production Help: Amelia Bryan, Jonathan Hawkins, Melinda Garland, Jefferson Blackburn-Smith, Gina Calcamuggio, Jenny Hill, Kati Skon, and Laurien Alexandre To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity]. – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].

How to Design a Nursing Program that Emphasizes Justice and Community Health

In higher education, we rarely have the chance to stop, take a year, and thoughtfully redesign entire programs. But that’s just what the faculty of Antioch University’s newly founded Graduate School of Nursing and Health Professions have been doing this last year: taking the highly regarded programs previously offered through our partner, Otterbein University, and working to bring them to a nationwide audience through Antioch’s five campuses. In this episode, we talk with Regina Prusinski, Antioch’s founding Director of Nursing Programs, about why nursing is a fulfilling career, how she’s reworking the curriculum to emphasize Antioch’s focus on adult learners and social justice, why nurse practitioners will be in high demand over the next decade, and how this training prepares future nurse practitioners to be transformative agents of health justice in their communities. – – – Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the Nursing Programs [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/graduate-school-of-nursing-and-health-professions/] that Regina directs and the MS in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/graduate-school-of-nursing-and-health-professions/family-nurse-practitioner-overview/ms-in-nursing-family-nurse-practitioner/] that she chairs. To learn more about the Coalition for the Common Good, visit the CCG website [https://www.ccgedu.org/].  This episode was recorded September 12, 2025 via Squadcast and released September 24, 2025.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPointe and Liza Wisner Additional Production Help: Amelia Bryan, Jonathan Hawkins, Melinda Garland, Jefferson Blackburn-Smith, Gina Calcamuggio, Jenny Hill, Kati Skon, and Laurien Alexandre To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity]. – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].