College Town Talk

College Town Talk, Episode 84 - Margo Dirkson

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Margo Dirkson, department coordinator in Tennessee Tech’s Office of Access, Belonging and Community Outreach and a doctoral student in Tech’s new Ph.D. in higher education program. Margo shares why she chose to pursue a doctorate while balancing a full-time career and extensive volunteer service, what it means to help students find a sense of belonging on campus and how she intentionally built community after moving to Cookeville a decade ago. We also discuss her volunteerism with local organizations close to her heart, such as the Bryan Symphony Orchestra and Game On Accessible Tennis. Plus, in our rapid-fire round, Margo dishes on her favorite campus spots and the best part about living in the Upper Cumberland.

College Town Talk, Episode 83 - Dr. Erin Hoover

This week on College Town Talk, we sit down with Dr. Erin Hoover, associate professor of English at Tennessee Tech and the first-ever poet laureate for the City of Cookeville. In this episode, Dr. Hoover discusses how Tech’s English Department is thoughtfully incorporating AI into the classroom while helping students strengthen their writing skills, think critically and develop their own creative voices. She also shares her work mentoring students through The Iris Review, the university’s award-winning student-edited literary magazine, and reflects on the deeply personal experiences that inspired her 2023 poetry collection, No Spare People. Plus, she offers a preview of her next book, scheduled for publication in 2027.

College Town Talk, Episode 82 - Dr. Joshua Martin

This week on College Town Talk, guest co-host Jamie Fancher returns for a conversation with Dr. Joshua Martin, a Tennessee Tech alumnus who now serves as assistant professor of Spanish. Dr. Martin is also the recipient of Tech’s 2024-25 Scholastic Research Award and author of the new book, "Masculinity, Coloniality, and the US-Mexico Border in Literature and Political Culture." In our interview, Dr. Martin reflects on what it means to serve his alma mater as a faculty member, discusses the lengthy process of writing and publishing a book and shares insights from a recent student and faculty trip he co-led to Los Angeles. Later, during our rapid-fire round, he reveals which colleague is most likely to make him laugh in the middle of a faculty meeting and the surprising career path he might have pursued if not for higher education.

College Town Talk, Episode 81 - Dr. Julie Baker

This week on College Town Talk, guest co-host Jamie Fancher joins us for a conversation with Dr. Julie Baker, a three-time Tennessee Tech graduate who now serves as dean of the College of Graduate Studies and associate provost at Tech. As she approaches her 20th anniversary at Tech, Dr. Baker reflects on her early years as a high school teacher, shares favorite campus memories and gives us a glimpse into what it’s really like working alongside her brother. She also discusses how her rural East Tennessee roots shaped her belief in the transformative power of education — and how that conviction helped inspire a historic multi-year GEAR UP grant that will expand college readiness opportunities across the Upper Cumberland. Later, in our rapid-fire round, Dr. Baker reveals the career she might have pursued outside education and names the Tech colleague she’d call as her lifeline in a game of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”

College Town Talk, Episode 80 - Adam Poe

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan catch up with Adam Poe, a 2011 Tennessee Tech graduate who now serves as vice president of the Highlands Economic Partnership. In our interview, Adam discusses Tech’s role in driving economic development across the region and reflects on the lasting impact of his involvement as a Tech student with Kappa Sigma fraternity—an experience that ultimately led him to serve as the organization’s global president. He also shares a personal story about how a friend’s illness inspired a major career change, and how a creative solution to improve sleep sparked an unexpected passion and talent for painting.