{"podcast":{"title":"Scholarly Communication","slug":"scholarly-communication-3362615","podcast_index_feed_id":3362615,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/NBN7502148219","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/f662c966-a129-11eb-8710-1315568956e4/image/scholarlycommunication.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":422,"summary":"Discussions with those who work to disseminate research","last_synced_at":"2026-06-26T10:18:54.363839+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/scholarly-communication-3362615"},"episode":{"title":"A Light in the Tower: A New Reckoning with Mental Health in Higher Education","slug":"a-light-in-the-tower-a-new-reckoning-with-mental-health-in-higher-education","published_at":"2026-02-26T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/scholarly-communication-3362615/a-light-in-the-tower-a-new-reckoning-with-mental-health-in-higher-education","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/scholarly-communication-3362615","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK1130965241.mp3?updated=1772008631","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK1130965241.mp3?updated=1772008631","summary":"A Light in the Tower argues that excellent education and radical support for mental health struggles can coexist, and provides detailed advice for how to do so. Dr. Katie Rose Guest Pryal debunks claims that supporting student mental health harms educational rigor (coining the term “rigor angst” to discuss the fear that rigor is declining). She outlines actionable steps professors and administrators can take, including abandoning ableist and exclusionary campus culture; replacing “bad-hard” work that creates unnecessary logistical difficulties for students in favor of “good-hard” work that challenges them intellectually; providing an easy path to disability accommodations; and teaching accessibly for neurodivergent students. Dr. Pryal examines the anxiety that plagues campuses as a result of exploited and overworked contingent faculty and students, the systemic and institutional burnout that affects higher education at every level, and the market-driven culture of toxic overwork. Addressing the stigma that haunts mental disability on campus, the ableism that hounds our teaching, and the cascade of mental health struggles that far too many faculty and students face, Dr. Pryal provides straightforward solutions to complex challenges. Our guest is: Dr. Katie Rose Guest Pryal, who is an author, neurodiversity expert, and adjunct professor of law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the author of A Light in the Tower, and other works including the award-winning Even If You’re Broken: Bodies, Boundaries, and Mental Health. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who is an academic writing coach and editor. She is the producer and creator of the Academic Life podcast. Playlist: Sitting Pretty Navigating the pandemic in college Designing & Facilitating Worksh…","meta_description":"A Light in the Tower argues that excellent education and radical support for mental health struggles can coexist, and provides detailed advice for how to…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3792,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/scholarly-communication-3362615/episodes/a-light-in-the-tower-a-new-reckoning-with-mental-health-in-higher-education/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/scholarly-communication-3362615/a-light-in-the-tower-a-new-reckoning-with-mental-health-in-higher-education.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}