Dr. Debra Moddelmog, the Dean of the UNR College of Liberal Arts for the past six years, has announced her retirement. In celebration of this, we sit down with her to reflect on her journey from undergraduate studies all the way to the office of the dean. We hear what it takes in order to perform the job of dean, and what it takes to bring about the monumental changes Dean Moddelmog has overseen in her time. We thank Dean Moddelmog for all the work she has done and all the opportunities she has created, including the creation of this show, and we look forward to her continued career in academic research.

Dr. Ruthie Meadows, an ethnomusicologist with the UNR College of Music describes for us the history of Jazz and its Afro-Caribbean roots. Demonstrating that Jazz is not just an American genre, Dr. Meadows gives various examples of Jazz artists and styles from outside the United States, broadening the scope of our understanding of the genre.

In celebration of Black History Month, we invited Dr. Greta de Jong, an expert on African American history and social movements, to come in and teach us about the history of the fight for economic, political, and civil rights for the African American community. Discussing the various economic and societal systems used to oppress the African American community, as well as measures taken to combat these systems, both by the Federal Government and grassroots Civil Rights groups, Dr. de Jong provides a comprehensive look at what issues have been faced, and how we can take examples from the history of the fight for civil rights into the continued struggles of the modern day.

Dr. Jean-Paul Perrotte of the UNR Electro-Acoustic Lab discusses with us his recently released, "Jean-Paul Perrotte: A Collection of Works". Exploring the themes of the collection, the processes and technology used in the creation of it, and what being and Electro-Acoustic Composer means to him, Dr. Perrotte provides us a deep look into the world of electronic composition, and the music world as a whole. Link to Dr. Perrotte's Collection and the descriptions discussed: https://www.ravellorecords.com/catalog/rr8058/

Tom Gordon and Ray Silva, respectively the Recording Arts Instructor and Music Technology Operations Supervisor of the UNR College of the Arts guide us through their histories within the recording industry as multi-platinum recording engineers; giving us an intimate look at the history of the recording industry, as well as how it has evolved into what it is today, and finally, share their vision of the Recording Arts program they seek to develop here at UNR. These masters of the craft have inspired many, including our own host, instilling in them the skills necessary to excel as recording engineers in music, television, film, and more. Elevating Humanity would also like to extend a special thanks to this episode's guests for allowing the use of the University Arts Building's state of the art recording studio in the recording and production of this episode.

Episode 2 of Elevating Humanity features J. Diego Zarazúa, coordinator and outreach coordinator of the Latino Research Center at the University of Nevada, Reno. Diego talks about Hispanic Heritage month, his podcast, and how he is helping to advance and elevate the Hispanic/Latinx community. Special thanks to Tom Gordon for editorial advising of this episode.

Join us as we talk to College of Liberal Arts Professor Dr. Xabier Irujo, professor of Basque Studies and Gender, Race, and Identity at the University of Nevada, Reno. Irujo explains to us about the meaning behind the Basque Diaspora on September 8th.