‘W&L After Class’ Podcast Releases New Episode Featuring Jay Margalus In this month’s episode, Margalus discusses unlearning, the richness in risks and how the Connolly Center provides experiences in chance-taking.
Most people are terrified of uncertainty, but that’s where all the good stuff happens.”
~ Jay Margalus, Johnson Professor of Entrepreneurship and Leadership and director of the Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship
Starting at 5 years old, students’ brains start thinking in terms of answers. What are the right answers to ace this test? What classes are preferred to get into the best college? What major will lead to the most successful career? The K-12 education system conditioned them to think linearly, and as the Johnson Professor of Entrepreneurship and Leadership and director of the Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship at Washington and Lee University, Jay Margalus instead works to do the opposite. He reintroduces the concept of “play.”
“We have 12 years of learning how to take tests and how to think toward an answer,” he says. “But, of course, there aren’t correct answers for pretty much anything in life.
“Play is how we start learning as kids, and it’s how we rediscover learning as adults.”
Margalus dives into his teaching philosophy in the most recent episode of “W&L After Class,” sitting down with Ruth Candler, associate director of Lifelong Learning. In “The Risk is Worth it,” he details his beginning in programming, which all started with a dumpster dive. He talks of his foray into law, his winding path to software and academia and why he makes decisions based on learning over comfort. Margalus and Candler explore how he helps students, through the Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship, discover their creativity by relearning play, embracing uncertainty and exploring real-world experiments. In this podcast, Margalus urges the listeners – not just students – to take risks, as “a rolling stone gathers no moss.”
“Most people are terrified of uncertainty,” he says, “but that’s where all the good stuff happens.”
“The Risk is Worth it” marks the fourth episode in the sixth season of “W&L After Class,” which launched on Jan. 14. This season includes conversations with Holly Pickett, professor of English, on the universal impact of William Shakespeare; Matthew Loar, director of fellowships and student research, on the transformative nature of collegiate research in shaping individuals; and Beth Staples, editor of Shenandoah and assistant professor of English, on the power of imagination and the legacy of Shenandoah.
“W&L After Class” began in the spring of 2020 and is a collaborative effort of Lifelong Learning, Alumni Engagement and the Office of Communications and Public Affairs. Each episode invites listeners to experience conversations with W&L’s expert faculty, giving listeners worldwide a chance to stroll the Colonnade in the comfort of their homes. W&L faculty members discuss their teaching, research and special interests. Previous topics include chemistry, advertising, witches, AI and free speech.
Listeners in the W&L community and beyond are invited to listen to past episodes and seasons or wherever they listen to podcasts.
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