The Bulldog Mindset – Season 3, Episode 1

New Faces, New Ideas: Meet Three New Gardner-Webb Faculty

A new season. A new host. And three new faculty members ready to make their mark at Gardner-Webb University.

The Bulldog Mindset returns for Season 3 with Dr. Robert Prickett, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, stepping behind the microphone as the show's new host. For his first conversation, Robert welcomes three new members of the Gardner-Webb faculty: Wayne Durr, Assistant Professor of Finance; Dr. Christina Johnson, Assistant Professor of Biology; and Dr. Tyler Thomas, Assistant Professor of Computer Science.

Their disciplines couldn't be more different, and neither could the paths that brought them to Boiling Springs.

Durr brings a career spanning military service, the corporate world, and higher education—and a passion for financial literacy and entrepreneurship. Johnson brings extensive experience in plant biology, microbiology, and research connected to NASA, along with a commitment to active, collaborative learning. Thomas specializes in cybersecurity, software engineering, and computer science and wants students to understand technology by getting their hands on it, breaking things safely, and learning how to build them better.

Along the way, the three professors share the unexpected "plot twists" that helped shape their careers, what students can expect inside their classrooms, and what excites them most about beginning this new chapter at Gardner-Webb.

There's also coffee, a decades-old Army Code of Conduct card, NASA keys, a mysterious spinning top, and at least one rock that apparently must remain in a professor's pocket.

It's an energetic, funny, and surprisingly personal introduction to three educators—and the perfect way to launch a new chapter of The Bulldog Mindset.

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🎵 Music featured in The Bulldog Mindset: “Beatnik Brew” by Rueger and “Quarantini Time” by Kelley Williams

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