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The Levee Podcast

The Levee Podcast

by KUOZ University of the Ozarks

Season 2

Celebrating Dr. Dave Daily, Professor of Religion

Dr. Dave Daily is retiring this spring after 26 years teaching at the University of the Ozarks. He sat down with The Levee host Estefania Bautista Lopez to discuss his career, religion and education, and his upcoming plans. A native of Arkadelphia, Ark., Daily earned his undergraduate degree at Ouachita Baptist University and his master of divinity degree from Yale University. He was awarded the Ph.D. in religion at Duke University, where he specialized in American religious history. Daily has been named the recipient of the University of the Ozarks’ Richard and Katherene Bagwell Outstanding Faculty Award in 2004 and 2009 and received the Dr. Rick and Sheree Niece President’s Above and Beyond Service Award in 2013. He is also the author of the book, “Battle for the BIA: G.E.E. Lindquist and the Missionary Crusade Against John Collier.” Daily is married to Teresa Wooten Daily, a pediatrician-turned-Episcopal priest, and they have two adult children, Emma and Wilson. Guest Dr. Dave Daily Host Estefania Lopez

Ozarks Sports Information; The Next Generation

Jalissa Hollingsworth (Ozarks '26) leads a crew of Sports Information student workers every weekend as they live stream Eagles Sports. She has helped implement new equipment which is transforming how people watch Eagles baseball, softball, soccer, and more. The Levee's Estefania, who is part of that crew, profile's Jalissa's work bringing these stories into the next generation. Host Estefania Lopez Guest Jalissa Hollingsworth

Eagles on the Freedom Trail

During Spring Break 2026, university chaplain Jeremy Wilhelmi took a group of students on a trip along the Freedom Trail, a trip he's made multiple times before. These journeys follow the civil rights movement through the South, and the Levee's Irene Dames chronicled this year's trip. Host Irene Dames

Studying Abroad: An Eagle In Korea

Senior Catasia Ferguson (Ozarks '26) shares her experiences studying abroad in South Korea, including learning how to embrace challenges, using new technology to help explore her surroundings, and whether she may move there in the future. Host: Irene Dames Guest: Catasia Ferguson

Leading Like An Eagle

Political science students from the University of the Ozarks share how their time in the program has helped them shape their views on civics, politics, and leadership. Host: Estefania Lopez Guests: Dr. Daniel Fudge - Assistant Professor of Political Science Cristhel Mejía Roberto Castro Kaleb Jacobs

Project Poet 2025 - A new Poet Laureate of the Spadra Valley

Poets and poetry fans gathered at the University of the Ozarks this semester to hear another round of competitive creations. After several rounds, audience members and judges crowned another Poet Laureate of the Spadra Valley; Catasia Ferguson. The Levee's Makayla Hollowell sat down with Ferguson, as well as finalists Matthew Dunsworth, KJ Lewis, Prudence Majoni, and Shemarie Munroe, to hear their poems and more about how they create their work.

The elephant in the room - A discussion about "Elephant's Graveyard"

This week, University of the Ozarks Theatre opens their production of "Elephant's Graveyard" by George Brant, a true story of the 1916 execution of a circus elephant in a Tennessee town. The show is a mix of fact and legend told by characters embodying people of the town who witnessed Mary the Elephant's death, a tale highlighting "the deep-seated American craving for spectacle, violence and revenge." Brant's narrative draws a connection between the hanging of Mary and lynching in the Jim Crow South. The Levee host Estefania Bautista Lopez spoke with Walton Professor of Theatre Dr. Macy Jones and Philosophy of Religion Professor Dr. Dave Daily to discuss those connections as well as the necessity of examining the subject of lynching today.

What are Ozarks' traditions? A Homecoming conversation with Rich Dunsworth.

Homecoming week is a chance for University of the Ozarks students and alumni to connect about their shared experiences. Many Eagles, though, might have very different ideas about what a traditional homecoming feels like - if they even had that tradition at all before arriving on campus. University President Rich Dunsworth sits down with Levee hosts Hailey Ritter and Kjersta Lybbert to talk about his 13 years of homecomings at Ozarks, the value of connecting generations of Eagles, and some traditions from the past that might be better off left there. What even is a bed race, anyway?

Kansas City Spiritual Trip with Chaps

A popular figure on campus is Jeremy "Chaps" Wilhelmi, the university chaplain. He organizes trips each year to help students explore how Ozarks' values and mission to remain true to our Christian heritage play out in the world outside of campus. At the beginning of the fall 2025 semester, Chaps took a group to Kansas City for one such trip. The Levee's Hailey Ritter spoke to students after they came back about what they experienced, and how it affected their understanding of what it means to be an Eagle.

Season 1

Getting Outside their Comfort Zone - Faith in the Modern Day

Being outgoing about faith has challenges today. Ozarks students Sheyla Zamora and Taegan Schnurr are members of Baptist College Ministries, and spent their spring break in Panama City Beach, Florida, providing free shuttle rides to people and talk with them about their faith. The Levee's Estefania Bautista Lopez talks with them about how it went and what they learned.

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