One year after the Link Trail officially opened, the University of Notre Dame’s Office of Public Affairs is launching a new podcast focused on the partnerships and people behind the connection between campus and the South Bend–Elkhart region.
The Link Podcast pairs a Notre Dame faculty member, staff member, or student with a regional collaborator to discuss a shared project or initiative, with a focus on community partnerships, economic growth, and regional engagement. Conversations are recorded as the participants walk along the trail that physically connects the University with downtown South Bend.
Hosted by Tim Sexton, associate vice president for public affairs at Notre Dame, the podcast will be released every other month, with episodes running 15–30 minutes, roughly the length of a walk along the trail.
The first episode, “Let’s walk: The story behind the Link Trail,” looks at how the trail came together. Sexton is joined by Jeff Jarnecke of Visit South Bend Mishawaka and Jitin Kain of the City of South Bend to discuss the vision, planning, and collaboration that brought the project to life. The project represented a collaborative investment from the City of South Bend, Visit South Bend Mishawaka through the Hotel-Motel Tax Board, and Notre Dame.
The Link Podcast is an extension of the BeyoND platform, which highlights Notre Dame’s work across the region. Future episodes will feature partnerships connected to areas such as mental health, education, housing, and economic development.
Some of the music featured in the podcast is provided through a partnership with the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, including performances by Grand Prize and Senior String Division Gold Medal winners from the Katarina String Quartet. The artists are from the Juilliard School and include Jeanel Liang, Jérôme Chiasson, Celia Morin, and Maya Enstad.
Episodes are edited by Michael Wiens from the Office of Public Affairs and Communications and additional music is provided by Universal Production Music.
The Link Podcast is available on the Public Affairs website, where episodes will be embedded alongside related stories and content.