“I’m an authority and an expert in Faulkner and American fiction, but nobody’s an authority in songwriting. We’re all just kind of students of the song in a certain way in the class.”

“I hope students can maybe see a little bit of themselves in me because I certainly see a little bit of myself in them. I’m grateful to have an opportunity like this. I don’t take it lightly. I hope that there’s a little bit of a seed being planted that’s beyond me or beyond that student.”

“I think the kids grew up being told stories by their parents. They don’t think of advertising that way. They think of advertising as trying to convince you to buy a product. But what’s interesting is that advertising works when it connects with you emotionally and tells you a story.”

“In a couple of years, (the students) are going to have to either do a presentation or have to communicate with a Latino member of the community, whether it be an adult or a child. They’re going to need to use clear, concise, kind and welcoming language to connect with their patients and clients.”

“You’re not going to walk out of here and be Warren Buffett. But I want to move you to being intellectually curious about these things. Whether you’re a Russian history, econ, journalism or chemistry major, all of this is relevant for you when you leave here. Actually, it’s relevant now.”

“In this space, I just see the culture getting stronger and tighter by the premise of us writing songs together. I always wished I had a space on my campus where I could just go and play my music loud for the first time.”

“What I love about this course is interacting with undergraduate students who are experiencing their first research project. They’re collecting their own data, they’re analyzing it and they’re turning it into real-world results that we can use to actually address some of the sustainability challenges that are facing the Triangle (area).”