Mim Case is the reason that the Paine Center for Science has not yet imploded. By her title, she is the Academic Coordinator for Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
In her day-to-day life, she makes sure that everything in the building is running smoothly so that the professors are able to focus on their teaching. She may find herself orchestrating building maintenance or researching new programs. Sometimes, she proctors exams for students when they fall behind on work.
Mim moved to Houghton with her husband, Jon Case, in 2005. Prior to their residence in Fillmore, they lived in Melbourne, Australia. Jon had met several Houghton professors through the school’s Down Under program while teaching at Kingsley College. During a furloughed trip to the United States, they got a call – “If you’re stateside, come see us at Houghton.”
The move was a huge change for the family. Melbourne is a city of 4 million people. Fillmore is a town of about 600. Mim is used to changing scenery. Although she self-identifies as a Texan from birth, she has held drivers licenses in seven different states.
Even still, Fillmore is a new experience for her. “I’m not really a country kind of person, so this has been a really different experience, but I’m learning all kinds of things,” she said in our interview. Being an avid baker, she is happy that she can get fresh ingredients from local farms through community supported agriculture.
At home, she has quit cooking, “My husband does all that,” she says, “He’s a great Punjabi chef. This year he’s beginning to try Chinese and Thai.”
One thing that might catch your eye as you walk by Mim’s office is Mim herself, standing upright in front of her computer. When she first came to Houghton, she found that she was in a lot of pain at the end of her workday. Doing some research, she discovered that her desk was too high for good posture. Her solution, however, was to get an even higher one.
Mim began using a standing desk, supplementary to her sitting one. If you ask her, she’ll laud its use,”It’s great! I use it so much that one day, I came in the morning and set my things on my chair and by four o’clock I realized they were still there. I had gone the entire day standing and didn’t even notice it!”
Even if it weren’t for her desk, Mim would spend much of her day on her feet running around just keeping the department working properly. Despite her busy schedule, she still finds time to make Paine a brighter place. She very proudly tells me about an idea she executed alongside Dr. Brubaker – a mosaic of Houghton science majors which together form a single image of the Paine building. Mim collected the photos and found a company to design it. It is hanging by the second floor entrance to Schaller Hall.
Outside of school, Mim is very involved with her church, Houghton Wesleyan. She leads the missions convention work team. The church is looking to work more with Buffalo refugees in the next year. The focus of such missions work, aside from ministry, is to enable refugees with tools or skills that help them become more self-sufficient. She says,”It’s great to see a different side of the city and to see how you can help.”
When I asked Mim what she looks forward to in the upcoming year, her face lights up. Meic Pearse, professor of history, has asked her to be a part of the East Meets West travel team. This May, she’ll get to go to the Balkans with the honors program in order to provide logistical support. When she goes, she will bring her husband and daughter, Carolyn, too.
Mim’s hard work is invaluable to keeping Paine together. If you have ever enjoyed a math or science class, stop by her office this week and thank Mim for making it possible.