Kenneth Bates, associate professor of business administration and chair of Houghton’s department of business and economics, was not planning to be a teacher when he was first working. In fact, he worked in business in Washington, D.C. for seventeen years after graduating from Houghton in 1971. He did not expect the phone call from his old college roommate alerting him to an open position at Houghton College. Now, after 27 years of teaching for the college, he is retiring.
At first, Bates was not interested in the position for various reasons. Working at Houghton meant a significant pay cut, the possibility of needing more schooling himself, moving his entire family from the suburbs into the rural country, and working at school where the denomination was different than his own. Bates thought the visit to campus would be a courteous gesture for his roommate, but this visit swept him from under his feet. However, Bates said, God answered all of the concerns that he had and kept calling him to Houghton College. Bates felt that he could, perhaps, be good at teaching and decided to follow God’s call.
Since answering this call, Bates has been praised as a business teacher by his students. Joseph Gilligan ‘17, a business major, said, “Professor Bates allowed me to take leadership roles right away at Houghton which provided me the opportunity to refine my leadership skills and understanding of business. I owe him a debt of gratitude for allowing me to aggressively pursue my dreams.” Gilligan added that students who have taken a class led by Bates will tell you that he truly cares for his students, is patient, is understanding, and is passionate about being Christ-like in his work.
Naomi Christensen, instructor of accounting and a colleague of Professor Bates, has been working with him for about two years. Also a Houghton graduate, she was taught by Bates. “Professor Bates has been a huge help to getting me assimilated into being a professor,” she said. “Any time I have any questions he helps me. We are really going to miss him around here, he is leaving a very big hole.” She recalled a memory from her senior class year where Bates had said, “You may be the only one in the room that represents Jesus and you should take that [honor] very seriously.”
When asked what lesson he wanted his students to remember, Bates said:
“We are all Christ’s ambassadors in this world. That means we are not citizens of this country, we are citizens of heaven. When an ambassador’s job is finished, they are called home and the fact that I am here today tells me that God has something more for me to do to influence others for His kingdom. The only reason I was able to wake up this morning is because God has something more for me to do.”