The fall 2018 semester will begin with two fewer business faculty members, as professors Naomi Christensen and Pil Joon Kim plan to end their time at Houghton. Despite this loss, their colleagues expressed confidence that the department will maintain a strong program.
“We will always be grateful to both professors Christensen and Kim for the three years they each invested in our students,”commented professor of business Ken Bates. “Already we have high-performing alumni working both in accounting and in finance who are reaping dividends from exposure to these two Houghton faculty.”
While no new business professors have as yet been announced for next year, Bates offered assurance that Houghton would continue to offer a high-quality business education, saying, “Our commitment is high to fill their shoes with quality replacements that will continue the unusually strong heritage of Houghton’s business program.”
Business students expressed more concerns for the future of the program. Tyler Stetson ‘20 commented, “With the continual increase in regulation, companies are looking for people with excellent financial and accounting abilities. If Houghton isn’t prepared to provide top-notch instruction in those areas, it is headed for trouble.”
The knowledge and experience Kim brought to his teaching career allowed many students a more advanced business education than would typically be available to their peers. Bates commented, “Our upper level finance students were stretched beyond what anyone would normally expect in an undergraduate business program by exposure to Dr. Kim’s expertise and his proprietary technical investing analysis methodologies.”
“I’m deeply disappointed about Professor Kim leaving,” said Stetson. “He is an excellent professor that takes a personal interest in the academic and professional success of his students. He is also never afraid to push the bounds and encourage students to think well outside the normal undergraduate finance curriculum.”
Kim has served as a professor of business administration and was previously department chair. His background includes numerous degrees from Soongsil University (South Korea) and the Illinois Institute of Technology. His published research covers several crucial topics in the business field, including stocks and on market overreaction.
Christensen also brought her own interests and experience to her time teaching in the Houghton business department. A Houghton alumna, Christensen currently serves as an instructor of accounting. In her faculty biography, she described her teaching as a practical approach to accounting. “Accounting is best learned by doing, so I incorporate multiple opportunities for students to try what we are learning for themselves,” she wrote.
Christensen taught several levels and varieties of accounting courses, as well as classes covering auditing and tax practicum. “To make the subject matter come alive, I weave in examples of how students might see this applying in the world around them and their future careers,” she said. Her knowledge in those fields comes largely from her practical experience working with a variety of not-for-profit organizations.
Bates said of his colleague, “Professor Christensen strengthened our program with her practical experience at a public accounting firm and at a not-for-profit environment before coming back to Houghton.” He continued, referencing her certification as a public accountant, saying the department, “benefited from her professional credentials in managing our accounting major.”
“As for Professor Christensen leaving, I never had her in a class but hope Houghton finds another full time accounting professor soon,” commented Stetson. “If they don’t, then they are not truly concerned about two of the school’s most popular and important majors, business and accounting.”
Along with an appreciation for the work of Kim and Christensen, their business colleagues expressed some sadness at the reality of their departure. “As people, change is one of the hardest realities we face, but it is also one of the most constant,” added associate professor of Communication and Business Daniel Minchen. “Our faculty is strong and we will adjust to the recent developments at the same time that we say a sad ‘So Long’ to dear colleagues.”