Category: Stories In Focus

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Stories In Focus

Mathematics Professor Parts From Lifetime Houghton Connection

Camenga Makes the Difficult Decision to Leave Houghton.

Though Kristin Camenga was not a Houghton student, she has always felt connected to the school. Her mother, a high school teacher, visited campus for a conference while pregnant with Camenga, marking the future professor’s first visit to the college. After nine years as a professor in the department of Mathematics, and five years as chair of the department of mathematics and computer science, Camenga will leave her positions at Houghton at the end of this spring semester.

CamengaRGBCamenga did not begin her career intending to teach at the post-secondary level. She wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps, and trained to teach high school math at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Following her graduation, Camenga taught at the secondary level for two years, during which time she dated her now husband, Andrew Camenga, a ’92 Houghton graduate. Shortly before they were married in 2000, Camenga’s then-fiancé, an ordained Seventh Day Baptist pastor, took a job directing the denomination’s Board of Christian Education in Alfred, NY. Camenga used their cross-country move as an opportunity to continue her education. She was accepted at Cornell University, and graduated in 2006 with both her Ph.D. in Mathematics and M.S. in Education. She then applied for teaching positions in the Alfred area; one of these was at Houghton.

“It was exactly what I wanted,” said Camenga about the Houghton job posting. “It was a math job, and it meant working with people who wanted to be math teachers. That’s what I wanted to do, because I was a math teacher. I’d seen how important it was.”

In 2006, Camenga began her Houghton career as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics, and has taught several math courses, as well as the Math Methods course for the Education department. In 2010, she was appointed Chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science department. Colleagues consider her to be a diligent Chair, noting that Camenga is always on top of her work, ensuring that the department’s projects are always on time. More recently, she has acted as the Faculty Development Coordinator, organizing and leading such events as the new faculty seminar and faculty retreat.

Among students, Camenga is known for her thorough and individualized instruction. Camenga’s courses help them feel prepared for whatever is next, whether it’s student teaching or heading into the workforce. “All of the work feels really purposeful,” said senior, Emily Bradley.

Camenga creates a strong connection with her students. According to senior, Amanda Gokey, the way that Camenga cares for each student in her class makes her an exceptional professor. When students have difficulty with their work, Camenga is available and eager to help them. This relationship is a major part of what Camenga says she will miss about Houghton.

“It’s really hard to leave my students who aren’t graduating yet,” said Camenga. “I’ve known a lot of them since before they walked on campus officially as freshmen. They’re my friends, and I’m going to miss that. I’ll also miss my colleagues. I have trouble imagining a place where I’ll have colleagues that work this well together.”

Camenga’s decision to leave has been almost two years in the making. The couple felt it was time for Andrew to move on from his one-person office in pursuit of a pastorate, leading him to resign. Last fall, he accepted a position in Salemville, PA, but the congregation understood that his wife would want to finish out the year at Houghton first. Camenga was able to officially resign in mid-September, and helped to find her replacement.

“Some people would feel that, even if you know you’re leaving, you don’t actually resign,” said Camenga. “I wanted to know that the things I’ve worked on for the last nine years are going to continue.”

While Camenga is sorry to leave the community she has built at Houghton, she trusts that this is the right decision.

“You’ve got to go where God leads you,” she said. “You trust Him to take care of the pieces where they fall.”

Camenga’s lifetime connection to Houghton, her dedication to teaching and preparing students to teach, and her ability to discern God’s leading in times of change are enduring gifts to this community.

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Stories In Focus

Musician of the Week: Jerbrel Bowens


Jerbrel BowensBorn in February 1994, Jerbrel is an aspiring young composer that offers a wide variety of style and sound at different levels of achievement for young  ensembles, all the way up to college & professional level ensembles. He currently studies music education with a focus in music composition & Percussion at Houghton College in Houghton N.Y.  He currently studies composition under Dr. Carrie Magin, and has studied with Dr. David H. Davies. Jerbrel studied/studies percussion under Dustin Woodard, and Jim Tiller. He also studies and performs jazz with Dr. Ken Crane. Jerbrel Graduated from Webster Schroeder High School in 2012 in Webster N.Y where he grew as a percussionist and composer. He marched 4 years as a snare drummer and has also served as section leader for the 2011 field season and the winter percussion ensemble and has been involved with the drum corp. world since 2009. Jerbrel was given the opportunity to premier one of his wind ensemble compositions entitled “Flash” where he coached his high school ensemble and conducted it at the concert in March of 2012. He has also had drumline cadences premiered on national television, as well as jazz charts that have been performed at the Rochester international Jazz Fest. Jerbrel is also an internationally premiered composer having compositions premiered in Belgium Europe, and Melbourne Australia.

Jerbrel has been composing since the age of 8 and playing the drums since he was 2. He continues to prosper in this field is growing and making new musical connections. He has written over 90+ pieces for Symphonic wind ensembles, orchestras, choirs, marching bands, drum Corps, Drumlines, and chamber ensembles. He looks to serve ensembles, students, and educators that love to make and perform music just as much as he does.

Check out Jerbrel’s music on youtube, soundcloud, or on his website.

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/jerbrelbowens?feature=mhee

Souncloud: https://soundcloud.com/jerbrel-bowens

Website: http://jerbrelbowenscomposer.weebly.com/

 

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Stories In Focus

Athlete of the Week: Andrea Melhorn

Growing up in the heart of Amish country, Andrea Melhorn ‘15 began her track and field career as a high school first year at Donegal High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  She soon discovered that she not only loved the sport, but also excelled in all throwing events.  Once in college, she continued throwing weight and shot put for indoor track; and hammer, discus, shot put, and javelin in outdoor track.  Andrea has qualified for Indoor and Outdoor Track Nationals every season since her first year of college.  She has placed at Nationals every year, often within the top five, and holds the school record for weight and hammer.  In addition, she was picked as the NCCAA Athlete of the Week.

While Andrea has a deep love for track and a variety of other sports, such as downhill skiing, she said that it is the people who make it worthwhile.  As captain of the Houghton Track and Field team, she is constantly encouraging and supporting her teammates.  However, Andrea takes it a step beyond to truly encapsulate the slogan of Houghton Athletics: “Excellence for the Glory of God.”

AndreaMelhorn1_LukeLauer_RGBAs Cara Davenport ‘15, a teammate and close friend of Andrea’s, puts it: “She consistently improves and is always making new goals for herself and setting the bar higher.  It’s encouraging and inspiring to see the way that she interacts with the throwers from other teams, and her camaraderie and investment in them epitomizes the team’s mission of outreach to other schools at meets.”

Andrea would like to continue with athletics after her time at Houghton as a collegiate coach.  Her coach, Robert Smalley,  has been “one of the most influential people in my life at Houghton,” Andrea said. “He is the epitome of a servant leader and I strive to be more like him.  He is such an example of what grace should look like; he puts his athletes first.”  She wants to coach because she sees sports as “a tool to teach more than just athletic abilities, but also learning about others, yourself, and God.  You can teach morals through sports.”

For Andrea, track is not just for exercise, but rather a way she “experiences God’s joy.”  Realizing that she can do sports for God puts so much purpose behind why she competes, she explained. Andrea credited part of this realization to a program she did in Spain during summer 2015 called Athletes in Action.  The purpose of the program was to spread the Gospel through training with Spanish club teams and competing against them.  At the end of the program, she participated in an ultimate training camp involving 24 hours of non-stop intense physical activity, modeled along the same timeframe as the Stations of the Cross.  “Experiencing a snippet of Christ’s pain made me understand so much more about the deepness of Christ’s love for me on the cross.”

Majoring in Spanish, she carries her love for athletics into her academics with minors in business and sports ministry. While she wants to eventually go on to coaching collegiately, she has some exciting plans for the meantime, such as working for a fishery in Alaska, as well as trying out for the US Women’s Olympic bobsled team this summer.  However, her Lancaster roots still shine through as she hopes to one day “grow old on a farm making warm chocolate chip cookies for her grandchildren.”

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Stories In Focus

Innovation Coming to Houghton

More than just a college town.

It can be safely said that Houghton is not the biggest, most notable town on the map. Yet a number of Houghton administrators want to make Houghton, New York more than a small college town. Through a set of varied initiatives, they are hoping to make Houghton “a destination,” as Rob Pool, vice president for student life, put it, “for visitors and guests.”

This plan has already been partially implemented through the opening of the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex (KPAC) this past September. Pool explained that because of the KPAC, “there are rich, varied events we now offer that we couldn’t do before.” Athletic director Harold “Skip” Lord indicated the KPAC’s capabilities. “Obviously, the size is a big factor. The flexibility of arrangement and the ability to break it into smaller or larger units are plusses.”

Accreditation4RGBSince the KPAC has been built, a concert has been held, which Lord noted “was twice as big as any ever held here.” There have also been twelve high school and college indoor track meets. Pool explained that with the KPAC’s size and capabilities, Houghton is “reaching out to section five and six schools,” which increases the amount of people who will “hear about the college, hear about this tiny place called Houghton, New York.” In addition to concerts and sporting events, the KPAC has also hosted youth events and a Frisbee tournament. Overall, Lord said there have been “almost 18,000 visitors this year.”  Regarding future opportunities, Lord said “we are looking at many different options ranging from athletics to concerts to trade shows and special events.”

While the KPAC is bringing in visitors and guests through hosting events, Pool has his own plan to bring in new life to Houghton. Pool is working toward a Houghton alumni village, meant as a place for “active retirees” to spend part of their retirement. Here, they could play an active role in campus life. Pool noted the possibility of taking classes at a reduced or waived fee or even auditing them. Beyond this, they could act as mentors, advisors, or career coaches.  Pool explained that at such a stage in life, they are often “at the top of their careers, with vast amounts of wisdom to share. Thus in playing such roles, they could create “a multi-generational learning community,” where students could have “the complementary benefit of older generations.” Pool explained that for students, “it’s so inspirational to see flesh and blood people who have had the Houghton experience and went out and lived.”

In practice, the alumni would likely be housed in the flats. The inherent difficulty is mobility for the retirees. The flats have multiple floors, and although the retirees are specified as “active,” not requiring constant care, stairs could still be arduous. Pool is still working to find a workable solution to housing, but he affirmed his overall hopes for the idea. He noted other small colleges that had accomplished a similar idea, and reiterated his feeling that alumni would like to be involved on campus in this way. “Many retirees don’t want to lounge in the sun,” Pool explained. They want an active role, and “what better place to do that than at your alma mater?”

Phyllis Gaerte also wants to make Houghton a destination, specifically through theRIVR Group, an organization working toward reinforcing Houghton economically. They were responsible for bringing in Three-Bums and Addie’s, and have hopes of creating a new park by the fire hall. “It’s all designed to make the area around 19 more attractive,” Pool explained. The goal is a Houghton “filled with thriving businesses.”

“It’s a beautiful place,” Pool says of Houghton. “Not the scenery, the people.” Lord, Pool, Gaerte, and several others share a vision of a thriving Houghton where many more people can see its beauty.

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Stories In Focus

Printed Matter Press

Stepping outside the automated world with screenprinting and letterpress.

The Printed Matter Press (PMP) may be one of Houghton’s less visible student organizations, but when they set up shop, they stand out. The self-described “team of designers, printers, printing assistants, marketers, and sales students,” appears during Homecoming Weekend, at the Arts and Crafts Fair, or prior to a major holiday. Visitors will see their table, neatly arranged with a collection of cards, T-shirts, and posters for sale, all designed and handmade by the team.  More present among the Houghton community during these sales, PMP nevertheless remains active all year, working to design and print a variety of products from tote bags to notebooks and cards.

PMP1_LaurissaWidrick_RGB “It’s a fairly big time commitment,” said junior Mason Wilkes, who is a recent member. Ten members attend regular meetings where they anonymously submit designs and vote on which to print. Then, as a team, they meet in the Stevens Art Studio to either screen print the designs onto T-shirts or to use the college’s century-old letterpress to print cards, notebooks, and posters. According to senior Laurissa Widrick, a member since 2012, the group will often hold midnight printmaking sessions.

“We’ll all be up at the studio at the same time printing, packaging, and getting everything done for the upcoming sale,” she said. “There is always something for everyone to do, whether it’s printing, packaging, folding T-shirts, cleaning screens, or just making sure we have good music playing.”

While PMP uses college facilities to create their products, they provide all of their own supplies. Senior Alex Hood, who has acted as “a sort of director” for the loosely structured organization over the past year, oversees their finances with assistance from faculty advisor, interim art professor, Alicia Taylor. For the most part, the students themselves control the business aspect of the organization. Taylor helps with logistical issues, such as paying for tickets to the international printmaking conference that the group attends yearly.

PMP3_LaurissaWidrick_RGBSince the group’s inception over five years ago – a joint effort between students and Jillian Sokso, former art professor – one of PMP’s primary goals has been to raise funds to attend an annual conference held by the Southern Graphics Council International, the largest print organization in North America. This year, seven PMP artists, along with Taylor, are currently attending the conference in Knoxville, Tennessee between March 18th and 21st. They will attend exhibitions, demos, and keynote speeches offered by high-profile printmakers, as well participate in open portfolio sessions.

“It is a gathering to try and concentrate as many printmakers in one spot as possible,” said Wilkes about the conference’s attraction. “[Printmaking is] a growing market right now again, but it is still a niche thing. There really aren’t that many studios out there.”

The conference gives students an excellent opportunity to make connections in the printmaking world, and even to advertise their own work. Last year, students took a suitcase of their inventory and sold it during the open portfolio. Senior Katie Kloos, a member of PMP for three years, recalled the positive reaction the group received for their work at last year’s conference.

“People loved it. It was really reaffirming to have people who know about letterpress and screen printing like and buy our merchandise.”

Right now, PMP is winding down for the semester, with only one event officially scheduled before the end of the year: Take Back the Night.  As in past years, the organization will set up a table to live print their “Take Back the Night” design onto T-shirts or paper.

Though several PMP artists are about to graduate and are currently focused on their own senior art shows, members are working to ensure that the organization endures. The group is always looking for new members to keep the legacy going.

It isn’t just the teamwork that goes into sales or the pride the group takes in their work that makes them so intent on keeping PMP going.In a world where goods are often pumped out in identical batches by machines, they know what they’re doing is special. It’s the kind of work, says Widrick, that allows one to “…step outside that automated world for a while, and into one that’s more personal and meaningful.” Through their work both on campus and off, PMP invites the Houghton community to step into that world with them.

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Stories In Focus

Activity of the Week: Skiing

Cross-Country and Downhill Skiing, Snowboarding, and Snowshoeing.

“Warm is bad, cold is good. Sun is bad, snow is good.” This chant echoed across the snow as Professor of Recreation and Physical Education Thomas Kettlecamp’s cross-country skiing class began their first day of swishing through the snow on slick runners.

During a winter in which temperatures plummeted and remained at the bone-chilling -30 degrees, the opportunity to catch a little fresh air without freezing your lungs seems like a distant memory. Though this winter has been record-breakingly cold with frigid temperatures that froze boogers in between classes and paralyzed productivity, activity on the trails and at the ski hill has been bustling. For skiers, snowboarders, and snowshoers alike this winter has been ideal. The cross-country and downhill skiing classes did not get canceled once, a new record according to Kettlecamp.

JonEckendorf Skiing - Killington,VTParticipating in outdoor activities such as skiing, snowshoeing, or snowboarding provides an opportunity to stretch out the legs and unflatten the behind. Skiing is one of the most beneficial activities to participate in, since it targets muscles all over the body much like swimming. It is also a physical activity that can continue into older age as other exercises become more difficult or too damaging to the body. While snowboarding or snowshoeing may not provide as complete of a workout or may take a larger toll on the body, they are nevertheless popular sports that provide a refreshing break from what can become the dreary days of winter.

As we lift our heads to the wind to sniff long anticipated signs of spring, do not forget to catch the last few days on the slopes before the snow melts! Send out winter with a wave and the mantra that all Kettlecamp’s classes do: “Cold is bad, warm is good. Snow is bad, sun is good.”

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Stories In Focus

Recent Graduates Return as Assistant Coaches

Each year Houghton openly welcomes back its graduates as they accept jobs in all departments, especially athletics. This year, six 2014 graduates returned for jobs on the Houghton athletics coaching staff, while numerous alumni from previous years still hold jobs in the athletic department.

Stepping straight into the professional world directly after graduation can be a big step that not everyone is ready for or wants right away. Having the opportunity to be an assistant coach at Houghton often acts as a buffer for postgraduates. It gives them time to take a breath, have fun, and figure out what is next in an environment they know and love.

Hatch, Carpenter, RichardsFor Kaiden Bowers, assistant coach of the Houghton baseball team, that was exactly what he needed. When discussing his role on the baseball team he said, “Post-graduation, many students struggle with adapting to the “real-world” which entails starting a career and becoming an adult. Working with the baseball team does not feel like work as I thoroughly enjoy and love being on the field.”

For those who graduated last year, the role they play for their team is exactly their title; they assist. “Coach Hager [head cross-country and track and field coach] describes me as his ‘right hand man,’ I work with him a lot to make his job easier,” said David Richards, assistant track and field coach.

“As a student-athlete, you are unaware of all the behind-the-scenes aspects of coaching,” said Bowers.

Though an assistant coach is strongly a part of the team, the first role of their job is to help the head coach. “I do a lot of administrative work, like submitting trip itineraries to the Athletics Department Administrative Assistant and sending out orders when people want to order running shoes,” explained Richards.

“I’ve definitely gained a lot of experience in recruiting prospective athletes, as well as the administrative duties, such as budget management, scheduling, and inventory planning, just to name a few,” Bowers added.

Yet despite the monotonous office work, the love these coaches have for their team is apparent. “The best thing about being a coach for this team is that we have a great group of guys that are fun to be around and I enjoy watching them get better at lacrosse everyday,” said Nathan Hatch, assistant men’s lacrosse coach.

For Richards it is, “attending meets, where [he] can see the athletes [he has] helped coach push themselves to better and better performances.”

Yet, when talking to the coaches it also became apparent that the very thing they love about their job also makes it difficult. “It has been tough trying to find a balance between [being] a coach and friend,” explained Bowers.

Being on a team means creating lifelong relationships, and when you return to coach those very people, being viewed as a coach can prove to be difficult. Bowers went on to say, “As much as I want to continue developing close relationships with my friends, I have had to hold back and remove myself from situations that may be misconstrued as a conflict of interest.”

Hatch expressed similar feelings when he said, “Being a coach that was a player the year before, you tend to have some players that might not exactly like having you as their coach, but the guys on this team have all been respectful towards me in my new position.”

Despite the long hours in the office and the changed relationships, these coaches took the job for the same reason: for their love of the sport and the people it comes with. Bowers put it best, “This opportunity has truly been a blessing as I continue to gain valuable coaching experience and build my resume, but doing so in a familiar environment.”

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The Expected Virtue of Birdman

Winner of the Oscar for Best Picture Lives Up to the Hype

BirdmanThe newest inductee to the lucrative Best Picture club is Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). With such a high honor being bestowed on a film there is often ample skepticism as to its actual quality. Is Birdman truly better than American Sniper or Boyhood? The plot summary is this: Riggan Thomson, played by Michael Keaton, is a former blockbuster star, made famous and beloved for his roles as Birdman, a superhero in the 80s and 90s. Having fallen from stardom and faded into relative obscurity in the public eye, Riggan attempts to jumpstart his stagnant career with a self-directed, self-written, and self-acted Broadway production in hopes to once again find relevance in the entertainment industry.

While the story may seem simplistic at face value, what makes Birdman truly great is its execution. This is one of the most artistically invigorating and emotionally stimulating films that I have ever seen. Every convention of good filmmaking is present here and done to the highest level of quality.

The casting of Michael Keaton as Riggan is no coincidence. Many probably remember his role as the brooding caped crusader himself in Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989, Keaton reprising the role in 1992 in Batman Returns. Given his history in the industry, Keaton’s casting in Birdman makes his struggle a deeply personal one as an actor fighting to stay relevant and be taken seriously.

Riggan’s character is effortlessly relatable. He is nervous, unsure of himself, erratic, and emotionally unstable, making him an easy target to be written as the token underdog character. Thankfully, the movie transcends that trope by refusing to make him spotlessly perfect, Riggan is human after all. He is divorced, has an estranged teenage daughter, has issues maintaining relationships, and can at times be a little bit of a jerk. As a character who receives the viewer’s sympathy, reprehension, and respect all in one movie, Keaton absolutely shines playing Riggan, making his Oscar nomination for the Best Actor especially justified.

While Keaton is the one most in need of an encore, by no means is the rest of the cast undeserving. Most notably are Emma Stone as his cynical, sarcastic, just-out-of-drug-rehab daughter, Edward Norton as a last minute cast-replacement playing a hysterical parody of himself as a brilliant actor who is difficult to work with on and off the stage, and Zach Galifianakis, of all people, who takes a surprisingly nuanced turn as Riggan’s best friend and production manager.

Birdman’s tone fluctuates between reality and the surreal, garnered by Riggan’s unique perspective of the world around him and grounded by his more “level-headed” cast members. Whether the camera traverses the stage during rehearsals, follows Riggan through his daydreams or certain cast members through the tight corridors of the theatre and down the streets and alleys of New York, the shot composition is hypnotizing. The camera is always rolling, never cutting, making Birdman resemble one enormous tracking shot that would make even Wes Anderson blush. The more ethereal scenes are accompanied by full orchestras playing muted symphonies, lulling the viewer into its dreamlike atmosphere and for the majority of the film, Birdman marches along anxiously and excitedly to the pulsating beat of drums, pounding in cacophonous syncopated rhythms, able to carve out the tension of the scene unaccompanied.

Seeing Murphy’s Law take effect as more and more things continue to go wrong for Riggan takes its toll as it becomes apparent that this play is his everything. Through all of the melancholy, the personal drama, the selfish desire to sell out and be thrown right back into the blockbuster formula, Riggan’s stress is shared with the viewer. If the play bombs, the rest of the cast might emerge embarrassed but relatively unscathed, but for Riggan this is his last chance. “We should have done that reality show they offered us,” says the voice in his head, forcing him to turn back, but there is no going back. For Riggan, this is all or not

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Stories In Focus

Rodman in North Korea: Satire and Truth Through Opera

Satire is, at its core, a means by which truth is communicated. Humor and exaggeration are used to highlight the facts of a situation, and in doing so, help an audience to understand them. Satire draws attention to the facts by presenting them with absurdity – but what do you do when you are satirizing a situation for which the facts are already profoundly absurd?

Rodman in North Korea, composed by Houghton’s Sarah Hutchings, professor of composition and theory, was presented last Saturday evening in Wesley Chapel. Most of the musicians involved were Houghton students, however, two outside professionals were hired for the two leading roles. Carl DuPont, bass-baritone, portrayed the iconic and somewhat inebriated basketball player Dennis Rodman, and Ray Chenez, counter-tenor, took the stage as the Supreme Leader himself, Kim Jong-Un. The principle cast was filled out by Houghton junior Tim McGowan, playing the supporting role of Kim-Jong Un’s assistant, Kim Won-hong.

OperaRGB_LukeLauer“I would be lying if I said that it was not intimidating,” McGowan said, “However, it was a huge honor to sing with Chenez and DuPont. The two guest artists were very kind and professional. I was able to ask them so many things about the life of a professional opera singer which truly is what makes having guest artists so valuable to aspiring student-singers like myself.”

The reality of the North Korean situation has been brought to us through numerous media over the last several years, including news coverage, and more recently in the movie The Interview. But what does the less-familiar medium of opera bring to the table when it comes to describing a situation? “There is another plane by which we can access expression and emotion when using opera,” said Hutchings. “The combination of vocal athleticism and drama that we find in opera can be very compelling when paired with the right story…A common assumption is that opera will always be dark and serious. In Rodman in North Korea, we have elements of “dark” when referring to the suffering of the Korean people, however, we bring levity to the characters and in the music to tell one of the most unusual stories in modern times.”

The libretto, or the text of the opera, written by Mark Sonnenblick, and Hutching’s score worked together to convey the seriousness, as well as the absurdity, of the situation. The opera opens with a rallying chorus of the Korean people singing to the tune of a corny melody about how “all the world loves our Marshall,” something that we as the audience know to be a lie that has been fed to them by propaganda. Kim Jong Un cares more about whether his phone is plugged in correctly (to receive a phone call from Obama, no less) than the plight of his people. When the government runs out of chicken for a banquet, the chorus solidly cadences on the statement “more wine!” – as if that could really be a conclusive solution to the country’s perilous food shortage.

Rodman in North Korea is unique among other dramatizations of the situation in that it went to lengths to portray the humanity of everyone involved, including not only Rodman and the Korean people, but also Kim-Jong Un himself. “I was impressed with Dr. Hutchings’ treatment of the subjects,” said graduate student Ricky Gessler. “I thought we would just be making fun of Kin Jong Un and Dennis Rodman…but she actually approached them with sympathy and compassion. That is a sharp contrast with the movie The Interview, where Un is brutally killed (or so I’m told.)”

As Christians grappling with the correct response to the North Korean situation, then, I think we can take away from Rodman in North Korea two important things about what our response should look like. First, our response must acknowledge the facts – as absurd as they might be. Second, we must respond sympathetically, as the plight of any of God’s people is the plight of our own.

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From Houghton to the Bahamas

Philosophy professor takes a leave of absence to head up a preeminent grant organization in his field.

Houghton’s philosophy department is rather small in proportion to some other departments, a fact which is not unusual considering the Houghton’s size. However, the philosophy department is currently missing one of its key members: Professor Christopher Stewart. Stewart has been in Nassau, Bahamas on a leave of absence from Houghton since Fall 2013 in order to work for the Templeton Religion Trust as its Vice President of Grant Programs.

stewartThe Templeton Religion Trust, located in Nassau, Bahamas, is one of three organizations founded by Sir John Templeton. In addition to the Trust, there is the Templeton World Charity Foundation, also located in the Caribbean, and the John Templeton Foundation, based in Philadelphia, PA. According to Stewart, the three have identical missions, but separate funding, a strategy used by Templeton who believed that this “three-way approach would strengthen [the three foundation’s] ability to realize his vision over the long-run.” The mission of the John Templeton Foundation found of their website stated that it “serves as a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries relating to the Big Questions of human purpose and ultimate reality.”

Stewart’s opportunity to work with this noteworthy organization grew out of his previous conversations with the John Templeton Foundation, and was eventually offered a job to assist with establishing the grantmaking platform for the Templeton Religion Trust. At the time, the trust had just recently been setting up infrastructure and an office following the release of its endowment from the Templeton’s estate following his death in 2008. The decision to take this opportunity “was and remains complicated,” according to Stewart, who has ties to Houghton that span over two decades. However, on a professional level, Stewart described the opportunity as a way to “continue [his] engagement with issues and topics that [he has] been involved with for a long time, but in a new way.” Moreover, this was a chance “to help build up an organization with a compelling mission,” Stewart resonated with, and to do so with the benefit of “significant resources to help make things happen all over the world.”

The biggest part of Stewart’s job as the grantmaker is to scout out projects to fund. Developing relationships by attending conferences, “visiting campuses, and tapping your existing networks,” are ways outreach happens, according to Stewart. Unlike the John Templeton Foundation, the Trust does not have an open admissions process, instead it is Stewart’s task to extend invitations by “developing near-term strategies and program themes consistent with [the Trust’s] broader long-term mandates and serve as the gatekeeper for formal inquiries and proposals.”

The Templeton Religion Trust funds a wide array of projects with 70% of the annual payout going toward projects pertaining to what Templeton called “Humility-in-Theology” which Stewart described as meaning three things: (1) the nature of divine or ultimate reality, (2) the nature of persons and personal flourishing, and (3) fundamental structures which include not only the fundamental physical structures of the world like infinity, space and time, and quantum reality, but also “prayer, purpose, altruism, creativity, and thanksgiving, which [Templeton] sometimes refers to as ‘spiritual realities.’” In essence, Templeton’s wish was to “encourage humility about how little we know about such realities,” and to increase the level of “openness to and enthusiasm for blending the resources of theology, philosophy, and the sciences in that pursuit.”

The remaining 30% of the payout is given to a collection of other interests, with the primary two targets being “Individual Freedom and Free Markets” and “Character Virtue Development.” Respectively, the two studies are aimed toward “research and advocacy to enhance individual liberty and advance free markets,” and “programs that develop character strengths in people,” said Stewart.

The mix of projects Stewart has been involved with thus far is interesting to say the least, “all with lots of potential to impact our understanding of life, the universe, and everything, as they say on Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” said Stewart. Included among his projects is a project on religious freedom called “Under Caesar’s Sword,” which is lead by a scholar at Notre Dame and a leader of the Religious Freedom Project at Georgetown. “This is a three-year, $1.1 million project that will support around a dozen field studies all over the world looking at the ways particular religious communities are responding to the efforts of other groups or even governments to restrict their religious expression or activities, why they adopt these strategies, and how effective they are.” Another project Stewart has worked on is “The World Well-Being Project” based at the University of Pennsylvania and overseen by Martin Seligman. According to Stewart, “this three-year, $3.8 million project is developing tools to measure well-being of communities as small as a classroom or as large as a nation-state using “big data” mined from sources like Twitter and Facebook.  This is a field development project that will provide social scientists with powerful new tools to measure well-being and, hopefully, help find ways to improve the quality of people’s lives.”

On the science side of things, Stewart has worked on such projects as that run by

a mathematician at Harvard is called “Concerning the Mathematical Nature of the Universe,” “which is exploring whether or not the universe admits of a consistent description, or more generally, whether our universe be described by mathematics?” As well as a $1.6 million grant to BioLogos for them to develop their website, a major way they seek to achieve their mission of inviting “the church and the world to see the harmony between science and biblical faith.”

Fellow philosophy professor Carlton Fisher expressed that the philosophy department has suffered a loss with Stewart’s absence, “We miss him as a friend, a colleague, and we miss the contribution that he made, both in the philosophy classroom and in the leadership roles that he was performing.” Nonetheless, the department as a whole has a “sense of pride” regarding Stewart’s significant and impressive role with the Trust. According to Fisher, “it is a pretty big deal that a Houghton College faculty member has taken on this particular role.”