Category: Campus

Professor David Kinman, Chair of the World Languages and Literature Department, will be retiring this year.  He began teaching at Houghton nine years ago for the fall semester of 2008.  Currently, Professor Kinman teaches Spanish courses as well as Foreign Language Methods.

Before coming to Houghton, Professor Kinman taught as a high school teacher in Pennsylvania covering the subjects of Spanish, French, and Latin.  During his time as a high school teacher, he coached Girls’ Varsity Track.  He also served as a professor at a different college, Clarion University in Pennsylvania, for eleven years teaching Spanish, French, and Foreign Language Methods.  When speaking on what initially brought him to Houghton, he said “After 35 years teaching in a public high school in Pennsylvania, I had a desire to finish my career where I could blatantly live my faith in the classroom. God provided this opportunity at Houghton.”

Professor of world languages and literature,  Eva Meilaender, explained how in his time at Houghton he has taught several Spanish courses and worked to revive student interest in taking Spanish courses.  Throughout her time working with him, she found Professor Kinman “was always available to the students and listened to their needs and problems.  He was very encouraging and helpful.”  In his role as Chair of the World Languages and Literature Department, she noted “He was a very caring chair of the department and took a personal interest in his colleagues.”

Professor Kinman said of his teaching experience “I have been blessed to experience what I would call highlights every day. My students are my highlights…getting to know them and sharing a small slice of our lives together is a gift from God.”  However, he does look forward to spending his retirement with his wife and three grandsons.  He also hopes to reconnect with his church’s ministry in a way that was difficult while he was a weekend commuter.

The college website stated  his goals for his time at Houghton  “are to serve students by encouraging them to seek a growing passion for languages and for Jesus.”  In living out his own passion for both, he works to “teach Spanish with the idea that we can value others who speak that language.”  As corroborated by his coworker , Meilaender, he sees importance in students from all majors considering courses in Spanish.  He emphasized to students “the value of majoring in Spanish or Spanish Education, or minoring or concentrating in Spanish within the framework of a Christian world view.”  Professor Kinman stated, “I have desired for my Spanish students to be able to value and validate the speakers of that language. I pray that I have effectively taught them how to do that.”

During his time at Houghton, Professor Kinman worked outside his department in his position as a Track and Field assistant coach.  In this capacity he has lent his experience as a coach for a high school team and helped guide students towards greater success.  His profile on the Houghton Highlanders website reported,  “Dave Kinman has been working with the Highlander jumpers and hurdlers since the 2014-2015 season.  While at Houghton, ‘Coach K’ has guided Zdravko Bogdanoski to an outdoor school record in the men’s high jump.”

This coming week students will have the opportunity to attend a faculty lecture by Kinman.  On Monday, March 13 in the dining hall at 4:30 Professor Kinman will be presenting his Valedictory Lecture, a retrospective on his time in teaching.

Houghton’s sole music industry professor Kevin Jackson has been placed on administrative leave, effective last Friday. According to Provost  Jack Connell, Jackson’s employment “will be terminated” at the end of the academic year.  “Practically speaking, he has no further duties or responsibilities at the College,” Connell said.

Jackson joined the Greatbatch School of Music faculty in 2007, and was “instrumental” in bringing the industry standard Pro Tools certification program to the music school in 2009, according to the  faculty bio on the Houghton College website.

His termination took place on Friday, February 24. Tahsha Keith ‘17, Jackson’s former tech assistant, said she and other music industry students were faced with “utter confusion” when they heard of his mandatory leave. For most students in the program, Friday morning was the first they’d heard of any issue between Jackson and his superiors, Keith said.

Keith believes that Jackson was wrongly terminated. She said she was made aware of  apparent issues between Jackson and his superiors before his dismissal, and said she offered to be a character witness on his behalf. “I asked Dean Connell to let me know if a meeting would be helpful,” Keith said. Keith said neither she nor the other two students were invited to speak to college administrators.

A petition to President Mullen and the administration of Houghton College began circulating on social media, and as of Tuesday, March 7, had garnered 263 signatures from students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni.

The petition stated: “We, students and alumni of Houghton College, parents, and many others, have signed this petition in full disagreement with the actions taken against Professor Kevin Jackson on Friday, February 24th…We students, alumni, parents, and many others, understand that legally we are not informed of the details of the situation.  However, we are also aware that Professor Jackson’s current students’ voices were not heard, which we believe could have helped prevent his termination.”

According to Connell, a meeting took place on Monday between six students and himself, President Mullen, Vice President of Student Life Rob Pool, and Dean and Director of the Greatbatch School of Music Armenio Suzano. “The petition was presented to President Mullen” at the end of the meeting, he said.

“The decision is final,” Connell said. “I appreciate the opportunity to know what people are thinking. I am always grateful for communication. It doesn’t mean we are able to change the decision because of it, but it’s helpful communication.”

Students continued to protest Jackson’s termination. A sit-in took place on Tuesday, beginning at 7 a.m. on the steps of the Luckey Building.

A fifth-year senior music industry student Matt Grim ‘16 participated in the protest. “Jackson was the only professor in the music industry department. We were given no reason as to his termination,” he said. “We have no answers. We feel like our voices are not being heard. We are out here protesting looking for answers. We feel he was wrongfully terminated.”

Grim said his goal in the protest was to, “make sure this incident isn’t swept under the rug, that it’s made known to the campus that we are not okay with what’s happened, that we are not okay with not having answers.”

Fellow protester Hendrik de Smit ‘19, also a music industry student said “We want transparency and we want them to be held accountable for what they’ve done.” He continued, “There’s a very heavy attitude at this school that we just have to trust the administration and lay down, roll over, and be happy with what they do. I really couldn’t care less, because this is bulls–t.”

“I simply want to encourage students to be cautious about assuming that they know the reasons for this decision,” said Connell. “I do understand the frustration of losing a professor in the middle of a semester, but I hope students know that the administration would never make a difficult decision like this without compelling reasons.  We are of course not able to share what those reasons are, but I think the student frustration about this situation would dissipate if students understood the full story.”

“There seems to be a lot of misinformation, rumor, and speculation among students as to why this particular decision was made,” Connell continued. He noted that the college “do[es] not believe there was any sexual misconduct by Professor Jackson.”

Jackson said, “While I am not in any kind of agreement with the administration’s decision, I understand the complexity of the situation. My heart goes out to the music industry students who have been deeply impacted by this. My thoughts and prayers are with them. My hope is that during this difficult time, the student body will unite and support their fellow brothers and sisters within the school of music- praying for them, reaching out to them and being the Church and people Christ would have us be. I am praying for God’s leading and direction for the students, and Houghton College, during this time.” He stated he cannot comment further as he is in consultation with legal counsel. Jackson’s wife Carrolin Jackson said she and her husband care “first and foremost” for the students affected by Jackson’s termination.

“I’m set up to graduate,” Keith said. “But for [underclassmen] it’s not the easiest to transfer out of Houghton. How is this going to affect them?”

Student Government representative Sergio Mata ‘19 also attended Monday’s meeting between students and administrators. According to Mata, two adjunct professors are sharing the responsibilities Jackson previously held. Connell said, “Our expectation is that everything will continue with minimal interruption. The college remains fully committed to this academic program, and so we will begin a search shortly for a person to fill this role long-term.”

As for Keith, she said, “This whole situation will taint my degree. I can’t proudly say I received my degree from this place.”

Following a racist hate crime which occurred last month, the college is forming a committee

which will oversee the formation of a diversity center, said Student Government Association (SGA) President Joanna Friesen ‘17. Zina Teague ‘12, Jesse Carter ‘16, Ky’Asia Blanchard ‘20, Jasmine Nova ‘17, Travis Trotman ‘17, Raheel Dhingra ‘19, SGA Executive Cabinet member Sergio Matta ‘19, and Friesen will comprise the committee.

“It has been promised that we are going to have a diversity center in the fall of 2017,” Friesen said. She stated that the details of the center, which will be located in the campus center, will be sorted out by the committee in cooperation with vice president of student life, Rob Pool, and the Residence Life staff.

Friesen said several of the students on the committee as well as others have been in ongoing talks with the office of student life following the incident, including members of the Black Heritage Club. Khadeeja Smith ‘18 stated, “As the President of Black Heritage, I have asked Houghton’s Administration to prioritize finding solutions to various issues that face our diverse students. Currently, as a minority student, I feel as if we rarely talk about racial issues. When we do it is a response to media or a racially charged incident on campus. There is never a proactive approach to solving the issues or a protocol to handle them when they occur.”

It is hoped that the diversity center will address some of the issues brought to light by Smith and others.  “I have suggested to Administration that minority students need a safe haven. A person whose position is to intentionally think about the forward movement of diversity and to create protocols so our minority students are aware of the appropriate actions that will be taken if there is a racial issue,” Smith said. She continued, “Houghton seems to talk about the issue but never put in action. My dream for Houghton in years to come is to be a place where diverse students can thrive and not just survive. A place where Administration prioritizes issues of diversity and inclusion. I would love to see more diversity in faculty, staff and students.”

SGA has changed the Executive Cabinet position of Executive Officer of Nontraditional Students to Executive Officer of Diversity according to Matta.

A diversity task force has been formed by the Office of the President, according to Friesen and Matta. The focus of the task force will include hiring more diverse faculty as well as the formation of the diversity center.

Last weekend, Houghton hosted its final Honors interview weekend for the academic year.  The weekends serve not only as the process of determining which students will be invited to join the Honors programs, but also as a form of advertising to students why they should choose to receive an education from Houghton.

The Houghton College website claims,  “We were one of the first colleges to introduce a serious, developmental curriculum for top incoming students, and our honors opportunities remain among the best anywhere.”  During Honors interview weekends, the school had the opportunity and challenge to prove itself worthy of the statement.

Director of the Honors Programs and Professor of Philosophy, Benjamin Lipscomb explained while other colleges are increasingly offering Honors programs and interview weekends, “Our process is more rigorous and, from what we hear back, it’s more impressive than what other schools do with their honors interview weekends.”  He continued, “We dig a little harder here, press people a little more, and that makes an impression on them.  So I keep hoping we can maintain that edge and I think there are certain reasons to hope that we might.”

Different from other schools is the length of time for which Houghton has been working on this process.  Lipscomb offered, “I am blessed to be the inheritor of a long tradition going back to the mid 90’s of ‘Sure, let’s’.  And there is that Houghton communal spirit; we’re good at this barn raising sort of thing, which it really is. And that enables us to impress our candidates of what we’re able to put on.”  According to Lipscomb, to host an Honors weekend it requires “a ton of work to get these files to faculty to read ahead of time, to give up a whole Saturday.  Two faculty members looking at each candidate that comes in and engage seriously with the material they supplied.  It’s a lot of work and I think if you don’t already have a tradition of faculty working that hard and coming in on their off time, it’s hard to do that.”

One change to this time-honored system, is the recent practice of telling students from the first two weekends of their acceptance as soon as it’s decided, rather than waiting to hear until after decisions are made from all three weekends.  When explaining the reasoning behind the decision,  Lipscomb said, “Students are making their college decisions earlier and earlier.  This is in the Honors pool and outside the Honors pool.  People who would have waited until March or April to make these decisions, because of changes in how financial aid processing works.”  He added, “And if we can give them something particularly appealing to think about before the end of February…there is a definite admissions strategy to telling them early.”  He argued that the physical visit to the campus is “a very appealing part of the pitch to come”.

Anna Schilke ‘19, who will serve as the teaching assistant (TA) for those accepted into next year’s London honors program, recalled her experience  from going  through the honors weekend interviews, “I remember walking in as a prospective to honors weekend, and it was so cool,”Schilke stated.  Even as someone who grew up in the community, she said she found it an impressive display of the college.

She noted “Honors weekend brings together the best of Houghton College, it brings together the faculty and staff, it brings together the student body, it brings together our ability to send students to the world and really make that tangible.”

 

Residential students of Houghton can now take up to two online classes per semester (not including summer courses), according to  Marlene Collins-Blair, Associate Dean of Distance Education. She  explained that “up to 49% of a main campus degree can be earned online—a maximum of around 60 credits,” due to New York State regulations.

She continued, “Online education is one of the largest and fastest growing segments of higher education. Last year, there were approximately 3.5 million students in the United States working toward their degree online. The projection is that this number will increase to 5 million by 2020.”  The draw to online courses lies in the fact that they are “flexible, convenient, and often cheaper than face-to-face courses,” she said. Online courses also expedite the graduation process, with summer courses available, according to Collins-Blair.  

Resultantly, online courses have reached a new popularity with younger students.  As Collins-Blair explained, online courses were originally popular with non-traditional, adult-aged students; recent research, however, has proven that “the mean age of undergraduate online students decreased from 34 years old in 2012 to 29 in 2016. The mean age of graduate online students decreased from 35 years old in 2012 to 33 in 2016.”

For those hesitant to believe that online courses are not as credible or high-quality, Collins-Blair ensures students that “Houghton College students receive the same quality of instruction regardless of the delivery format, and that the learning outcomes for online courses remain consistent with those of the on-campus counterparts, if they exist.”  According to the Houghton College website, online students can attain Bachelors’s degrees in science or business administration.  Programs include human resource management, integrated marketing and communication, management, leadership development, or psychology.  Students may also attain an Associate’s Degree in Arts.

Director of Admission, Ryan Spear, weighed in and stated, “With every opportunity comes caution. There is something, dare I say ‘magical’ about learning in the classroom setting. Students should consider the ‘opportunity cost’ of swapping an online course for something they could take residentially and consider the pros/cons of what they want out of their educational experience.”  Spear added that, despite the traditional classroom setting, students have a great opportunity to continue their “post-college learning” process, thanks to online classes.

Dean of the College Jack Connell addressed the Student Government Association (SGA) on the state of the college’s academics on Monday. He focused on concerns about faculty positions, the new Integrative Studies (IS) structure, a proposed online Masters of Business Administration program, and upcoming studies on the college’s Mayterm program.

It is “not remotely the case” that there are major cutbacks on the number of faculty at the college, Connell said. The college Board of Trustees has been evaluating “how many faculty [Houghton] need[s],” and it has been settled that based on the college’s current needs, “we can deliver our curriculum with about 71 or 72” full time faculty, Connell stated. Currently, the number of faculty sits at 74, and over the next two years the college plans to reduce the number to 72, according to Connell.

The history department is expected to see significant changes in the near future. The current three history professors are working half-time as they transition to retirement, Connell stated the college plans to replace all three with one professor. Daniel Merriam ‘17 asked Connell if the change will “limit options” for course offerings.

“Not at all,” Connell said. He went on to state that in the “rare” case there are “gaps” in a department, adjunct professors will be hired.

There are currently seven faculty searches in progress in Psychology, Music, and International Development. Ryan Yates has been added to the Data Science department, and Deb Rice will join the Business department, Connell stated.

Connell also informed SGA of upcoming changes to IS requirements, which will be in effect for incoming first-year students in the fall of 2017. Aside from moving to a 3-credit system, the college is “largely redoing” its approach to humanities. The “distribution approach” to IS courses will be discontinued for incoming students in favor of a “cross discipline approach.” Rather than students taking separate courses for English/Literature, History, and Philosophy, the three disciplines will be combined into Humanities 101 (The Ancient and Medieval World) Humanities 102 (The Early Modern World), and Humanities 201 (The Late-Modern World). This will total to 9 credits in the humanities.

Emma Carpenter ‘18 asked if the combination courses will limit the ability of niche courses to “attract enough people to fill seats”.

“I think the answer is ‘no,’” Connell said. “Because it is more flexible- literature, history, and philosophy professors can teach [the humanities courses],” allowing more time for other professors to teach niche courses in a given semester.

There are “trade offs”, he stated, but “our faculty are convinced” this model will “not dilute our ability to teach upper level courses”.

Connell also informed SGA that the faculty approved a proposal put forth by business professor Ken Bates for an online MBA program. The proposal now awaits President Mullen’s approval, after which it will go before New York Department of Education for review.

The current structure of Mayterm is also up for study, Connell said, though “nothing will happen in the short term.” Connell continued, “It is currently a very active conversation” as it has “been a long time” since Mayterm has been evaluated.

SGA President Joanna Friesen ‘17 asked Connell about the college’s plan and process “for hiring more diverse faculty.” “This is a priority,” Connell said, noting that two people of color have been added to the college staff in the last ten months. Connell said the college is currently seeking out ways to increase the number of applicants who are racial and ethnic minorities.