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Dr. Marcus Dean

Dr. Marcus Dean staff photo - Courtesy of Marcomm
By Abigail Bates ('26)

Dr. Marcus Dean is a professor of Global Studies, and the Director of Off-Campus Studies at Houghton University.

Before coming to Houghton, Professor Dean and his family were Wesleyan missionaries. At the time, Professor Dean pursued his Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies with the expectation that he would use it in Latin America, however he decided to teach college courses instead.

Growing up in the Wesleyan Church, Professor Dean had always known about Houghton, but it wasn’t until his hunt for a teaching position that he became involved in the community. In 2003, Professor Dean joined Houghton’s faculty.

“At first I taught Spanish and worked with Off-Campus studies,” Professor Dean stated, “but soon moved more into the classes I am teaching now, in the areas of Intercultural Studies and Missions.”

Off-Campus Studies Assistant, Karen Hotchkiss first met Professor Dean just before she interviewed for the assistant position.

“He has worked tirelessly to make sure there are study abroad opportunities for our students,” Hotchkiss said. “He’s very knowledgeable and works with students to make sure they find a good fit for their passions.”

Professor Peter Meilaender—the Dean of Religion, Humanities and Global Studies, and a professor of Political Science—has worked together with Professor Dean for a long time, in a number of contexts: in the Off-Campus Studies office when taking students abroad, reviewing International Development majors’ senior capstone projects (along with Dr. Oakerson) and developing the new Global Studies major.

“His background in missions gives him a perspective that most of us lack in trying to understand different cultures,” Professor Meilaender remarked, “and many Houghton students have benefited from his experience over the years.”

Professor Meilaender commented that Professor Dean has worked hard to give students opportunities to travel and engage in other cultures, even as enrollment in the program dropped over the past few decades.

“But Dr. Dean,” Professor Meilaender said, “despite these challenges, has remained committed to helping students understand, engage, and travel the world.”

In both the last academic year (2022-2023) and this current year (2023-2024), Professor Dean has worked tirelessly, helping students complete their requirements in the discontinued Intercultural Studies and International Development majors.

“Dr. Dean puts in long hours on behalf of his students,” Professor Meilaender added. “He is in his office more than most faculty and is always available to students.”

Professor Dean has always enjoyed teaching, especially in the work he does to inform students about different cultures. He hopes that by sharing his experiences of living in other parts of the world, his students will be able to meaningfully interact with our increasingly diverse world and touch the lives of people facing cultural differences. To make choices, thinking, “How can we be like Christ?”

“It is interesting that we really don’t know how what we do will [eventually] end up,” Professor Dean contemplated. “My first year here, I had a student in class [Dr. Klejment-Lavin, who] has been on the mission field, now has his doctorate, is a college professor, and will be the speaker Monday April 22nd for the Chamberlain Missions Lecture … teaching really is about the long term, but today matters so that students engage for the long term.”

In his years of teaching, Professor Dean has learned alongside students in order to continue connecting with them. He enjoys exploring new topics and areas students are interested in, and applying that knowledge in future conversations.

Julia Collins (‘26) describes Professor Dean as a good professor who has a lot of knowledge in addition to personal experience.

“The most important thing I’ve learned from him,” Collins said, “is that Christians need to be tolerant towards other cultures. It is important to treat everyone with love and respect.”

Professor Dean’s classes have been described by students as informative, interesting, organized, and students know what to expect from him.

 “His teaching style is organized and foreseeable,” Chesnie Waddingham (‘26) said. “He follows a set schedule when assignments are due … I like it because it’s nice to know what to expect, and I can trust nothing is going to sneak up on me to do [later]. I think he does it this way for the benefit of the students. It prevents a lot of stress for us.”

Waddingham described Professor Dean’s lectures as being calm and incorporating group discussion and interactions about one to two times a class.

“I love Marcus Dean,” Waddingham declared. “He is very approachable, and cares deeply for his students and what he is teaching us. I appreciate [his] comforting classroom atmosphere, and I know that his office door is always open if I need anything.”

Waddingham explained that one of the biggest things she’s learned from Professor Dean is the practice of considering her assumptions and beliefs about the world, while aligning her reflections with scripture.

“He encourages all of us to see the world through the lens of the Bible, and it’s a beautiful and powerful thing,” Waddingham reflected.

Looking towards the future, Professor Dean said, “We always look forward to understanding what God has next. Before we came here, we had no idea what would be next. Yet I am now finishing my 21st year at Houghton! I need to remind myself that I can look forward to what God will do.” ★

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News

Sharpe Announced as Faculty Model Reader

2021 Faculty Model Reader poster, featuring professor Jesse Sharpe. COURTESY OF WILLARD J. HOUGHTON LIBRARY

Houghton College has once again held a Faculty Model Reader contest, voted on by the Houghton students. This was the third year for the contest. This year, Professor of English Jesse Sharpe has been selected as the winner, and The STAR recently sat down with him for an interview: 

Hock: What have been some of the highlights of your Houghton experience thus far?

Sharpe: The in-class conversations. I’ve had some situations at other schools where it was like pulling teeth to get students to have a conversation, but here the conversations have been a lot of fun, with good insights.

Hock: What is your favorite thing about teaching?

Sharpe: Learning, which is why I love the conversations so much.

Hock: Why did you choose the English field?

Sharpe: I love stories, storytelling and language, and this has both, so it’s where I’m happiest.

Hock: What would you say to someone who is thinking about pursuing a degree in English?

Sharpe: Do it! You won’t regret it. There’s not a job out there that doesn’t need you to read well, understand well, and write well.

Hock: What is your favorite book genre (or genres)?

Sharpe: I don’t actually have one. There’s not one I’ve come across that I didn’t like. I really enjoy reading and I really enjoy book recommendations.

Hock: Who are some of your favorite authors?

Sharpe: Christopher Morley, Dashiell Hammet, John Donne, George Herbert, Aemelia Lanter, Mat Johnson, Douglas Dunn, and Kate Atkinson.

Hock: What are some of your all-time favorite books?

Sharpe: The Man Who Made Friend With Himself by Christopher Morley, Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammet, The Temple by George Herbert, Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark, Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin, Pym by Mat Johnson, and Affections by Rodrigo Hasbun.

Hock: Are you currently reading any books?

Sharpe: There is a book that I am saving for when summer begins: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart.

Hock: What would you say is the best thing about books?

Sharpe: I only do physical books, and it’s because I love every single part of them-front cover to back, every part of the inside, as a story and as an object.

Hock: What would you say is the best thing about the library?

Sharpe: I used to be a librarian, so I have a very strong love of libraries. I think it’s that you can have the world’s ideas sit peacefully side by side and you can just go and read and see whatever you want. No violence, no judgement, everything is right there. And I never get tired of it, I love it. I don’t think there’s such a thing as a bad library (at least I’ve never found one yet). ★

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Campus News

Dr. Clem Appointed Dean of School of Music

By Collin Zehr (’22)


Dr. David Clem, assistant professor of Music History and previous Houghton graduate, was announced as the new Dean of the Greatbatch School of Music at Houghton College beginning in June of 2021. 

Over the past academic year, the search for a new Dean for the Greatbatch School of Music has been underway since Dr. Armenio Suzano stepped away from the position at the end of the 2020 Academic year. Since Dr. Suzano’s departure, Dr. Timothy McGarvey, Professor of Conducting and Director of Instrumental Music Activities, has served as the interim Dean of the School of Music. 

The Dean of the Greatbatch School of Music runs the school, including tasks concerning, “budget, overseeing a faculty/staff of 30 people, curriculum, policy, liaison with all other Houghton entities and our outside constituents, and the day to day administrative work.” as described by Dr. McGarvey. 

While serving in this position, Dr. McGarvey has worked alongside Dr. Sara Massey, assistant professor of Music Education. Dr. Massey described the search for a new Dean along-side a revisioning process for the Greatbatch School of Music. As liberal arts colleges all across the country deal with financial struggles, Houghton is alongside them in recognizing the need to adapt in order to remain viable as an institution of higher education. In order to confront this challenge head on, Dr. Clem became the apparent choice to serve as Dean due to his creativity, intelligence, integrity, and forward thinking. “No one else could do it,” described Dr. Massey.

Since his first experience with Houghton College as a Music Composition undergraduate student about 20 years ago, Dr. Clem could tell that God had a hand in bringing the right people to Houghton and the School of Music. Dr. Clem described how the “great communities” fostered at Houghton were something that he wanted to contribute to.  “The faculty are invested in students on a somewhat personal level” describes Dr. Clem, “[they] are preparing students for whatever is down the road” and “how to live and practice a Christian lifestyle in the world of music.” Dr. Clem was among one of the first groups of Graduate students to earn his Master’s Degree from the Greatbatch School of Music as well. 

Though Dr. Clem never necessarily sought an administrative role, he notes that he has “ended up in leadership positions throughout his life” and this is a role he is equipped to fill. Before accepting this position, Dr. Clem described his thought process as determining three things. As someone who often says “yes” to things asked of him, he has “had to learn to stop and think before saying yes. This means stopping and talking to God about things. Is this an obligation? Is this something I want? is this what God wants?” After considering this, he said yes willingly. Since Dr. Clem is a current faculty member at the school of music and is already serving on the committee to re-envision the school of music, he has been working closely with Dr. McGarvey, resulting in a more gradual transition. So, Dr. Clem has already begun learning about the administrative role that the Dean will fulfill. 

The general consensus among other students in the Greatbatch School of Music is one of excitement for Dr. Clem to assume the role of Dean. Current Junior Education Major, Caleb Durant, described his excitement “because [Dr. Clem]  knows the students really well and has a great rapport with the rest of the faculty. He is a great choice to represent the interests of the school and students.” 

The Greatbatch School of Music’s mission statement expresses the goal to develop “musical excellence” in order to be “effective musical practitioners” and advocate “in the Christian community and in the broader world.” When asked about his goals during his tenure as Dean, Dr. Clem described how “faith is a journey, not a destination. Excellence is the same. The bar is constantly moving” and we must treat it as such. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Houghton College and the Greatbatch School of Music have had to embrace the importance of maximizing the resources available in order to maintain the high standards we seek to achieve. 

Dr. Clem hopes to implement an array of summer programs within the Greatbatch School of Music including a summer music camp for highschool students. The graduate program will also expand to an online Music Education Masters Degree that will contain a summer intensive in-person component. The School of Music will be adding a new Worship Arts degree program that will hopefully benefit from summer songwriting classes with a workshop. Dr. Clem hopes that this summer program will allow students to learn and work with named CCM artists. Beyond the addition of summer programming, Dr. Clem wants to embrace the expertise within the School of Music to partner with local schools and churches to provide opportunities for those not directly involved with Houghton College. ★

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Campus News

The Tales of New Faculty Amid The Pandemic

Left to Right, top to Bottom: Professor McHenry, Dr. Silano, Professor Bowers, Dr. Gates, Dr. Zhou and Professor McElfish. Photo credit: https://www.houghton.edu/news/houghton-welcomes-8-new-faculty-members/

Article by Burton Brewster (’23)

The new faculty on campus chose a strange time to join Houghton Campus. Everything from the way professors teach to the interviewing process has been re-imagined. It is a tough time to teach, but not all is bad. 

Dr. Jonathan Gates (’85) from the English and Writing and Vocation and Calling Departments, is unique among the new faculty for starting his teaching in the same semester that COVID-19 struck. For him, the challenge came when the campus dramatically switched to an online format. “It was immersion by fire! I’ve been teaching for many years, and I feel very comfortable teaching, but I did not feel very comfortable for a number of weeks adjusting to that so quickly. Literally having one week to turn three in-person courses into three online course. [But] in the end I think it was successful.” 

Professor Elianna McHenry (‘18), the new Assistant Professor of Accounting at Houghton, was also able to start teaching before COVID-19 hit, albeit as a grad student. When asked about difficulties she has had to face as a new professor she said, “Something that makes teaching my subject difficult is that not many people love to study accounting. I’ve made my peace with that, and it doesn’t put a damper on my excitement for the topics, but it certainly makes getting my students excited about our learning a little more difficult.

The interview process for most of the new faculty was finished by March 2020, but some were not as lucky. This was especially true for Dr. Francesca Silano, a professor that joined the History and Political Science Department this summer. She explained, “I came in the beginning of March! As you can imagine, it was not a great time to come. In fact, the campus shut down half way through my visit.” Her interviews were planned to have a live class, but due to the lack of students the department had to get creative. “Dr. Meilaender kindly brought all of his children in to listen to my job talk. Everything was so hectic it took a lot of the pressure off of the interview.” The new Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, Dr. Ki Shin, did not even get a chance to interview on campus. According to him, the campus was already shut down, meaning that his interviews were entirely online.

Teaching styles have had to adjust thanks to the new measures in place. According to Dr. Jie Zhou of the Physics Department, hands on labs were difficult to demonstrate when social distancing was in place. She explained, “There is not an easy way for us to show [labs] in front of students because we’re keeping social distancing.” The solution was to create as many channels of communication as possible. “The best way of assisting student learning is increasing interaction,” she said. On the other hand, Professor Kaiden Bowers (‘13) who works in the Sports, Recreation, & Wellness Department explained how a change of scenery helped his classes overcome restrictions. “We’re not restricted to just our 20 by 20 classroom.” He said, “We can get out into the woods, go out to the field of dreams, get out to the trails, the soccer field and do different things outside which I think is a good change of pace for students.” All of the interviewed faculty expressed appreciation for students. “I was surprised by many students who have high energy and motivation to learn. This challenged me a lot,” said Professor Shin. And, as Professor Bowers puts it, “I commend the students during this. They’ve been able to adapt and go with the flow. They’ve been really forgiving of the faculty and patient with us. Everyone has played a big role in making it work thus far! ”

The Houghton STAR would like to thank Professor Paul Young for providing the groundwork for this article.

Do you have any of the new professors? How are they doing? Comment below or get in touch with us via Instagram, Twitter, or email (editor@houghtonstar.com)!

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Opinions

LGBQ Inclusion: Community Covenant Amendment

The words “homosexual behavior” need to be taken out of the Community Covenant. Placing “homosexual behavior” within this context equates it to premarital sex and adultery. It is a vague statement which singles out lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) students.

Houghton College’s Statement of Community Responsibilities reads: “We believe that Scripture clearly prohibits certain acts, including drinking beverage alcohol to excess, stealing, speaking or writing profanely or slanderously, acting dishonestly, cheating, engaging in occult practice, and engaging in sexual relations outside the bonds of a Biblical understanding of marriage, including premarital sex, adultery and homosexual behavior” (emphasis added).

Luke_QuoteEquating “homosexual behavior” with premarital sex and adultery hyper-sexualizes LGBQ students’ lives. Recent Graduate, Wynn Horton, said, “By condemning homosexual behavior alongside these others we denigrate it in certain ways,” pointing out that it makes it sound only lustful and foolish. Premarital sex and adultery are both explicitly sexual acts, but “homosexual behavior” is not exclusively about sex. There is much more to a “behavior” than sex.

There are straight students kissing, holding hands, and snuggling around campus. Whether these public displays of affection are desirable is besides the point. The point is they are happening and no “rules” are broken. What does this mean for LGBQ students? The vagueness of this brings many questions. What does “homosexual behavior” mean? What about two men dating on campus, a lesbian student with an off campus fiancée, or, perhaps in the future, a married lesbian or gay couple enrolled on campus? Additionally, how will lesbian or gay alumni couples feel about returning for homecoming and reunions? In an attempt to answer some of these questions, Michael Jordan, dean of the chapel, said, “I want to be clear that the Community Covenant by itself does not restrict LGBQ dating behavior that is not explicitly sexual.” The issue, however, is that the language of the Community Covenant does not adequately communicate this and so these questions still raise doubts in the minds of LGBQ students.

The college’s Same-Sex Attraction: Our Community Voice document outlines community beliefs, acknowledges differing views, and says how people should be treated. It states “… we ask for [LGBQ] students to respect our perspective for the sake of our communal life together. This would mean being especially sensitive to public displays of affection.” While this document is progress, this passage further perpetuates the view that LGBQ students must hide in the “closet,” while their straight peers do not.

LukeWhile the intention may not be to single out LGBQ students, it nonetheless does. By saying “homosexual behavior” and not mentioning heterosexual “behaviors,” the Community Covenant alienates LGBQ students from their peers. Jordan pointed out, “Statements about celibacy and chastity are of course problematic for all 18- to 22-year-olds, no matter their sexual orientation.” Yes, this is true, if the statement were about only chastity or celibacy. However, within their context, these two documents seem to be prohibiting more than just sexual relations, even if that may not be the intent.

The passage in the Community Covenant should be rewritten. Horton said the “passage could easily be rewritten to serve the college’s purpose while maintaining its loyalty to a Christian heritage.” He suggests changing the last part to “‘…and engaging in sexual relations outside of the bonds of marriage.’” This simpler, condensed version still maintains the essential meaning, but does not single anyone out.

According to Kim Cockle, student life administrative assistant, to make such change to the

Community Covenant, requires it to be brought to the Student Life Council as a policy change, then taken to the faculty, and ultimately to the Board of Trustees. To stand in solidarity with their LGBQ peers, students should bring this amendment proposition to the Student Life Council, in the form of a petition or in person at a council meeting. It would still condemn illicit sexual relations for Houghton Students, but diminish the hyper-sexualization, clear up the vague language surrounding the issue, and improve the climate for LGBQ students on campus.

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Stories In Focus

The Role of Social Media Outlets at Houghton

“Students have a lot of influence on what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to social media at Houghton,” said Amy Tetta, Development and Communication Specialist. “Current students bring a certain aspect to social media at Houghton that I can’t provide. When students go on fieldtrips or have class experiences that I am not able to see, take a photo, and then upload it to Instagram, it gives prospective students a way to see what life is really like at Houghton.”

JoshDuttweiler_AdmissionsWith the multiple social media outlets that Houghton College has, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and a Pinterest page, alumni, students, faculty, and prospective students are able to connect with each other from all over the world. Tetta said, “Social media is allowing students to have a voice in the community. I am always looking for fun photos that we can put on our Facebook page or Instagram of a student’s perspective on dorm life, the dining hall, and just everyday life at Houghton.” Senior social media intern, Meagan Hummel, said, “Technology is becoming more and more prevalent in society. Prospective and current students use social media all of the time.”

While social media allows for current students and alumni to stay up-to-date on upcoming events that are happening on campus, social media plays a role in drawing prospective students to Houghton. As an intern, Hummel manages the Instagram page and said, “it is more than just showing them [prospective students] the nature and what Houghton looks like, it is showing them what it is like to be a student. Things like SPOT, Chapel, concerts, art gallery openings, sporting events that make Houghton more appealing”. Felicia Rynzowski, a first-year student, said that as a prospective student, she noticed many of these student events held on campus through Facebook. “I like that Houghton posted things that students were involved in,” said Rynzowski. Alanna Paris, also a first-year student, added that prospective students can see what it is like to be a student on campus.  In addition to the main Houghton Facebook page, other Houghton Facebook pages exist to connect accepted students and alumni from different graduating classes.

Social media, specifically Instagram, which is run primarily by Tetta’s social media interns, allows prospective students to see what life is like at Houghton from the eyes of a current student. “It wasn’t long ago that I was a prospective student. I have a pretty good idea what students like to see and how they use social media so I am able to use my insight to help Amy,” said Hummel.

Along with all of the helpful uses that social media plays in the Houghton community, there are ways that some posts or pictures can sometimes be taken in a negative way. “I always try to put myself in the place of a prospective student, current student, alumni, and faculty member to see if the post can be taken in a negative way,” said Tetta. Because social media allows individuals to post whatever he or she would like to, “it can start great dialogue, but it can also start negative dialogue. That is when it needs to be closely monitored,” said Hummel. Additionally, Tetta mentioned that social media is meant to be a conversation with people that might have different backgrounds and experiences than someone else might have. “It’s hard to sit back and watch an argument take place online. But Houghton is filled with a kind group of people that can sort out issues,” said Tetta.

Social media plays a role in every student’s life here at Houghton College. One of the ways that it influenced student’s lives was last April during the One Day Giving Challenge. Social media was used throughout a majority of the day and made the giving challenge a success. The funds raised from that day were used to help current and prospective students with the scholarships and grants that they received this year.

By tagging Houghton College or using the hash tag “#houghtoncollege” you may possibly have your Facebook posts, tweets, or Instagrams reposted by Houghton College. “The students are our biggest asset,” said Tetta, “They make Houghton what it is.”

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News

Faculty Members Say Goodbye

Courtesy of topchristiancolleges.com

At the end of this spring semester, Houghton will be bidding farewell to six of its current faculty: Mark Hijleh, associate dean for academic affairs and professor of composition and conducting; Keith Horn, associate dean for the natural sciences and mathematics; Brandon Johnson, associate professor of vocal music and conducting and director of choral activities; Jun-Koo Park, assistant professor of applied mathematics; Trini Rangel, assistant professor of physical education and chair of the department of physical education; and Jillian Sokso, associate professor of art and art department chair.

While Johnson, Park, Rangel, and Sokso will be departing voluntarily for varied reasons, Horn’s departure after five years at Houghton will be happening with budget cuts passed as part of recent austerity measures enacted by the college. Linda Mills-Woolsey, dean of the college and vice president for academic affairs, explained the reasoning behind the cut, stating that the goal is to “administratively have fewer areas so we’re not investing in so many associate deans,” adding that the priority is to cut administratively before cutting faculty.

The cutting of Horn’s position will require faculty will require some transition. “What we are going to move toward there is a dean position that’s more like the deans of the other areas, which would be a teaching dean,” explained Mills-Woolsey. “Dr. Horn has been a consulting dean; he’s done a wonderful job for us when he first came on as associate dean. [But] it was going to be a temporary thing.” Mills-Woolsey went on to say that “because Dr. Horn has done such a good job and been very invested in the sciences and really provided some spiritual leadership as well as divisional and area leadership, obviously they [the faculty] are very sad, some of them are angry. They will be going through a grieving process over this, partly because there’s never a time when you feel like it’s a good time for it to happen.”

Also terminated was Hijleh’s position as associate dean for academic affairs. However, after considering an offer for a similar but distinct position at Houghton, he opted instead to head to The King’s College, a Christian institution with a student body of around 500, in New York City and take up a position as vice president for academic administration and dean of the faculty. “Both Dean-Mills Woolsey and President Mullen offered me something that I thought had a lot of good potential and was an exciting possibility,” said Hijleh, who has been at Houghton for 21 years. “As is always the case with these kinds of decisions, there was a weighing of a number of factors involved in that.” He explained, “I have been pursuing this kind of chief academic officer position for some time. Certainly, [with] the kind of role I will be able to have there, I’m convinced that’s where the Lord wants me to be at this point in my career.”

Park, on the other hand, is making a move to Georgia Gwinnett College after two years at Houghton in order to better accommodate his growing family. “I’ll never forget the support that I have received from my department, area and the college,” he said. “There are many things; however, the one thing I would like to emphasize is being a Project NExT Fellow. Houghton College was a sponsor for me to be the Project NExT Fellow. I have learned a lot from the experience.”

Johnson, after 11 years at Houghton, is planning to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan in order to work as the director of choral activities at Eastern Michigan University, a secular institution of around 25,000 undergraduates. “My family and I have been looking for opportunities to get a little bit closer to our home, which is in Minnesota,” he explained. “Houghton College has taught me far more than I have taught at Houghton,” he said. “While I’m excited to start this new chapter in my family’s life and in my professional life, I will cherish the time I had here at Houghton.”

 

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News

National Sacred Honor Choir Prepares for Upcoming Tour

The majority of music majors were out of town for pre-tour concerts in Buffalo and Syracuse this weekend, leaving the music buildings dark and empty. “A musician learns with each performance that which cannot be taught in rehearsal,” says Dr. Brandon Johnson, director of choral activities and recent recipient of the Horne-Blanchard chair here at Houghton. These performances before the “real” tour serve as a check-up for the choir to see what work still needs to be done.

This year the College Choir will be touring from the 27th of February to the 9th of March through the mid-Atlantic states, performing in states along the east coast from NY to Virginia, ending with the concert in Carnegie Hall.

College_Choir“It is part of our mission to share the Good News with people,” said Dr. Johnson. “It is not enough for us to create beautiful music; we also need to share it.”

Most of the performances on tour are in churches with a few concert halls dotting the schedule. Every year the choir receives multiple letters from attendees telling of how the music touched them. “On an educational side,” said Johnson, “we learn the beautiful nuances of the repertoire that can only be achieved through the heightened awareness of performance.” Before each concert, the choir gathers and discusses any new meanings revealed in pieces by the audience’s response or the way certain voices blended to give emphasis to a different word or phrase, lending a new perspective to music the choir has been working on for months.

The flagship performance for this tour is of course the concert in Carnegie Hall. “It’s huge for our visibility as a school,” said 2nd year graduate student Christopher Olsen, choir manager. “Houghton faculty have performed in the small-halls in Carnegie before, but this may be the first time the Houghton name has been in the main hall.”

The College Choir will be joined at Carnegie Hall by members of the Men’s and Women’s Choir, singers from Roberts Wesleyan, a chamber choir from Liberty University, in addition to choirs from several Christian high schools for the performance, together making up the National Sacred Honor Choir. The ensemble, comprising well over 200 people, will rehearse for four days in at Hawthorne Gospel church in northern New Jersey, spending nights at a nearby Salvation Army camp.

Graduate student Kelly Vankirk, coordinator of the National Sacred Honor Choir, spoke with me about her involvement. “It is extremely busy, but it’s a huge honor to be singing such great, spiritually rich music in prestigious hall. We are bringing together Christian choirs from all over the northeast, some from even farther away. One of the goals of our time together is to help the younger singers, and ourselves, to see the context of faith and music together.”

Because of the Carnegie concert, several music professors other than Dr. Johnson will be traveling with the choir and will be giving masters’ classes for groups of advanced high school students before several concerts.This type of teaching serves to advertise for the college’s programs and has been done to a limited extent on past tours, but never to the extent reached this year with Professors Davies, Hijleh, Hutchings, and Newbrough all traveling with the choir.

 

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News

Grading Scale Undergoes Changes for Next Semester

The college has recently proposed a motion to relinquish the current grading scale in favor of a non-numerical rubric. The rubric would still retain quality points for determining GPA, but it would also establish value based on certain adjectives such as Excellent, Good, Average, etc. Each department would have the responsibility of maintaining grading criteria that are consistent across each discipline, the results of which would be funneled through the rubric.

Grading_Scale_CMYKThe decision stems from multiple sources, the principal cause being the results of a faculty survey taken in the Fall of 2012. The results, collated from 68 participants, discovered that more than half of faculty members (54.4%) substituted the official grading scale with their own, and an even higher number (61.5%) reported that they did not believe that Houghton’s current grading scale was effective in portraying student learning.

Professor of education, Connie Finney, was especially critical of the current grading system, citing philosophical problems with its attempt to artificially create a normal curve. “With the current grading scale, you have a small A, a larger B, an even larger C, and a small D. This pushes students toward C, the largest category. What should be a naturally occurring phenomenon ends up getting manipulated.” She regarded the new rubric as quite an improvement, with the caveat that C’s are still defined as ‘average.’

Dean Mills Woolsey said that prior to the survey there had been a few discussions, but after the studies were done, it really helped bring the conversation to a place where they could act on it. “If it were like 10% of the faculty then you would say, ‘oh, we’ve got to get after that 10%,’ but if it’s that significant, it means that there’s probably a problem with the system itself.”

The decision has passed through the Academic Council, gained approval from the faculty, with the final step being to publish the new rubric in the 2014-2015 catalog. This publishing would stand as a contract to the New York State’s Department of Education, while eliminating discrepancies between faculty members’ usage of alternate systems and creating more flexibility within each department.

Another primary reason which Dean Mills Woolsey cited was behind the decision lay in some of the negative reactions that parents had to Houghton’s grading scale, especially in regard to their students’ eligibility for scholarships that are dependent on maintaining a certain GPA, as well as an extensive conversation on the Houghton Parents Facebook page, dated in March of 2012, revealed a parent’s concern that their child’s test scores, which would typically be higher in many other schools, was weighed down at Houghton due to the stringency of the grading system.

Dean Mills Woolsey said that Houghton’s current grading scale has had a long established tradition here, but she also said that many other institutions, especially those Houghton considers as sister schools such as Wheaton or Asbury, use a similar grading rubric. “The fact that most of the schools that we consider peer schools or that we benchmark with don’t use a numerical scale suggests that maybe we’re finally coming into some kind of a mainstream.” She cautioned against those who would claim it a dumbing down, saying that grading varies greatly from discipline to discipline. “Some disciplines are very quantitative and they lend themselves to that numerical scale, and other disciplines are more qualitative. You have to somehow translate what you’re doing into numbers in order to make that scale.” Mills Woolsey believes that the rubric’s implementation will eliminate many previous problems that they have had, and that this new change is the right step forward.

 

Categories
Arts

Annual Faculty Art Exhibition

The start of the new school year offers opportunities not only to grow academically and spiritually on campus, but also to enjoy what the art department has to offer with this year’s Faculty Art Exhibition. Originally featuring the work of two professors, this exhibition has occurred annually since the art department was founded at Houghton College and was expanded eight years ago to become the comprehensive group faculty exhibition that it is today.

Faculty_Art_Show_1Jillian Sokso, chair of the art department, said that the purpose of the Faculty Art Exhibition is to “engage the community in what’s happening with the art faculty,” similar to the faculty recitals that happen within the music department. Twelve different medias from six professors are featured this year, which Sokso said would help students to get a good idea about what is available to study in the art department. Additionally Sokso said that the exhibit also “benefits the faculty” involved, as it is “good to get to work together” and will foster “helpful conversation” amongst colleagues. Faculty members featured this year include Ted Murphy, Ryann Cooley, Jillian Sokso, Dave Huth, John Rhett, and Gary Baxter.

Professor Ted Murphy, who teaches fundamental art courses such as painting, drawing and Intro to 2D Design, as well as the art history course, Renaissance to Early Romanticism, has over 26 pieces featured in the exhibition. One of his series, Drawings In and Out of Context, was completed “during the lectures and seminar discussions of the past year in the Contemporary Context class” he helped to teach, according to his artist’s statement, noting that “in order to better concentrate on [the class] discussions [he] began to draw.” Concerning his part in the exhibition overall, Murphy said in his artist’s statement, “these works grew out of a process” and that this “current body of work reflects [his] overlapping interest in representational art and degrees of abstraction,” as well as reflecting “an interest in Zen painting”.

Houghton’s new photography and digital imaging professor, Ryann Cooley is also featured in the exhibition, and is showing an installation conceptual piece entitled “The Last Supper”. Cooley’s typical work in the light-based mediums of photography and video is reflected in this piece, which employs twelve working TVs. The twelve TVs represent the Twelve Apostles, giving the piece its name. Cooley plays Mel Gibson’s “The Passion” on a loop while arranging the TVs to face the wall, allowing the viewer to only observe the light given off as its reflected. He said that as observers walk amongst the piece they are unaware that “Christ is continually being crucified” and that this “mirrors the conditions of the Last Supper where Christ said that his disciples didn’t ‘get it’,” as the viewers will at first miss the true meaning of the exhibit. “Yet,” Cooley said, “one can still enjoy the piece just like the apostles enjoyed Christ’s presence,” by evoking a reflective nature in the observers.

Chair of the art department and professor Jillian Sokso said that her work in this exhibition is “all relatively recent and was done over the summer.” Her works include drawings, an installation piece and book sculptures. When asked about the inspiration for her work here, Sokso said that much of it stemmed from her recent residency at the Woodside Art Center in Troy, NY.  Her installation piece is also inspired by the concept of “strategic reuse,” something Sokso said she is interested in.

The exhibition formally opened the 30th of August and will continue to run through the 6th of October. A reception will take place the 20th of September complete with live music and food, as well as featuring the artists themselves speaking about their work.