Categories
Journal Wisdom

Thoughts and Insights for Prospective Students

Fancher Building, Houghton College

On a news site I use, I saw an article by Arizona State University Online.  The headline for the accompanying picture read, “Checklist for Student Success” and the article’s long title was “Thoughts and Insights for Prospective Students.”    I think it was picked up because it is a topic that needs discussion.  In many colleges, a high percentage of the enrolling students do not make it through.   How can we help them have more success?

I remember my experience as a student who was a valedictorian from a very small high school attending a top ranked University (U of R) and studying physics.   The transition was huge.  There was so much to learn besides classes.  The routine of farm life was gone and in its place was the chaotic lack of schedule called dorm living.  When it came to classes, there was so much to learn about how to learn that I had never had to learn because the school I attended had not been sufficiently challenging.   Adjustments were major.  I made it through but barely that first year.   I would have benefited hugely from some advice about how to succeed in college.    

I did graduate from U of R in physics so most people are a little surprised at my shift of profession into Christian ministry.  But that is a story for another day.  For this article it is enough to note that I have since had the privilege of attending college three more times.   In recent years, I also had the privilege of serving on a college board of trustees for six years (Houghton College).   So with my own experiences in mind, both my early struggles and my later successes, I offer my own seven point version of “Thoughts and Insights for Perspective Students.” 

Use the course syllabi as a planning tool

I agree that keeping close track of those class syllabi is key.  No doubt the means have changed since I was in school but the principle is the same.  Student success is directly related to knowing exactly what the professor expects.    You will need to use syllabi to develop the discipline of scheduling your own semester work ahead of time too.   Such things as research projects, semester term papers, collaborative work, cannot be done last-minute.   In addition, even if you can do a paper in one night, you will not be able to do one for each of two different courses because you didn’t discover until the last-minute that they were due on the same day.   

Plan your schedule with study time included

Set yourself a daily and weekly schedule that includes study time.   Don’t expect study time to just happen as I seemed to do my first year.   If you can’t study in the room because of interruptions, use a library or some other place regularly.   If your friend time starts controlling your schedule, you are headed for trouble.   Don’t make excuses; take responsibility and learn to discipline yourself.    One semester we got in the habit of playing cards late at night and into the wee hours and I wondered why I was failing the 8 am class I had. 

Ask for help when you need it

Seek help when you are frustrated.  Dig for additional resources if needed.  Most teachers are much more approachable than it seems.   This one tip would have saved me much grief.   My background in math was not adequate for what I was attempting in physics.  I needed to seek some help to catch up a little.  I thought the problem was just me so I struggled through with much frustration.   Seeking help would have been so much wiser. 

Choose friends wisely

Choose friends with values like yours.    This is actually one of the most important choices you will make.   This is also good advice for high school students, active duty military personal and anyone else starting a new chapter in their life in a new setting.   Friends influence us!   One of the probable reasons for my later success in my first college was that I found a group of students who had religious values like mine and study values even better than mine and I associated with them as my friends.  That helped me immensely. 

Professors are people too

Realize that professors are real people too.  They have just taken many more courses.  But they probably haven’t read the same books that you have.  They don’t know every subject equally well.  They know one subject very well.   Learn from them eagerly but do not be surprised when they are not perfect or when some are better than others.   

Remember to grow in good character too

Remember that unfortunately most colleges only teach subjects.  But character education is even more important.   Knowledge without good character will not result in a successful career.   So beware of those peers who would treat college years like a moral holiday.   The result of that attitude is a bunch of moral infants as graduates.  Unfortunately, fraternity and sorority houses have a bad reputation in this regard.   I don’t recommend joining them. 

Embrace the stretching

Finally, college is a stretching experience.  This is a wonderful part of those years.  Embrace it but exercise discretion too.  As I look back I can think of so many things that stretched my perspective from that of a Western New York farm boy with very strict roots.   Here are a few: I first flew in college as my roommate flew me to his house in Ohio – I had not been West of Niagara Falls either.   I rode a public bus in college when I took lessons at Eastman and saw an inner city neighborhood for the first time on my return trip.   I had a professor who was an immigrant who had a heavy accent.   I had another, a favorite, who smoked a pipe which I admired too much and almost decided to imitate – thank God I did not.   I attended Pentecostal/charismatic worship services for the first time and began to learn about the wonderful variety in the family of God.    Sometimes I was conscious of the stretching.  More often I was not.   We learn and grow through such new experiences. 

Categories
Journal News Commentary Wisdom

College should build character

Houghton Logo I have been reflecting today on two completely independent items that I read.  The first was an article about the problem of officers being ejected from the Army in alarming numbers for character issues of various kinds. Here is the quote. 

“The number of U.S. soldiers forced out of the Army because of crimes or misconduct has soared in the past several years as the military emerges from a decade of war that put a greater focus on battle competence than on character.  Data obtained by The Associated Press shows that the number of officers who left the Army due to misconduct more than tripled in the past three years.”   http://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-misconduct-forces-more-soldiers-145434065.html

Having been in the military myself for a few years, I am aware that young officers are college graduates.  I reflected that this is not the only place where college educated people seem to be showing disappointing levels of moral character.   The halls of Congress and the governors’ offices of several eastern states in recent years have provided too many high profile examples of moral failures.  One would hope that higher levels of education would lead to higher maturity of character too. 

The other item that I read was in a letter from Dr. Shirley Mullen of Houghton College.   It alluded to one of the fundamental causes of this observed counterintuitive and disturbing decline in character.

“Earlier this month, New York Times Columnist David Brooks addressed more than 300 presidents of America’s private universities and colleges at the Presidents’ Institute of the Council of Independent Colleges.   At a time when much of the dialogue about higher education in America is about cost, graduation rates, job training, and student loans, Brooks pleaded with the presidents not to forget what society needs most from college graduates: character and wisdom. He then proceeded to assert that the only sector of American higher education that has an explicit strategy for the development of character and wisdom is the Christian college. It is not often that Christian colleges are called out for praise within the larger world of American higher education!”  

It does not take a genius to see the relationship between these two quotes. Christian colleges represent only a very small slice of American higher education. That means most of American college graduates spend their college years in institutions where character and wisdom are not part of the agenda.  When these are not part of the agenda, students often use their formative years as something of an unholy “moral holiday,” a time when they throw off restraint.   With no one even attempting to guide this time of experimentation, the results are frequently predictably disastrous.

As a longtime advocate of Christian colleges in general and of Houghton College in particular, I have said for years that parents need to invest their college dollars in colleges were character matters and where good character is formed, not destroyed; colleges like Houghton.   For this reason, when our daughter was choosing a college my wife and I said to her, “We are going to be investing a lot of money in this; you pick the college, but it has to be a Christian college.”   We knew she liked new places, so it was a surprise when she picked her mother’s alma mater, Houghton College.  Houghton did not disappoint!     

Categories
Church Leadership Journal Joy Notes

We love Houghton College – Reflections on completing my term as trustee

JoAnne Jones with her Grandma and parents at her Houghton graduation
JoAnne Jones with her Grandma and parents at her Houghton graduation

Houghton is special

JoAnne and I returned yesterday from the fall trustee board meeting at Houghton College.   I have had the wonderful privilege of serving the Central New York District of the Wesleyan Church as district representative on that board for the last six years.   Even though the decisions to be made have occasionally been difficult, I have relished this opportunity and served with great joy.   The reason I am no longer serving is that when I semi-retired, I moved out of the district from which I was a representative.   I thank District Superintendent, Wayne Wager, and the DBA for the opportunity to serve.

As I was driving home yesterday, I was reflecting on the reasons why I have so much enjoyed serving in this capacity.  It was fulfilling, stimulating and exciting.  I will miss it greatly.   But why is Houghton so special?

Houghton has a transformative vision

Houghton has a vision, not just for education, but for the maturation and transformation of the lives of students.  This is something I strongly believe in.  So much of American higher education has abdicated its responsibility for character formation and settled only for increasing knowledge and technical prowess.   That is a badly flawed concept.   The result of it has been an atmosphere on many secular campuses that actually contributes to moral turpitude.   In contrast, the evidence of Houghton alumni shows that Houghton grads have a highly developed character for service, leadership and faith. You can check out the mission statement at http://www.houghton.edu/about-us/.

Houghton practices excellence

Houghton is a place of excellence.   From musical performances to scholarly presentations, from board business procedures to landscaping the already beautiful campus, the Houghton way is excellence.   This is why Houghton is in the top tier of liberal arts colleges in the nation and is the highest ranked Christian college in the Northeast.  http://www.houghton.edu/about-us/national-recognition/.   Because of this, Houghton is well recognized by graduate schools.  I can be proud to be associated with Houghton.

Houghton is a place to meet leaders

It has been a stimulating opportunity personally to serve among so many great leaders.   In the course of my six years, I have come to know denominational leaders, college leaders, businessmen, prominent lawyers and doctors, persons of wealth and expertise in various fields.  Our college president, Dr. Shirley Mullen, was recently recognized on the cover of Christianity Today.      http://www.houghton.edu/news-media/recent-news/houghton-president-shirley-mullen-named-one-of-christianity-todays-top-50-women-you-should-know/162/.   This has been growth-producing for me and a very helpful networking experience as well.   I have also gotten to know Harriet Olsen, the president of United Methodist Women, with whom I have had the distinct privilege of working on the Academic committee for these six years.  But this idea that the company we keep either strengthens us or drags us down, is a principle of life too.  When we seek out company or have opportunity to interact with people of greater experience, wisdom, expertise or character maturity than ourselves, it will raise us up.    I have experienced that in this season of service at Houghton.

We highly recommend Houghton

And, by the way, if you know a good student looking for a great college, do them a life-time favor and recommend they check out Houghton.  http://www.houghton.edu/

 

 

Categories
Journal Joy Notes

Why a Christian College like Houghton

I usually enjoy my trip to Houghton for the fall Trustee meeting, but this time, something really exhilarating happened.  I was privileged to be invited late one evening to give a devotional message for the guys of 2nd West.   Jed Boswell, a young man from Community Wesleyan, who lives on that dorm floor, extended the invitation.    With joy, I learned that such meetings are a regularly scheduled event.  Sometimes they were used for Bible study; sometimes to hash out ideas.   They are well organized and include worship time and praying for each other.  I shared briefly on the phrase Paul uses “until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19) and focused on the Greek verb which comes directly into English as the verb ‘to morph.’    We discussed together how Jesus is changing us, why it is a more difficult process than expected and how we can cooperate with what God is doing.   The evening ended with reciting the 2nd West creed pledging to represent Christ well and singing the Doxology– typical Houghton tradition, deftly mixing traditional and contemporary in the informal liturgy of the evening.   I encouraged the young men that what they were doing was a positive example of the words, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17 NIV).

I could not help but reflect on how different this was from what went on in hall corridors of the secular college I attended as an undergrad.   For one thing, most of those who lived on my corridor sophomore year, I didn’t even know.    My roommate smoked (strictly tobacco), another guy on the corridor had his girlfriend as his roommate.  I felt isolated socially.  That was a contrast from the year before but my previous roommate had flunked out and I nearly had.  Neither of us had disciplined our time well—too many distractions.   Thankfully, in my second year, some graduate students founded an Intervarsity Christian Fellowship on our campus and I started attending.  It gave me the gift of positive spiritual encouragement that these guys in 2nd West are giving to one another regularly.   Because of their growing relationships, they will form lifelong friendships with their dorm friends. 

This evening experience reminded me why I make no apologies for encouraging parents strongly to send their teenagers to Christian colleges.  Not everything is perfect there, for sure.   But there are so many possibilities for spiritual encouragement and discipleship enrichment and growth that either do not exist or are not as accessible on a secular campus.  Instead, on a campus such as I attended, the student encounters both direct and subtle pressures of various kinds to fall away from the faith.   Before our daughter was very far in high school we told her we wanted her to choose a Christian college.  She was completely free to choose which one, but since we were paying so much, we wanted to invest our money in something we could believe would be truly good for her.    We have always been glad we took that position.    It was an unexpected blessing when she chose her Mom’s Alma Mater – Houghton College.