Stillpoint Spring 2011

SPRING 2011

THE MAGAZINE OF GORDON COLLEGE

STILLPOINT

Celebrating the Inauguration of D. Michael Lindsay, September 16,

Also in This Issue 30 Leading in an Uncertain World 32 The Elijah Project 35 Peter Stine Remembered

CONTENTS

14 Photo Gabe Davis ’02

CELEBRATING THE CARLBERG YEARS In this special section we pay tribute to Jud and Jan Carlberg, whose faithful and vibrant presence at Gordon over the past 35 years has shaped the College into a “school of Christ” ready for the 21st century.

16 Faith, Love and Strategy:

The Story of a Presidency A mini-history of a stellar presidency.

24 Timeline: 1992–2011

Key milestones during the Carlberg years.

26 Good Friends, Faithful Presence

by Stan D. Gaede

Stan and Judy Gaede share some special bonds with Jud and Jan Carlberg.

28 Words Matter

by Jan Carlberg Being part of the Gordon community means being people of our word—using words to build up, not to tear down.

30 The Local and the Liberal Arts

by Mark Sargent Provost Sargent reflects on Jud Carlberg’s vision to link global education to local settings.

ON THE COVER “Jud Carlberg has an instinct for truth, an eye for beauty and a heart for mystery,” says Bruce Herman, professor of art. “He also runs a tight ship. As artists, what more could we ask of an institutional leader?”

For 35 years the Carlbergs have been regulars at theatre and music performances as well as gallery openings. Jud is pictured in the President’s Residence, Wilson House, in front of Inbound (1994), part of the series Dreams of Wet Pavements by Herman.

Cover Photo Gabe Davis ’02

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ARTICLES

ALUMNI

IN EACH ISSUE

Gordon Community 4

42 Class Notes 43 Standing Guard over World

Up Front 2

Welcomes Eighth President

34 Gordon in Lynn: The

Beauty of the Overlooked

by Christen Borgman Yates

35 Journey: A Tour of the Virtues

by M. Ryan Groff ’06

Beechers in Our 36 The Backyard

by Agnes Howard

38 Kenneth H. Olsen: A Technology Pioneer Remembered

by Jo Kadlecek

40 John D. Mason: A Beloved Professor’s Address to Graduates

with President Carlberg

44 Honing His Craft

Inspiration 3 SPORKS 5

45 Giving Voice to the Chilean

On the Grapevine 6

Leaders

by John Mirisola ’11

Mine Disaster

by Cyndi McMahon

along the River: 47 Life Serving in Nicaragua’s Mosquito Coast and Rainforest

by Roger Drost

48 Community Building from Wenham to Palestine

by Natalie Ferjulian ’10

informative fauxlosophy

Student, Faculty and Staff News

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UP FRONT with President Carlberg Oh, God, you are my God, and I long for you.

My whole being desires you; like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land.

My soul is thirsty for you. . . .

Transitions in the Life of a President My soul will feast and be satisfied, and I will sing glad songs of praise to you.

As I lie in bed, I remember you; All night long I think of you, because you have always been my help.

In the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.

I cling to you, and your hand keeps me safe.

(Psalm 63:1, 5–8, Good News Translation) Photo Gabe Davis ’02

It’s tough to say goodbye. Gordon College has been our home for 35 years.

Our children grew up here and married, and our grandchildren know only Wilson House as their grandparents’ home. We came here when I was only 35, and my hair was dark brown. Only a year later it was white! At first I wondered “What have I gotten myself into?” But as trust grew between the faculty and me, together we improved the student experience not just in the classroom, which was already the strength of the College, but also in the great learning laboratories beyond.

In my early years students took advantage of our new cooperative education program, putting principles learned in the classroom into practice in businesses, service agencies and the church. Our global emphasis then began to expand to places like Oxford, Orvieto, Aix en Provence and far beyond.

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Fine arts and other programs also grew, creating new opportunities for students in theatre, instrumental and vocal ensembles, orchestras, choirs, highly competitive athletic teams; and service opportunities in places as close as Lynn and as far away as Swaziland. Indeed, since those early days in 1976, when I first walked onto campus, Gordon College has seen many changes.

Now, in anticipation of our departure, the Gordon College Board of Trustees has just elected D. Michael Lindsay, age 39, as the eighth president of Gordon.

So another young man is being given a chance! We affirm this choice and are already working with Dr. Lindsay on the transition.

As we do so, I’m facing a challenge I was not expecting. My doctors have informed me that I have lymphoma and must undergo significant treatment between now and the end of my tenure

on June 30. In all of these changes— past and present—I have found comfort, encouragement and hope in God’s Word, especially in verses such as these from Psalm 63.

As Jan and I leave Gordon, we do so with a sense of fulfillment and hearts full of thanks to the faculty, staff and students we have known through these 35 years. As we go, it is so gratifying to hear stories of alumni serving with such energy, creativity and vision in so many different corners of God’s Kingdom.

With the psalmist David we can say from our hearts, “Your constant love is better than life itself, and so we will praise you.”

President R. Judson Carlberg, Ph.D.

President’s Page www.gordon.edu/presidentspage

IN EACH ISSUE

INSPIRATION

VOLUME 26 NUMBER 2

“At the still point of the turning world.”

T. S. Eliot, referring to God in his poem Four Quartets EDITORIAL

CREATIVE

Patricia C. Hanlon Editor

Tim Ferguson Sauder Creative Director

Kristin Schwabauer Rydbeck ’04 Managing Editor

Rebecca Powell Amy Harrell ’07 Publication Design

Jo Kadlecek Senior Writer

ALUMNI NEWS

Cyndi McMahon Staff Writer

Adrianne Cook ’92 Director of Alumni and Parent Relations

Pat McKay ’65 Publications Editor

ADMINISTRATION

Matt Schwabauer Editorial Assistant

R. Judson Carlberg President Rick Sweeney ’85 Vice President for Marketing and Strategic Communications

ADDRESS CHANGES Development Office gordoncollege@gordon.edu

OTHER CORRESPONDENCE Editor, STILLPOINT | Gordon College 255 Grapevine Road, Wenham MA 01984 stillpoint@gordon.edu

PRINTING

Around the Corner from the President Gaynelle Weiss, assistant to the president Behind a great leader there is often a great assistant who holds everything together—schedules meetings, protects the calendar, makes sure things happen on time, and takes care of all the details.

Here are some reflections by Gaynelle Weiss, Jud Carlberg’s assistant for the last eight years.

My job is like watching television with a clicker in hand: The phone rings; groups arrive for meetings; trustees and major donors stop by; parents seek guidance from the President’s Office. I never know what to expect when I come to work.

My job is interesting, and I genuinely enjoy the people with whom I work. My responsibilities vary during the academic year: A new semester begins; the Board of Trustees meet; Commencement culminates the year-end; and the cycle begins again. Students, faculty, staff, donors, parents, alumni and guests of the College all come through the President’s Office.

When I interviewed for this position, Jud and Jan were incredibly pleasant and kind. Often interviewers present themselves in a very positive light, but once the work begins they are not always as pleasant. Both Jud and Jan continue to be genuine and kind—the same people who interviewed me.

During my time at Gordon, the College has grown in more effective and efficient management of financial and human resources while maintaining a constant focus on Christian values and excellence. It has been good during the stresses in the global economy to have the steady hand of President Carlberg at the helm.

I have looked forward to coming to work—in large part because Jud and Jan Carlberg are genuine and constant. What they say, they live. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work for and with them.

Deschamps Printing | Salem, Massachusetts Photo Kristin Schwabauer Rydbeck ’04 STILLPOINT, the magazine for alumni and friends of the United College of Gordon and Barrington, is published twice a year and has a circulation of over 22,000. Opinions expressed in STILLPOINT are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Gordon College administration.

Gordon College is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, or national or ethnic origin.

Reproduction of STILLPOINT in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

www.gordon.edu/stillpoint

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Gordon Community Welcomes Eighth President

Dr. D. Michael Lindsay

Photo Nikky LaWell

“He is a man of solid character, highly knowledgeable, and an eager learner with a rare humility.

I can’t think of a better person to head up Gordon College.”

—George Gallup Jr., Founding Chairman, George H. Gallup International Institute

After a seven-month international search, Rice University sociology professor D. Michael Lindsay was named the eighth president of Gordon College. The news was made public March 28. A leading expert on religion and public life, Lindsay is currently completing the largest interviewbased research to date of senior organizational leaders, including former Presidents Carter and Bush, and hundreds of CEOs at the nation’s largest corporations and nonprofits.

A graduate of Baylor University, Lindsay completed his Ph.D. at Princeton University and worked with the George H. Gallup International Institute. He also holds graduate degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He is the author of two dozen publications, including scholarly articles in the top journals of three different fields as well as the award-winning book Faith in the Halls of Power.

Lindsay has delivered academic lectures in Europe, Africa, South America and throughout the United States. Because of his expertise on religion and public life, he has been quoted or profiled in hundreds of news outlets over the last decade, and he is a featured “On Leadership” panelist for WashingtonPost.com. He holds elected positions in the American Academy of Religion and the American Sociological Association.

The Presidential Search Committee, chaired by Gordon trustee and alumnus Herman J. Smith Jr. ’70, consisted of eight other board members, one faculty representative and a staff representative. The Board also engaged Price Harding III, a managing partner of CarterBaldwin Executive Search.

Smith says that Lindsay “absolutely personifies the scholarly and Christian virtues Gordon seeks to encourage in our students. He exemplifies the next generation of leaders who are having a strong impact already on our culture.”

“I feel tremendously blessed to be given the opportunity to serve the Gordon community in this role,” Lindsay said. “I have long admired Gordon College for its commitment to Christ, its intellectual rigor, and its reputation for excellence in New England and around the world. It will be exciting to work with my Gordon colleagues in making a great institution even better.”

Editor’s note: Look for more about President-Elect Lindsay and his family on the Gordon website at www.gordon.edu/newpresident, and in the next issue of STILLPOINT.

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IN EACH ISSUE

Story bryan parys ’04 Illustration Stephen Dagley ’08

INSTALLATION 12: A PRESIDENT PRECEDENT When I graduated from Gordon in 2004, it was one of the hottest May days on record, turning our black robes into space heaters, and leaving my wife and me gingerly applying aloe vera to our necks for a solid week afterward. Despite the physical discomfort, I felt great pride for each decorated figure behind the podium, President Carlberg included. There was something powerful for me there, sitting in that skillet of a folding chair out on the quad. In that moment I may have been in pain, but beyond the temporal I sensed a far more eternal achievement circulating amongst the crowd.

And by “achievement” I don’t mean grades, internships or a corner apartment in Tavilla. Instead I speak of a subtext of success, of a transformation of the mind that moves a life into its process of passion—something there is no syllabus for.

It is why, seven years out, there are still things steeping and deepening long after my last trip to Gillie’s veggie wrap buffet.

That is the struggle of leadership: to retain a hold on the momentary while always looking and working towards the eternal; to not just pen the words but intuit the subtext.

President Carlberg models this dual role, and it is that ability that will leave a mark not just on campus but also on the students whose minds are just beginning to percolate with vocation.

While it may seem odd to think about burning moments amidst a glowing tribute, there is some level of discontent necessary during a college experience. Even I, a regular writer for this blessed publication, left for a year to chase dreams in England only to discover how much I unexpectedly missed convocation and HUD dorms.

I think Jud understood this truth deeply. But first, an aside of sorts: In his State of the Union Address for 2011, President Obama spoke of this delicate balance of a leadership that resides in struggle but moves toward unity. “We should have no illusions about the work ahead of us . . . none of this is easy.

All of it will take time. And it will be harder because we will argue about everything. The cost. The details. The letter of every law.” Leadership, then, is the paradoxical ability to take part in and step back from battling spheres of opinion.

Jud didn’t avoid tension—he set up camp on the borderlands, somehow always retaining that distinctive Carlbergian grin.

And, though it may not be immediately apparent, I am crafting the subtext to be a loving paean to leaders cut from the Judcloth—a compliment I don’t deal out lightly. In fact, things might have been different if my undergraduate brain had felt totally safe and protected by my college. My reflections by

this point would clearly show that Gordon had not pushed me into places of cognitive dissonance, forcing my hands and brain to grapple with the troubles that face our world and our history, and ultimately form our passions.

If students take seriously the books and ideas they come across at Gordon, then of course they’re going to start practicing their rallying whoop. I mean, c’mon! They’re reading Malcolm X, Simone de Beauvoir and Elie Wiesel! It’s time to flex those muscles for social change, even if it starts with petty things like chapel attendance and the lack of Dr. Pepper in the cafeteria (ok—I’m dating myself here; I speak of those who remember the time right before GCSA president Chuck Cabral’s Soda Pop Miracle).

. . . SEVEN YEARS OUT, THERE ARE STILL THINGS STEEPING AND DEEPENING LONG AFTER MY LAST TRIP TO GILLIE’S VEGGIE WRAP BUFFET. What staggers me as I think back over my time under Dr. Carlberg’s tenure is his ability to not give in to the allure of the momentary, whether it was negative or positive. He knew to acknowledge gripes and celebrate achievements, but more importantly, he knew how to keep moving forward past the temporal and into the eternal. And this idea surpasses this moment of tribute into bigger territory. We are unique— fearfully and wonderfully made, for sure. But, we are our full selves even as we populate that great cloud of witnesses, and keep the sun from scarring those that follow us.

bryan parys doesn’t like to capitalize his name.

He holds an M.F.A. in creative nonfiction and, amongst other freelance writing gigs, is a contributing scholar for the interfaith relations publication State of Formation (www. stateofformation.org). He tried to resist that tooclever title, but he has a problem, and deserves to be pun-ished. bryan.parys@gordon.edu

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NEWS: ON THE GRAPEVINE

STUDENT, FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS

Photo Elan Sablich ’11

Scot Radio

Recently Gordon students and their faculty advisor, Jonathan Gerber (front), launched Scot Radio, a livestream radio station (story, page 10). From left: Anders Johnson ’12, Naama Mendes ’13, Amber Fiedler ’13 and Mac Gostow ’13.

Wall Street Goes to Honduras Mac Gostow ’13

Last April Stephanie “Stevie” Bittner, a senior English major, got a surprise email from a man named Chad Petterson, a former Wall Street trader with a vision for a business-oriented reality TV show in Teupasenti, Honduras. He was looking for someone to coordinate video production and assist in preliminary meetings and startup publicity for the show Wall Street Exodus. Petterson had heard about Stevie’s internship work with the CBS News press office and thought she’d be a great addition to the project.

Stevie agreed and soon found herself deep in the impoverished slums of Teupasenti, Honduras, working with 12 brilliant Wall Street businessmen who were 6 STILLPOINT | SPRING 2011

attempting to build sustainable businesses.

Teupasenti, one of the poorest regions of Central America, was hit hard in 1998 by Hurricane Mitch, setting the region back five years.

During Stevie’s time in Honduras, videographers filmed the pilot as Wall Streeters met with officials and townspeople. Bittner coordinated production and developed spreadsheets and comparative charts for investors.

Production was filmed with still cameras for use either as the pilot to a television show or a promotional tool to generate publicity and investor support.

Back in the States now, Stevie has maintained contact with Petterson and reports that the project is still underway.

Her experience in Honduras, she says, was good preparation for the work she

hopes to enter at the network level.

Though Wall Street Exodus was a lowerbudget project, Stevie was able to immerse herself in a highly informative, logistically similar experience to that of a larger network company.

Just as valuable, Stevie’s perspective on the network television industry shifted as a result of her internship as she recognized the potential paths she could take in the field. She became aware of the responsibility that big-name network companies have as they spread their influence to economically struggling regions.

This summer Gordon will host an international seminar in Honduras titled Living with a Disability in the Developing World. www.gordon.edu/kinesiology_sem 

ON THE GRAPEVINE

Wear a Shirt; Give a Smile; Spread Hope

IN THEIR WORDS

Ashlie Michelle Busone ’14 As a volunteer with Gordon in Lynn working with refugee students, I realized God’s vision of social justice is not the glorious heroism our selfish hearts want it to be. As I learned about the students’ struggle to adjust to American life, I also learned that a simple act like tutoring a troubled student is key to understanding some of the challenges our fallen world faces.

—Landon Ranck ’12 Landon volunteered at the New American Center, a place that provides English as a Second Language, and citizenship training for youth and adults.

Free Shuttle Service for Students Cyndi McMahon

It was a normal summer afternoon for me—I was babysitting two girls with cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening illness—and decided we’d make tie-dyed T-shirts as a fun summer project. Before we even got them off the clothesline, the girls had to be taken to the hospital.

A few weeks later I took the T-shirts to the girls in the hospital. I knew by watching their reactions that I had to help others like them. So I started Hippies for Hope, an organization dedicated to bringing hope to the hopeless. I was only 14.

Later that year I donated over 100 tie-dyed T-shirts to the Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington, Vermont. Then I providentially received a call from a woman who had stumbled on my business card. She had a strong connection with a girls’ school in Tanzania, East Africa, called Secondary Education for Girls Advancement (SEGA), and asked if I would be willing to help raise money for it.

After a lot of prayer and research, God clearly pointed me in the direction of helping internationally and locally—by fundraising for SEGA but also donating locally to Albany Medical Center’s Children’s Hospital.

One Christmas I sent each SEGA girl a T-shirt. They sent back a photo with a sea full of smiles and every girl wearing a shirt I had sent. On the blackboard behind them they had scrawled my name. At that moment I knew I had to meet them—to see in person the impact I was making. Last summer I was able to travel to Tanzania to help teach English as a Second Language and tie-dye with SEGA students.

Bringing joy to those who need it most is what keeps me going. Realizing I’m making a difference in people’s lives is incredibly rewarding. When I asked a girl at SEGA what she wanted to do after she graduated, she responded, “I want to help others, Madam, like you.”

To order your own $10 tie-dyed T-shirt or to donate money, call 518.926.8485 or email hippiesforhope@gmail.com.

At the start of the spring semester, a new shuttle service was launched for students.

In partnership with nearby Endicott College, stops include Montserrat College of Art in downtown Beverly, Beverly Depot train station, Northshore Mall in Peabody and the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers.

“This new service will allow students to take advantage of where we live on the North Shore,” says Alyssa Maine, a senior communication arts major.

The Endicott-Gordon shuttle can seat 30 passengers, is equipped with a bathroom, has Wi-Fi on board, and is handicap accessible. The shuttle is also equipped with GPS tracking. Though the satellite feed reports a slight delay, students will be able to view the general location of the moving shuttle.

“I am one of the few people in my close group of friends with a car,” says Amber Fiedler ’13. “Knowing I will no longer be their only option for a ride is great.”

The service is free with a Gordon College ID and will also provide free transportation for friends and family who are visiting campus. 

hippiesforhope.tumblr.com | www.nurturingmindsinafrica.org 

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Faculty Book Rewriting the Feeding of Five Thousand: John 6.1–15 as a Test Case for Johannine Dependence on the Synoptic Gospels, (New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2011) was authored by Steve Hunt, associate professor of biblical studies. It investigates the miracle account in John 6 and the parallel accounts in the Synoptic Gospels with an eye towards establishing and understanding the literary relationship between them. 

Gordon Rated High on “Kiplinger’s 100” List Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine listed Gordon under “Best Values in Private Colleges” —which includes 100 of the country’s private liberal arts colleges that “deliver a high-quality education at an affordable price.”

Using data from over 600 private colleges, the magazine based its findings on quality measures like admissions, graduation rates, and test scores of first-year students.

They added cost data—tuition, fees, room and board, and financial aid—before ranking the institutions. The combination of quality and affordability determined which schools deserved recognition and made “best value” for their top 100. Only a handful of other Christian colleges landed a spot on the list.

According to the College Board, the average cost of one year at a four-year

private school is $36,000. But the net price—the cost after financial aid—puts the total out-of-pocket cost closer to $22,000. Gordon’s costs are only slightly higher than both averages.

Last year Gordon awarded more than $13 million in financial aid to new and current students. Within five years of graduation, 65 to 70 percent of Gordon College graduates have earned a graduate degree or are enrolled in graduate programs, and 87 percent of those surveyed have full- or part-time work in their fields.

“Gordon is in great company on this list, reflecting our commitment to providing the best education for our students while doing all we can to keep costs manageable,” said President Carlberg.

“The combination of our faculty—many nationally recognized in their fields— along with our many programs, facilities and location reinforce the value of a Gordon education.” 

Photo Journal: London, Baby!

Amber Primm ’04, manager for the Barrington Center for the Arts, recently traveled to England and Scotland with Gordon’s Introduction to British Stage class. Even though the group attended class in the morning and theatre performances at night, they still had lots of time to sightsee. Check out all the places they traveled. www.gordon.edu/britishtheatre/photojournal2010  8 STILLPOINT | SPRING 2011

ON THE GRAPEVINE

Student Works toward New Treatment Option for Cancer Patients

well as translational lymphoma research.

He is truly one of the best students we have had in the lab.”

When not in the labs of the Ken Olsen Science Center, Quinion is taking classes and preparing for a year of research at Ohio State at the invitation of Dr. Baiocchi before going to medical school. http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary. org/cgi/content/abstract/blood-2010-08303354v1 

C-SPAN Captures First of Gordon-Sponsored Old Town Hall Lecture Series

After spending two summers of research under the direction of Dr. Robert Baiocchi and Dr. Lapo Alinari at the Ohio State University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, chemistry student Carl Quinion ’04 is receiving international attention.

Carl’s and his advisors’ research have focused on a new possible treatment option for patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), an extremely aggressive cancer generally considered incurable. The treatment consists of a combination of two highly selective drugs and is shown to be very effective in both in vivo (in a living organism) and in vitro studies. With the support of this data, phase-1 clinical trials have begun.

Quinion’s hours of dedicated research gained him recognition as a contributing author to a paper published in Blood, a national medical journal, by the American Society of Hematology. The title may not be the easiest to say—“Combination anti-CD74 (milatuzumab) and anti-CD20 (rituximab) monoclonal antibody therapy has in vitro and in vivo activity in mantle cell lymphoma”—but the results may provide hope for those suffering from

one type of highly aggressive lymphoma.

Quinion’s advisors agree: “His work advanced a preclinical strategy aimed to help improve the therapy of patients with lymphoma, helping clarify how a new treatment delivering two separate monoclonal antibodies led to enhanced anti-tumor activity. Since these studies started, we have opened a clinical trial delivering this new experimental therapy to patients with lymphoma at the Arthur G. James Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State University.”

“I am grateful I had the opportunity to contribute to research that could directly help individuals who are suffering from lymphoma,” says Quinion. “It was fascinating to observe and participate in the process of medical research. My experiences in the lab gave me a new appreciation for medical discovery. I highly recommend similar research opportunities to any student considering a career in the sciences.”

Celebrating the North Shore’s rich history, and under the leadership of Cliff Hersey, dean for global education, and David Goss, assistant professor of history, Gordon’s Institute for Public History launched a series of high-profile lectures in Salem, Massachusetts. A film crew from C-SPAN captured the first, which aired December 18 and 19.

The Old Town Hall Lectures began with Richard Francis, author of The Salem Witch Trials and the Forming of a Conscience, discussing Judge Sewall’s public apology for his role in the trials. Francis taught American Studies at Manchester (England) University. Salem’s Mayor Kim Driscoll, Gordon’s Provost Mark Sargent and others were on hand to launch the series. www.c-span.org/Events/SewallsApology/20412/ 

Drs. Baiocchi and Alinari speak highly of Quinion’s work: “We’ve been impressed with his impeccable integrity, strong work ethic and his genuine interest in basic as

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The Hand-Painted Lab

Students Create Scot Radio

Cyndi McMahon

Mac Gostow ’13

After months of planning and programming, Gordon students Anders Johnson ’12, Naama Mendes ’13, Amber Fiedler ’13 and Mac Gostow ’13 have launched Gordon’s own radio station.

The station is a live stream on the Internet with airtime at 5–8 p.m. Show hosts will air from a newly renovated Jenks recording studio and cover things like campus and world news, sports, entertainment, religious discussions and faculty interviews. They’ll also play music from student-donated CDs.

Photo Cyndi McMahon

A room plastered with handprints marks the end of a longstanding tradition. For over a decade each graduating senior in the computer science major placed a painted handprint on the lab’s brightly colored walls, signifying many hours of study and research.

The lab housed in MacDonald Hall was home base to the computer science major for over 25 years. But over Christmas break the computer science major closed shop in MacDonald Hall and relocated to Gordon’s newest academic building—the Ken Olsen Science Center.

Steve Brinton and Russ Bjork, two of Gordon’s computer science faculty, reminisce over the years spent in their uniquely decorated lab. “It wasn’t unusual to find our students huddled in the corner of the MacDonald lab with the glow of computer screens lighting their faces,” says Brinton. “It was small, but it unified our students. The new space, though, will create a lot of opportunity.”

The move will centralize the computer science major, placing it in closer proximity to many other science disciplines such as physics, chemistry and engineering.

Bjork, one of the first computer science professors at Gordon 30 years ago, is excited for the new collaborative opportunities for his students. “Forging links between majors is of utmost importance,” said Bjork. “That same interdisciplinary collaboration will also show students outside our program the value of computer science today.”

“We’ll miss the handprints of our past students,” said Brinton. “But we’re trying to get an actual piece of the wall brought over to our new space. We’re also using an LCD screen that shows pictures of the handprints.”

The first handprints made their mark on the computer science lab nearly 14 years ago. The prints, under a sign for the Class of 1997, are centered on the back wall of the lab. Photo: Professor Bjork lays his hand amongst the prints of graduates from 1997. 

In addition to being a service to students, Mac and Amber, a Gordon College Student Association (GCSA) representative, want this to be a medium to keep alumni in touch with the Gordon community by broadcasting informative, entertaining programs.

“Naama and I picked up the idea of Scot Radio after a small group of A. J. Gordon Scholars started working on it last year,” says Amber. “We met with faculty and staff and received funding from GCSA. After purchasing sound equipment and interviewing radio hosts, we are ready to go.”

To tune in, visit: www.gordon.edu/scotradio 

Nonprofit Summer Session Casey Cooper, assistant professor of economics and business, is leading a summer institute sponsored by Gordon’s Center for Nonprofit Studies and Philanthropy. Supported by a generous donation, students from around the country may complete a certificate in nonprofit studies. The program will be the first of its kind among Christian institutions. Ted Wood, professor of economics and business, is working with Casey to design and promote the program. www.gordon.edu/nonprofitsummer 

10 STILLPOINT | SPRING 2011

ON THE GRAPEVINE

Much More than Meets the Eye

show so the chapel could be restored for its normal use.

Jeffrey S. Miller, professor of theatre arts

It was a massive collaborative undertaking.

I have never seen so many students on our campus work so selflessly for the sheer love of learning and delighting an audience. And I’d be hard pressed to find a more vivid and inspiring picture of the Body of Christ in action—one body, many parts, each using his or her gifts in service.

Photo Rebekah Frangipane ’11

Two performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta The Pirates of Penzance played to enthusiastic packed houses in the A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel in January. But what dazzled and delighted onstage was only part of the intense experience for an unprecedented cast and crew of close to 75 Gordon students. And it’s what you didn’t see that moved me most as director.

The production of this buoyant, sometimes silly but ultimately soaring operetta about the importance of faithfulness and duty, sought to entertain and uplift its audience. But it was all the supporting efforts—what you didn’t see—joyfully given behind the scenes, that served to build my hope; hope in the future of the arts at Gordon and, more importantly, in our Creator God, the Source of all beauty, music, dance and theatre! 

Social Work Professor Featured on CBS Sunday Morning Show

In the middle of finals week in early December, a crew of student seamstress volunteers gathered with costume designer Christine Alger, her student assistants Amy Laing ’11 and Lauren Mawe ’11, and production supervisor Dawn Sarrouf ’92, to map out the plan to produce close to 100 costumes in just three weeks. Cutting short their holiday breaks, they gathered in early January in the cramped costume shop of Barrington Center for the Arts, creating a virtual costume factory— often laboring 10 to 12 hours a day on elegant summer dresses, flowing nightgowns, spiffy policemen’s uniforms and colorful pirate regalia that graced the actors.

Meanwhile technical director Nathaniel Punches ’11, assisted by carpenter Luke Miller ’14 and other student volunteers, began building the stunning set designed by Amber Primm ’04, complete with runway, rocky cove, crumbling columns and stately plinths.

Theatre and art double major Carissa Gerber ’11 assisted with painting the large beach backdrop and ornate Queen Victoria frame. During the week before Dining Services opened following Christmas break, production manager Kaitlin Dalpini ’11 planned and supervised dinners for the entire cast and crew, including a goodly number of special dietary needs.

And this doesn’t begin to touch on the outstanding contributions of choreographer Kaitlyn Ebbott ’11; or the backstage crew led by stage manager Sam Dennis ’11; the chapel sound and light crew headed by Eric Cade; and the makeup team led by Cassie West ’11. Or the rehearsal time invested by the orchestra—largely students—led by intrepid music director Michael Monroe. Or the additional hours put in by the crew and cast moving set pieces, props and costumes between Barrington and the chapel before and after rehearsals; hanging the drops in place; installing lights; and removing everything again after the last

James Trent, professor of social work, offered his expertise on camera in a story for the CBS Sunday Morning show on November 28. The interview was shot last spring in Frost Hall after the producer sought Trent out because of his expertise on the history of institutional care for those with mental disabilities. The story is called “Where’s Molly?” and is about an Oregon man who “seeks answers about his mentally disabled sister, sent to an institution nearly five decades earlier.” 

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For Their Dedication and Service . . .

The Provost’s Awards are given to two staff members who make substantial, consistent contributions to student learning, nominated by faculty, staff and students.

Carol Herrick, assistant dean and registrar

Even before an actor makes an appearance or the engineers dim the lights, your first visual encounter with the set often transports you to a new world. For nearly a decade Primm has designed sets for Gordon. In several of her projects she has worked closely with students to craft their own scripts, and developed visual settings to match their ideas and visions.

A talented artist in her own right, she is adept at painting, drawing and sculpting— as well as video and computer work. As Jeff Miller, director of Gordon’s Theatre Department, remarks, “She will always surprise you—you think she is a classically

trained artist (and she is!), and then you find out she loves graffiti art; you ask her to help fix a computer problem, and she introduces you to shortcuts or inspiring websites; you consult her on PR, and she gives you a list of new ideas. She’s gold!” 

Moving Day for the Sciences at Gordon: Phase II For nearly a decade and a half, Carol Herrick has helped establish policies, assessed curriculum, heard appeals, and weighed unique circumstances.

Discerning and principled, she affirms and upholds vital standards, gently and firmly reminding us when we’ve lost focus, yet eager to find solutions marked by grace and good will. Although she has the task of holding the line, she cares deeply about students and strives to give them new opportunities to learn, to recover from mistakes, and to build on successes.

Colleague Susan Johnson remarks, “Everyone in our office has great respect for her balance between upholding regulations and treating students with understanding and empathy. Letters of suspension or probation sent in for her signature often come back with words of encouragement at the bottom.” Academic Dean Dan Russ adds, “In her role of holding Gordon students and faculty to highest standards, she never forgets that she and her staff serve people.”

Amber Primm ’04, manager, Barrington Center for the Arts As manager of the Barrington Center for the Arts, Amber Primm cares for the building and ensures that all programs run smoothly.

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Cyndi McMahon

Photo Gabe Davis ’02

Since 1980 Gordon’s Physics Department has delivered most of its programming in an allpurpose lab in MacDonald Hall, supported by a small optics lab and workshop on the first floor. It was a similar story for math and computer science faculty. Those days are now in the past. Physics, math and computer science students returned from Christmas break to new classrooms and labs on the second floor of the Ken Olsen Science Center.

Labs include a spacious physics introduction lab; and optics, electronics, advanced and smaller research labs for group projects. Math students will enjoy personalized environs in the Thomas Phillips Math Library, and computer science students will enjoy their new department lab with impressive equipment improvements from when they left for winter break. 

ON THE GRAPEVINE

New VP for Marketing and Strategic Communications

Wallyball, Cambodian Americans and Smart Thursdays Angelina Sykeny ’14

Where is Inn Gee Kim on a Monday afternoon? Playing wallyball! But why is this busy senior—studying political science and philosophy, and an intern with Gordon in Lynn—playing wallyball?

Photo Rebecca Powell

Rick Sweeney ’85, who served as Gordon’s first director of communications, returned to the College in November as the new vice president for marketing and strategic communications. His primary role includes overseeing College-wide integrated brand marketing strategies for Gordon’s nationally recognized student programs, academic disciplines and institutional distinctions.

“Rick returns to Gordon College with a wealth of experience in both marketing and communications,” said President Carlberg. “With his academic and professional track record, Rick has the qualifications Gordon needs for this role. I’m looking forward to working with him this year as we prepare for the next phase in Gordon’s success.”

With more than 18 years experience managing award-winning marketing and communications programs in higher education, Sweeney brings creative vision and leadership to the new position. After serving as Gordon’s director of communications from 1995 to 2001, he worked at Cornell University as the director of marketing and communications for the Johnson Graduate School of Management. Most recently he was executive director of advancement communications and marketing at Boston College and worked as an independent marketing and communications consultant. Sweeney has led branding and strategic marketing initiatives in print, media and online; his video projects at Cornell earned a Gold Davey Award in 2007 and a Telly Award in 2004.

“There are few things in life that can feel as good as coming home, and this opportunity for me at Gordon is a great homecoming,” Sweeney said. “I’ll always be grateful for what Gordon College gave me as an undergraduate student. It is a sincere privilege for me to help communicate the many things that make Gordon a top Christian liberal arts college in New England and throughout the country.”

Sweeney holds a B.A. in English from Gordon and an M.S. in mass communication from Boston University. rick.sweeney@gordon.edu 

Twice a week Inn Gee volunteers through his Gordon in Lynn internship at Khmer American Youth in Action (KAYA), an after-school program for Cambodian American middle and high school students. “I wanted to apply the idea of service emphasized in the Gordon classroom,” says Inn Gee. Gordon in Lynn partners with the city of Lynn, where students work with various community organizations, learning to serve others in a diverse urban environment.

On Mondays the kids exercise and play sports at the YMCA. On “Smart Thursdays” interns help students with homework and present a 15–20-minute educational workshop. “KAYA is important because it creates community,” says Inn Gee. “The youth form strong bonds with one another. The kids’ love and respect for one another amaze me.”

A few weeks ago Inn Gee’s roommate mentioned that cello students at Gordon are looking for places to perform. That gave Inn Gee an idea: make “Smart Thursdays” a little more interesting by asking cellists to play a few songs and lead short discussions about music.

Originally from the Philippines, Inn Gee has formed a unique bond with the kids through their common Southeast Asian backgrounds. He even brought back some dried mangoes from the Philippines to share with the kids, which they absolutely loved! “The relationships I have formed with the kids at KAYA are by far the most rewarding thing about my internship,” he says. Though he’s not sure what God has planned for him in the future, he hopes to always be attentive to others and help those in need.  SPRING 2011 | STILLPOINT 13

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Celebrating the Carlberg Years

I

n 1976 members of the Gordon College Board of Trustees met to select a new dean of faculty, facing an option not unlike the one

immortalized in Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken: two paths diverging, one less traveled and inviting a greater leap of faith in the person of a 35-year-old with a strong academic pedigree but limited administrative experience. The discussion was spirited and splintered. Finally a senior, respected member of the Search Committee

and pushing boundaries in impacting culture with emphasis on Christian perspective in the arts and sciences.

Perhaps the less visible imprint of his presidency has been a leadership style of quiet confidence— the ability to express a vision for the future, bolster change and growth, bridge differences of opinion and lead where an institution needs to go, not where it expects to go. Jud Carlberg’s style reflects

expressed, “Let’s give the young man a chance.”

a hallmark of the Gordon ethos as expressed by

R. Judson Carlberg created a faculty development

nonessentials, liberty. In all things, charity.”

Phillip Melanchthon: “In essentials, unity. In

program that won national recognition. He distinguished himself as senior vice president

Working in loving partnership, Jan Carlberg has

for development, directing the campaign that

her own memorable profile, marked by prolific

produced A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel and

writing, passionate storytelling, and an uncanny

culminating in his selection in 1992 as the seventh

ability to reach impressionable students or weary

president of Gordon College. After 19 years at the

staff with kind words, a note of encouragement

helm of one of the best Christian colleges in the

or a shoulder to lean on. So what might be the

country—and leaving as Gordon’s longest serving

fundamental Carlberg legacy? Men and women

administrator—his tenure validates the faith of

distinguished by intellectual maturity and

those who took a chance on untapped potential,

Christian character, dedicated to lives of service,

and highlights how God’s plan draws the right

and prepared for leadership roles worldwide.

people at the right time.

And so Gordon comes once again to roads

Jud Carlberg’s legacy will showcase significant

diverging as we bid farewell to a trusted path of

growth of Gordon’s campus; the expansion

remarkable progress; and again commit our future

of student experiences academically,

to God’s grace and wisdom, trusting Him for the

extracurricularly, and in global programming;

right people in the right place at the right time.

Photo Gabe Davis ’02



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THE CARLBERG YEARS

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Faith, Love and Strategy: The Story of a Presidency

I

t would be fair enough to call Jud Carlberg an “evangelical of evangelicals.” Like A. J. Gordon, who founded Gordon College in 1889, he is named for Adoniram Judson (1788–1850), trailblazing missionary to Burma.

He and his wife, Jan, are both preacher’s kids; Jud, in fact, comes from a family of church leaders going back

several generations. “Early on there was an assumption that I would go in the same direction,” Jud says. “There was a sense of responsibility bequeathed to me from my family.”

Along with seeds of Christian vocation, “global” seeds were planted early in Jud’s life. His father was pastor of Baptist Temple, the leading evangelical church in the mill town of Fall River, Massachusetts. Baptist Temple was located in the inner city, and the Carlbergs were noted for gracious hospitality. “There was a constant flow of people through our home,” Jud says, “including missionaries on furlough and Navy men who came to dinner and told their stories.

They gave me a different perspective on the world—an international perspective with a sense of the needs of other parts of the world.” For Jud there were no strangers—only people he had not yet met; and the Kingdom of Heaven was prefigured for him by the family dinner table in Fall River.

Through leadership experiences at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and later at Denver Seminary, Jud’s concern for both souls and society became more sharply focused as he sensed the call to contribute to the Kingdom not as a pastor but as a leader in Christian higher education.

Following an M.Div. from Denver Seminary he earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in higher education administration at Michigan State University, and came to Gordon as dean of faculty in 1976. He couldn’t have known it at the time, but what began in those earliest years would, in retrospect, be recurring themes connecting the entire 35 years of his service to Gordon.

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WORLD CHRISTIANS BY DEFINITION

Jud understood that an essential part of the DNA of the College was a global vision; it was his role as dean of faculty to translate that vision into a systematic broadening of the global studies program and a stronger international emphasis in the curriculum in general. There was a highly personal dimension to all of this as well: he credits a drive to get away from the “safe places” not just to his upbringing in Fall River but also to a five-country immersion trip in 1983 that he and Jan took with a handful of other Christian college senior administrators to Haiti, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Columbia. The key word was “immersion”—not “tourism”—and this experience ultimately led to the founding of the Latin American Studies program two years later. It was notable for getting students to “hard” places, and was a precursor to the later “Gordon IN” semester immersion programs.

Also very much in keeping with the ideals of Gordon’s founder was Jud’s bringing together the liberal arts with their practical, vocational applications. As College historian Thomas Askew has written, “Neither personal aggrandizement nor learning for its own sake were ever objectives for A. J. Gordon; education was always preparing for a life of stewardship and responsible leadership.” But before, roughly, the early 1980s, the College was still strictly—even somewhat fiercely—“pure” liberal arts.

THE CARLBERG YEARS

Several important changes occurred while Jud was still dean of faculty. He introduced cooperative and career services as well as a program of faculty development. Business administration was added as a major in 1981–82, along with computer science. The 1985–86 academic year saw the addition of marine biology (later subsumed under biology), accounting, and social work. “These new majors were hard fought for,” Jud says. “But they all took off during the 1980s and have had a profound effect on the direction Gordon has taken since then.”

PUTTING ON THE MANTLE

By the time Jud had accepted the offer, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) had completed its accreditation review (April 1992), concluding that “Gordon is a special place. It is consistently quite distinct, something that has been clear throughout the

Photo Gordon College Archives

In 1990 Jud was appointed senior vice president for development. There he began his legacy of campus-wide

In short, he had a robust understanding of the core identity of the College, plus the administrative ability to translate ideals into programs and infrastructure. These were traits that led the Presidential Search Committee, in May 1992, to invite Jud to become Gordon’s seventh president.

March 1993: Jud Carlberg introduces ABC News Medical Director Timothy Johnson and former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop.

building initiatives by supporting then-President Richard Gross with the completion of a capital campaign and construction of A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel. He also told the Gordon story winningly, broadening the donor base for the College, attracting the naming-level donors he knew the College would need to enlist in order to move ahead.

evaluation process.” Along with the College’s well-defined sense of mission, the NEASC also praised its “strong integration of faith and learning; high-quality academic programs and well-qualified faculty; and strong off-campus programs, remarkable in an institution Gordon’s size.”

Concerns included the “need for more systematic planning

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in enrollment, staffing, programs and finances; and a need for financial resources to realize current goals in compensation, capital improvements and financial aid.”

Jud inherited a growing, well-regarded institution from outgoing President Richard Gross, but he understood the challenges that would need to be met for the College to continue to thrive. “Gordon will lose its competitive edge if we are not able to offer better physical facilities,” he said, “both for athletic/recreational purposes and for developing the gifts of music, art and drama.”

A less tangible but more daunting challenge for the new president was what Richard M. Winchell ’50, director of TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Missions), called “two and a half unbelievable years” of world history in the making,

insular, Gordon, by design, maintained an evangelical openness toward and concern for the whole world. In his inaugural address Jud stressed that “any tendency to be constrained by a narrow ideology associated with a particular brand of Protestant evangelical theology must be resisted. Our position in the Christian mainstream is historically sound and institutionally wise.”

VISION AND STRATEGY

Jan, who has known Jud since they were sophomores at Wheaton College and involved in student government, says, “I see Jud as a Micah 6:8 man: acts justly; loves mercy; walks humbly. He knows where his strength comes from.

He stays focused, on target. When he has to make hard decisions, he wrestles—but then he makes the decision and moves on. I’ve never known anyone who uses his time as well as Jud does.”

She pauses and adds, “Though he is interruptible.” Being interruptible when circumstances called for it is a trait that would prove crucial both for a family man and for the head of an institution who needs to respond with agility and grace to challenging times.

“In short, part of the mission of the College is to bring shalom, or flourishing, to the process of globalization.”

—Jud Carlberg

which included events such as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Desert Storm war, and the fall of the Soviet Union. Storms on the world stage played out in storms in American culture—including, of course, the evangelical subculture. The “culture wars” were heating up. The expression gained wide usage in 1991 with the publication of Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America by James Davison Hunter ’77, a sociologist at the University of Virginia who, while at Gordon, had been a student of Stan Gaede. In his book Hunter described what he saw as deep and often bitter divisions in American culture by stances on “hot-button” moral issues. But while some branches of evangelicalism were becoming more

18 STILLPOINT | SPRING 2011

When asked what in his nearly 20-year presidency went most according to plan, Jud responds, with his trademark smile, “Actually, the strategic plans went largely according to plan.” Unlike general management, which is focused on day-to-day operations, strategic planning is concerned with big-picture, long-term goals. And every aspect of an organization— people, programs, facilities and finances—has a role to play in the strategy. “College presidents must always be thinking 10–15 years into the future,” Jud has said. “Where will this college be? Will its mission change? Will its graduates be prepared to enter a world no one can actually define?”

The first strategic plan under the Carlberg presidency was approved by the Board of Trustees in April 1994.

Its stated intention was “to move Gordon to a new level

THE CARLBERG YEARS

among Christian colleges by the year 2000”; specific goals included the strengthening of distinctive programs (such as cooperative education and career planning, and the La Vida outdoors program); the creation of a Center for Christian Studies (begun in 1994); a new communication arts major;

SALT WHERE THERE IS SPOIL; LIGHT WHERE THERE IS DARKNESS

Fall of 1997 saw the kickoff of The Salt and Light Campaign, a $38 million dollar capital campaign. The campaign bore good results, eventually raising $43 million in gifts and pledges. The Bennett Athletic and Recreation Center had already opened in 1996 (the result of the earlier “quiet phase” of the campaign), making possible greatly expanded opportunities for students in both intramural and intercollegiate athletics.

Photo Gabe Davis ’02

In 1999 Rhodes Gymnasium became Barrington Center for the Arts, named in honor of Barrington College of Rhode Island, which merged with Gordon in 1985. The Barrington Center was one of the most modern centers for the arts north of Boston and quickly became a North Shore destination for high-quality arts exhibits and theatre performances.

Similarly, the Phillips Music Center, dedicated in 2000, is a state-of-the-art facility housing a classically oriented, conservatory-level music program and affording space for performances that, like the Barrington Center, consistently draw the wider community to campus.

September 27, 2008: the grand opening of the Ken Olsen Science Center.

and the improvement of residence hall life and programs to enhance the spiritual formation of students. It noted, as well, the pressing need for new facilities, particularly in the sciences and arts, which were vibrant programs making do with outdated and inadequate facilities.

Also very much according to plan, the Center for Christian Studies emerged as a leading forum within Christian academic circles, devoted to “fostering Christian thought and action.” Harold Heie, founding director, appreciated the freedom Jud gave him and Stan Gaede (then provost at Gordon) to be creative. “Jud’s vision for such a new initiative was a testimony to his admirable expansive view of the role of Gordon faculty as aspiring to be both effective teachers and productive scholars. That is an all-too-rare combination among Christian colleges.”

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“A Christian worldview looks in two directions.

One gaze contemplates God; the other self and society.”

—Scott T. Carroll, 1993 Excellence in Teaching Award

STRENGTHENING THE CENTER

FAITHFUL EXPECTATIONS

The next strategic plan—Planning 2001: Blending Tradition and Innovation—was approved by the Board in September of 2001: “After years leading up to the 21st century of quick expansion (10 building projects, several new undergraduate majors, a graduate program and rapid growth in the student body), this is a moment for consolidation, for ‘strengthening the center.’” The plan advanced three key priorities:

In the fall of 2009 the President’s Cabinet was expanded to include additional staff and two faculty members, and was tasked with building on previous planning efforts to produce a new strategic plan. Through the fall of 2009 the Strategic Planning Cabinet focused on reviewing and revising the Mission Statement and completing the task force reports inaugurated in 2008. To broaden the traditional SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) the Cabinet asked for input from a number of “contentexperts” from across the campus.

• Reaffirming tradition: Sustain and strengthen Gordon’s place on the intellectual landscape; strengthen programs to prepare students to become Christ’s servants and leaders in the world and the church.

• Expanding vision: Strengthen connections between liberal arts and graduate studies or employment; invest in innovation and reward creativity; reach a greater diversity of students.

• Map the future of information technology at Gordon.

Blending Tradition and Innovation was followed in 2005 by another capital campaign, Heart of Discovery. With a naming gift from technology pioneer Ken Olsen, the hoped-for building became the Ken Olsen Science Center, an 80,000-square-foot facility beautifully equipped for teaching, learning and cutting-edge research in the sciences.

Phase One was completed in August 2008 and included biology, engineering, ecology, marine biology and chemistry labs; faculty offices; and an auditorium. Phase Two of the Ken Olsen Science Center was begun in 2009, adding new labs; classrooms; and office space for botany, computer science, physics, mathematics and psychology. It is slated for completion in 2011–2012.

20 STILLPOINT | SPRING 2011

The title of the new plan, Faithful Expectations, intentionally references Thomas and Jean Askew’s centennial history of Gordon, A Faithful Past ~ An Expectant Future: “This strategic plan projects a future for Gordon that is both respectful of the school’s rich heritage and responsive to the acute challenges and possibilities of the hour.”

The plan, approved by the Board of Trustees December 10, 2010, acknowledges that “the evangelical ethos which emerged during the mid-century under such leaders as Billy Graham and Harold J. Ockenga has become more variegated as liturgical and charismatic practices have sprung up in evangelical congregations. Particularly among younger Christians, partisan loyalties and ideological wars are often less compelling than social entrepreneurship targeted at relieving human suffering and environmental degradation. . . . While Gordon appears well-placed to shape the new landscape of evangelical Christianity, it will not

Photo Gabe Davis ’02

THE CARLBERG YEARS

“Jud and Jan have been faithful with the gifts God has given them, to the benefit and joy of all of us who have served with them.” —Stan Gaede

do so effectively without adopting some new models for recruitment, hiring and teaching.”

A WAY IN THE WORLD

Even the best-conceived strategic plans can’t predict the future; in fact, “expecting the unexpected” is an indispensable part of such planning. The worldwide financial crisis of 2008–9 did not leave Gordon unscathed.

“Recent economic news has been grim,” Bruce Webb, professor of economics and business since 1977, wrote in a 2008 STILLPOINT essay. “Rising unemployment; loss of consumer confidence; families losing their homes to foreclosure; falling home prices; higher energy and food prices; a credit crunch. Over the short term, borrowers, including students and their families, will likely face higher

rates and stricter credit terms. College enrollments may suffer as families become less willing to commit to large financial outlays in the face of an uncertain economic future. . . . If there ever was a time to take seriously Paul’s words to Timothy about ‘uncertain riches,’ it is now.”

The crisis, however, provided valuable institutional learning.

The ensuing struggles to address the problem areas, apply strict belt-tightening to weather the storm, and insert strong internal controls, have resulted in a renewed confidence that the College has the capacity to work through very difficult issues.

Another unexpected arc was the exponential growth in information technology during the 1990s and beyond. “We knew in 1992 that technology would grow and be hugely

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important,” Jud says, “and our strategic objectives reflected that; but we didn’t know how huge a change it would be.”

Just a few months after the Internet had broken into popular culture, Board member and College benefactor Ken Olsen took Jud aside. “Uncontrolled, the Internet will make virtually everything accessible to Gordon students,” Ken said to Jud. “At the very least it will be a huge time waster and distraction.” Yet this was still a number of years before information technology had shifted from being primarily about data storage to a massive social experiment.

level with secular groups as well.” Gordon is part of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), the major national organization for all small and mid-sized, independent, liberal arts colleges and universities in the U.S.; the American Association for Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities (AAPICU), the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and the Annapolis Group. Jud’s involvement in these groups has given him opportunities to be an advocate not just for Gordon but for other independent colleges as well.

The continuing of the culture wars through the 1990s and into the new millennium meant continuing divisions among believing Christians as well as marketing challenges for

He is also currently a board member for the Biologos Foundation, which, founded by Dr. Francis Collins, is a national organization of Christian leaders dedicated to addressing the culture war between science and faith.

“I see Jud as a Micah 6:8 man: acts justly; loves mercy; walks humbly. He knows where his strength comes from.”

—Jan Carlberg

“The other prong,” Jan says, “was that we’ve stayed deeply involved in the church in New England. It’s been as important to be ambassadors for Gordon in the evangelical world as in the secular one.

Jud’s family connections going way back were helpful, but evangelicals in New England were sometimes suspicious of Gordon as a ‘liberal’ school.”

the College. One of the distinctives of a Gordon education was—and still is—“education, not indoctrination.” But this principle, along with the College’s tagline “Freedom within a Framework of Faith,” has not always been easy to sell to parents of prospective students, who sometimes interpret “freedom” as license (or freedom from limits), rather than freedom for service—a freedom hard-won through study, self-discipline and spiritual growth.

The Carlbergs have been involved with Vision New England, which supports “local church leaders in New England for disciple-making and evangelism in the 21st century.” Jan, in fact, worked with Steve Macchia (who served as president of VNE from 1989 until 2003) not only through VNE but also years earlier, when he was associate pastor of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts, and she was coordinator of women’s ministries there.

Jan says that as a couple Jud and she have taken a “twopronged approach” to addressing cultural divides. “We’ve been involved in the Christian-college affiliate groups, like CCCU (Council for Christian Colleges & Universities) and CCC (Christian College Consortium),” she says, “but early on we made a conscious decision to engage on a national

Jan has also strengthened connections with evangelicals through her own writing and speaking. As a preacher’s daughter, she grew up with stories and biblical themes, and blended them together to create her own stories. The Hungry Heart (Hendrickson, 1991), for example, “grew out of my own hunger to know God and from the awareness

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THE CARLBERG YEARS

there were many hearts seeking spiritual food.” She has been a popular speaker at conferences, churches and colleges across the United States, as well as speaking and hosting events on the Gordon campus. Greg Carmer, dean of chapel, has referred to Jan as “a tireless encourager—she is the first (and perhaps loudest) in celebrating the work of God in and through the lives of others.”

THE GORDON DNA

In February about 50 representatives of social service agencies from the Greater Boston area visited campus.

Their high praise for Gordon students who have served as interns over the year included comments such as “They’re very professional,” “They ask great questions,” “They take initiative,” and “I put Gordon students in the same category as Eagle Scouts.” One representative from a correctional facility said he’d initially worried that Gordon students might be too sheltered to relate to incarcerated people from tough backgrounds. “Those fears turned out to be completely unfounded,” he said. “They not only have a strong sense of social justice; they have a strong sense of why they want to help people.”

“A general love of humanity will only take you so far,” the head of a Boston agency said. “Gordon students are actually called to do what they do. They have a wellthought-out predisposition to serve. Because of their faith they’re centered, so when they’re challenged they aren’t overwhelmed but rise to the occasion.”

Mark Sargent, provost, notes that Gordon excels in cultivating a “moral imagination” in its graduates, which involves approaching Scripture as “a compelling moral vision and not simply a moralistic code.” This kind of vision “requires a wide reach—some grasp of logic, empathy, creativity, intuition, patience and foresight; in other words, the full range of the imagination.”

But a college in which this kind of intellectual and spiritual formation takes place does not just happen. “It starts at the top—or it doesn’t happen at all,” says Harold Heie, founding

director of the Center for Christian Studies. “Jud is very much a shaper of the spirit of this place,” concurs Bruce Herman, longtime art professor at Gordon. “He holds all things lightly, and yet he’s totally committed. As a result the ethos of Gordon is lighthearted in the best and most profound sense.”

It’s this kind of “lightness” that produces graduates who strive for excellence in their work yet also understand that the most significant event in their lives might be some utterly unheralded act of service, love or beauty. “We are prepared to be men and women with purpose, to be seeds in the Kingdom of God,” said Thomas Routhe ’01 in an address to his class. “We’re prepared to have souls deep enough to withstand the dry spells.”

In his 2002 book The Good Life: Truths That Last in Times of Need, the late Peter Gomes (Harvard professor and minister), paid tribute to Christian colleges as places that “build people up rather than tear them down,” and to Jud specifically as a leader of such an institution. He quotes Jud’s own assessment of what Gordon is all about: We undertake the task (the search for truth) seriously and with humility, not assuming before we start that the search will be fruitless. . . . Does teaching matter?

Yes, but it’s not enough. Morality matters. Integrity matters. Conviction matters. In short, substance is more important than style, and that’s why a Christian liberal arts education is worth every penny. 

Story credits: Rick Sweeney ’85, “Celebrating the Carlberg Years” (p. 14); Patricia Hanlon, “Faith, Love and Strategy: The Story of a Presidency” (pp. 16–23).

Sources referenced or cited include: NEASC evaluation statement, 1992; “For Such a Time: Looking Back, Gazing Forward,” Anne C. Harper, STILLPOINT Summer 1992; “R. Judson Carlberg, Seventh President of Gordon College, Announces 2011 Retirement,” Jo Kadlecek, press release, August 2010; Thomas A. and Jean M. Askew, A Faithful Past ~ An Expectant Future (1989); Faithful Expectations: Strategic Plan 2011–2015; Peter J. Gomes, The Good Life: Truths That Last in Times of Need (HarperCollins, 2002).

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GORDON NEWS

1992

ALUMNI

1993

STRATEGIC PLANS AND CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS

1994

1995

1996

First Strategic Plan of the Carlberg Presidency (1994–2001) The first strategic plan, approved by the Board of Trustees in April 1994, was intended to “move Gordon to a new level among Christian colleges by the year 2000.” It outlined the need for new facilities in the arts and sciences.

A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel

Bennett Athletic and Recreation Center

BUILT 1992

1997

The Salt and Light “Salt where there is $38M capital campa raising $43M for new

Bromley Hall RENOVATED 1997

BUILT 1996

PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES

1992

Restore Creation sponsors Earth Day on campus

1993

Art major established

1994

Center for Christian Studies and East-West Institute founded

1995

1996

PEW

10

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27 BEST

1995

1996

1997

First graduate education classes offered

Communication arts major launched

1997

In its fifth season Gordon’s History Alive! production of Cry Innocent reaches its 100,000th visitor

RESULTS AND RECOGNITIONS

1992

Three Gordon economics and business professors present week of lectures at Leningrad Technical Institute

1993

Inaugurated R. Judson Carlberg, appointed president of Gordon College in 1992

1994

Jud attends CCC Moscow seminar on Russian-American ties in education

Two Pew grants for CCS: one for summer research program for faculty; other for global stewardship

Gordon in Peterson's Top Colleges for Science Gordon launches its first website

Money magazine names Gordon one of 27 “Best Buys in Northeast”

WORLD NEWS

WORLD EVENTS

1992

Bill Clinton wins presidential election

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1993

Czechoslovakia splits into Czech Republic and Slovakia

1994

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) begins

1995

Oklahoma City bombings

1996

FBI arrests unabomber

1997

Dolly the sheep is world's first cloned mammal

1998

1999

2000

2001

BUILT 1998

1998

Gordon in Orvieto offers students semester studying art in Orvieto, Italy

Barrington Center for the Arts

Phillips Fulton Music Center BUILT 2000

BUILT 1999

BUILT 2000

1999

2000

Formal partnership with Oxford University expands Gordon in Oxford program

2003

2004

Blending Tradition and Innovation (2001–2010) “After years leading up to the 21st century of rapid expansion, this is a moment for consolidation, for ‘strengthening the center.’” This strategic plan stressed reaffirming tradition, expanding vision and mapping the future of information technology at Gordon.

Campaign (1997–2000) spoil; light where there is darkness.” This aign exceeded expectations, eventually w facilities and programs.

Tavilla Hall

2002

La Vida Center for Outdoor Education established Restore Creation launches Universal Recycling Program

2001

Sustainable Tropical Agriculture program starts in partnership with ECHO (Educational Concern for Hunger Organization)

Nyland

Chase

BUILT 2002

BUILT 2004

2002

2003

Center for Educational Technologies established

Boston Urban Semester begins in Dorchester

Gordon in Lynn begins

50

Graduate education launches Master in Music Education

2004

Jerusalem and Athens Forum begins with grant from Lilly Foundation

LILLY

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

563K grant from Stratford Foundation addresses technology needs

Terrorists bomb U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya

Jud among 50 college presidents honored by John Templeton Foundation

Columbine High School massacre

Gordon’s screening of Marv Wilson film Our Father Abraham is largest Jewish-Christian interfaith event in New England

George Bush wins presidential election

Annual Kuyper Lecture, sponsored

by Institute for Public Justice, held at Gordon

World Trade Center bombings

Christians in Visual Arts (CIVA) relocates from Minnesota to Gordon

U.S. invades Afghanistan

Lilly endowment gift launches Critical Loyalty Project, supporting A. J. Gordon Scholars and other programs

U.S. and Britain launch war against Iraq

Gordon’s video Critical Loyalty: Christian Vocation at Gordon College featured in Lilly Endowment Annual Report

Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

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THE CARLBERG YEARS

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Faithful Expectations, 2011–2015 Referencing Tom and Jean Askew’s history of Gordon, A Faithful Past—An Expectant Future, this plan “projects a future for Gordon that is both respectful of the school’s rich heritage and responsive to the acute challenges and possibilities of the hour.”

Heart of Discovery Campaign (2005–Present) With a naming gift from technology pioneer and Gordon trustee Ken Olsen, this capital campaign resulted in the Ken Olsen Science Center, which greatly expanded research and teaching opportunities for students and faculty.

Brigham Athletic Complex

Ken Olsen Science Center GRAND OPENING 2008

BUILT 2005

2005

2011

Center for Balance, Mobility and Wellness BUILT 2008

2006

Leo Cleary's Gordon College “clean machine” selects new logo comes to Gordon with institutional rebrand

2007

Gordon becomes iTunes U college

2008

Classics minor; concentration and minor in public history

2009

Linguistics major begins

2010

Old Town Lecture Series begins in Salem, MA Minor in peace and conflict transformation

First May Term

2011

Gordon In Romania begins first semester Salzburg Institute offers summer study program

100 2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Studio for Art, Faith and History cohosts Eucharist and Eschatology conference in Orvieto, Italy

Hurricane Katrina hits Gulf Coast states

Jud joins more than 300 other senior evangelical leaders in signing the Evangelical Call to Action on Climate Change

Pluto demoted to status of “dwarf planet”

Fowler $60M planned gift to future endowment; Wenham campus named Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler Campus

Iraq War escalates with “troop surge”

50-year anniversary of Dr. David Franz’s first European Seminar in 1958

Barack Obama wins presidential election

Provost Mark Sargent named Top Chief Academic Officer by Council for Independent Colleges (CIC)

Grassroots “Tea Party” protests erupt across U.S.

Gordon rated “Best Value In Private Colleges” on Kiplinger’s top 100 list

Haiti earthquake; Gulf of Mexico oil spill flows for three months

D. Michael Lindsay named eighth president of Gordon College

Middle East and North Africa protests

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THE CARLBERG YEARS: A TIMELINE

STRATEGIC PLANS AND CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS Since 1994 Gordon College has operated according to several strategic plans and several accompanying capital campaigns. During the Carlberg presidency, total giving increased fivefold, resulting in a substantial increase in scholarship aid as well as the new Bennett Athletic and Recreation Center, the Phillips Music Center, and the Barrington Center for the Arts. Four new residence halls—Tavilla, Fulton, Nyland and Chase Halls—were added 1998–2003. In 2005 the Brigham Athletic Complex was completed. Carlberg also helped secure the creation of the Ken Olsen Science Center, an 80,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility.

PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES Many distinctive academic programs have come into existence during Jud Carlberg’s presidency. The Center for Christian Studies, launched in 1994, has emerged as a leading forum within Christian academic circles. On the global education front, the College now offers over 20 approved programs, including Gordon in Aix (France) and Gordon in Orvieto (Italy), which began in the 1990s; and, in 2011, Gordon in Romania. The College has also reconnected with its urban roots by establishing internship and service-learning programs in Boston and Lynn, Massachusetts.

RESULTS AND RECOGNITIONS An important part of the College’s history can be read in votes of confidence in the form of awards, grants and gifts. The College has received major grants from the Lilly, Pew, Stratford and Kresge Foundations, as well as naming gifts from benefactors including Tom Phillips, Ken Olsen, and Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler. Gordon has also been impressively ranked in college guides including Kiplinger's and The Princeton Review. Faculty and administrators have also been recognized for their achievements and contributions.

WORLD CONTEXT The Carlberg presidency has played out during a tumultuous two decades of American and world history. Because of Jud Carlberg’s commitment to allowing students to take their Gordon scholarship aid off campus, student participation in study-abroad programs has grown to nearly 40 percent compared to the national average, which is closer to 2 percent. Carlberg’s practical vision of equipping students to better understand and serve in the world has shaped hundreds of Gordon students.

RDON COLLEG GO E –

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Good Friends, Faithful Presence

By Stan D. Gaede

J

udy distinctly remembers the first time she met newly arrived Jan. The Carlbergs were temporarily housed at Bromley Hall, and Judy dropped by to say “hi.” Heather and a very tiny Chad were playing on the floor, and Jan welcomed Judy in as if they had been friends from day one. Jan’s fresh face and warm smile had

something to do with it. But there was an instant rapport that would endure for the next three (going on four) decades. They soon found themselves having lunch together, trading stories and feeling like they’d been friends forever. When I asked Judy why, words like “warmth,” “love of beauty” and “self-deprecating sense of humor” came tumbling out. But in the end she noted that Jan was such a compassionate listener. She could tell a good story, of course (as we would learn over the years), but her first inclination was to probe and listen. And learn.

Learning. Not a bad trait for someone in leadership at a college, come to think of it, and something we would increasingly come to appreciate about both Jud and Jan over the years. Of course, given our multiple connections— children named “Heather,” spouses working for each other, and names that seemed to sync up with personality traits (Jud and Judy; Jan and Stan). But the truth is, these are two bright people who used their minds to better serve others (including one another). Jud would eventually become a national leader in higher education, serving on boards like CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation)— setting standards for American higher education. Yet he rarely talked about these honors. Instead he learned; met people whom he would later use as advisors, for one thing, becoming ever more adept at matching resources with needs and opportunities. Remembering, in other words, what he had learned, and putting his knowledge to good use back at Gordon.

Jan’s memory was a tad more dangerous. I discovered that personally when she coerced me and four other (dimwitted) faculty members to mimic a Jackson Five dance routine at the Black and Blue Review. If you had even a modest gift, she employed it. And so Russ Camp wound up playing a piano solo of “Three Blind Mice” on one occasion, with a

26 STILLPOINT | SPRING 2011

live lab rat trotting across his shoulders. And Dick Gross (bless his heart) even consented to doing a standup Rodney Dangerfield routine. Eventually Jan managed to get the entire Theatre and Communication Arts Department faculty to conspire with her, which is why we now have the Golden Goose Awards (and a hundred other things). But the point is, Jan can see the possibilities in others and bring those possibilities into being by pulling together and inspiring the team needed to do the work. Bill Belichick, eat your heart out.

In one thing, of course, they are not alike. Jud is a bit more, let us say . . . organized . . . than Jan. In fact, he’s more organized than anyone I’ve ever met in my life. It is one of the keys to his effective leadership, actually, since he is almost never overwhelmed by the turn of events but, rather, calmly turns to meet them head on. And how can he do this time after time? Because “the events” are not enemies for Jud; or even obstacles, in their entirety. Rather, they are the equipment given to accomplish the task at hand. In other words, Jud does not confuse ends and means. He is not organized for the sake of organization but for the sake of the College he serves. For that reason he has no trouble saying “That’s a good point,” and even moving in a new direction if such a move would bring about the desired

THE CARLBERG YEARS

Two presidents, two first ladies: Stan and Judy Gaede and Jan and Jud Carlberg at Westmont College, where Stan served as president until 2006.

outcome. The goal isn’t to prove how right you are, after all; the goal is to do the right thing as God gives you the wisdom to see the right.

And so today we have a campus that is loaded with beautiful buildings, to be sure; but they contain a community of people significantly more stunning than the buildings they occupy. People who enjoy one another even when they disagree. Faculty who pursue different avenues of study but love the same Lord. Students who are stretched far beyond that which they thought possible, now stretched around the world doing the impossible with the Light they have been given.

Gordon forward. Prayers uttered; and prayers heard. And the blessing we gratefully acknowledge in this season is that Jud and Jan Carlberg have stood four-square in that tradition. They have been faithful with the gifts God has given them to the benefit and joy of all of us who have served with them. Thanks be to God. 

Stan D. Gaede, Ph.D., has been scholar-in-residence at Gordon since 2006, after serving as president and provost of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, for a decade. He is also currently president of the Christian College Consortium (CCC).

Gaede—who was a member of Gordon’s faculty 1974–1996—has published many books and articles, including An Incomplete Guide to the Rest of Your Life (2002) and When Tolerance Is No Virtue

And what accounts for all this beauty in both form and function? Well, it’s a long history of faithfulness from A. J.

(1995). He and his wife, Judy, have three grown children: Heather, Nathanael and Kirsten. stan.gaede@gordon.edu

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Words Matter

By Jan Carlberg

W

ords matter: those written or whispered as well as those heard, read or thought. Consider these simple phrases: “I love you”; “Please forgive me”; “Thank you so much”; “I forgive you”; or “I’m listening.” Do you need to hear or speak any of these words?

My grandmother completed just eight years of formal education in Norway before coming to this country to work as a maid in New York City. She was just 15 years old. The Jewish women she worked for taught her to speak English and showed her how to use the New York Public Library.

My grandmother loved to read and memorize poetry. She became wise, and a lifelong learner.

One day when I was a young girl, she took me aside to teach me the power of words through a poem she’d memorized.

Boys flying kites haul in their white-winged birds.

You can’t do that when you’re flying words.

Once spoken, though you wish them left unsaid, God Himself can’t kill them, make them dead.

Not the best poetry, but great wisdom. I cherish memories of sneaking peeks at my grandmother cradling her Bible— reciting, not reading—page after page. It reminded me of the old prophet Jeremiah, who wrote, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty.” (Jeremiah 15:16) But this is not about my grandmother or me. It’s about you and what you do with the words you’ll hear or use in these last days of the school year and after you’ve left Gordon to follow God’s call on your life in fresh directions. Being part of Gordon means we are people of our word. We keep our

commitments. We guard our speech. We use words to build, not to tear down. We learn to listen, not just speak.

Remember the privilege and responsibility that you bear His Name and have within easy reach the Word of God. I challenge you to take words with you. Words that heal and reconcile. Words that challenge people to think. Words that infect the world you’re in with love and joy and peace.

Words filled with hope. It won’t be easy, but it will be easier when you remember to fill up on God’s Word.

Eugene Peterson writes in THE MESSAGE his paraphrase of Colossians 3:16: “Let the Word of Christ—the Message— have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.”

Words matter. God’s and yours.



Jan Carlberg is the author of The Hungry Heart and The Welcome Song: And Other Stories from a Place Called Home, and speaks at conferences, churches and colleges across the country. She has served as a director of women’s ministries, community Bible study teacher, assistant chaplain at Gordon, and has served on the board of Vision New England.

An open letter to graduating seniors published in Vox Populi, a Gordon student publication, May 2008.

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Photo Gabe Davis ’02

THE CARLBERG YEARS

SPRING 2011 | STILLPOINT 29

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The Local and the Liberal Arts

By Mark Sargent

O

ur written directions, in Spanish, alluded often to former landmarks rather than to the names of avenues, as if the real map of San José was the local memory. So when our cab driver got lost, retracing the same steep roads in the outskirts of the Costa Rican capital, we tried our luck at a corner fruit

market, full of papayas, mangoes and bananas under a corrugated eave and another of the ubiquitous Coca Cola signs. The merchant, with slight amusement, promptly pointed to the iron fence and white house right across the street, the site of the Consejo Universidades Cristianas—or, the Latin American Studies Program of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).

It didn’t take long to encounter footprints from Gordon College. After all, Jud Carlberg had been one of the architects of the program during the years when the CCCU first decided to create study-abroad opportunities for U.S. students. On the wall overlooking a small courtyard, a bright mural by Marshall Deckert and Chad Carlberg ’95, Jud’s son, offers a vision of North American unity. Two large arms encircle a geographic panorama, which climbs from the barrio of San José toward the continental expanse of the United States. In the foreground the Pulperia, or the neighborhood fruit store, is surrounded by images of Costa Ricans at work and play—reading, harvesting coffee beans, or collecting flowers beneath a Spanish fountain. In the hazier distance one can see the faint silhouette of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and the twin towers of New York.

Our family’s visit occurred in the summer of 2002, just 10 months after those twin towers disintegrated over Manhattan streets. On that September 11 the sanctuary was already full when Jud Carlberg calmly pulled us together in a side aisle to design, rather hastily, a noontime service.

We chose hymns. I read a psalm. And Jud had prepared remarks about how the moment was as likely to define this generation as Pearl Harbor had once done for his own parents. What I remember most was his call for patience

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and empathy rather than recrimination and revenge. He would take some heat for that: notes and emails from those eager for more righteous indignation.

Since the tragedy of September 11, international study has expanded among American students. The number of Gordon students traveling off campus for a semester has more than doubled in the decade. Increasingly our students now find their way around the world, joining service trips in Sri Lanka and Bolivia, or completing academic semesters in Orvieto and Beijing.

Going forward we will inevitably stress that such international ventures prepare students to flourish in the “global economy” and the “global village.” We do trust that our graduates will know the idioms of the world’s parliaments and the digital language of the world’s marketplace. But I hope that, in the midst of all the spin about power and expediency, we never lose the conviction that international study is a means to developing patience and empathy. It is about discovering those neighborhoods that shape individual lives and values. The map of the human heart relies on local memory.

During my time as provost I have appreciated Jud’s encouragement to link educational ventures to the local setting rather than envisioning education primarily as a

THE CARLBERG YEARS

This mural (detail), by Marshall Deckert and Chad Carlberg ’95, was painted on the courtyard wall of the Latin American Studies Program in San Jose, Costa Rica.

global commodity. There is no digital equivalent for the hum of insects in Kenyan grasslands or the long conversation over coffee at Aix-en-Provence. Or the evening we spent with Jud and Jan walking by viola players on Budapest corners, part of a culture where opera spills into the streets.

Last spring my son Daniel spent a semester in the Triana neighborhood of Seville, Spain. During our visit Daniel and I found our way through the old dungeon of the Inquisition, exiting through an indoor market, packed with grapes, cantaloupes and ham legs, and decorated with scores of religious posters from Semana Santa, the extravagant and solemn Holy Week procession.

I had come to see something of the famous venue of religious intolerance, the place where the novelist

Dostoyevsky set the confrontation between the Grand Inquisitor and Christ. But in the vegetable stands, festival streamers, and saints’ figurines beside the prison rubble, I was reminded just how much the great legacy of faith—its traditions, exuberance, and tragic excess—takes on a local hue, never far from the simplest cadences of common lives.

Globalization both reveals and obscures those cadences.

I now read the international press online and watch cricket on cable. But this broad access to the world’s media can also build false confidence that one knows other peoples and places.

Just over a year ago, as I prepared for a trip to Tamil Nadu in southern India, I read Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger, a dark comedy on the rise of modern India. Fiercely satirical,

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I have appreciated Jud’s encouragement to link educational ventures to the local setting rather than envisioning education primarily as a global commodity. about lepers in the Nilgiri Hills, or a novella about love and loneliness on the Gulf of Mannar. Other professors recalled, with melancholy, how many of the best Tamil-language films were redubbed in Hindi to catch the Bollywood market, a gateway to the commercial attention of Europe and North America. Social workers stressed the tug-of-war between Western ideals of personal rights and the Gandhian vision for the collaborative rural village. Justice requires an eye for the neighborhood as well as the global trend.

Photo Flickr user: flydime

My hope is that at Gordon we will always remember the local in the liberal arts. Many who champion the liberal arts cite their universality—if not a singular canon of knowledge, a common array of intellectual skills. At their best, the liberal arts help us transcend borders.

But one can also use a liberal arts pedigree, with its claims to wisdom and breadth, merely to sanction one’s provincial ways and values. Just as likely, we can easily lose the regional shades of human experience within the broad strokes by which we paint the history of people and ideas. After all, most of the matters that fill a liberal arts curriculum—books, theories, artwork, and methods of discovery—are imports from some specific place. As with any commodity that succeeds on the global market, whether it is cuisine, sport, software, novels or ideas, there are many other variations back home that are equally, or even more fervently, cherished. I am grateful that Jud encouraged us to discover them. 

Scene from a fruit market in Spain.

the book captured the Man Booker Prize, the elite literary award announced in London. But in talking with faculty in Tamil Nadu I heard cautions about viewing an Asian nation through Western prizes, presumably because those award-winners are attuned to the Western ear for irony.

Faculty spoke instead of poems and novels that caught the rhythms on the land they loved: a lyric about the whitewashed banyan trunks alongside the dusty roads, a story

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Mark Sargent has been the provost of Gordon College since 1996. mark.sargent@gordon.edu

THE CARLBERG YEARS

Welcome Home: Full Circle

By Jan Carlberg

Recently I reread Jud’s inaugural address from March of 1993, “Welcome Home.” Quoting Jeremiah 29:11, he said Gordon would always be a place of hope: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.”

The same God who brought us here 35 years ago goes with us on the next phase of this adventure called life.

As we go we will be taking so many memories of you with us and leaving at least part of our hearts behind. Like the Class of 2011 and like generations of Gordon graduates before them, we are going out into the world with a blank slate, asking God to fill in the details. As we leave, it is comforting to know that, all in good time, we can come back to visit, hoping to reconnect with many of you. 

The Carlberg famiy in 1977: Jud, Heather, Jan and Chad.

Jud and Kurt Keilhacker, Board of Trustees chair, at Ken Olsen Science Center dedication in 2008.

Jan at home.

The Carlberg family in 2010, from left: Dr. Kristina Harter Carlberg, Lily Willis, Kate Carlberg, Chad Carlberg, Dr. Matthew Willis (holding Basil Willis), Dr. Heather Carlberg Willis. Front middle: Luke Willis, Jan Carlberg, Maggie Carlberg, Jud Carlberg.

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GORDON IN LYNN: THE BEAUTY

OF THE OVERLOOKED

Story Christen Borgman Yates

responsibilities. Gordon in Lynn partners with the Boys and Girls Club by bringing in Serve and Learn Teams (SALT) each week to help with tutoring, mentoring, playing sports or simply hanging out. In the past few years Gordon students have been engaging kids through theatre, dance and art.

THE FOOD PROJECT: Redeeming the Land

“There is a kind of extravagance that belongs to any proper act of charity.”

Robert Ellsberg, author of Dorothy Day: A Radical Saint Dorothy Day, Catholic saint and community worker, once gave a diamond ring (it had been donated to the Catholic Worker organization) to a poor, lonely old woman. Someone argued that the ring could have paid the woman’s rent for a year. Dorothy responded, “Do you suppose God created diamonds only for the rich?”

According to Gideon Strauss, CEO of the Center for Public Justice, one of the roles of artists is to educate our moral imaginations, allowing us to see and dream Kingdom visions that our rational intellects likely wouldn’t dare. Through the Gordon in Lynn service-learning program, students are catching a vision of loving their neighbors extravagantly, especially those in “overlooked” places like Lynn.

Here are just a few beautiful examples: COMMUNITY MINORITY CULTURAL CENTER GALLERY: Restoring a Vision

The Community Minority Cultural Center (CMCC) in Lynn is a resource for all those

34 STILLPOINT | SPRING 2011

working for social and economic justice.

However, as its funding and programs diminished, so did its storefront window, which had begun to look like a closet, displaying old Christmas decorations and boxes of books. Gordon art professors Tanja Butler and Jim Zingarelli and their students came to Lynn to ask questions, take pictures and learn more about the stories and vibrant cultures the CMCC celebrates. From this process came a colorful mosaic of tiles depicting members and scenes of the Lynn community as well as historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi, decorating the window front like a beautiful quilt.

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB: Reclaiming the Imaginations of Our Youth

As an affordable after-school program, the Boys and Girls Club offers an invaluable service to working parents and caregivers in Lynn. But like most struggling nonprofits in the city, funding has been cut, and limited staff carry extra

In one of the more densely populated neighborhoods of Lynn behind an elementary school, The Food Project has brought new life to a formerly empty and chemically infested lot. The quarter-acre garden plot produces thousands of pounds of delicious chemical- and pesticidefree vegetables every year, along with towering sunflowers and vibrant zinnias.

Six years ago a group of Gordon students were among the first volunteers to lay the healthy foundation that would yield all these pounds of fresh produce.

To join us in creating spaces of beauty in Lynn or across the North Shore, visit us at www.gordon.edu/oce.

Christen Borgman Yates is associate director of the College’s Gordon in Lynn Program. She is especially passionate about the intersection of faith, the arts and sustainable community development. A longer version of this essay may be read at www.gordon.edu/stillpoint. christen.yates@gordon.edu

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JOURNEY: A TOUR

OF THE VIRTUES

Story and photo M. Ryan Groff ’06

Museum and the ceiling of the Uffizi Gallery. We could literally see these virtues playing a part in all areas of society—architecture, liturgy and civil governance. It’s difficult to imagine a better school than firsthand location, or a more powerful pedagogical aid than actually standing before an ancient idea.

I’d been a student for quite some time but all without getting out of my seat.

A “CLEAN SEA BREEZE”

Seeing photos of great works of art in a book or online is one thing. Feeling the complex tension of Christian learning when standing between Raphael’s School of Athens and his Disputation of the Sacrament (while simultaneously planted beneath Cardinal and Theological Virtues) at the Vatican is another thing altogether.

As an alumnus of the Jerusalem and Athens Forum (JAF), I had learned a lot about Tertullian’s question—“What has Jerusalem to do with Athens?”—from classroom discussions. But I appreciate the delicate balance of faith and reason all the more after standing between these depictions of the Church and the academy, with the cardinal virtues of justice, fortitude, prudence and temperance circling the ceiling above me.

A TEN-DAY JOURNEY

This past January, having never traveled outside North America, I joined a small band of JAF alumni and Professor Tal Howard for a 10-day trip to Orvieto, Florence and Rome. We were hosted by John Skillen and Matthew Doll at the

Monastery San Paulo, home to Gordon’s Orvieto program. Far from being a sightseeing excursion (though we saw our share of sites), and not for the purpose of snapshot cultural sampling (though we sampled some tasty bits of culture), we were there to explore personifications of classical virtues in Renaissance literature, art and architecture.

Lewis admits the firsthand encounter is not just good in and of itself but because it also saves us from the confines of our own narrow present. The same could be said about the virtue of a trip. We take it not to leave our present but as a palliative against thinking we are all there is.

Encountering the past in Italy was for me, as Lewis puts it, like a “clean sea breeze of the centuries,” with the beauty of this breeze being that it came to me in a whole new way when I experienced it in its original setting.

BEYOND TOURISM

Dr. Howard charged us not to be “connoisseurs consuming another culture or historical period,” but rather to allow the questions and presuppositions of another place to affect our own.

C. S. Lewis said that “firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring . . . but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire.” It allows, even demands, attentiveness otherwise difficult to conjure. After just a few days in Italy, we began noticing the personified virtues everywhere: on the façade and doors of the baptistery at the Florence Duomo; in a ring around the pulpit at Santa Croce; and littering the walls of the Vatican

M. Ryan Groff ’06 thinks trips are the eighth virtue and enjoys taking them as part of his work with the Jerusalem and Athens Forum, of which he is an alumnus (2005–06 cohort) and for which he has been program coordinator since last year.

He and his wife, Laurie (Arnold) ’06, live in North Beverly with their sons, Simon and Micah. Laurie is an assistant swim coach and Hebrew language instructor at Gordon. ryan.groff@gordon.edu

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ESSAY: THE BEECHERS IN OUR BACKYARD

Teaching an introductory history class led Agnes Howard to a fascinating reacquaintance with members of the 19th-century Beecher family (close relatives of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin) buried in the Georgetown cemetery just a short walk from her home.

Teaching Gordon’s introductory U.S. history course last fall, I looked for a figure to illustrate transition between late-colonial religion and the Second Great Awakening. I chose a family—the Beechers of the 19th century, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose Uncle Tom’s Cabin stirred slavery debates in the 1850s; Henry Ward, the pastor whose recent biographer affirms him “The Most Famous Man in America”; and Catherine Beecher, who reshaped female education. Hardly a 19th-century trend eluded the Beechers: religious revival and reform, westward migration, foreign missions, abolition, women’s rights, spiritualism.

Charles Beecher, brother of Harriet, is buried in Harmony Cemetery near our home in Georgetown, Massachusetts.

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The local presence of some of the family gives us claim to the whole lot of them—their solidarity, lively arguments, and public engagement making them important in their century as well as our fascinating neighbors.

Lyman Beecher was the paterfamilias, a disciple of Timothy Dwight and defender of Connecticut’s Congregational church establishment. When Connecticut’s church lost state support in 1818, Lyman lamented but then rejoiced to see American Christians energized by voluntarism: “For several days I suffered what no tongue can tell for the best thing that ever happened to the state of Connecticut. It cut the churches loose from dependence on state support.

It threw them wholly on their own resources and on God. . . . By voluntary

efforts, societies, missions and revivals exert a deeper influence than ever they could by queues, and shoe-buckles, and cocked hats, and gold-headed canes.”

Lyman exerted that influence, preaching for revival and railing against dueling, drunkenness, Jesuits, slavery. He moved west to transplant the institutions of New England civilization. But as the father of many, he increases in stature still more.

Theodore Parker called him “the father of more brains than any other man in America.” Married three times, Beecher fathered four daughters and seven sons.

His children influenced a broad range of cultural and theological tensions of their century. All his sons became ministers, and most of his daughters grew into prominent figures in 19th-century reform.

Story Agnes Howard Photo Kristin Schwabauer Rydbeck ’04

But son Charles Beecher made this corner of the North Shore his mission field and resting place. Charles was musical, intellectual—nephew Lyman Beecher Stowe names him “the only real scholar of the family.” Had his father not pegged him for the ministry he would have preferred a career in music. As a young adult he was a church organist in New Orleans, where he gathered stories of slave life that Harriet would later employ in her writing. After pulpits in Indiana and New Jersey, he moved to Georgetown in 1858 to assist the aged pastor and then to lead the church.

Like his siblings, he faltered on the theology of his father (Reformed and predestinarian). In the summer of 1863, 27 members of his congregation petitioned the ecclesiastical council, complaining: “It seems to us that several doctrines preached by our pastor are not in accordance with the faith once delivered to the saints, and held generally by the churches of New-England.” The pastor suspected they also objected to his advocacy of abolition. Charles was tried for heresy. A heresy trial concurrent with the Civil War: one event a small, local, ecclesial matter; the other a great national conflict.

Charles was convicted. As The New York Times reported, the council decided: It is in evidence that much of Mr. Beecher’s preaching has been in accordance with the Scriptures and with standard New-England Divines. Yet this is so interwoven with preaching of an opposite and erroneous character as dangerously, if not fatally, to neutralize the good effects of his teachings. With some things on these doctrines that we think truthful, he has indulged in much that we consider wholly irreconcilable with the articles of faith of this church . . . and of the Orthodox churches generally in New-England.

Both the complainants and the council identified not only Scripture but also a strain of New England tradition as standards for orthodoxy. Beecher’s conviction split the Georgetown church, with the majority willing to flout the ecclesiastical conference to keep him as pastor. And the majority of Georgetown voters even elected him their state representative in 1864. Some in Beecher’s fold did leave to start a new church, but several years later his heresy conviction was overturned.

Sorrow came to bind him to the dust of Georgetown. One day in 1867 daughters Essie and Hattie were boating with a Beecher cousin on Pentucket Pond when their craft capsized and the teenagers drowned. Two years later his son Frederick was killed in an Indian battle in Colorado. A large stone in Harmony Cemetery commemorates all four.

Worn down by pastoral work, in 1870 Charles was lured to Florida by Harriet to minister among the freedmen, who, he reported, were wary of him as “unsound.”

He became superintendent of public education in Florida’s Reconstruction government. By the end of his tenure, school enrollment had more than doubled, and blacks and whites were both involved in the educational system. Though he prized the climate and flora of the South, he eventually moved back to Georgetown.

He died here in 1900.

What does one make of the Beechers in our own backyard? How might we take stock of the historically rich area where Gordon College is located? Our placement on the North Shore links us to the early fishing and Bible Commonwealth settlements in the 17th century, to revolution in the 18th, to a frenzy of movement, piety, reform, industry and immigration in the 19th.

Charles Beecher is not quite enough to make Georgetown famous.

But he and his siblings call to mind three noteworthy features of our historical landscape. First, they remind us how influential clergy were in public life for spiritual and social concerns. Second, Charles Beecher draws interest and empathy for his efforts to square his ancestral faith with the demands of his time. Being at Gordon makes us heirs of a New England theology that features twists and turns as the academy and the pulpit wrestled with hard doctrines and cultural currents. With his siblings, Charles entertained ideas we might dismiss, like the preexistence of the soul or spiritualism. Some of his answers might seem plain wrong; others peculiar to his time; and others earnest attempts to understand Scripture, tradition and the pain of living. Third, the entanglement of his family with the big events of the day directs us to the social, cultural and private currents that came along with political turning points.

Surveying his era, 19th-century pastor and Yale professor Leonard Bacon quipped, “This country is inhabited by saints, sinners, and Beechers.” Saints we occasionally meet and sinners we already know in abundance, but Beechers merit our reacquaintance.

Agnes Howard, Ph.D., is assistant professor of English and history at Gordon. She and her husband, Tal, associate professor of history, live in Georgetown and have three children.

Agnes’ essays have appeared in First Things, The Cresset and other publications. agnes.howard@gordon.edu

SPRING 2011 | STILLPOINT 37

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KENNETH H. OLSEN: A TECHNOLOGY PIONEER’S LIFE AND LEGACY

Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, widely recognized as one of the 20th century’s leading computer industry pioneers, passed away February 6. Gordon’s Ken Olsen Science Center stands as a legacy both to Olsen’s faith and to his tireless commitment to the sciences.

“An inventor, scientist and entrepreneur, Ken Olsen is one of the true pioneers of the computing industry,” said Bill Gates, founder and chairman of Microsoft, in a letter to Gordon College. “He was also a major influence in my life, and his influence is still important at Microsoft through all the engineers who trained at Digital and have come here to make great software products.”

Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Olsen developed a love and curiosity for electronics at a young age. After an enlistment in the Navy during World War II, he attended MIT for both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

While at MIT, he worked on a team that developed air defense technology and core memory, the precursor to today’s RAM.

38 STILLPOINT | SPRING 2011

He married Aulikki Valve in Finland on December 12, 1950.

In 1957 in Maynard, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston, he cofounded Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in a refurbished mill—a company that grew to over 125,000 employees in 86 countries. Countless CEOs, engineers and inventors recognize Olsen’s technological innovations, leadership style and entrepreneurial philosophies as the foundation for today’s information and computer networking industry.

“Ken Olsen was a pioneer of the computer age, but beyond that he was a good man.

He was a major philanthropist who did his giving quietly, never seeking recognition or thanks. Ken’s many contributions to business, leadership and technological

innovations were unmatched,” said Tom Phillips, former chairman of Raytheon and fellow board member at Gordon College since 1970. “He cared deeply about his family, his faith and, of course, his work, and sincerely expected that each would help make the world better.”

Under Olsen’s 35-year leadership tenure, DEC pioneered the concepts behind interactive computing. Creating one of the first digital computers for commercial use, DEC marketed the minicomputer and set records in size and affordability. The company also set industry standards in program languages, operating systems, networking architectures, applications software, computer peripherals, component and circuit technology, manufacturing processes and business practices.

“Science is more than a study of molecules and calculations; it is the love of knowledge and the continued search for the truth.”

In 1986 Fortune Magazine named him the “most successful entrepreneur in the history of American business.” He was also inducted into multiple halls of fame including the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame (1990) and the Computer History Museum (1996). He served on the boards of several prestigious organizations including the Computer Science and Engineering Board of the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C., and as a member of the President’s Science Advisory Committee. He was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1993.

Olsen had a particular fondness for Christian higher education. As an active member of Park Street Church in Boston, Olsen joined the Board of Trustees of Gordon College in 1961 along with fellow trustees Tom Phillips and Billy Graham.

Olsen admired Gordon’s openness to scientific inquiry and commitment to the Christian faith, and provided both spiritual and business input for the next 50 years. He supported numerous capital and building projects in all areas of academics, athletics, music and the arts, and moved the College towards greater efficiency in technology by donating his time, expertise and company equipment.

In his early leadership at DEC, Olsen often visited Gordon’s campus to meet informally with science students or professors about specific developments in computing. Sometimes he would drop off his latest prototype for Gordon scientists and challenge them to “play around with this in the lab and let me know what you think.” Because of his involvement, Gordon was a natural recipient for his archives.

“Ken Olsen made a lasting impact on generations of science students at Gordon College. He took his leadership role seriously, not just attending meetings but also helping to design new computer labs, giving of his own resources for the College to meet its financial goals, and asking the tough questions that a growing institution needed to answer,” said President Jud Carlberg. “Ken never saw a conflict between his Christian commitment and his embrace of scientific methods; it was up to us, he believed, to understand how science and the Bible were two expressions of God’s creativity. And we are still pursuing that task.”

Through all of his accomplishments, Olsen’s family and friends defined him by his humble commitment to loving God, loving excellence and loving others. His character in and out of the workplace reflected his lifelong belief that values, business ethics and scientific inquiry should coincide with faith in God. “Science is more than a study of molecules and calculations; it is the love of knowledge and the continued search for the truth,” Olsen once wrote. “The study of the sciences promotes humility, leaving us with a clear sense that we will never understand all there is to know. At the same time, science provides a defense for truth, authenticates Christianity and stems from the nature of God.”

TIMELINE 1950

Ken Olsen and Aulikki Valve married in Finland.

1957

Digital Equipment Corporation founded by Ken Olsen and Harlan Anderson.

1959

First PDP-1 (Programmable Data Processor) released— DEC’s first computer, and the first computer to focus on interaction with the user.

1961

Impressed with the way science is taught at Gordon, Olsen joins the Gordon College Board of Trustees.

1965

PDP-8 introduced—first commercially successful minicomputer.

1970

PDP-11 first sold—a series of 16bit minicomputers.

1977

VAX-11/780 introduced—first “superminicomputer” and the first to implement VAX (Virtual Address eXtension) architecture.

1985

DEC becomes the fifth company to register a “.com” domain name.

1986

Olsen described by Fortune magazine as the “most successful entrepreneur in the history of American business.”

2008 Ken Olsen Science Center dedicated.

A public memorial service will be held at Gordon on May 14 at 3:30 p.m. www.gordon.edu/kenolsenmemorial

SPRING 2011 | STILLPOINT 39

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JOHN D. MASON: A BELOVED PROFESSOR’S ADDRESS TO GRADUATES

Dr. John Mason, founding father of the Department of Economics and Business at Gordon, passed away January 15. This is text of John’s address to graduating seniors May 18, 2007, at the traditional Senior Breakfast.

I am a Christian brother who happens to be an economist. Now economists might be described as charter members of the World Association of Party Poopers (WAPP). It is our self-assigned task to assess the cost of whatever it is you may want to do, and then more often than you would like, to caution that these desires simply are too costly—that the ends you seek are not feasible, and therefore we encourage you to chart a less utopian course. In other words, so we are interpreted, “Don’t dream so much, and be content with the way things are”—to which you may well respond, “Who invited this guy to the party?”

But before showing me the door, recall that I am a Christian economist, and Christians should always be dreaming of new and better ways of bringing God’s 40 STILLPOINT | SPRING 2011

full shalom to every corner of our world— albeit, I must note, in ways that indeed yield the improvement we seek (for example, feasibility).

I share a special bond with your class. You and I terminate our full-time involvement with Gordon College at the end of this academic year: in your case, I pray, to use what we offered here in a quest to make this world more pleasing to its Creator; and in my case, to retire from full-time teaching. Although retired from this calling I have dearly loved, I will join with you in the pursuit of a better world through my ongoing research into ways of assuring that all students in this society receive a good, quality education.

Before I say anything more I must recognize the beautiful woman sitting

beside me at this breakfast, my wife of almost 41 years. To the extent I have been able to accomplish anything worthwhile throughout my professional career, Sherrie has been a vital part of that. As a number of you can testify, she manifests the gift of hospitality in a way I never could, and she keeps this otherwise dour economist smiling and fashionable.

A foundational principle of economics is the law of diminishing marginal utility, which observes that the more of some good we consume, the less the additional value received from one more unit of that good. As I have noted with some of you, I have discovered at least one exception to this law—kisses with one’s spouse of many years. Each kiss is at least as sweet as the previous one; there is no diminishing marginal utility here. I wish for each of

you this same sweetness with your life mate as I have found with mine.

The counsel offered to me by your representative who extended the invitation to speak was to make this talk touching and lighthearted. I hope I have been faithful to this charge so far. She also said that you asked me to speak for who I am. Heeding this counsel, let me return to my encouragement to you to embrace the pursuit of God’s full shalom in this world.

disparities between rich and poor—the pope condemned both capitalism and Marxism/socialism as “systems that marginalize God.” “What is real?” he asked. “Are only material goods, social and economic and political problems ‘reality’?”

“Just structures,” he continued, “are an indispensable condition for a just society, but they neither rise nor function without a moral consensus in society on fundamental values. Where God is

economic order more just. As one very important example of this, fellow Christians in an earlier era led the cause for abolishing slavery and the subsequent repressions known as “Jim Crow.”

To advocate for and to assist those in society who are weak, vulnerable and poor—as I contend the Bible instructs us to do—will inevitably require sacrifice in a world constrained by scarcity. I challenge Christopher Hitchens and his

Each kiss with one’s spouse of many years is at least as sweet as the previous one; there is no diminishing marginal utility here.

The New York Times this past week contained two contradictory items. The Sunday Book Review highlighted the latest book from Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Hitchens is one of those erudite and clever British imports who help us better understand ourselves. The reviewer notes how in his recent writings Hitchens seemed to be edging towards a position of cultural conservatism. But rather than embrace a traditional religion, as one might expect as the next step in this intellectual pilgrimage, Hitchens now turns and attacks religion—joining what appears to be a counter-offensive by prominent atheists of late in reaction to the growing influence of orthodox believers in each of the religions that claim Abraham as a spiritual father.

This past Sunday, probably about the time when readers of The Times were digesting the Hitchens review, Pope Benedict XVI was addressing the Latin American bishops in Brazil. In this much-anticipated speech, delivered on a continent hosting the largest concentration of Roman Catholics—as well as knowing great

absent—God with the human face of Jesus Christ—these values fail to show themselves with their full force: nor does a consensus arrive concerning them. . . .

I do not mean that nonbelievers cannot live a lofty and exemplary morality; I am only saying that a society in which God is absent will not find the necessary consensus on moral values or the strength to live according to the model of these values.”

From where I sit, Benedict XVI wins this contest hands down. A comprehensive market economy—call it capitalism—will of itself not generate a just distribution of income, and the socialist alternative (given all we have learned over the last century) offers no improvement.

Any workable economic order requires the presence of underlying values that constrain its harmful potentials, along with mercy-filled actions by citizens to provide what no government, however well-conceived, can do. In this part of the world the Judeo-Christian religious tradition has been a—if not the—primary source providing these necessary components that render the politico-

fellow travelers to provide in the absence of God a more compelling and enduring motivation to sacrifice than that given to us in Jesus Christ—the God Who became man and taught us to sacrifice for others, and then in humble obedience offered His own life as an example for us and as an atonement for the sins of the whole world.

So, dear brothers and sisters, have fun this morning and this weekend as you remember and celebrate the good times you have enjoyed together over these past years. And as you march across the stage tomorrow to commence your life after Gordon, may you continue to have fun—even dancing (my middle name is Dancer!)—in the midst of the necessary sacrifices required to help make this world more pleasing to our great God. Help this world do the good things to which it aspires, but, without God, lacks the understanding and will to make it happen.

May God bless you!

See John Mason’s obituary, page 48.

SPRING 2011 | STILLPOINT 41

The numbers

are simple:

175 DAYS 25% PARTICIPATION

AND YOU

Are You Up for a Challenge?

Introducing the 175 Challenge—an alumni participation outreach for the Gordon College Annual Fund. Gifts to the Annual Fund make a vital difference in many areas of the College, particularly core priorities like student financial aid, faculty support, and programs that are a daily part of the Gordon experience.

Why is your participation so important? Alumni giving, as measured by the percentage of alumni who make a gift of any amount in the fiscal year, is widely regarded as an indicator of loyalty and support for an institution, and it even factors into annual college rankings like those in U.S. News and World Report. In recent years Gordon’s alumni giving has lagged behind other Christian colleges. We can do better.

That’s where you can help right now. The “175” in this challenge refers to the number of days we’ve opened up the challenge to you before the end of the fiscal year in June. It also ties into a major focus on campus this semester: the 175th birthday of our founder, A. J. Gordon. The entire community is celebrating the uncommon courage, everyday faith, and steadfast devotion to the mission of Gordon College exemplified by A. J. Gordon’s life and legacy. It’s a spirit embodied by Gordon alumni like you and by the students who depend on the Annual Fund.

Help your fellow alumni meet the 175 Challenge. The countdown has begun.

Can we count on you?

GIVING Here are two simple ways to make sure you are counted:

Make a gift online at www.gordon.edu/175gift.

This is the easiest way to join your fellow alumni in reaching our goal.

Mail a gift to Gordon at: Gordon College Development Office Attn: Anne Watson 255 Grapevine Road Wenham, MA 01984

255 Grapevine Road, Wenham MA 01984-1899 www.gordon.edu

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ALL THE PRESIDENT’S PENS During his 35 years in leadership roles at Gordon, Jud Carlberg has used a lot of pens. Favorites include: 1 Reproduction of an early fountain pen, the kind Mark Twain championed 2 Omas fountain pen used to sign faculty contracts

3 Regatta pen by Monte Verde (Jud loves the sea) 4 1970s pen used to sign faculty appointment letters 5 and 6 Everyday utility fountain pens

by Pelican 7 Limited edition of Churchill’s WW II pen by Conway Stewart

8 First pen used as dean of the faculty 9 Gift pen 10 Indigenous peoples pen: Native American, by Delta 11 1940s mechanical pencil with four colors, used by Jud’s father to write his sermons 12 Michigan State University commemorative pen