Stillpoint Fall 2024

THE MAGAZINE OF GORDON COLLEGE

STILLPOINT FALL 2024

SCHOOLS OF

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Also in This Issue 2 Orvieto’s 25th Anniversary 5 Meet Nathaniel Perez: Diversity, Community and Belonging

Gordon in Orvieto: Celebrating 25 Years Over 100 alumni, faculty and staff gathered in Orvieto, Italy, on June 13 and 14 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Gordon in Orvieto study abroad program. Filled with art, gelato, food from Chef Maria Battistini, an illuminated bell tower and a brand-new gallery space, it was a wonderful time of honoring the program’s history while looking to the future.

“The First Servites left everything to follow God by serving the needs of others. While we may not be friars, this convent is still a place of learning and devotion. Its mission—to be a caring community that loves and serves—is still alive today. But what takes place here is not meant solely for those on the inside. It is meant to be shared. That is why we celebrate. It is our pleasure, but also our responsibility, to give back—to signal presence and express gratitude.”

—Matt Doll, Director of the Gordon in Orvieto program

CONTENTS

SCHOOLS OF

thought thought thought

5 Inspiration

Nathaniel Perez

Front with 6 Up President Hammond “Elect to Love”

8 Student Spotlight Vinnycius Alves ’25

10 On the Grapevine

Scholarship snapshots and campus updates

24 The One and the Many

Jerusalem and Athens Forum essay contest

25 Class Notes

Alumni news and stories

Gordon has announced the establishment of seven new schools, under which all academic offerings will reside. Undergirded by substantial philanthropy and led by industry experts, the schools bring new opportunities and resources for experiential learning, professional development and academic programming.

Hear the deans and faculty from three of these schools share how they are preparing Gordon students to tackle the pressing issues of today.

16 Herschend School of Education 19 School of Business 21 Adams School of Music and the Arts

INSPIRATION

Community and Diversity in the Kingdom

STILLPOINT

The Magazine of Gordon College VOLUME 39 NUMBER 2

Meet Dr. Nathaniel Perez

Dr. Mike Hammond, President

Pastor. Educator. New Yorker. Community champion. Diversity advocate.

Heather Korpi, Editorial Director Stephen Dagley ’08, Creative Director

“Community” is commonplace in

Neal Ericsson, Design Center Director

Christian circles, but what does the

Joanne Steward, Senior Graphic Designer

word really mean?

Madison West ’22, Graphic Designer

“People slap the ‘community’ label on

Sydney Cooney ’19, Staff Writer

things very easily. If you have a large

Anne Lang, Staff Writer

gathering, people call it a community,

Marilyn Helgesen, Alumni News

and that, at its core, is superficial,”

UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFO AND DELIVERY PREFERENCES

says Dr. Nathaniel Perez. Gordon’s new director of diversity, community and

Kristine Western, Staff Writer

www.gordon.edu/stillpoint/updatecontact

belonging and Title IX coordinator first experienced true community during seminary. “I was amazed by the diversity I saw within the body of Christ as I met students from all over, with different ethnicities and cultures,” he says. “As a new Christian I saw a glimpse of what the Kingdom looked like this side of Heaven.”

Perez dove into cross-cultural ministry, eventually planting and leading a

OTHER CORRESPONDENCE

church plant dissolved, Perez realized that diversity itself cannot be the

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

end goal. “The gospel should always be our focus,” he says. “The gospel

PRINTING

in its totality has the power to reconcile people to God, and the power to

Flagship Press | North Andover, MA

predominantly Asian and African American church in New York. When his

reconcile people to people.”

Moving into higher education, Perez recently served as the director for the Center for Racial Reconciliation at a Christian college in New York City. Once on campus he recognized the familiar, deep need for nonsuperficial community. With the gospel as the focus, Perez worked to educate, disciple and empower the campus community—“to bridge the gap between diversity and community through racial reconciliation.”

Since joining the Gordon community in 2023, Perez has continued planting seeds for Kingdom-minded community. “We’re working to grow more diverse, not just with students, but with faculty and staff. Diversity must be part of our mission as an institution; there must be a biblical framework for why we’re doing it.”

Perez is optimistic for Gordon students to graduate prepared for a diverse

Opinions expressed in STILLPOINT are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Gordon College administration.

Reproduction of STILLPOINT material is permitted; please attribute to STILLPOINT: The Magazine of Gordon College.

MISSION STILLPOINT magazine is one of two keynote communications (along with Gordon’s website) that exist to connect the extended Gordon community to the life of the College.

STILLPOINT offers meaningful, relevant news and stories to educate, inspire and engage Gordon and Barrington alumni, parents, donors and friends.

Send feedback and story suggestions to stillpoint@gordon.edu.

and complex world and to build communities that thrive as they model the body of Christ. “We’re looking to reflect the Kingdom of God on earth,” he says. “When we come together in solidarity to educate, do justice, love mercy and walk humbly, we help make things right in the world.”

FALL 2024 | STILLPOINT 5

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UP FRONT with President Hammond

Elect to Love As this issue of STILLPOINT hits mailboxes all around the country, it’s likely arriving along with a stack of election mailers. Party conventions have saturated newsfeeds and will soon be followed by a host of presidential and vice presidential debates. It’s election season, and politics dominate public consciousness.

I love politics. And even as we all grow weary of a more contentious and caustic national dialogue, we have a responsibility to engage with the issues of the election season. Right out of college I spent a few years working on Capitol Hill, and I feel energized any time I can revisit D.C. Working on the Hill provided a behind-the-scenes look at American politics. It was in Washington that I first met Gordon alumni who were motivated to serve out of their Christian convictions.

What impressed me the most during those years were the public servants who leaned into their faith, leading with integrity even when it generated criticism.

Sadly the national political climate we experience today often falls short of the basic bounds of civic principles, leaving little room for respectful dialogue.

An interest in complex issues, driven by compassion and curiosity, may be snuffed out in an environment of contention and division. It can be hard for us to imagine how we could live out loving our neighbor in this context.

I’m grateful for the work of Gordon faculty like Dr. Paul Brink, who spent his sabbatical exploring reasons behind political dissatisfaction and seeking to find a different approach to fairness and justice. You can read more about his work on page 14.

Dr. Michael Hammond is the ninth president of Gordon College. His favorite way to talk politics is over a home-cooked family meal.

president@gordon.edu www.gordon.edu/president @mike_hammond_gc

My visits to Washington demonstrate that followers of Jesus—and indeed, Gordon alumni—continue to make a difference in the nation’s capital. But at Gordon we believe that politics isn’t the only sphere in need of redemption. Our world needs people willing to tackle hard questions, engage in civil dialogue and feel a responsibility to bear witness and truth in every corner—in the education system, entertainment and the arts, business, healthcare and so much more.

We’re dedicated to fostering an environment where passionate young Christians can prepare to become thriving contributors in their communities, churches and careers.

Our hope for students is that they will graduate from Gordon confident in who God made them and prepared to make a difference with hope in the face of a changing world. That’s why academic innovation and faith integration have been at the forefront of our efforts over recent years.

This year we were pleased to announce the establishment of seven schools, backed by substantial philanthropy and led by industry experts. In addition to new majors, these exciting developments bring new partnerships and professional development opportunities for our students. On page 15 you’ll hear how three of these schools are leading the way in preparing students to contribute to the pressing issues of our day with a uniquely Christian voice. Herschend School of Education Dean Ellen Ballock discusses the literacy crisis in America and how Gordon is at the forefront of preparing teachers to combat it. Adams School of Music and the Arts Dean Sarita Kwok paints a picture of how creativity can be a balm for brokenness.

School of Business Dean Steve Nelson shares lessons learned from leading Harvard’s MBA program.

In every area we’re asking: How can we make a difference? How can we serve God and neighbor with excellence? How can we foster values of compassion, curiosity, wonder and respect that our world so desperately needs?

This election season, whenever we feel angst over the depth of our divisions, let us remember this: Our love for our neighbor is most courageous when we are so moved by the work of grace in our own hearts that we point people back to the same place of grace, to the feet of Jesus.

Grace and peace,

Michael Hammond 6 STILLPOINT | FALL 2024

IN EACH ISSUE

gs

Hammond Happenin

A great service-learning

trip to Atlanta with the Preside ntial Fellows. I am so excited to see these students thrive in the calling God has for each of the m.

What a gift we have in Norm Jones and Jess Modo ff. They led our stud ents throug ha wonderful, moving re telling of Godspell in a contemp orary setting.

n the investment of Da Deeply grateful for re Andrea. We we Tymann and his wife, s Dan’s retirement thi ate ebr honored to cel full two ost nk him for alm past spring and tha to Gordon. decades of service

The Golden Goose tradition continues! This year’s teams brought talent, laughter and wit, and were such a joy to watch.

Congratulations to the Class of 2024! We are so proud of what you’ve accomplished over the last four years and are honored to now welcome you into the alumni community.

Gordon in Orvieto is truly special!

Jen and I had a wonderful week in the Italian countryside celebrating the th program’s 25

So blessed by the leadership of the Gordon College Student Association.

They care deeply about making the Gordon experience the very best it can be, and I’m grateful for their partnership.

anniversary with alumni, friends and supporters.

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Vinnycius Alves ’25 FROM ADVERSITY TO ADVOCACY First-gen student Vinnycius Alves’ mission to bridge mental health gaps in urban communities According to the National Institute for Mental Health,

kids, Alves being the oldest, was tough. As finances

more than one in five U.S. adults live with a mental

got tighter, his family moved into his grandmother’s

illness or struggle with a form of mental illness

house, with all five members squeezing into one room.

(57.8 million in 2021). Global Health found that the

Alves’s dad worked two jobs for four years, sometimes

prevalence of psychological distress in children of

only coming home for 20 minutes in between, until

immigrants is nearly double (10.1 percent) that of

they made enough money to move into their own

their parents (5.9 percent). But for Vinnycius “Vinny”

place once again.

Alves ’25, a first-generation student who grew up in Lowell, MA, these stats are a reality. In his BrazilianAmerican urban community, he witnessed the burdens of overcommitment, stress and burnout plague his church and neighborhood.

Despite their hardship Alves was inspired by his father’s growth. Through his hard background the Lord grew him into a loving father and devoted husband who was willing to sacrifice everything to ensure his family had a better life than he did. “Seeing

Alves wanted to do something about this. He felt God

my dad’s growth within his faith and within his

was calling him to be the first in his family to attend

own character throughout the past years has been

college, where he could combine psychology and

inspiring,” Alves says. “He’s been definitely a monolith

biblical studies into a practical career that helps heal

in my family.”

others through God’s love. “I have always loved talking about God and learning theology, even when I was very young,” Alves says. “And then I’ve always loved

SEEING GOD PROVIDE

learning about people. That’s the nature of what I

While Alves’s parents always hoped that he would go

want to do: See people, love people, love God.”

to college, there were several barriers in his way. First was his career goal. “There’s this taboo in my culture

“I have always loved talking about God and learning theology, even when I was very young.”

where the people who go to therapy are the people who are crazy,” he says.

As a first-generation student Alves had to navigate the road to that career without a map, finding his

SEEING HEALING IN OTHERS’ LIVES Alves has witnessed God’s healing power firsthand in his personal and familial life. His dad came from a broken home, with parents who were involved in Macumba, a type of Brazilian voodoo, and divorced when he was young. Alves’s dad left home around age 14 and immigrated to the States. There he met Alves’s mom, who immigrated to the U.S. as a child, and she led him to Christ.

The two of them married and settled in Lowell to start a family. But finding jobs to support three young

way through the college search, application process and the FAFSA on his own. There were a few college readiness programs like Upward Bound and Gear Up, but with only three staff members at his school of 4,000 students, resources and answers were scarce.

Even though Alves secured scholarships to a few local colleges, it wasn’t enough to cover tuition. Fortunately, Gordon’s Clarendon program made tuition feasible.

“That’s why I’m pretty sure God wants me here,” he says. “Every single time I wasn’t supposed to be here, something else comes up to keep me here.”

“There’s this taboo in my culture where the people who go to therapy are the people who are crazy.”

8 STILLPOINT | FALL 2024

IN EACH ISSUE

SEEING PEOPLE THROUGH GOD’S EYES Alves college career thus far has been a journey of him learning to see others through God’s eyes, but also allowing others to see him. “I have a very wide perspective in different areas of hardships because I come from the inner city,” he says. “And then at Gordon, you now have people who have been through the same hardships but you’re adding the faith elements.

It’s something that has opened my mind, built upon my own theology and corrected me in certain things.”

After he graduates Alves plans to return to an urban environment and use his degree to treat people in a very practical way within the city but also within the church. “I believe a lot of times we neglect the mind, and we hide behind the language of ‘give it to God,’” he says. “When God’s asking you to go through the process of healing—that looks different than just getting on your knees and praying ‘God, take this from me’ or ‘Help me escape from this.’ It looks like him leading you by hand through the things that hurt you in order to heal you.”

“When God’s asking you to go through the process of healing...it looks like him leading you by the hand through the things that hurt in order to heal you.”

FALL 2024 | STILLPOINT 9

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NEWS: ON THE GRAPEVINE

CAMPUS NEWS AND HAPPENINGS

Congratulations, Class of 2024

Clarendon scholars program receives $1.49 million endowment gift In celebration of the Clarendon Scholars program’s 20th anniversary, the College announced the receipt of an anonymous $1.49 million gift toward endowing the program. This gift, given by a Gordon alum, was one of the largest to Gordon this year and the largest to the Clarendon program in the College’s history. It undergirds the Gordon College honored the Class of 2024, conferring degrees on 292 undergraduate students and 119 graduate students, including the inaugural graduate cohort for the Master of Public Health, on May 11, 2024. The

College’s commitment to the program, which is specifically designed to equip students from urban areas to lead in their communities.

weekend was marked by celebrations with family and friends, including the Baccalaureate service the night before. Baccalaureate speaker James Chen, M.D., Ph.D., was awarded an honorary doctorate. Dr. Chen is the founder of ChenMed, a physician-led primary care practice whose goal is to deliver

New partnership with North Shore Christian School

affordable care and a superior experience to seniors across the United States.

Gordon alumni survey results Thank you to the alumni who participated in the alumni survey, which helps us better understand

A partnership was announced this past

how to communicate and engage with you. Notable

spring between Gordon College and North

results included that half of respondents indicated

Shore Christian School (NSCS). The School’s

they would take advantage of opportunities provided by Gordon to inspire

Beverly campus is renting on-campus space

their love for God, neighbors and the world. For more information about

from Gordon in the 2024–25 academic year,

results and participating in further surveys, please get in touch with

providing opportunities to enrich the already

alumni.office@gordon.edu.

robust classroom experiences Gordon teacher candidates have across diverse school settings.

We are excited to welcome NSCS to campus!

10 STILLPOINT | FALL 2024

ON THE GRAPEVINE

Farewell and thank you, Dan and Marie!

Outstanding performances by Gordon business students

Gordon College bid farewell with

from Gordon’s Business Club competed

For the second year in a row, a team gratitude to distinguished faculty

at the International Collegiate Business

and staff in 2023 and 2024 as

Strategy Competition and had stellar

they entered a new season of their

results, winning awards for “Best Overall

professional journeys—retirement.

Performance” and “Best Documents in

We are grateful for their years of

Their World.”

faithful service and commitment to Gordon College.

The Center for Balance, Mobility and Wellness welcomed over 100 guests in recognizing the retirement of Marie Lucey, CBMW director. Her leadership has touched so many students, alumni and staff in her 21 years of service and employment.

A team of Gordon students hosted and competed in the National Student Advertising Competition for the New England district, placing third for a second year in a row. Led by Professor Greg Smith and project manager Gabby Bergstrom ’24, the team created a comprehensive marketing campaign and case study for Tide, the highest-selling detergent brand in the world.

New grant for fostering leadership for communities of faith

Wisdom from guest speakers Gordon welcomed numerous well-known and accomplished speakers in 2023–24, including: •

Georgetown University’s Steven Harris, a

A cornerstone of campus, Dan

Gordon College is part of

Tymann worked in nearly every

faith-based public policy expert and scholar

a select group chosen by

department at Gordon during his

of American religious history and African

NetVUE to receive a Grant

18 years of faithful service. In all

American studies

for Fostering Leadership for

of them he served with humility,

Communities of Faith from

tireless care, a prayerful heart and

the Council of Independent

a commitment to keep Christ at

Colleges. This grant, totaling

the center of everything.

$39,844, may be used

•

his approach to navigating questions of self and service •

Award-winning, best-selling author Andre Dubus III

to develop or strengthen programs designed to

Micheal O’Siadhail, an Irish poet who presented

•

Dr. Michelle Loyd-Paige, author of The Diversity

support students who are

Playbook and 30-year veteran in the diversity

exploring future leadership

education field

roles in communities of faith. The grant will oversee a collaboration between the Dokes Fellows program and the Strategic Partnerships

•

Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah, Robert Boyd Munger Professor of Evangelism and founding senior pastor of Cambridge Community Fellowship Church

Office with Andrew Breton.

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Gathering faith leaders together

Gordon dining services improvements

In February Gordon welcomed faith leaders from across New England for a Faith Leaders Gathering

Gordon College entered into a new

marked by prayer, encouragement, community-

partnership with Metz Culinary

building and learning from J. R. Briggs of Kairos

Management, which will offer expanded

Partnerships. In May the College partnered with

hours, new stations and food options

Vision New England to welcome Russell Moore to

and enhanced meal accessibility for

campus for speaking engagements.

student athletes.

Rising to the top in rowing and running In the same weekend as the 2024 Commencement celebration, rowing powerhouse duo and 2024 graduates Lucy Hopkins and Tiana Fox (pictured below) celebrated back-to-back National Championships in the women’s 2x event. This is the second national title the team has brought to Gordon.

Fighting Scots Nation welcomes new director This past spring Gordon College announced Jason Linders as the new director of athletics for the Fighting Scots. Linders comes to Gordon with nearly 20 years of experience in sport management at organizations including Chicago State University, Grand Canyon University, the University of South Florida and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Most recently Linders served as director of athletics and director of operations for the Southbridge Public Schools District in Massachusetts. “Gordon College excites me because of the opportunity to work with Christ-centered students, faculty and staff who are purpose-driven. I look forward to working with them to build a department in alignment with the mission of the College, centered around faith, learning, service and leadership, while holistically developing student athletes who are competing in a sport they love,” says Linders.

12 STILLPOINT | FALL 2024

In the fall Rachel Brennan ’24 placed 62nd in the country at the 2023 Cross Country National Championship. In the spring Brennan returned to the National Championships, this time for track. Brennan placed 12th in the 10,000m, earning her a Second-Team All-American recognition.

FACULTY NEWS

Scholarship SNAPSHOTS

Oleksiy Svitelskiy (physics) secured his fourth NSF grant, which will bring $400,000 to the College and to Oleksiy’s and Kristen Siaw’s labs, as she is serving as co-primary investigator on the grant with him. The grant is a continuation of a collaboration with Dr. Kamil Ekinci, leading researcher at the Ekinci Group at Boston University, and is the largest NSF grant Gordon has ever received.

Mary Montgomery Koppel (music) enjoyed two world premieres this spring. In February her orchestral work Harmonia was premiered by The Orchestra on the Hill and the Ipswich Art Association. In March Mary also presented the premiere of a new arrangement of her song cycle House on Fire: “Three Songs on Responsibility”.

Karl-Dieter Crisman (mathematics), along with former research students Abraham Holleran ’22, Micah Martin ’22 and Josephine Noonan ’23, published their research article, “Voting on Cyclic Orders, Group Theory, and Ballots” in Contemporary Mathematics Volume 795: Mathematical Analyses of Decisions, Voting and Games, one of the most prestigious journals in the world of higher education mathematics.

Gordon’s Department of Mathematical, Computer and Data Sciences had several presentations at the biannual Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences at Dordt University: Karl-Dieter Crisman (mathematics) on “The Crooked Made Straight: Alfonso’s Geometric Work,” Erica Oldaker (mathematics) on “Joyful Mathematics: Worshiping the Creator by Delighting in His Creation,” Russ Tuck (computer science) on “Selfishness in Computer Science” and Shelley Zhang (computer science) on “Faith Lighting in the Shadow of AI.”

Greg Deddo (art) had an exhibition, “How the Morning Itself Appears,” featured in the Gallery at Barrington Center for the Arts

The College archivist, Sarah St. Germain ’17,

last December. Greg’s art asked difficult questions about the ways

collaborated on “The History of The Gordon

digital media—photography, AI, video—shape our understanding

Review: Faith Integration’s ‘First’ Journal” in the

of ourselves and our families and communities.

most recent edition of the Christian Scholar’s Review.

FALL 2024 | STILLPOINT 13

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Faculty Sabbaticals

Kristen Cooper (economics) is conducting a project to find a scientific means of measuring a person’s—and a nation’s— well-being. She will be analyzing survey findings from several colleagues across the country and securing a grant to gather more data to find what dimensions over a person’s lifecycle and economic standing can be changed to improve their well-being.

Navigating Political Discontent Dr. Paul Brink’s sabbatical on fairness and justice As the presidential campaigns for the 2024 election season start to heat up, many Americans are already exhausted Mark Stevick (English) is finishing and publishing a new book of poems that is a collection of works from past issues of The Idiom, a student-led publication that’s been running on Gordon’s campus for over 60 years. He’s also planning to complete a play, write lyrics for a musical and plan the fourth iteration of the Five Ponds Creative Writing Festival at Gordon College.

thinking about politics—about 65 percent, according to the Pew Research Center. Dr. Paul Brink, professor of political science, spent his sabbatical this spring exploring reasons behind this political dissatisfaction and seeking to find a different approach to fairness and justice. He believes our country is in desperate need of a political theory that takes better account of the diverse communities and identities of American society—a theory scholars refer to as “covenantal pluralism.”

“A pluralist political theory attempts to see our differences not as problems that we need to solve but as resources upon which we can depend,” he says. “Given the range and the scale of the problems confronting American society, we need as many resources from as many voices as we can get.

Just as Gordon College conversations are richer, not poorer, by welcoming students from different Christian traditions, so America’s public conversations are richer, not poorer, by

Ming Y. Zheng (biology) is researching doubled haploid

inviting citizens and communities to express and practice

production from corn micropores through embryogenesis as

their deepest commitments in their public political lives.”

a means of accelerating crop breeding in plant biotechnology.

He is also networking in the overseas academic exchange for international cooperation in the scientific community on the collection and research of medicinal plants to strengthen the offerings of medicinal botany.

14 STILLPOINT | FALL 2024

Read the full story on The Bell

SCHOOLS OF

thought thought thought

As Gordon welcomes the largest incoming class of students in many years to campus this fall, it is ushering in a new era of academic innovation.

FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE: Herschend School of Education:

Nationally ranked for evidence-based reading instruction, with specific commitment to preparing educators to teach diverse populations of learners.

School of Business:

Leveraging faculty industry experience and practical learning opportunities to prepare students for high-demand areas of work.

Adams School of Music and the Arts:

The collaborative home for Gordon’s 20 creative and performing arts programs and a vibrant venue hosting 70+ annual events.

Six months ago the College announced the establishment of three schools: the Adams School of Music and the Arts, the Herschend School of Education and the School of Business. These three schools served as models for a future arrangement wherein every academic program at Gordon would be housed under a

COMING SOON: School of Humanities and Social Sciences:

Where a curiosity about the past and a vision for the future join to foster hopeful transformation for a hurting world.

school.

This fall an additional four schools are being assembled, moving Gordon’s academic operation from disparate departments and majors into a discipline-specific structure comprised of seven cohesive schools. Led by industry experts and backed by substantial philanthropy,

School of Ministry, Theology and Biblical Studies:

Layering scholarship with practical skills to help students understand the diversity of Christianity and connect it with service.

the schools open new doors for opportunity and resources. Enhanced experiential learning, professional development and academic programming will prepare students with maximum relevance for today’s rapidly changing marketplace.

School of Psychology and Human Services:

Facilitating healing and fullness of life for people who are hurting.

School of Science and Health:

Where real science and real faith come together to bring solutions to a suffering world.

FALL 2024 | STILLPOINT 15

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100% job placement for eduation majors

A+ rating from National Council on Teacher Quality

The Peter Herschend School of Education builds on Gordon College’s decades-long reputation for offering nationally ranked teacher preparation programs and producing excellent teachers.

Gordon-trained teachers are committed to changing the trajectory for all students, regardless of learning ability and background, by using evidence-based methods for teaching reading.

The Peter Herschend School of Education is poised to expand Gordon’s reach as a leader in language and literacy research and practice. New initiatives include:

A 9-credit online certificate in the Science of Reading An Ed.D. program in development, with an anticipated launch in 2–3 years* An expanded partnership between Gordon and North Shore Christian School A license in Digital Literacy and Computer Science to equip education majors to impart knowledge of new, essential literacy tools

Gratitude to Peter Herschend The Peter Herschend School of Education is named in honor of Peter Herschend, in gratitude for his longstanding commitment to education and his dedicated service to the Gordon community. Herschend is cofounder and co-owner of Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation, parent company for entertainment attractions including the Harlem Globetrotters, Dollywood theme parks and Silver Dollar City. He has served with distinction on Gordon College’s Board of Trustees since 2000. For 32 years, under seven state governors, Herschend served faithfully on the Missouri Board of Education to empower students of all ages with the strongest academic programming the state could offer.

16 STILLPOINT | FALL 2024

* Pending approval by the New England Commission of Higher Education and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

Demystifying the Reading Landscape

By Ellen Ballock, Ph.D., Dean, and Priscilla Nelson ’74, Ed.D. What’s all the buzz about the science

According to results from the most

the science of reading provides a

of reading? From newspaper headlines,

recent National Assessment of

true beacon of hope because it is not

social media feeds and education

Educational Progress, often nicknamed

an ideology, strategy or technique.

associations to civic action groups and

the Nation’s Report Card, many children

Rather, the science of reading is an

state legislators—it seems everyone

are at risk. About a third of U.S. 4th,

immense body of scientific research

has something to say about reading

8 and 12 graders cannot read at a

conducted using experimental and

instruction. Is there really a literacy

basic level, and only about a third read

quasi-experimental designs across a

crisis in the United States, or is this

proficiently. Persistent disparities in

variety of academic disciplines, including

media hype? Is the science of reading a

reading achievement between different

neuroscience, cognitive psychology,

silver bullet to change the educational

demographic groups heighten the

linguistics and education. This body of

landscape, or the next “here today,

concerns, causing some to frame literacy

research is growing exponentially and

gone tomorrow” fad? Is it a new

as one of the major civil rights issues

now includes technologies like functional

teaching approach, or is it the shiny new

of our time. There is an urgent need for

magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

packaging for old-fashioned phonics?

a collaborative effort to empower all

that actually allow us to look at what is

children with the literacy skills needed to

going on inside the brain and how that

thrive in the world as adults.

changes over time (or not) in response

First, let’s acknowledge that concerns about literacy are well-grounded. In our current Information Age, the bar for proficient reading is higher than ever. Adults need to be able to read materials with higher complexity than any previous generation, even in the context of jobs that didn’t previously require much reading at all. For example, plumbers and mechanics must now

th

th

to particular types of reading instruction.

Is there really a literacy crisis in the United States?

access to education, employment and economic opportunities, contributing to income inequality and social exclusion.

Furthermore, there has long been a link between illiteracy, delinquency, violence and crime. Failure to read proficiently at the end of grade 3 has been linked to loss of interest in school, dropping out and poverty.

what it takes to train a reading brain, and have come to agreement that all but five percent of children can become proficient readers with evidence-based instruction.

More Than Just Phonics

be able to read and interpret complex technical manuals. Illiteracy restricts

As a result researchers now understand

The Science of Reading Within the field of education, few debates have been as contentious as those surrounding the teaching of reading. In past decades various ideologies, strategies and fads have surfaced, each promising to revolutionize literacy education. Yet each has fallen short. Could the science of reading really make a difference? Herschend School of Education faculty are convinced

You may wonder: Is “science of reading” just a new spin on the phonics exercises you remember working through in the primary grades as you learned to read? While phonics is a crucial part of reading, it’s not synonymous with the science of reading. Instead, the science of reading recognizes skilled reading as a complex process, involving multiple factors working together to support both word recognition and language comprehension.

Could the science of reading really make a difference?

FALL 2024 | STILLPOINT 17

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ARTICLES ALUMNI

Let’s home in for a moment on just that

say sat. Does sat rhyme with mat and

stronger neural pathways, preparing

first piece: word recognition. Proficient

cat? Do cat and cab rhyme? Do sat

children with a stronger foundation for

readers can decode words quickly

and bat rhyme?” As lessons progress

reading and preventing reading failure.

and accurately. Explicit, systematic

over time, the teacher would focus

phonics instruction does lay important

on other aspects of phonological

groundwork for decoding (and spelling)

awareness, such as alliteration, syllables

words because it helps children

and eventually the smallest unit of

connect the sounds heard in oral

sound, the phoneme. When children

language to the letters or combination

can identify the individual phonemes in

of letters used to represent those

words, such as the three phonemes in

sounds in written language. But start

wish—/w/ /i/ /sh/­—then they are fully

with phonics, and you’ll be missing an

ready to connect letters to sounds.

of literacy. We can truly imagine a time

Phonological awareness relies on the

all children can read proficiently. All

brain’s ability to process sounds. The

education programs should prepare

phonological processing system is one

highly qualified teachers. And Gordon

of several neural networks that must

has led the way for over 30 years.

even more foundational skill essential for word recognition: phonological awareness. This is an awareness and sensitivity to the sounds of oral language. It’s difficult to map written symbols with the sounds they represent if one struggles to isolate those sounds auditorily. On average it takes about 17 hours of instruction, just 15 minutes per day throughout kindergarten, to

become coordinated to process spoken and written language. Interestingly, it turns out that brain wiring differences in this phonological processing system are one distinguishing feature of dyslexia.

develop phonological awareness.

Phonological awareness, specifically the

What does this instruction look like?

is one early indicator of whether a

Here’s one example. Imagine a teacher

child is at risk in reading. Screening

holding up two pictures, one of a mat

for phonemic awareness allows us to

and one of a cat. Listen as the teacher

identify children who may need extra

says, “Mat. Cat. Mat and cat rhyme.

instruction with multisensory practice

Say mat. Say cat. They rhyme.” She

and targeted feedback. This extra

then continues, “Say mat. Say cat. Now

practice can train the brain, building

ability to segment individual phonemes,

Reading for All Nelson Mandela once said, “It is not beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to a good education.” Advances in the science of reading mean this is true in the world in the not-too-distant future when

Herschend School of Education faculty have an even higher motivation. As Christ followers, faculty are committed to living out the commands of Scripture in Micah 6:8, that we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. It is in light of this commitment that faculty continue learning from this body of research as it advances to prepare teachers to live out the significant call to teaching all students how to read and prepare for future opportunities.

We can imagine a time in the not-too-distant future when all children can read proficiently.

18 STILLPOINT | FALL 2024

SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

Gordon’s new School of Business builds on more than five decades of strength in the Economics and Business Department, home to the College’s historically largest majors.

Led by Steven Nelson, former MBA executive director at Harvard Business School, the School equips future business professionals and leaders to effect positive social change through business—to make a positive impact while making a profit. Faculty bring decades of industry experience at companies like PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, General Electric, UKG and three Fortune 200 firms to the classroom.

4 new majors in 2024–25

2,300 business alumni

$8 million in start-up capital

5 decades of ECB programs

Q&A with Steve Nelson, inaugural dean of the School of Business

STILLPOINT: You have an

concentrating in English, history,

undergraduate degree in chemistry.

education and math along the way.

What set you on the path to a

Business school didn’t actually come

Harvard MBA?

on to my screen until I was a year

Get to know the scholar

wasn’t a direct path from one point

STEVE NELSON: Well, it certainly

at the helm of the new School of Business,

to the other. I tend to think of my

who came to Gordon following a lengthy

educational journey more like walking

tenure at Harvard Business School, most

on stepping stones across a creek.

recently serving as senior director of external

I enjoyed the liberal arts aspect

relations and executive director of the MBA

of my undergraduate education,

program.

so much so that I also considered

out of college. My boss and mentor encouraged me to pursue an MBA, suggesting that business school would provide me with a set of skills in leadership and management that would be helpful as I pursued a career in higher education.

FALL 2024 | STILLPOINT 19

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SP: What were a few of the highlights of

suited for living and learning. I have great

your tenure at Harvard?

admiration for the Gordon alumni and

SN: A couple highlights come to mind: First would be watching our community come together on September 11, 2001.

It was such a terrible and unthinkable day in history, but it proved to be one of Harvard Business School’s finest moments in terms of the faculty, staff and student response and their outpouring of love, goodwill and compassion. The MBA students planned and led an interfaith memorial service that afternoon of 9/11/01. I still remember the president of the Christian Fellowship (CF) singing “Amazing Grace” on her acoustic guitar and CF students making themselves available in the school’s chapel to pray with and comfort their fellow classmates. The second highlight that comes to mind is leading the Social Enterprise Initiative in its early, formative years. I was able to witness what previously had been a small but committed group of MBA faculty and students interested in nonprofit management, which was pretty much at the periphery at the time, grow in scope and scale to its current iteration of the Social Enterprise Initiative, which

students I’ve known over the years, and I am excited to be joining the Gordon community in helping build, launch and lead the new Gordon School of Business.

SP: What are some of the most pressing issues that businesses currently face, and how are we preparing students for

Gordon business students will develop a mindset of redemptive innovation and imagination needed to address the challenges facing the world today.

them?

SN: Businesses face a myriad of complex

SP: What’s on the horizon for Gordon’s

challenges, including managing in an

School of Business?

increasingly global economy; tackling

SN: I envision the scope of the Gordon

skyrocketing costs of health care delivery

School of Business as an arc of activity

and access; being at the ready against

that starts with our admissions and

cybersecurity threats; and addressing

enrollment strategy and ranges to our

emerging ethical considerations relating

academic course offerings, experiential

to artificial intelligence, biotechnology,

learning, student clubs, full-time

genetics and the internet—to name a

career and internship opportunities for

few. It’s in this context that our Gordon

students, all the way to lifelong learning

business students will learn to develop

and engagement opportunities for our

a mindset of redemptive innovation and

alumni.

imagination needed to help address the challenges facing the world and society today.

SP: How can business positively impact society, especially amid the challenges and complexities of our day?

SP: What’s your great hope for the School of Business and its students?

SN: My great hope is that the Gordon School of Business will attract, equip and send forth our students as a new generation of courageous, humble,

SN: Business and social enterprise

principled and faith-filled leaders of

have the potential and power to add

business, who will have a meaningful

difference in the world.

tremendous value, perspective and

impact on their local communities and

fresh insight into addressing some of

throughout the world.

SP: What eventually brought you to

the most challenging domestic and

Gordon?

global problems. In the past there was

SN: I have long been a fan and friend of

a tendency for businesses to leave

is now at the very heart of the school’s mission to educate leaders who make a

Gordon College. It’s a top-notch college committed to its Christian mission and to excellence in academics, athletics, music and the arts and spiritual formation.

Gordon is a vibrant place for engaging students, faculty and staff, and it’s situated on a beautiful campus ideally

20 STILLPOINT | FALL 2024

these challenges to governmental and nonprofit organizations to handle on their own. Now we are seeing an increasing number of public/private partnerships coming together to have a greater reach and impact than they could have achieved on their own.

SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

Led by acclaimed performer and pedagogue Dr. Sarita Kwok, who has led Gordon’s Department of Music for 10 years, the School prepares creative contributors to bring meaning and beauty into an increasingly complex and divided world. Faculty have been nominated for GRAMMY Awards, performed at places like Carnegie Hall and released pieces with major record labels and publications. In 2019 Gordon’s theatre program was ranked by The Princeton Review among the “Top 20 Best College Theaters” in America. Students have access to Boston’s artistic hub, including the Boston Symphony and the Museum of Fine Arts.

About the Donors The Adams School of Music and the Arts is named in honor of Stephen and Denise Adams for their faithful commitment to music and the arts at Gordon College. The Adams’s previous support for the arts at Gordon included establishing the Adams Endowed Chair in Music in 2018, which has since been held by Kwok and is one of two endowed chairs at Gordon in the arts. Stephen, who passed away in March 2024, parlayed his successful business career into a legacy of generosity. His passion for encouraging and supporting others, especially young people, shaped his giving. The Christian faith shared by Stephen and Denise compelled them to humbly give of their resources to equip generations of students to pursue their musical callings with excellence.

FALL 2024 | STILLPOINT 21

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Faithful Creativity in a Digital Age Q: How is technology impacting the arts, for better or for worse?

Kelly Foster (art): Though people are

replaced much of the human processing

life you have nerves. I think technology

talking about the threat of generative

of digital images, and clients can use

is putting us out of touch with our

AI to design fields such as graphic

web services that provide cheap,

imperfect human nature.

design, the ability of clients to get

anonymous branding. None of these

graphic work done without interacting

tools replace the thoughtful, specific,

with a designer has been around for

human interaction of a designer with a

a while. For instance, algorithms have

client that can generate truly new and

Rachel Yoo (communication arts): We all know real life gets distorted on social media, too. It can be a tool to connect

meaningful design work.

to a wider world—or it can make you

Gerry Dolan (music): Speaking of

the comments of certain YouTube

tools, making music in a digital world is

channels and how people interact with

harder than people think. To work with

each other in the comments. As people

video and audio at the same time for a

share their reactions they interact

three-minute performance could take

with each other, with strangers. Those

40 to 100 hours: recording it, editing it,

conversations can lead to authentic

getting the audio and video to match.

relationships. After all, we’ve never seen

In addition to the work, there’s the

Jesus—we only know him through the

reality piece. During Covid, students

Bible and the preaching of sermons.

in my remote conducting class would

Mediated communications can be the

send perfect videos because they could

same way.

stuck. In one of my studies, I look at

rerecord and make it perfect. But in real

Q: In an age of digital performances, virtual galleries and shows, why does in-person art matter?

Greg Deddo (art): Art and design is not

paint or sculpt, you’re using the stuff

an opt out/in thing—we interact with it

of the earth. Seeing it in person is a

all the time. Anything made by humans

radically different experience—even if

has some level of artistry to it. A life of

you can’t touch it, you can see it, feel

stewardship requires thinking carefully

it, understand how it’s put together.

and responsibly about our spaces and

Beauty is meaningless unless it’s shared.

lives and how we care for them. Art

Galleries let you talk, think, ponder, have

matters because we’re embodied souls;

a conversation, which is important for

those things go together. When you

the completion of art.

22 STILLPOINT | FALL 2024

I think technology is putting us out of touch with our imperfect human nature.

Jess Modaff (music): The increase of digital awareness, livestreaming and sharing of music has become almost expected thanks to Covid. We livestream concerts so we can reach audiences and families outside our

SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

walls. But recording is making people

Chris Underation (communication arts):

views. Because of international

desensitized to live performance,

Jesus didn’t make it a habit to sit in one

journalism, we can be worried about

which is why we teach our students to

place and solve problems half a nation

something across the world when

be excellent live performers. There’s

away. He solved the problems right in

we’re in Massachusetts, but be unaware

something about in-person that

front of him. Because of our digital age,

of what’s going on locally. Involving

technology can’t replicate.

we can move in and out of a church and

ourselves in our local communities,

not connect with others. This affects

staying up to date on our town halls and

how our faith forms, how tolerant we

local news...that’s how we can love our

are, how often we listen to opposing

neighbors.

So, the arts are for all of us.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to be part of the arts?

Sarita Kwok (music): We have a calling,

the arts can become an egocentric

play, we’re called to be salt and light.

being made in the image of God, to

endeavor, but here at Gordon we

Theater always deals with conflict. That

be creative and to be creators. We can

purposefully acknowledge the source of

can make people uncomfortable. As

all sing. We can all make music. We

our artistic gifts. We teach and mentor

a theater professor of now 39 years,

all create or are creative and make art

with Christ at the center, and this

I’ve been really helping to baptize the

in some way. So, the arts are for all of

reorients us away from ourselves and

imagination of Christians to see that

us. God is honored by those of us who

back to our creator.

theater is a gift from God, because we

contribute in the arts, who glorify him through the very process of creating.

The Adams School is a celebration of that. The pursuit of excellence in

Norm Jones (theatre): Theater really is a place of ministry, not so much in what are the plays we’re going to do, but when you’re involved in a

get to hear the voices of people who are unheard, and listen to them carefully and be able to respond, to help others see Jesus as divine and human.

FALL 2024 | STILLPOINT 23

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Illustration by Jenna Jung ’25

Jerusalem and Athens Forum Essay Competition “The One and the Many” This year’s theme sought to explore the interplay between our unity and our diversity. How might we become a community that brings people together and enables these same people to honor each other’s deep differences?

Though We are One, Don’t Forget That We are Many I used to feel like I was doing faith wrong. Honestly, sometimes I still do. Going to a Christian college and being surrounded

by Christ followers has been such a blessing—however, it has simultaneously been one of the most challenging environments I have spent an extended amount of time in. Christian life at Gordon often features morning chapels filled with students raising their hands to the heavens during the familiar songs being played, late night chapel services filled with peers dancing with all their might and many an Instagram caption of a Gordon student exuding the essence of “being filled with the Spirit” through diction boiling down to being “on fire” for Jesus.

I consider myself a generally reserved individual. I have never raised my hands above my ribs during a worship set; I have never resonated with many modern, poetically-inclined K-Love lyrics about “opening up my heart,” shouting to the Lord, or any lyric about feeling God’s presence in a given moment; and I have never felt the rush of the Holy Spirit other than when I am being convicted of my sin. While others may feel led to pray aloud with hands laid on another’s shoulders, I feel safely held in the arms of the Good Shepherd when I pray quietly and stoically. I have always been an introvert—I do not thrive in large groups, let alone express my innermost emotions in public—yet, coming to a Christian college in which many of those around me resonate with the very things I do not, I began to question whether I was “doing faith” right in the first place.

Am I enthusiastic enough?

Do I even have the joy of the Lord?

Do I have enough of the Spirit?

Am I even saved?

These thoughts have all, in some capacity, consumed my mind at one point or another. I have known, believed and loved the Gospel from a young age and have been continually striving to cast myself at the feet of Jesus. But seeing this enthusiasm I had never before encountered spurred me to worry that my faith was hollow and I was actually deceived about being saved because I was not “feeling” as much as others seemed to.

In time, I have been learning how to process my fretting through Scripture. I have sought comfort and stability from the promises of

old and have worked to apply them to these worries. One passage that is applicable to this is Psalm 139. David writes: “You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar…Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?...For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:1-2, 7, 13, 23-24 NIV).

Scripture promises that the Lord knows me, all of my anxiety and overthinking included. He understands my thoughts and even, “before a word is on my tongue,” knows it completely (Psalm 139:4 NIV). I do not have to search for his presence through a worship set or feelings of being on fire for Jesus, as he is ever-present and is ever-sanctifying me (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV). Even further, I have been made just like this, as much of a reserved worshiper as I am. He knows my heart and convicts me of my sin and leads me to everlasting life.

Grounding myself in these biblical truths reminds me that I need not fret over my salvation or whether I am “doing faith wrong.”

Just as the Lord has made me introverted by nature, he has made others in their unique personalities, too. The Lord seems to reach me in quieter moments, just as he reached Elijah in a whisper on the mountaintop (1 Kings 19 NIV). The Lord may reach others in louder moments, and they may express their devotion more enthusiastically, and those manifestations of faith are just as valid.

As the Creator he knows our hearts—therefore, there is no onesize-fits-all style of worship to prove we have received the Gospel.

I have nowhere near perfected the practice of combatting my self-doubts with Scriptural truths; however, God does not expect my perfection. Similarly, God does not expect a cookie-cutter understanding and style of worship. Yes, the Church is one, but within the Church, we are many—there is beauty to be found in these differences. May we sing (however loudly or quietly we choose) the praises of the all-knowing and all-loving Father.

Giovanna Johnson ’26 is a political science major from Stoneham, Massachusetts. In her free time she enjoys writing, reading and surfing. In the future she hopes to pursue American constitutional law and is looking forward to working in the Office of the President at Gordon College as a Presidential Fellow for the 2024-2025 academic year.

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Honorable Mentions “The One and the Many: Juggling Cultural Identity in Larger Society” by Abi Eisner ’25 “Many Voices, One Sound: An Ecumenical Vision of Hope”

by Eliza Weigelt ’25 Full versions of these essays are available at www.gordon.edu/jafessay

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