STILLPOINT Archive: last updated 07/24/2008
Provost's Awards
This year Anita Coco and Leo Cleary were awarded for making distinguished contributions to students' education--in the classroom but also through mentoring, missions trips, residence life and coaching--and in their personal development.
Anita Coco, Media and Technology Specialist
Anita, often referred to as the "Mac doctor," has enjoyed supporting faculty, staff and students with technology needs, video support and general computer problems and questions for more than 15 years.
"There is no clear boundary line between her job description and her generosity, says Provost Mark Sargent. "She gives so much, so creatively." She has held many technical roles, including manager of the Barrington Center for the Arts, where she assisted students late into the evenings in the video editing labs.
Anita always tries to go the extra mile--which is one of the reasons she was nominated for the award. She sees her work as a ministry, using promptness and persistence to reach out to those around her. One student told her she wanted to work with computers after seeing Anita in action because it seemed like a fulfilling job--and it certainly is for Anita Coco.
Leo Cleary, Carpenter, Locksmith and Art Tech
In his 11 years at Gordon, Leo Cleary has never let titles define what he dabbles in. "He is an artist and technician, a craftsman and inventor, or, as one of his colleagues observes, a 'renaissance man,'" says Sargent. He is the campus locksmith, managing the card access system, key distribution and the key database. He also manages the chemical inventory for the Art Department, helps students with the technical design of their senior thesis projects, and makes biodiesel out of used cooking oil--which has led to laboratory experiments and research projects in analytical chemistry. He's also taken the lead in exploring alternative fuels on campus.
One colleague says, "To my mind he is the living embodiment of Jesus' advice on how to help others--not letting your right hand know what your left hand is doing; in other words, unselfconsciously and without any expectation of congratulations or thanks."
Three Weeks, Three Credits
Gordon held its first May Term this spring for college students and recent high school graduates, offering eight experimental courses taught in three weeks. Classes took place on campus, in Boston and around the North Shore.
Some of the classes were From Page to Stage: Regional Theatre in Boston; An Introduction to Conflict and Reconciliation Studies in Communities of Faith; and Understanding the Person and Work of Christ in Cultural Context.
"May Term gives us an opportunity to craft courses that don't fit the usual curriculum," says Cliff Hersey, dean of global education. "Faculty teaching these courses were encouraged to think of ways the pedagogy of instruction could be taken outside the classroom into walking tours, hands-on workshops, trips and multiple locations."
Adoniram Judson Gordon, Founding Father
Recently Scott Gibson, professor of preaching and ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, spoke on campus about the life of Gordon's founder, Adoniram Judson Gordon. As a scholar, Gibson's dissertation at Oxford focused on A. J. Gordon's life and work.
Gibson noted that Gordon, named after the first Baptist missionary to travel to Burma, Adoniram Judson, was perhaps born to be a missionary. His heart for the gospel can be seen in his 25 years as pastor of the Clarendon Street Baptist Church in Boston; his traveling, preaching and serving; his hymn writing, book authorship, magazine editing; and work in social reform. His desire to equip others for Christian service led him, in 1889, to found the Boston Missionary Training School, dedicated to preparing students to serve God overseas in the Congo. That school is now, of course, Gordon College--still preparing students to go into the world to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
A CCC President
Stan Gaede, Gordon's scholar-in-residence, has been elected president of the Christian College Consortium (CCC), an organization comprising 13 colleges and universities with a shared vision of integrating faith into living and learning. The Consortium seeks to discuss urgent issues facing the Church and higher education.
Gaede started his career at Gordon as a sociology professor, later becoming dean of students and provost. He served as provost and president of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California--also a member of the Consortium--for a decade. In 2006 Gaede returned to Gordon as scholar-in-residence and special advisor to the president.
"I am certain that no one is better qualified than Dr. Gaede to help Consortium members focus our discussions and communicate our concerns, not only within Christian higher education but also to a wider public including the news media and our elected officials in Washington, D.C.," says President Carlberg. "Dr. Gaede's very broad experience in Christian higher education, his thoughtfulness as scholar and writer, and his ability to communicate clearly and graciously to diverse audiences are all qualities that bode well for his success in his new role as president of the Christian College Consortium."
Gaede's election is a half-time appointment, allowing him to continue as Gordon's scholar-in-residence. This arrangement is made feasible by the relocation of the Consortium Office from New Hampshire to Gordon's campus this summer.
Gaede says, "The Consortium comprises some of the leading Christian colleges and universities in North America--institutions that have helped reinvigorate the meaning and significance of the liberal arts in their historical and Christian context. Together they have enabled their students to engage one another on the central issues of our time, expanding the scope of their educational offerings in the process and sending their graduates into leadership positions around the world. Facilitating that mission, both individually and collectively, is the task at hand. I cannot think of a more important endeavor, either as a scholar or as CCC colleague."
Listen to some of Dr. Gaede's recent talks on "Evangelicalism at the Crossroads"
www.gordon.edu/podcast
www.ccconsortium.org
Fighting Scots Update
• Athletic director Joe Hakes was elected chair of the Division III Soccer Committee for the NCAA, which oversees championship pairings.
• Coaches Mike Schauer and Jeannine Cavallaro achieved their 100th career wins during basketball season--they attribute this to the success of their programs and athletes who train so hard.
• Phil Whitley and Keith Krass '07 will serve as assistant coaches for men's basketball. Krass was a four-year player for the Fighting Scots and a co-captain.
• Elissa Schauer, new women's volleyball coach, will lead a squad that had a 24-11 record under Joy Gabrielli, coach since 2005.
We Are Gordon
This spring the Gordon College Student Association (GCSA) hosted a celebratory event, We Are Gordon, which honored the College and the individuals who have contributed to the institution throughout the years-including students, staff, faculty, trustees and alumni.
The event was encouraging and spiritually uplifting for all those in attendance: musical performances--a faculty quartet singing "Mary Had a Baby"; video documentaries of alumni accomplishments; a performance by Peter Stine as Adoniram Judson; and speeches by administrators and students. "Several people who have been at Gordon for decades told me this was one of the most enjoyable, inspirational and encouraging evenings they have ever spent at the College," said President Carlberg after the event. "Jan and I left feeling thankful that we could say 'We are Gordon' with pride and hope, knowing we are building on a magnificent past for a much more glorious future."
GCSA's desire was to honor the vision of A. J. Gordon's original mission and commemorate the men and women of Gordon College since its inception in 1889.
