“College doesn’t just change you quantitatively by how much you know, it changes who we are qualitatively,” Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences Dr. Jeffrey Dennis told 18 Sigma Psi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa honor society inductees and their families on April 14 in Southwestern Michigan College’s Mathews Conference Center West.
“The greatest wisdom in the world is not an IQ of 180,” Dennis said, “or having a long list of degrees or publications, being a great entrepreneur, banking millions or billions of dollars, being glamorous or athletic, it’s just simple kindness.”
Teaching non-Western civilization acclimated Dennis to figures from other times and places. Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, emphasized the need to not only develop the mind and intellect, but also the spirit, heart, kindness and sincerity.
The Quran, Islam’s central religious text, “emphasizes how compassionate and merciful Allah is — not how powerful or that He’s omniscient and knows everything. In the Bible’s New Testament, the Apostle Paul writes that you can have all the knowledge in the world and faith to move mountains, but if you don’t have unconditional love, it doesn’t mean anything.”
“I’m convinced,” Dennis said, “that we’re not here by any bizarre cosmic happenstance for no particular reason. Every one of us is here for a very important purpose. We’re just one person out of eight billion. To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world. I assure you every single one of us has a huge impact on some lives, and some impact on a lot more.
“The kind of person we become is powerful, so we need to educate our hearts and our spirit as well as our minds so we can care about others effectively. That’s what really matters when we look at how successful our lives have been when our days come to an end,” Dennis said.
Dennis began college at SMC in 1980, taught part-time in 1986 and returned in 2008 to teach psychology and history.
From SMC, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Andrews University and his doctorate in American history from the University of Notre Dame.
He taught high school social studies, chemistry and mathematics at Spring Valley Academy in Centerville, Ohio. From 2001-08, Dennis served as a teacher educator and assistant professor of history at Morehead State University in Kentucky and at Kennesaw State University in Georgia.
The 18 inductees have a variety of plans for the future:
- Holly Brooks graduates this month and plans to transfer to Liberty University for her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
- Stacey Griffin is finishing her third semester in the nursing program and expects to graduate in December, then pursue a bachelor’s degree.
- Hailie Lucas, a psychology major, graduates this semester, then transfers to Michigan State University.
- Lorena Marquez this spring receives her associate degree in medical assisting. She plans to join the workforce as a registered medical assistant and to further her education in a related health care field.
- Alex Medina, business administration major, plans to transfer to Ferris State University after graduating this month.
- Kate Miles graduates with an associate degree in environmental science, transferring this fall to Western Michigan University for her bachelor’s degree in freshwater science and sustainability.
- Classie Newbern will receive an associate degree in medical assisting, devoting this summer to two dermatology internships.
- William Poitras graduated at the end of fall semester with an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in accounting. By next spring he will have his bachelor’s degree in accounting through Ferris State.
- Marisa Pullins graduates with an Associate in Arts (AA) degree to transfer to Ferris State to major in elementary education.
- Peter Scott is pursuing a 2024 business degree.
- Carrie Shephard graduates in Spring 2025 with a business degree.
- Kennedy Stillson graduates with an associate degree in biology/ medical pre-professional to transfer to MSU.
- Ben Stratton graduates this fall in general studies and plans to study film production next spring at WMU.
- Emily Toms starts the MRI Technology program this summer, graduating in the summer of 2024.
- Elizabeth Vanhphoumy, a health services major, graduates in the spring of 2025.
- Courtenay Varvel graduates this fall with an associate degree in early childhood education.
- Atticus Weed graduates with an associate degree in welding technology.
- Sissy Worley graduates in the spring of 2024 in elementary education to transfer to Ferris State.
PTK is co-advised by Colleen Welsch, director of library services, and Professor Hailey Sheets, Communications Department chair, who draped inductees with stoles to be worn with commencement regalia as her sister called their names.
PTK is the largest U.S. honor society, with 3.5 million members, plus representation from 10 sovereign nations.
“Students we honor and recognize embody the hallmarks of scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship,” Sheets said.
– Submitted
CUTLINE, from left:
Peter Scott, Marisa Pullins, William Poitras, Classie Newbern, Kate Miles, Alex Medina
