Melanie A. Howard

The month of March is designated as Women’s History Month. At a time when the word “women” itself is being targeted for censorship by the federal administration, it seems more important than ever to consider how Christian institutions of higher education are drawing upon their theological foundations in order to create environments that allow for…

A few months ago, I found myself in conversation with an accomplished leader. He had all the marks of an impressive and socially privileged individual: as an older, cisgender, heterosexual  white male, he served as the CEO of an organization that was bringing in millions of dollars in grant funding and making powerful international connections.…

I have heard wise colleagues rightly say that the Christian university is not the church. This is a prudent reminder. Nonetheless, I would like to explore how a comparison between the first-century Jerusalem Temple and modern Christian universities might provide a useful guide for faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees at Christian colleges. Such a comparison…

Late in the spring 2024 semester, several college campuses were rocked by student (and faculty) protests over the conflict in Gaza. More recently, the Chronicle of Higher Education broke a story about an instructor whose contract was not renewed after he had publicly opposed an increase in parking fees. On the surface, these events could…

I nearly plowed down a first-year college student as I raced to a much-needed bathroom. The large cup of hotel coffee combined with a 4-hour bus ride meant that my usual concern with professionalism around students had been replaced by a nearly frantic need to reach the travel stop’s restroom. This episode during a short-term…

Talking about eunuchs in the classroom can be awkward. I can still vividly recall the very first course I ever taught and the student in that course who raised her hand to ask innocently, “This Bible verse says something about eunuchs. What’s a eunuch?” As a brand new teacher, I fumbled my response quite badly…

“Take a look and see if you can see the differences here,” I said offhandedly to a student I was tutoring. As soon as I said it, I felt my face go red with shame. What would have been a perfectly unremarkable statement to any other student felt embarrassingly wrong when directed to the student…

I stood in the student-led chapel service singing along with a worship song that proclaimed, “Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights till I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine.” Though drawing on the familiar imagery of the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:10-14; Luke 15:4-7), the words of…

A little while back, I attended two different conference presentations where colleagues within the Christian academy were presenting on the topic of integrating faith and learning (IFL). In both cases, I was eager to hear the presenter’s thoughts and to pick up some ideas that I could incorporate into my own teaching practice. Instead, as…

A Wall Street Journal op-ed calling for Dr. Jill Biden to forego the use of her duly earned title has spurred recent conversations about the use of academic titles. Perry Glanzer’s recent post calling for “A Christian Reappraisal of Academic Titles” offers the refreshing promise to reframe these conversations through the lens of Christian values.…