A tribute to Marvin C. Henberg for his dedication to Linfield College

Seidman, Barbara

English

Name not available

This Humane Man of Letters

A tribute to Marvin C. Henberg for his dedication to Linfield College

DigitalCommons@Linfield

Linfield Magazine Volume 3 Number 1 Summer 2006 Article 7 Summer 2006 This Humane Man of Letters Barbara Seidman Linfield College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/linfield_magazine Recommended Citation Seidman, Barbara (2006) "This Humane Man of Letters," Linfield Magazine: Vol. 3 : No. 1 , Article 7. Available at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/linfield_magazine/vol3/iss1/7 This article is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@linfield.edu. remember it vividly. During my first conver-sation with Dr. Marvin Henberg, candidate tobecome Linfield’s new dean of faculty, I foundmyself talking about the philosophic bonafides of19th century British novelist George Eliot (nee Mary AnnEvans). As a longtime member of the English Department,I hardly regarded such a foray into literature in the midst ofa job interview digressive, but what I didn’t know at thetime was that I was thus being initiated into a definingcharacteristic of Marv’s subsequent deanship: the breadthand depth of his passion for the life of the mind, in all itsvariousness. Over the 12 years since, I have never stoppedlearning from Marv Henberg – most recently through hiseloquent reflection on the interplay between author andaudience that served as prelude to a talk by his longtimefriend – and nationally distinguished writer – DavidQuammen. That conversation about George Eliot in Mayof 1994 was clearly no flash in the pan.I am by no means the only beneficiary of Marv’s gen-erous mentorship in his tenure as senior college administra-tor. In six years as associate dean for academic affairs, andnow again as interim dean of faculty, I have relied on himceaselessly for guidance. His philosopher’s training hasequipped him to take the long view in the face of problemsthat seem impossible of resolution: More than once he hasadvised me to accept the humbling fact that perfect justice isout of our limited human reach, so we should at least striveto do as little harm as possible as we wrestle with conflictingneeds. And while a confessed skeptic, he has also concededan essentially optimistic view of human nature – if reasonitself does not always win the day, then he draws comfortfrom believing at least that defensible motives propel all sidesin a disagreement and are worthy of engagement.  This does-n’t surprise me in a man who has spent his life immersed ingreat literature, whose primary lesson may indeed bethe cultivation of such capacity for empathy.In partnership with President Emerita VivianBull, Marv has achieved great things for the col-lege during his academic vice presidency, andthey need only a brief glossing here: the openingof a long-awaited new library; the flowering ofthe Keck Campus into a vibrant new hub forthe arts; the hiring of some 60 faculty members on bothcampuses; the inauguration of collaborative researchopportunities that enrich the professional aspirations of stu-dents and faculty alike; the launching of an environmentalstudies program that models the integretative thinking thatwill be essential to solving the problems of the 21st centu-ry both regionally and globally. In each of these waysMarv’s efforts have fostered the cooperative synergies thathave made the Linfield College of 2006 a center of vision-ary education in the Northwest. It was only fitting, then,that the Board of Trustees asked him to assume the mantleof interim president at a crucial moment of transition inthe life of the institution.But my thoughts about Dean and President Henberg’scontributions to Linfield keep returning to the humaneman of letters I am now watching re-immerse himself inhis faculty roots. As he resumes the mantle of full-time pro-fessor of philosophy (one soon to be on a well-deservedsabbatical), he is enthusiastically spending hours in the col-lege archives preparing to write about Linfield’s past as pro-logue to its future as part of the college’s 2008 sesquicen-tennial celebration. After a dozen years doing Linfield’sbusiness, Marv sees his future in terms of the sheer delightof inquiry and synthesis that define the life of the mind Isaw on display in that 1994 interview when our associationbegan. His example in these weeks and months to comemay prove to be the most long-lasting of all the powerfulinfluences he has had on my own life.— Barbara SeidmanInterim Dean of Faculty Marvin Henberg, right, with Bill Apel, professor of religious studies, left, andHuston Smith, one of the world's foremostreligious scholars, who gave the FrazeeLecture this spring. Business is booming for seniors in Sandie Kiehl’sStrategic Management class.Teams of Linfield College business students are find-ing success running companies in an online computersimulation of an athletic shoe industry. Kiehl, associateprofessor of business, guides students through the capstonecourse, which integrates concepts fromevery Linfield business class.Students are scored on profitabilitymeasures such as earnings per share, cred-it ratings and stock price, said Kiehl, whohas taught the course since 1988, leadingfour sections each semester including onefor the Adult Degree Program.“They are held accountable in thesame way they would be if they wererunning a company,” Kiehl explained.“They get annual results back and it’sblack and white.” Throughout the semester, studentsmake hundreds of decisions, each withthe potential to make or break theircompany. Should they sell wholesale orretail? Branded or private label? And inwhat regions of the world? Other deci-sions follow relating to production, dis-tribution, marketing, compensation,corporate finance and more.Complex business concepts leap from textbooks asstudents find themselves dealing with issues relating toexporting, exchange rates and economies of scale.“Those are huge considerations in internationalbusiness,” Kiehl said. “We talk about exchange ratefluctuations in many classes and somehow it never sinksin until they actually haveto apply the principles.” More than just going up against Linfield classmates,student teams compete against other colleges and uni-versities worldwide. Every semester some 2,500 teamssquare off, representing 200 schools and 7,500 students.During the fall semester, Dan Lawrence ’06, alongwith teammates Randy Falk ’06 andCasey Schultz ’06, earned a Global TopTwenty ranking seven times, while asecond team earned the ranking twice.According to Lawrence, key deci-sions made early on paid off big for histeam. Instead of going after the privatelabel segment, Lawrence and teammatestackled the branded sector, developing acompany called e-shoes.com. Theymarketed a high-priced shoe usingendorsements and set their sights onobtaining a high image rating. “We were able to make a popularproduct for the consumer,” he said.“That separated us from the rest of theclass, and from then on we could investmore in our strategy.” Lawrence said it’s critical to choosea business strategy and stick with it.He also learned to be aggressive.“The simulation forced us to take risks to findsuccess in the business world,” he said. “You can’t just sitback and expect things to happen. We took bigger stepsthan others at times and it paid off.”One of Kiehl’s former students, Ted Reimers ’99,recently participated in the simulation again, this time atthe graduate level while earning an MBA fromCalifornia State University Stanislaus. Reimers, assistantvice president with American AgCredit in Turlock,Calif., placed first in his industry worldwide and attributespart of his success in the simulation to his participationat Linfield. “Linfield gave me a quality business education thathas not only helped me in this simulation, but inthe real-world business environment,”Reimers said. “Know your competition,relate to your customers and understandfinance.”– Laura DavisCompeting in a global marketComplex businessconcepts leapfrom textbooks as students find themselves dealingwith issues relatingto exporting,exchange ratesand economies of scale.Dan Lawrence ‘06, integrated skills from all his Linfield business classes to run an onlinecomputer simulation of an athletic shoe industryduring a capstone course taught by SandieKiehl, associate professor of business.This humaneman of letters1 4   -   L I N F I E L D  M A G A Z I N EIS U M M E R  2 0 0 6 -   1 5

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This Humane Man of Letters

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