When Professor of History Mark Kalthoff ‘84 came to Hillsdale College from Dayton, Ohio in 1979 on an athletic scholarship, his life consisted of five things.
“I ate, slept, went to class, studied, and played basketball,” he said.
Since then, the college has been a huge part of Kalthoff’s life. During his first year, he met Christy Jones ‘83, a fellow athlete who played volleyball, ran track, and would later become his wife. They were engaged New Year’s Eve of his senior year.
In 1987, after Kalthoff had finished graduate school, the couple returned to Hillsdale. Christy Kalthoff served as Director of Admissions until their first child was born in 1989, the same year Mark Kalthoff was hired as a history professor.
“I missed class the first day of my Hillsdale teaching career because I was in the hospital with my wife,” he said.
Mark Kalthoff said he and his wife, who have home schooled their five children, consider the college community, “like an extended family.” Kalthoff’s second daughter Rachel Kalthoff is now a senior at Hillsdale, his oldest daughter takes classes part-time, and his youngest daughter Phoebe Kalthoff will enter as a freshman next fall.
“It’s great [having them here],” he said. “I get to see them around campus. Sometimes they take a class with me.”
Even Mark Kalthoff’s twelve-year-old son is active on campus this semester, performing in the Tower Players’ production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor.”
Many of Mark Kalthoff’s undergraduate memories were built with his fellow basketball team members making long bus trips to the Upper Peninsula for a game, or catching study breaks between practices.
He served as president of the InterVarsity Hillsdale Christian Fellowship chapter and lived for two years in an off-campus house owned by former Professor of English James Juroe. It stood next to the Kappa Kappa Gamma house, adjacent to what is now the Howard Music Building parking lot.
In the 1980s, Hillsdale’s Greek life boasted six fraternities and four sororities. Although he did not go Greek, Mark Kalthoff said about fifty percent of male students were in fraternities.
Since the legal drinking age had been lowered in the 1970s, parties with alcohol –– even midweek parties –– were common on campus. By contrast, Mark Kalthoff said today’s students are “less likely to come here for free beer.” He believes the proportion of academically-talented, committed students has greatly increased since the 1980s.
While he believes the school has maintained its emphasis on athletics from his days as a student, Mark Kalthoff is proud of his team.
“We [the basketball team] were the best team in college history. We won 28 games,” he said.
Mark Kalthoff’s wife majored in history and economics, while Mark Kalthoff graduated with a triple major.
“I came here in love with math and science, and along the way I fell in love with history,” he said.
He then studied the history and philosophy of science at Indiana University, obtaining his M.A. in 1987 and his Ph.D. in 1998.
Mark Kalthoff takes particular interest in the intersection between science and religion.
“Both fields seek [to answer] the biggest questions,” he said. “How did it all begin? What went wrong? How can you fix it? How will it all end?”
At a 1992 Center for Constructive Alternatives on science and religion, Mark Kalthoff was featured as the keynote speaker.
Mark Kalthoff enjoys teaching at a liberal arts college.
“I don’t have to be a specialist,” he said. “These are human questions that thoughtful human beings should be wrestling with. Liberal education is teasing out those connections rather than drawing boundaries.”
Mark Kalthoff also sees the value of liberal education in how it prepares students to make a difference in the world.
“My students are going to go on, get married, have kids, and be teachers, pastors, and civic leaders,” he said.
Mark Kalthoff is modest about his role in inspiring his students.
“They are amazing people,” he said. “I try to get out of the way and let them do what they are good at.”
At the same time, Mark Kalthoff considers his students a part of his and his family’s life even after they graduate.
“One of the most rewarding things is to see these people come back to tell me about how their time at Hillsdale made it possible to do what they are doing,” he said.
sbarrett@hillsdale.edu
