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Julius J. Kim, Ph.D.
Dean of Students
With the myriad of things that happen every day here at the seminary, what
could I possibly share with you about student life at Westminster California? I
suppose I could talk about all the interesting courses our students are
currently taking this fall semester—courses like Dr. Godfrey’s The Modern Age,
or Dr. Estelle’s Biblical Hermeneutics. Or I could as easily comment about the
fascinating convocations we’ve had in chapel this fall—like the stimulating
lecture “Pagan Sexuality and the Reformed Faith” from our scholar-in-residence
Dr. Peter Jones. Even better yet, I suppose I could provide my predictions and
commentary on the madness occurring almost daily in the student lounge known
more commonly as the semi-annual ping-pong tournament. While certainly these are
all worthy subjects to discuss, I’ve decided that for this the first “From the
Dean’s Desk,” blog, my first topic will be the one aspect of Westminster
Seminary California’s community life that I find very rewarding: the faculty to
student ratio. Come again? That’s right—what I’d like to do is discuss why the
numeric relationship between the number of full-time faculty members to the
number of full-time students is such an important part of our community life.
Here at WSC, the faculty/student ratio is approximately 1:12—that is, for each
faculty member there is a corresponding 12 students. Did you know that among
evangelical seminaries in the US, we have one of the lowest ratios? Well, why is
this important? For most seminaries, this number implies that students have
access to and can get to know their professors well. Now mind you, just because
a school has a low ratio doesn’t necessarily mean that relationships are
automatically formed. But, as a former student and now as a current faculty
member, I can personally testify to the culture present at our seminary that
does foster the formation of meaningful relationships with faculty mentors. Now,
I chose that word—mentors—purposely. Since each and every one of our full-time
faculty members are also ordained ministers, we view our work here as a pastoral
calling as we help mature our students in order to present them “perfect in
Christ” (Col 1:28-29). What we do is more than just impart knowledge or skills,
but we shepherd God’s people here at the seminary through all that we do—whether
we’re in our classrooms, offices, or even in our homes. Our relationship with
our students is one of our highest priorities.
So what does this look like? Let me give you a sampling from my own experiences
just this past semester. I was invited recently to celebrate the birthday of one
of our newest international students. Over a delicious dinner prepared by his
roommates and friends, a dozen of us (mostly first-year students) had a great
time of bonding while we shared all that’s been fun and inspiring about this new
experience called “seminary.” I’m sure that evening was meaningful for more than
just the one whose birthday we were celebrating. About a month ago, I was
invited to what a few second-year students have affectionately dubbed the
“Friday Forum.” In this informal lunch gathering, a group of students invite one
professor to lunch in order to get to him better. Though the setting was
different, this was yet another wonderful time of fostering friendship and
camaraderie. Now I can go on and on about the times faculty members have played
golf and tennis with students and about the times students regularly go over to
their faculty advisor’s homes but I think you get the point. For WSC, the
faculty-student ratio is only meaningful because of the priority we as faculty
place upon the relationships we hope to foster with our students. For me
personally, this is one of the best parts of being faculty member. And while
times like graduation weekend is bittersweet, I know that the relationships I’ve
formed with students here will last a lifetime.
So, if you are a current student, I hope you take advantage of the fact that
here at Westminster, we do care about you and want to know you better—especially
if you’d like to try to beat me in golf! If you are a prospective student
reading this blog, I hope I’ve given you a little taste of why the
faculty/student ratio does actually mean something to our seminary’s culture of
community and learning.
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 September
07: Senior Reflections
May
07: Senior Reflections
March
07: CWiPPThink
January
07: Winter Term
November 06:
Reformation Day
September 06:
Welcome Back
August 06:
Summer Greek
July
06: CPR
June
06: Sign Up and Gear Up
May
06: Reflection by Michael Schout
April
06: den Dulk Lectures
March
06: Student Association
February
06: Preaching Christ
December
05: Mentors
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