Albion College honors retiring faculty and instructional staff at 2024 Commencement

May 14, 2024

Commencement is not only a time of ushering the graduating class of 2024 into the next phase of their journeys, but also our esteemed Albion College faculty and instructional staff retiring after decades of commitment and service. This year, we bid adieu to Paul Anderson, professor of mathematics and computer science; Bindu Madhok, professor of philosophy; Dianne Guenin-Lelle, professor of French; and Mark Hoffland, staff instructor in theatre.

Professor of Philosophy Bindu Madhok stands to be recognized during the 2024 Spring Commencement at Albion College.

Paul Anderson

Though Paul Anderson has taught nearly every math class and many computer science class offered by his department, his tenure has been marked by a love for colleagues and offices across campus. He has collaborated with colleagues in research, served the Provost’s office as a data analyst for retention efforts, and was invited onto thesis committees for students studying physics, psychology, communication studies, and biology.

A devoted fan of Briton football, Anderson spent many years helping former coach Craig Rundle recruit new students. With research interests spanning theoretical time series analysis and applied hydrology and climatology, Anderson published articles everywhere from The Annals of Statistics to Water Resources Research. At last year’s Commencement, Anderson presented another “proud achievement,” physics alumnus and NASA astronaut Josh Cassada ’95 for an honorary doctorate.

A highlight of Anderson’s time here at Albion is being hired, tenured, and retiring alongside philosophy professor Bindu Madhok.

Bindu Madhok

For Bindu Madhok, the last 34 years have been a “labor of love,” engaging students to appreciate and enjoy the study of philosophy.

Her impact on Albion students from a wide range of majors cannot be overstated: Of the 15 courses she created, 13 have focused on ethical theory as well as its application to areas as diverse as medicine, law, public policy, the environment, neuroscience, business, and international development. In addition to Philosophy majors, nearly every Ford and Gerstacker Institute member, along with every Business major, has taken one of Madhok’s courses as a graduation requirement.

Madhok has served a total of 19 years chairing two different departments – Philosophy and International Studies – and has received the John W. Porter Endowed Professorship, the Sleight Endowed Chair of Leadership Studies, a Teacher of the Year Award, and the Richard Baird Faculty Leadership Award. In retirement, she will continue her research and writing on meta-ethics and international development ethics, work that earned her 14 Albion College faculty development grants and which she presented at conferences and published in journals.

Dianne Guenin-Lelle

A case could be made that Dianne Guenin-Lelle has spent the past 37 years bringing the Francophone world to Albion while taking a lot of Albion to the Francophone world.

Her work developing an innovative first-year seminar contributed to French-Albion partnerships for the Economics and Management department and the Albion College piano competition. Her long-time leadership of the Albion community’s Sister City program has resulted in national awards, with thousands of schoolchildren, senior citizens, elected officials, College students, and residents of New Orleans, Quebec, and Albion traveling back and forth for more than 20 years. Guenin-Lelle’s French courses have included field trips to Quebec and Louisiana, providing her students with life-changing experiences of culture and language.

Guenin-Lelle has received numerous awards for teaching, scholarship, and service at Albion College, including the Howard L. McGregor, Jr. Professorship in the Humanities and the Phi Beta Kappa Scholar of the Year Award. A scholar of historic and contemporary culture in the New Orleans region, Guenin-Lelle also served Albion for five years as associate provost.

Mark Hoffland

Mark Hoffland came to Albion 20 years ago as the Theatre department’s technical director – but since then, he’s done everything but appear onstage or sew a costume.

Hoffland has supervised hundreds of students learning how to build sets, run sound, and design lighting, and has directed even more students in nearly 30 productions.

In the classroom for 19 years, Hoffland has taught upper-level courses in history and analysis, along with Introduction to Theatre and a first-year seminar he designed and has taught for the last seven years. He also directed and designed the set for “Thread of the Warp,” Albion’s only performance entry to the American College Theatre Festival for more than 30 years.

During most of his time at Albion College, Hoffland also judged the Michigan High School Thespian Festival and the Michigan High School One Act Festival.

Anderson, Madhok, and Guenin-Lelle received emeritus faculty status upon retirement by vote of the faculty.