- Classes taught at LBCC: Speech 111, 112, 218, 219
- How long has he been at LBCC: 26 years
- Usually has: A 16-ounce cup of house coffee
- Speech topics heard most often: How to make a speech, and the classics like legalizing marijuana and lowering the drinking age to 18 aka the file folder speech in the frat house.
Quote: “Well you know how it is. The students are all with their energy drinks, or something like that, taking some sort of brain stimulants and if you’re not on the top of your game you really feel like you’re behind. I’m already fighting that.”
Unfortunately for staff and students, speech instructor Mike Houglum is soon approaching retirement. In fall 2012, Mike Houlgum will leave the speech department and students he has influenced.
While he doesn't advise any clubs or host any events, he is still loved by many of his students. It will be a loss to LBCC when he retires by fall 2012.
Mindi Jones (one of Houglum's students) changed her major to speech because of Houlgum.
"He inspires me to work harder than any of my other teachers. He's interested, he's not boring, and he knows his stuff. He pays more attention to what I have to say than other teachers do. He always gives outside references so I can do outside research on my own."
Emma Barry hasn't converted to a speech major, but she is really into Houglum's classes and teaching style.
"I took interpersonal communication my first term here in fall 2009 because the class sounded interesting and I took it with Mike just on random chance. He turned out to be my favorite teacher. I'm taking all of his classes just because his enthusiasm makes anybody like the subject."
While Houglum doesn't bounce off the walls with excitement, he demonstrates his passion for the subject by providing students with a variety of useful and applicable information in his speech classes.
Houglum has been teaching communication classes at LBCC for 26 years. With his 16-ounce cup of coffee and the choir serenading in the adjacent classroom, Houglum put his communication skills to practice. Having graduated from California State University Northridge with a BA and master’s and earning a Ph.D. from UO, it’s safe to say Houglum knows his subject.
Commuter: You’ve mentioned in class that you were originally going to declare your major to be psychology. What made you change your mind?
Mike Houglum: A serendipitous series of events occurred and I was unable to declare that major. At the time I was told that they didn’t have enough resources to do advising for anymore psychology majors. A lady told me that I could declare a speech major and I said ‘sure.’ So she changed my entire destiny just by a suggestion. The dominoes really fell after that. I may not have gone for a Ph.D., I wouldn’t have met my wife (she was in speech at UO), everything changed.
C: What would you say your favorite speech class to teach is?
MH: I like two of them really well: persuasion and small group communication. I think those are both the most fun because in those classes students push to really explore things. They take it because they are interested in those topics and not because they are required to. I think it draws an audience of students that are really interested in the subject and so they push me to do better or try to stay ahead. And I learn a lot of things in those classes.
C: What do you learn?
MH: I learn new theories, I learn new ways of doing things, I learn about topics I would NEVER study on my own but that are really interesting and/or really significant to society. I get a chance to do what I originally set out to do, which is to learn things and try to find ways to teach other people about them.
C: Being a speech instructor, would you say it would be difficult to persuade you on anything?
MH: No, the overriding quality is being a teacher. Teachers are generally easy because they want to help students, just like agreeing to this interview, and even though I know a lot about persuasion it doesn’t always help protect me. It makes me suspicious but it doesn’t make me immune.
Where to find Mike Houglum
Office: SSH - 231B
Phone: 541-917-4281
E-mail: mike.houglum@linnbenton.edu
Office Hours: Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday 10-11 a.m.
