By Claire Taylor, Staff Writer
In a LinkedIn post on March 16, Wheaton anthropology professor and department chair Brian Howell announced that he had accepted a position as the dean of parents with 2 Hour Learning’s Alpha Schools. Howell served at Wheaton for 25 years, beginning in 2001 while finishing his doctorate in sociocultural anthropology.
Howell’s new role will include community-building efforts that he said his anthropology training is well suited for. While still within the realm of education, however, he wrote in the LinkedIn announcement that it would be “a very different role from my current life in academia.”
“I have long told my students that they can do anything with anthropology, so I am walking the talk!” he wrote in the post.
Alpha Schools are designed to have two hours of individual online learning with an AI tutor. The rest of the day, students work on “life skills for the future,” according to Alpha’s website. They started in 2014 in Austin, Texas and have spread across the United States.
“School is broken, and we’re here to fix it,” the 2 Hour Learning website reads.
Tuition for Alpha Schools is $55,000 a year, but some schools in Texas offer financial aid. Despite the high price point, Howell said the education model can help students struggling in traditional school.
“Humans at every socioeconomic station have the same fears and same worries for their kids and same struggles,” Howell said. “I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to create some experiences for people to continue to learn about what it means to live justly in the world, even when they have a lot of advantages.”
Howell found this position while scrolling on LinkedIn, feeling he had completed everything that an academic can. He was searching for other job opportunities that provided a more religiously diverse community. Howell came to value this kind of academic community after joining an improv group at West Side Improv, where he realized that close community can be possible without a shared faith.
Christine Jeske, Wheaton’s other anthropology professor, expressed her gratitude for Howell’s contributions to the anthropology field.
“More than almost anyone I know, he is so good at thinking about how anthropology is useful for every Christian in whatever vocation and career they go into,” she said.
Junior anthropology major Anna Nuñez shared how Howell, her adviser, has encouraged her in her vocation. He has connected her to anthropology graduates, as well as provided her with career opportunities to apply for. “He’s always pushing his students to do more and is always really committed to seeing them do well,” Nuñez said.
Along with his commitment to students, Howell is committed to his community among faculty.
Howell’s new position is mainly about community-building, for which Wheaton has been great practice. He has consistently made an effort to establish relationships with faculty in other departments. In fact, when he started working at Wheaton, he would stop by different departments and introduce himself.
“Brian’s always been central to bring the party, bring the fun, bring the people together,” communication professor and department chair Emily Langan said. “He makes an informed intent to connect with new people.”
Langan grew to know Howell better through his “Fun Folks Friday” emails, which she described as “witty, catchy, and satire-laced messages encouraging people.”
Howell is also known among faculty for his birthday parties. Since 2009, when Howell turned 40, he has hosted karaoke parties every year.
“He really cares a lot about making social spaces and spaces where everybody can enter and everyone can feel welcome,” said Michael McKoy, chair of Wheaton’s politics and international relations department.
While close friends and colleagues expressed excitement about Howell’s new opportunity, they also acknowledged his absence will be felt on campus.
“I know it’s the right choice for his development and where he wants to go vocationally,” Langan said, “It’s just very hard for his friends.”
