The year was 1988, when John M. Houston, just after completing his Ph.D. at New York University, arrived at Rollins College as an adjunct psychology instructor. Full of nerves and excitement, he was determined to become a great professor. Nearly four decades later, as Professor Houston prepares to retire in 2026, his Rollins journey tells a story about more than just career advancement, but also about the transformation that comes when a teacher allows himself to learn from students.
“I was the youngest person in the classroom,” Houston recalls as he describes his first teaching experience. “I felt like I always had to have an answer,” he said as he explained the pressure he put on himself to be “the expert” in every moment. This initial approach to teaching wouldn’t last but would set a path for a long and successful career.
The Evolution of a Professor
Houston’s academic journey began at Georgetown University, where he earned his B.S. in Psychology magma cum laude in 1983. He continued at NYU, completing his master’s degree in 1986 and his doctorate in Industrial/Organizational Psychology in 1989. That same year, he joined the Rollins faculty, beginning what would become a 37-year tenure.
“I was trying to use other people’s teaching styles,” he said. “But teaching is an extension of your personality. You have to find your own voice to find your own pace.” He was, as he said, “struggling to be someone I wasn’t.”
This breakthrough that came was one that would reshape his entire approach. In retrospect, he said, “Learning is understanding that, maybe, you’re not the smartest person in the class. Collectively, the class knows a lot.” It was this insight that led Houston to reimagine his role. Rather than being the sole dispenser of knowledge, he began to work as a facilitator of collective discovery and mutual learning. “I learned to seek opportunities for everyone in the class to be a learner,” he explained.
Service and Leadership
Houston’s contributions to Rollins College go far beyond the classroom and the research labs. He served as Chair of the Department of Psychology on two separate occasions (1998-2002 and 2004-2005) and directed the Organizational Behavioral Program (1994-1998 and 2012-2016). He also chaired the Institutional Review Board (IRB) — the committee responsible for protecting human research participants — for multiple terms from 2006 to 2025. This essential position ensured that Rollins met the highest ethical standards.
A Scholar of Intellectual Excellence
Houston’s scholarly work has focused primarily on competitiveness, personality psychology, and organizational behavior — topics that have yielded multiple publications and have made him a recognized expert in the field. His research on the Competitiveness Index has been widely cited, as his work examining competitiveness across cultures has contributed significantly to cross-cultural psychology.
Houston’s research has also explored meaningful work, grit, and personality traits, all of which are focused on what drives human motivation and success. His publications in journals like the North American Journal of Psychology and Psychological Reports span topics from aggressive driving behavior to attachment styles and work values.
The Rollins Experience
“It’s the people that make the place,” he said, describing a “welcoming, inclusive environment” that shaped his growth as an educator and as a person. The setting of a small liberal arts college, Houston believes, cultivates a particular kind of student: one who can “express themselves with clarity and a reasonable amount of style,” he said. “Rollins students step up.”
When asking Houston how he hopes his former students remember his classes, he quoted a saying that has guided his work throughout the years: “People will forget what you said and what you did, but not how you made them feel.” For Houston, the measure of his teaching success comes when students leave the classroom with a sense of empowerment from learning. “I want to give them validity that they can be successful,” he said.
A Long, Strange Trip
Reflecting on his 37-year trajectory at Rollins, Houston described it as a “long and strange trip,” a description that encapsulates the duration and unexpectedness of his experiences. The transformation from an anxious adjunct instructor to a full-time professor has included various research and around 60 classes of Statistics. When Houston speaks about his career, he does not focus on his leadership roles, publications, or awards, but on moments of connections with students. He focuses on the privilege of creating a space for learning, and in trying to leave a positive impact on his students’ lives.
If Houston’s philosophical quotation is correct, as he prepares to leave Rollins, he undoubtedly will be missed on campus. If people do remember how you made them feel, then his impact will continue long after his retirement, and it will expand far beyond the walls of the Psychology Department. His former students would carry with them not just knowledge of theories and research findings, but a more fundamental feeling: being heard and valued.
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