Philosophy is a tool for life, in Professor Jenkins’ view, and he strives to share it with students: he organizes the Humanities Day Ethics Essay Contest, hosts the Jefferson Cafe, and is coach of the MC Ethics Bowl Team. This team was awarded 1st place in the Maryland Regional Community College Ethics Bowl in both 2011 & 2012 under Professor Jenkins’ tutelage. He recently partnered with colleagues in science, engineering and technology to develop a modern application of ethics to these fields. The result was special sessions of the “Introduction to Ethics” course aimed at the specific needs of students in engineering, computer science, and cybersecurity, who may face philosophical questions about topics like autonomous technologies in their future professional work.
Professor Jenkins’ impact on students is his greatest joy. Enrollment in his classes is consistently high and students describe him as an empathetic, encouraging, and challenging teacher. His students praise his continued encouragement and credit him for pushing them to recognize their own potential, even years after they were enrolled in his classes. One of his former students, who had struggled academically and is now working on a master’s degree, wrote, “Professor Jenkins met me at my needs and because of that, I am the person that I am today. I am fierce, strong, resilient, and independent.”
