Imagine you see Professor of Communication, Douglas Gaerte, and three people from the advancement office sit down at a small table for dinner in the dining hall. The automatic assumption would be that this is a business dinner. It is just as likely, however, that you are witnessing a family dinner. Doug, his wife, and their two children Andrew Gaerte and Emily Spateholts all work for Houghton College.
The Gaerte family hasn’t always been associated with Houghton. Doug and his wife Phyllis met and started dating at Grace College in Indiana, a college not entirely unlike Houghton. Doug said they had a great experience there and upon graduation he decided he wanted to do something similar. The couple had family in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, so Gaerte sent resumés to colleges all over the North East. At that time Houghton had a communication professor who was looking to retire, and Doug was offered the job. According to Doug their original plan was to only stay for a couple years, but they fell in love with the are the wonderful students, and colleagues they found here.
They stayed and Phyllis began work for Houghton as the Director of Alumni and Community Engagement. When it was time for Emily and Andrew to choose their prospective colleges, they both said their parents encouraged them to look elsewhere. However, they knew the people here and knew they could get a great education at Houghton. Ultimately, both Andrew and Emily decided to attend Houghton.
Andrew graduated from Houghton in 2008 and returned in October 2013, to take the position of Regional Director of Development at Houghton. He said he was never opposed to coming back to Houghton, but never planned on it. However, he realized that Houghton was doing new and exciting things and he wanted to be a part of it.
Emily Gaerte, now Spateholts, graduated in 2012. After graduation she worked in the campus store as the office and course materials manager. She left in the Spring of 2014 to help her friends start a business. When the business was established, she returned in January 2015 as the Development and Reunion Specialist.
The Gaertes all mentioned how much they enjoy working together. Since three of them work in the Advancement Offices, their jobs tend to overlap. Emily mentioned how she specifically enjoys getting to work together on something they are all passionate about. Another unique opportunity this offers is for parent and child collaborations. Doug and Andrew were able to team up with Professor Ryann Cooley, the Associate Professor of Digital Media and Photography, and get the college a $10,000 grant for a new lighting studio. Doug summed up their family’s involvement best when he said “the mission of Houghton College has become such an important thing for our family”. By working together they can serve their family and the college they have all grown to love.