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Campus Sports Stories In Focus

Sixty Houghton Scholar-Athletes Named To Empire 8 President’s List

The Empire 8 Athletic Conference named sixty Houghton College student-athletes to their President’s List for maintaining a 3.75 grade point average during the Fall 2016 semester. According to a press release on the Houghton website, student-athletes that performed with excellence in the classroom, while also displaying positive contact on and off campus, were chosen to be honored by the Empire 8.

Those honored as scholar-athletes succeed in reflecting the mission of both Houghton College and Houghton Athletics. Harold “Skip” Lord, Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, is encouraged by their quality performance. “Houghton College aims to ‘equip [students] to lead and labor as scholar-servants in a changing world,’” said Lord. “Our athletics’ motto is ‘Excellence for the glory of God.’ In a nutshell, we want our student-athletes to excel in their walk with God, in the classroom, in athletics and in their relationships.” He continued, “These kinds of recognitions are evidence that we are succeeding at those goals.”

As a liberal arts institution, Lord said, Houghton encourages whole-person education. “The core of both ‘whole-person’ education and a ‘liberal arts’ education is the curricular content, so well communicated by our dedicated faculty. That core is enhanced by a multitude of experiences that happen outside the classroom,” Lord said. “Some of those experiences happen as we do life together. Others are intentionally designed to provide a depth of educational experience that impacts that whole person — spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, etc. For almost a third of our student-body, athletics is a portal for those experiences in a direct way.”

A spirit of discipline and determination is required for excellence in the life of a student-athlete. Laurie Call ’18, a member of the Houghton women’s basketball team, is one of the sixty student-athletes honored by the Empire 8. Call understands the importance of a strong work ethic in the classroom and on the court. “I think being a scholar-athlete reflects commitment and dedication. It would be easy to simply ‘get by’ in the classroom, but thanks to my parents, I’ve learned the importance of giving 110% to everything I do,” she said.

Lord admires the character of all student-athletes striving for excellence for the glory of God. “I admire their dedication to excelling in multiple areas of their lives. I admire their personal discipline and work ethic that is reflected in this kind of accomplishment,” he said. “I admire the fact that for many of these student-athletes, like most of our students here at Houghton, the success recognized by this award is reflective of the people who is excel in many areas.”

According to Lord, the sixty student-athletes honored by the Empire 8 Athletic Conference President’s List reflect the hope that Houghton has for every student-athlete. “Our primary hope for every student-athlete is that they will leave Houghton with a deepening personal walk with Christ, having mastered the content of their selected area of study and prepared to make a difference in the lives of the people God brings across their path each day,” said Lord. “The student-athletes who are recognized in this way are not the only ones who are fulfilling this hope, but they are great examples of what it can look like.”

 

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Campus Stories In Focus

Business Administration Professor and Houghton Alumn To Retire

Kenneth Bates, associate professor of business administration and chair of Houghton’s department of business and economics, was not planning to be a teacher when he was first working. In fact, he worked in business in Washington, D.C. for seventeen years after graduating from Houghton in 1971. He did not expect the phone call from his old college roommate alerting  him to an open position at Houghton College. Now, after 27 years of teaching for the college, he is retiring.

At first, Bates was not interested in the position for various reasons. Working at Houghton meant a significant pay cut, the possibility of needing more schooling himself, moving his entire family from the suburbs  into the rural country, and working at school where the denomination was different than his own. Bates thought the visit to campus would be a courteous gesture for his roommate, but this visit swept him from under his feet. However, Bates said, God answered all of the concerns that he had and kept calling him to Houghton College. Bates felt that he could, perhaps, be good at teaching and decided to follow God’s call.

Since answering this call, Bates has been praised as a business teacher by his students. Joseph Gilligan ‘17, a business major, said, “Professor Bates allowed me to take leadership roles right away at Houghton which provided me the opportunity to refine my leadership skills and understanding of business.  I owe him a debt of gratitude for allowing me to aggressively pursue my dreams.” Gilligan added that students who have taken a class led by  Bates will tell you that he truly cares for his students, is patient, is understanding, and is passionate about being Christ-like in his work.

Naomi Christensen, instructor of accounting and a colleague of Professor Bates, has been working with him for about two years. Also a Houghton graduate,  she was taught by Bates. “Professor Bates has been a huge help to getting me assimilated into being a professor,” she said. “Any time I have any questions he helps me. We are really going to miss him around here, he is leaving a very big hole.” She recalled a memory from her senior class year where Bates had said, “You may be the only one in the room that represents Jesus and you should take that [honor] very seriously.”

When asked what lesson he wanted his students to remember, Bates said:

“We are all Christ’s ambassadors in this world. That means we are not citizens of this country, we are citizens of heaven. When an ambassador’s job is finished, they are called home and the fact that I am here today tells me that God has something more for me to do to influence others for His kingdom. The only reason I was able to wake up this morning is because God has something more for me to do.”

 

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Campus News Sports

Track To Compete at Championships

The Houghton Highlanders Indoor Track and Field teams will compete in the Empire 8 conference championships tomorrow at Utica College. Outcomes of the meet will determine eligibility for competition in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) indoor track and field championships.

“Right now, we plan to have 9 women and 7 men competing [at the NCCAA championships],” said head track and field coach, Patrick Hager. According to athletic director, Harold “Skip” Lord, track and field athletes must place in the top six of their event at the Empire 8 championships, or the top four in relay events, to participate in the national championships. In addition, athletes must meet NCCAA qualifying standards.

The team is in high spirits going into the meet, according to team chaplain Melissa Bell ‘17. Bell commented, “This past week we had about 90% of the team [reach personal bests], and hitting that again or surpassing that would be an awesome way to send the team into nationals.” Kasey Cannister ‘17, one of the women’s team captains, concurred. She stated, “Our meet this past weekend, really demonstrated how strong we are becoming with so many personal records occurring.”

Bell also noted men’s pole vaulter Leland Roberts ‘19 is currently ranked first in the conference. “It would be a huge win if he could onto that spot,” she said. Roberts broke the Highlander record in men’s pole vault earlier this season with a vault of 4.42 meters. He held the previous record as well.

Sprinter and long jumper Malik Bullock ‘19 said, “I’m really excited to see the men’s and women’s distance medley relays. Coach [Hager] has put together a solid set of athletes.” He continued, “I’m also interested in the men’s 4×200 relay because we competed all day [before running the relay] at Ithaca and did pretty well, so it’ll be interesting to see what we can do well rested and eager to compete.”   

Hager remarked, “Our men’s team is quite improved from previous years. In my first two years, we really had nobody who could score in the top 6 in the conference, Indoors. This year, we have several, and even broke the 4 x 200m school record. It’s really nice to have depth and ‘options’ on the men’s side.”

The women’s team features Rebekah White ‘18 and Nikki Garns ‘17, two returning members of the 4×800 relay team who received All-American honors last year at the NCCAA nationals. Garns and white will be “key runners” at this weekend’s meet according to Cannister. Garns will race in the 60 meter dash and 200 meter run, and White will race in the 800 meter run.

Cannister noted, “In our field events, we expect strong performances in High Jump, Pole Vault, and Long Jump by Gwen Stokes ‘20, Fiona Daloia ‘17, and Kalei Brautlacht ‘20, respectively.”

White, Garns, and Daloia  “continue to be athletes who compete at a high level” said Hager.  He continued, “On both teams we have several young athletes who have worked hard to develop a strong team culture. This type of culture will really help us improve and take steps forward as a team.”

The NCCAA nationals will be held at the Kerr-Pegula Field House on February 17-18. Since Houghton athletes will not incur extra costs from travel, hotels, and other incidental expenses, Lord stated that it may be possible for an athlete to use one of the NCCAA-permitted “at-large” bids. This would occur if an athlete has NCCAA qualifying marks but does not place high enough in his or her event at tomorrow’s meet.

“While some will continue on to the National Championship, this is the last meet of our indoor season for many members of our team,” Cannister said. “We strive to end our season with our best performances. We definitely anticipate and expect to see many personal records across our whole team.”

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Campus News

Gospel Choir Hits The Road

On February 12, the Houghton College gospel choir will travel to Rochester,  and join the Browncroft Community Church worship team for all three of their services.  In the past, the School of Music and the Houghton Symphony Orchestra have collaborated with Browncroft’s worship team to orchestrate events such as the annual Christmas Prism Concert.  “This is an excellent way to bring our visions and our goals into fruition,” commented Jerome Bell, Leader and Director of gospel choir.  Browncroft’s worship pastor, Jason Harris, will be leading worship.

The gospel choir, created in the late 90’s, features a variety of African-American music.  Students who are a part of gospel choir have the opportunity to learn about the deep, passionate genre of gospel music.  Practice, though said to be managed efficiently and productively, is considerably casual, the choir learns not by music, but my listening along until the words are memorized.  

 Currently there are almost forty members, but gospel choir is open to anyone who is interested, with practice taking place every Sunday night from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m, and occasionally Thursday night for an hour.  Certain occasions, such as the Homecoming college concert have yielded an additional thirty plus members.  The number of members is also contingent on points of the semester. For example, members during the spring semester are less frequent.

“Gospel Choir means so many different things to so many different people,” exclaimed Bell. “What I like most about it is the community.  People of different ethnic, racial, and social backgrounds can come together and worship the same God.”  Bell further explained that the gospel choir spends time in prayer and in the Word during rehearsals, making for a very inviting and Christ-centered atmosphere.  “Most importantly, we get ‘turnt for Jesus,’” said Bell

Travis Trotman ‘17, Assistant Director and leader of gospel choir, agreed. He stated,, “There is just something about this choir that screams community, love and great friendships. Another thing I like about gospel choir is the openness you have when you worship. Regardless of the song that we sing I always find that we as a group are always moving, extending our hands to the Lord or keeping a beat to the rhythm of the music.”

“It’s so authentic,” added soprano member, Olivia Flint, ’20.  “It’s the most passionate, authentic worship that I’ve ever been a part of.  Jerome upholds this great foundation of what real worship should be like.  God calls all of his people to worship—every tongue should worship him.”

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Campus News

VOCA Hosts Strategic Training Weekend

A vice president from Fuller Theological Seminary will address a group of sophomores this weekend at the first annual Sophomore Leadership Conference. The conference, hosted by the Vocational Opportunities and Career Advancement (VOCA) office, will host Tod Bolsinger, Vice President for Vocation and Formation and Assistant Professor of Practical Theology, who will deliver two lectures to the group. Bolsinger, a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA), has worked at Fuller since 2014, and has written three books and numerous articles, according to the seminary. His areas of expertise include community building, organizational leadership, and strategic planning.

Aside from Bolsinger, men’s soccer coach Matthew Webb, and alum Noel Habashy ‘03 will also address participating students. Several other college staff members will facilitate breakout sessions throughout the weekend.

The conference was offered to sophomores interested in “learning about their own leadership styles and strengths, and applying them to group settings,” according to VOCA director, Kim Pool. Twenty-nine students registered for the conference at a cost of $50, though the conference was partially funded through a grant from the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education, Pool stated.

Sophomores were sought for this conference because the VOCA office often “loses touch” during students’ second year of college. “We are able to touch base in their first year, while juniors are looking for internships and seniors are asking ‘what’s next,’” Pool said. The VOCA office hopes this conference will become a continual avenue through which it can “provide support” earlier in students’ undergraduate studies, according to Pool. Some juniors did choose to attend the conference as well, Pool noted.

Pool also stated the students will be divided into teams with the task of formulating a strategy for implementing some specific positive change at Houghton. The teams will present their plans on the final day of the conference.

James Mclean ‘18, a theology major focusing on pastoral ministry and Biblical studies said he signed up for the conference because he “like[s] to take every opportunity that is offered to grow spiritually and better equip myself for ministry.”

In regard to positive change at Houghton, Mclean said he thinks “more campus wide initiative towards prayer is long overdue. I believe there needs to be more opportunities to pray together as a community. Due to the state of this nation and even the world, the church needs to unite now more than ever in prayer.”

Prayer and communion will also be included at the conference, according to Pool, who also stated that a goal of the conference is to “help students get a grasp on what God is calling them to”.

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Campus News

Highlander Soccer Plays Tough at Nationals

Photo courtesy of Jason Mucher

The Highlander  men’s and women’s soccer teams competed in the Division I National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Championship last week in Kissimmee, Florida.

The men’s season ended sooner than anticipated after losing each of their two games in the first round of play in the tournament.

In the women’s championship, Houghton had one win and one tie in the first round, advancing them to the semi-finals where they ended their season, losing to Colorado Christian University, who went on to win the championship.

Going into the tournament the women were seeded 8th of 9 teams, and were placed in Pool B with the #2 and #5 seeds. “Our team played very well in the Pool Games and advanced to the Final Four by winning our pool” said Lewis.

Reflecting on last year’s tournament, Jennifer Zacchigna ’17 said, “We had a strong performance on the women’s side, making it to the final four in a tournament with a lot of talented teams.”

She continued, “We would’ve loved to make it to the championship to defend our title, but overall we were definitely happy we were able to make it as far as we did.”

According to David Lewis, Women’s Soccer Head Coach, the  team lost 14 players from last year’s National Champion Team due to graduation, injury, or academic conflicts.

“This team’s focus was to improve in two levels: quality of soccer and quality of effort. They improved significantly throughout the season it showed in their post-season play. From start to finish, they represented one of the most improved teams I have coached here at Houghton,” said Lewis.

Men’s midfielder Jesse Toth ’17 said, “We didn’t do as well as we wanted as we lost both our games, but I am super proud of our team and what we accomplished this season.”

He continued, “The National Christian tournament is a very competitive series with some of the best teams around the country. Being in Florida with your best friends is very hard to complain about. While losing was disappointing, when we put it in perspective, we knew we gave it all we had and left nothing on the field.”

Toth reflected on the opportunity to have both Houghton soccer teams in Florida. This is the first time in a few years both teams have been in the tournament at the same time. “Having both teams there was a blast. Our games were spaced out perfectly so we were able to watch each other’s games in their entirety.”

He continued, “It was very cool to get to know some of the girls better. It is so different interacting with people when school is not the focus on people’s minds and you can just have genuine conversation, especially on such a long bus ride.”

While in Florida, the women’s team completed a service project organized by Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) and Feeding Children Everywhere.  The men and women’s teams who made it to the semi-finals had the opportunity to participate.

“We went to the CRU headquarters to help prepare meals for families to send to Haiti. It was a great time of fellowship with the other teams and a really successful effort to help families in need,” said Zacchigna.

Although neither team brought home a national title, the opportunity for both soccer teams to compete in the tournament was a huge success as they needed both a good record and success in the region tournament in order to move to post-season play.

Toth said, “It has been an absolute privilege to be a part of the Houghton Men’s Soccer Program This team has taught me that it’s not about the result of the game. Win or lose, our main focus is glorifying God through our actions on the field. I truly believe that we accomplished that at the national tournament.”

The National Championship title was claimed by Southwestern Christian University for the men and Colorado Christian University for the women.

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Campus News

College Passes New Integrative Studies System

Photo by: Anthony Burdo

New Integrative Studies (IS) requirements have been passed and will go into effect next fall.  According to professor Susan Bruxvoort Lipscomb, Director of IS Requirements, “The biggest shift is a move to integrated core courses, an integrated core sequence in humanities that combines literature, history, and philosophy into three integrated.”  She explained this meant students would “study the history of ideas through primary texts in literature and philosophy.”

“We are drawing on some of the strengths that we developed as an institution with faculty being able to teach in an integrated humanities… We’ve developed those strengths through our honors programs.  So we have faculty that can do that” Bruxvoort Lipscomb said. She continued,“Not all institutions have faculty that can teach integrated courses, but Houghton does because we have honors programs where we need to deliver courses in that way so now we’re offering that advantage to all students.”

Gena Hartman ’19, who studied in the Honors at London program and experienced an integrated curriculum, said,  “This is something I think about a lot as an education major, how we’re introducing material to people. That’s something I really enjoyed in London, that we have that context.  I think people care more when they understand the context behind something.”

According to Bruxvoort Lipscomb, the new system would likely result in more classes that would be slightly larger. This would be similar to the size of current standard general education courses, such as Biblical Literature or Western Civilization.  As a result, “All freshman students will be taking those humanity courses at the same time.”  She commented, “That’s kind of exciting for me to be thinking that students will be having these conversations. Everyone will be reading Plato’s allegory of the cave at the same time, so there will be a chance for people to be talking about these things outside of class.”

“That might make the freshman experience easier, that you automatically have something to talk about that you all know about,” Hartman noted. She later added, “I think that when you’re learning something at the same time you will have that common bond.”  Aside from the social benefits of informal discussion, she explained that from her experience, “It’s easier to understand when you have people around you to bounce ideas off of, other minds that may come from very different backgrounds.”

According to the final general education proposal, which was recently approved, “An academically challenging education in the liberal arts and sciences requires core courses in mathematics, the natural sciences, and the humanities and exploration in the social sciences and the arts.”  The proposal also stated, when developing the new requirements, faculty found it necessary to adjust the way these areas operated in order to fulfill this standard.

Bruxvoort Lipscomb reported there will also be general education science courses with their lab built into the class.  Additionally, there will be a shift in the curriculum for these courses.  She explained  a general education Biology class, for example, “will focus on issues in biology but from a more general perspective on how science influences a society and thinking about what’s the interaction.” The importance of the change is that students who are not science majors “need to understand they need to be scientifically literate on how science impacts society.”  The classes will lead them to considering “what does science contribute, how does it shape society, and not just learning the basics of a discipline which students broadly in the liberal arts don’t really need to know… from the introductory level”

Writing requirements will also be impacted by f the recent changes.  Bruxvoort Lipscomb explained,“Everybody will have the chance to take a course that really focuses on writing, but that can happen within majors if departments are offering it.”  She clarified that a writing enriched course would simply be one that required a total of at least 20 pages throughout the semester of “writing on which they get feedback”.  

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Campus News

Students Create Record Label: Fader 15

Image courtesy of Duncan Shalda

Four music industry students have joined with Director of Technical Arts and Music Industry Instructor, Kevin Jackson, to create an independent record label. Kayla Bernard ‘17, Olivia Dobmeier ‘19, Duncan Shalda ‘19, and Ryan Burrichter ‘20 are Vice Presidents (VP) of the label, called Fader 15 Records. Jackson is President of the label.

Dobmeier is the Vice President of Artist Development. “There are three other VP’s- Kayla Bernard is the VP of Artists and Repertoire, Duncan Shalda is the VP of Marketing, and Ryan Burrichter is the VP of Business,” she said. The role of the VP of Artists and Repertoire, Dobmeier explained, is to scout talent.

Burrichter, a music industry student “with a focus in the music business” has been charged with enacting the “comprehensive business plan” he drafted, which outlines “everything from a structure to a timeline, to finances.”

Fader 15 Records is an entity of the Greatbatch School of Music, Burrichter said. “The purpose of the label is to be a launch pad for artists who are serious about entering the music industry and give them a leg up as they leave college. It is our goal as a label to work with the artist and get them to where they want to go, whether that be a major record label or an independent label, or a touring deal,” Burrichter said.

“We’re not trying to make money,” Shalda said. “We’re taking people at Houghton College and pushing them to the level of excellency that they should be. We’re taking people who want to do this as a career and pushing them to professional level recording, professional level marketing, and producing and publishing their music.”

The record was born out of the Music Publishing and Marketing class, Shalda said. He said, “But it’s definitely branched out into the music industry major and the music school as a whole.”

Shalda said Fader 15 Records may produce single artist EPs. He said, “We’ve looked into other schools’ record labels, and they’ve taken one or two songs from each artist and made an album off of that.” Since Fader 15 Records has not chosen artists yet, these plans are “kinda touch and go,” Shalda said. “We’re gonna roll with it.”

Shalda stated the response to the label’s call for samples and auditions earlier in the semester stirred interest on campus. He said, “We don’t want to bite off more than we can chew, so we are planning on narrowing it down to just a few people that have the drive and motivation, who want to do this as their career.”

The label hopes to release music by the end of the school year, Shalda said. “We are looking more towards having three [artists]” he stated, who the label would begin working with next semester. The artists’ work with Fader 15 Records would end after they graduate,” Shalda stated.

According to Shalda Fader 15 Records will produce no particular music genre. He said, “That was one of the main reasons we went with ‘Fader 15’. We wanted [a name] that was not genre specific. We want anywhere from gospel from gospel to rap to rock to techno- anything under the sun that’s good music. That’s what we’re looking for, good music.”  

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Campus News

Sodexo Enters Bidding to Remain at Houghton

Houghton College is considering bids from dining service companies. Sodexo, the company which currently serves Houghton, runs out on its current contract this May. Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Officer of Student Life Sergio Mata-Cisneros ‘19 said three companies have “submitted a proposal, one being Sodexo.” Mata-Cisneros said a committee has been formed which is “working on reviewing the proposals. Currently Joanna [Friesen, SGA Student Body President] and I sit as student representatives on the committee.”

Vice President of Student Life, Rob Pool, said there are faculty and staff representatives on the the committee as well. Pool stated the rest of the committee is comprised of Director of conferences, Becca Crouch;Director of Operations for the president, Cindy Lastoria; chief business officer, Dale Wright Assistant Director of Admission Events and Office Operations, Elizabeth Rutledge; Athletic Director, Harold Lord; Assistant Dean of Students, Marc Smithers; Athletics Marketing & Scheduling Coordinator, Marshall Green; and Phyllis Gaerte, Director of Alumni and Community Relations.  Biology and Sciences professor, Ransom Poythress, is the faculty representative on the committee.  Sustainability concerns will be addressed on the committee by sustainability coordinator, Brian Webb.

Aside from Sodexo’s bid, Pool said Metz Culinary Management and American Dining Creations have submitted proposals.

Derek Chase ‘19 expressed enthusiasm that the dining services contract is open for bidding. “I think it’s good to consider all kinds of new options, especially because I love to try all kinds of food,” he said. “I think it would be cool to see what other companies have to offer.”

Sarah Vande Brake ‘19 concurred. “Sodexo has had this contract for awhile, and while I personally don’t mind the food, I know many students have gotten tired of it and it might be time to explore other options for the school.”

For the committee, price is not the only factor considered in the bidding process. According to Pool, Houghton published a request for bids which included several factors such as “Quality Assurance,” “Strategic and Business Planning,” and “Responsiveness to the College Community.”

“The committee will hear presentations from the three companies next week”, said Mata-Cisneros. After the semester break, Mata-Cisneros said the committee will continue deliberations and negotiations with the companies. The committee expects to “have all the contracts signed with the chosen company by February break” he stated. Houghton will release the information shortly after the contracts are solidified, Mata-Cisneros said.

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Campus News

Forty Students To Graduate In December

Photo by: Anthony Burdo

Forty students will graduate at the close of this semester. A reception will be held on Wednesday, December 7 to honor these mid-year graduates and recognize their hard work during their time at Houghton.

The reception will take place in the South End Dining Hall, and will last from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with desserts provided. President Shirley Mullen, Provost Jack Connell, and a representative from Alumni Relations will each give brief remarks to the graduates, according to Eva Hillman from the Office of Academic Affairs.

The December graduates are made up of a multitude of degrees. Twenty-two students will graduate with a Bachelor of Science, fifteen with a Bachelor of Arts, and one each with an Associate of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, and Master of Arts. These students are from a variety of majors, the most common major being Communication, closely followed by Psychology and Business Administration, according to the Registrar webpage.

Tyler Ashley is a December graduate and a double major in Communication and Business Administration. He said, “I am very thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow at a place like Houghton.” He reflected on what made Houghton a special place to him, and stated the people he met during college and the relationships he formed are invaluable. After graduation, Ashley plans to work at an internet marketing company based in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania.

Another December graduate, Rebekah Bunal, is graduating in December after transferring to Houghton after begining her degree at another institution. Bunal is graduating with a degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She said, “My time at Houghton was great, but short. All my education professors are what helped me get through it all.”

Ian Smith, who is preparing to graduate with a degree in Inclusive Childhood Education (ICE), said he was motivated to graduate early because he completed all the classes necessary for his major.  “From being an RA in Rothenbuhler hall to making a fool of myself in two separate SPOT skits, my time at Houghton is one I will always remember fondly,” he said. Smith said he hopes to work as a substitute teacher in the Rochester area after graduation.

For Smith, and many other graduates, graduation means beginning a new chapter of life. “I will miss being in the Houghton community, but am very excited for what God has for me in the future,” Smith said.

Friends and family of December graduates are invited to attend the dessert reception to celebrate the graduates’ accomplishments. Attire will be business casual.