Category: Campus

After serving as Associate and Academic Dean for eight years, Dr. Linda Mills Woolsey has decided the time has come for her to leave the office.

Through her time as Department chair and in the CCCU leadership development program, Mills Woolsey entered her role as Dean with the necessary leadership experience and skills. Yet the office of Dean was not something she was seeking. When encouraged to apply to the CCCU leadership development program, Mills Woolsey said at the time, “I have no intention of being a Dean,” even noting on the application “I don’t feel I have a calling.” She felt a deep calling to teaching, and had teaching positions at Nyack, King, and most recently, Houghton College.

A phone call from President Mullen several years later changed her course. “She wanted to have an Associate Dean who knew the college,” Mills Woolsey remembers. She thought and prayed. “I thought, if I’m needed three years I should consider it. I said ‘yes.’” She moved on to become Academic Dean from there. Mullen noted, “After doing a national search we didn’t find a candidate. We realized our best available candidate was right here among us.”

Mullen says now, “Dr. Mills Woolsey has been exactly the right person to be in the position at this time.” Her husband, Dr. Stephen Woolsey, noted her strengths in the position. “She loves to problem solve and help people find resources.” He described her also as “absolutely fair minded,” an important quality in an office where you must “support equally all parts of the college.”

Although Mullen and Mills Woolsey herself noted her years of office have occurred during a “a time of great turbulence in American higher education,” Mullen asserts “in general she has helped to move our academic program forward.”  Mills Woolsey has brought about the new fields of music industry, data science, and the beginnings of an engineering program, as well as “creating the academic master plan for Houghton’s future development and curriculum.” Mullen says additionally “she strengthened our connection with the Lilly network of historically faith based colleges as well as such groups as the AAC&U.”

After eight years in office, the average being five as Dean, Woolsey noted she is ready to go back to teaching. She expressed “very mixed feelings about leaving the Dean’s office,” but explained also she was “pretty burned out” by last spring. “I thought I’d only be a Dean for a short time. I didn’t pace myself.” She is stepping down from the position after prayer about timing, in hopes of finishing her career with her “first love,” teaching. “After all these years, that’s what I’m really excited about,” she says. She hopes as well to finish a book manuscript of her poetry, which she has not had time to devote to while serving as Dean.

Mills Woolsey will end her term as Dean by summer 2016. While a new Dean has yet to be found, Mullen says “We’re in the process of looking for a new Dean at this point” and when a decision is made, “we’ll certainly let the student body know.” “Dean Woolsey has decided that this is the right time to leave, so we need to make it the right time for the institution.” She looks on Dr. Mills Woolsey’s term as Dean as “a testimony to her love of faculty and students,” which Woolsey herself expressed. “Even though I love teaching I saw the calling as a chance to serve Houghton students and faculty,” she said, noting the dedication of Houghton faculty and the “energy and intensity” of the students.

Three off-campus programs were recently approved at last week’s staff meeting as affiliated program options for students.  The new options will provide opportunities for students to study in Australia, Uganda, and Southern Oregon.  Now that these programs are affiliated, students can apply for Houghton financial aid to go off-campus with them.  However, only four students per semester will be granted the approval to receive this aid.

Marcus Dean, Director of Off-Campus Studies, shared that Houghton has chosen to approve these programs for a few different reasons.  Faculty gathered to vote and discuss each of the reasons before approval.

Houghton previously ran their own Australian studies program which is currently on hold.  Not wanting to limit students’ options, the Off-Campus Studies Committee recommended the approval of the Australia Studies Program through the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).  Students from Houghton have yet to participate in this program.

The Uganda Studies Program (USP), again through the CCCU, was also considered.  Originally, Houghton did not approve this program because it competed with the Tanzania program.  Both the Tanzania and GO-Ed Africa options have become very popular, so Houghton is approving USP to include even more off-campus choices for students.

Recent alumna Amanda Monday Buckley (’14) had nothing but positive things to say about her USP experience.  She said, “I still am talking about the most wonderful four months of my life where my eyes were opened and my worldview changed drastically.  I had an extremely positive experience… I left a piece of myself over there and I dream of when I can visit East Africa again.”  Upon hearing the news of the recent approval she went on to say, “I am so happy it is finally approved because I loved it and I think other Houghton students would enjoy it too.”

At one time, Houghton College was the transcript school for the Oregon Extension (OE).  Meaning, students who participated in the program received Houghton College credits on their transcripts.  Dean explained that about ten years ago, Houghton made the decision to discontinue their relationship with the OE, as our core values did not align.  Because of this, students were not allowed to participate in the OE for a number of years. Dean discussed that the OE has completely new leadership and professors so he considers it to be the “OE 2.0.” 

Senior Holly Chaisson spent the fall 2015 semester at the OE.  When asked about her experience in the program she said, “My experience at the OE was extremely positive….this opportunity allowed me to structure my studies around my niche interests and was an exercise in academic independence and creativity.”  She said the experience “reinvigorated” her academically and reaffirmed her vocational aspirations.  According to Chaisson, “The OE is a radically different type of college experience, one that offers students a slower and deliberately paced way of life, one invested in both deep thought and in community.”

Senior Allyson Murphy also went with Chaisson to the OE.  She said, “I was given an opportunity to think in a capacity not as readily available at Houghton. College life is stressful. . . Multiple commitments bog down the average dedicated college student. The OE simply asks that students intentionally read, discuss, and reflect in communal openness. . . I still daily think about the work I was able to do at the OE.”  About the cultural experiences she was able to engage in, she shared, “My group went backpacking in the Trinity Alps of Northern California for a week, the Oregon Coast, and San Francisco.  Each of those trips were incredible.”

Despite having incredible experiences, Buckley, Chaisson, and Murphy each had to creatively fund their experiences with grants, loans, and small scholarships since their programs had not yet been approved by Houghton and they could not take their financial aid with them.

As the Director of Off-Campus studies, Dean recommends students interested in creating their own off-campus experiences should discuss options with their advisors.

Marlene Collins-Blair, Associate Professor of Spanish, recently accepted the position of dean of distance education. Distance education is a form of education that takes place outside of the traditional classroom. Once based in West Seneca, all adult education programs and online initiatives are now based on the home campus.

“As we have developed our vision for Distance Education at Houghton College,” commented Linda Mills Woolsey, Dean of the College, “we have been aware that we can offer a stronger program by basing our online and distance programs on the main campus.”

Collins-Blair accepted the position in June. In addition to teaching eight credits’ worth of classes, she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of online and summer coursework and adult education.  According to Mills Woolsey, this includes “budgets, curriculum development, program accreditation, faculty recruiting and development, and program assessment.”

“There was a need to have everything centralized,” said Collins-Blair. She noted the adult education and summer online initiatives had previously been handled by separate administrators.  Collins-Blair plans to expand into the pre-college network to reach juniors and seniors in high school who may be looking to earn college credit. She also hopes to hold faculty training sessions about teaching courses online, and eventually offer entire Bachelor’s degrees online.

Both Mills Woolsey and Collins-Blair mentioned within the next few years, the Distance Learning Department also plans to offer classes online throughout the school year instead of just during the summer. This would allow students studying on the main campus to supplement their regular semester with online coursework.

“It would be like an independent study, but with more guidance in a way… I’d be interested in something like that,” commented junior, Christina Moyer. Sophomore, Clarice Thibault said, “It could bring in more people because someone might want to take just an online course and then they may want to come visit and see what the campus is like.”  Senior, Luke Rosamilia, said while it would be good for the college, he wonders whether doing online coursework as well as regular on-campus studies would be the best thing for students and faculty involved.

When asked what she looks forward to most about her new role, Collins-Blair said she is excited “to see the programs grow and expand,” and hopes to show both students and faculty how exciting online learning can be.

“Our hope,” said Mills Woolsey, “is that her vision and passion will inspire Houghton faculty as they explore distance education possibilities and that she will initiate a renewal of Houghton’s distance education programs by shepherding new program development and faculty development.”

This summer, art professor, Ryann Cooley, restructured the photography courses offered at Houghton College.

When Cooley came to Houghton in 2013 and began teaching photography there were only two courses offered, Foundations of Photography and Advanced Topics in Photography. Foundations of Photography, according to Cooley, is a black and white film class which “spent most of the time learning techniques through the chemistry, printing, and camera functions.”

Advanced Topics in Photography, however, focused more on elements of photography beyond the darkroom.

Cooley, however, felt it was not particularly advanced. This largely had to do with the lack of time to teach more than just the basics. “There’s not enough time to really go into everything in any kind of detail. You’re kind of glazing over everything,” he said. “I wanted to offer more depth for people that really wanted more out of photography.”

According to Cooley, one of the new classes, Introduction to Digital Photography, is a better way to teach beginning photography. In Foundations of Photography, film was processed, or developed, the traditional way in the darkroom, making the process much longer. Cooley said, “You don’t get to see the results until you’ve processed, printed, and you finally get to look at it.” Variables like exposure, development, and printing of the film could affect the outcome of the photo. A student would not be able to see the results of a single photo until the week long printing process was completed.

The Introduction to Digital Photography class still teaches all the fundamentals of photography, but allows students to learn the same things they would have learned in Foundations of Photography, but a much faster pace. Cooley said, “I can do it in 2-3 weeks versus 7-8 weeks in the film class.”

This also allowed Cooley to bring in some of the topics typically learned in Advanced Topics in Photography. “So not only do they learn how to use the function of the camera, but they also get to learn how to make a good picture,” said Cooley. “I think it’s a much more fuller class to take things further.” The original black and white film class, Cooley says, will become more ‘exploratory,’ “it’s kind of more of a fine arts class because people aren’t using film so much, everything’s digital these days.” The Advanced Topics class will now serve as more of a thought based photography class, discovering the ramifications and effects that photographs have.

In addition to restructuring the photography courses, a new lighting studio was added to the inside of the Stevens Art Studios. A lighting studio is a space that allows for the creation, control, and modification of light in a photograph. Lighting, according to Cooley, is essential to photography, “Lighting is so fundamental to photography itself that I wanted to designate an entire course to just lighting.”

The lighting class, utilizes both the studio and natural, outside light. “The fall gives us a good range where we can learn how to use outdoor lighting and modify that lighting,” Cooley said. “Then we can also spend time indoors learning how to control the lighting and create the lighting, versus just the lighting we’re given through nature.”

Assistant professor of art and printmaking, Alicia Taylor, thinks the addition of the lighting studio will be beneficial for many students, “The lighting studio is really great opportunity for students to have experience in both a commercial setting and setting up their own dynamic photoshoots, whether it’s still life photography or portrait photography.” Taylor said,  “It really expands the program to be more competitive with bigger schools that have a lot large facilities and more access to equipment.

Junior, Elizabeth Vigna, pursues photography in her free time and thinks the addition of classes will add variety and be helpful to many. He said, “Having a substitute for lighting during the winter time will be really useful, I had to teach myself, so taking that class would be really cool because there’s probably a lot of stuff I’ve missed.”
Lastly, the Professional Practices class, the last of the new photography classes, will focus on photography in the professional world. This entails learning the business side of running a photography business and creating a marketable portfolio.

The Chemistry Department at Houghton College hired Doctor Michael Selig as visiting professor for the academic year. Selig was selected through a process that began in the Spring of 2015 and came to completion this past August.

He quickly transitioned into his first semester of teaching from defending his doctoral thesis in late August. Fellow chemistry professor Doctor John Rowley likened such an experience to, “writing a book one week and teaching someone to read the next.” The change has been made easier by Selig’s familiarity with the area. He grew up in Buffalo and had spent time in Rushford. “Summers in the area, at the lake, on boats, with campfires, clay pits, and visits to the bog at Moss Lake have made this area a special one in my heart. Despite that, I had never been to the Houghton campus until my interview and I will say I was pleasantly surprised to find such a hidden gem in an area that I had always held in my heart a special one,” he commented.

The bulk of Selig’s research is in analyzing and manipulating the chemical structure of plant biomass. His particular interest is in producing “green” energy. Speaking on his research, Selig said, “Lately, I have been interested in the hydration of plant cell wall polymers (complex carbohydrates and phenolics) and surfaces and general concepts relating to biophysical interactions. I have spent the last dozen years working on problems associated with the enzymatic deconstruction of plant cell walls; this is what makes up the bulk of most plant biomass. While biomass may seem a little boring it is the most abundant renewable resource available for the production of fuels, materials and chemicals and has been for millennia.” This research makes Selig well-suited for work with the biochemistry major.

Selig completed his Ph.D. this August at the University of Copenhagen. His doctoral thesis, titled Molecular Scale Drivers of Biomass Recalcitrance: Hypotheses and biophysical study on mechanism limiting the conversion of lignocellulose to constituent sugars for fermentation to products, focusses on the intentional breakdown of cell wall material and the inherent difficulties therein. He received his masters and bachelors degrees from Cornell.

In addition to his teaching at Houghton, Selig is an adjunct professor at Canisius College teaching an evening class in Thermodynamics twice a week. The change of pace was a quick acceleration from his past year which was mostly spent writing his thesis – a time he described as, “relaxed and fairly unstructured.” On adapting to the busyness, he said, “I often found myself longing for a place to go to work, a place to be part of again, and so even though things are really busy getting started with three courses this semester I am enjoying the challenge and the constant pace of life. I try to get a decent night’s sleep every day, but that does not always happen yet.”
Science drives Selig in both discovery and community. He finds fulfillment in pushing forward scientific knowledge and sharing that knowledge with minds fresh to the task: “There is nothing more enjoyable to me than to bring a new little story to the scientific dinner table that gets people excited to dig deeper, think differently, and want to go out and explore a bit on their own.”

In an effort to reach budget goals, Greg Bish’s position, Director of Student Programs and Student Leadership was cut. Bish’s former responsibilities were distributed among the Resident Directors of Shenawana Hall, Lambien Hall, Rothenbuhler Hall, and the Townhouses.

Vice President of Student Life Doctor Robert Pool emphasized Bish’s position being cut “was due strictly to the need to find budget savings.” Previously, Bish also oversaw the Campus Activities Board (CAB), student clubs and organizations, event funding, and student led spiritual programs. Pool said, “We mourn the loss of an individual who was instrumental to our student’s [time at Houghton]…[Bish] fulfilled his role beyond expectations.” However, Pool noted, the ‘silver lining’ in Bish’s absence is there are now four individuals involved in student programming, allowing for more one on one interaction.

Marc Smithers remains the Assistant Dean of Residence Life and Student Programming. He said the fact that Resident Directors are now taking on student programming responsibilities simply adds another “level” to what they already do. “They’re simply adding on campus level programming to floor and hall programming,” said Smithers.

Resident Directors have always had additional positions in relation to their main job title. These positions have included tasks such as overseeing hall chaplains.

Jason Stephens, Resident Director of Shenawana Hall, is now the Assistant Director of Student Programs. He oversees “campus identity” events, such as SPOT. He is also the staff advisor for CAB.

Krista Maroni, Resident Director of Lambien, is now the Assistant Director of Student Organizations. No longer working in the Admissions office, she will be working closely with club advisors, and students looking to start a new club. Her goal is to keep clubs and activities thriving, as well as get new students involved at Houghton.  She also will work overseeing international student programs such as Interconnect and the host family program.

JL Miller, Resident Director of the Townhouses, is the Assistant Director of Campus Ministries. He is the acting liaison for Christian Life Funding. This affects student programs and events such as Mercy Seat and The Cry. Miller also oversees event club funding, such as Paddle Sports and the Drawing Board.

Laura Cunningham’s role has been somewhat less affected by the administrative changes. According to Smithers, this is due to her position as Resident Director of Gillette Hall, the largest dorm on campus. However, Cunningham will be more involved with service opportunities this year, as the Assistant Director for Service Opportunities. One of these opportunities include a potential service trip to Buffalo during October Break.

Along with these changes, Maroni added, “We’ve [Student Life Staff] changed the role a bit by limiting the student programs involvement in non-student related events to maintain healthier boundaries for student leaders.”

Maroni added these changes aim to present a “unified message” to students by connecting Residence Life and Student Programming. She said, “In the past these messages has been a little disconnected or competing. It’s also convenient that we have a lot of control over the calendar so we will try and find more balance for students between activities, hall events and other commitments students are pulled between. This change gives us one more avenue to create a great student experience”.

Smithers agrees. He said he is “excited to see how this [new arrangement] will help students become more involved” during their time at Houghton.

Since Tina Power’s departure to Disney World in May, Sodexo-run facilities on campus, such as the dining hall, Big Al’s, and Sandella’s have undergone various changes. Kathie Guyler, the new general manager, has been working in the college dining business for thirty-three years, with Houghton College being the sixth college she has worked at. Guyler said, “Honestly why I do what I do” is because “I really enjoy working with students.” Benjamin Hardy, a Houghton College ‘14 alumni and supervisor of student workers, said, “She has brought a few new perspectives on things, mostly on food safety”

The dining hall now has a self-service omelet bar where students can control ingredients being put into their eggs, portion size of ingredients, and how they want their eggs cooked. In addition, Sodexo has brought back the stir fry station. The revival of the station is already a “big hit” among students because of their increased participation in the creation of their meals. Guyler said, “Feedback they got [from surveys] was that students prefer to make it themselves.”

Big Al’s and Sandella’s also now have new hours. Big Al’s is only open at night for dinner while Sandella’s is open during lunchtime. Smoothies, however,  can be purchased at any time.

Big Al’s has its first event on September 14, “Wings with the Dean.” During this event students will have the opportunity to watch the Monday night NFL opening game for the Philadelphia Eagles with Dean Jordan. Wings will be sold for only twenty-five cents. Near the end of the September, the dining hall will have a fall event, “Apple Week.” This will use apples from a local vendor will food items such as apple pancakes, apple cakes, and caramel apples. Students will have the opportunity to bob for apples and make their own candy apples. As done in the past, there will be Wing Night every Friday at Big Al’s and events such as Barbeque Blues and Bodacious Burgers. There will also be a raffle for the Superbowl which will feature prizes donated by Pepsi such as a Mini Jambox, small wifi speaker, and an iFit.

James Ward, operations manager who oversees all retail operations in Java, Big Al’s, Sandella’s, and all catering events, said this year that they are focused on “enhancing their current program.” This year, Sodexo offered four marketing internships where students gain experience in sustainability, marketing, and wellness. “They help get messages out to students and connect with students on a more personal level,” said Ward. “I encourage students to start a conversation with me in the dining hall.”

Guyler encourages students to fill out comment cards and to send her emails. Her goal to get more feedback from students is to have open dinners where everyone is invited to come, have dinner in the dining hall, and ask questions about the health, safety, and choice of food being served. Sodexo also  issues a survey every year where students can voice their opinions and have the chance to win something through the giveaways.

Hardy said, “I enjoy working with the students, training the students, and providing quality food service for the students” and as a past student of Houghton College, he “tries to do for the students what he would’ve wanted done as a student.” In the past, student supervisors have recruited students from the previous year so that they would have plenty of workers in the fall. However, some workers graduated, moved, and got promoted so there are several spaces open for students interested in a job. The success of Sodexo depends on the student body so as it decreases or increases, so does their revenue.

Recently, interest in having a real mascot, complete with a full costume, has peaked among staff members and the athletic department. Currently Houghton has mascot garb including a plaid kilt and bagpipes for the Scottish highlander, but not a full costume and it has not been worn consistently in the past. The new mascot, according to Jeff Babbitt, director of marketing and communications, would be, “a real-feeling mascot, like an animal costume” and would similar to “one that you would recognize when you think of mascots like the Syracuse Orange or the Texas Longhorns.”

According to Babbitt, this past semester two focus groups were held. Twelve students were brought in and asked questions in regards to the idea of having a mascot, what a mascot could do, and the qualities a mascot should possess. From the students, they received quality feedback on the characteristics the mascot should have. First, students felt that the mascot should be gender neutral. The school thought about getting a mascot that looked like a Scottish man with the highlander garb for the sake of consistency, but it would be an accurate representation of the student body and the athletics program because most of Houghton’s students are women.

Also, the students mentioned the mascot needed to connect with the athletics branding Houghton already has in place. It became apparent a lion would perhaps work with that. Additionally, the idea of the lion would be unique because it would be different from other schools Houghton’s athletics teams often play against in the Empire 8 Conference. Lastly, students wanted the mascot to look professional and to be kid-friendly.

Houghton has never had an official mascot, but became the Highlanders in 1967 through a student vote due to the additions of intercollegiate sports the same year. According to Babbitt, in 2004 the athletics department undertook a rebranding project in which they brought in a company from the outside that specialized in logo design. Babbitt added, “It was a time where we needed a fresh look.” Ultimately the company produced the lion, Houghton’s current purple and gold colors, and the “HC” that appears in athletics and on Campus Store merchandise. Originally the lion was just meant to be a secondary logo, but it gained traction and began appearing on everything associated with Houghton. The rampant lion does tie into the Scottish heritage however, since it is the unofficial Scottish flag. It symbolizes bravery and courage and comes from a seal of Scottish nobility.

According to Babbitt, there will be tryouts for the mascot in the fall. The mascot will then be launched at an event like Homecoming. The student chosen to portray the mascot would be compensated through a work study job, or a similar form of compensation. Babbitt said, “[We] want someone who is energetic, has athletic ability to jump around and dance, could help develop the personality of the mascot, would pump the crowd up, and would mingle with people at events.” The mascot would be present at sports games, events such as Homecoming, Purple and Gold Week, Help day, campus visit days, and Kingdom Bound. According to Babbitt, the true test of success of the mascot will be if people try to take selfies with their mascot because that means they are excited to see it.