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New Associate’s Degree Program in Buffalo

Houghton’s educational involvement in the city of Buffalo has had a long and storied past, with new endeavors just about to get started.

For several years, the college has run the City Semester program, headed by Cameron Airhart, professor of history. The City Semester, one of Houghton’s ongoing off-campus programs, is intended to take Houghton students into western New York’s main city to explore, according to the web page, “living in community on the West Side of Buffalo, reading and thinking intensely about urban life and culture with others who are reading and thinking about the same things.”

Courtesy of http://springflingcny.wordpress.com/
Courtesy of http://springflingcny.wordpress.com/-

Soon, however, Houghton will be expanding even more into the city with Houghton Buffalo, an associate’s degree program set to launch in Fall 2014. According to Dr. Mark Hijleh, the idea for Houghton Buffalo was first conceived in April of 2012. Soon, Dr. Hijleh explains, it was determined “that there were good reasons to launch a program to serve students in the Buffalo area that need and want a Christian liberal arts alternative to community college and other options, but would not be likely to consider Houghton’s residential campus for the first two years of study.”

In October of 2013, Dr. Scott McClelland was hired as Dean of Extension Studies and has joined with with Dr. Hijleh to launch the program. Added McClelland, enrollment coordinator Aimee White has also been an integral part of the project.

According to the Houghton College website, Houghton Buffalo will offer students the opportunity to take courses in traditional subjects, including history, literature, communications, and mathematics. In addition, McClelland explained that Houghton Buffalo will also offer courses such as, “Life in the City”… [which] will enhance local students’ knowledge of their area and the challenges (and great opportunities) of urban life.” The credits earned at Houghton Buffalo will be transferrable to many 4-year institutions, including at the Houghton College campus itself.

In Buffalo, classes will be taught at First Presbyterian Church, near Kleinhan’s Music Hall.  In describing the learning environment, McClelland said that the church has two classrooms, one of which doubles as a library, another room which is divided into a computer lab and student lounge, as well as an office, and a sanctuary. McClelland also noted that the area where First Presbyterian Church is located is safe, which should be reassuring to prospective suburban students wary of colleges located in the city.

When asked what excites him most about the program, Dr. Hijleh explains, “This new initiative marks an historic opportunity for houghton to bring its distinctive brand of excellence in christian higher education to a new group of students in Buffalo. thus, it allows us to extend our mission beyond the houghton residential campus in ways we have not been able to do previously.”

When asked if there was anything specific he wanted students to know about Houghton Buffalo, Dr. McClelland said, “As in any urban environment, there will likely be a greater diversity in our student demographics than normally available in our residential context. We hope both urban and suburban students, who otherwise could not consider our residential option, will come together and be as ‘iron sharpening iron’ in [Houghton Buffalo]. In our more globalized world, this dimension, I believe, is crucial to a well-rounded education.”

 

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Behind the Scenes of Prism

The Houghton College website says, “The 2013 Christmas Prism, Savior of the Nations Come!, is an artistic exploration of the joy of Christmas manifest through music, dance, visual art, and poetry.” Although the show itself is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the performers, hundreds of hours of effort go into the production before any performer takes the stage.

PrismPhyllis Gaerte, Director of Community Relations, opened the conversation by joking that she has had so many interviews with the Star this year that she should be well prepared for any questions. As a part of the Department of Community Relations, which organizes all the public and signature events for the college, being a target for interviews is quite understandable.

Although not a part of the onstage performances, Gaerte plays an integral part. She said, “For Prism, this means giving a birds-eye view of the whole Prism event…Outside of the performance itself and what the music department needs to do to make sure that is the quality is what it should be, community relations is responsible for all the other aspects of Prism.”

The Community Relations Department works closely with the Marketing Department on promotion, handling box office issues, providing ushers at events, organizing the upscale dinner for over 200 people–including finding decor and planning a menu in conjunction with Sodexo–that precedes the performance, and developing the budget alongside other administrative offices.

John Buteyn also gives much of his time to making Prism the astounding display it is. He is both the designer and engineer of the lighting at the performances not just in Houghton, but also in Rochester and Buffalo. Additionally, Buteyn will be assisting with the live sound and recording for each performance, and in order to organize everything, he begins his work months in advance.

This year, Buteyn said that the budget was used to purchase lighting gear, instead of merely renting it. Although this is believed to be a better use of the budget, there is now much less lighting gear available than in the past. To create a visual experience on par with previous years will be quite a challenge. Buteyn joked, “I think I’m up for it.”

Buteyn describes other challenges such as older venues in Rochester and Buffalo that sometimes aren’t equipped to handle Prism’s power demand, where he “can’t tell you how many breakers I’ve tripped…Last year, I even stationed a student worker at the breaker box for the entire performance just in case.” Challenges allow an opportunity to improve though. Such as switching to LED lighting to reduce the power required. He said, “There is always something to learn, each year, at each performance, at each venue…  I better understand the layout, architecture, and natural beauty of the venues to highlight with the lighting design.”

It is not without a humorous side though. “Let’s just say, when all the techs are working on very little sleep and very few calories, laughter keeps us going.  Well, laughter and caffeine,” Buteyn joked.

Gaerte sums up Prism by telling a story from Houghton’s first year in Buffalo. This young woman came out to the ticket table with both her mother and grandmother: three generations of people familiar with the church. “Her words to me were: ‘This church seems to be dying, but it came to life tonight.'”

 

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JET Funding Woes Come to an End

Journey’s End Tutoring (JET) has had trouble finding funds this year. Its operation and future funding have been uncertain as JET leaders are transitioning the program into a more reliable and sustainable budget.

JET is a changing group of Houghton students that have been serving refugee families in Buffalo since 2004. These tutors develop relationships with the families, help them to learn English, and navigate their transition into American culture. JET is a student-led organization, not an official club. Because of this, funding for JET has come from different sources over the years.

Courtesy of thegoodneighborhood.com
Courtesy of thegoodneighborhood.com

JET’s top expense (the bare necessity) is transportation; however JET leaders expressed excitement and enthusiasm at the thought of what could be done with more funding. “With more funding, we could invest in ESL curriculum, picture books, markers and crayons, educational games, and we could buy more resources to support the incredible teaching and ministry taking place in Buffalo.” said Stephanie Ford.

In the past JET was funded by a number of sources. The most significant source was the contribution of Dr. Chuck Massey (professor of Urban Studies in Buffalo) from his budget, and the money that he pieced together from various sources in Buffalo. JET’s budget was usually composed of 3-5 sources at a time. “We always found the money somehow,” said JET president Jina Libby.

This year, JET has experienced a decline in funding for a number of reasons: Dr. Chuck Massey retired, Dr. Galman (who also funded JET) retired, and there have been budget cuts.

Right now, JET is in transition between funding sources. In this phase the SGA has been supportive by approving JET for $1,500 to use this year. JET is transitioning into more sustainable and reliable private funding. Leading this venture is Andrew Gaerte (an advancement and grant officer for Houghton), who is looking for possible donors and pursuing grants for future years. “We currently have a proposal for funding into one of our Western New York Church Partners for funding for the fall 2013 – spring 2014 JET program…. We are also currently working on a grant for the Western New York Foundation to fund the program for the following two years.  Our ultimate goal in approaching foundations for funding is to make the funding of the program more secure and sustainable.” said Gaerte.

So how has JET been doing so far this semester in light of the transition? “Without God’s blessing, JET wouldn’t have happened this year… we had no money to call our own, and borrowed to start out. It was a questionable start that God has blessed.” said Libby.

This year, JET has economized its transportation costs by switching to vans. Previously, one bus and a driver would be hired to take the tutors to Buffalo. The average cost per trip was $475, and per semester $7600. This year, for the first two weeks buses were used and the cost was covered by funds from Greg Bish (on loan to be repaid later by JET). The last few weeks (and the plan for the rest of the year) is for three 11-passenger vans to be driven by certified students, cutting costs down to just gas expenses. The extrapolated cost of this semester is $2300.

JET leaders Caralyn Weisel, Jina Libby, Stephanie Ford, Tiffany Aguas, and Bethany Hillegas all expressed hope for JET’s future and pride in how it has been continuing (even without the people who started it initially).

“Everyone loves JET; it is a core part of Houghton. Everyone wants to help and that is encouraging,” said Bethany Hillegas. JET has been promoted and pushed as a fundamental part of Houghton’s outreach to prospective students, and is in its 9th year of operation. Pamela Witter, Executive Director of Development and the chair of Leadership Allegany summarized JET’s importance to Houghton’s impact, saying, “JET is a very important component of Houghton’s presence in Buffalo and we feel that it is essential to the success of all of our other initiatives in Buffalo as well.”

 

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Houghton Alumni Awarded ‘Alumnus of the Year’

Houghton alumni Dr. Myron Glick and Dr. Joe Harvey received Alumni of the Year awards on Wednesday October 2, 2013. Glick was honored for his work with refugees in Buffalo, NY and Harvey for his medical work in the Republic of Congo.

The Alumnus of the Year award is an annual honor that highlights graduates who have taken the knowledge and wisdom gained from their time at Houghton and used it to better the world in a significant way.

Dr. Myron Glick
Dr. Myron Glick

Dr. Myron Glick is a 1988 graduate of the college. He founded Jericho Road Family Practice in 1998 and now operates as its CEO. Jericho Road works to provide medical care to a wide range of Buffalo residents including, as its website states, “[the] medically underserved, people in poverty, refugees and immigrants.” It seeks to treat patients without regard to their insurance status or ability to pay. It supports this endeavor through donations from the community.

Since its inception, the outreach has provided health care to over 35,500 patients. It currently employs 3 physicians, 4 nurse practitioners and 1 physician assistant at 2 sites in the city.

Beyond medical care, Jericho Road also values the education of the refugee community in order to better its health and well-being as a whole. It believes that helping the community by providing services now will allow the residents to grow self-sufficient and independent in the future.

The practice spurred the founding of a sister organization, Jericho Road Ministries, as a counterpart devoted to fulfilling the spiritual needs of the refugee community. This organization was also founded by Dr. Glick, inspired by a need for spiritual healing for refugee residents.

In 2012, Dr. Glick also received the Community Leader Award from Houghton for his significant contributions to the diverse community he serves in Buffalo.

Dr. Joe Harvey is also a 1988 graduate of the college. He is the founder and medical director of Pioneer Christian Hospital. The hospital is located in the heart of the Congo River Basin Rainforest. It has 60-beds for providing general care to locals. The local Congolese it serves number about 300,000 individuals.

Dr. Joe Harvey
Dr. Joe Harvey

According to its website, the hospital most commonly provides treatment for, “malaria, sexually-transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, HIV/AIDS, leprosy, meningitis, monkey pox, and other infectious diseases.” Aside from these, pregnancy, hernia, hypertension, gastritis, diabetes, and trauma are also common.

In addition to its medical services, Pioneer also benefits the community by employing paid Congolese staff in obstetrics, pediatrics, surgery, consultation, laboratory, medical imaging, pharmacy, chaplaincy, administration, maintenance, and security. The paid staff work alongside missionary volunteers. To cover the costs of materials and staff, the hospital itself relies on funding from its partners as well as from donations.

Pioneer is also making an impact in the religious culture of the region by providing spiritual services to those it treats. Through these actions, it has reduced the number of preventable deaths and diseases as well as allowed for an inflow of Christian philosophy and doctrine into the region.

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Buffalo City Semester: Diversity Close to Home

While scrolling through the course offerings, one may easily skim over the bold print: “HOUGHTON COLLEGE CITY SEMESTER (Buffalo)”. In fact, many Houghton students are alien to the course.

Courtesy of city-data.com
Courtesy of city-data.com

One student replied to the question “Do you know what the Buffalo City Semester is?” with “I heard of it, but I don’t know exactly what you do.” Another student said, “It’s not advertised as well as it should be. I have no idea what it is.”

So what exactly is the City Semester? Located only an hour and a half away, students have the opportunity to live, learn, and explore the historical and culturally diverse city of Buffalo. While in Buffalo, students have the opportunity to engage in an academic environment where development, politics, sociology, and culture come to life. Experience becomes concrete, as professors take students across the West side of Buffalo, providing visual aids for students to stimulate ideas and connect the dots.

The city semester offers a environment drastically different than Houghton’s campus. Students can spend days roaming the streets of Buffalo, experiment with various cuisines, talk politics or philosophy over coffee, or share a home-cooked meal at the Houghton Rectory while listening to stories from Professor Massey.

City semester students also have the opportunity to intern as they take courses from professors Chuck Massey, education, and Cameron Airhart, history. Several students have taken advantage of this diverse option.

Internships are becoming more desirable in the 21st century as jobs become scarce. David Boyes, owner of a technology consultant firm, expresses his concern about students graduating today with a lack of experience as most of their time is spent behind a textbook. To combat this fad, Boyes emphasizes, “[do] an internship.”

Houghton Senior and alumni of the Buffalo City-Semester, Hannah Vardy, said, “The ability to do an internship was an amazing opportunity. Growing skills and learning about your field is a great way to begin looking towards your career or even to see if it’s not for you.” Many internships are available and include Wesley Service Corps, Jericho Road Ministries, Journey’s End, Habitat for Humanity, and numerous other local firms and institutions.

Though the city semester does not compare to the semester in Tanzania in traveling distance, it can be an equally influential experience. It is a way to connect a little place called Houghton with a big city that has its own identity. Embarking on a cultural excursion does not necessarily have to take students halfway across the world.

After being canceled this past spring, Houghton students and faculty are doing all that they can to restart the city-semester program. Professor Airhart is looking for interest in the fall 2013, as well as spring 2014. If interested, please email him at Cameron.Airhart@houghton.edu.