Tag: houghton college

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Campus News

Changes to Academic Structure in Effect

Last month,  Jack Connell was officially promoted to the new position of Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty.  “Provost” is the abbreviated and more commonly used term for someone in this title.  His new responsibilities embody “the academic functions of the college,” which includes “faculty, academic programs, library, etc,” he said.   Additionally, Connell now oversees the admissions department and is second in command of the college.

Photo courtesy of houghton.edu
Photo courtesy of houghton.edu

Connell was hired in March of this year, according to a Houghton College press release. He served as the vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college for only six months before being promoted. “I continue to have all of those responsibilities in this new structure, but have picked up the additional responsibility for enrollment,” Connell explained “  “The new title of provost is simply intended to reflect those expanded responsibilities.”  Additionally, he said,, “This administrative reconfiguration eliminates that vice president position, and as a result, the admissions office will now report to me and the student financial services office will report to the chief financial officer.”

As President Mullen explained, the reason for structural changes was twofold.  One reason was  a “need for greater dialogue between admissions and academic programming as we seek to connect incoming students with the wide ranging opportunities within Houghton’s academic programs.”  Secondly,

Connell brings expertise to enrollment.  “His dissertation at the University of Rochester (2014) was done in the area of building enrollment within private higher education,” Mullen said.

Connell’s new role brings forth much anticipation regarding the future of admissions.  He expressed excitement about the “opportunity for closer collaboration between our enrollment function and the academic programs.”  Additionally, with the ever-changing higher education marketplace, the faculty and academic programs will be “appropriately responsive,” thus facilitating these new goals of reaching a greater number of potential students.

Mullen added that the new structural changes will bring “greater interaction among the critical areas of admissions, financial aid, academic programs, and budget formation.” She continued, “It is virtually impossible to think about any one of these areas without reference to the others. Reflecting this in our organizational structure seemed to be an important way to signal this reality.”

In addition to all these areas being drawn together to promote greater communication, Connell believes that the admissions office reporting to him rather than a vice president for enrollment will be the most significant change in the work dynamic, as it will alter both the chain of command as well as proficiency of communication. “I hope the admissions office will feel highly supported by me,” said Connell. “And I hope to be able to provide for them the resources, counsel, and connections they need to succeed in their role.”

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Campus News

Professor Hired After Five Year Search

After five years of searching, a Biochemistry professor has been hired. According to Karen Torraca, Chair of the Chemistry department, Paul Martino will join Houghton faculty in the Paine Center for Science.

Torraca stated “We really expect faculty to mentor students in the Christian faith.  Having that particular combination of having someone who is really good at science, in particular biochemistry, and mentoring students from a Christian perspective I think is a really tough combination to find.”  In Professor Martino, the hiring board believes it has found that combination.

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

Torraca said she appreciated Martino’s academic and professional experience.  She recalled the board was “excited that he has lots of teaching experience already so not somebody who had just gotten out of graduate school.” She continued, “He comes to us from Carson Newman, which is a four year institution, where he taught Biochemistry as well as Organic Chemistry so he has teaching experience which has been great in terms of having him bring those experiences into the department”.

Additionally, Torraca explained that there was also the expectation for applicants to present the research they sought to conduct while working at Houghton. Martino said the expectation for further research was a major reason why he wanted to teach in an undergraduate college.  He remarked, “I came back east to follow my dream of being at a small undergraduate liberal arts college where I could actively do research in my field.”

This semester, Martino is teaching general education Chemistry courses, including Introduction to Nutrition. Colleen Shannon ‘17, a student in Martino’s Nutrition class, observed the difficulties of teaching the class, and stated, “I think overall one of the most challenging parts of teaching a gen ed course is that you have a wide range of students, where some students are chem[istry] majors or on the bio[logy] track and they have a lot of background and consistency in their bio[ology] education and then there are other students who are just checking a box off.”  In this situation, she acknowledged the positive difference it makes to have a teacher who knows and is passionate about the subject material.  She recalled a particular instance when Martino excitedly explained proteins to the class and allowed her to feel some secondhand excitement for the subject.

In this class, students are able to witness not only his experience in teaching and the field of Biochemistry, but also the impact of his Christian perspective.  Another Nutrition student, Jessica Robinson ‘18 commented on his method of presenting faith into his teaching, and stated he has “The awe of ‘Look what our God is able to do’… Our God is so cool that he is able to do all of this and make our bodies so intricate.” Shannon added his commitment to Christianity is evident “implicitly in the way he carries a joyful spirit in the way he teaches.”

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Campus News

Eco Reps Hold “Waste Less” Challenge

Last week, Houghton College’s Eco Reps partnered with Sodexo to bring awareness to food waste on campus. For the last two years,  Sodexo has joined with Houghton College’s Eco Reps for a week of focusing on reducing food waste, as well as general waste. Throughout the week, Sodexo and Eco Reps offer visual demonstrations and challenges for students and faculty to reveal patterns of waste and develop habits to decrease them.

Brian Webb, the faculty advisor for Eco Reps, emphasized the role of Waste Less Week in the way the campus approaches waste. “No one’s going to argue we should waste more,” he said. Rather, since the aim is always to reduce waste, he hopes to “create an opportunity for students to intentionally focus on it.” Webb said he hoped“that by participating [in Waste Less Week] for a specific period of time people will adopt a different mindset or new habit.”

One such opportunity of intentional focus is Sodexo’s weighing visual for food waste in the dining hall. Rather than simply placing plates with leftover food on the conveyor belt to be taken care of in the dish room, students presented their food waste to Eco Reps volunteers, who scraped the waste into buckets and weighed them at the end of the night. The visual was used last year, although making a direct comparison is difficult, as waste this year was only measured from an hour and a half of dinner instead of the entire meal. Nonetheless, Eco Reps intern Gabrielle Sheeley ‘19 noted lower numbers for this year’s waste. According to Sodexo sustainability intern Daniel Bellerose ‘17, “In an hour and a half of meal time, there were 47.25 pounds of food waste.” This projects to “as much as 70 pounds,” Sheeley explained, which compares favorably with last year’s 81 pounds of waste.

In addition to Sodexo’s visual of food waste, students had another opportunity to intentionally focus on waste in their daily lives. Houghton’s Eco Reps proposed the Waste Less challenge, which challenged participants to create zero waste. “We really wanted something that would make students more aware of their choices,” Sheeley said. She said that while last year’s challenge for participants to carry with them the waste they made was a “nice visual,” there were difficulties with taking trash into areas like classrooms. While she says that this year continues “the goal of zero waste,” it operates on an “honor system,”.

The challenge ended with “cookies and celebration” for all those who pledged said Webb, along with along with himself and the Eco Reps club. In keeping with “intentional focus,” Sheeley noted that while “no one said they were able to accomplish absolutely zero waste,” the challenge nonetheless left an impression. “Most people seemed to pick one or two things to work on or to have zero waste from during the week, such as not wasting any food or not using any paper towels,” she said. She cited the challenge’s impact on her own life. “It’s something that definitely takes effort,” she said. “Everything is set up to be convenient and disposable.” Christina Mulligan ‘17, a participant in the challenge, said “In general, I don’t waste very much. It was a challenge to cut down even more, but I also liked having the opportunity to become more aware of how much I do throw out.”

Sheeley said the challenge appeared successful, with 123 people signed up to participate. “It’s probably the best participation we’ve ever had in an Eco Reps event,” Webb said.

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Campus News

End of Season Fall Sports Update

Highlander fall sports are largely over for the season, with post season play pending for women’s soccer and the men’s soccer team slated to compete in the Empire 8 (E8) tournament.The men’s cross country team finished in 5th place at the Empire 8 cross country championship, and the women finished in 6th place. Tyler Deuschle ‘20 led the men’s 8k with a time of 28:16.5. On the women’s 5k, Ella Hotchkiss ‘18 was the first Houghton finisher at a time of 20:44.4.

Photo by: Anthony Burdo
Photo by: Anthony Burdo

Field hockey also opened with a strong start, winning its first home game against Wells College 7-0. However, a streak of midseason losses left the Highlander’s field hockey team with an 8-9 record, with a 3-5 record in conference play.

Women’s volleyball played under a new assistant coach, Houghton Highlander alum Brianne Starks, as well as longtime head coach Nancy Cole. The women split the season with a 14-14 record, and a 4-4 record in conference matches. The season ended on a high note with a close win over Marywood University at a home volleyball tournament last weekend. The team will graduate two seniors, Alicia Needham and Sydney Pow, and expects to induct four seniors next season,Naomi Prentice, Anna Coryell, Erica Barney, and Rebekah White.

Women’s tennis has split their season 6-6 so far. The team will look to add a win to their record at their next match in February against University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, at the Kerr-Pegula Field House (KPFH).

Men’s tennis sits at a 2-1 record, and will attempt to defend their win against the State University of New York at Oswego in February at the KPFH.

Women’s soccer ended conference play at 3-4, and was not eligible for E8 playoffs. However, the team is ranked 9th nationally in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) and may be still be eligible to compete in the NCCAA regional tournament.

Men’s soccer has been strong all season. The team is 10-3-4 on the season, and is 4-1-2 in the E8 conference. In its first season of E8 eligibility, the men are ranked 3rd in the league. They will face off against Ithaca College, ranked 2nd, on November 4 in Hoboken, New Jersey.

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Stories In Focus

Houghton RETHINKs Marketing // YOU WILL Campaign Speaks to Prospectives

Houghton’s most recent marketing campaign YOU WILL speaks to prospective students directly about the transformative experience of being a student at Houghton College both in and out of the classroom. It promises the following: “At Houghton, you’ll get a tailor-made, one-of-a-kind Christian educational experience that supports your individual interests, dreams, and goals. We not only prepare you for a job after you graduate — we lay the groundwork for an amazing rest-of-your life.”

Photo courtesy of houghton.edu
Photo courtesy of houghton.edu

Previously, the marketing & communication office promoted Houghton through it’s previous campaign, the RETHINK campaign. In RETHINK, the focus was primarily on leading with what Houghton had to offer prospective students. With YOU WILL, the focus is led by the student’s story and matching Houghton to it, making it more personal for each prospective student.

Jeff Babbitt, Director of Marketing and Communications, gave insight into this distinctly different marketing approach. “Right from the outset, this campaign is talking about the student. Instead of presenting why Houghton is so great, we put the focus on the student asking, ‘What do you want out of your college experience?’ YOU WILL is referencing the student’s story and then telling how Houghton can fit in with that.” Although the foundational truths about Houghton have not been altered in this new campaign, YOU WILL gives a fresh glimpse into the Houghton experience.

Babbitt and the rest of his team conducted extensive research before launching the new campaign. “We did a ton of research before we came up with this idea. Last spring, we sent out surveys to the student body, recent alumni, and parents of current students.” The purpose of these surveys was to get to the core of the question: “What is so great about Houghton?” so as to put forward an authentic vision of Houghton to prospective students.

After reading through hundreds of responses, the team pulled out themes that were repeated over and over throughout the surveys. Babbitt said, “We did all this research, we came up with key themes, and then developed as a staff three very different marketing concepts, YOU WILL being one of them. We took those and developed them further.” With five focus groups of high school students, current students, and faculty and staff, each group discussed each theme, and then voted on their favorite. Each focus group preferred the same theme: YOU WILL.

As a member of one of the focus groups, Carolyn Case ’19 agreed with the preferred theme. She said, “Out of all the campaigns that we saw, this one had the most optimistic attitude and we thought it was also the most encouraging message for high school students looking at colleges.”

Autumn Stone ’18 was also member of one of the focus groups, and said, “Of the three different ideas, YOU WILL felt the most empowering and motivational. This campaign is unique because Houghton is unique.”

Babbitt thinks YOU WILL is a unique campaign because it has a “distinct personality.” He added, “We used actual handwriting and hand-painted textures throughout the material to make it feel more personal. Houghton is known for the personal touch.”

Houghton’s marketing and communication team is currently working on a series of YOU WILL videos to put on the college website, as well as other parts of the campaign that will be launched throughout the year.

As prospective students become current students, who become transformed students, YOU WILL promises an authentic picture of the kind of experience Houghton provides. Stone is one of them. She said, “The YOU WILL campaign accurately describes my time at Houghton. The opportunities that God has given me here will benefit me for years to come. I’ve grown in every aspect of my life, and that’s something to expect from a college like Houghton.”

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Stories In Focus

Dancing Through Houghton: Campus Club Gives Students the Ability to Swing

Houghton Swing via facebook.com

The Houghton College Swing Dance Club has been a popular club on campus for years. Current Swing Dance leader, Hannah Banks ‘17, is optimistic about the club, whose meetings take place twice a week in the Nielsen Center auxiliary gym. A typical night involves the leaders teaching a new move, followed by an open dance where partners are rotated. However, one can attend with a partner and dance with them exclusively if that is what one is comfortable with, but Banks encouraged students to come as singles so as to make friends with their dance partners.

The club does more than just simply having nights of laid back dancing. Over October break, four members of the club went to a ballroom dance competition at Cornell University. Banks, along with three other current students, Katherine Stevick ‘19, Elizabeth Moore ‘20, and Jared Frey ‘18, attended the competition. Not to be confused with swing dance, ballroom dancing is a completely different style, more concerned with technique. The group participated in 12 subcategories of four main styles: Smooth, Standard, Latin, and Rhythm. In the Smooth style they participated in the waltz, tango and foxtrot in the Standard style, the waltz, tango, and quickstep; in the Latin style the jive, international rumba, and international cha-cha; and in the Rhythm style the East Coast swing, the American rumba, and the American cha-cha.

Banks was incredibly proud of her dancers, with herself and Stevick earning multiple callbacks after roughly a month’s worth of practice. They won a ribbon in the Fun Dance category, a separate category open to anyone without registration dancing the back-to-back tango, a dance literally executed with the dancers’ backs to each other. Stevick’s roommate, Anna Schilke ‘19, said, “I was proud of her accomplishment.”

After pulling off a successful swing dance social on campus that involved University of Buffalo (UB) instructors and swing dance club members interacting with around 30 to 40 Houghton College students, Banks looks forward to the future for Houghton Swing Dance. Herself and the club are planning at least one, hopefully two, trips to Buffalo to dance off-campus, including UB’s swing social on December 2. Banks hopes to forge a stronger relationship with UB’s swing dance club so that the two clubs can learn from and grow with each other. Claire Brower ‘18 expressed her enjoyment last year during a swing event in Buffalo, and encourages others to give it a try.

In closing, Banks said that “more people should come” to the club’s meetings. She added, “It’s a great place to pick up chicks.” The club meets Monday and Tuesday nights from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the auxiliary gym.

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Campus News

Students Celebrate Make-A-Difference-Day

Houghton College, Alfred State College, and Alfred University served the residents of Allegany County by participating in the fifth annual Make a Difference Day (MADD).

Photo courtesy of: Phyllis Gaerte
Photo courtesy of: Phyllis Gaerte

On the nationwide day of service, which happened on October 22, students and faculty from all three schools came together and assisted those in the community with tasks such as making goodie bags, organizing donations, visiting nursing homes, and cleaning.

Among the three schools, Houghton College as has historically had the highest turn-out rate, according to statistics on the Houghton College website. Of the two thousand students that have participated in MADD over the last four years, one thousand of them have been Houghton students.  This year, about seventy Houghton students signed up.  While some sign up as individuals, other groups, such as the Houghton baseball team and the Jet Group signed up collectively.

Melissa Maclean ‘17, Student Government Association’s(SGA) Executive Officer of Spiritual Life, sees the day “as an opportunity for Houghton to employ what we stand for and give back to the community.”  Maclean, along with SGA cabinet member Sergio Mata, ’19, were responsible for coordinating with Phyllis Gaerte in encouraging students to sign up, delegating tasks, and organizing finances.  

While the SGA is concerned with serving locals, they also place an emphasis creating connections with people and businesses in Allegany county, especially those who have not heard of Houghton College.  What is important, Maclean said, is “making ourselves known but not in the tyrannical, ‘let us show you how great we are’ way, but in a, ‘let us humble ourselves and serve you,’ way.”  Mata agreed, “I think Make a Difference Day is another way Houghton reaches out to the county.  Small businesses are really appreciative of us coming out and getting done the tasks they need.”

Laura Cunningham, resident director of Gillette Hall and assistant director of service opportunities, also had a significant role in coordinating the day.  While Cunningham has participated in MADD personally, her role these past couple years have been more logistical, including working with SGA, putting people into service crews, taking pictures, and generally managing.

However, Cunningham has confronted “unique challenges” in organizing and promoting MADD amidst the tumultuous time of the year that the day falls on.  With midterms, events such as Homecoming Weekend, Purple and Gold Week, and October break, it has proved a challenge to generate interest and enthusiasm while students may “not be thinking ahead.”  In previous years, MADD has been required of Transitions 101 students, affecting success and turn-out of the event.

“Overall, people find that Make a Difference Day is a positive experience,” Cunningham says.  “People experience having a one-time, low-commitment way of helping in the community, and visiting places in the community they don’t normally get to go to.”  Despite midterm exams and projects, a few hours of service proves very valuable to both Allegany locals as well as to those who participate.  With the variety of ways to serve, Cunningham cites several students who grew and learned from their MADD experience.  She said she hopes students realize that serving in small ways is very helpful, impactful, and fulfilling.

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Commemorative Mural Unveiled in Kerr-Pegula Field House

The Kerr-Pegula Field House now features a new mural which was unveiled during Purple and Gold week. The mural is commemorative of the first 50 years of Houghton College intercollegiate athletics, a focal point of this years Homecoming festivities.  According to Jason Mucher, Associate Athletic Director for Communication & Compliance, the project began in the spring of 2016 when Karl Sisson, Vice President for Advancement, brought up the idea of a mural.

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

Throughout the summer, Mucher worked on creating a list of memorable events in Houghton athletics history beginning in 1967, and with the help of alumni, 100 moments were collected. From there, the list was trimmed to 50 moments to match the 50 year timeline of intercollegiate athletics. After narrowing down those events and  inspiration from another institution’s postcard design, Mucher moved his focus to the college archives in the library and the files in the athletics office. Mucher searched for images to  fit these events and eventually chose photos to go on the mural.

After accumulating all the images and ideas for a design, Amy Tetta, Social Media Coordinator and Graphic Designer for the college, went to work on sorting through the photos Mucher had sent. Tetta said she “wanted to capture the energy and action she was looking for in the mural with usable quality in the photos as well.”

As the design came together, Mucher and Tetta decided six larger images with athletes representing each of the past six decades would be the most effective display for the mural. They decided to add more detail with smaller images, and a written timeline of the events over the years to be able to read as one approached the mural. “We tried to represent every sport and did our best to choose athletes, coaches and teams that were great representatives of Houghton athletics,” said Mucher.

With the addition of designer Brandon Rush’s 50th anniversary logo, a color palette  that best accented the purple and Gold theme in the field house, and the generosity of alumni donors, the mural was ready to replace the white  wall it had once been.

Executive Director of Athletics, Coach Harold “Skip” Lord, said, “This mural will give us a permanent reminder that what we do each day as intercollegiate athletes and coaches is just a part of a long history, going back to the purple and gold era, of people committed to excellence for the glory of God and who desire to make a Kingdom difference of those they play with, against and in front of.”

The mural, visible from nearly every point on the main level of the field house, is now open for public viewing.

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Campus News

College Expands to Utica

Houghton College will expand to Utica, New York, beginning next year. Dean Connell  believes the new program, which he says will mirror the off campus program already established in Buffalo, will allow Houghton  to reach the heavy immigrant population in Utica. The program is expected to begin in the fall of 2017.

Students of the Utica program will have the opportunity to graduate with an Associates of the Arts degree under the leadership of Mark Caruana as Dean of Houghton College Utica.   Dean of the college, Jack Connell, is confident the program will distinguish itself “through the curriculum that is high quality and profoundly Christian, the faith commitment of the faculty and staff, the nurturing Christian community that is formed around the students, and by the spiritual formation opportunities (such as chapel) that will be provided.”  Connell said the school as a whole “benefits because we are extending our mission in a way that’s beautifully consistent with our historic desire to educate students from a variety of backgrounds, including those whose resource limitations create barriers to enrolling.”

The college has also updated its online education offerings, now promoting three full degree programs entirely online. Potential students can now obtain degrees in psychology, business, and communication studies through the online education program. Paul Young, chair of the psychology department, recognizes the needs of individuals who choose to study online. He stated,“Not everybody can take the time out of their life to go to college.  Not everybody can afford to go to a residential college.” Still, people who cannot go away for college still show interest in a Christian education according to Marlene Collins-Blair, Associate Dean of Distance Education. She remarked, “Because most of our students are working adults, I have often wondered ‘Do they really care that it’s Christian?’ And they actually do.”  She recalled a specific case in which an online student spoke on how “the way that Houghton has allowed her to see the same things that she’s been taught at work has been huge for her”.

Young explains that since students from the online program will not benefit from most on-campus opportunities and because Houghton needs to be competitive with other, similar offers of an online education, the tuition rates for the online programs will be significantly lower  However, Young pointed out “They’re not using classroom space. They’re not using recreational facilities.  They don’t get to play Frisbee on the quad. You know, all the things that increase expense to make the on campus experience the Houghton College experience.”

However, the faculty designing the online programs were intentional about bringing the spirit of Houghton into the online programs.  Young explained the psychology program makes frequent use of online forums and video chats to maintain interactions between students, even as they are in their separate homes. The class sizes will also be kept small, never going over twenty students, and will require discussion through online forums.  Young remarked “I suspect there are classes at Houghton where at the end of the class you don’t even know everybody’s name and that’s not likely to happen in these.”

Additionally, Collins-Blair spoke on how the new online programs will continue the reputation of Houghton education, stating “It’s still high touch, it’s still high quality.”  

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Campus News

Olympic Athlete to Host Clinic

Elite WNBA player and four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings will be leading a basketball clinic this Saturday in the Kerr-Pegula Field House (KPFH). According to a Houghton College press release, Catchings will also speak at a luncheon following the clinic.

basketball-eventThe clinic is open to girls ages 8-18. According to Head Women’s Basketball Coach Alicia Mucher, the women’s basketball team will participate in the clinic. “They will help lead drills, work through skills with different college coaches, high school coaches and Tamika Catchings throughout the 4 hour time period.  They will serve as demonstrators as well,” she said. Mucher stated that local high school teams will also participate in the clinic.

The event came into being through Athletic Director Harold Lord’s communication with Catchings at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) convention in June, Mucher said.  “ (KPFH facilities and events coordinator) Marshall Green has put in a ton of work to be sure we found a date to get her on our campus.  I foresee Houghton being a hot spot for many stand-out professional athletes, who are faith based, (in various sports) to come and provide Elite Clinics,” she noted.

“I am actively looking for high level athletes who are both at the top of their game and are also outspoken followers of Christ,” Green said.

Lord said inviting elite athletes, such as Catchings and Jenny Finch who ran a clinic last semester, is done with the goal to use the KPFH in the best way possible “in ways that are both missional and also draw prospective students.” This means, he said, bringing in individuals and programs which are not only popular but also “fit” the goals and mission of Houghton College and the Highlander Athletic Department.

Lord called the Jenny Finch softball clinic a “home run”- and said he hopes to continue hosting similar events to fill up programming slots during the off seasons. The clinic is self funded through the entrance fees paid by attendees. “[Revenue from the clinic] is part of our net missional revenue goal” he said.

Lord feels that Catchings fits well with the Athletic Department philosophy. “Tamika spoke at the NCAA inclusion forum as a deaf athlete,” he said, “and she is a very strong believer.” He also acknowledged Catchings’ work with less-privileged youth in Indianapolis.

Lord said the Athletic Department desires to run two to three such clinics each year, featuring high-level athletes across various sports. He said Finch will return in 2017, and also noted possible clinics run by athletes from the US Women’s National Soccer Team. A baseball clinic is also in the early planning stages.

“We are also bringing in two time Olympian and USA record holder of the ½ marathon, Ryan Hall for a running clinic, 5K and dinner/keynote speaking event on June 17,” Green said.

Catchings is slated to speak at a luncheon at 1:30pm following the clinic. She will speak on her journey as a professional Christian athlete, as well as her experience as a hearing-impaired person, according to Lord. A Houghton College press release stated the cost of the luncheon is $40 for those who also attended the clinic, and $50 for those who did not. Mucher said the luncheon is open to the public, who may register online. Space is limited to 100 people.