Tag: Houghton

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Campus News

President Lewis’ First Semester in Review

By Joshua Carpenter ('24)

​In the Fall semester of 2021, Houghton College welcomed Dr. Wayne D. Lewis, Jr. as its 6th President. Since then, Lewis’ first semester has ended, with his second having just begun. Meanwhile, positive feedback on his presidential performance is flowing in from all over Houghton.

​Micah Williams (’23) sat down with the STAR in an interview to discuss his first impressions of President Lewis, noting his appreciation for Lewis’  frequent presence on campus, also adding that “It’s nice to see the president of the school where they are just sitting in chapel and being there with us, or even just seeing him drive around campus and knowing that his presence is there… it’s nice to just have his presence there.”

​Looking at President Lewis from a professional angle, Dr. Gaerte, a communication professor who has been teaching public speaking for more than 35 years, observed his inaugural address with positive remarks, referring to it as “outstanding”. Gaerte also wrote that , “ He struck an effective balance between honoring Houghton’s long traditions and showing connections to past presidents like James Luckey, Stephen Paine, Dan Chamberlain, and Shirley Mullen, and yet clearly articulating how he will continue to shape Houghton going forward in his own unique way. That can be a difficult balance for a new president – how do I respect the past and those who helped create this office before me yet while establishing my own vision for my presidency.”

​In search of a personal comment, The STAR reached out to President Lewis to ask him some questions to better understand his own thoughts and feelings towards his presidency and Houghton in general. He answered, “The Houghton College community, including students, staff, faculty, and alumni, have been incredibly welcoming, kind, and gracious to me and my family. We are thankful that God brought us to such a generous and Christ-centered community.” President Lewis  also commented on what he thinks are Houghton’s greatest strengths, having said, “Houghton’s greatest strengths are its people and its faith. I have never served at an institution with a more loyal and committed community. Our people love Houghton, and it shows… As well, the Houghton community’s historic and continuing belief that God will faithfully provide resources and direction to the college is a hallmark and tremendous strength of our community. I share in that longstanding faith belief. As long as we “Trust in the Lord with all [our] heart and lean not on [our] own understanding; in all [our] ways submit[ting] to him, he will make [our] paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

With a presence welcomed by both students and faculty alike, President Lewis has shown Houghton that not only is he enjoying its people, but his presidency as well.★

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Campus News

Writing and English Students Travel to Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin College

On April 14 to 16, the Houghton Department of English and Writing will sponsor a trip to the Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This bi-annual festival, a self-described “exploration of the communities made and served by religious writing,” has been a popular event in the faith-based writing community for over twenty-five years.

calvinfestRGBThis year, professor Lori Huth will lead a cohort of Houghton faculty and students, which includes professor Linda Mills Woolsey, professor Stephen Woolsey, and professor Laurie Dashnau, as well as eight students from the English and Writing Department. This gathering provides a way for young authors to receive expert feedback regarding their work, as well as a way for faculty to hone their own composition skills while further developing their philosophy of writing instruction.

Over the years, the festival has featured such celebrated plenary speakers as Maya Angelou, Elie Wiesel, and Madeleine L’Engle. In a continuation of this tradition of excellence, this year’s featured speakers include celebrated author Zadie Smith; Lutheran pastor and faith author, Nadia Bolz-Weber; John Darnielle, the frontman of the Mountain Goats; and over seventy other professionals currently working in the writing and publishing industries.

Students expressed excitement about learning from authors they know and love, as well as being exposed to new voices. “I especially read a lot of Andrew Clements when I was younger,” shared Rachel Zimmerman ’18. “The chance to come full circle in college and see him as a speaker is really wonderful. I’m also looking forward to hearing from people I haven’t heard of before.”

“I always find it encouraging, and inspiring, and empowering,” said Woolsey, who has attended Calvin Festivals in the past. “Part of it is sheer numbers. You can see up to two thousand people who share a passion for words, for ideas, for the imagination, and everyone’s there to celebrate that.”

Aside from its impressive selection of speakers, the true heart of the festival is in smaller gatherings, where writers can receive valuable advice and encouragement from successful authors and teachers. At these sessions, writers of all experience levels can receive advice on such diverse topics as developing and adapting stories for the screen, successfully pitching their manuscript to an editor, and crafting dynamic characters. Visitors can also submit their work to a variety of fiction workshops, in which published authors and professors can provide individual feedback to aspiring writers.

In addition, the festival will feature a selection of informative sessions with industry veterans, which address the more practical and economical side of the writing business. In these sessions, attendees will learn how to communicate effectively with online audiences, gracefully deal with the realities of rejection and writer’s block, and tactfully explore some of the ethical issues surrounding literary creation.

As part of engagement efforts with the community, the festival also sponsors a number of events—such as lectures, concerts, and gallery showings—that are open to the public. This year, these events will include a reading from young adult author Andrew Clements and artist discussions with John Donnelly and Makoto Fujimura, as well as film screenings and concerts.

Gatherings like the Calvin Faith and Writing Festival are indispensable, not only for their practical service to the writing community, but also for the valuable camaraderie and support they invite between creators. “You see people making themselves vulnerable as they share their own creative struggles, triumphs, and disasters,” Woolsey shared. “So it’s definitely not just for students—it’s something for every thinking person who understands why stories and ideas matter.” He paused for a moment, smiling fondly, before adding, “There’s no other gathering I know of that’s quite like this.”

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Stories In Focus

Potter Profile: Naomi Woolsey

On a four-pronged stool, a young woman sits, preparing a ball of clay to be thrown on the potter’s wheel before her. The quiet studio is dusty; the art residue turning afternoon sunlight into a soft, dawn fog. Nodding her approval she centers the clay on the wheel.

Naomi Woolsey RGBNaomi Woolsey, a Houghton graduate of 2010, has been practicing ceramics in Houghton College’s studio for over 5 years. She did not major in art, but has felt a love for creating ever since she was a child. “Some of my first memories are of playing in the creek here at Houghton when I’d visit my grandparents,” said Woolsey, “I’d make tiny pots out of the creek clay.” She paused, laughing softly, “Things have really come full circle.”

Woolsey is currently the Teacher’s Assistant for Professor Gary Baxter’s ceramics classes including Ceramics 1, Ceramics 2, and Figurative Clay Sculpture. Baxter became acquainted with Woolsey when she took his ceramics classes as a student.  He noticed her aptitude for acquiring necessary skills and the joy she derived from creating. Thomas Eckert ‘16, a student in Ceramics 1 this past semester said, “Naomi’s joy is evident from the way she works. That joy is imbued in the pieces she produces.”  

When asked about her craft Woolsey explains, “A lot of potters become potters because they fall in love with the material. You’ve got your hands in it. You can really immerse yourself in earth, fire, water, air.” She went on saying, “It records your movement. Even your fingerprint could stay there for tens of thousands of years.”

After graduation Woolsey helped out in the ceramics studio and continued making her pieces.  A year later when the TA position became available she was the natural choice. Her responsibilities now include helping students, doing demonstrations, firing the kilns, and constituting glazes. Baxter has been very pleased to work with her and said, “She’s very responsive, willing to help where she can, and reliable.”

While at Houghton, Woolsey studied Theology and Biblical Studies and has used that training in her artwork. In 2012, Woolsey started an online Etsy site because her basement started filling up. Since the foundation of the shop it has grown sustainably. Luminaries – rounded, decoratively porous candle holders – are among her bestselling items. She also specializes in communion sets and liturgical ware.

In addition to these objects, she also produces work on commision. Last year she was hired by a church in Rochester to make a prayer vessel. The church leaders wanted a physical object to be used in the liturgy where written congregational requests could be placed and later incorporated into the pastoral prayer. The main idea to be conveyed by the piece was that God hears our prayers and God’s people hear our prayers.
Woolsey explained, “Thinking about my field in ceramics and imagery in the Bible I created a vessel that brought together the ideas of the golden bowls placed before God in Revelation and the story in Exodus of Moses and the burning bush. Both of these images convey ideas of God hearing prayer and acting on it by enabling a human servant to hear the people’s prayer and act on it.”

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Stories In Focus

A Day in the Life of a Maintenance Worker

“We’re girls in a boy’s world” Kim Lawson, Maintenance Secretary, said as she began a tour of the maintenance building.  Lawson and Linda Perry, or as they call themselves “the maintenance moms,” sit behind the front desk and handle the organization of the maintenance department.  After the tour Lawson made a call over the radio and before I knew it I was invited into a big, white maintenance van, ready to start my day as a maintenance worker.  

“Well I’ve got to be in Gillette because one of my workers called off… again” the driver said.  “After we drop you off I’m taking her to the flats” the other woman in the passenger seat said.  The van pulled into Gillette, the driver got out, and the new driver said “You can move up front if you want.”  Her name is Correne Goodenow.  

Maintenance staff RGBGoodenow works as a full-time custodian and her jurisdiction includes guest housing – usually the college flats – the library and half of the Center for the Arts building.  Each custodian has their own building(s) and they hire student workers within their areas.  Custodians are “supposed to have a daily schedule” she says, but when student workers don’t show up they have to cover their work.  According to Goodenow “when things come up, we do them”.

We arrive at the flats and head into a lounge full of towels, cups and soap, used to prepare rooms for the upcoming cross country guests coming that weekend.  “Yeah” she said while stuffing a pillow case, “my life is boring, but it’s kind of fun because I’m an introvert.”  Goodenow, who is originally from Jamaica, now lives in Rushford with her husband and three-year old daughter and said “There’s not much job-wise very close” so she sought a position at the college.  She attended a college with the same atmosphere as Houghton and she “wanted to be in that kind of family again.”  

After preparing the rooms we hopped back in the van and went back on campus to vacuum the back stairwell of the library.  The van pulled into the Chamberlain parking lot and while scanning the lot for a parking spot, Goodenow said “The benefit of driving a maintenance van is you can park anywhere you want.”  As rain drizzled down we ran into the back door of the library.  After vacuuming, Goodenow asked, “Have you ever been in the archives?”  The archives needed dusting that could have waited, but she went in any way to give a tour.  Goodenow pointed out the old typewriter donated hundreds of years ago and shuffled through painting after painting displayed in cases, in awe as she circled the room.  

After finishing in the library, Goodenow got another call on her radio.  “Oh yeah, on top of all of this, I’m also a certified pool operator” she said.  So our next stop was the pool to test the chlorine level. Only a few people on staff are certified to do this test, so she often gets requests that call her up to the pool.  After finishing that task it was time to break for lunch and time for Goodenow to pass me on to another worker, this time from the maintenance area.  So she gave Frank Eszes a call on the radio.“Well we’re gonna be up on the roof… is that something she’d want to do?” Frank asks over the radio.

Before continuing on to our duties, Frank and I sat in the truck for a few minutes before he asked “So you want to know my life story or something?  Well I’m a transplant from California.”  Eszes is from Santa Maria, California, and he “transplanted” to Cuba, NY, where he and his wife bought a house.  In June 2014, Eszes heard about an opening for a custodial position at Houghton.

According to Eszes, “There’s nothing wrong with being a custodian.”  He is a retired fence contractor and has a contractor’s license so he wasn’t getting to do much of what he loved in his custodial work.  But after a month and a half of his time at Houghton he got transferred to a maintenance position and gets to do some elements of his previous career in his work.  Eszes opens the door to the science building when he said, “I’m also a big motorcycle guy.  Here let me show you a picture” as he pulls out his phone to show me a photo of his own motorcycle.  Approaching the third floor of the science building, Eszes described that unlike custodial where each worker has their own area to tend to, maintenance workers get assignments that vary each day depending on the order of demands.  “We just go places and check things” he said “and we’re always encouraged to, if we see something wrong, to fix it or find someone who can.”  He pulled out his clipboard and started looking for room numbers.  His job today was to check the air inside the fume hoods in all of the labs.  

“Sometimes I like to listen to music when I’m doing a job like this, but I never know if other people want to listen to my kind of music” he said, gesturing toward the few students working at some lab tables.  He shrugged and said “I’m kind of old school.”

Eszes likes the people he has met at Houghton and has “no complaints.”  He said “Houghton does a good job of providing a nice environment, all the way from professors to custodians to people working in the cafeteria.”  Eszes said he has had positive experiences with students and because the maintenance department doesn’t have many student workers, he only interacts with students when he’s out doing jobs around campus.  “I haven’t met one student I don’t like.  Although because I’m an adult, some people don’t talk to me” he said with a chuckle and elbow nudge.  “They might complain because I yak too much” he said as he scanned his list to mark off another completed task.  He smiled and there was silence for a few seconds.  “Ooh, let me show you a picture.”

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Stories In Focus

A Sodexo Story: Pam Wilkinson

Since the fall of 2009, Pam Wilkinson has worked as a Sodexo greeter in the dining hall where she scans ID cards for meals, does other miscellaneous jobs when needed, and gets to interact with Houghton faculty, students, and other community members.

Pam first became affiliated with Houghton when she attended one of the college’s programs at its West Seneca satellite campus in the early 1980s.  She graduated with an associate degree and remembers her time with “fond memories.”  Shortly after graduating, Pam met her husband and became a stay-at-home mom to their three children.

PamRGBIn 2006 Pam reconnected with Houghton when her daughter, Candace, attended as a student from 2006-2010.  At this time she was not working and since her children were all beginning to leave home, she decided she “wanted something to do with [her] time”.  She would often visit her daughter while she was a student at Houghton and began thinking, “I would like to work here”.  Following her daughter’s encouragement, Pam decided to go ahead apply at the dining hall. She wasn’t aware that a food service ran the dining hall so she was told to go online and apply.  After she applied, Pam ended up earning the position as a greeter in the dining hall. While this was good news, Pam was still nervous, “I haven’t been in the workforce since the early ‘80s, so I was nervous” she said.

Although she has a 40 minute commute each day from Delevan, Pam loves her job and the college atmosphere.  “The students are what I love most about Houghton. They are so friendly and so full of energy,” said Pam, who especially enjoys having conversations with students throughout the day. “The faculty and staff are also very friendly,” said Pam.  Pam’s most memorable experience occurred when she came into work on her birthday and found three huge birthday balloons at her register, “I have never seen such huge balloons.  To this day I don’t know who they were from.  I will always remember that!  That really made my day!”

Pam doesn’t quite know what is in store for her in the future, but she does know that she wants to continue her work here at Houghton.  She and her husband are grandparents to one twenty-one month old grandson and a granddaughter on the way this coming July.  During her time off, Pam enjoys hobbies like crocheting, painting, quilting, decorating, and shopping.  She also enjoys reading, walking her dog, and watching Jane Austen and Bible movies.  Pam can always been seen at the top of the dining hall stairs, wearing a smile, ready to greet everyone entering the our dining hall.

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Stories In Focus

Innovation Coming to Houghton

More than just a college town.

It can be safely said that Houghton is not the biggest, most notable town on the map. Yet a number of Houghton administrators want to make Houghton, New York more than a small college town. Through a set of varied initiatives, they are hoping to make Houghton “a destination,” as Rob Pool, vice president for student life, put it, “for visitors and guests.”

This plan has already been partially implemented through the opening of the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex (KPAC) this past September. Pool explained that because of the KPAC, “there are rich, varied events we now offer that we couldn’t do before.” Athletic director Harold “Skip” Lord indicated the KPAC’s capabilities. “Obviously, the size is a big factor. The flexibility of arrangement and the ability to break it into smaller or larger units are plusses.”

Accreditation4RGBSince the KPAC has been built, a concert has been held, which Lord noted “was twice as big as any ever held here.” There have also been twelve high school and college indoor track meets. Pool explained that with the KPAC’s size and capabilities, Houghton is “reaching out to section five and six schools,” which increases the amount of people who will “hear about the college, hear about this tiny place called Houghton, New York.” In addition to concerts and sporting events, the KPAC has also hosted youth events and a Frisbee tournament. Overall, Lord said there have been “almost 18,000 visitors this year.”  Regarding future opportunities, Lord said “we are looking at many different options ranging from athletics to concerts to trade shows and special events.”

While the KPAC is bringing in visitors and guests through hosting events, Pool has his own plan to bring in new life to Houghton. Pool is working toward a Houghton alumni village, meant as a place for “active retirees” to spend part of their retirement. Here, they could play an active role in campus life. Pool noted the possibility of taking classes at a reduced or waived fee or even auditing them. Beyond this, they could act as mentors, advisors, or career coaches.  Pool explained that at such a stage in life, they are often “at the top of their careers, with vast amounts of wisdom to share. Thus in playing such roles, they could create “a multi-generational learning community,” where students could have “the complementary benefit of older generations.” Pool explained that for students, “it’s so inspirational to see flesh and blood people who have had the Houghton experience and went out and lived.”

In practice, the alumni would likely be housed in the flats. The inherent difficulty is mobility for the retirees. The flats have multiple floors, and although the retirees are specified as “active,” not requiring constant care, stairs could still be arduous. Pool is still working to find a workable solution to housing, but he affirmed his overall hopes for the idea. He noted other small colleges that had accomplished a similar idea, and reiterated his feeling that alumni would like to be involved on campus in this way. “Many retirees don’t want to lounge in the sun,” Pool explained. They want an active role, and “what better place to do that than at your alma mater?”

Phyllis Gaerte also wants to make Houghton a destination, specifically through theRIVR Group, an organization working toward reinforcing Houghton economically. They were responsible for bringing in Three-Bums and Addie’s, and have hopes of creating a new park by the fire hall. “It’s all designed to make the area around 19 more attractive,” Pool explained. The goal is a Houghton “filled with thriving businesses.”

“It’s a beautiful place,” Pool says of Houghton. “Not the scenery, the people.” Lord, Pool, Gaerte, and several others share a vision of a thriving Houghton where many more people can see its beauty.

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News

Honors Curriculum Undergoing Changes

The Honors curriculum at Houghton underwent changes this semester. Weekly seminars, and a new, reemphasized, London curriculum are among the latest expansions, along with a proposal for a curriculum aimed at transfer students.

The Honors department’s decision to add weekly seminars materialized from honors students wishing that their first-year experiences did not have to end. Traditionally, first years go through an intense curriculum that doesn’t fit their schedule into their sophomore year. The curriculum’s emphasis has always been on “radically developmental experiences,” said Professor Benjamin Lipscomb, director of honors.

LukeLauer_Honors_GrayscaleIn order to keep the structure of the Honors present through the rest of their college experience, Lipscomb designed weekly seminars so that Honors students could get together and discuss challenging topics. “Students from different tracks and years mix together, studying topics of special interest to the faculty teaching them,” Lipscomb said.

The new London curriculum is also an exciting extension of the honors offerings. While it isn’t the same curriculum it used to be, Honors in London still embodies what study abroad semesters are all about: developmental experiences. “Students gain greatly from settling down in a foreign context for a longer period, from learning to navigate it independently to encountering the resources of world-class galleries and museums,” said Lipscomb.

The semester abroad in London might not have returned if it wasn’t for its powerful appeal to prospective students. No other college does anything like this. “It’s a highly distinctive offering that helps lodge Houghton’s name in the minds of prospective students,” stated Lipscomb. Honors in London gets prospective students to take a closer look at Houghton and the integrated, interdisciplinary curricula that the college has to offer and they could be a part of.

The proposal for Honors curricula intended for transfer students is waiting to be approved for next fall. The first-year curricula could not be used because they are built around the college’s core requirements, which many transfers complete at previous institutions before coming to Houghton. Also, a transfer student is more likely to be in a different place “developmentally and socially,” than a first-year student, said Lipscomb. Thus the need for different course offerings.

The transfer curriculum would entail one six-hour course to be taken in the fall; a little less rigorous compared to first-year students whose curriculum lasts the full academic year. The curriculum combines biblical studies and theology, since those are  requirements most transfers have not satisfied yet. Lipscomb said the “Reduced size and the fall semester placement are both acknowledgments of the needs of transfers, as is the pairing of disciplines.”

Ryan Spear, Associate Director of Admissions, thinks that the recent and potential changes to the Honors offerings will benefit current and prospective students. Spear concluded, “Houghton has a great reputation for offering unique learning opportunities and the expansion of our Honors offerings is a great way to reflect this culture.”

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Stories In Focus

Tracy’s Delightfuls Moves to Houghton

Less than a fifteen minute walk from anywhere on campus to Route 19, students may encounter Tracy’s Delightfuls. This family run gift shop arrived in the town of Houghton this past December. The store was originally located in Rushford, where owner Tracy Schieb and her husband, John Schieb, opened the business in June of 2012, fulfilling a lifelong dream to own a gift shop. The move to Houghton brought them a much appreciated quiet atmosphere and a larger venue. John Schieb wryly described the Rushford location as, “smaller than the room we’re standing in.” The larger venue has given them a chance to expand their merchandise, including the addition of fresh cut flowers.

LukeLauer_TracysDelightfulsThe front lawn is dotted with floral arrangements, including the sign. Inside the store, cream-colored walls are covered with bright, vibrant scarves, fingerless gloves, and an assortment of candles, mugs, and trinkets cover display tables. A pleasant scent drifts through the room, specifically the grape scent of a Northern Lights Candle.

The couple’s dedication and love for what they do becomes immediately clear upon inspection of the store. John Schieb’s woodwork can be found throughout the store, including birdhouses and antique windows transformed into decorative pieces. For their own use they have a organizational bulletin board behind the cash register. The work of Tracy’s mother is present as well, including the scarves, fingerless gloves, cowls, and quilts. John Schieb mentioned, with a grin, “about ninety-percent” of their lives revolve around the store. First year, Carina Martin, noted that Tracy, “genuinely cares about her customers.”

Family is not the only unique resource of Tracy’s Delightfuls. A shelf displays ceramic work by Naomi Woolsey and Kat Straus for sale, as well as Melissa Fink’s bracelets. Amish made bracelets and bells are displayed in the front. As a general philosophy, Tracy Schieb noted they try to support locally made products. Their new cookie cutters, for example, are made in Vermont, the Northern Lights candles are New York based, and Seacoast Florist of New Hampshire supplies their fresh cut flowers.

Tracy’s Delightfuls offers several benefits for Houghton students. There is a fifteen percent off discount for students who present their IDs. “I remember what it was like to be a college student,” Tracy Schieb said with a smile, “and that every penny counts!” Tracy’s Delightfuls also allows parents to order and ship to the college. Nationwide shipping allows students to do the same for their parents or siblings, a benefit especially fitting for the upcoming holiday season.

In the near future, Tracy’s Delightfuls will open its doors for the Harvest Festival, with a focus on autumn. The fall scents of the Northern Lights candles and the new Vermont made cookie cutters will be displayed. Tracy Schieb noted that pumpkins will hopefully have arrived as well.

Tracy’s Delightfuls offers a wide range of gifts for any season, with quirky mugs (“Fishing- if it was easy it would be called catching”), accessories and candles, and animal themed cowls. There is also a large selection of current seasonal items. “I seriously love these pumpkins!” Martin laughingly commented in reference to a set of painted wooden pumpkins. The careful detail and local involvement is reflected in the wide range of “delightful” gifts.

Tracy’s Delightfuls is located on 9726 Route 19, across from China Star. They are open weekdays from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and on Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Debit cards, MasterCard, Personal Checks, and Visa are accepted.

 

https://www.facebook.com/TracysDelightfulsGiftBasketsts/timeline?ref=page_internal

http://www.superpages.com/bp/Houghton-NY/Tracys-Delightfuls-Gift-Baskets-L2366593499.htm

 

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News

Anticipated 3 Bums Pizza to Open Soon in Houghton

With Addie’s Ice Cream now officially open for business, the limited dining opportunities available around Houghton have increased, but there’s still something missing from the campus. With hungry expectations still to be met and questions that need to be answered, people are wondering, why is the building across from Subway still empty? Where is the anticipated 3 Bums Pizza?

3 BumsAt the end of last semester, students were told that 3 Bums Pizza would be open upon returning this Fall. Currently, 3 Bums is still in the process of transitioning from their previous location in Belfast, to their new building formerly occupied by the Allegany Harvest Cooperative Market. With the original projected opening date of June 1, and mid-September quickly approaching, people are wondering what is accounting for the delay.

Owner of 3 Bums Pizza, Jake Hillman, stated, “While we had hoped that 3 Bums Pizza in Houghton would open quite some time ago, several issues have delayed our move. We’ve been working on some pretty extensive renovations the last several weeks, and as the project has progressed, those renovations have become even more extensive. Ever-changing building and fire codes make turning an empty space into a restaurant quite a task.”

Director of Community Relations, Phyllis Gaerte, said, “We are very disappointed at the delay, but in Jake’s defense, they ran into a number of tricky complications with state restaurant codes. Transforming an old convenience store presents unforeseeable challenges that 3 Bums is rising to meet.”

Hillman tells locals, “The good news is that we are in the home stretch of construction and will be open in the coming weeks.”

Soon 3 Bums will open its doors to students and the surrounding area. Business Professor Ken Bates states, “I predict Houghton’s relationship with 3 Bums to be mutually beneficial. It’s hard to imagine a college town without a pizza delivery business. Turning that around, it’s hard to imagine a pizza business in a college town that doesn’t have a big upside in terms of business success.”

3 Bums will also potentially provide opportunities for students, “3 Bums has employed Houghton students part-time in the past and now that they’re in town that will make this even easier.” Bates said. “We in the business department will be delighted to work with Jake in setting up internships with our business students to whatever degree that will work with his business model. Those discussions have yet to happen, but I look forward to welcoming Jake to the Houghton RVER Group meetings and working together to help his business succeed”

In the following weeks, Houghton can expect to see 3 Bums Pizza renovated and open for business. Hillman assures customers that “No one is more disappointed than we are that our new pizza place wasn’t up and running by the time students came back for the fall semester. We are committed to Houghton for the long term and are quite confident that taking the necessary time to make sure everything is done, and done right.”

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News

New Data Science Program in Discussion

Luckey_1After a long period of deliberation, Houghton may well add a data science program to its educational offerings in the near future.

A key player in initiating data science at Houghton is alumna Carmen McKell, a data science professional who graduated from Houghton in 1987 with a degree in psychology. After graduation, McKell went on to attain a masters degree in statistics and applied research at the University of New Brunswick as well as another Masters in psychology. McKell has over twenty years of experience working in the field of data science. She is the co-founder and president of BaseMetrics which, according to its website, is “a full service Predictive Analytics and Software Development enterprise.” BaseMetrics is centered in Ontario, Canada, with offices in the United States, Mexico, and India.

McKell approached the President’s office last fall with the proposal to initiate a data science program at Houghton. Since that time, her company, BaseMetrics, has produced a report analyzing the demand and Houghton’s ability to offer the program. According to Paul Young, professor of psychology, the results were positive and the program is now being in “the process of deciding to whether to go ahead.”

What is data science? According to Young, the modern age is awash in data but “our ability to collect data has outpaced our ability to understand it.” The discipline of data science, then, has formed in recent decades to “make sense” of the large amounts of data. The meanings that are then derived from sets of data could be applicable to nearly every field of study. For instance, according to Wei Hu, professor of computer science, it is not unrealistic that an analysis of tweets on the social media site, Twitter, could generate information about the general health of a community–thereby providing valuable information to the field of healthcare.

To Hu, this is what makes data science an “exciting” field of study to introduce at Houghton in particular. “Data science is a connector that connects different disciplines together, which makes it very powerful at a liberal arts college,” said Hu. At its core, said Hu, the field is based in a thorough understanding of computer science and statistics, but it bleeds into a number of the disciplines already offered at Houghton: business, the sciences, linguistics, economics, political science, international development, and others.

Additionally, though data can provide seemingly innumerable insights to various disciplines, the use and analysis of data often involves ethical questions. Hu said that this is also what makes it a “powerful” program to add at Houghton, an institution that regularly engages in ethics.

This was confirmed by Dean Linda Mills Woolsey who said in an email, “We have a proposed curriculum and are working on a business plan…We hope to pilot a course or two next year, and, if Data Science emerges as a priority, to bring it to the faculty for approval next year.”

Though “the program is still far from settled,” according to Young, it would most likely involve a core in computer science and statistics from which students would apply into a content area (such as business, political science, etc.), operating in much the same way as the intercultural studies major in which students are required to take on a second major.