Houghton Athletics Inducts Three into Hall of Honor

HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Keith Greer ’67, Bonnie (Ellison ’67) Greer, and Sanjeev Parmar ‘00, are the latest inductees into the Houghton Athletics Hall of Honor after a luncheon ceremony among friends, family, and Houghton staff on April 27.

The three honorees of this induction class join the Hall’s roster that now totals 69 alumni, coaches, teams, and contributors.

Keith and Bonnie Greer made their marks as Highlander athletes during the final years of the Purple and Gold era. Keith primarily excelled in football but also participated in soccer, basketball, baseball, and track. He received the Sportsmanship Award (given to that year’s top athlete) at the 1967 Athletic Association banquet. Bonnie was a standout in field hockey, but also was a cheerleader and participated in swimming, track, and tennis. She was voted the 1966 homecoming queen. The couple were married following graduation and spent more than three decades serving in local church ministry in Massachusetts. Today they reside in Pennsylvania and work alongside and support missionaries at Barnabas International. Keith’s award was accepted on his behalf by Phil Stockin ’67.

Parmar played men’s soccer under head coach, Dwight Hornibrook, from 1996-1999. The native of British Columbia, Canada, earned Third Team NAIA All-America accolades as a sophomore and was a two-time NAIA Honorable Mention All-America selection. He finished his career with 21 goals and 30 assists and helped guide the Highlanders to a 53-16-4 record. The Highlanders were ranked No. 9 in the NAIA at the end of Parmar’s sophomore season and No. 16 after his junior campaign. Following his Houghton career, Parmar was drafted by the Toronto Lynx of the USL A-League and went on to play for the Charlotte Eagles and Ottawa Wizards. Following his passion for the sport and coaching, Parmar started his own soccer training business—Parmar Futuro Soccer Academy—where he leads a coaching staff that trains elite youth players throughout Eastern Canada.

“Phil and Donnie planted in me the seed of servant leadership. Phil’s investment in me was life-changing. What I learned at Houghton was a reinforcement of what Phil and Donnie taught me: The essence of servant-leadership is helping others to be successful,” explains John.

When the Stockins returned to Houghton, they brought with them an energetic and inspired thirteen-year-old to study at Houghton Academy: John Román. John finished high school at Houghton Academy and launched into life at Houghton (then College) with the same gusto as he approaches everything.

At Houghton, John came to a true relationship with the Lord. “I finally understood what my pastors and the Stockins were telling me,” John reflects. “The Lord made me see that I had talents from Him, and, regardless of what they were, they didn’t mean anything if I didn’t use them to testify about who God is and what He has done.”

John completed a dual degree in Spanish and physical education and pursued his calling as an educator, scholar-servant and Christ-follower. In 2002, John returned to Wesleyan Academy as the Athletic Director. In 2020, he became the Headmaster. With this role came a renewed sense of calling John couldn’t ignore.

“God put it on my heart to reestablish our connections with ����ɬ and Houghton Academy. I think we, as Christian educators, are negligent if we’re not encouraging our students to attend Christian colleges.”

John wants his students to attend ����ɬ. “When parents ask me why I’m not encouraging students to attend major secular universities, I tell them Houghton is a game changer. Nowhere else equals the spiritual environment that Houghton provides.”

John is constantly looking for new ways to introduce his students to Houghton. “In Puerto Rico, we say ‘kids eat with their eyes’ – that is, we have to show them Houghton so they can experience what it means when we say Houghton will treat them differently than a secular university.”

Wesleyan Academy participates in Houghton’s Partner School program. So far this academic year, twenty students are taking advantage of the opportunity to earn college credits while in high school. “There are financial obstacles for students to leave Puerto Rico to go to college. Our students can earn up to twenty college credits, which helps them with the financial ramifications of attending university in the States.”

While recognizing the financial benefits, John clearly recognizes that his students are advancing academically in preparation for whatever God has in store for them. He is hearing from his students and their families the ways that Houghton faculty go above and beyond what typical college professors will do. As he personally experienced on Houghton’s campus decades ago, now, John’s students are experiencing today just how Houghton faculty continue to care. “No one is just a number.”

John’s passion for getting students to Houghton played out in the life of Houghton junior Daniel Rosario ’25. A member of the Houghton men’s basketball team and a biology major with intentions of becoming a physician, Daniel is a graduate of Wesleyan Academy. When John learned that Daniel was looking for a school where he could play ball and pursue an interest in medicine, John knew he had the answer.

“Danny is gifted academically, and he would have done well anywhere,” remarks John. “But sometimes, Wesleyan Academy is a bit of a bubble. It’s a challenge to prepare our students for life in the secular world, where they’re required to defend their faith. When I speak to Danny now, I see tremendous spiritual growth. He’s sharing with me more and more about how his faith is growing.”

What’s next for this partnership between ����ɬ and Wesleyan Academy? “If you think that the only thing I’m interested in is getting our students to Houghton, you’ve got another thing coming.” John laughs when he says this, but this is the man who transferred himself to attend school in the United States at the age of 13 and ran 100 miles a week for four years of college. He might be laughing, but he’s absolutely serious.

The connections between Houghton and Wesleyan Academy are growing beyond the classroom, just as John envisioned. In May of 2020, Professor Eli Knapp ’00 led a Mayterm ornithology course in Puerto Rico, hosted in part by Wesleyan Academy. In the fall of 2023, President Lewis was invited to speak in chapel, giving John’s students another opportunity to catch a glimpse of Houghton.

This past October break, Men’s Head Basketball Coach Jeremy Bialek led his team on a missions trip to Guaynabo, hosted by John Román, Wesleyan Academy, and fellow alumnus and Houghton trustee Omar Haedo ’87. The team played an exhibition game, hosted clinics and had opportunity to connect with Wesleyan Academy students. Daniel Rosario was back on his home court, alongside teammates David Rosa ’25 and Pedro Cruz ’25, who also hail from Puerto Rico.

In coming years, Houghton’s first-year Science Honors students will have the opportunity to study and conduct research in Puerto Rico as guests of Wesleyan Academy. Using drone technology, Honors students will have the opportunity to develop a research project and carry out that research.

In the future, John Román would love to see the Houghton tradition continue with student teachers and early career educators joining the team at Wesleyan Academy. Like Phil and Donnalee Stockin and countless other Highlanders, Houghton students and alumni can impact Wesleyan Academy students – students like John Román, who are ready to be equipped to lead and labor as scholar-servants in a world that so desperately needs them.

The Lord made me see that I had talents from Him, and, regardless of what they were, they didn’t mean anything if I didn’t use them to testify about who God is and what He has done.

John Roman ’77

For generations, Houghton students have been welcomed into an intentional, relational Christian community where they are invited to grow alongside one another into the women and men God has called them to be. This community doesn’t happen by accident, nor does it continue to flourish through the decades without the ongoing, purposeful development of those who lead and labor in the work of ministering to our students.

Katie Breitigan ’09, ����ɬ’s Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life, is a hallmark example of the ways Houghton continues to equip aspiring scholar-servants for a lifetime of Kingdom impact they could never have dreamed possible.

Katie came to Houghton as a first-generation college student entirely unsure of her future. She wasn’t even sure what to expect at college, and it was only through her Accepted Students Weekend experience that Katie was convinced Houghton was the place she was called to be.

As a student, Katie immersed herself in every aspect of campus life, although that didn’t distract from her studies. Discovering a deep enjoyment in the courses and professors in the Communication and Ministry departments, she declared a dual major in Communication and Educational Ministry. When she combined her learning with two years’ hands-on experience as a Resident Assistant in Lambein Hall, Katie discovered what it meant to be a leader and to serve others in the context of a Christian community.

Katie began to refine her calling as she mentored with her Resident Director, Rachel (Paashaus ’07) Wright and Director of Residence Life Denise Bakerink ’83. After a rather disappointing youth ministry internship, Katie sought the guidance of Professor Michael Walters ’86, who helped her identify her passion for college students and reminded Katie that ministry doesn’t have to be in a traditional pastoral role. Denise suggested Katie consider a master’s degree in higher education focusing on student development and, along with Rachel’s encouragement, helped Katie realize that a role in student life could become a fulfilling career.

This foundational sense of vocational calling – combining Katie’s love of communication and ministry – provided a bedrock for the many ways she serves Houghton students today. “I view it as the Ministry of Presence,” Katie shares. “It’s a very broad description of a complicated job. I focus on being available, approachable and interruptible – always there to step into the need of the moment.”

Katie focuses much of her effort on team-building among her residence life staff, which includes Resident Directors, Assistant Resident Directors and Resident Assistants. “We’re here to both challenge and support students. And we are strategically placed to facilitate collaboration across campus departments. We’re not the experts; we’re the liaisons on the front lines, pointing students to the experts on campus who can help them navigate whatever they’re facing.”

Katie guides her residence life team in developing their own spiritual lives. She challenges them to grow intentionally in their walk with Christ, encouraging an authenticity in their relationships with the students with whom they work most closely. “They’re learning how to walk with their peers through difficult seasons, often while grappling with the same struggles. I’ve been challenging them, and myself, to rely on the promise found in Matthew 11:28. I like the way The Message presents part of this verse: ‘walk with Me and work with Me.’ In Christ, we are able to live freely, to slow down and be present before God, and to recognize our leadership positions as God’s work, in which we are just a vessel.”

Katie navigates her team through difficult moments, working with students in crisis, mentoring students who are struggling and encouraging students who are facing disappointments. The residence life team routinely encounters students at crossroads in their lives. “It’s worth it when we see students rewrite their narratives. We’re able to eventually celebrate their triumphs, and we have the privilege of knowing parts of their stories they don’t readily share with others. It makes days like Commencement really powerful.”

As Katie daily practices the Ministry of Presence, her impact is felt across campus. Relationships are built, peer-to-peer mentoring is inspired and a surprising community of intentional care flourishes. Future generations of scholar-servants are not only developing as teachers or accountants or doctors but growing as children of God prepared to minister to the needs of the people around them.

I focus on being available, approachable and interruptible – always there to step into the need of the moment.

Katie Breitigan ’09

Katie Breitigan is a graduate of ����ɬ and holds a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Development from Taylor University and a Doctorate of Restorative Theology: Trauma and Transformation from Evangelical Theological Seminary. Her dissertation was entitled “The Value of Theological Reciprocating Relationships within Faculty Pedagogy as a Response to Student Mental Health in Christian Higher Education.” She has over a decade of experience in student and residential life, including serving at Gordon College and Indiana Wesleyan University prior to her tenure at Houghton. 

Stretching back to the 1960s, Houghton undergraduates have conducted real-world hands-on research alongside their professors. Perhaps the best-known example is the groundbreaking effort of the students who came alongside Dr. Wilson Greatbatch in the mid- to late-1960s. Prior to that, however, professors like Dr. Stephen Calhoun were helping students gain vital experience in laboratory settings that equipped them for post-college studies, research and careers. In the 1990s, when Dr. Karen (Reese ’93) Torraca was an undergraduate student in chemistry, she had the opportunity do research alongside Dr. Larry Christensen. Today, Dr. Torraca continues this tradition through the Shannon Summer Research Institute.

Dr. Torraca shares that Houghton’s interdisciplinary approach to undergraduate research makes it a standout program, setting it apart from many other places students could study. In addition to spending significant time in the lab alongside a professor, students spend time in sessions with their peers sharing research in fields as varied as biology, chemistry, computer science and physics. They’re learning from one another in a complex community, which offers them an opportunity to think outside the parameters of their specific fields.

After spending the early part of her career as a senior research scientist at Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, Dr. Torraca brought her real-world experience to Houghton in 2007. Today, students research alongside her, working on the development of green synthetic methodologies. “����ɬs challenge me to run tests and experiments I often talk myself out of running,” shares Dr. Torraca. “They also help me discover reactions that are often robust enough to work at any scale. When undergraduates, who are just beginning to learn lab methodologies, can successfully run reactions, I know the process can be scaled for successful implementation.”

Hands-on research and faculty scholarship are vital to Houghton’s science students’ success after graduation. A robust research program helps ����ɬ recruit a vibrant and dynamic faculty, professionals who bring outstanding scholarship to bear on a student’s educational experience. This kind of intentional, intimate research setting is one that undergraduates won’t find at large universities. It’s also a key factor in their success after graduation. Thirty-five percent of Dr. Torraca’s chemistry majors go directly into the workforce, where they’re highly prized as lab technicians. “They’re knowledgeable enough to troubleshoot problems and informed enough to know when to ask good questions.”

The combined knowledge and experience that come with applied learning make Houghton graduates highly marketable both in the field and for graduate school. Alumni will often share with Dr. Torraca how much better prepared they are for graduate school than their counterparts from larger institutions. They have had the opportunity to work with technical equipment and better address challenges in the lab thanks to their collaborative research experiences.

“The Shannon Summer Research Institute has all the hallmarks of a really successful learning opportunity: direct work with professional researchers, its interdisciplinary nature, programming that stretches beyond their time in the lab, and the social aspect of a close-knit community,” reflects Dr. Torraca. “It’s pretty close to the ideal undergraduate research program.”

Hannah Zgrablich Ogden ‘14

Head Field Hockey Coach

Hospitality is a pivotal building block in the spiritual formation on our team. It is important to me to create an environment within my team where everyone feels comfortable to both generously share and graciously receive one another’s time, energy, homes, families, viewpoints, love and care. I strive to build a culture of hospitality, first, tangibly—sharing meals together, interacting with each other’s families, and offering more hands to make light work. By making regular practice of tangible hospitality with one another, I see hospitality building and growing in meaningful intangible ways—trust grows, willingness to give and receive accountability increases, and there is an overall sense that, though we may have different questions, backgrounds, and viewpoints, we are walking through life together. My goal and my prayer is to continue actively demonstrating hospitality—an open home, a loving family and a sense of community, where my athletes feel safe to join in the process of both the building and the being built.

Hannah (Zgrablich’14) Ogden pictured with her team in header image.

As Michael dreaded making a college decision that he wasn’t sure he could afford, God was already at work. Upon arriving home from a visit to another institution, Michael received a letter from ����ɬ. It was an acceptance letter that included his financial aid package. Michael could hardly believe it was real. “I was awarded a Founder’s Promise Scholarship. I looked at my mom and said, ‘Can I be reading this right?’”

Two months into his first semester, Michael is learning how to balance his academics and his social life. He loves people and has quickly developed a diverse group of friends who join him in a weekly Bible study. Michael also participates in and helps lead a small group study for young men on campus and occasionally goes home to preach in his home church.

Michael is already seeing the benefits of a liberal arts education. “J.L. Miller [Chair of Religion and Associate Dean of the Chapel] told me Houghton’s goal is to shape well-rounded pastors who are able to understand the times they live in. I’m seeing so many benefits of growing in my faith and my calling and growing in an understanding of the world I live in.”

The Founder’s Promise Scholarship is a last-dollar tuition scholarship offered to incoming students who are eligible for federal Pell grants. In its inaugural year, 33% of incoming students received the Founder’s Promise Scholarship, equating to an affordable education for 90 aspiring scholar-servants like Michael. Houghton’s strategic plan highlights a continued emphasis on and commitment to access and affordability for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, a commitment played out through the Founder’s Promise Scholarship.

Earlier today, in my Humanities 101 class, I led a discussion of On the Nature of Things, by Lucretius.  In it, the Roman poet expounds his Epicurean philosophy, arguing that the universe is purely material; that the soul is mortal, dying together with the body; and that we should find this teaching consoling. It was an easy opportunity to ask students: What, if anything, can a Christian endorse in Lucretius’ account of body and soul?

Sometimes integrating faith and learning in the classroom is that easy.  But not always.  Some days I just want my students to consider why the Supreme Court reached a particular decision or the relative merits of having a single president as opposed to, say, Switzerland’s seven-member executive council.  On those days–which, frankly, are common–is there any integration of faith and learning going on?

I think there is, at two levels.  First, we should not underestimate the Christian essence of a liberal arts education, even when questions of faith are in the background.  Liberal arts education is not just about getting a job, or becoming well-rounded, or even producing good citizens.  It seeks truth.  And Christians believe that all truth is God’s truth.  When we seek truth, of any kind, we are always seeking to understand some aspect of God or his plan for creation.

Second, Christian liberal arts education rests on a kind of gamble: that, however far unaided reason may take us, our understanding of whatever we study will ultimately prove richer, deeper, and more adequate when we see with the eyes of faith.  St. Anselm famously said, “Credo ut intelligam” — I believe so that I may understand.  In every class we teach, again and again, we make the daring and exciting wager that by semester’s end, our students will see just a bit more clearly that Anselm was right.

Peter Meilaender
Dean of Religion, Humanities, and Global Studies;
Professor or Political Science

Peter Meilaender depicted in header image.

High School Academic Lead Alyssa Knight shares a little about why ����ɬ’s Partner School program is an ideal fit for Westminster Christian Academy. 

“Our administration struggled to find a quality dual-enrollment partner that shared our educational and Christian values. Houghton empowers our teachers to teach information from a biblical worldview while having a quality partner to give us information, resources and direction in our courses. As a byproduct, our students now have the opportunity to take dual-enrollment classes directly from our school, allowing them to gain college credit from an accredited institution and helping them as they prepare for college.”

“A large majority of our students go to college, so we have expanded our dual-enrollment opportunities to all of our students. We have seen several students who were struggling in their academic career experience success in a dual-enrollment course because they see the practical value of the course. Westminster Academy has experienced extraordinary growth because of our partnership with Houghton, launching and expanding our dual-enrollment program. We have hopes of expanding it every year, and we can see a clear path toward that with Houghton.”