Excellence:��It’s��About the Pursuit, Not Perfection

By Kyra Binney ’26

Dorah��Burnell & The Pasteur Pre-Medic Society

The 1926-1927 academic catalog is the first to show pre-medical as a possible major—described as a “composite major”—at Houghton College & Seminary. This coincides with the hiring of Professor��Dorah��Burnell, who came to Houghton in 1926 to teach chemistry.

A native of Nebraska and graduate of State Teachers College (1916) and the University of Nebraska (B.S. 1924, M.A. 1925), Professor Burnell single-handedly built the college’s chemistry department while fulfilling countless other roles on campus.

Along with colleagues in the Science��Department, Professor Burnell helped students��established��The Pasteur Pre-Medic Society.��In its inaugural appearance in the Boulder in 1928, the society described its aim as��“…to promote a feeling of comradeship, to gain inspiration for future tasks, and to learn something more of the nature and extent of this their chosen field of endeavor.” The inaugural group boasted 27 members��and by the 1950s, the club was one of the largest and most active on Houghton’s campus.

Today known as the��Pre-Health Professions Club, the group��remains��one of Houghton’s largest and most active clubs. Their aim, similarly, is��“…to serve as an information resource and generate opportunities for fellowship, career exploration and volunteer service for students interested in health-related fields.”

In the dedication of the 1954 Boulder, students��observed��of Professor Burnell that��“[h]er influence was there… Lights were shining out from the meticulously kept chemistry lab until the early morning hours. On the desk were carefully graded papers—around the room was all the valuable equipment she had��procured. From this lab alumni went forth to succeed… her��influence��was there.”

Professor Burnell’s��influence��remains—in Houghton’s chemistry labs, in the Pre-Health Professions Club, in the��lives of service led by so many of��our alumni.��Professor Burnell’s influence��has��played a role in helping to shape thousands of doctors, nurses, researchers, dentists, pharmacists, public health servants, medical missionaries and more who have gone on to, as Willard J. Houghton would say,��“fix up the world for Christ.”

By Dr. Jenna (Hill ’15) Smith

I began my Houghton journey in 2011 as a biology major with a chemistry minor. I completed the first��year��Science��Honors program, and��was��very involved��in the��Pre-health��Professionals club and Sigma Zeta math and science honors society. I took quite a few of the upper-level biology electives, especially during my last couple of years there. These classes really helped prepare me for the��challenging��curriculum that was coming��in��graduate school.

I applied to veterinary��school��my senior year and was accepted to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. The��course��load was intense in depth and breadth, but��I felt I��had a solid foundation from Houghton. I graduated from Cornell in 2019 and started working at Perry Veterinary Clinic��in Perry, New York,��as an associate veterinarian. I became a partner at Perry Vet in the beginning of 2023. Currently, I practice both small and large animal medicine, splitting my time between cats and dogs in the office, and dairy cows and other large animals on farms throughout��Western New��York. I even go to calls at the Houghton Equestrian center—talk��about coming full circle!

Live It Out

By Dr. Laura (Jarvis ‘06)��Lintner��

When I arrived at Houghton,��biology was my��field of��choice, but I had little direction beyond that. I certainly��didn’t��imagine working as an Associate Professor,��with my days full of not just patient care, but��teaching��medical students,��residents��and fellows. I��didn’t��imagine that��I’d��go to Kenya,��building friendships��and��schools, and providing healthcare for their runners. I��didn’t��imagine that it would be possible to have a career as well as be a wife,��mother��and friend.

Deep friendships, strong��mentors��and meaningful solitude mark my time at Houghton.��The girls of��Hazlett��34, now lifelong friends,��held an MCAT party for me. They dressed up like cats and performed a hilarious, yet strangely encouraging, original poem. I��don’t��think I��would’ve��made it without them. Looking back��on��the classroom, I was blessed to learn from some of the most vibrant professors. Dr.��Aaron��Sullivan taught me about patience and simplicity. Dr.��Larry��Christensen opened each organic chemistry class with a pithy saying or a short story, bringing joy to learning.��Professor��Sunshine��Leonard��’01��always reminded us that our worth was not in our grades. Dr.��Cathy��Freytag generously welcomed me into her life as a friend. It was also during these��four��years that I found a��“frenemy”��in distance running. During the volleyball off-season,��I’d��spend countless hours��running��the shoulders of��Route 19��or dizzying laps around the��old suspended��track. Usually��I��ran��by myself, with��only��my prayers and thoughts. Through these miles, The Lord revealed His faithfulness to me by, not only setting a clear career path before me, but by safely getting me through literal��Western New York��blizzards.

Escaping that winter weather, I went to Florida for medical school then onto North Carolina for residency. I knew Wake Forest Family Medicine was the place when I found some of the brightest and most content physicians. After completing my��family��medicine residency, sports medicine��seemed��a natural fit. My dad’s career was in professional sports (not to mention my mom,��Linda (Clow ’76) Jarvis, and��brother,��Landry Jarvis ’10,��were both Houghton athletes), so my childhood was full of practices, games, and injuries. Plus, my osteopathic education set��a strong foundation��for musculoskeletal medicine.

By Dr. Jamie Potter

When students��walks��through my door for the very first time, they usually already have an idea of what profession they want to pursue. They often know the courses they might��need��and that shadowing someone in the profession is��a good idea—and��may even��be��required. They know excellent grades, top scores on entrance exams, and stellar letters of recommendation are necessary.��However, they usually don’t know��why��they want to take��the��particular path��they’ve chosen.

Some of my students want to pursue a medical profession because they want to help people. Some have been on the receiving end of care and found the work being executed on them fascinating. Some had a close friend or family member who needed specialized care and they saw what a provider did for them in their time of greatest need. Many are pretty smart cookies with proven academic acumen, and they’ve been told they should go into medicine with that aptitude. All of these reasons are good, but none of them really gets to the root of “why medicine is for me.”

Not a single student��will walk the��same path. Each one must develop��an��individual plan��alongside their advisors, and then they must��allow for adjustments as they��learn and grow in their own experiences and abilities. Conversations��with my students��are often long,��and sometimes hard,��as they realize their own limitations,��discover��their real interests, and��explore��their unique skills. They start to��find��their��own personal vocational path, and they��begin��to��think��deeply��about their��why.

In order to��discover their true passion for the vocation of medicine,��my��students��must move beyond the basics of grades,��transcripts,��aptitudes,��and idealized visions of medicine to��find their passion and��their��reason for pursuing this��journey.

By Amanda (Shine ‘05) Zambrano

Students’ paths into Houghton’s pre-med track might��look��somewhat��similar, but siblings��Dr.��Jonathan Figueroa ’13��and��Dr.��Alyssa Figueroa ’14��discovered that the paths��beyond Houghton��are as unique and varied as the students themselves.

Jonathan��came��to Houghton in the fall of 2009��thanks to a��desire��to study at��a Christian liberal arts��college��known for its��strong��pre-med program��and��a little guidance from��fellow Timothy Christian School (Piscataway, NJ)��alumnus��Tyler Haggerty ’08. Although Jonathan��didn’t��initially plan to play��collegiate��soccer, a campus visit introduced him to��the coach at the time,��Dr.��Matthew��Webb,��and a team of great young men—solidifying Jonathan’s��decision��to attend Houghton��and��pursue a biology degree on the pre-med track.

Alyssa, like Jonathan, grew up with aspirations��of becoming��a physician. Although Houghton��wasn’t��initially at the top of her list, she loved the small class sizes and intimate feel of campus. During a��campus��visit for a winter indoor soccer��tournament, Alyssa met��Coach��David Lewis and a few incoming teammates.��The opportunity to study in the Balkans with Houghton’s East Meets West honors program was the final selling point.��A year after her brother, Alyssa also��enrolled at Houghton��as a biology major on the pre-med track.

The Figueroa siblings were attracted by��the way��Houghton faculty��individualized the pre-health professions track. According to Dr. Jamie Potter,��Interim Dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics,��Professor of Biology and Director of Pre-Health Professions, faculty help students identify what they love most about��health professions and��then��align those passions with��their academic and co-curricular experiences to put each student on the best possible path.

Both Jonathan and Alyssa��benefitted��from guidance and advising from Dr. Potter, along with insights from beloved Professor Emeritus of Biology Dr. Jim Wolfe, former biology professors��Dr. Matthew Pelletier��and Dr. Aaron Sullivan,��and��campus physician��Dr. David Brubaker ’90. Alyssa had��visions of��internal��medicine��or pediatrics��while Jonathan��initially considered a career in��international medicine.

“I liked having professors who really took the time to get to know me,” shared Jonathan. “They wanted me to perform well, but they also challenged me. Nothing was��given,��I had to work for it.”��

Alyssa��reflected on��the well-known challenges presented by��Dr. Karen Torraca’s ’93��infamous organic chemistry course—affectionately (or not) known by generations of Houghton students as “O-Chem.”

“I had��a��conversation with Dr. Wolfe as well as Dr. Potter, wondering if I should keep pursuing medicine, if��it��was��going to be possible for me,” said Alyssa.��“They were mentors who assured me I was capable, that everyone��struggles��and it��wasn’t��meant to be easy.��That��close mentorship was important to me.”��

Jonathan’s��international��interests resulted in a minor in public health, which included a study abroad opportunity��in Ecuador��with former intercultural studies professor��Dr. Ndunge��Kiiti��’88. Dr.��Kiiti��inspired Jonathan to see health beyond a medical and pharmaceutical viewpoint,��helping him��discover how to��integrate��his faith with his work—a formative learning experience he carries into his work today.

Alyssa explored options in both osteopathic and allopathic medicine, and in her��advising with��Dr. Potter discovered that osteopathic medicine��was the right approach to her career aspirations.��Alyssa��found��Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), in Erie, Pennsylvania,��to be the right��option��for her to pursue��medical school.

Jonathan was intent on��pursuit of��allopathic medicine.��After Houghton, Jonathan attended St. George University School of Medicine (Grenada),��motivated by St. George’s placement rate at his residence hospital of choice—New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. After��three years��in��residency, Jonathan��did a two-year fellowship at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

Today, Jonathan is an endocrinologist at New York University Langone, where he teaches residents, primarily in an outpatient��clinical setting. Alyssa��did��her residency��in internal medicine at Jefferson Health Northeast in Philadelphia. When her husband��Lucas, a member of the US Air Force, was stationed for active duty in Tucson, Arizona, she��took on the role of��internal medicine hospitalist at Northwest Healthcare—Tucson. She recently was��also��appointed��Associate Director for the Internal Medicine Residency��at the hospital.

The Figueroa siblings carry the things they learned at Houghton with them as they serve their patients on opposite sides of the country.

By Amanda (Shine ’05) Zambrano

Lifelong learning is a thread running through the fabric of 1986 graduate Dr. Tim Coetzee’s story. The story begins at a small Christian school in New Jersey where Tim fell in love with biology under the tutelage of his AP biology teacher, Kathleen (Fink ’77) Donaldson. He was interested in a career as a physician, and Kathleen shared Houghton’s outstanding pre-med reputation with him. As a missionary kid and pastor’s kid, Tim discovered the financial aid Houghton offered made it an affordable choice for his family. But it was more than just pre-med and scholarships that brought Tim to Houghton. The direct influence of a Houghton alumna was a driving factor in Tim’s choice.

Tim started his Houghton��journey,��as��have��many alumni, on the Highlander Wilderness Adventure under the leadership of��Doris “Mabel” Nielsen ’71. During Highlander, he read Francis Schaeffer’s��The Mark of a Christian, and it was a defining moment. “Forty��years later,” said Tim, “I still remember the impact of that book.��It’s��a bit of an organizing principle for me today. There are so many things we could be distinguished by, but the idea that��‘they’ll know you by your love for each other’��is something that infuses the work I do today.”

Although Tim was initially determined to become a physician, by his sophomore year he knew he was on the wrong path. After a three-week practicum experience, during which he shadowed a family medical doctor, Tim found himself seeking the guidance of his advisor, Houghton biology professor and director of pre-med at the time, Dr. Donald Munro. Tim’s love of biology and desire to move away from clinical medical practice landed him in Houghton’s biology labs conducting research. Like Houghton students today in the Shannon Summer Research Institute and in independent research studies, Tim was pursuing his study of biology in a distinctly Houghton way—doing science in a lab rather than simply listening to a lecture.

“It was great, because at Houghton I was pretty much learning by doing,” said Tim. “The uniqueness of Houghton was that I was doing a lot of research on my own, figuring things out for myself through trial and error. It��wasn’t��an opportunity I would have had at larger institutions.”
Tim completed two independent research projects and a senior honors project during his time at Houghton. He��also��found his passion��at Houghton,��in��Dr. Charles Detwiler’s ’72��classroom studying microbiology. The seeds planted in microbiology led Tim to post-graduate education at Albany Medical College where he completed an M.S. and a Ph.D. studying molecular biology—particularly��that now-famous molecule mRNA.

Tim’s work in molecular biology put him on a path that led through research labs with funding��provided by��the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, to offices where he managed projects and started up the for-profit research arm��FastForward��LLC. He found himself on another learning curve, which required him to rely on the soft skills he picked up at Houghton—particularly��effective��communication.
“Dr. Munro instilled the importance of communication,” remarked Tim. “I��learned��that clarity in communication, both��in how you write and in how you speak,��is important. But because the ideas in science often require visuals, I also learned about the importance of visuals that have clarity and impact.”

A year ago, Tim entered another phase of his lifelong learning journey when he was appointed CEO of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Those lessons in communication have grown to encompass storytelling, relating to prospective funders about the difference the society’s work makes in the lives of people living with multiple sclerosis.

And it��isn’t��just��the��communication skills��honed at Houghton��that Tim��relies��on. “The commitment to people is something I continue to carry with me.��I look back on the people part of my time at Houghton, the emphasis on relationships with people and the way my faith journey influences how I serve the people right in front of me every day.”

Dear Friends,

One of the greatest blessings of serving Houghton as President is getting to know our students. They inspire me daily and remind me of why Houghton’s mission is so vitally��important,��today��and tomorrow.

As students come to Houghton,��they��are in various stages of understanding the vocations the Lord is calling them to and equipping them for. For some, their calling has been clear for years. For��some, their understanding of how the Lord wants to use them is evolving.��For others, they are confident of vocational callings in ordained ministry, as teachers or��as��musicians.��Among the group of students who come to Houghton��typically��having recognized��early academic giftedness and ability are those preparing for careers in the health sciences.

Pre-health students��represent��a healthy��portion��of the Houghton student body. While their beds and clothes are in their residence hall rooms, many of them��spending��most of their waking��hours��(and some of their sleeping��hours!)��in the Paine Center for Science. As they matriculate,��more and more��of their coursework is taken in Paine, but outside of class, you��are��likely to find small groups of students in laboratories, faculty offices,��and��dedicated study spaces as well as improvised ones.

Houghton has long been recognized as a place for serious Christian students to study science and prepare for careers in the health sciences. There is no shortage of Houghton graduates who have gone on to��have��long and impactful��careers as medical doctors,��nurses��and medical missionaries.��Houghton continues to provide outstanding preparation for students who pursue nursing, D.O.��and��M.D degrees.

But additionally,��with robust partnerships with professional and graduate programs,��Houghton is preparing students for vocations in veterinary science, physical therapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy, nutrition and dietetics, dentistry, and athletic training.��As the Lord continues to call young people to vocations in the health sciences, Houghton continues to provide Christ-centered, rigorous preparation to equip them for that work.

With this issue, we are privileged to share some of the stories of our students, faculty, and alumni who have been a part of Houghton’s rich history in��the health��sciences. We are grateful to be a part of what God has done and continues to do in and through the lives of our graduates.

Yours in Christ’s service,

Wayne D.��Lewis,��Jr.
President

Athletics Holds Induction for 2025 Hall of Honor Class

Ken German ’61 and the 1998 Field Hockey Team are the latest inductees into the Houghton Athletics Hall of Honor after a luncheon ceremony among friends, family, and Houghton staff on May third.

The honorees of this induction class join a Hall roster that now totals 71 alumni, coaches, teams, and contributors.

Excerpts from And You Shall Remember: A Pictorial History of Houghton College, written and edited by Frieda A. Gillette and Katherine W. Lindley

The ����ɬ we know and love is a four-year, residential liberal arts college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees. The idea of a high school student taking Houghton courses might be a foreign one to some of us. At Houghton’s founding, however, in 1883, there were no collegiate courses at all. Houghton Seminary’s purpose was not college degrees, but rather accessible, affordable, Christ-centered education. Students as young as 11 enrolled at Houghton, and the first accredited college diplomas weren’t awarded until 1925. The high school division remained, however, and eventually became Houghton Academy.��

When [Old Sem] was dedicated in August 1884, no one knew how many students would enroll in September, who would teach them, or how much of the building would be completed. Although the building was only partially finished on September 15, 1884, school opened with “70-80 scholars” under Principal-Preacher William Henry Kennedy and his assistant, Luther Grange. Miss Alice Boardman taught the high school courses and Miss Eva Davis taught the English Course for students not prepared for high school. “Sister Mary DePew to take oversight of the lady students and to give them weekly lectures,” wrote Willard Houghton in his ledger. James S. Luckey, who enrolled in the second of the three terms of that first year, later wrote, “Equipment, to say the least, was scarce. I think one globe was to be found and perhaps one or two maps, but nothing else in the line of apparatus. I was told there were no blackboards, but they had come at the beginning of the second term” (The Houghton Star, April 1911).

Although the curriculum included only the upper elementary grades and the first year of secondary school in that first year, one year of high school was added annually until a four-year diploma was issued. Melvin E. Warburton received the first diploma in 1887 and James S. Luckey the second in 1889.

As faculty became available, new programs could be added. When Gussie C. Dodd, an accomplished artist and wife of the new principal, A.R. Dodd, moved to Houghton, the Seminary added “a complete course in drawing, crayoning and oil painting.” Luther Grange started a commercial and business course in 1885 for “young men and ladies too, if they desire;” in 1890 Miss Effie Crow initiated a music department; in 1893 a two-year elementary teacher course was introduced. In 1895 the church approved an Advanced Department, i.e. “college equivalent work,” and in 1901 John Willett of Levant, New York, completed that course, the first graduate of the Advanced Department.

By Amanda (Shine ’05) Zambrano

Ask anyone who has taken courses on campus at ����ɬ: a hallmark of the Houghton experience is the faculty who embody academic excellence with intentionally integrated faith, and who pair that excellence with a deep care and concern for the individual student. It might be challenging to imagine this distinctive Houghton feature applying to students who aren’t on campus. Faculty members at Houghton, however, approach online education—including Early College courses—with the same intentionality and academic integrity they bring to their physical classrooms.

One of the ways Houghton provides access to Early College courses is through dual enrollment arrangements with our partner schools. Houghton’s partner school network comprises more than 40 private Christian schools, some as close as Houghton Academy, or Northstar Christian Academy (Rochester, NY), and some as far as Rift Academy (Kijabe, Kenya) and Alliance Academy International (Quito, Ecuador). One of the many benefits Houghton provides to our partner school is the opportunity to offer dual enrollment courses to their high school students. Dual enrollment courses, unlike online early college courses, are taught by approved high school teachers in a traditional classroom setting. The instructors and their syllabi are reviewed and approved by Houghton’s academic department to ensure appropriate academic content and rigor, and students who complete their classes earn college credits for those classes.

Alumna Lori Miranda ’02 is the English department chair, director of curriculum and instruction, and English teacher for grades 10, 11 and 12 at Northstar Christian Academy in Rochester, New York. Lori is one of Houghton’s approved dual enrollment instructors, who teaches College Literary Studies for seniors at Northstar Academy. Lori holds a BA in Writing from ����ɬ and an MA in Missions and Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College Graduate School. She’s been a teacher at Northstar Academy since 2016. Prior to her work at Northstar, Lori taught high school English at Webster Christian School.

By Amanda (Shine ’05) Zambrano

Ryan Kullander ’27 began his Houghton journey as a high school student when he enrolled in online Early College courses. A homeschool student from Anchorage, Alaska, Ryan and his family searched for college credits that would count toward completion of his high school diploma and help him get ahead in college. While Ryan had taken college classes through similar programs, when he and his family found ����ɬ’s Early College program, it struck a chord.

Ryan has always had an interest in Christian education, which attracted him to Houghton’s offerings. The tangible benefits of Early College, however, were the affordability of the classes and their asynchronous format that allowed him to participate in spite of time zone differences and his other responsibilities.

“Online can feel a little distant at times,” remarked Ryan, who has experience with online classes from other institutions. “But I felt the distance between me and my professors less because of the way they recorded their lectures or wrote in emails or discussion forums. I felt very welcomed. I felt my professors really cared.”

Ryan, an elementary education major with a focus in humanities and a minor in Bible, began his Houghton Early College experience with introductory-level classes, Biblical Literature with Rev. Dr. Ron Duttweiler ‘85 and Intro to Sociology with Professor Suzanne (Brenneman ’94) Beardsley. He went on to complete at least two more higher-level online courses, including Board Game Science with biology professor Dr. Ransom Poythress and Developmental Psychology with Dr. Hannah Kim.

As a homeschool student, independent course load management wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to Ryan. His time with Early College, however, pushed him to hone practical skills in time management. Board Game Science, a summer course, provided Ryan the opportunity to learn to balance his summer job with his studies, not dissimilar to the way he juggles a busy schedule on campus now.

“I think those Early College classes cultivated my abilities so that I could then confidently take on five classes at once and then the London Honors program the next semester,” noted Ryan.

High school students now, more than ever before, have many educational options and opportunities. The three most common options for high school students to get ahead in their collegiate academic journey are through Dual Enrollment courses, AP (Advanced Placement) Courses, and Early College Courses. Each of these three options offer different benefits to students. Dual Enrollment courses are taught through a local high school by high school teachers, but credit is given through a partner college or university that has approved the teacher and syllabus. AP courses are also taught by a high school teacher, designed to be taught at a college-level, concluding with an exam that can potentially earn the student credit, based on their score in the course. Early College courses are taught by a college or university professor at the college level and transferrable credit is earned. All three options complete both high school requirements and college requirements (potentially) simultaneously.

Since its beginning, ����ɬ has been a place to find a rigorous Christ-centered education. Houghton has remained faithful to this mission over the years, and continues to do so as we have grown our Early College program. We continue to provide an economically affordable option that is comparable in price to a local community college, but with the academically challenging environment we have always been known for. Our courses provide an opportunity for students to be stretched both academically and spiritually as they are taught by professors who not only are experts in their fields, but also tie in their strong personal faith.

As the Director of Houghton Online, I have been excited to see Houghton grow into this expanding space so that everyone has the opportunity to sample our courses and see what kind of an academic experience they can have through Houghton.

Three of my own four children are current Houghton students. My children took AP courses, Dual Enrollment courses and Early College courses. The Early College experience best prepared them for starting as a matriculated student at Houghton. Taking courses taught by Houghton faculty who pushed them to learn how to study challenged them beyond what they were receiving from their high school teachers. They were able to realize that they could integrate their own faith into their learning experience. This was life-transforming for them, and helped them begin to see the world in a way that integrated their faith in all they rather than compromise their faith as something separate. I felt this experience best prepared them to enter college, and also increased their options—to graduate early, add a second major, or complete distinct minors—allowing them to customize their Houghton experience to better prepare themselves not only for graduate school, but also for their careers as scholar-servants in a changing world.

Tammy (Joubert ’01) Dunmire serves as ����ɬ’s Director of Houghton Online. She lives in Painted Post, New York, with her husband Steve Dunmire ’01 and children Hannah ’26, Jonathan ’28, Matthew ’28 and Joshua.��

Dear Friends,

Serving the Commonwealth of Kentucky as Commissioner of Education was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Much of my team’s work during that period centered on transforming the high school experience. Data and conversations with students and families made it clear that high school was not meaningfully preparing many of our students for success in college or the workforce, and that, in many cases, the core requirements for the high school diploma took much less than the prescribed four years to complete.

With that understanding, we expanded access to high quality postsecondary experiences for high school students, including industry recognized certificates, apprenticeships, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate coursework, and of course, college coursework. Expanding access to college courses positively impacted the high school experiences of thousands of students, and in alignment with the findings of educational research, increased the likelihood of students’ matriculation to college after graduation. Further, I saw first-hand the power allowing well-prepared high school students to access college coursework.

When I arrived at Houghton in 2021, there were very few things I insisted should be part of the institution’s path forward. One of those areas was expanding high school students’ access to high quality Christian coursework through ����ɬ. Serving high school students was not new for Houghton, but beginning in 2021, we worked to expand their access through the establishment of Houghton’s Early College, the expansion of courses available to high schoolers, and the establishment of Houghton’s Partner Schools program. Today, with nearly 50 partner schools, domestic and international, Houghton serves more high school students through dual enrollment and Early College coursework than ever before, with growing numbers of those students matriculating to Houghton following high school graduation.

With the continued expansion of postsecondary coursework available to high school students across the U.S., it has become common for first-year students to begin their college careers with accumulated college credit. The only question for Houghton was whether we intended to be one of the postsecondary options high schools and students choose from as an early college partner. As you will read in this issue of Houghton Magazine, our response has been an unequivocal yes.

Yours in Christ’s Service,

Wayne D. Lewis, Jr.

Athletics Welcomes Five New Head Coaches

Five Houghton sports programs have new head coaches for the 2024-2025 seasons.

• Danielle Heffernan, women’s volleyball
• Jordan Crouch ’18, men’s and women’s tennis
• Olivia Kincanon, softball
• David Bourne, men’s volleyball
• Austin Beauregard, men’s and women’s track and field

“We are thrilled with our five new head coaches that have joined our staff over the past few months and excited about the impact they are each going to make on our programs and with our student-athletes,” said Director of Athletics Matthew Webb. “The new track and field coach is part of a strategic initiative with potential for both enrollment growth and competitive gains.  Track is a sport with a plethora of specialized events, and adding Coach Beauregard specifically for sprints, hurdles, and field events, should allow us to grow in roster size in a sport which has much more room for growth than most of our other sports.”

Former track coach Patrick Hager will continue to serve as head coach of the cross country programs while providing oversight to the track program as Director of Cross Country and Track & Field.

Full bios for each coach can be found on each .

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By Chuck Massey

I had the good fortune of arriving to teach at the Houghton College at the beginning of the fall semester, 1976, at the same time Dan Chamberlain arrived to begin his long tenure as president. After a year of teaching in the education department, I served for three and a half years as dean of students and seven years as dean at the branch campus in West Seneca. Over the next 26 and a half years I spent time teaching, developing special projects and programs in adult education, distance education and service education, with a special focus on race, culture and gender issues and inequities evident in urban centers such as Buffalo, New York. During the 30 years I was at Houghton under Dan’s leadership, he served as a mentor who guided and prodded and pushed me; he allowed me to pursue my interests when he could reconcile those with larger interests of the college. He introduced me to new people and new ideas and challenged me to state my views and defend my positions even when they were unpopular.

Dan believed strongly in the place of “dialogue” at Houghton—in faculty meetings, in classrooms, residences, the dining hall and, on occasion, even in chapel. In 1980, with Dan’s encouragement and financial assistance from The Wesleyan Church Department of Educational Institutions, I edited a booklet titled “The Christian College and Community Standards: Beginning Dialogue in Search of Understanding.” “Dialogue” as used here requires a profound love for the world and its inhabitants and an attitude of humility and respect. This booklet was distributed at all five Wesleyan institutions. Dan knew meaningful dialogue needed to extend beyond our statement of community standards and as such, he was willing to summon an outsider to visit campus and challenge our thinking. One of his friends who visited campus during Dan’s second year as president challenged my worldview while expanding the campus dialogue exponentially.

It has been said that behind every great man there is a great woman. When speaking of Joyce Chamberlain, however, it’s clear that she was never “behind” anyone. Houghton Magazine recently had the privilege of speaking with Cherie Brown, wife of long-time Houghton music professor Bruce Brown and close friend of Joyce Chamberlain, to get just a small glimpse of the woman who faithfully served alongside her husband Dr. Daniel Chamberlain.

According to Cherie, Joyce “made things happen among people.” She had a gift for drawing people together, whether that be over a game of canasta, through Anna Houghton Daughters Literary Club or in hosting employees and students. Joyce, while down-to-earth and no-nonsense, dearly loved to have fun. Many Houghton student has fond memories of Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain’s vocal performances during Homecoming, particularly the Broadway favorite “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better” from Annie Get Your Gun.

Joyce, in particular, lived out a special aspect of Houghton that is still observed today by those who visit campus: the welcoming atmosphere. “Everyone is so friendly,” a visitor will say. “The hospitality is remarkable.” Joyce was the quintessential hostess, bringing together groups of people who might otherwise not regularly cross paths: faculty and staff, community and college, couples and singles. Her gift of relating to anyone served her well. She worked hard to break down stereotypes, welcoming people in with good food and good fellowship, and the Houghton community still strives to emulate this quality today.

In 1998, Joyce was presented with the 10th Annual Houghton College President’s Advisory Council on Excellence Award. She was recognized for her hospitality, from baking cookies for the annual graduating seniors’ tea to flipping pancakes for employee Christmas gatherings. Her service at Houghton Wesleyan Church as an undershepherd ministering to those living on Centerville Road and on the missions committee were both noted. Even her membership on an employee intramural team – The She-Boppers – was mentioned.

Kevin Knowlton ’79, then representing the President’s Advisory Council and today a member of the Board of Trustees, said in the award citation, “We applaud your service, your spirit, your commitment to Christ and his kingdom, your love for your husband and children and grandchildren. We offer this award, both in recognition of your many accomplishments and in hopes that others will be inspired to follow your lead in service to the college and to Jesus Christ, our Lord.” In 2005, Joyce was again recognized for these wonderful qualities when she received the Alumna of the Year award, in spite of not being a Houghton graduate.

Alongside Dr. Chamberlain, Joyce raised seven children. They then set about sharing their hearts and homes with international students, going so far as to informally adopt them into their family. Today, Joyce’s life is full of beloved family members: in addition to her children and their spouses, she has 25 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren (and counting!). After many years enjoying a robust social life in Brooksville, Florida, she now lives near family in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

“Joyce was the best friend I could have ever had,” remarks Cherie. “She was a wonderful role model, an exemplary Christian, and a supportive wife.” Anyone who knows Joyce would no doubt share these sentiments. A beloved member of the Houghton community, Joyce’s legacy of hospitality and winsomeness remains a hallmark of the institution we know and love today.

In his inaugural address in 1976, President Daniel Chamberlain enumerated some of the primary tasks of Christian higher education. As a part of that list, he included this statement: “There must be time for physical activity so essential to sound emotional and physical health.” Houghton Magazine recently had the opportunity to speak with two of Houghton’s most successful coaches, E. Doug Burke and H. “Skip” Lord ’80 as they shared some of their memories of Dr. Chamberlain and the ways this particular task of Christian higher education was accomplished under his presidency.

Coach Burke, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame Coach and former men’s soccer coach and athletics director who helped launch Houghton’s intercollegiate athletic program, reflected that Dr. Chamberlain’s statement in his inaugural address wasn’t just a nice collection of words. “He followed through,” remarked Burke. “He was supportive of athletic programs, teams and athletes.”

Coach Lord, National Christian College Athletic Association Hall of Fame member, former women’s basketball and volleyball coach and athletic director and now National Director for Athletics Engagement serving in the Houghton Office of Advancement, noted that Dr. Chamberlain didn’t just support others in their pursuit of physical activity. Dr. Chamberlain modeled commitment to physical wellbeing, living out an active lifestyle throughout his thirty years of presidency.

Those who knew Dr. Chamberlain recognized him as an avid competitor. He could routinely be found in the racquetball courts in the Nielsen Physical Education Center—a building he helped see from conception to opening in January of 1980. Dr. Chamberlain would compete against anyone—friends, faculty, colleagues, board members, students—and when he was on the court the competition was fierce.

Coach Burke talked at length about President Chamberlain’s commitment to intercollegiate athletics and to student athletes. He wanted teams to be competitive and he wanted them to go on to postseason competition. In the days when Houghton competed in the NAIA and NCCAA, there funding wasn’t available to send students to post-season competition, but Dr. Chamberlain was always on the front lines of finding the resources to help teams get to tournaments. In 2012, Dr. Chamberlain was named to Houghton’s Athletics Hall of Honor for his support of the program.

Dr. Chamberlain’s commitment to physical activity wasn’t limited to intercollegiate play. In addition to his consistent appearances on the racquetball court, he was known to occasionally show up on an intramural athletics team—including All The President’s Men volleyball team in 1977-1978, led by Bob Kratzat ’80.* He was supportive of efforts to ensure physical activity remained part of Houghton’s core curriculum, prioritizing wellness and exposure to lifelong sports for all students. Dr. Chamberlain’s support of physical wellness even expanded to the community with the creation of a senior fitness class.

When the opportunity arose to invest in Houghton’s trails and build the ropes course, Dan saw the benefits. He supported Doris “Mabel” Nielsen ‘71 as she worked to build Houghton’s outdoor recreation program, including Highlander Wilderness Adventure, STEP and other predecessors to what Houghton knows today as EPIC Adventures.

Throughout President Chamberlain’s 30 years of service at Houghton, his verbal support of athletics and wellness aligned with his actions. The word that arose repeatedly in conversation with Coaches Burke and Lord was supportive. Dr. Chamberlain was the quintessential “Highlander Superfan.” More than that, he lived a life that exemplified what it meant to care well for the physical body and he invited others to join him.

*Thanks to Bob Kratzat for sharing this great tidbit on the ����ɬ Facebook page in the tribute post to Dr. Chamberlain on June 3.��

By Shirley A. Mullen, President Emerita

Dr. Shirley A. Mullen, a graduate of the ����ɬ Class of 1976, served as Houghton’s 5th president from 2006-2021.

Dr. Daniel Chamberlain took office as Houghton’s fourth president in 1976 just as the entire country and the Houghton community were ready for a fresh start. America had just celebrated its bicentennial. It was ready to put behind the memories of Watergate, Viet Nam, and the unrest of the 1960’s. Houghton too, was ready to move on from its own version of that turbulent decade.

This was the Golden Age of Christian Higher Education. In 1976, the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities was founded with its headquarters in Washington, D.C., bringing visibility and organizational focus to the growing national movement of evangelical educational institutions across the country. George Gallop of The Gallop Poll declared 1976 “The Year of the Evangelical.” There were plenty of students to go around, facilitating cooperation and collaboration among the Christian colleges in the form of student exchanges and overseas programs. There was anticipation of even greater partnership in the form of faculty exchanges and perhaps even the founding of a Christian University. Finally, in these early days of Title IX (1972) and a separate Department of Education (founded in 1979), government regulation was at a minimum.

Houghton was poised to benefit from these circumstances. As the oldest fully accredited institution of Christian higher education in New York State, and an early member of the Christian College Consortium, out of which the CCCU had been born, Houghton was already well known for its high-quality liberal arts curriculum with a stellar reputation in choral music and the sciences, especially pre-medical training. The new science building, along with the growing partnership between the inventor-entrepreneur Wilson Greatbatch and the Houghton chemistry faculty as they sought to perfect the pace-maker enhanced Houghton’s status even further as a center of excellence and innovation.

The following excerpts were taken from an address entitled The Purpose of Chapel written and given by Dr. Daniel Chamberlain on October 4, 1977. It is the earliest chapel address in the Houghton Archives from President Chamberlain’s tenure, given at the request of the Chapel Committee.

“I would observe that Chapel is not what makes a college Christian. We have chapel because we are a Christian college, but we must be very sensitive to the danger that chapel becomes the holy water that we sprinkle or pour or in which we are immersed – as your form may prefer – that sanctifies what would otherwise be a secular institution. The academic and spiritual in short are not to be viewed as Siamese twins. The moment we adopt that point of view someone will vote for their surgical removal. Rather, the intellectual and spiritual mission of Houghton must permeate all that we do. Heart and brains are essential to the life and health of the body. It is possible to separate Siamese twins and both live. But divide the heart from the brain and you will surely destroy both. Thus, chapel becomes the occasion and the activity for our corporate correlation of faith and learning. We hereby serve notice that our faith is a vital part of all we do. We will not regulate our Christianity to our catalog and to our ceremonies. It will be a regular and integral part of our lives together…

“Chapel provides opportunities for corporate worship. Now, I would hope that in our corporate worship together we learn that good worship has vitality, certainly, and that means it is alive, but that it also has variety… we will have grown corporately as we recognize that each of these is a valid way of expressing and experiencing worship and that all of these forms can have integrity.

“Chapel will provide instructions and examples of integrating our faith and our learning. Again, I stress here that chapel cannot, does not profess to, carry this load alone. It must be done consistently in our classes and there we will see many more specific instances of how this integration occurs. But here we can together experience some things that give us a common point of reference and community is maintained and heightened as we have common experiences to share…

“Chapel will provide the opportunity for specific kinds of sharing what God has been doing…. There will be times when we will want to talk about what God is doing corporately, and this makes an excellent opportunity… I would hope that in chapel we are inspired to serve… Chapel provides for us the opportunity to emphasize the importance of relating religious experience to life. We must constantly be reminded of the Christian perspective on our culture and on our ethics. We must constantly and consciously avoid being squeezed into the world’s mold as we are reminded in Romans. We are bombarded incessantly with secular sources and if we do not work very hard we will not even be aware of the influences – subtle or not so subtle – that has upon our values, upon our outlook. We must constantly be reminded that Christ is Lord and chapel is one of those very best ways to remind us of that in our activities and in the words that we hear from this pulpit.”

By Amanda (Shine ’05) Zambrano

In his 1977 inaugural address, Dr. Daniel Chamberlain remarked “We must all work harder to make our college an hospitable shelter for the human spirit… Houghton College must become increasingly more than a place of information. It must be a community of acceptance and a place of meaning.” Later in the same address, he remarked, “In short, we must strive to make our campus a place of truth, beauty, goodness and wholeness, a place of healing and a place of helping.”

Dr. Chamberlain was signaling to the Houghton community the start of something new. His holistic view of educating the whole person, informed by student development theory that began to emerge in the early 1970s, required that Houghton be far more than “lectures, laboratories and libraries.” As a consummate educator, Dr. Chamberlain turned his attention to not only academic rigor, but also to the spiritual and emotional development of Houghton students. He set out to develop scholar-servants.

According to Dr. Robert “Bob” Danner—affectionately known by generations of students as Dean Danner—although Dr. Chamberlain’s worldview was broad and wide-ranging, he was most passionate about the spiritual growth and development of students. “He believed that study and engagement with others facilitated growth in personal faith and commitment,” shared Dean Danner. This type of co-curricular education was not to be seen as somehow secondary or lesser to what happened in the classroom. Rather, this learning was to serve as an equal partner, helping to accomplish President Chamberlain’s vision for what Christian liberal arts should be.

Dr. Chamberlain put it this way in his 2001 Founder’s Day speech, entitled Light and the Liberating Arts. “Liberal arts education focuses on the fundamental skills of life—analysis, inquiry, understanding, and expression, as well as on the essential tasks of life which prepare us to use our knowledge and exercise our responsibilities in intelligent, ethical, thoughtful and flexible ways. The first goal of the liberating arts is to free individuals from the shackles of sloth, ignorance and prejudice while cultivating a person’s character: intelligent citizenship, social responsibility, personal integrity. The liberal arts are those that develop the whole person—soul, body, mind and spirit—to serve the wide-ranging needs of society.”

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we must strive to make our campus a place of truth, beauty, goodness and wholeness,

a place of healing and a place of helping

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Dr. Chamberlain was a champion of Houghton’s Chapel program. Dean Danner reflected that the president’s thoughts and attitudes regarding chapel grew out of what he saw as a requirement of his own faith and a product of his own study. The formation of the chapel program, which eventually led to the creation of a full-time Dean of the Chapel position, was an outgrowth of the president’s study, commitment and personal belief.

Of Dr. Chamberlain’s many marks on Student Life at Houghton, none is perhaps more long-lived and indicative of his heart for students and their families than the new student dedication service. Growing out of the meeting of three friends—Dr. Chamberlain, Dr. Danner and Rev. James Spurrier ’74—a service was envisioned and developed to help facilitate a Christ-centered, meaningful transition to college life for students and their families. Alongside a liturgy developed by poet-in-residence Professor John “Jack” Leax ’66.

Dr. Chamberlain always shared his story of traveling to the States for college carrying his trombone case and wearing a pair of pants with the seat ripped out. This unifying story was told and retold until it became part of ����ɬ lore. While the story of the holey pants is no longer shared, the structure of the new student dedication service remains much the same.

Community is a hallmark of Houghton that Dr. Chamberlain sought to facilitate on our small, tight-knit campus in rural Western New York. Community is built, not in the classroom, but in all the other spaces on campus: places like Rothenbuhler (South) Hall, the Nielsen Physical Education Center, and the EPIC Adventures Ropes Course. These three facilities, in addition to academic spaces on campus, were constructed during his tenure. This commitment to the whole person extended beyond chapel programs, dinners in the dining hall or robust activities calendars. Dr. Chamberlain’s commitment to the whole student is built into the fabric of the campus. Today’s students live and walk in halls dedicated to their well-rounded development as scholar-servants.

It is perhaps this missional phrase “scholar-servant” that sums up well Dr. Chamberlain’s vision of educating the whole person. Scholarship happens in the classroom. Servanthood is developed outside of “lectures, labs and libraries.” When we say scholar-servant, it is always with that tiny, seemingly insignificant hyphen in the middle. That hyphen indicates that one term is not to be taken as more important than the other. The two are equal, and intentionally so. Investing in the whole person as Dr. Chamberlain envisioned requires the hyphen. As a one-time English teacher, he would no doubt remind us that the hyphen matters.

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Dear Friends,

With this issue, we pause to celebrate the life of former Houghton president Dr. Daniel R. Chamberlain, one of Houghton’s most highly respected servant leaders and a quintessential scholar-servant. Dr. Chamberlain passed away on May 31, 2024, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, at the age of 91. Few people have had a comparable impact on the shaping of ����ɬ. As such, it is more than fitting that we dedicate this issue to remembering him and the leadership legacy of Dan and Joyce Chamberlain at Houghton.

President Chamberlain’s commitments to students, academic excellence, intercollegiate athletics, community, and spiritual development are well-documented and celebrated in this issue of Houghton Magazine and beyond. Even prior to his recent passing, stories were often told of his spirited attendance at Highlander athletics events, his participation in intramural sports and racquetball dominance, his relational approach with students, his thoughtful and skillful leadership which facilitated the remarkable blossoming of the Houghton campus, leading to an expansion of the college’s programs and offerings domestically and internationally and a growing student enrollment. His leadership successes contributed significantly to the high expectations the Houghton community has for its presidents. What I find even more noteworthy than the endless metrics and indicators of his leadership success at Houghton, are the heartfelt testimonials of who he was, not just as a college president, but as a man.

Dan Chamberlain, the man, clearly served Houghton College as president for 30 years and did so extraordinarily well, but he did and was so much more. I admire his leadership and accomplishments. The institution I serve today as president has been shaped in profound ways by his leadership and the leadership presidents Luckey, Paine, Dayton, and Mullen. But what I respect and appreciate about Dr. Chamberlain, even more than what he produced, is who he was as a husband, father, churchman, friend, humanitarian, and a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

As we celebrate the life and legacy of Dan Chamberlain, let us never forget how blessed Houghton was to have been served exceptionally well by a skilled leader who not only loved Houghton, but who loved his family, his church, his community, and most of all, who loved God.

May God bless and keep all of you.

Wayne D. Lewis, Jr.

By Michael Blankenship ’10

����ɬ campus physician, Dr. David Brubaker ’90, has been chosen as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for the 2024-25 academic year. The Fulbright Scholar Program, administered by the U.S. Department of State, will allow Brubaker to teach at Bwindi Community Hospital in southwestern Uganda. Brubaker, an assistant professor of biology and the director of Health Services at ����ɬ, was drawn to this opportunity to contribute to Bwindi Hospital’s Christ-centered ministry focused on improving the health and dignity of the Batwa people, who were displaced when their forest home was designated as a protected habitat for mountain gorillas in 1991. The invitation to teach at Bwindi came from Dr. Scott Kellermann, co-founder of the Bwindi Community Hospital, during a visit to Houghton in early 2023. “His description of how they are strategically training health care workers to meet medical needs and increase access to care in an underserved area of Uganda was compelling,” said Brubaker. “I was excited by his suggestion that, given my 15 years of teaching Anatomy and Physiology and medical background, I could be involved in that work.”

Brubaker will support the Uganda Nursing School-Bwindi and Uganda College of Health Sciences-Bwindi training programs by teaching Anatomy and Physiology in collaboration with Ugandan faculty. This situation was made possible through the Fulbright award.

“Dr. Brubaker’s selection as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar is a tremendous honor and a testament to his excellence as a scholar and educator,” said David Davies ’01, provost at Houghton. “He is a blessing to the ����ɬ community, and I am confident God will use him to bless the people of Uganda in the coming academic year”

Brubaker expressed his enthusiasm for collaborating with Ugandan colleagues, broadening his understanding of tropical medicine and public health, and learning more about the Batwa story. His dedication to education and commitment to addressing healthcare inequities make him an ideal candidate for this prestigious fellowship. “Any time I have the privilege of engaging in a cross-cultural context, it opens my eyes to the needs and lives of others, broadening my perspective and opening unexpected doors. It makes my world larger and deepens my understanding of others, and in doing so enriches my life, often in ways not easily articulated or even specifically recognized in the moment,” continued Brubaker. “Mostly, I feel grateful–for the honor of being selected, for the chance to share this experience with my family, for supportive and encouraging colleagues both here and in Uganda, for the privilege of collaborating with brothers and sisters in the Lord who are dedicated to seeing and advocating for a people group which has been marginalized over the years, and for the way I can see the Lord’s hand at work in my life through what has been an unconventional career path to prepare me for this particular work.”