����ɬ is pleased to announce that Carrie J. Whitcher, Chief Quality Officer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Insurance Services Division, has been selected as the commencement speaker for the class of 2026.

����ɬ Class of 2025 Art Majors will display their Thesis Art Projects in the Ortlip Gallery. Graduating ����ɬ Art Majors Aubrey Armes, Kaitlyn Avery, Sydney Gartley, Phebe Grant, Elyse Howard, Amelia Grace Morrow, Katie Naprawa, Graeme Roberts, Caleb See, and Elizabeth Sutay will exhibit artworks from their Senior Thesis Projects in the Ortlip Gallery from April 11-May 10, 2025. The Ortlip is located in the Center for the Arts on HU Campus: 1 Willard Ave. Houghton, NY. Gallery Hours are 9AM-6PM Monday-Saturday. There is no admission fee and the gallery is open to the public.

An opening reception will be held Friday, April 11, 6-7:30PM. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free, and open to the public.

The Senior Art Exhibition represents the culmination of 4 years of hard work and creative research. The artists in this show work in a wide range of media, including Oil and Watercolor Paint, Ceramics, Digital Art, Photography, Drawing, Video Installation, & Sculpture.

����ɬ is pleased to announce that Dr. Andrew Westmoreland, president of the and distinguished leader in Christian higher education, has been selected as the commencement speaker for the class of 2025.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Westmoreland as our commencement speaker,” said Wayne D. Lewis Jr., President of ����ɬ. “His forty-year dedication to Christian higher education and depth of leadership experience make him uniquely qualified to address and inspire our graduates. It is a personal privilege for me to welcome Andy as our commencement speaker as he is a trusted mentor and friend, whose counsel and insights I appreciate and value highly.”

Westmoreland brings extensive experience in Christian higher education leadership, having served as president of both Ouachita Baptist University and Samford University for a combined 23 years. His commitment to academic excellence and Christian values aligns perfectly with Houghton’s mission of equipping students as scholar-servants in a changing world.

Currently serving as president of the Christian College Consortium, of which Houghton has been a founding member since 1971, and executive director of the Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership, Westmoreland continues to shape the landscape of Christian higher education. His other leadership roles have included serving as senior vice president for higher education at Faith Search Partners, chairing the Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, overseeing accreditation for more than 800 institutions and serving as president of the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities.

The commencement ceremony will celebrate the achievements of Houghton’s Class of 2025 on May 10, 2025.

Christmas Prism concert-goers will witness an exciting premiere next month at ����ɬ as Provost David Davies ’01, D.M.A., debuts his new arrangement of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” The piece, commissioned specifically for this year’s performances, will combine all university choirs and orchestra, featuring nearly 200 student musicians.

In a testament to its mission and growing reputation, ����ɬ has achieved nearly 10% enrollment growth on its residential campus over the past two years, coupled with an impressive 15% increase in overall headcount. This growth contrasts with national trends and is of note given challenging demographic shifts in the region and the recent FAFSA complications that have affected higher education nationwide.

“����ɬ’s growth story is more than just numbers—it’s a continuing story of God’s unmistakable movement in the lives of our students and through the impact of our graduates as courageous scholar-servants and fearless ambassadors for Jesus Christ,” said Wayne D. Lewis, Jr., President.

Our enrollment growth is evidence of the enduring and potentially growing appeal of a high quality, biblically grounded education in New York and the northeast. It’s clear that the Houghton experience, which has shaped generations of leaders, continues to resonate strongly with today’s students and their families.

Wayne D. Lewis, Jr., President

 

For students like Bailey Lewis ’28, Houghton’s close-knit Christian community and excellent academics proved the deciding factor. “I really enjoyed sitting in on a music theory class and seeing the students and professor interact and the overall classroom environment,” said Bailey of her campus visit. With the encouragement of one of Houghton’s alumni ambassadors, Bailey found a new home at Houghton and decided to become a Highlander this fall.

Residential Campus Enrollment

2022-2024

Long before Bailey Lewis considered college, Dr. Coreena Weaver ’84, a distinguished pediatrician, member of Houghton’s Board of Trustees and Alumni Ambassador, came to know her as the family doctor. When Bailey expressed interest in music education, Dr. Weaver seized the opportunity to share her Houghton experience.

Initially, Bailey was apprehensive. She knew of Houghton from her uncle but had some concerns about the University’s rural location. She had already chosen to attend another college this fall. Having known Bailey and her family for years, Dr. Weaver recognized her potential. Bailey was not just an excellent student; she was an exceptional individual who would thrive in the Houghton experience. Dr. Weaver recounted her own Houghton journey—the rigorous academics, the nurturing community and the transformative impact. Dr. Weaver encouraged Bailey to take a second look at Houghton.

Dr. Weaver’s advocacy didn’t stop there. She reached out to admissions, ensuring Bailey connected with professors from Houghton’s Greatbatch School of Music. As an alumna and board member, Dr. Weaver knew of the Alumni Ambassador program and the opportunity to award an Alumni Ambassador Scholarship to encourage students like Bailey to apply to Houghton.

For Bailey, Dr. Weaver’s encouragement proved pivotal to her college decision.

“I really enjoyed sitting in on a music theory class and seeing the students and professor interact and the overall classroom environment,” said Bailey of her campus visit. Following these experiences, Bailey found a new home at Houghton and decided to become a Highlander. “I chose Houghton because of its tight-knit community as well as strong educational program.”

Sharing your Houghton story, like Dr. Weaver, can prove to be a deciding factor in a future Highlander’s college search. As an Alumni Ambassador, you can encourage students to pursue a Christ-centered, academically excellent education and award them a $500 Alumni Ambassador Scholarship. Learn more and sign up to become an ambassador for Houghton.

On Wednesday, March 13 the Houghton Wind Ensemble will hold its Spring Concert at 7:30 pm in Wesley Chapel. The concert, titled Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly, aims to reflect the chaos of an exploding rocket and will feature works by Mackey, Whitacre, Van Zandt Lane, Barber, Ticheli, Giroux, Holsinger, and King.

The Perry High School Concert Band will also make a guest appearance, opening for the Wind Ensemble and joining them for the closing song.

I am very excited about this concert on two accounts. One is that the music is fantastic, exciting, and powerfully expressive. It is sure to impact all who hear it. The other is to share the stage with the Perry High School Concert Band under the direction of Houghton Alumnus, Dillon Hirsch.

Timothy McGarvey, Professor of Instrumental Music & Conducting, Wind Ensemble Conductor

By Kandis Fuller, APR

����ɬ recently received a 2023 Health Equity Innovation Award from Univera Healthcare to provide on-campus mental health and wellness activities for its students.

A small private Christian-centered, liberal arts university located in rural northern Allegany County, ����ɬ is taking a proactive approach to help provide mental health resources that are not available outside the university to their more than 800 students.

The grant will fund wellness and mental health support programs through the University’s Center for Student Success that includes training peer mentors and advocates to understand the mental health needs of students, Wellness Wednesday initiatives, such as Mums and Meditating, and educational workshops like anxiety and sleep hygiene.

This funding helps our students directly through enhanced and extended programming to address the realities of an ever-growing mental health crisis in our society. But, more importantly, this funding helps our larger Western New York community. When people have developed the skills and resources to manage the stressful realities of life well, they are more productive students, workers, community members and contributors in our society. ����ɬ recognizes that this funding is crucial to the health and wellbeing of our students and we are grateful for the generosity of Univera Healthcare.

Bill Burrichter, Ph.D, Vice President for Student Life

In the Summer of 2022, Nathan Versari ‘23 earned an accounting position at KPMG after excelling in a tax internship over the same summer.

During his internship, Versari filed taxes for major corporations and partnerships. With each client came the opportunity to work with professionals in the field as he analyzed tax forms and created a list of questions in case his clients needed to provide any additional information.

“It’s detective work to figure out what you need to ask the client to provide … You have to work with numbers to figure that out … It’s interesting.”

Nathan Versari ’23

Director of Vocation and Calling, Rachel Wright, helped Versari identify the internship and conducted mock interviews to practice for his KPMG interview.�� Wright stated, “I was excited to learn that he had the opportunity to be a tax intern at KPMG. Other students have had the opportunity to complete internships at other Big Four firms as well.”

Houghton is connected to KPMG through the Handshake career services platform. With Handshake as a resource, students of various majors have found the experiences they need to prepare for their future careers. “I would’ve never have tried to apply to somewhere like [KPMG] if it wasn’t for Houghton,” said Nathan Versari.

Handshake is only one of Houghton’s numerous resources available to its students. At the Center for Student Success, students have the opportunity to receive a broad range of support, including extensive peer-tutoring, counseling, career guidance and more.

Bill Burrichter ’92 has been elevated to the position of Vice President for Student Life.

Wayne D. Lewis, Jr., President of ����ɬ, announced the appointment to the University community on August 21, 2023. He stepped into this role in an interim capacity in April of this year.

“I count it a privilege to be able to serve the Lord, our students and my alma mater in this capacity,” said Burrichter. “With 20 years of experience in higher education and just as many in K-12 education, I can’t imagine a better environment within which to work.�� I love the curiosity, challenge and excitement the university students bring to campus.�� I look forward to helping shape the next generation of scholar-servants to lead and labor in an ever-changing world in service to God.”

Prior to his appointment as Interim Vice President, he served as Executive Director of the Center for Student Success. For the last year, he has co-led Houghton’s Middle State Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) self-study process with Associate Provost Ann Monroe-Baillargeon. As Vice President, he will continue to provide leadership for the Center for Student Success in addition to Residence Life and Housing, Health Services, Safety and Security, Spiritual Life, Student Engagement and International Student Services.

“Dr. Burrichter is a highly qualified, experienced, well-known and trusted administrator, clinician, professor, mentor, and colleague,” said President Lewis.

He brings to this role a tremendous combination of experience and expertise in academics, student life, and mental health. Also, absolutely essential to leadership at Houghton, he loves Jesus, he believes in Houghton and the value of Christ-centered higher education, and he is committed to ensuring that Houghton remains a Christ-centered, compassionate, and nurturing environment for Highlanders.

Dr. Burrichter and his wife Kelly live on a small farm outside Houghton, NY. He loves spending time in nature and his academic interests focus on the spiritual and mental health benefits of being in natural environments. All three of his children are Houghton alumni.

Graduates of ����ɬ and like-hearted Christian institutions find the world and the workplace saying more and more, we want your graduates’ skills and expertise, but not their Jesus. This places Houghton and Christian higher education at a unique juncture. Demand has never been higher in the national and international economies for gifted, skilled, and enterprising leaders and workers. Houghton has equipped and prepared such leaders for 140 years. Our graduates continue to go into the world exceedingly well-prepared for the rigors and challenges of the workplace, ministry, and graduate and professional school. But while the demand for the knowledge and skills Houghton graduates possess is at an all-time high, indifference or outright rejection of Jesus Christ in modern society is also unprecedented. Or in some cases, our graduates hear from employers, state or secular higher education institutions, and broader society that they will tolerate Jesus, but only the aspects that align with the ever-changing standards and norms of modern society. Jesus and Christianity can be acceptable only to the extent that they homogenize with the prevailing norms of culture.

Even with the strong headwinds of culture, ����ɬ’s direction is unmistakably clear. We will continue to faithfully and fearlessly equip students as Christian scholar-servants who are exceedingly well-prepared to lead and labor during these complex times and grounded in the hope and holiness of Jesus Christ.

Standing Firm on Biblical Values

As we have considered what is necessary to strengthen Houghton for today and tomorrow, over the last year, the university community has worked to develop a set of strategic priorities. Those priorities for the next five years were unanimously approved by the university’s Board of Trustees in April 2023. While Houghton’s mission is unchanged, our updated vision statement is a clear expression of who we aspire to be. Specifically, Houghton “aspires to be a leading Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences university, providing an academically challenging educational experience through an orthodox Christian worldview. Deeply rooted in the Wesleyan theological tradition, we will equip graduates to transform the world through courageous Christian service, scholarship and leadership.”

Also foundational was the adoption of four core values (see below). None of these are new values for Houghton. In fact, we arrived at them by asking the question, “What values are at the absolute core of who we are and what we do—so core to who we are that they manifest themselves in every aspect of our work, from the classroom to the boardroom?”

Houghton team, “Swift Solar”, won third place at the second annual Startup Allegany Collegiate Competition on April 9th.�� The team, made up of students Evan Tsai ’22, Dawit Hutter ’22, and Sofia Gildemeister ’22, and mentored by Lionel Legry of Cuba Restorations LLC and Alex Wright, assistant professor of business administration, presented their idea of a solar consulting company that would help connect homeowners with installers. They specifically emphasized the opportunity to Allegany County homeowners on energy consumption, solar tax credits, and the opportunity to generate clean energy.

“This competition was a great way to directly apply our business classroom learning. We were especially challenged in developing the proposed company’s value proposition, as well as evaluating the financial implications of doing business in New York,” said Evan Tsai.

The competition, titled “AHA” because it involved students from Allegany County’s three institutions of higher education—Alfred University, ����ɬ, and Alfred State College—was based on solving problems faced by businesses, with a goal of promoting sustainability through entrepreneurship.�� Multiple teams from all three institutions participated in the competition.�� The top three teams were awarded prizes totaling $6,500.

The event was hosted by the Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology at Alfred University and was organized by IncubatorWorks. Startup Allegany is a county-wide stakeholder group that meets regularly to promote entrepreneurship in Allegany County. Members include Allegany County, Alfred State College, Alfred University, ����ɬ, IncubatorWorks, ACCORD Corp., and the Western New York Incubator Network.��

I am very proud of the work that Dawit, Sofia, and Evan put into this project in a relatively short period of time. Not only did they come up with the great business idea of being a solar brokerage firm, but they researched geographic and industry factors, analyzed projected financial outcomes, thought through opportunities and challenges, and then distilled all of this into a five-minute pitch video for the competition. After the pitch video was shown at the competition, the team was asked several questions by the judges to which they responded knowledgeably and articulately. They represented themselves and ����ɬ extremely well.�� -Alex Wright, Assistant Professor of Business Administration

Thank You!

Thanks to your generous support, we have achieved both of our giving challenges! We have raised $1,840,436 for student scholarships and other priorities across campus from 2,124 donors. This is truly an incredible outpouring of support that will significantly impact the lives of Houghton students.

����ɬ is honored to announce that the president and founder of the , , will be this year’s commencement speaker.��

Regarded as one of the most prominent and revered Latino evangelical leaders in the nation, Rev. Salguero serves as a monumental voice advocating for issues affecting nearly 9 million Latino evangelicals in the United States, having been recognized by The New York Times, Huffington Post, El Diario, Univisión, CNN Español, and NBC Universal. With an impressive track record of nation-wide impact, Rev. Salguero, the pastor of the Latino-led, multi-ethnic congregation, , has also had the opportunity to publicly use his gifts of leadership to serve on the and with the .��

����ɬ recently celebrated Dan ’76 and Brenda (Cummings ’75) Dix as Highlander Athletics dedicated the Nielsen Center court in their honor.

Dix Family Court recognizes Dan and Brenda’s unwavering support for ����ɬ and Highlander Athletics. They have been faithful supporters of the NCAA’s student-athlete model and their engagement and generosity have been visibly evident in a variety of academic and athletic initiatives through the years. Most recently, they significantly grew the Athletics endowment fund and created/funded endowments for , , and Biology/Chemistry, while also underwriting new bleachers in the Nielsen Center and paving around the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex.

By Michael Jordan, Dean of the Chapel

This summer, the Van Dyk Scholars of the Shannon Summer Research Institute, including current ����ɬ students, Isaiah Miller ‘23, Blake Eby ‘23, Evan Kasper ‘23, Liam Fisher ‘23, Skye Chaapel ‘23, and recent graduate Bella Mancini ’21, conducted research on Alzheimer’s disease. This group of undergraduate researchers was overseen by ����ɬ professors Dr. Paul Martino, professor of Biochemistry, and Carmen McKell, associate professor of Data Science and director of Houghton’s Center for Data Science Analytics.

Collaboration Leads to Better Research

“Watching this group of students use their data science skills to solve a complex problem like the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease was one of the most rewarding aspects of this research project,” shares Professor Carmen McKell. “Data science is best learned by doing, and these students were deeply engaged and self-directed, using critical thinking skills to decide what to do next to draw insights from a vast amount the data. Through collaboration, the data science students were able to enhance their domain knowledge by learning as much as possible from the biochemistry students. This gave them the context needed to interpret and validate their results. Hands-on collaborative opportunities like this give Houghton students the ability to positively impact people’s lives thereby fulfilling our mission to equip students to lead and labor as scholar-servants in a changing world.”

Real-World Impact

With Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia currently impacting over , research into causes and treatments is vital. Alzheimer’s research has been a specialty of Dr. Martino since 1991, when he began exploring the topic as a graduate student. His expertise in the field made him the ideal candidate to recruit Houghton students to partner with him in this opportunity to have a real-world impact on the scientific body of research and the very real lives that research benefits. Thanks to the generous investment that led to the creation of the Van Dyk Scholars and the Shannon Summer Research Institute, Houghton students gained valuable experience that will benefit them in their future careers while exploring ways to help prevent the devastation diseases like Alzheimer’s can have on families and communities.

Hands-On Preparation for Graduate Studies and Careers

As a part of the Shannon Summer Research Institute and the Van Dyk Scholars program, Houghton students spent the summer on graduate-level research and were able to identify promising drug candidates that may help early treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Each student now has the experience of soon-to-be-published graduate-level research that will greatly impact this vital area of study. This experience also provides student researchers with a deeper understanding of what they may want to study in graduate school and prepares them to work in a professional collaborative setting.

“My favorite aspect of this summer was the dynamic that the group shared and the spontaneous conversation that developed from that,” shares Dr. Paul Martino. “Hands-on experience such as this helps Houghton students to accelerate their learning through a Christ-centered education. It promotes career-readiness and allows them to hit the ground running after graduation with a straight trajectory towards their professional and academic goals.”

����ɬ recently received a gift and commitment totaling $1 million from alumni Daniel and Brenda (Cummings ’75) Dix ’76. This gift, the capstone of nearly forty years of generosity to Houghton, will assist in significantly growing the Athletics endowment fund, enable completion of vital Athletics capital projects, establish endowed students scholarships, invest in biochemistry and more. With wide impact across campus that will affect the lives of current and future generations of Highlanders, the Dix family’s legacy is vital to supporting academic and cocurricular educational experience at ����ɬ.

“Athletics has played a very important role in our family,” states Dan Dix ’76. “After playing for a Christian coach and with Christian players [at Houghton], they told me how much they preferred to play on their Houghton teams. Playing sports has provided memories, friendships and experiences that will benefit them the rest of their lives. The Lord has richly blessed our family, and we are pleased to support Houghton athletics so more kids might have similar experiences.”

����ɬ announced today the appointment of Dr. Wayne D. Lewis, Jr., as the College’s sixth president. Lewis will succeed Dr. Shirley A. Mullen, who has served in this role since 2006.

“I have clearly seen God at work during Houghton’s search for our next president,” said Board of Trustees Chair John Lee. “In multiple settings during the interview process, Dr. Wayne Lewis has exemplified and articulated his calling to lead ����ɬ into our next exciting chapter. Dr. Lewis is a servant-leader who will be an excellent fit for Houghton’s enduring mission of developing scholar-servants in a changing world.”

In launching a search for the next president of Houghton, the Board of Trustees sought a leader who would embrace and build upon the College’s clear mission and history, strong institutional reputation, and sound financial position to propel the institution to its next level of excellence. Following the conclusion of the successful $70 million IMPACT capital campaign, Houghton is poised for strategic growth as it looks to make the College’s distinctive education an option for more students. This work includes the recent tuition reset that reduced the College’s published price by 53%, making Houghton the best priced Christian college in the nation.¹