Houghton College
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Houghton College is a 4-year Christian liberal arts college, operated by the Wesleyan Church. Houghton's main rural campus is in the Genesee Valley of southwestern New York (Houghton, New York), and a secondary suburban campus is in West Seneca, New York, a suburb of Buffalo, New York.
Houghton began as Houghton Seminary, offering high school-level work, in 1883, and began offering college level classes in 1899. The founder was Willard J. Houghton, a Wesleyan Methodist minister. It was chartered as a liberal arts college by New York State in 1923 and accredited by the Middle States Association of School and Colleges in 1935.
The school offers baccalaureate degrees in 48 fields. In 2005, the first graduates of the MA program for music were recognized. The student body is interdenominational, with recent demographics showing 10% of the students as a part of the Wesleyan church.
The sports teams are the Highlanders. Houghton fields teams in men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, women's field hockey, and co-ed track. While most of the teams have enjoyed some degree of success, the men's basketball team has managed just two winning seasons in nearly twenty-five seasons of Houghton's NAIA participation.
Houghton College is a member of the Christian College Consortium.
Campus Life
The majority of the College's students live in College-owned housing. There are two dormitories for female students, Gillette (formerly East Hall) and Lambein, while the men live in Rothenbuhler (formerly South Hall) and Shenawana. The college also owns numerous townhouses and a building of flats.
Students also have the opportunity to apply to live in approved off-campus housing, called Community Living Opportunities (CLOs). This option is generally open only to Juniors, Seniors and Super Seniors, and a limited number of spots in the program are available. Super Seniors (those students with over 120 credits) automatically qualify for CLO housing.
Numerous student groups are active on the campus in all areas of interest. Some of these include: Allegany County Outreach, the Boulder, the Star, Clown Ministry, College Republicans, Habitat for Humanity, Gadfly Society, Equestrian Club, Dayspring, Swim Club, Global Christian Fellowship, and Youth for Christ. The college also provides both interscholastic and intramural athletics.
Athletics
The Houghton Highlanders field 10 varsity teams. The women are able to participate in soccer, basketball, field hockey, volleyball, track, and cross country. The teams provided for the men are soccer, basketball, track, and cross country.
Historical Personages and Alumni
Stephen W. Paine served as president of the college for thirty-five years. He taught classical languages in addition to his duties as president. When he became president in 1937 he was twenty-eight years old, making him the youngest head of a college in the U.S. at the time.The Ortlip family is responsible for most of the artistic heritage of the college. H. Willard Ortlip was a benefactor of the college, and together with his wife Aimée was responsible for the historic mural in the foyer of the campus chapel. Several Ortlip family members have taught art and painting at the college over the years, and the new art gallery on campus is named for the Ortlips.
Presidents of the College
- James S. Luckey, 1908-1937
- Stephen W. Paine, 1937-1972
- Wilber Dayton, 1972-1976
- Daniel R. Chamberlain, 1976-2006
- Dr. Shirley Mullen, 2006-present
External link
- http://www.houghton.edu/
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