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This month, Houghton College has significantly increased its presence and viability as a major player for offering higher education in the Buffalo region. On Sunday, Dec. 8, Houghton officially cut the ribbon on its new associate's degree program, which will be located at the newly renovated educational facilities connected to the First Presbyterian Church at One Symphony Circle. Houghton also received approval this past Wednesday to offer three new majors in the long-running adult education program that is based out of West Seneca.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Houghton College Buffalo program overflowed with people who had just attended the annual Houghton Christmas Prism concert held in the sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church. Many of the 300-plus ticketholders ventured through the church hallways and into the space that will now be called home to the Houghton College Buffalo initiative beginning in the fall of 2014.
"As President Mullen cut the ribbon, I was struck by how we were witnessing God continue to use the Body of Christ, each person with their own gifts, dreams and abilities, to move His Kingdom forward," stated Scott McClelland, dean of extension studies for Houghton. "This was a milestone for so many whose dreams are now becoming reality."
Houghton has been working over the past year to develop and bring a viable associate of arts program to Buffalo, which will be an extension of the quality, Christ-centered education that Houghton has established for more than 100 years and become nationally recognized for.
The new associate of arts degree will be fully transferable to local colleges and universities, and will also give the graduate automatic acceptance into Houghton's residential campus to further earn a bachelor's degree.
"Houghton has been known for many years as coming to Buffalo for various projects and services. Now, when we come to Buffalo, we come home ... working alongside our neighbors, not just far-away friends," McClelland said.
Alongside the news of expanding with a new associate degree program in Buffalo, the college also just received verification that the proposal for three new majors to be added to the West Seneca-based adult education program has been officially approved.
Houghton was one of the first colleges in the U.S. to establish an adult education program more than 20 years ago. With this long-running program based out of Buffalo, Houghton has expanded to multiple locations, including West Seneca, which serves as the main campus, Lockport, Niagara Falls, Jamestown and Olean.
The adult education program has always offered a bachelor's degree in management, but will now offer other degree options including leadership development, human resources management and integrated marketing and communications.
The adult education program is a unique educational system designed to enable a working adult to earn a bachelor's degree in about 17 months while attending classes just one night per week. Some previous college credits are required.
For more information about the programs noted above, visit www.houghton.edu
Houghton College is a liberal arts institution that challenges students to academic excellence - in the context of a relevant Christian community - and empowers them to enrich the world. The college of 1,200 students is located in Western New York, just 65 miles from Buffalo and Rochester.