By KAREENA ULFIG ’26
Updated 11:50 a.m. EDT, 24 Apr 2026
The Willard J. Houghton medal is the “highest non-academic award” given to those who have given a lifetime of faithful service to the Houghton University (HU) community. This award came as a shock to Dr. Paul Young, who had no idea he would be receiving a phone call that only a handful of people have ever received. Young graduated from HU in the class of ‘76. He said that his time at HU was wonderful and taught him that it was possible to be “Christian and smart.”
He taught his first class in the summer of 1979 and joined the full-time faculty in 1980, and is one of the most influential faculty members HU has had in the last couple of decades. He has one of the longest tenures on staff, with over 40 years of service. Young described his calling as a way to give students the same formative experience that he had at HU. He described his calling as helping other students have the same formative experience that he did.
Teaching is his passion, so much so that he joked, “I teach for free, they pay me to grade papers”. He makes his students feel seen, valued and capable of following their calling. He has faithfully lived out God’s calling by teaching students. One of the greatest joys of his life was seeing the “lightbulb go off” in his students over the years.
Professor of Psychology and Young’s daughter, Dr. Alison Young Reusser, mentioned how he was one of her favorite professors as a student at HU. Not just because Young is her dad, but because he is an expert in the field. He makes students feel safe bringing up questions and doesn’t just talk at his students, but invites them into conversation. “He is intentional about wanting to listen to other people and include them in discussion,” said Young Reusser. She explained that she adapted his teaching style into her classes and continued his legacy. Her goal, as his was, is for students to feel competent and enjoy learning.
“He’s just a wonderful human being,” and “very focused on other people,” said Young Reusser.
Young served as the academic provost, which is the bridge between the concerns of faculty and administration. Young Reusser recalled his term, “I was impressed, how I always have been, by his ability to do that in a very genuine and competent way.” She continued, “He was trying to bring these two groups together in a way that was charitable and faith-informed. He did a really good job with a really tricky position.”
In addition to his students, Young’s fellow faculty members are attributed to his joy and success at HU. “It’s been amazing to be a part of a faculty who care,” said Young. He mentioned a statistic that 76% of courses are taught by contingent faculty across universities. However, at HU, most professors are full-time faculty who live and are invested in the community. HU professors can have disagreements, but then find themselves kneeling at the altar and taking communion together. “From this end of things, looking back, I can see the faithfulness of God working through all of us flawed people,” Young said. He sees this award as representing the faculty and students, not just himself.
Young Reusser believes that Young “shaped HU as an institution” and helped form the Psychology department. She shared that Young helped the department hone in on active lab experience and “the brain side of things, as well as the clinical side of things,” which Young Ruesser said “helped [HU] produce graduates that are really competent but also understand viewing other human beings as worthy of respect, and made in God’s image.” Young’s approach to Psychology at HU has continued to show in graduates’ ability to be both academically excellent and an example of Christ’s love in the world.
Young receives this award with a heart of humility and gratitude. He said, “I’m grateful to God for my family, my dear wife Debbie and all the things that she has [sacrificed] to make possible some of what I’ve done. [For] my children who love Jesus. I’m grateful for God’s grace.”
He gave profound advice for this year’s graduates: “Focus on Jesus. There’s so many ways that the evil one can take our eyes off Jesus. He can get us to focus on things that are really important in ways that lead us to forget why we exist.” Young emphasized that “God is not looking for ways to keep you out of his Kingdom. He’s doing everything He can to get you in.” ★
