By Cody Johnson ('24)
The Houghton University Board of Trustees met on Oct. 23 to Oct.24 under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Joey Jennings, Chair of the Board and District Superintendent of the Western New York District of The Wesleyan Church. The Board heard reports from representatives of key departments and constituents, including Vice President of Finance Dale Wright, Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing Jason Towers, Faculty Moderator Dr. Susan Lipscomb, Staff Council President Amanda Zambrano, Student Body President Cody Johnson, and Alumni Board member Judith Rapley.
The Board began both days of meetings with a time of worship and prayer in gratitude for God’s provision for Houghton University, particularly for increasing enrollment and burgeoning spiritual life. The Board regularly praised Houghton’s crystallized identity as an orthodox Christian institution. Several trustees attended Koinonia on Sunday and recounted their joy seeing students gathered voluntarily in worship. In addition, Johnson, Rapley, and President Wayne D. Lewis, Jr., emphasized the heightened sense of Christian community.
Lewis reflected on the 2020-2023 strategic plan, “The Arc Towards Our Future,” spanning the end of President Emerita Shirley Mullen’s administration and the beginning of his own. As a result of the plan, Houghton has catalyzed Christian community, improved affordability through the 2021 tuition reset and Founder’s Promise Scholarship, and decided to prioritize the residential undergraduate experience over other delivery methods for Houghton’s distinctive curriculum.
The 2023-2028 strategic plan, “Pursuing Christ-Centered Excellence,” includes priorities such as engaging students in Christian discipleship opportunities, creating applied learning opportunities across all majors, further integrating spiritual life and academics, and renewing residence halls. Increasing enrollment remains a high priority. The Executive Leadership Council recently finalized key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress towards strategic priorities.
Academics arose as an area of significant concern in reports by Johnson and Lipscomb. The Board shares concerns about the number of faculty needed to support upper-class students and meet the demands presented by a large first-year class. The university is actively recruiting tenure-track faculty in history, education, and computer science.
Additionally, the Board is seeking to invest more significantly in campus infrastructure and deferred maintenance. A report from Sodexo, Houghton’s facilities management contractor, highlighted the increasing urgency of investment in aging buildings to regulate deferred maintenance costs. In keeping with the strategic plan, the administration anticipates investing several million dollars in residence hall renewal projects within the next five years. These renewal projects will include improvements for accessibility, a priority discussed by Johnson and embraced by the Board.
Notably, the Board enthusiastically renewed President Lewis’ contract, now extending through 2028, and expressed their deep appreciation for his visionary leadership for Houghton University.
The Board also honored Ruth Woodworth for ten years of service and welcomed Emily Last, a Houghton alumna, to its ranks.
The trustees look forward to improving collaborative leadership of the university under the Compact for Shared Governance and seek opportunities such as last Sunday’s ice cream social to gather student perspectives. Additionally, Student Body President Cody Johnson now serves as a resource person for the Student Life Committee of the Board of Trustees.
The Board of Trustees will meet again virtually on Feb. 9, 2024 and on campus on April 15-16, 2024. ★