"Which One is Not Like the Other?"

by Wayne MacBeth '75

Sesame Street asked the question in the title above on a regular basis. I enjoyed watching children ponder the choices that, at first glance, did not seem different from each other. They would call out their choice to the TV screen. Then they would hear the correct answer and learn the truth about the differences between the objects presented. They were learning how to differentiate between situations that seemed similar on the surface.

In enrollment management today, I see older children (and their parents) trying to answer this same question about college choices they are making. I enjoy helping families to find and focus on the strengths and unique aspects of the college educational experience at Houghton. Three characteristics stand out at Houghton today.

Academic Rigor

Every year I have conversations with Houghton graduates who indicate (usually with delight!) that graduate school coursework was no harder than—and in some cases was easier than!—the work they had done at Houghton. When students come to Houghton they have to work, often harder than they ever have before. This results in the discovery of gifts and skills that students sharpen to produce the best work they have ever done. It is one of the compelling reasons why Houghton is among the very few Christian colleges cited in US News & World Report's college rankings as a top national liberal arts college. The Fiske Guide to Colleges calls Houghton "the mid-Atlantic's premier evangelical Christian college."

Houghton students study with students from MIT at Los Alamos National Laboratory, get paid to do photon light research at Cornell, study law at Harvard graduate school and continue to gain admission to numerous medical schools, including top-ranked Johns Hopkins. The thoughtful prospective student comes to the realization that Houghton is unusual in having both a faithful Christian foundation and a powerful academic commitment.

Global Engagement

After returning to Houghton in 2004 I was amazed to discover that so many students included a cross-cultural experience in their Houghton education. In fact, about half of the class of 2007 spent some of their Houghton education in an international location like London, Tanzania, Australia, Morocco, Egypt, Honduras, Costa Rica, Thailand or elsewhere. Today, students at Houghton investigate international issues like human trafficking, poverty, evangelism and church planting and HIV/AIDS. Houghton students are more interested then ever before in serving and finding employment in ways that allow them to respond to life's most difficult issues.

Christian Commitment

In the 21st century, Houghton remains firmly committed to the idea of a Christian liberal arts educational experience. I regularly hear comments from today's students and faculty regarding their discussions of how faith integrates with one's studies. They wrestle with issues of justice and how to make a difference in the broken places and among desperate people.

I see more students who are intentional about making positive strides in their faith journeys then ever before. They join small groups, attend chapel, commit to community, bring their faith into the classrooms and the residence halls and—through acts of service—live their faith throughout Allegany County, the city of Buffalo and other parts of Western New York. I have been on many college campuses and few match the vibrant interest in matters of life and faith I see among Houghton students, faculty and staff.

When prospective students and their families do their homework on colleges well, they discover the answer to that Sesame Street question and they begin to understand the marketing theme we use in our Admission department at Houghton: "Not all classrooms are the same."