Message from President Mullen
February, 2013
Dear Families of Graduating Students,
I am pleased to invite you to share with us the events of Commencement 2013 at Houghton College. This is a significant time for all of us who have been involved in the lives of our graduating seniors. Clearly, the seniors themselves see its significance—and are now torn between the excitement of “being done with college” and the sadness of leaving friends and connections that have come to mean so much to them over the past several years. For us at Houghton, and for you as parents, this is a time to celebrate with them, to acknowledge their accomplishments, and to bless them with our confidence and hope as they embark on the next stage of their journey. This next phase of life is one in which they will have the opportunity and challenge as never before, to live out, on their own, the implications of the choices they have made and the invitations they have accepted.
Our task during this graduation weekend is to be present for them—in gratitude and affirmation—confirming our support for them and our confidence in all the good that God is intending for them in the days ahead. We look forward to welcoming you to campus and to celebrating with you.
We hope you will join us for baccalaureate, when we will hear from one of our faculty or staff and two graduating seniors. Our commencement speaker will be Dr. Nathan Hatch, President of Wake Forest University. We will welcome to our ceremony graduates from the Golden Highlander Class of 1963, whose presence illustrates for our seniors the lifelong impact of a Houghton education and of God’s faithfulness. Most important of all, we will recognize the graduates of 2013.
Following are several practical matters of concern.
Seating—Each graduating senior will receive 3 tickets for seating in the chapel. Auxiliary seating will be available in the Recital Hall, Instrumental Rehearsal Room and Campus Center Lounge via large-screen projection and available over the internet (visit the commencement page and click the link). Additional tickets for chapel seating may be available. However, the graduating seniors must request these and will soon receive details as to how to make this request.
Lodging—In addition to the nearby hotels, we will open our dorms to accommodate many families here on campus. If you would like to stay in college housing, please register here by April 19.
Meals—You may purchase tickets for Friday breakfast, lunch and dinner and Saturday breakfast. Please register here for meal tickets by April 19. (Graduating seniors do not need meal tickets.)
Receptions—Receptions are held following Baccalaureate on Friday evening, and following commencement on Saturday. They are open to everyone, without need for tickets.
Professional Photos/Video—The College has made arrangements with Genesee Photo Systems to take pictures of this year's commencement proceedings. Genesee Photo takes individual shots of each graduate as he or she receives a diploma and crosses the stage. Ordering these photos is entirely optional, but this service is available. Commencement images are usually available on-line at www.geneseephoto.com within a week, and no-obligation proofs will be mailed to graduates within two weeks.
Houghton College Audio/Visual Department will videotape the entire commencement. Order forms will be available in registration packets and at the College's Welcome Desk or you may use this order form. (Cost is $8 for each DVD desired.)
If you have further commencement related questions, please contact the Office of the Academic Dean at 585-567-9315.
I am delighted to have you join us in celebrating the graduation of Houghton’s Class of 2013. There is no more exciting time on a college campus than to see the graduates “come into their own” and go out into the world to put into practice all that they have learned. Just as you entrusted them to us several years ago, so now you, as parents, and we, as a college community, join together in entrusting them into God’s hands for his purposes and his plans in the coming days.
Sincerely,
Shirley A. Mullen
President
