0 Houghton University Welcomes Online Degree Students to Campus

Houghton University Welcomes Online Degree Students to Campus

September 7, 2018

Houghton University Online students recently gathered at the main campus to meet faculty members, engage in fellowship, and reflect on their current journey.

The inaugural Houghton Online Summer Picnic brought online degree students and their families to a campus they might not otherwise have the opportunity to visit, where they interacted with faculty from the psychology and business departments. Dr. Paul Young, professor of psychology and chair of the Department of Psychology and Sociology, shared an inspirational devotional. He was joined by Dr. Marlene Collins-Blair, dean of Houghton University Online and associate professor of Spanish; Deborah Rice, chair of the Department of Business & Economics and assistant professor of management; Dr. Ken Bates, associate professor of business emeritus; and Joseph Miller, adjunct instructor of business law.

In addition to sharing a meal, students and their families made homemade cards to send to their fellow online students who were unable to attend the event.

According to Casey Conklin, assistant director of student success and academic services for Houghton Online, this in-person aspect for a fully online program allows for deeper connection among students and increases retention rates. “It is a true joy for our department to be able to share a Houghton University education with individuals who otherwise could not physically take courses on the main campus,” she notes. “This fall we are welcoming new online students living in Nepal, Kenya, and Slovenia, as well as across the United States to as far as Florida, California, and Oregon.”

Houghton University Online offers busy professionals, working parents, and driven individuals a flexible, customized way to earn their Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Business Administration, or Associate of Arts degree. The program current offers majors in human resources, integrated marketing communication, management, leadership development, psychology, and most recently added a fully online criminal justice degree, currently recruiting for a Spring 2019 start date.