COURAGEOUS

COURAGEOUS is an $83,000,000 multi-year comprehensive campaign to strengthen our ability to carry out our vital mission of equipping fearless scholar-servants for significant Kingdom impact.

We are investing in the students and programs of today, the places and spaces of tomorrow, and the programs and people who will shape the future of Houghton University.

Pursuing Christ-Centered Excellence

Goal: $36,000,000

Investing in Places & Spaces

Goal: $24,000,000

Solidifying Your Legacy Through Houghton

Goal: $23,000,000

Pursuing Christ-Centered Excellence

The Christ-Centered Excellence that has been foundational to a Houghton education since 1883 requires consistent, reliable resources that sustain and expand the programs and services that shape the transformational Houghton experience.

Scholar-Servant Fund

Your investment in Pursuing Christ-Centered Excellence with a gift to the Scholar-Servant Fund provides the resources necessary for the formation of fearless scholar-servants. The Scholar-Servant Fund provides undesignated, current-use resources that meet the most critical of our students’ needs. Your gift to this fund supports a student’s complete college experience from academic life to spiritual life to residence life.

Student Scholarship Fund

Within the Scholar-Servant Fund, the Student Scholarship Fund makes access to a Houghton education more affordable for students and their families. Your gift toward student scholarships provides Houghton with the resources to support vital financial aid programs such as the Founder’s Promise Scholarship for Pell-eligible students, merit-based scholarships for outstanding academic performers, or the James S. Luckey Scholarship for participants in one of Houghton’s first-year Honors programs.

Investing in Places and Spaces

The Places and Spaces of our residential campus are integral components of the formative Houghton experience. From historic structures like East Hall (1952) to recent additions like the Equestrian Event Center (2017), our places and spaces are the settings where the formation of fearless scholar-servants takes place. Together, students grow through academics steeped in faith, conversations rooted in truth and relationships anchored in Christ.

Residence Renewal

Few of Houghton University’s places and spaces require investment more than our historic residence halls. In 2026, significant renovation work was completed on East Hall. This project paves the way for much-needed investment in the beloved men’s residence, Shenawana Hall (1961), which is slated for a $6,000,000 capital project. Improving accessibility and modernizing Shenawana is only a part of the investment. Your gift will help recreate a beloved residence hall as young men grow and mature through the experiences of late-night philosophical conversations, through spiritual mentoring between students and in the development of the independence and self-reliance required to thrive as an adult.

If you’d like to discuss giving to this opportunity further, please contact: advancement@houghton.edu

Equestrian Center

As Houghton’s Equestrian program continues to flourish, there is opportunity to invest in expansion and growth of the program through updated and new facilities. Your contributions to the Equestrian Center make possible the construction of a specialized new Equine Therapy program or the replacement of existing barns and the addition of a student bunkhouse to increase capacity for horses and riders. Your investment will grow and expand the impact of one of Houghton’s truly niche programs that sets it apart from almost all other institutions and takes our Equestrian program to the next level of excellence.

If you’d like to discuss giving to this opportunity further, please contact: advancement@houghton.edu

More Places & Spaces

Whether your passion is Highlander Athletics or Equestrian, residence life or spiritual life, there is opportunity for you to invest in the places and spaces that inspire you most. From tennis and pickleball to athletic team rooms, you can help shape the future of Houghton University by investing in the places and spaces where fearless scholar-servants are equipped for significant Kingdom impact.

If you’d like to discuss giving to this opportunity further, please contact: advancement@houghton.edu

Philanthropy Council

The primary role of the Houghton University Philanthropy Council is to invite and inspire alumni and friends to invest in Houghton’s future by giving generously in an effort to advance our vital mission of equipping fearless scholar-servants.

Members
Mike Gaffney ’94, Co-Chair
John Schneider, Co-Chair
Thomas Hodge ’77
Tanya (Hildebrandt ’73) Shire
Scott Shuck

Solidifying Your Legacy Through Houghton

The continued growth of our endowment is essential in bolstering Houghton University’s fiscal strength and future. We invite you to solidify your legacy through Houghton by creating a new endowment or growing an existing endowed fund. This is a forward-looking investment in future, faithful leaders who follow God’s calling with courage and conviction.

General Endowment

An unrestricted gift to Houghton’s General Endowment is an investment in the opportunities of the future. When you solidify your legacy through General Endowment, you contribute to a pool of resources that provide annual flexibility for current and future Houghton leaders. Your gift has the power to enhance, expand and transform the Houghton student experience of today and tomorrow. As the needs of Christian college students evolve over time, general endowment support secures the resources to quickly adapt to emerging needs while continuing to support a Christ-centered education.

Endowed Scholarships

Endowed student scholarships provide talented and deserving Houghton students with the resources they need to make a Houghton education a financial reality. When you create an endowed scholarship fund, you add to a growing list of more than 370 endowed scholarships that support the financial needs of students today and tomorrow. With a minimum endowment gift of $50,000, you have the opportunity to create a legacy that honors a loved one or influential faculty member and to establish the criteria that direct funds to the types of students whose lives you wish to impact most. Your gift ensures financial resources are available to aspiring scholar-servants for generations to come.

If you’d like to discuss giving to this opportunity further, please contact: advancement@houghton.edu

Endowed Chairs and Positions

Endowed chairs and positions, such as the Ellen F. Donley Dean of Education & Behavioral Science sustain and enhance Houghton’s historic commitment to academic excellence and Christ-centered student development. For generations, Houghton employees have been spiritual mentors, models of scholar-servanthood and vocational advisors, playing an integral role in the Houghton experience. The creation of endowed chairs and positions funds compensation packages for the people who play transformational roles in the lives of our students and attracts high-quality individuals who serve on the front lines of achieving our mission

If you’d like to discuss giving to this opportunity further, please contact: advancement@houghton.edu

The mission of Houghton’s Education Department is to train “scholar-servants” who are equipped both to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of their students, and to serve their communities as “salt and light” for the glory of God. Our aim is to train and support our students in becoming who God has called them to be and to serve God wherever they are called ‘with excellence’. 

Michele Vanesse, PhD, Ellen F. Donley Dean of Education & Behavioral Science

Endowed Programs & Projects

Programmatic endowment funds can be established based on your interests and passions. From equipment funds to programs or departments, you have the opportunity to invest in the areas of Houghton that matter to you most. When you create your legacy through a Houghton program, you ensure that program will continue to influence the formation of scholar-servants long into the future.

If you’d like to discuss giving to this opportunity further, please contact: advancement@houghton.edu

More than ever, our world needs unapologetically Christ-centered leaders equipped to lead and labor for the advancement of the Kingdom. Since 1883, God has faithfully led and sustained Houghton University and He will continue to do so. I invite you to join us as Houghton continues to equip strong and COURAGEOUS scholar-servants for the good of the world.

Karl J. Sisson, Vice President for Advancement & External Engagement