Developing the Whole Student

By Amanda (Shine ’05) Zambrano

In his 1977 inaugural address, Dr. Daniel Chamberlain remarked “We must all work harder to make our college an hospitable shelter for the human spirit… Houghton College must become increasingly more than a place of information. It must be a community of acceptance and a place of meaning.” Later in the same address, he remarked, “In short, we must strive to make our campus a place of truth, beauty, goodness and wholeness, a place of healing and a place of helping.”

Dr. Chamberlain was signaling to the Houghton community the start of something new. His holistic view of educating the whole person, informed by student development theory that began to emerge in the early 1970s, required that Houghton be far more than “lectures, laboratories and libraries.” As a consummate educator, Dr. Chamberlain turned his attention to not only academic rigor, but also to the spiritual and emotional development of Houghton students. He set out to develop scholar-servants.

According to Dr. Robert “Bob” Danner—affectionately known by generations of students as Dean Danner—although Dr. Chamberlain’s worldview was broad and wide-ranging, he was most passionate about the spiritual growth and development of students. “He believed that study and engagement with others facilitated growth in personal faith and commitment,” shared Dean Danner. This type of co-curricular education was not to be seen as somehow secondary or lesser to what happened in the classroom. Rather, this learning was to serve as an equal partner, helping to accomplish President Chamberlain’s vision for what Christian liberal arts should be.

Dr. Chamberlain put it this way in his 2001 Founder’s Day speech, entitled Light and the Liberating Arts. “Liberal arts education focuses on the fundamental skills of life—analysis, inquiry, understanding, and expression, as well as on the essential tasks of life which prepare us to use our knowledge and exercise our responsibilities in intelligent, ethical, thoughtful and flexible ways. The first goal of the liberating arts is to free individuals from the shackles of sloth, ignorance and prejudice while cultivating a person’s character: intelligent citizenship, social responsibility, personal integrity. The liberal arts are those that develop the whole person—soul, body, mind and spirit—to serve the wide-ranging needs of society.”

we must strive to make our campus a place of truth, beauty, goodness and wholeness,

a place of healing and a place of helping

Dr. Chamberlain was a champion of Houghton’s Chapel program. Dean Danner reflected that the president’s thoughts and attitudes regarding chapel grew out of what he saw as a requirement of his own faith and a product of his own study. The formation of the chapel program, which eventually led to the creation of a full-time Dean of the Chapel position, was an outgrowth of the president’s study, commitment and personal belief.

Of Dr. Chamberlain’s many marks on Student Life at Houghton, none is perhaps more long-lived and indicative of his heart for students and their families than the new student dedication service. Growing out of the meeting of three friends—Dr. Chamberlain, Dr. Danner and Rev. James Spurrier ’74—a service was envisioned and developed to help facilitate a Christ-centered, meaningful transition to college life for students and their families. Alongside a liturgy developed by poet-in-residence Professor John “Jack” Leax ’66.

Dr. Chamberlain always shared his story of traveling to the States for college carrying his trombone case and wearing a pair of pants with the seat ripped out. This unifying story was told and retold until it became part of Houghton University lore. While the story of the holey pants is no longer shared, the structure of the new student dedication service remains much the same.

Community is a hallmark of Houghton that Dr. Chamberlain sought to facilitate on our small, tight-knit campus in rural Western New York. Community is built, not in the classroom, but in all the other spaces on campus: places like Rothenbuhler (South) Hall, the Nielsen Physical Education Center, and the EPIC Adventures Ropes Course. These three facilities, in addition to academic spaces on campus, were constructed during his tenure. This commitment to the whole person extended beyond chapel programs, dinners in the dining hall or robust activities calendars. Dr. Chamberlain’s commitment to the whole student is built into the fabric of the campus. Today’s students live and walk in halls dedicated to their well-rounded development as scholar-servants.

It is perhaps this missional phrase “scholar-servant” that sums up well Dr. Chamberlain’s vision of educating the whole person. Scholarship happens in the classroom. Servanthood is developed outside of “lectures, labs and libraries.” When we say scholar-servant, it is always with that tiny, seemingly insignificant hyphen in the middle. That hyphen indicates that one term is not to be taken as more important than the other. The two are equal, and intentionally so. Investing in the whole person as Dr. Chamberlain envisioned requires the hyphen. As a one-time English teacher, he would no doubt remind us that the hyphen matters.

Reflections

from Dr. Bill Burrichter ’92, Vice President for Student Life

Today, as during Dr. Chamberlain’s tenure as president, faculty and staff carry on the legacy of living out the concept of community with our students. Dr. Chamberlain was known to play a tough game of racquetball with students. (Although I played racquetball with my peers, I was never brave enough to challenge him to a duel). Today, while racquetball is less common, students and faculty can be seen working out in the gym, going for a walk, sharing a meal or a cup of coffee together; living life side-by-side in an organic and Christ-centered way.

This relational nature is expected in our residence hall programming where Resident Assistants, Resident Directors, and students don’t merely reside in proximity to each other, but are engaged in an intentionally relational environment where students are known, loved and supported. Houghton continues to embrace the value of student engagement beyond the classroom through robust and relevant student activities, clubs, and organizations where students can develop skills in leadership, service, and hard work: developing the “whole person.” I can’t help but think that our newly developed co-curricular transcript would be an endeavor that Dr. Chamberlain would have championed. The opportunity that our students have to represent a broader and more complete picture of their Houghton experience through both a curricular transcript and a co-curricular transcript is exactly what he would have celebrated.

The Center for Student Success is another example of Houghton’s efforts to create “…a place of healing and a place of helping.” When Dr. Chamberlain first arrived on campus in 1977, none of the services offered by today’s Center were available. Now, students have expressed that the Center for Student Success is precisely what he called for 50 years ago. Through professional mental health services, academic support, and vocation and calling advising, students are able to find healing and help for the things that so easily get in the way of their learning and academic success. Houghton has been and must continue to be a place where both academic rigor and rigorous support are held in tension: one pulling the other, thereby making it stronger.

Heartbreak & Hope

As the leader of the Houghton community, it often fell to President Chamberlain to be front and center in the midst of significant turmoil and tragedy. From building fires in the first year of his tenure, to the tragic loss of the Houghton Six in October 1981 to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, President Chamberlain led the campus with compassionate concern and a heart to bring hope in the bleakest of circumstances.

Houghton University partnered with Dr. Jack Connell ’83 to tell one of these stories in the newly released book Heartbreak and Hope. The book tells the story of the brief lives of the Houghton Six, their tragic deaths and the ongoing impact of their loss among their families, fellow students and the broader Houghton community.

Order your copy today through The Highlanders Shop.