From the President

Dear Friends,

With this issue, we pause to celebrate the life of former Houghton president Dr. Daniel R. Chamberlain, one of Houghton’s most highly respected servant leaders and a quintessential scholar-servant. Dr. Chamberlain passed away on May 31, 2024, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, at the age of 91. Few people have had a comparable impact on the shaping of Houghton University. As such, it is more than fitting that we dedicate this issue to remembering him and the leadership legacy of Dan and Joyce Chamberlain at Houghton.

President Chamberlain’s commitments to students, academic excellence, intercollegiate athletics, community, and spiritual development are well-documented and celebrated in this issue of Houghton Magazine and beyond. Even prior to his recent passing, stories were often told of his spirited attendance at Highlander athletics events, his participation in intramural sports and racquetball dominance, his relational approach with students, his thoughtful and skillful leadership which facilitated the remarkable blossoming of the Houghton campus, leading to an expansion of the college’s programs and offerings domestically and internationally and a growing student enrollment. His leadership successes contributed significantly to the high expectations the Houghton community has for its presidents. What I find even more noteworthy than the endless metrics and indicators of his leadership success at Houghton, are the heartfelt testimonials of who he was, not just as a college president, but as a man.

Dan Chamberlain, the man, clearly served Houghton College as president for 30 years and did so extraordinarily well, but he did and was so much more. I admire his leadership and accomplishments. The institution I serve today as president has been shaped in profound ways by his leadership and the leadership presidents Luckey, Paine, Dayton, and Mullen. But what I respect and appreciate about Dr. Chamberlain, even more than what he produced, is who he was as a husband, father, churchman, friend, humanitarian, and a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

As we celebrate the life and legacy of Dan Chamberlain, let us never forget how blessed Houghton was to have been served exceptionally well by a skilled leader who not only loved Houghton, but who loved his family, his church, his community, and most of all, who loved God.

May God bless and keep all of you.

Wayne D. Lewis, Jr.