Athletics Welcomes Five New Head Coaches

Five Houghton sports programs have new head coaches for the 2024-2025 seasons.

• Danielle Heffernan, women鈥檚 volleyball
• Jordan Crouch ’18, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 tennis
• Olivia Kincanon, softball
• David Bourne, men鈥檚 volleyball
• Austin Beauregard, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 track and field

鈥淲e are thrilled with our five new head coaches that have joined our staff over the past few months and excited about the impact they are each going to make on our programs and with our student-athletes,鈥� said Director of Athletics Matthew Webb. 鈥淭he new track and field coach is part of a strategic initiative with potential for both enrollment growth and competitive gains.鈥� Track is a sport with a plethora of specialized events, and adding Coach Beauregard specifically for sprints, hurdles, and field events, should allow us to grow in roster size in a sport which has much more room for growth than most of our other sports.鈥�

Former track coach Patrick Hager will continue to serve as head coach of the cross country programs while providing oversight to the track program as Director of Cross Country and Track & Field.

Full bios for each coach can be found on each .

By Chuck Massey

I had the good fortune of arriving to teach at the Houghton College at the beginning of the fall semester, 1976, at the same time Dan Chamberlain arrived to begin his long tenure as president. After a year of teaching in the education department, I served for three and a half years as dean of students and seven years as dean at the branch campus in West Seneca. Over the next 26 and a half years I spent time teaching, developing special projects and programs in adult education, distance education and service education, with a special focus on race, culture and gender issues and inequities evident in urban centers such as Buffalo, New York. During the 30 years I was at Houghton under Dan鈥檚 leadership, he served as a mentor who guided and prodded and pushed me; he allowed me to pursue my interests when he could reconcile those with larger interests of the college. He introduced me to new people and new ideas and challenged me to state my views and defend my positions even when they were unpopular.

Dan believed strongly in the place of 鈥渄ialogue鈥� at Houghton鈥攊n faculty meetings, in classrooms, residences, the dining hall and, on occasion, even in chapel. In 1980, with Dan鈥檚 encouragement and financial assistance from The Wesleyan Church Department of Educational Institutions, I edited a booklet titled 鈥淭he Christian College and Community Standards: Beginning Dialogue in Search of Understanding.鈥� 鈥淒ialogue鈥� as used here requires a profound love for the world and its inhabitants and an attitude of humility and respect. This booklet was distributed at all five Wesleyan institutions. Dan knew meaningful dialogue needed to extend beyond our statement of community standards and as such, he was willing to summon an outsider to visit campus and challenge our thinking. One of his friends who visited campus during Dan鈥檚 second year as president challenged my worldview while expanding the campus dialogue exponentially.

It has been said that behind every great man there is a great woman. When speaking of Joyce Chamberlain, however, it鈥檚 clear that she was never 鈥渂ehind鈥� anyone. Houghton Magazine recently had the privilege of speaking with Cherie Brown, wife of long-time Houghton music professor Bruce Brown and close friend of Joyce Chamberlain, to get just a small glimpse of the woman who faithfully served alongside her husband Dr. Daniel Chamberlain.

According to Cherie, Joyce 鈥渕ade things happen among people.鈥� She had a gift for drawing people together, whether that be over a game of canasta, through Anna Houghton Daughters Literary Club or in hosting employees and students. Joyce, while down-to-earth and no-nonsense, dearly loved to have fun. Many Houghton student has fond memories of Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain鈥檚 vocal performances during Homecoming, particularly the Broadway favorite 鈥淎nything You Can Do, I Can Do Better鈥� from Annie Get Your Gun.

Joyce, in particular, lived out a special aspect of Houghton that is still observed today by those who visit campus: the welcoming atmosphere. 鈥淓veryone is so friendly,鈥� a visitor will say. 鈥淭he hospitality is remarkable.鈥� Joyce was the quintessential hostess, bringing together groups of people who might otherwise not regularly cross paths: faculty and staff, community and college, couples and singles. Her gift of relating to anyone served her well. She worked hard to break down stereotypes, welcoming people in with good food and good fellowship, and the Houghton community still strives to emulate this quality today.

In 1998, Joyce was presented with the 10th Annual Houghton College President鈥檚 Advisory Council on Excellence Award. She was recognized for her hospitality, from baking cookies for the annual graduating seniors鈥� tea to flipping pancakes for employee Christmas gatherings. Her service at Houghton Wesleyan Church as an undershepherd ministering to those living on Centerville Road and on the missions committee were both noted. Even her membership on an employee intramural team 鈥� The She-Boppers 鈥� was mentioned.

Kevin Knowlton 鈥�79, then representing the President鈥檚 Advisory Council and today a member of the Board of Trustees, said in the award citation, 鈥淲e applaud your service, your spirit, your commitment to Christ and his kingdom, your love for your husband and children and grandchildren. We offer this award, both in recognition of your many accomplishments and in hopes that others will be inspired to follow your lead in service to the college and to Jesus Christ, our Lord.鈥� In 2005, Joyce was again recognized for these wonderful qualities when she received the Alumna of the Year award, in spite of not being a Houghton graduate.

Alongside Dr. Chamberlain, Joyce raised seven children. They then set about sharing their hearts and homes with international students, going so far as to informally adopt them into their family. Today, Joyce鈥檚 life is full of beloved family members: in addition to her children and their spouses, she has 25 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren (and counting!). After many years enjoying a robust social life in Brooksville, Florida, she now lives near family in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

鈥淛oyce was the best friend I could have ever had,鈥� remarks Cherie. 鈥淪he was a wonderful role model, an exemplary Christian, and a supportive wife.鈥� Anyone who knows Joyce would no doubt share these sentiments. A beloved member of the Houghton community, Joyce鈥檚 legacy of hospitality and winsomeness remains a hallmark of the institution we know and love today.

In his inaugural address in 1976, President Daniel Chamberlain enumerated some of the primary tasks of Christian higher education. As a part of that list, he included this statement: 鈥淭here must be time for physical activity so essential to sound emotional and physical health.鈥� Houghton Magazine recently had the opportunity to speak with two of Houghton鈥檚 most successful coaches, E. Doug Burke and H. 鈥淪kip鈥� Lord 鈥�80 as they shared some of their memories of Dr. Chamberlain and the ways this particular task of Christian higher education was accomplished under his presidency.

Coach Burke, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame Coach and former men鈥檚 soccer coach and athletics director who helped launch Houghton鈥檚 intercollegiate athletic program, reflected that Dr. Chamberlain鈥檚 statement in his inaugural address wasn鈥檛 just a nice collection of words. 鈥淗e followed through,鈥� remarked Burke. 鈥淗e was supportive of athletic programs, teams and athletes.鈥�

Coach Lord, National Christian College Athletic Association Hall of Fame member, former women鈥檚 basketball and volleyball coach and athletic director and now National Director for Athletics Engagement serving in the Houghton Office of Advancement, noted that Dr. Chamberlain didn鈥檛 just support others in their pursuit of physical activity. Dr. Chamberlain modeled commitment to physical wellbeing, living out an active lifestyle throughout his thirty years of presidency.

Those who knew Dr. Chamberlain recognized him as an avid competitor. He could routinely be found in the racquetball courts in the Nielsen Physical Education Center鈥攁 building he helped see from conception to opening in January of 1980. Dr. Chamberlain would compete against anyone鈥攆riends, faculty, colleagues, board members, students鈥攁nd when he was on the court the competition was fierce.

Coach Burke talked at length about President Chamberlain鈥檚 commitment to intercollegiate athletics and to student athletes. He wanted teams to be competitive and he wanted them to go on to postseason competition. In the days when Houghton competed in the NAIA and NCCAA, there funding wasn鈥檛 available to send students to post-season competition, but Dr. Chamberlain was always on the front lines of finding the resources to help teams get to tournaments. In 2012, Dr. Chamberlain was named to Houghton鈥檚 Athletics Hall of Honor for his support of the program.

Dr. Chamberlain鈥檚 commitment to physical activity wasn鈥檛 limited to intercollegiate play. In addition to his consistent appearances on the racquetball court, he was known to occasionally show up on an intramural athletics team鈥攊ncluding All The President鈥檚 Men volleyball team in 1977-1978, led by Bob Kratzat 鈥�80.* He was supportive of efforts to ensure physical activity remained part of Houghton鈥檚 core curriculum, prioritizing wellness and exposure to lifelong sports for all students. Dr. Chamberlain鈥檚 support of physical wellness even expanded to the community with the creation of a senior fitness class.

When the opportunity arose to invest in Houghton鈥檚 trails and build the ropes course, Dan saw the benefits. He supported Doris 鈥淢abel鈥� Nielsen 鈥�71 as she worked to build Houghton鈥檚 outdoor recreation program, including Highlander Wilderness Adventure, STEP and other predecessors to what Houghton knows today as EPIC Adventures.

Throughout President Chamberlain鈥檚 30 years of service at Houghton, his verbal support of athletics and wellness aligned with his actions. The word that arose repeatedly in conversation with Coaches Burke and Lord was supportive. Dr. Chamberlain was the quintessential 鈥淗ighlander Superfan.鈥� More than that, he lived a life that exemplified what it meant to care well for the physical body and he invited others to join him.

*Thanks to Bob Kratzat for sharing this great tidbit on the 黑料科 Facebook page in the tribute post to Dr. Chamberlain on June 3.聽

By Shirley A. Mullen, President Emerita

Dr. Shirley A. Mullen, a graduate of the 黑料科 Class of 1976, served as Houghton鈥檚 5th president from 2006-2021.

Dr. Daniel Chamberlain took office as Houghton鈥檚 fourth president in 1976 just as the entire country and the Houghton community were ready for a fresh start. America had just celebrated its bicentennial. It was ready to put behind the memories of Watergate, Viet Nam, and the unrest of the 1960鈥檚. Houghton too, was ready to move on from its own version of that turbulent decade.

This was the Golden Age of Christian Higher Education. In 1976, the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities was founded with its headquarters in Washington, D.C., bringing visibility and organizational focus to the growing national movement of evangelical educational institutions across the country. George Gallop of The Gallop Poll declared 1976 鈥淭he Year of the Evangelical.鈥� There were plenty of students to go around, facilitating cooperation and collaboration among the Christian colleges in the form of student exchanges and overseas programs. There was anticipation of even greater partnership in the form of faculty exchanges and perhaps even the founding of a Christian University. Finally, in these early days of Title IX (1972) and a separate Department of Education (founded in 1979), government regulation was at a minimum.

Houghton was poised to benefit from these circumstances. As the oldest fully accredited institution of Christian higher education in New York State, and an early member of the Christian College Consortium, out of which the CCCU had been born, Houghton was already well known for its high-quality liberal arts curriculum with a stellar reputation in choral music and the sciences, especially pre-medical training. The new science building, along with the growing partnership between the inventor-entrepreneur Wilson Greatbatch and the Houghton chemistry faculty as they sought to perfect the pace-maker enhanced Houghton鈥檚 status even further as a center of excellence and innovation.

The following excerpts were taken from an address entitled The Purpose of Chapel written and given by Dr. Daniel Chamberlain on October 4, 1977. It is the earliest chapel address in the Houghton Archives from President Chamberlain鈥檚 tenure, given at the request of the Chapel Committee.

鈥淚 would observe that Chapel is not what makes a college Christian. We have chapel because we are a Christian college, but we must be very sensitive to the danger that chapel becomes the holy water that we sprinkle or pour or in which we are immersed 鈥� as your form may prefer 鈥� that sanctifies what would otherwise be a secular institution. The academic and spiritual in short are not to be viewed as Siamese twins. The moment we adopt that point of view someone will vote for their surgical removal. Rather, the intellectual and spiritual mission of Houghton must permeate all that we do. Heart and brains are essential to the life and health of the body. It is possible to separate Siamese twins and both live. But divide the heart from the brain and you will surely destroy both. Thus, chapel becomes the occasion and the activity for our corporate correlation of faith and learning. We hereby serve notice that our faith is a vital part of all we do. We will not regulate our Christianity to our catalog and to our ceremonies. It will be a regular and integral part of our lives together鈥�

鈥淐hapel provides opportunities for corporate worship. Now, I would hope that in our corporate worship together we learn that good worship has vitality, certainly, and that means it is alive, but that it also has variety鈥� we will have grown corporately as we recognize that each of these is a valid way of expressing and experiencing worship and that all of these forms can have integrity.

鈥淐hapel will provide instructions and examples of integrating our faith and our learning. Again, I stress here that chapel cannot, does not profess to, carry this load alone. It must be done consistently in our classes and there we will see many more specific instances of how this integration occurs. But here we can together experience some things that give us a common point of reference and community is maintained and heightened as we have common experiences to share鈥�

鈥淐hapel will provide the opportunity for specific kinds of sharing what God has been doing鈥�. There will be times when we will want to talk about what God is doing corporately, and this makes an excellent opportunity鈥� I would hope that in chapel we are inspired to serve鈥� Chapel provides for us the opportunity to emphasize the importance of relating religious experience to life. We must constantly be reminded of the Christian perspective on our culture and on our ethics. We must constantly and consciously avoid being squeezed into the world鈥檚 mold as we are reminded in Romans. We are bombarded incessantly with secular sources and if we do not work very hard we will not even be aware of the influences 鈥� subtle or not so subtle 鈥� that has upon our values, upon our outlook. We must constantly be reminded that Christ is Lord and chapel is one of those very best ways to remind us of that in our activities and in the words that we hear from this pulpit.鈥�

By Amanda (Shine ’05) Zambrano

In his 1977 inaugural address, Dr. Daniel Chamberlain remarked 鈥淲e must all work harder to make our college an hospitable shelter for the human spirit鈥� Houghton College must become increasingly more than a place of information. It must be a community of acceptance and a place of meaning.鈥� Later in the same address, he remarked, 鈥淚n 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.鈥�

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 鈥渓ectures, laboratories and libraries.鈥� 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 鈥淏ob鈥� Danner鈥攁ffectionately known by generations of students as Dean Danner鈥攁lthough Dr. Chamberlain鈥檚 worldview was broad and wide-ranging, he was most passionate about the spiritual growth and development of students. 鈥淗e believed that study and engagement with others facilitated growth in personal faith and commitment,鈥� 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鈥檚 vision for what Christian liberal arts should be.

Dr. Chamberlain put it this way in his 2001 Founder鈥檚 Day speech, entitled Light and the Liberating Arts. 鈥淟iberal arts education focuses on the fundamental skills of life鈥攁nalysis, 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鈥檚 character: intelligent citizenship, social responsibility, personal integrity. The liberal arts are those that develop the whole person鈥攕oul, body, mind and spirit鈥攖o serve the wide-ranging needs of society.鈥�

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鈥檚 Chapel program. Dean Danner reflected that the president鈥檚 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鈥檚 study, commitment and personal belief.

Of Dr. Chamberlain鈥檚 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鈥擠r. Chamberlain, Dr. Danner and Rev. James Spurrier 鈥�74鈥攁 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 鈥淛ack鈥� Leax 鈥�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 黑料科 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鈥檚 commitment to the whole student is built into the fabric of the campus. Today鈥檚 students live and walk in halls dedicated to their well-rounded development as scholar-servants.

It is perhaps this missional phrase 鈥渟cholar-servant鈥� that sums up well Dr. Chamberlain鈥檚 vision of educating the whole person. Scholarship happens in the classroom. Servanthood is developed outside of 鈥渓ectures, labs and libraries.鈥� 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.

Dear Friends,

With this issue, we pause to celebrate the life of former Houghton president Dr. Daniel R. Chamberlain, one of Houghton鈥檚 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 黑料科. 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.