HOUGHTON — Over a 24-hour period on April 11, Houghton University received more than $2.22 million in gifts and pledges from 2,177 supporters on its annual One Day Giving Challenge.
The effort will help support student scholarships, endowment growth, capital projects and academic and co-curricular student experiences.
President Wayne D. Lewis Jr. said he was thankful for “God’s continued provision” and for all who have supported Houghton.
“The many alumni, students, employees, family and friends of Houghton who have so generously supported our mission today play an integral role in ensuring Houghton remains grounded in our Christian faith, meets the needs of today’s students, and that a Houghton education is available to students for many generations to come,” he said.
April 11th marked the 11th One Day Giving Challenge for Houghton; the day began with more than $1.13 million in challenge gifts, a record breaking total, the university stated.
The success was substantial thanks to two giving challenges made possible by generous lead donors: a dollar-for-dollar matching challenge gift up to $360,000 for gifts to the Student Scholarship Fund, as well as an additional $775,000 available if Houghton surpassed a threshold of 1,883 donors.
Additionally, a class challenge encouraged alumni to compete for the most donors, with a prize of a $30,000 endowed scholarship in the winning class’s name. Alumni came together with the most donors to grow The Class of 1977 Scholarship, an endowed scholarship that will perpetually provide annual student scholarships, and the opportunity for continued growth.
The Millennium Challenge allowed the Class of 1969 to grow its endowed scholarship fund and created The Class of 2005 Scholarship, each class having the most donors in their respective millennia.
A website and social media takeover highlighted the importance of the One Day Giving Challenge, which reaches the extended Houghton community and demonstrates the value of supporting students today and in the future. Student-athletes were particular engaged in encouraging support of the university’s many athletic teams.
The Student Scholarship Fund provides tuition support to students on Houghton’s residential campus. More than 40% of Houghton students are considered economically disadvantaged by federal Pell Grant standards, and nearly 100% of Houghton students receive some form of financial aid.
HOUGHTON, SALVATION ARMY RENEW PARTNERSHIP
Houghton and The Salvation Army have renewed their partnership, building on their shared Wesleyan-holiness heritage and commitment to serving diverse populations.
“This renewed partnership demonstrates our shared commitments to spreading the Gospel of salvation and loving and serving our brothers and sisters. No organization better combines those commitments than the Salvation Army,” Lewis said. “With our common grounding in the Wesleyan Holiness tradition and shared belief in the power of the Holy Spirit to transform hearts and lives, I could not be more pleased to renew our historic partnership.”
The renewed agreement creates clear pathways for Salvationists at both graduate and undergraduate levels. Graduates of The Salvation Army College for Officer Training will receive guaranteed admission to Houghton’s online MBA program along with a tuition discount.
For prospective undergraduate students interested in ministry and service careers, this partnership opens doors to combine Houghton’s academic excellence with hands-on training through The Salvation Army’s established programs. A new 3+2 program allows students to complete three years at Houghton and two years at The Salvation Army College for Officer Training, graduating with a Houghton bachelor’s degree.
This arrangement particularly benefits students pursuing majors in Bible & Theology, Psychology and Business Administration, Houghton officials said.
