Confronting the Challenge of Technology During the past few months, As is highlighted in this issue of .itat Houghtoin College, will, as we at Houghton have engaged in of Milieu, the pros and cons of the a result of technological advances, an extensive and very challenging various options have been thor­ change in some very substantial ways. conversation about how best to oughly pursued by faculty, stu­ At the same time, however, a provide our students and faculty dents, and the Board of Trustees. Houghton education will remain cone with appropriate access to emerg­ We aJso have sought to include the stant in its focusand basic content. ing educational technologies. parents of current and prospective Accomplishing the goals we From the outset of these discus­ students in the conversation set for ourselves in the area of edu­ sions, we have determined that through the use of a survey instru­ cational technology will require vi­ teaching and learning will guide ment. And now via Milieu, we sion, commitment, and no little decisions concerning technology. seek to bring alumni and friends of daring. We mus.talso come to We recognize the siren po,,.1er of the college into the discussion. grips with the p1rice tag attached to teclmological "bells and Interestingly, through the ex­ our plans. Houg,hton's historic whistles"-the hardware, soft­ ploration of new technologies, we commitment to serve young ware, networks, lntemet, list­ have come to appreciate more fully people from diverse socioeconomic serves, and more. We, along with the importance of those things groups, requires. that we be sensi­ educators everywhere, must re­ which have long characterized a tive to the abiJitv of our students to mind ourselves daily that technol­ Houghton education, including, bear the cost of <,am pus upgrades. ogy is a means to, not the educa­ and perhaps most importantly, the It is likely that .Houghton's current tional end. spirit of collegialityamong profes­ fund will need t,o increase substan­ With this thought clearly in sional colleagues and between fac­ tially as technology is incorporated mind and guided by the good ulty and students. Technology,no as an ongoing Ojperating cost of a work of a Teaching, Learning and matter how sophisticated, cannot quality, liberal arts curriculum. Technology Roundtable, we have do what Houghton does so effec­ Can Houghlton meet the chal­ explored four possible implemen­ tively: put 18- to 22-year-olds in a lenges of the day? Can we im­ tation plans for technology at place where they daily confront in­ prove our program to be attractive Houghton College. The plans tellectual, social, and spiritual chal­ to a new generahon of students in range in scope from a lab-based lenges in ways that best prepare an increasingly ltechnologic age? l approach to computer access, to them for successful independent believe we can. I also believe that providing every student at the col­ living. we have no choice but to do all lege with a notebook computer. In my view, rather than ren­ this. And with t:he support of All four options include comple­ dering the residential college an alumni and friends, and through tion of a campus-wide network unnecessary luxury of the past, I the grace of God, Houghton will and full access to Internet. The believe the high-tech world of to­ continue to lead the way in Chris­ price tags for the four options vary day and tomorrow will make the tian higher education.♦ greatly. However, even the most high-touch aspect of colleges such conservative-and least expen­ as Houghton even more attractive sive- of the proposed plans repre­ to prospective students and their sents a quantum leap forward by parents. Yes, a Christian liberal the college. arts education as we now conceive 2 ♦ Milieu-Spring 1996 A MHOUGHTON I L I E U .?::::::7 _]Ii_ Co e r h -======-- _ ll_ eg_ '-e_M_ag'-az_ in_ _ __M _a_c _l99_ 6_ _______________ ___._ #•tj@■jj@■j.W- College Magazine (USPS 252-220) March 1996 Vol. 71, No. 1 HOUGHTON Milieu is the magazine of Houghton Features College, PO Box 128, Houghton, NY, 14744-0128. Second-class postage paid at Houghton, NY, 14744-0128 and second-class postage paid at additional office at Randolph, NY, 14m-9998. Postmaster, send form 3579 to Houghton CoUege, ♦ PO Sox 128, Houghton, NY, 14744-0128. Look What's Happened to HOUGHTON Milieu is published for alumni and 8 friends of the college five times yearly: March, Mr. Hopkins's Log June, September, October, and Dt..J.Cember. Houghton College faces the next round of the Written permission is required to reproduce HOUGHTON Miliert in whole or in part. education revolution. Sendaddress changes to Address Changes, Alumni Office, Houghton College, PO Sox 128, 12 • Houghton, NY, 14744--0128. Old Computers Offer New Hope to HOUGHTON Milieu welcomes letters, alumni news, unsolicited manuscripts, art or photographs Nigerians for possible inclusion in the magazi_ne. Send th ese to the magazi,�e in care of the editor at the college, Former faculty member Anthony Petrillo takes or FAX (716) 567-9522, or e-mail: obsolete computer equipment to Nigeria, bringing milieu@l,ougMorr.edu. Neither Houghton College nor HOUGH'fON Milieu can be responsible £or priceless change in the lives ofstudents. unsolicited mail received by persons who ask that their addresses be printed in the magazine. MANAGING EDITOR 14 • Rebekah Burch Basinger Xenotransplantation: Can We? EDITOR Should We? Dean Liddick '60 Robert Orr '62, M.D. discusses the major issues DESIGNER Valerie Smith '85 concerning cross-species transplantation. PHOTOGRAPHER Christine Brain '93 Departments COPY EDITOR Cynthia Machamer '85 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Holly Lawton '87 4• Campus News ALUMNI NEWS Alicia McGeorge 7 ♦ Highlander Sports SPORTS David Mee '86 16 ♦ Student Perspective EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Evelyn Bence '74, Bruce Campbell '81, 18 • Robert Matson '81, Richard Wing Emeriti Faculty Houghton College admjts students of any race, color and national or ethnic origin. The coll e 20 ♦ eg Class Notes does not discriminate- on these bases, or on the basis of sex in any college-.adminislered program. 26• Calendar MOUGHTON Milieu is printed on recycled paper, For the cover illustration, Christine Brain manipulated original photographs using using soybean inks. Adobe's Photoshop software. Spring 1996-Milieu ♦ 3 -♦+i®•il•f.Wl§•iW#_.___________ ___________________ New Program Features Integrated Curriculum in a European Setting Fall semester 1996 will mark the beginning of the First-Year Honors Program designed to combine integrated curriculum with a European experience. The program offers a unique approach to the recruitment of gifted students and will challenge conventional thought regarding how students learn, how faculty teach, and how student and faculty work is assessed. The 30 first-year students (selected for academic and developmenta readiness from 80 applicants as assessed by faculty, admissions and stu­ dent development personnel) will spend the fall semester on the main campus earning general and major credits and mastering electronic tech nologies. In January, they will relocate to London, England, to earn 12-H 2,446 Alumni Say hours of general-education credit in an interdisciplinary curriculum. A Yes to the Call connected narrative of western ideas and culture, the courses included When the last call had been will satisfy first-level general-education requirements for history, phi­ losophy, literature, and fine arts. made in this year's alumni Individual laptop computers and connection to the Internet will phonathon, the total in gifts, minimize use of paper and printers. Availability ofCD ROMs, pledges and expected corpo­ camcorders and still digital cameras will enable students to substitute rate matches stood at $244,306, multimedia presentations for conventional reports. In one sense, the hor well within sight of the ors program will be a proving ground for the technology changes ex­ $250,000 goal. A follow-up pected to transform campus learning. Co-coordinator for the program, mailing to alumni who could philosophy professor Christopher Stewart says, "Right now we'll be not be reached by telephone pushing the envelope of what we can do, [gaining experience] which should edge the phonathon total may be useful to others in regular courses." past the finish line. In all, some Leading the students to London with Stewart will be history profes­ 7,195 calls were completed, sor Cameron Airhart. Other faculty participating in the initial program are professors Mark Hijleh, music; and James Wardwell, English� down from the five-year aver­ age of 7,930 connections. Barb Bates '72, assistant di­ rector of the annual fund, has generous praise for the 120 stu­ dents and 60 faculty, staff, ad­ ministrators, alumni and friends who served as volun­ teer callers. "There wasn't a single down night for our call­ ers. Their enthusiasm and will­ ingness to try for new or in­ creased gifts were key to a suc­ cessful phoning effort. As a re­ sult of their good work, this year's average pledge exceeded the five-year average by $4 per gift. The percentage of persons making a pledge was also up." Dollars raised through the phonathon are allocated for student financial aid. The brains behind tlze operation: Stewart (seated) and Afrhart continue to iron out details involved in making a virtually paperless course, happen. 4 ♦ Milieu-Spring 1996 -----------------------------------�•+i�U•I--Cl@•IVI#... Faculty News and Achievements In late January, Rebekah Basinger, vice president for advancement, served as the resource person for a board retreat with trustees of the Evangelical School of Theology, Meyerstown, Pa., addressing the topic of the board's role in institutional planning. Basinger is also a member of the planning team for a Lilly Endowment-funded project on trustee board development and effectiveness within theological schools.