Houghton College Buffalo Seeing Success with New Associate Degree Program

HOUGHTON, NY – Houghton College’s new and innovative associate degree program, Houghton College Buffalo, located in the city of Buffalo, NY, is targeted at new immigrants and refuges and seeing great success as the graduation rates look to be far surpassing the national average.

Houghton College Buffalo has just begun the program’s second fall semester, and enrollment numbers are growing. The One Symphony Circle location is currently enrolling 33 students, and, while the student body expands, class sizes still retain their small structure, providing a close-knit community of learners.

This two-year associate of arts degree program is aimed at local city students, most of whom are new immigrants, and intends to prepare them for local jobs, community involvement and/or continued education at a four-year college or university. The educational opportunity that this program provides is proving to meet the needs of many new Americans on Buffalo’s West Side. Houghton is providing basic educational opportunities for these people in a hands-on way that enhances their chances of success.

As this program expands, it is seeing success with those traditionally viewed as at-risk or high-risk students.

“We focus on economically and culturally disadvantaged students and we are committed to a high-quality, focused education delivered within the means of our funding sources, which do not include student debt,” commented Cameron Airhart, dean of Houghton College Buffalo.

With a national average of a dismal three percent graduation rate for two-year associate’s degree-seeking students, Houghton College Buffalo is paced to far surpass that with an 81 percent graduation rate.

Over the course of this school year, the program will launch internships for its students. Beginning in the spring, 12 of the second-year students will have the opportunity to participate in an off-campus internship. Through generous grants, the school is also quickly moving towards a major renovation set to be completed in early October. The school will also undergo a second renovation this spring to improve signage and renovate the kitchen and bathroom facilities.

“I am grateful for generous donors who believe in what we are doing and are behind the financing,” commented Airhart.

Houghton College Buffalo provides a diverse core of general education courses in writing, history, philosophy, social science, literature, communications, Bible, theology, mathematics and fine arts. Through these programs, a student can obtain an associate of arts degree in two years. For information about the associate’s degree programs, please visit www.houghton.edu/buffalo.

Featured

  • Pittsburgh High School Upgrades Athletics Facilities’ Technology

    Plum Senior High School in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently partnered with South-Dakota-based Daktronics through the We’re All Mustangs Here Foundation to upgrade the technology in its athletics facilities, according to a news release. Daktronics designed, built, and installed new LED video displays and finished the project in time for the beginning of the 2025 high-school football season.

  • Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine has been recognized with an EDS 2025 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Texas District Finishes Construction on New Middle School, Admin Building

    The Westwood Independent School District recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Westwood Middle School and Administration Building in Palestine, Texas, according to a news release. The campus covers 106,000 square feet and has the capacity for 650 students in grades 6–8, and it will also play home to the district’s staff and administration.

  • California Boarding School Opens New Inquiry Collaborative Facility

    Cate School, a boarding school in Carpinteria, Calif., for students grades 9–12, recently announced that it has finished renovating a historic dining hall into a new academic hub, according to a news release. The school partnered with Blackbird Architects and Tangram Interiors on the two-story, 16,000-square-foot Inquiry Collaborative.

Digital Edition