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

  • K12 Tutoring Earns Every Student Succeeds Act Level II Validation

    Personalized online tutoring service K12 Tutoring recently announced that it has received Level II validation underneath the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), according to a news release. The independently validated study provides evidence of K12 Tutoring’s role in creating positive student outcomes through effective academic intervention and research-based solutions.

  • Addressing the Housing Affordability Crisis Through Creative Campus Development

    Many Southern California college and university campuses are living amidst surging housing costs, driving the need to house more of their populations on campus. Especially for community colleges, the need to support millions of unhoused and housing insecure students has become a prominent issue that lawmakers and institutions alike are trying to solve.

  • PNSI Global Alliance Launches New Quality Assurance Certification

    PNSI Global Alliance, a network of technology integrators and service providers, recently introduced a new Quality Assurance Certification (QAC) for AV service and support, according to a press release. The two-day, interactive workshop QAC course is designed for Certified Solution Providers (CSPs) to provide them with the most up-to-date and advanced quality assurance knowledge available.

  • UT-Austin Breaks Ground on 17-Story Business School

    The University of Texas at Austin recently broke ground on a new, 17-story facility that will serve as the new home for the school’s McCombs School of Business, according to university news. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on April 10 for Mulva Hall, which will include amenities like classrooms, academic department suites, research centers, faculty offices, the dean’s office, and gathering spaces.

Digital Edition