Spark Fall 2020

SPARK T H E C A LV I N

UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

Record-breaking Fundraising Year p. 12 New School of Business p. 14

Deepening Understanding, Increasing Faithfulness p. 18

Global Campus FALL 2020

FALL BIBLE STUDY Join us for a virtual, six-session study on Philippians this fall. Email campusministries@calvin.edu “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN BEFORE COVID-19

— Philippians 4:7

FALL 2020 VOL. 66, NO. 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Calvin University equips students to think deeply, to act justly, and to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world.

Calvin University is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church of North America (CRCNA).

To learn more about the CRC’s work in North America and around the world, visit crcna.org.

14 Calvin University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). For more information, visit cccu.org.

Spark is published three times a year by the Calvin Alumni Association, office of alumni, parent, and community relations, Calvin University, 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546. ©2020 by the Calvin Alumni Association.

Telephone: 616-526-6142.

Fax: 616-526-7069.

Email: spark@calvin.edu.

Spark on the web: calvin.edu/spark.

POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to Spark, Office of Alumni, Parent, and Community Relations, Calvin University, 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546.

CANADIAN POSTMASTER: Publication Mail Agreement No. 40063614. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: CRCNA-Calvin University, 3475 Mainway, P.O. Box 5070, Burlington, ON L7R 3Y8.

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A state-of-the-art facility for Calvin’s School of Business wil provide more recognition and an identity for business students and faculty.

FEATURES

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RECORD-BREAKING FUNDRAISING YEAR Donors support Calvin with gifts of more than $64 million.

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CALVIN TO LAUNCH NEW SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Large gift will fund building, programs, and additional faculty.

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DEEPENING UNDERSTANDING, INCREASING FAITHFULNESS The de Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development enhances Reformed vision.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE CALVIN SPARK

You matter

Editor: Rick Treur ’93 Managing Editor: Lynn Bolt Rosendale ’85 Art Director: Amanda Impens Designers: Erin Elders ’16, Emma Tongue ’21 Contributing Writers: Gayle Boss Jeff Febus ’92 Amanda Armour Greenhoe ’11 Matt Kucinski Amy White ’06 Contributing Photographers: Andy Calvert Rick Treur ’93

CALVIN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD President: Gene Miyamoto ’77 (Holland, Mich.)

Vice President: Jori Brink Hannah ’04 (Chicago, Ill.) Secretary: Christine Jacobs Mouw ’88 (N. Little Rock, Ark.) Director: Rick Treur ’93

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Alumna Katie Kunnen served in the COVID-19 field unit in Central Park this spring.

Calvin recently hosted a “Listening to Students of Color” panel to help inform the community on issues of racial injustice.

DEPARTMENTS

ONLINE EXTRAS

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Editor’s Desk

Read Spark online

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Campus News

calvin.edu/spark

8 Sports 10 Scholarship 24 Alumni Profiles 34 The Cultural Calvin 36 Events

Follow us on Instagram @calvinuniversityalumni

Connect with alumni facebook.com/calvinalumni

38 Class Notes

Leave a legacy for future alum

48 In Memoriam

legacygift.calvin.edu

Members: Jerry Cooper ex’66 (Holland, Mich.)

Jona Eigege ’15 (Washington, D.C.) Carlos Erazo ’14 (Dallas, Tex.) MinWoo Heo ’09 (Chicago, Ill.) Rachel Johnson-Melville ’02 (Muskegon, Mich.)

Dale Kaemingk ’77 (Brier, Wash.)

Casey Kuperus ’97 (Grand Rapids, Mich.)

Maxine Asante Mosley-Totoe ’06 (Minneapolis, Minn.)

Debra Perry ’91 (Grand Rapids, Mich.)

Valerie Stegink Sterk ’83 (Santa Clara, Calif.)

Levi Stoep ’13 (New York, N.Y.) Mark Tigchelaar ’06 (Bellflower, Calif.)

Jim Valk ’87 (Paw Paw, Mich.)

Cathy Van Zeelt Van Donselaar ’88 (Centennial, Colo.)

Johanna Chambery Zandstra ’91 (Schererville, Ind.) Karen Zwart Hielema ’94 (Toronto, Ont.)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters regarding the contents of the magazine will be considered for publication in Spark unless specifically marked “not for publication.” Correspondence should be no more than 350 words and may be shortened to meet editorial requirements. We will not publish anonymous letters; however, we may withhold names upon request. Send your correspondence to: Spark, 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, or email spark@calvin.edu.

View the Calvin calendar calvin.edu/calendar

Covid-19 information calvin.edu/go/coronavirus 3

EDITOR’S DESK

Career Connections When Rob Dykstra ’03, a partner at Quantum Leap Communications, hires new employees, he admits to some bias.

“I see a difference in Calvin grads. They are just more well-rounded. Even if I do say no to them, I want to connect them to someone who would be a good fit.”

That’s exactly what happened after he contacted TaRita Johnson, director of Calvin’s Career Center, to find his next employee.

“I connected with her a year or two ago.

We had a lot of conversations about big picture stuff and about how I can get talent to come to Quantum Leap. She and the staff are great and are always searching out employers to hear their needs and to share what talent is available at Calvin.”

One of the applicants Johnson suggested was Courtney Pierre ’17. As a student, Pierre worked in the Career Center. Dykstra was impressed with her, but during the interview he felt there was a better fit overall for Pierre, and the company he had in mind was right next door. So they prayed in the middle of the job interview, and then Dykstra connected Pierre to Sara Knoester at Mixed Staffing. At the

time, Mixed Staffing was not hiring, but Knoester was so impressed with Pierre that they created a position for her.

Pierre has great advice for students and alumni looking for work: “Put yourself out there. I found companies I was interested in working at and reached out to those business owners and presidents and asked if they would meet so I could learn more about their company. I put out over 20 requests and got a lot of no responses, but I did get a few yeses. The answer is always going to be no if you don’t try, but when you do get that one yes, it opens up a lot of other opportunities.”

Dykstra also encourages you to, “Reach out to the Career Center. They want to help Calvin students and alumni get to their career destination. For me, there is a strong desire to see Calvin alumni be successful and help them navigate where their passions lie. I know that’s true for me because Calvin has meant a lot to me and helped me grow in my character and development. I see myself in a lot of young alumni, and I want the best for them.”

Just over a year ago when the Calvin Alumni Association board wrote a new strategic plan to guide us for the next five

years, we didn’t realize how important one of our six overarching goals would be: Expand programs which are accessible to all alumni worldwide and not dependent on geographically based resources.

Since mid-March, the alumni board and staff have been thinking a lot about the services we offer and how to continue to deliver them in a digital world.

One of those services is career assistance.

In the past year, more than 150 alumni have contacted the Career Center for help in finding work or transitioning to a new career.

The pandemic has created career uncertainty for some of our alumni. Let the alumni office and the Calvin Career Center be a resource for you. Whether you are looking for career assistance, want to find candidates for open positions at your company, or are offering internships, we can help you start making connections.

RICK TREUR DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

LETTERS

Send us your letters.

Write us at spark@calvin.edu.

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VISIT CALVIN

ON-CAMPUS VISITS •S tudents can walk the paths of our park-like campus •E xperience community with student tour guides •M eet financial aid and admission counselors, professors, or coaches

VIRTUAL VISITS • Interactive options that help students get to know Calvin’s people, places, and programs •M ultiple opportunties to meet current students and get questions answered quickly

calvin.edu/visit

WE’D LOVE TO SHOW STUDENTS AROUND! We can’t shake hands, but we’re eager to help students discover Calvin.

Their journey begins with a personalized look into life on campus, and hearing directly from admissions counselors and current students about why Calvin could be the right place for them.

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CAMPUS NEWS

Longtime philosophy professor returns to Calvin as senior research fellow.

RICHARD MOUW RETURNS TO CALVIN Richard Mouw, a widely respected theologian and philosopher, has joined the Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin University as a senior research fellow. Mouw has served the past 35 years at Fuller Theological Seminary, for two of those decades as its president. This September, his work takes him back to where his career in academia began: Calvin, where he taught philosophy from 1968 to 1985. Mouw has been long established as a leading thinker of how Christians can engage in politics with civility.

“For his entire career Dr. Mouw has been thinking about what it means to be faithful to Christianity while also giving politics its due,” said Micah Watson, director of the Henry Institute. “Our students want to do this well, and it’s hard to find a better guide for them than Dr. Mouw. I am excited for the opportunities that having him here will afford our faculty and students. We will have a resource that no other school will have.”

His research includes a book project on a Christian consideration of patriotism as well as several research projects within the context of Calvinist political thought.

Students, faculty, and staff have returned to campus after working groups prepared for a safe return throughout the summer.

A SUMMER PREPARING FOR A SAFE RETURN A cross-divisional team of faculty, staff, and administrators spent the past few months working diligently to put Calvin in the best position possible to bring students, faculty, and staff safely back to campus this fall. Four working groups of the Safe Return Team (Instruction and the Classroom, Lab, and Studio; Health Maintenance; The Employee Experience; Campus Experience, Alumni, and External Communities) spent the summer digging into details and planning for multiple scenarios for the fall semester.

the current and changing landscape. The teams’ recommendations adhere to guidance outlined by local and state health officials and are being updated (as needed) to remain compliant with the latest health advice.

The Safe Return Team also developed a Safe Return playbook, which outlines guidance for faculty, staff, students, and guests. To stay updated on the status of traditional fall events, how Calvin is adapting throughout the fall semester, and how the Safe Return Team is preparing for interim and spring semester, visit calvin.edu/safe-return.

Each group brought forth recommendations to the Safe Return Team for how to operate the many facets of a residential living and learning environment in the context of

STAY CONNECTED Find more campus news daily at calvin.edu/news.

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Eight hundred tons of sand composes Calvin’s newest research site.

BRINGING THE BEACH TO CAMPUS This summer a dune appeared on Calvin’s campus.

Education professor Robert Keeley is the recipient of the 2020 Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching.

A TEACHER FOR TEACHERS For nearly 23 years, Robert Keeley has taught in Calvin University’s education department. In recognition for his decades of excellence at the university, Keeley has received the school’s highest teaching honor: the 2020 Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching. Through his scholarship, service, and teaching, Keeley has been “an outstanding university citizen,” said Arlene Hoogewerf, academic dean. Keeley has served Calvin in many leadership roles, supported his colleagues, and helped to design the Certificate in Bible Instruction, a Calvin Theological Seminary program in partnership with Calvin University.

Among the many categories in which he excels, students consistently give Keeley high marks for his enthusiasm in teaching.

A former student noted, “Keeley was one of my most favorite professors of my career at Calvin. He is a very forgiving professor and really loves getting to know you as a student.”

Keeley is able to excel in teaching in part because of his own tenacious scholarship of pursuing truth in education and ministry, including authoring Helping Our Children Grow in Faith: How the Church Can Nurture the Spiritual Development of Kids (Baker Books, 2008) and co-authoring three additional books.

For nearly two decades, Deanna van Dijk, professor of geology, geography, and environmental studies and head of the FirstYear Research in Earth Sciences program, has been taking students to the Lake Michigan dunes for valuable hands-on research experience. But this year, she had a problem to solve: how to get her class to the dunes frequently throughout the semester given the risks associated with travel and COVID-19.

She started thinking about ways to reduce risks when a bold idea crossed her mind.

“Some ideas you don’t know where they come from; my mind went, ‘Well, we are trying to bring students to the dunes, but could we bring dunes to students?’ It seemed like a really crazy idea, and I knew that to make that work it would be an awful lot of sand to place somewhere on campus,” she said.

A lot of sand? Try 300 cubic yards or 800 tons.

The sand was delivered by a local landscaping company to the east side of campus and spread over existing topography just northeast of the Prince Conference Center and given an artificial dune shape until the wind began pushing the sand into more natural shapes for research purposes.

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CALVIN SPORTS

JACOB LYON

Calvin University has announced the 2020 recipients of its highest athletic honors: the Beré Memorial Award and the Kay Tiemersma Athletic Award.

Calvin has presented the Beré Memorial Award annually since 1951. The Beré honors the top senior male student-athlete, based on athletic ability, scholastic rank, character, and leadership. It is given in memory of Joe Beré, a Calvin student who was killed in a 1949 auto accident on his way to watch a Calvin basketball game. The winner is selected by the coaches of the school’s men’s sports and an Athletics Committee made up of students and non-physical education department faculty members.

This is the 47th year that Calvin has given the Tiemersma award—presented annually to the top senior female student-athlete. The award honors Kay Tiemersma, a pioneer in women’s sports and the first female physical education teacher in the member schools of the 8

Christian Schools International organization.

Its presentation is based on athletic ability, scholastic standing, character, and leadership.

The winner is selected by the coaches of the school’s women’s sports and an Athletics Committee made up of students and nonphysical education department faculty members.

JACOB LYON Jacob Lyon hails from Holt, Michigan. He is the son of Dave and Erin Lyon. He is a graduate of Lansing Christian High School. At Calvin, Lyon was a four-year standout on the men’s soccer team.

In the classroom, Lyon was a dean’s list student while majoring in biochemistry. He was named to the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-America Third Team while also landing a spot on the United Soccer Coaches Scholar AllAmerica Second Team this past December.

On the pitch, Lyon was a three-year starter as a midfielder. He was a three-time first team All-MIAA selection, helping Calvin reach the national championship final twice and the national semifinals three times. As a junior, he was named to the 2018 D3soccer.com AllAmerica First Team and to the United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team, and he received United Soccer Coaches All-America honors for the third straight year, landing a spot on the All-America First Team. He was named to the United Soccer Coaches AllCentral Region First Team in both 2018 and 2019.

Over his four-year career, Lyon helped the Calvin men’s soccer program produce an overall win-loss record of 89-8-2 that included four MIAA regular-season titles, four MIAA tournament crowns, and four trips to the NCAA III Tournament.

Lyon is attending medical school at Michigan State University.

SARAH DEVRIES

SARAH DEVRIES Sarah DeVries is from Grand Rapids. She is a graduate of Grand Rapids Northpointe Christian High School. She is the daughter of Mike and Betsy Wilgenburg DeVries. She joins her mother as a Tiemersma Award recipient, with Betsy Wilgenburg DeVries receiving the honor in 1993 after a three-sport career in volleyball, basketball, and track and field.

At Calvin, Sarah DeVries recently completed a standout four-year career with the Calvin women’s volleyball team. During her tenure with the Knights, she helped the Calvin women’s volleyball program post an overall win-loss record of 123-10 that included four MIAA regular-season championships, three MIAA tournament titles, three trips to the national semifinals, two trips to the national final, and one national championship.

A middle hitter and setter in Calvin’s 6-2 attack, DeVries completed her career with 1,493 kills, ranking eighth on the Calvin career list. She also amassed 463 career blocks, which ranks sixth on the all-time Calvin list.

In addition, she accumulated 1,278 assists, which rests eighth on the Calvin career list.

DeVries was a three-time First Team All-MIAA selection and the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player in 2019 and the MIAA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2018. In 2018 and 2019 she was named the AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Division III National Player of the Year and to the AVCA Division III All-America First Team. In 2017, she was named to the AVCA Division III All-America Second Team.

As a freshman in 2016, she was named to the NCAA III Finals All-Tournament Team after helping Calvin capture its third national championship in women’s volleyball. She

sparked Calvin to four consecutive NCAA III Regional crowns and was named the NCAA III Regional Tournament Most Outstanding Player in both 2018 and 2019. In the 2019 NCAA III Regional Finals, she produced an incredible quadruple-double (20 kills, 16 assists, 12 digs, 10 blocks) in a four-set win over Hope College. She concluded her career with a triple-double (25 kills, 28 assists, 12 digs) in a national quarterfinal loss to Trinity (Texas) this past November.

In the classroom, DeVries recently graduated with a degree in nursing. This past December, she was named the 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. in women’s volleyball. She was named a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America selection in 2018 and 2019. She was a dean’s list student at Calvin as well as a regular member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.

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CALVIN SCHOLARSHIP

IMMIGRANTS, THE BIBLE, AND YOU

BY AMANDA W. BENCKHUYSEN

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What kind of society do we want to live in? What will the shape of our communal life look like? How can we structure our communities and our nation in ways that are safe, stable, and just?

2020 has been a dreadful year. With all that has gone on in the world, it would be easy to relegate conversations about immigration and immigration reform to the back burner.

Navigating the uncertainty and disruption caused by COVID-19, grieving the pernicious and persistent racial injustice that plagues our country, and simply managing our daily lives seem like overwhelming tasks. We have little mental or spiritual capacity for taking on more.

But one thing the outbreak of COVID-19 and the heinous sin of racial injustice have in common with the debate about immigration reform is that each of these pressing realities of our time pushes us to reconsider the kind of people and kind of nation we want to be.

What kind of society do we want to live in?

What will the shape of our communal life look like? How can we structure our communities and our nation in ways that are safe, stable, and just?

As we move into a world that has been reshaped by COVID, the inclination will be to isolate our communities from “outsiders” in order to protect the U.S. against global threats and safeguard the prosperity of American citizens. But if we have learned anything from COVID-19, it is that our own health and well-being is not something we can attend to and cultivate in isolation from the global community. An outbreak of a virus in Wuhan, China, does affect us. We live in a global world that has increasingly tied the fates of countries around the world together.

More people are traveling internationally.

Our economies are interconnected. Our security and protection are dependent on healthy international relations and good diplomacy. To invest in and attend only to ourselves puts the country at greater risk down the road. A less global U.S. will be a less prosperous and less stable U.S.

For this reason, thinking about, talking about, even debating immigration reform is an important step to the healing of our own communities. For Christians, the place to begin thinking about any social issue is with the Bible. Thus, the first question we should be asking is what do the Scriptures say about immigration, about the “strangers” and “sojourners” who live among us?

The Bible has quite a lot to say about immigrants. There are more than 100 passages that directly address the cause of the immigrant and a good many stories about sojourners and immigrants in the Bible. The Israelites themselves were refugees, escaping from Egypt by the hand of God, as was Jesus, whose parents fled from Bethlehem when he was an infant to escape the persecution of King Herod. And while it is true that there are differences between sojourning in the ancient near East and immigration today, through these passages and stories, the Bible provides important principles and insights that can help us think about and approach immigration through the lens of faith.

Immigration, the Bible, and You, is a book designed to serve as a primer for Christians who want to explore what the Bible has to say about immigration. Focusing on a number of key illustrative texts, this book invites readers to consider immigrants through the eyes of God, reflecting on what God sees when he looks at immigrants and particularly the plight of asylum seekers and refugees today. What the Bible makes clear is that God loves the immigrant and we are to love the immigrant, too (Deut. 10:18-19). But what does that mean? What does it look like to love the immigrant in terms of immigration reform? How do we balance protecting our country from outside threats (whether that be from violence or disease) while also attending to our global responsibilities to refugees and asylum seekers who are fleeing violence and persecution?

This volume, by Amanda Benckhuysen, is part of the Calvin Shorts series, which is available from online retailers or the Calvin University Campus Store.

Amanda Benckhuysen is professor of the Old Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary.

What does it mean for how we treat and interact with immigrants in our own communities and churches? How do we create hospitable communities that are able to welcome and enfold immigrants? What does it mean for how we think about the issues of undocumented workers? How do we navigate the tension between a respect for the law and compassion for those who are vulnerable? Immigration, the Bible, and You touches on these concerns, and through questions available on the Calvin Press website, it helps readers reflect deeply on how to be faithful to God’s call to love immigrants today.

Although we have many things to consider as we move into the last quarter of 2020, one that we cannot neglect is the global refugee crisis that pre-dated COVID-19 and will continue in a world redefined by the coronavirus. While it may not seem self-evident, this is a good time for Christians to educate themselves about biblical perspectives on immigration. This is a good time for the Christian community to consider its voice in the conversation about what the future of this country should look like with respect to immigration.

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RECORD-BREAKING

FEATURE STORY

More than 18,800 alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, and students financially contributed to the work of Calvin University throughout the 2020 fiscal year (July 1, 2019–June 30, 2020). Combined, their generosity resulted in a record-breaking $64.3 million in gifts and new pledges to Calvin.

MORE THAN

18,800 DONORS

$64.3

MILLION IN GIFTS AND NEW PLEDGES

$22.25 MILLION DONATED TO SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

$11

MILLION DONATED TO EXPAND FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

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“Our supporters are extremely invested in the mission and vision of Calvin University,” said Ken Erffmeyer, vice president for advancement. “I’m deeply grateful for their support and for the impact they are having on our students, our faculty, and the future of the institution. Our team has worked hard to honor their philanthropic spirit by matching people’s passions with both the immediate and forthcoming needs of the school.”

GROWING SCHOLARSHIPS One specific area of growth came through donor-funded scholarships. This program expanded last year with new gifts and pledges totaling over $5 million.

Through these scholarships, supporters can customize the impact they have on Calvin students.

Awards can be gifted to someone pursuing a particular major, entering a certain grade, or with a specific financial need. In 2019– 2020, 1,120 students received support through a donor-funded scholarship, and each year 20 to 30 new awards are being added.

“A named scholarship can be the difference maker for a student,” explained Jodi Cole, director of development. “Not only do donors support our students financially, but many provide encouragement to students throughout the year with letters, emails, care packages, Sunday dinners, and mentoring.”

TOP FIVE YEARS OF FUNDRAISING 2020

$64,351,616

2008 2014 2007 1999

$40,445,157 $35,789,295 $35,267,156 $30,359,545

2020

$3,611,350

2019 2018 2017 2016

$3,191,482 $3,168,392 $3,258,493 $3,227,318

FUNDRAISING YEAR

TOP FIVE YEARS OF ANNUAL FUND

1,120

STUDENTS RECEIVED DONOR-FUNDED SCHOLARSHIPS IN 2019-2020

CALVIN CARES

FOREVER FAITHFUL

While designated gifts have an immense effect, the unrestricted dollars of the Calvin Annual Fund remain crucial to the university’s fundraising efforts.

“Whether it is $5 or $1,000, every gift matters,” said Melanie Lyons, director of annual giving.

These record-setting achievements are especially notable as the final months of the fiscal year were marked by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “The Calvin community came together to ensure we can continue to offer an unparalleled Christ-centered education,” Erffmeyer said.

“Unforeseen expenses and lost revenue from the pandemic have impacted Calvin’s budget, but people didn’t hesitate to respond, and we’re so thankful that our donors continue to help meet the evolving needs on campus. We’re excited and expectant as we look to the future.”

In June, the weeklong Calvin Cares campaign rounded out a record year for the Annual Fund.

Over five days, 12,288 individuals donated $119,554, pushing the total for the year over $3.6 million.

The Annual Fund fills the gap where tuition dollars stop, and these unrestricted dollars support the areas of greatest need on campus. From arts and athletics to financial aid, faculty research, and student life—this fund affects every student, every day. “What this season revealed is just how committed our community is to the flourishing of a Christian liberal arts education and how much they care for our students, faculty, and staff,” Lyons added.

20–30

NEW AWARDS ARE ADDED TO SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM EACH YEAR

12,288 INDIVIDUALS DONATED TO THE ANNUAL FUND

ANNUAL FUND REACHED

$3.6 MILLION

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FEATURE STORY

CALVIN TO LAUNCH NEW

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

BY LYNN BOLT ROSENDALE ’85

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$22.25 MILLION GIFT WILL FUND BUILDING, PROGRAMS, ADDITIONAL FACULTY

Like any good enterprise, the Calvin

THINKING BIG

business department has looked for

A committee tasked with “thinking big” started with a vision statement built around excellence, engagement, and faithfulness.

“We talked about being a Christian business school with a global impact,” said Stansbury.

“Excellence in what we do is central to that.

Engagement as a trusted partner in the west Michigan community and beyond; we want to be more recognized worldwide, animated by a Reformed Christian faith.”

growth opportunities, made investments for the future, sought to build its brand, and aspired to reach new goals.

But never before has the prospect to “dream big” been presented to the 14-member faculty as it was this spring with the announcement of a $22.25 million anonymous gift to launch the Calvin University School of Business.

“We were approached by the administration a year ago to begin thinking about the possibilities,” said Marilyn Stansbury, director of Calvin’s master’s of accounting program. “We had conversations about what would a school of business look like?”

Realizing that vision began with the need for additional space, leadership development, and the creation of innovative new academic programs—including developing new majors and launching new graduate and undergraduate programs.

All of this follows the trajectory the business department has been on since 2007, when the Calvin business and economics department separated to form two departments.

“At that time [in 2007] we were able to begin building our identity and take a different focus,” said business department co-chair Tom Betts.

The split was followed by the establishment of the Calvin Center for Innovation in Business (CCIB) in 2009, which was created to provide resources to support faculty scholar-

ship, recruit projects for experiential learning, fuel curricular innovation, and to increase engagement with the business community.

Bob Eames, professor emeritus and director of the CCIB, said the center has provided many opportunities for students and gained visibility for the Calvin business program in the west Michigan community: “It serves as the Calvin representative at area business events and helps with networking in the community for experiential learning projects and internships.”

A refining of business degrees—leading to minors in entrepreneurship, supply chain management, and accounting and majors in marketing, human resource management, and finance to complement the existing accounting major, and the newest addition: financial planning—has also fueled growth in the department over the last decade.

Since becoming a distinct entity, the business department has seen its enrollment grow from 9% of the college total to 17% (including interdisciplinary degrees), with another 4.5% of students studying a business minor.

“Because we have been adding more majors, more students, more faculty, we have outgrown our space in North Hall,” said Stansbury.

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FEATURE STORY

A VISUAL PRESENCE The most visible use of the $22.25 million gift will be to construct the Calvin University School of Business building and to improve shared spaces in the DeVos Communication Center, the building to which the new school will be connected.

The 15,000-square-foot addition, to be completed by fall 2022, will house new offices, modern classrooms, contemporary breakout spaces, and large gathering areas, while also providing more recognition for the new school.

“This state-of-the-art facility will provide us with space that is more conducive to the group learning that we do,” said Betts. “And the physical presence will be making a statement to the community: We now have space for events, interviews, and other interactions.”

Beyond the benefits of the upgraded space, the facility provides identity for the business school and its students.

“This gives our majors a real sense of connectedness, as it provides a visual presence for the School of Business along with a place to easily find other business majors and faculty,” said Stansbury. “I’m really excited that this will be a place we can call home.”

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BUILDING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION The gift also provides significant endowment funds that will be used to support the new dean of the School of Business and business faculty. The purpose of the endowment is to serve as a catalyst for a number of new academic programs intended to serve new populations of students at Calvin.

New majors and programs of study, including master’s level, are under consideration.

“We get to be a part of building the curriculum for the next generation,” said Eames.

“Wow, is that exciting! We were feeling pretty good about adding a supply chain minor and an entrepreneurship minor, and someone comes along and says, ‘No, dream bigger!’ We get to be that place where we’re challenging students to think deeply, act justly, and live wholeheartedly in business around the world.

“I think we all have a deep sense of gratitude to God for the way he continues to provide.

When I think of our vision, there are a lot of business schools that are excellent, and a lot are engaged, but what sets us apart is faithfulness—our deep commitment to glorify God in everything we do. And we feel blessed and challenged to do even better.

“I’m more excited than I have ever been in my career,” continued Eames. “The possibilities for future generations of students is exciting, and I hope this has a catalytic effect on other schools at Calvin University. I hope it inspires donors to make this kind of investment in other areas because that’s what makes Calvin Calvin.”

NEW FINANCIAL PLANNING MAJOR The Calvin University School of Business bachelor of science in financial planning (BSFP) has received registration approval from Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board of Standards Inc. The addition of this new degree makes Calvin University one of a very small number of faith-based institutions in the United States to offer a CFP Board-registered financial planning program. Calvin expects its first BSFP class to graduate in May 2021.

The new financial planning major is a natural outcome of Calvin’s long-running strategy to deepen and diversify the degrees it offers. But it is also a direct response to interest from students who, over the years, have pursued financial planning careers long before the university offered a dedicated financial planning degree. And for years, Calvin’s interim (January term) course on personal finance has been one of the most in-demand on-campus interim courses at Calvin. It simply made sense to introduce the new major, said Dirk Pruis, associate professor of finance at Calvin University.

The financial planning major intentionally prepares students for the road to CFP certification, which requires them to complete coursework from a CFP Boardregistered program, take a national exam, and gain extensive work experience in the field.

The field of financial planning has changed significantly in the last decade, making it a more compelling career choice for students fresh out of college, according to Pruis. “The way that financial planners used to be compensated and introduced to the field made it a common choice for a second career, but not an easy option for new graduates,” he said. “But recent shifts in the industry along with a strong and growing demand for financial advisers means that it’s now a very appealing career choice for students who love both working with people and working with finance.”

Financial planning majors will find extensive support and career preparation before they graduate. Programs like Calvin Nexus Peer Financial Coaching give students an opportunity to put their learning into practice by counseling student clients in areas such as budgeting, saving, and investing, along with many others.

Pruis is excited about what the new major means for students. “There’s a great demand right now for faith-based financial planners—for financial advisers and counselors who share their clients’ values. That’s why I’m so excited about this new program: We have the ability to prepare students to make an incredibly tangible, positive difference in people’s lives. It’s not about accumulating wealth—it’s about doing good in the world with the resources God has entrusted to us.”

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FEATURE STORY

DEEPENING UNDERSTANDING, INCREASING FAITHFULNESS

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THE DE VRIES INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL FACULTY DEVELOPMENT ENHANCES REFORMED VISION

BY AMANDA ARMOUR GREENHOE ’11

Just over two years ago, a groundbreaking collaboration began at Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary. The de Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development was established as a hub for Reformed faculty training, providing a depth of learning among Calvin professors and wide-reaching resources for Christian leaders around the globe.

And the institute wasted no time. Faculty discussion groups were formed, cohorts were created, and new professors were paired with veteran faculty for one-on-one mentoring.

In summer 2020, Calvin announced an $11 million gift to the institute from the estate of its founders, Rimmer and Ruth de Vries. Equipped by this generosity, Calvin leaders are going even further to deepen professional development for Reformed educators on campus and beyond.

“Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary now have the capacity to provide a new depth and rigor of training in a Reformed perspective to every faculty member in our institutions,” said Michael Le Roy, president of Calvin University.

Le Roy said the institute intends to equip Christian faculty in higher education through

initiatives such as seminars, conferences, independent projects, and shared access to digital teaching and scholarly resources.

“This movement starts here at Calvin, of course, but the institute’s mission will not be completed within these square inches of campus. We’re providing Reformed resources for Christian minds around the world,” said Le Roy. “And we look forward to receiving the contributions of world-wide scholars and teachers to this collection of resources as well.

We have much to learn from each other.”

David Wunder, dean for faculty development, shared how the institute’s work directly conveys the university’s mission.

“We are about equipping students to effectively engage God’s world,” he said. “To do this we must increase our understanding of God’s world and God’s intention for it. A Reformed perspective, and our living it out as faithful Christ followers, is a dynamic response to God’s call on our life.

“This is a shared project—to deepen our understanding and increase in faithfulness, the Calvin community must engage this crucial work together.”

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FEATURE STORY

A REFORMED PERSPECTIVE, AND OUR LIVING IT OUT AS FAITHFUL CHRIST FOLLOWERS, IS A DYNAMIC RESPONSE TO GOD’S CALL ON OUR LIFE.

EARLY ROOTS In his later writings, institute founder Rimmer de Vries reflected on his initial interest in Reformed theology. His grandfather and great-grandfather were farmers in Friesland, in the Netherlands. For these working class citizens, the figure of Abraham Kuyper loomed large. He did not just bring theology— he brought hope.

“Kuyper was their liberator,” de Vries wrote of his ancestors, “not only in the church but also in education and political life. They had moved from being disenfranchised by both nobility and intellectuals, to the ruling class.”

Next in a family lineage of those who ascribed to Kuyperian ideas—like the concept of common grace, the broad grace and favor of God that enables general goodness in the world, as well as the sovereignty of Christ over all areas of life and study—a high school-age Rimmer vowed to read all of Kuyper’s works.

After immigrating to the United States in the 1950s, Rimmer met his wife, Ruth Berg, through the New York University Chapter of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.

The couple welcomed three children, who would later attend Calvin: Rimmer ’85, Jacqueline ’87, and Joyce de Vries ’88.

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The elder Rimmer’s work as a prominent global economist led him to serve alongside figureheads from Ronald Reagan to Margaret Thatcher. And, despite his elite circles, Rimmer remembered what Kuyper had done to elevate the position of common workers.

“In reforming public life,” Jacqueline said of her father, “he was attempting to give working class folks a foothold.”

Rimmer would go on to found tributes to Kuyper’s scholarship, including the Kuyper Conference and Kuyper Prize, both of which began at Princeton Theological Seminary and later moved to Calvin University, where they endure today. He also funded the complete translation of Kuyper’s works, going beyond his promise to read Kuyper’s writings, and helping to share them.

Rimmer’s belief in Kuyperian ideas, as well as his ties to higher education (two of his children and three of his children-in-law have served as higher education faculty) led him, along with Ruth, to set aside generous funding for what would later become known as The de Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development.

DEEPER CONNECTIONS ON CAMPUS One of the first aims of the institute has been developing a series of professional development modules related to Reformed Christian higher education.

Professor David Smith of Calvin’s education department has served as a coordinator for the institute since 2019. He also led on the interdepartmental team of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary faculty tasked with creating initial learning modules for the digital platform: one on how the authority of Scripture relates to faculty work and another on educating for shalom.

The modules launched in a pilot phase this summer.

“The new online learning platform will enable faculty not only at Calvin, but worldwide, to work through guided modules on a range of topics,” Smith said. “The platform is designed to be flexible to meet the needs of a variety of users, including new faculty, adjunct faculty, staff, and perhaps even board members.”

As president, Le Roy said that each year he sees students from all Christian backgrounds embrace Reformed learning at Calvin University. And faculty from various Christian and academic backgrounds have likewise embraced teaching and scholarship in a Reformed tradition with fervor.

“The institute is designed to help faculty at Calvin and beyond to deepen their understanding of a Reformed tradition,” said Le Roy. “It will serve Christian leaders who have long been rooted in Reformed teaching and learning; it will also serve Christian leaders who are discovering the principles of Reformed thinking. We believe the institute’s resources will be deeply enriching for both.”

Professor of mathematics David Klanderman was born into a Reformed tradition. He has attended Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) churches his entire life, and much of his education was shaped through Reformed educational communities, including his undergraduate work at Calvin.

In fall 2018, he joined Calvin’s department of mathematics and statistics, excited to continue his Reformed teaching and scholarship on campus.

Through the work of the institute, Klanderman said he has been able to dive deep into Reformed works and participate in discussion groups.

“Under David Smith’s leadership, I worked collaboratively with other new Calvin faculty members to think more deeply about how our pedagogical practices flow from our Reformed Christian commitments,” he explained.

Professor of political science Karie Riddle also joined Calvin’s faculty in 2018. Riddle and Klanderman still stay connected with their cohort of incoming faculty from 2018, led by the institute.

“I’m grateful for the support and for the continuing education on what it means to be a Reformed teacher and scholar, particularly because I do not come from a Reformed background,” Riddle said. “This way of thinking is not second nature to me, as it is for some in my cohort.”

Riddle was raised in the Church of Christ denomination, a community to which she attributes her biblical foundations, her undergraduate education, and her love for singing a capella. While completing her doctoral program in Indiana, Riddle found her church home in a CRCNA congregation, which she said offered more expansive roles for women than her past worship communities.

“I finally felt like my gifts as a teacher were being put to use not just in the classroom, but also in my church home, as I occasionally led adult education classes and co-led the graduate student small group.” Riddle said.

“The CRCNA, to me, was a place where I could be fully myself.”

THE NEW ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM WILL ENABLE FACULTY NOT ONLY AT CALVIN, BUT WORLDWIDE, TO WORK THROUGH GUIDED MODULES ON A RANGE OF TOPICS.

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1950s + Rimmer de Vries, a recent U.S. immigrant from the Netherlands, marries Ruth (Berg) de Vries. He and Ruth would go on to fund various philanthropic endeavors to advance Reformed thought and missions.

FAR-REACHING RESOURCES As The de Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development makes its mark on Calvin’s scholars like Klanderman and Riddle, its work is continually expanding beyond the immediate university community.

“What is unique,” Wunder said, “is the institute’s dual focus on equipping Calvin faculty while also equipping colleagues throughout the world.”

“The word ‘global’ in the institute’s name is no accident,” added Smith, who noted the institute has already sponsored learning groups that serve faculty in several countries.

“One of the primary and crucial goals for the institute is to serve as a resource for Christian faculty in all parts of the world,” said Wunder. “This is imperative—there is great need and excitement for this work to serve as a resource for Christian scholars with a desire to better understand and integrate their faith with their scholarship and teaching.”

Le Roy said this is a pivotal time for the kind of Reformed thinking the institute promotes.

“A Reformed perspective is as needed today as it was during the lifetimes of [John] Calvin and Kuyper,” he said.

“Faculty are being enriched in their Christ-centered teaching and scholarship, with incalculable impact on their students, and God’s world.”

In this way, the institute also stays true to the wishes of Kuyper’s enthusiastic disciple, Rimmer de Vries, who imagined the institute as a global pursuit.

“My dad had this vision for a global center and what he wanted more than anything else was for that vision to extend beyond Grand Rapids,” Jacqueline said. “His vision was always the world.”

1980s + Rimmer de Vries visits Calvin University, then known as Calvin College, giving on-campus presentations to help make the global economy intelligible to college-age students. + Rimmer and Ruth’s three children attend Calvin University.

2018 + The de Vrieses, having founded the Kuyper Conference at Princeton Theological Seminary, oversee its move to Calvin. The annual event celebrates Reformed thought and bestows the Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life, a prize that is also funded through a grant from the de Vrieses. + The de Vrieses fund the establishment of the Global Faculty Development Institute at Calvin, the latest of Calvin’s 12 centers and institutes promoting Christian thought and action in key areas of education and culture.

2019 + David Smith, professor of education at Calvin University and director for the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning, is appointed as the institute’s coordinator. + The Global Faculty Development Institute initiates the inaugural class of Faith and Learning Fellows, composed of new Calvin faculty in their second year as professors. + The institute begins the development of a digital platform designed to equip Calvin professors and faculty worldwide to enhance their integration of a Reformed Christian perspective with teaching and scholarship.

2020 + The estate of late Rimmer and Ruth de Vries, who both passed in recent years, grants Calvin University $11 million to be used toward The de Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development, which is renamed in honor of the founding donors. + Matthew Lundberg, professor of religion at Calvin University, is appointed as the institute’s first director, bringing his extensive expertise in Reformed theology, ethics, and teaching to develop and expand the institute’s missional work.

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THE DE VRIES INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

FEATURE STORY

NEW LEADERSHIP To carry on the vision of providing resources worldwide, David Smith and David Wunder said the search for the institute’s first director entailed finding a candidate who exhibits a global outlook as well as a deep resonance with Reformed Christianity. In September 2020, they are pleased to welcome the institute’s first director: Matthew Lundberg.

Having served as a professor of religion at Calvin University for the past 16 years, Lundberg has taught 11 religion courses, directed the semester in Britain, and co-led the Kuiper Seminar for new faculty four times. In recognition for his excellence as a professor, Lundberg received the 2017 Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching.

His scholarship includes journal articles focused on the theology of various topics, including Christian martyrdom, racism and violence, just war, ecumenism, and mass incarceration. Lundberg routinely presents his work at academic conferences and also reaches broad audiences through Christian publications and websites. Along with two of his religion department colleagues, Lundberg is currently co-authoring the second edition of the textbook An Introduction to Christian Theology (Cambridge University Press).

A Calvin alumnus, Lundberg understands the gravity of what the institute was created to accomplish. Receiving a Calvin education that integrated Reformed faith and learning impacted the course of his life and vocation.

“When I was a student at Calvin in the mid1990s, my professors’ efforts to link Christian faith with all the subjects I was studying was life-changing for me,” he said. “It wasn’t something I had experienced before.”

“This institute will empower a new generation of faculty members, both at Calvin and elsewhere, to think creatively and in theologically robust ways about what Christian faith means for their teaching and research.”

Now Lundberg is set on ensuring that faculty at Calvin and beyond are well connected and developed in their Reformed teaching and scholarship, within and across disciplines.

“One feature of Reformed theology is its belief—rooted in the doctrines of God and creation—that all areas of life matter and are relevant to Christian faith. Different disciplines of teaching and learning explore those areas of life in different ways,” Lundberg explained.

Lundberg said he is grateful to Smith for identifying and cultivating these kinds of connections. And Smith will remain involved in the institute, providing continuity for the foundational work that he has shepherded during its initial stages.

“There is no one-size-fits-all paradigm for authentic connections between faith and learning—there are lots of overlapping ways of bringing the claims of Christ to bear on our academic work. David Smith has done outstanding work in moving this conversation forward, including through the initial work of the institute,” Lundberg said.

“I am privileged to work with him and others in moving forward with it, both drawing upon the wisdom and experience of faculty throughout the world and contributing to it in Calvin’s own distinctive way.”

Matthew Lundberg, director of The de Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development

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FEATURE STORY

Alumni Profiles Calvin seeks to equip students to think deeply, act justly, and live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world. These stories demonstrate how our alumni are living out that mission.

Cheri Ackerman Jaylyn Gough is the hasfounder been of Native Women’s Wilderness, researching a new technology. which strives It to create could lead a platform to a diagnostic for native platform, women to use their which couldvoices test ato person speak for out againstsingle every injustices, virus,toincluding bring awareness the to indigenousevery coronavirus, people time andthey landgot rights, and to sick and serve could as eventually adventure-seeking be usedrole models for broad forpublic-health native girls. efforts.

CalvinStaal Janet professor and Katelyn of nursing Egnatuk Katie launchedserves Kunnen one ofwith West Samaritan’s Michigan’s first nature-based Purse and waspreschools, recently deployed a movement that is rapidly gaining momentum across the country.

Read more profiles online calvin.edu/spark

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to NewRapids’ Grand York, during Aperitivo the peak manager of the Evan Talen has coronavirus outbreak, taken his to work passion with to a whole other medical newstaff levelinby the winning emergency the Cheesemonger COVID-19 field unit in Invitational, Central Park. a national competition that pitted him againstHartman many of leads the top cheese conDaniel a team that noisseurstechnical from around the country. provides expertise in drug and diagnostic development, where Tim goal the and Andrew is to provide Harris high-impact are the founders health products of ColorHub, and services an innovative to the digital printing world’s poorestcompany communities. specializing in high-end graphics packaging and retail displays.

Twana Davis, a speech language pathologist, seeks to connect, strengthen, and inspire her clients through her work in schools and an applied behavior analysis clinic in Katy, Texas.

Janet Ackerman Lenger Staal Cheri ’11 ’98

Daniel Hartman ’84

Katelyn Ver Woert Egnatuk ’13

KatieTalen Kunnen Evan ’06’09

Twana Davis ’93

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ALUMNI PROFILES

Cheri Ackerman ’11 Biochemistry and Spanish CEO and co-founder Concerto Biosciences Boston, Massachusetts

“Calvin was a place where I learned that my mind and my faith are not at odds. In fact, they work together.”

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Connecting science with faith As a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, what Cheri Ackerman ’11 was doing in the lab is about as relevant as it gets in the current environment.

comprehensive enough, fast enough, cheap enough that you could imagine testing every single person for every single virus every time they got sick and actually get that level of data throughput, sample throughput?”

Her next stop was grad school. She earned a PhD in chemical biology at the University of California-Berkeley. She also won the prestigious Hertz Fellowship, which meant a full-ride scholarship.

“We were working on this a couple of years before the pandemic happened and then this turned out to be more relevant than we thought it was going to be,” said Ackerman.

The result? Combinatorial Arrayed Reactions for Multiplexed Evaluation of Nucleic acids (CARMEN). In short, it’s a technology— validated on patient samples—that provides same-day results and could someday be harnessed for broad public-health efforts.

In June, Ackerman left the Broad Institute to co-found Concerto Biosciences, a scientific startup that seeks to identify groups of microbes that perform useful functions for plants and people.

The this Ackerman is referring to is a new technology developed in Broad lab that flexibly scales up CRISPR-based molecular diagnostics, using microfluidic chips that can run thousands of tests simultaneously. A single chip’s capacity ranges from detecting a single type of virus in more than 1,000 samples at a time to searching a small number of samples for more than 160 different viruses, including the new coronavirus.

“The thing that motivated this project is a longstanding need for diagnostics, and that is something that our collaborators have been working on for a long time,” said Ackerman.

“We started dreaming about what would it look like for us to actually have a diagnostic platform that would allow you to diagnose every viral infection a person could get?” said Ackerman. “What would it look like for every person who went to the doctor to get a real diagnosis, to know which virus made them sick? Could we design technology that was

Ackerman’s leading role in this amazing story had its genesis in a 10th-grade biology class.

“I learned how DNA goes to RNA goes to protein,” Ackerman said of the class. “This literally blew my mind. I thought this was the coolest thing I could possibly imagine in the world.”

Just a few years later she found herself in Professor Dave Koetje’s biology lab at Calvin University. “I was doing normal lab things like pipetting, and I remember him coming up to me and saying, ‘Hey, I think you are kind of good at this, what do you think about summer research?’”

From there, Ackerman’s piqued interest was soon cultivated into a deep passion. She got connected to a summer research experience at the Van Andel Research Institute and soon knew this passion was only beginning.

But her impressive journey thus far has its foundations at Calvin, she said.

“A liberal arts education is so important,” said Ackerman. “It is not enough to be good at science. You have to be able to communicate that to the world. You have to be able to write about it, to be able to talk to people about why the science is relevant, and care about those people and figure out what they need, and why they need this technology.

“The aspect of incorporating faith and science has also been really powerful in my life. Calvin was a place where I learned that my mind and my faith are not at odds. In fact, they work together,” said Ackerman. “Having that sense of grounding, the sense that the work that I do is because God has put me here, to God be the glory for this work, it is just an amazing way of going through life, and I think Calvin was central to me exploring that and feeling comfortable owning that, feeling comfortable expressing that.”

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ALUMNI PROFILES

Fearlessly following God’s call Katie Pruss Kunnen ’09 Nursing Professor of nursing/nurse practitioner Calvin University/Samaritan’s Purse Grand Rapids, Michigan

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“There is no fear in love ... .” (1 John 4:18) It was this verse that Katie Pruss Kunnen ’09 had scrawled across her PPE as she served in New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital emergency COVID-19 field unit, temporarily set up in Central Park. It is also the verse that she lives by.

Kunnen, who began teaching at Calvin in 2016 following her doctoral studies at University of Michigan, Flint, was asked to come to the nation’s hot spot for the illness in late March by Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian organization that deploys emergency medical response teams to victims of natural disasters, wars, disease, poverty, and famine.

“I’ve never been scared,” said Kunnen, who has previously served with the organization in Ecuador and Iraq. “I trust that the Lord has a specific plan for me, and he will take care of me. My mom, though, she always worries,” she added with a laugh.

Kunnen was able to answer the call due to Calvin University’s change to online learning during the outbreak and some flexibility in her scheduling.

“My students always come first,” she said.

“But I do think this makes me a better professor. Outside of my Calvin schedule there is not much time to practice nursing, so I gain a lot from these situations. Stories from real experience are what teach us.”

And Kunnen has many of those from her recent deployment in New York.

“It was very unique to be doing this in the U.S., on our own soil,” she said. “Samaritan’s Purse also had DARTs (Disaster Assistance Response Teams) in Italy, so we were learning from them.

“When we arrived, the hospital was very eager for us to take a lot of patients quickly,” she said. “I was there during the peak of the curve, which was in early April, and it was a huge undertaking. During the first few weeks we were taking as many patients as we could handle without maxing out the oxygen system and many more than the USNS Comfort ship.”

Besides treating patients, Kunnen was also involved in establishing admissions protocols and evaluating and arranging other practices.

“The city of New York did a great job,” said Kunnen. “Having tents set up in Central Park with the capacity for electricity and everything else we needed was pretty amazing.”

But for the medical staff, including Kunnen, the experience was difficult. “For the ICU team, there were hardly any ‘wins.’ Scientific

articles were coming out that illustrated the hard truth reflected around us that by the time someone was on a ventilator, the mortality rate was 80-88%. It was really hard to wake up and think about the patients you wanted to see get better. And for the families, it was also hard.

“There were so many stories of families being split between hospitals—like a son trying to get discharged so that he could attend his mom’s funeral,” she said. “It was heartbreaking, and you had to process things as you could while still working.”

After three weeks of 12- to 14-hour days in the field, Kunnen returned home April 20.

She plans to respond to additional requests to serve; she recently deployed to serve the Navajo Nation with support for contact tracing.

“I believe the first call on my life is obedience to God’s calling,” she said. “I think it’s important to listen and think deeply about what you are being called to do and then follow it wholeheartedly. We are all called to see where people are not flourishing, and ask, ‘What is it I can do about it today?’”

“... I gain a lot from these situations. Stories from real experience are what teach us.”

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ALUMNI PROFILES

Daniel Hartman ’84 Biology/chemistry Director, Integrated Development, Global Health Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Seattle, Washington

Making a difference for the underserved 30

While social distancing, handwashing, and mask wearing, according to experts, are the only measures we currently have to combat the spread of the coronavirus, what happens in countries where these tactics are not feasible or even possible?

This is the type of question, albeit with much more complexity, that Dan Hartman ’84 and his team at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are faced with every day.

Hartman, who serves as the director of Integrated Development, leads a team that provides technical expertise in drug and diagnostic development, where the goal is to provide high-impact health products and services to the world’s poorest communities.

Hartman, who received his medical degree from Wayne State University and has extensive management and pharmaceutical experience, joined the foundation team in 2012. His focus is the production of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics that will improve the lives of the most underserved populations in the world.

Preventable diseases like malaria and tuberculosis are among the top causes of death in most low-income countries. “Half a million people die of malaria every year, mostly children, and we don’t hear about it,” said Hartman.

This is a problem Hartman and his team are addressing. Similarly, rotavirus sickens and kills many children worldwide despite the existence of an effective vaccine, but affordability is an issue.

Hartman has spent the last eight years traveling around the world visiting underserved populations, where he has witnessed many of these significant health care challenges.

“Professors in these classes really made you think deeply; that was one of the best skills I learned at Calvin.”

“There is a massive shortage of health care workers in these countries,” he said. “I’ve visited hospitals where there are two people sharing one bed. … We have hospitals here that have more ICU beds than entire countries in Africa.”

While these situations are difficult to witness, Hartman is grateful for the opportunity as it motivates him to work for change and makes his work more effective.

“You need to recognize the capacity and capability in order to make good decisions.”

In fact, decision-making has become central to his role as he is faced with limitations in the manufacture of drugs, challenges in regulatory issues, and demanding analysis in quantitative sciences.

Most recently, throughout the pandemic, Hartman has focused on ways to prevent coronavirus infections. “Their hospitals can’t handle the level of severity that has been prevalent in other countries,” he said. “Their countries don’t have ICUs or ventilators, and when a vaccine or

treatment becomes available, how do we scale up the manufacturing to get it to the poorest populations?”

Involving himself in this kind of deep thinking and decision-making causes Hartman to reflect on his Calvin background.

“While I was very well-prepared in the technical sciences, looking back it was the core classes in religion, philosophy, and history where I learned how to think,” said Hartman. “Professors in these classes really made you think deeply; that was one of the best skills I learned at Calvin.”

Through a career that has taken him from a fellowship in pulmonary medicine to research and development in some of the country’s leading drug companies, Hartman finds himself grateful for where he is now.

“I am so fortunate in what I get to do every day,” he said. “I love to develop products that can help people. I’m working harder than I ever have in my life, but I have the energy for it; we’re making a difference for the most underserved people on the planet.”

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ALUMNI PROFILES

Living wholeheartedly To spend time with Twana Davis ’93 is to experience what it means to live wholeheartedly. She exudes joy, warmth, and care for everyone she meets.

In the late ’80s, Davis intended to pursue her college education at Purdue or Dartmouth, but Calvin was offering a bus from Chicagoland for a Fridays visit, and she decided to make the trip.

At lunch, most of the tables were full, so she took an open spot at a communications arts and sciences table. She sat next to professor Marten Vande Gutche, who asked her what she wanted to study. She told him she had considered journalism but was also interested in something health or education related. She attended a school for visual and performing arts in middle and high school and was also considering a career that incorporated her artistic side. Vande Gutche encouraged her to consider speech pathology, explaining that it combines health care, education, science, and art. Intrigued, she went home and realized the direction of her life had changed from a single conversation.

Davis enrolled at Calvin the following year and pursued a degree in communication disorders, later adding elementary education with a language arts focus.

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Having grown up in the public schools, student teaching was her first exposure to Christian elementary education. Through the experience, she gained a deeper understanding of how different social and cultural groups see the world through different lenses. Reflecting on that experience and the recent civil unrest in the United States reminds Davis of how important it is to be aware of cultural differences when interacting with one another.

“In some of my SPAUD [speech pathology and audiology] and education classes at Calvin, I learned fairly early on that God’s masterful hand can be seen interwoven in the rich lives of each of his children, fashioned in a mosaic of colors and creeds; that each is profoundly valuable and come uniquely bejeweled with individual gifts, talents, and needs. It is our responsibility as Christ followers to connect, strengthen, and inspire those whose paths we are so blessed to cross and be reciprocally enriched and blessed by their journeys.”

During her time at Calvin, the university considered eliminating the SPAUD major, but Davis and her classmates lobbied to keep it.

Today, it’s one of Calvin’s strongest majors and one of its first master’s programs.

After Calvin, Davis earned her master’s in speech pathology from Michigan State University before moving to California and working in the San Jose school system.

Eventually she started a private practice and found success working with children with autism spectrum disorder. Her reputation grew, and she was getting referrals from industry notables in Beverly Hills and Hollywood. Eventually she relocated to Texas and is now the clinical director for therapies at Rise with ABA, an applied behavior analysis clinic for children with autism spectrum disorder, as well as a speech language pathologist for Katy Independent School District, in the Houston area.

In the past decade, Davis has reconnected with Calvin by joining the Calvin Alumni Board and serving as president of Calvin Alumni Association during the final year of her term. She also deepened her relationship with the SPAUD department.

Through all her moves, she clearly sees God’s hand guiding her. “I believe the work I’m doing embodies Calvin’s mission as my colleagues and I help to redeem speech and communication for patients who have trouble expressing themselves. I’m profoundly grateful for being able to play a role in that mission.”

“It is our responsibility as Christ followers to connect, strengthen, and inspire those whose paths we are so blessed to cross and be reciprocally enriched and blessed by their journeys.”

Twana Davis ’93 Speech pathology and audiology Speech language pathologist/clinical manager of speech therapy Katy Independent School District/Rise with ABA Katy, Texas

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THE CULTURAL CALVIN

g n i d n o p s re cism Responding a r to to Racism Calvin has been officially committed to the work of anti-racism since 1985. While there is always much work to do, it is important to recognize that racial justice is a biblical value, and that anyone who follows Christ is commanded to seek justice for all of God’s people, specifically those that are and have been historically oppressed. While we strive for justice, diversity, inclusion, and equity, we recognize the value that different experiences and backgrounds bring to our community.

Having students who are typically underrepresented on Calvin’s campus is not just a benefit for those students but also strengthens us and makes us better as a community on the whole.

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In light of this summer’s long overdue national crisis of conscience about racial injustice, we at Calvin University are doubling down on our efforts to offer more types of learning events for our faculty, staff, and whole community.

We want to consider how we can be anti-racist and the steps that we as individuals and as an institution can take to ensure that our community continues to grow in our understanding of diversity and inclusion, that we really live into and become a place where we do and we are what we claim, that we embody and embrace diversity and inclusive excellence, and that we are a community that is welcoming and a place of belonging for all different kinds of people.

The Five A’s On August 5, the Center for Intercultural Student Development (CISD) and the associate dean for diversity and inclusion hosted a “Listening to Students of Color” panel. Eight current students and recent graduates shared their experience as students of color on Calvin’s campus. Two participants, Drevonte Davidson ’21, and Jacob Williams ’22, described a list of five A’s that the Calvin community can remember as they work to be anti-racist and better allies

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: BEULAH KANG ’17

to our students of color.

LISTEN TO AUDIO The full recording of our student panel can be found at calvin.edu/spark.

Address the works and contri-

Advocate for faculty and staff

butions of people of color (POC) who have contributed to the development of our society. There have been an incredible number of positive influences and role models throughout history. Don’t strip the youth of that opportunity because it can change somebody’s life. That can be inspiring.

of color to be hired in your field or area of influence. Professors and various levels of administration can play a large part in this. We need more staff of color. The youth need more positive role models and influences to help guide them in decision-making and creating a stable foundation for the journey of life.

We need more representation and also to diversify. When you do that, you get more perspectives and can create an environment conducive to everyone’s growth. Don’t just cater to three-fourths of the population.

Acknowledge that there are many white members of the community who have racial biases. Try to establish relationships and create a safe environment for your peers who are POC. Get to know them— really know them. Make a conscious effort to understand who they are because when you go to have those difficult conversations in a classroom or outside in the general community, they will be that much more willing to talk to you.

Ask your peers about their feelings and emotions during the current racial climate. You should want to know how they feel and what you can do to contribute positive energy to the struggle. They might say something that changes your perspective. You might start living life a different way; you never know.

Don’t avoid that kind of feedback.

Amplify our experiences so they can be seen and heard for what they are. And if others want to be allies to us, they should listen to and try to amplify our voices. Uplift our voices so that people who wouldn’t normally listen to us will hear us and understand us. This doesn’t only pertain to the POC that you are directly in contact with. It also pertains to POC who have contributed to different fields of study and expertise. Acknowledge and amplify their work as well! Too many times when POC are vulnerable and share their experiences, they are diminished and sometimes even discredited by others. If you aren’t a POC, then you will struggle understanding our experiences.

Diminishing and playing them down doesn’t help you understand either. We all have a role to fill in the current racial climate—whether we know it or not. Don’t diminish and downplay, amplify and uplift.

r e t t a m u Yo

35

EVENTS

SPARK INSPIRES ALUMNI PURCHASES Thanks to Tom Wybenga who sent a photo of purchases he made from alumni-owned businesses after reading about them in our last issue of Spark. His support of these businesses has inspired us to create an alumni-owned business directory. As we develop the project, we will be turning to you for input on which businesses to include.

SHARE YOUR PANDEMIC STORIES 2020 feels like a year to forget because of COVID-19, but you should document your experience. Future generations and historians will be interested in personal stories about the pandemic. At Heritage Hall, we are collecting stories like yours.

Heritage Hall is located in the Hekman Library at Calvin University. It is the archive for Calvin University, Calvin Theological Seminary, and the Christian Reformed Church. We are documenting the experiences of people with the church, seminary, and university during the COVID-19 pandemic. We invite you to share your story. At our COVID-19 portal (a Google site), you can upload photos, videos, digital audio recordings, written stories, and other files that document how you are experiencing the pandemic. We will archive your stories.

Eventually we will make this material public through the Heritage Hall website and Hekman Library.

You can read more about the COVID-19 archive at Origins Online, the blog of Heritage Hall. It includes a link to the portal where you can upload your story.

36

VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB Join our virtual book club and connect with alumni around the world. Every two months participants get to vote on a new book, with options ranging from lifelong learning and personal growth to novels and other genres of interest.

Read the book on your own and then participate in the online discussions as part of our private forum.

VISIT THE BLOG

Participation is free! Sign up at

origins.calvin.edu/2020/06/17/preserving-our-covid-19-stories/

calvin.edu/go/book-club

FACEBOOK LIVE One of the goals of the alumni association’s new strategic plan is to “expand programs which are accessible to all alumni worldwide and not dependent on geographically based resources.”

The move to working from home has helped us implement this goal quite quickly. We started offering Facebook Live events, including a concert with Jon Troast and weekly interviews about resources available to alumni.

Announcements of upcoming events will be made on the Calvin Alumni Association Facebook page as well.

The alumni staff is working on several other digital ideas to bring to you in the coming months. If you have ideas for other types of digital programming, please let us know.

SAVE THE DATE!

VISIT FACEBOOK and “like” the Calvin University Facebook page to find past talks.

This fall, Calvin University is prioritizing the health of our students living and learning on campus. To help ensure our entire community stays safe, most of our Homecoming & Family Weekend events will be hosted online.

We will still have some in-person activities for our students, but the Calvin Classic 5K and Youth Fun Run is moving to a virtual format so you can run wherever you are! Register by Oct. 3 at calvin.edu/events/classic.

This event supports the Calvin Alumni Association and allows us to continue to offer networking events, lifelong learning opportunities, and other resources to you as a Knight for Life.

TRAVEL WITH CALVIN

VIRTUAL CHOIRS To help celebrate the Class of 2020, the Calvin Alumni Choir recorded a choral version of “How Great Thou Art” as a blessing to our graduates. As part of the virtual graduation celebration, students, alumni, faculty, and staff sang “The Blessing” to honor the Class of 2020. These songs can also be a blessing to you.

VISIT YOUTUBE How Great Thou Art: https://youtu.be/AmMEXLPF The Blessing: https://youtu.be/DM04x_XyswY

In the Light of Jesus: Pilgrimage to the Holy Land Follow the footsteps of Jesus Hosts: Pastor Bill ’69 and Lyn ’70 Vanden Bosch March 1–13, 2021 Florence through the Eyes of Dante Excursions include Siena, Lucca, Rome Host: Jennifer Holberg May 14–27, 2021 History and Beauty of Quebec Montreal to Quebec City Host: Karin Maag June 7-14, 2021 Venice to Croatia: Highlights of the Adriatic Includes a cruise along the Croatian coast Host: Ken Bratt Aug. 7–22, 2021 Netherlands: Off the Beaten Path Explore and discover how the Dutch made the Netherlands Hosts: Henk Aay, Robert Hoeksema Sept. 24–Oct. 6, 2021 Hawaii: Volcanoes in the Sun Hiking and geological exploration on the Big Island and Kaua Host: Gerry Van Kooten Nov. 9-21, 2021 See calvin.edu/go/travel for details.

Email alumni@calvin.edu to request tour brochures for specific trips.

More on these events and others calvin.edu/calendar

37

CLASS NOTES Spark readers: This section emphasizes Calvin graduates’ service, vocational, and reunion stories, along with “In Memoriam” notices. Send us news of your promotions, achievements, recognitions, and other announcements at spark@calvin.edu. Photos must be 300 dpi or approximately 1MB or greater in size.

The alumni association is also interested in knowing about important family milestones such as marriages and newcomers. Please send that news to alumni@calvin.edu.

38

CLASS NOTES

01

HERITAGE (graduated more than 50 years ago) 01

John DeVries ’54 and Bert Block ’65 have collaborated to publish a unique version of Scripture titled Great Bible Truths. They call it “a gateway Bible” in which “all the Bible truths are cited, recounted, and presented in 150 scripture selections.” As longterm missionaries, both John, in India, and Bert, in Mexico, noted that new believers, though eager to learn about God by reading the Bible, “soon got bogged down around the beginning of Leviticus.” They wrote this version of Scripture to overcome that frustration.

John has distributed some 75,000 copies in India, and a Spanish version is nearing completion. Priced at $1.25 per copy to aid mass distribution, the book is available through Reaching America Ministries.

02 Last winter, Linda Lee Albert ’59

celebrated the release of her new book, Charting the Lost Continent: Poetry and Other Discoveries. A certified Jungian archetypal pattern analyst and communication coach with a master certification in neurolinguistics, Linda says that her poetry is influenced by her interest and academic training in those areas, as well as by the changing roles of contemporary women.

02

In 1977, Bob Ottenhoff ’70 co-founded public radio station WBGO in Newark, N.J., and served as its inaugural general manager for a decade. Now he’s back, serving as the station’s interim executive director. The New York Times says WBGO is “arguably the best jazz station in the world,” a stopping place for top jazz artists.

Bob will lead the station while the search for a new executive director is underway. His career has included leadership positions at National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System. In 2019, he stepped down as the inaugural president and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy in Washington, D.C. Carroll Arkema ’70 has published a new book, Drawn to the Light: Poems and Essays. He says, “I hope this book reminds readers of those persons and experiences in their own lives that drew them toward the light both outside and inside themselves and that helped them be more alive.” A Presbyterian minister, pastoral psychotherapist, and marriage therapist in Ridgewood, N.J., and Manhattan, Carroll has also authored Beyond Me: Poems About Spirit in Scripture, Psychotherapy, and Life, and Poems of Mourning and Healing Memory.

03

1970s The mayor of Minnetonka, Minn., Brad Wiersum ’75, has been elected president of the League of Minnesota Cities for 2020–2021. Brad says he hopes to “focus attention on city leadership in times of crisis and on how the pursuit of racial equity and racial justice are issues for all cities, rural areas, and everywhere in between.”

The League of Minnesota Cities is a membership organization representing 833 of the 853 cities in the state.

03

Victor Discovers Treasure: 45 Daily Devotional Digs for Kids is a new book

by Sharon Potter Deur ’75. In the book, Victor the donkey helps children better understand imagery and metaphors of the Bible, like shepherd and sheep, potter and pots, vine and branches, honey, light, and path. Released in July

by EA Books Publishing, the book is brightly illustrated.

Brad Wiersum has been elected president of the League of Minnesota Cities for 2020–2021.

’75

39

CLASS NOTES

04

05

1980s A new book addresses how digital technologies are affecting Christian education and how parents, teachers, and school leaders can respond.

Marj Dykhuis Terpstra ’82 and Kara Sevensma ’07, both professors in Calvin’s education department, teamed up with the director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning at Calvin, David Smith, and Hope College economics professor Steve McMullen to author Digital Life Together: The Challenge of Technology for Christian Schools.

Heidi Vellenga is the new executive director of the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation.

’93 40

1990s 04 Gail Shoemaker Brenton was in the first class to graduate from Calvin with a Bachelor of Social Work in 1991.

For 29 years she’s worked as a clinical social worker, 25 of them at Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson, Mich. When Henry Ford Health System launched its “My Why” campaign last year—a project that encouraged team members to individually identify personal and professional reasons why they do the work they do—Gail was chosen for a YouTube video to promote the campaign. In the video, she describes her own personal “why.”

06

In February, Heidi Vellenga ’93 became the new executive director of the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA) in Alexandria, Va. She had been serving as the organization’s associate director and has been on its staff since 2014. The CEA accredits postsecondary intensive English language programs and institutions in both the U.S. and abroad, providing them a systematic approach for meeting accepted standards and for pursuing continuous improvement.

05 Jordan Buning ’94 was named the new president of DDM Marketing & Communications in February. He’s been with the firm, at its Grand Rapids headquarters, since 2001, serving in a variety of leadership roles.

Early in March, Lee Barber ’98 suffered a concussion and multiple facial injuries when he fell down a flight of steps, shielding his daughter from the fall. Still, he showed up the next day to teach his math classes at Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes, N.J. To show their appreciation, his pre-calculus students raised money to send their baseball-loving teacher and his family to the Yankees’ home opener. When the team got wind of the act of kindness, they extended it, offering not only the Barber family but also his students tickets to a second game, plus an invitation to batting practice. Though the games were later cancelled due to COVID-19, Lee thanked his students and told them he couldn’t teach them anymore, because they “had already learned what’s important in life.”

07

06 Last January, the Grand Rapids Business Journal honored J.D. Loeks ’99 as one of its 2019 Newsmakers of the Year. The president of Celebration Cinema, J.D. was recognized for opening the 45,000-square-foot Studio Park in the heart of the downtown. The complex features a 200-seat concert venue and a nine-screen movie theater.

A 10th screen outdoors can be used to broadcast high-profile events like the World Cup. It also includes residential units and retail. “We went downtown … because this is our hometown, and we believe a strong community needs a strong urban core,” he told the Journal.

2000s Jennifer Curtis Veltman ’03 has been promoted to chief of the infectious diseases division at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, Calif.

07 Jeff Buttery ’03 has authored The Sins of Kalamazoo: The Unsolved Murder of Louis Schilling and the Crimes That Shaped a Community.

In the book, Jeff explores not only the 1893 murder of a respected businessman but also the historical context that spawned a number of shocking crimes in the city in that era.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

Dishing up the sacred Suzy Kades Karadsheh ’01 loved her busy job as the director of Calvin’s Annual Fund. When her husband’s career took them to Iowa in 2014, she decided to stay home with their two young daughters.

“Unpacking, I was in a tiny closet, sobbing,” Karadsheh said. “I thought, ‘Who am I now?’”

One evening, her husband, Saba, came home and told her he’d heard a podcast about a new thing—food blogging.

“He said, ‘You love to cook and write, you should do this,’” Karadsheh remembered. “I thought the idea was nuts; I agreed just to keep my sanity.”

With that exchange, The Mediterranean Dish website was launched.

Born on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, Karadsheh grew up in a home where “everything happened around the table,” she said.

“You never knew who would stop by.”

It wasn’t until 2016 and the family’s move to Atlanta that Karadsheh’s occasional hobby became something much more.

“Things shifted for me when I began to get email from people telling me what huge, healthy changes I’d help them make to their lives,” she said. “I began to see this as a full-time mission.”

Her mission is less about Mediterranean recipes than a Mediterranean lifestyle.

“It’s about well-balanced, wholesome dishes that anyone can make,” she explained. “Because above all, the Mediterranean lifestyle is about sharing—not just food, but oneself. Mediterranean people don’t fuss about food, we don’t ‘entertain.’ We just have people around the table.”

The Mediterranean Dish now serves millions of visitors each month and has grown into a multifaceted company with a booming e-commerce arm for olive oil, spices, and other recipe ingredients. Karadsheh has been featured in many media outlets, including Today, Mother Earth News, Everyday Health, and Good Housekeeping.

“What keeps me going when I get tired is knowing that people are making my recipes, breaking bread, and sharing that love with others,” she said. “That’s sacred.”

Visit www.themediterraneandish.com.

41

CLASS NOTES

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

From Calvin to Poland: passing it on “My job is to help (teachers) shift to a more student-centered perspective on learning. I’m teaching the education values that Calvin taught me.”

42

A decade and 4,200 miles from his alma mater, Rick Huizinga ’03 had a light-bulb moment about his Calvin education.

After another four years teaching international students in California, Huizinga enrolled in a master’s program in Finland.

“I finally realized what Calvin did not only for me, but for all its students,” he said.

“People came from all over the world to study the exceptional Finnish education system,” he said. “Our professors stressed the importance of teaching the whole student, developing each one as a person.

Then it hit me: That’s what Calvin’s education program does.

An education major, Huizinga went to South Korea after graduation.

“I was directionless,” he said. “I just knew I wanted to travel and to teach.”

For four years in two different schools, he taught English to all ages, developed curricula, and trained other teachers. “In Korea, I made international education my focus,” he said.

“Wherever I went at Calvin, the values of justice, mercy, and service were being developed in me in both practical and reflective ways. Those of us trained as teachers learned to develop those values in our own students, to address them as whole persons. That’s effective teaching.”

Huizinga is now on the staff development team at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

There he trains an international faculty in best teaching practices.

Because the University of Groningen is a partner in a new European Union-funded project, Huizinga is able to bring his expertise to the classrooms of a new country. As a lead trainer in a project of the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, he travels to Poland to guide cohorts of 16 university instructors through a yearlong course designed to improve their teaching.

“These are high-quality teachers,” Huizinga said. “They’re thirsty for this knowledge. My job is to help them shift to a more studentcentered perspective on learning. I’m teaching the education values that Calvin taught me.”

When Anni Lyzenga Christie ’04 moved back to west Michigan from Florida, she brought Magpie Mischief with her. Magpie Mischief is her handmade pottery business, and in July she released a new line designed for dorm rooms. “I thought a lot about my days in the Calvin dorms and what I would have liked to see available during a time when so many college students may be spending more time in their dorms than before,” she wrote. Anni’s dorm collection is available only online at magpiemischiefshop.com.

Philip Erwin ’05 has a new book just released in August. Paul and Image: Reading First Corinthians in Visual Terms, published by Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, challenges conventional interpretations that tend to overlook the important role ancient Roman visual culture played in the framing of Paul’s discourse in First Corinthians. Philip situates Paul’s letter in the context of the critical discourse on visual representation from Plato to Philo to the so-called Second Sophistic, redefining Paul’s critique of human wisdom, the treatment of idols, and resurrection discourse in visual terms.

Heather Luimes ’07 is the new director of operations for PitCare Inc. The nonprofit focuses on empowering families, building community, and promoting economic stability in the town of Pitcairn, Pa., just outside Pittsburgh, by purchasing and renovating commercial and residential buildings; operating a food pantry, a library, and a community center; and hosting youth programs like a Girls Club.

Jeri Meninga Wieringa ’08 will begin the 2020 fall semester at the University of Alabama as an assistant professor in the department of religious studies.

A digital historian, Jeri’s expertise is in using and building digital tools for use in humanities research. She’ll teach courses to both undergraduate and graduate students. The spring issue of Spark mistakenly noted that she had assumed her new position in the fall of 2019.

Katie Spang, Hailey, Jenny Veldkamp

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

Standing in the gap, together “Will you foster a 3-month-old baby girl?”

Katie’s story is not unique, Jenny pointed out.

In January 2018, a social worker called Jenny Vanderploeg Veldkamp ’06 and Dustin Veldkamp ’07 to ask that question.

With four children—the youngest 10 months old—they were feeling blessed and comfortable.

“There’s a gap in the system. In most counties there are no services to help birth parents put their lives together and get their children back.”

“As soon as we’re comfortable, God rocks the boat,” Jenny said. “We felt God saying, ‘Do this.’”

Through online searches, Jenny learned that their foster baby’s birth mother, Katie Spang, had been sentenced to three years in a state prison in Milwaukee for her role in a drug-trafficking ring. Jenny began writing letters, then bringing baby Hailey to visit Katie in prison.

“I saw how much Katie wanted to be a different mom for Hailey,” Jenny said, “and I really wanted Hailey to have her mom back.”

Ten months into her sentence, Katie was released.

“She had nothing,” Jenny said, “no apartment, no cell phone, no car, no bank account. She was addicted by the age of 14 and had never had a real job.”

The Veldkamps gave Katie a part-time job counting inventory in their essential oils business, Simply Earth. Within weeks, business boomed, and they needed Katie full time.

“She worked really hard,” Jenny said. “She also wanted to tell her story—which is our story. It drove me: ‘How can we do that?’”

The two women co-founded WildRoot, a company to make natural deodorant and sell it online. Their website pictures them with Hailey, who has lived with her birth mother for more than a year, and tells their “messy, beautiful story … as a testament that there is absolutely no pit large enough to keep you down if you want out!”

Both moms are now dreaming about how to stand in the gap with and for other women, multiplying messy, beautiful stories of hope.

To learn more, visit www.shopwildroot.com.

43

CLASS NOTES

08

08

Last spring, the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids honored Eagles for Eric, a group that has contributed $100,000 toward the institute’s research into osteosarcoma. The group first formed to hold a golf outing to raise money for cancer treatments for Eric Westra ’08 and for the education of his infant son, Arie. After Eric died in 2016, Chelsea Muller Westra ’08 and Eric’s friends continued to hold golf outings, directing the money to the Van Andel Institute’s research into the rare form of bone cancer. They’ve also held two dinner/ improv theater evenings featuring the Calvin alumni improv group Pop Scholars. Some of Eric’s friends have raised funds for the research by running the Chicago Marathon. The next Eagles for Eric golf outing is scheduled for September. Learn more by visiting the group’s Facebook page.

2010s 09 Last December, Margeaux Groene ’14 performed for nearly 8,000 people in Williamsburg, Va. She was cast as the narrator for the Williamsburg Community Chapel’s annual Christmas production, now in its 19th year.

10 Jon Lensing ’16 graduated from the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine last spring—and simultaneously started a new company.

With two co-founders, Jon launched Apollo, a web-based platform that helps health care providers move more easily among hospital systems.

Physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians’ assistants who want to moonlight outside their regular positions fill out Apollo’s online application. Apollo’s algorithm then matches them with hospitals in need of specific providers. Already in beta testing when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., the company took off

44

09

10

as the need for health care workers skyrocketed. Jon has paused his medical residency to focus his energies on the new company.

The summer after graduating from Calvin, Jacob Lensing ’19 went to the University of Iowa to get an early start on dental school. Interested in dental research, Jake was accepted into the lab of one of the college of dentistry’s professors and dove into a research project comparing the efficacy of materials used to seal and protect teeth after a root canal. His results have led to presentations at two scientific meetings and a draft of a peerreviewed manuscript. Jake is continuing his research while attending classes in the dental school.

Ryan Bradley ’18 will start his second year of law school this fall at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law. He was offered a position at the elite Chicago law school based on his first-year performance at Michigan State University’s College of Law. There Ryan was vice president of the Intellectual Property Law Society and was selected to represent the school in a national patent drafting competition.

An electrical/computer engineering student at Calvin, Ryan recently wrote to thank engineering professor Randy Brouwer: “I strongly believe none of this would have been possible without my formation at Calvin.”

Ryan Bradley is starting his second year of law school at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law.

’18

“Learning how people had developed insulin, which makes my life possible, was powerful for me. I wanted to do that.”

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

Doing what was done for her For anyone, a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes is life-altering. For Nicole Michmerhuizen ’14, it was also career-directing.

“I was 13. Learning how people had developed insulin, which makes my life possible, was powerful for me,” she said. “I wanted to do that.”

Michmerhuizen said her fascination was fed at Calvin. “Working in Professor Sinniah’s lab to investigate a part of the human genome associated with diabetes susceptibility, I got to take charge of a project. That doesn’t happen at big schools. And all my professors were available to answer any questions I had.”

For that research, Michmerhuizen received a Goldwater Scholarship.

Several other national awards recognized her accomplishments as both a scholar and a runner.

The academic honors continued in graduate school, culminating last April in a ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award, one of 10 given to graduating doctoral students at the University of Michigan. The award commended her research on new drug therapies to treat cancers of the mouth and throat.

“Even with recent advances, survival rates for these cancers haven’t improved much,” Michmerhuizen explained. “We screened thousands of drug combinations. Used singly, the drugs weren’t effective, but in pairs, they could be more promising.”

After four years of testing, Michmerhuizen’s team discovered and prioritized, among all the possible combinations, one that significantly slowed tumor growth in infected mice. The National Institutes of Health placed that

treatment on a short list of drug combinations considered for future clinical trials.

“It’s exciting to be the first to discover something,” she said.

“But the process can be a grind.

The friends I made at Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church and in a Christian ministry called GradCru helped get me through.”

Michmerhuizen is now a postdoctoral fellow at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, working on research that will inform new treatments for childhood leukemia.

“I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter so much which disease I’m working on,” she said. “I just want to help find better medicines so people can live fuller lives.”

45

Deaths HERITAGE Eugene Berends ’50 Feb. 26, 2020, Hudsonville, Mich.

Margery Taylor Bernbaum ’65 May 22, 2020, Rockville, Md. Barbara Gesink Boeve ’54 Apr. 16, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Clarence Bolt ’50 Apr. 24, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Franklin Bolt ex’48 Jan. 28, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Robert Bolt ’52 Mar. 23, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Francis Bolthuis ’53 May 22, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

David Bos ’60 June 29, 2020, Hudsonville, Mich.

Jeanne Hammond Bosman ex’42 June 25, 2020, Byron Center, Mich.

Norma Sikkema Bouwkamp ex’62 Feb. 13, 2020, Zeeland, Mich.

David Brink ex’61 July 7, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

46

Marijane Scheffers Buining ex’51 May 15, 2019, Sun City, Ariz.

Karen Block Hertel ’55 Oct. 2, 2019, Byron Center, Mich.

Eugene Otten ex’54 Sept., 22, 2019, Sheboygan, Wis.

Rodger Buining ’52 Nov. 26, 2019, Sun City, Ariz.

Ahleen Dekker Heynen ’40 July 7, 2020, Anchorage, Alaska

Robert Overbeck ex’48 Feb. 22, 2020, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Annette Minnema Cooke ’50 May 15, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Rachel Van Someren Hofman ’66 Nov. 20, 2109, Milwaukee, Wis.

Douglas Paauw, Sr. ’46 Feb. 17, 2020, Bellevue, Wash.

Adeline Van Rhee De Graaf ’49 Apr. 4, 2020, Bloomington, Ill.

Jean Waalkes Homan ’40 Feb. 20, 2020, Jenison, Mich.

Boyd Pastoor ex’58 June 2, 2020, Satellite Beach, Fla.

John De Haan ’57 May 7, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

David Jansma ’67 Nov. 19, 2019, Santa Fe, N.M.

Mary Bylsma Patrick ’65 May 6, 2020, Rockford, Mich.

Howard De Jong ’56 July 4, 2020, Hudsonville, Mich.

Robert Jipping ’59 Feb. 10, 2020, Lansing, Ill.

Agatha Jellema Peterson ’48 Apr. 8, 2020, Montague, Mich.

Trenton De Jong ’61 Dec. 26, 2019, Caledonia, Mich.

Judith Schut Johnson ’67 Apr. 26, 2019, North Port, Fla.

Dena Stout Prins ’55 Mar. 21, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Herbert De Jonge ’56 Feb. 14, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Rosemary Buist Jongsma ex’55 Apr. 16, 2020, Hudsonville, Mich.

Wayne Rietberg ’61 Nov. 22, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Karl De Jonge ’59 Jan. 13, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Gerald Koop ex’58 May 15, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Betty Rycenga Rodrigues ’52 July 28, 2019, Grand Haven, Mich.

Marian Cooper De Vries ’58 May 31, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Robert Kuiken ’69 June 2, 2020, Dallas, Texas

Ellen Kolk Schroder ’56 Mar. 11, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Harmon Diemer ’59 June 15, 2020, Caledonia, Mich.

Harriet Vandenberg Kuipers ex’46 Mar. 1, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Katherine Kooistra Sechrist ex’42 Apr. 17, 2020, Ridgewood, N.J.

Sandra Hollebeek Dooyema ’68 Oct. 26, 2019, Encinitas, Calif

Marvin Kuipers ’66 Sept. 24, 2109, South Hadley, Mass.

Arlo Siegersma ’59 Mar. 12, 2020, Nampa, Idaho

Bernard Ebbers ex’64 Feb. 2, 2020, Ridgeland, Miss.

John Lameyer ex’67 Mar. 13, 2020, Hudsonville, Mich.

Donald Sikkema ’53 Feb. 25, 2020, Grand Haven, Mich.

Leona Bulthuis Euwema ex’49 May 17, 2019, Elmhurst, Ill.

John Last ’60 Apr. 18, 2020, Newfoundland, N.J.

Mary Smitter ex’56 Jan. 31, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Garald Gemmen, Sr. ex’59 June 22, 2019, Allendale, Mich.

Charlotte Lendick ex’47 Jan. 6, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Johanna Goodyk Spykerman ex’49 Apr. 5, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Georg Gerritsen ’59 May 15, 2020, Port Huron, Mich.

Weldon Luckey ’60 Dec. 15, 2019, Grand Haven, Mich.

Herbert Start ’55 Nov. 13, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Robert Gillies ’55 Sept. 17, 2019, Ada, Mich.

Linda Halma McCoy ex’68 Nov. 23, 2019, Gaithersburg, Md.

Russell Sterenberg ’67 Mar. 28, 2020, Hillsboro, Ore.

Marilyn Pranger Gossman ’60 Apr. 2, 2020, St. John, Ind.

Karen Ploegstra Meyer ’63 May 13, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Martha Blystra Terpstra ex’50 Dec. 19, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Beatrice Koetsier Gregory ex’48 Jan. 22, 2020, Jenison, Mich.

Martha Huissen Minnema ’45 Mar. 30, 2020, Visalia, Calif.

Paul Tuls ’68 May 6, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Kay De Graaf Haan ’49 Feb. 7, 2020, Zeeland, Mich.

Robert Muller ex’63 May 8, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Gise Van Baren ’53 Aug. 31, 2019, Hudsonville, Mich.

Lewis Haeck ex’63 Jan. 26, 2020, Port Charlotte, Fla.

Hudson Nyenhuis ’49 Apr. 30, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Edward Vandenberg, Jr. ex’43 Jan. 18, 2020, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Marlin “Mike” Vanden Bosch ’57 Apr. 7, 2020, Sioux Center, Mo.

Joyce Schrotenboer Wyma ex’51 Apr. 1, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Nancy Vanderploeg Vanden Heuvel ’60 Apr. 3, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Roger Wyngarden ex’53 Feb. 27, 2020, Grant, Mich.

William Van de Riet ’66 Sept. 23, 2019, Fort Myers, Fla. Pearl Vannette Vanderlaan ex’50 Nov. 8, 2019, Muskegon, Mich.

Allan Vander Lugt ’59 July 21, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Jack Vander Meulen ex’63 Feb. 12, 2020, Wyoming, Mich.

Shirley Bult Vander Wall ex’51 Nov. 18, 2019, Citrus Heights, Calif.

Geurt Van Hal ’54 Feb. 23, 2020, Homer Glen, Ill. Angelyn Van Appledorn Van Hamersveld ex’48 Nov. 22, 2019, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Jane Hofstra Zwiers ’67 May 4, 2019, Holland, Mich.

1980s John Boonstra ’80 Nov. 29, 2019, Cornelia, Ga. Catherine Bouwsma ’86 Feb. 25, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

1970s

Anne Davis Clifford ’80 Dec. 31, 2019, Ellicott City, Md.

Arlyn Boorsma ’77 Feb. 11, 2020, Wyoming, Mich.

Karen De Vries De Haan ex’83 Jan. 26, 2020, Rockford, Mich.

Chris De Korver ex’78 July 4, 2020, Comstock Park, Mich.

Marilyn Kroondyk Greenway ex’82 Feb. 16, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Robert DeKraker ex’75 Feb. 19, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Janet Daane Overzet ex’81 Richardson, Texas, Dec. 16, 2019

Susan Smies Feringa ’77 April 24, 2020, Sheboygan, Wis.

Susan Tameling ’84 Apr. 5. 2020, Indianapolis, Ind.

Denise Slager Kraker ex’76 Feb. 16, 2020, West Olive, Mich.

Rebecca Knoppers Ver Hoef ’83 Mar. 15, 2020, Alto, Mich.

Kenneth Mange ’77 Apr. 29, 2020, Petaluma, Calif.

1990s

Herman Van Hamersveld, Jr. ex’48 June 8, 2019, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Jane Kooi Markoski ’75 Dec. 28, 2019, Wilmette, Ill.

Eleanor Brunink Van Houten ex’45 Jan. 15, 2020, Cadillac, Mich.

Gregg Muilenburg ’71 May 8, 2020, Phoenix, Ariz.

Betty Sikkema Van Kalker ’60 May 7, 2020, Lake Worth, Fla.

Harlene Padding ’74 Jan. 10, 2020, Walker, Iowa

Ralph Van Kampen ’48 Mar. 17, 2019, DeKalb, Ill.

Garry Quakkelaar ex’77 May 24, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Warren Van Tongeren ’60 Apr. 17, 2020, Jenison, Mich.

Paul Recker ’72 Mar. 17, 2020, Rockford, Mich.

Bernard Veenstra ’50 Mar. 12, 2020, Grand Haven, Mich.

William Renkema ’74 Oct. 28, 2019, Lake Odessa, Mich.

Frances Dykema Vryhof ex’48 April 24, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Kenneth Schemper ’73 Apr. 24, 2020, Grandville, Mich.

Bonnie Vande Pol Wiersma ex’62 Feb. 19, 2020, Hudsonville, Mich.

Douglas Schuurman ’77 Feb. 15, 2020, Northfield, Minn.

Alice Wisse ex’48 Oct. 27, 2019, Orland Park, Ill.

Gayla Lankheet Vander Molen ex’74 Mar. 11, 2020, Grandville, Mich.

Rodger Woltjer ’69 Nov. 8, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Ronald Vander Molen ex’78 Sept. 24, 2019, Plainwell, Mich.

Sierd Woudstra ’55 Mar. 22, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Larry Wever ex’77 May 19, 2020, Ripon, Calif.

Thalia “Tolly” Bairas Stiffler ’96 Mar. 29, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Marlene Hinkley Curtis ’95 Jan. 11, 2020, Ravenna, Mich.

Ann Stoub ’96 Apr. 23, 2020, St. Joseph, Mich.

2000s Jordan Kok ’08 Jan. 12, 2020, Seattle, Wash.

Andrew Vlietstra ’07 June 11, 2020, Zeeland, Mich.

2010s Patrick Hekman ’12 Feb. 28, 2020, Alto, Mich.

Douglas Wieringa ex’75 Mar. 1, 2020, Hudsonville, Mich.

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ROBERT BOLT ’52 | History | 1930–2020 Making the past come alive was the goal for Robert Bolt, who served as a professor in the Calvin history department for 30 years.

“History is interesting because you’re talking about people all of the time,” Bolt said in a 1995 interview with Spark.

“Who would want to go to Fredericksburg, Virginia, and stand on a ridge staring at a stone wall if it wasn’t for the history there, as Ambrose Burnside tried six times to go up and take those heights during the Civil War?” Bolt, who spent three decades at his alma mater, died March 23.

He was 89.

He was known for bringing vibrance to the personalities of history. His research interests included both the religions of great American leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson, and their humor.

Beyond history, all in the department knew of Bolt’s affection for the Detroit Tigers.

“Bob and I loved baseball, and he even came to forgive me for being a Red Sox fan,” said Ron Wells, a former colleague.

“He and I were ardent Detroit Tigers fans who had to uphold the team’s honor against the Red Sox and Yankee interlopers who befouled our discussions in the department lounge come spring training season,” added Jim Bratt, another former colleague.

Upon his retirement from teaching, Bolt joined the staff at Heritage Hall, where he would spend an additional 22 years working to collect and preserve records for the Christian Reformed Church.

“Perhaps the greatest tribute I can give: In all the years we were colleagues in history and continuing in his post-retirement work in Heritage Hall is that I never heard Bob say a negative word about or to anyone,” said former colleague Bert de Vries.

“Robert Bolt was truly a man of peace.”

Bolt is survived by his children, Jim (Elizabeth) Bolt, Bob (Carol) Bolt, Lynn (Larry) Rosendale, Tim Bolt, Kristin (Scott) VanderHoning; 10 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his

ELSA CORTINA | Spanish | 1926–2020 In the early days of the Calvin Spanish department, finding qualified teachers was a challenge; finding native speakers of the language was a coup that few universities achieved. When Elsa Cortina providentially showed up at Calvin in 1965, far from her home in Camaguey, Cuba, it was clearly a perfect match.

Cortina would spend more than 30 years serving the department. Starting as a part-time instructor, she would later chair the department from which she retired in 1990.

Cortina, 94, died May 2 in Miami, Florida.

As a young married couple, Cortina and her husband, Carlos, were forced to flee Cuba as refugees to America. Eventually, they moved to Grand Rapids so Carlos could attend Calvin Theological Seminary.

While in Grand Rapids, Elsa began washing dishes at a local hospital, but her teaching abilities soon earned her a position at a local high school and eventually Calvin.

wife, Carolyn.

“She was quickly noted as an excellent teacher,” said Marilyn Bierling, a former student

IN MEMORIAM

and colleague of Cortina’s.

“I remember being greatly inspired by her and learning a huge amount. It was especially helpful that she was a native speaker of Spanish, who could also teach us about her culture.”

It was Cortina who initiated Calvin’s first semester abroad program in 1983, leading the way for many more to follow.

Cortina remained deeply committed to Calvin following her retirement. For many years she continued to teach in the semester abroad program. Later, she was the focus of the “Elsa Cortina Project,” which was developed by Calvin professors Marcie Pyper and Cynthia Slagter as a teaching aid for Spanish students.

“She was a godly woman, highly esteemed and dearly loved by her colleagues and students at Calvin,” said Pyper. “I owe so much of my life direction to her faithful influence in my life.”

Cortina is survived by her daughter, Elsa Kramer; three grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Carlos.

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9

ADVENTURE IS AROUND THE CORNER

The Calvin Academy of Lifelong Learning (CALL) is offering all of their classes online! That means you can join live or watch whenever and wherever it’s most convenient for you.

There are plenty of options so be sure to check out the full list of courses at calvin.edu/call.

You do have to be a member to participate (CALL is a member-based learning community for adults age 50+), but joining is simple, and an annual membership is only $40.

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October 2-4, 2020 Homecoming & Family Weekend will be unique this year, but we’re excited to celebrate with fun virtual events and activities.

Sign up for the virtual 5k at calvin.edu/events/classic.

Visit calvin.edu/homecoming for more information!

Your gifts to the Calvin Annual Fund have always filled the gap where tuition dollars stop, but this year, that gap is going to be a little wider. To manage the impact of COVID-19, Calvin is investing in new technologies for flexible learning as well as comprehensive health and safety protocols.

Despite the pandemic, we’re committed to providing the same world-class Christian education, but we can’t do it without you.

Will you make a gift today?

Your investment will have an immediate impact on our students.

calvin.edu/go/annualfund