Spark Winter 2020 - Calvin University Magazine

SPARK T H E C A LV I N

UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

Jesus, John Wayne, and the church p. 12 Did COVID-19 kill the classroom? p. 18

PROFESSORS OF THE

PANDEMIC p. 14

WINTER 2020

A BLESSING FOR ADVENT 2020 “I have come,” Jesus said, “that you may have life and have it abundantly.”

Even in a pandemic. Even in a season of loss. Even now.

Advent invites us to align our longings with God’s longings for us: for life, for hope, for humility, for the imitation of Christ.

Come, Lord, Jesus, and rule in our hearts.

Bring us life abundant.

— University Pastor Mary Hulst

WINTER 2020 VOL. 66, NO. 3

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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Leonard De Rooy, Mark Bjelland, and David Dornbos are just a few of the professors who are adapting in 2020.

FEATURES

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The Calvin education experience hasn’t looked like this before.

Yet, as you might expect, our professors are still doing what they do best—adapting, innovating, and above all, teaching.

President Michael Le Roy talked with students and learned how much they missed incarnate learning.

Learn how Calvin is trying to recruit more undergraduate students in a complex market.

PROFESSORS OF THE PANDEMIC

DID COVID KILL THE CLASSROOM?

ADMITTEDLY COMPLEX

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE CALVIN SPARK Editor: Rick Treur ’93 Managing Editor: Sarah Potter Johnson ’00 Art Director: Amanda Impens Designers: Emma Tongue ’21 Contributing Writers: Jeff Febus ’92 Matt Kucinski Rick Treur ’93 Contributing Photographers: Amanda Impens Adrian Van Stee

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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Ben and Kari David used the skills they learned at Calvin to launch an organization in Uganda.

Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young runs to meet with God.

DEPARTMENTS

ONLINE EXTRAS

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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.)

Editor’s Desk

Read Spark online

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Campus News

calvin.edu/spark

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.

10 Sports 12 Scholarship 24 Alumni Profiles 34 Career 36 Legacy

Follow us on Instagram @calvinuniversityalumni

Connect with alumni facebook.com/calvinalumni

40 Class Notes

Leave a legacy for future alum

48 In Memoriam

legacygift.calvin.edu

View the Calvin calendar calvin.edu/calendar

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

EDITOR’S DESK

Farewell to an inspiring Spark storyteller After 27 years of writing and editing Spark, Lynn Bolt Rosendale ’85 is retiring from her dream job. Before coming to Calvin she worked as a sports reporter for The Grand Rapids Press and used to consider that her dream job. She loved covering sports except for the evening and weekend hours.

After earning a master’s in journalism from the University of Illinois and a short stint in Colorado, she returned to Michigan. She stopped in then Alumni Director Mike Van Denend’s office to see if he needed freelance help. Van Denend gave Rosendale her first job at Calvin, a news story about CAMP, the Calvin Alumni Meat and Potatoes program.

The initiative matched Calvin students with alumni for dinners in their home.

After a few years of freelancing, she started writing feature stories for Spark.

In 1993 an alumni communications position was created, and Van Denend hired Rosendale full time. He recalls what a great hire she was for Calvin: “She could have left Calvin a number of times and taken a job in corporate communications.

She could have left, but she didn’t because she loved Calvin and caught its mission. Lynn’s journalistic instincts were perfect for Spark.”

Rosendale’s tenure at Spark allowed her to meet impressive alumni and tell fascinating stories. “What’s been amazing to me is the talent and where we have alumni redeeming their square inch,” she said. “They are everywhere and they do

amazing and inspiring work. A lot of times I felt very humbled by the work that they do. The small part I can do is to tell their story and try to inspire other alumni through it.”

Her reporting has taken her around the country. She visited with an organic rancher in Idaho, went behind the scenes with the stage director for the Barnum & Bailey Circus, interviewed the president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, and spent a day with the cast of the Blue Man Group.

“Our alumni are amazing; we have alumni who use their businesses to give back, who work with the poorest of the poor, the people who don’t have voices,” Rosendale said.

As a journalist, Rosendale was always learning. She approached subjects with humility to learn what she’d be reporting on and also share complex topics in a way that alumni readers could understand.

In retirement she is looking forward to continued learning, spending time with family, and traveling and taking biking trips with her husband. Her parents had a philosophy of investing in people and experiences, and she wants to embrace that philosophy even more in retirement.

We’re grateful for the time Rosendale took investing in the lives of alumni, getting to know them, telling their stories, and inspiring us all.

RICK TREUR DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

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LETTERS

Send us your letters.

Write us at spark@calvin.edu.

TRAVEL WITH CALVIN History and Beauty of Quebec From Quebec City to Montreal Host: Karin Maag June 7-14, 2021

“What’s been amazing to me is the talent and where we have alumni redeeming their square inch.”

Dive into the history of Quebec with lectures by popular CALL professor Karin Maag while spending four days in Quebec City and three days in Montreal. Highlights of the itinerary include Île d’Orléans, Montmorency Falls, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, Trois-Rivières, Pointe-à-Callière Historical Museum, and the Notre-Dame Basilica.

— LYNN BOLT ROSENDALE ’85

Netherlands: Off the Beaten Path Explore and discover how the Dutch made the Netherlands Hosts: Henk Aay, Robert Hoeksema Sept. 24–Oct. 6, 2021

FORMER MANAGING EDITOR

With visits to new and old engineering feats such as ancient occupation mounds (terpen), water storage schemes at Kinderdijk, and the Deltaworks, tour participants will learn how much of this productive, low-lying country exists due to its water management strategies.

PHOTO CREDIT: LARRY ROSENDALE ’84

Hawaii: Volcanoes in the Sun Hiking and geological exploration on the Big Island and Kauai Host: Gerry Van Kooten Nov. 9-21, 2021 Examine the geology and volcanic development of Hawaii while enjoying the historical, cultural, and scenic sights of the Big Island and Kauai.

Along with spending two days in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, including 3-5 miles of hiking each day, participants will visit Lili’uokalani Park and Gardens, Akaka Falls, Waipio Canyon, a coffee plantation, and Kilauea Point Wildlife Refuge.

See calvin.edu/go/travel for details. Email alumni@ calvin.edu to request tour brochures for specific trips.

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CAMPUS NEWS

Plaster Creek Stewards work to restore the local watershed.

PLASTER CREEK STEWARDS RECEIVES TWO GRANTS The Plaster Creek Stewards is a Calvin University initiative that was founded in 2009.

Faculty, staff, and students work with local schools, churches, and community partners to restore the health and beauty of the Plaster Creek watershed in Grand Rapids.

Earlier this year, the group received two Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants. One extends its curb-cut rain garden initiative in the Alger Heights, Garfield Park, and Oakdale neighborhoods. The other funds the planting of 390 trees in the watershed. Both projects began in summer 2020 and will finish fall 2021.

Next summer will be especially busy for Plaster Creek Stewards because they were also awarded a $806,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy that begins this fall and extends to December 2022. This grant allows the group to perform a large floodplain restoration project, add additional rain gardens, and to install permeable pavement in the parking lot of one of its church partners.

SAO director Jack Droppers hosts a variety show called The ToKnight Show.

SAO: CONSISTENTLY CREATIVE If you want to experience a bit of Calvin, head over to the Student Activities Office’s YouTube channel. You’ll find mini-concerts, discussions, and episodes of The ToKnight Show, a weekly variety show.

have in common is the ability to adapt to changing culture,” Droppers said.

The work of the SAO this year has been funded in part by students, alumni, and friends who donated more than $45,000 to the Save SAO campaign in 2019.

SAO director Jack Droppers has had to think creatively to safely engage students in the ongoing discussion of how Christians should engage with popular culture. Droppers has also organized in-person events such as small outdoor concerts and films.

“That money was used to augment the hours of the SAO director to nearly full time through the 2020-21 academic year,” said vice president for student life Sarah Visser.

“Absent additional donor funding, after this school year, the role will continue at 60%.”

“This year has been a weird year for everyone at Calvin and everyone in both the live music industry and movie industry.

However, one of the gifts all three of these

The university seeks donor partners interested in endowing the work of the Student Activities Office. To donate, contact Melanie Lyons at mnl2@calvin.edu.

VISIT YOUTUBE Search for “Calvin SAO” on YouTube to see videos from the Student Activities Office.

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New master’s degree offered in the communication department.

CALVIN OFFERS NEW MASTER’S IN MEDIA AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

Calvin is highly rated in leading guidebooks.

CALVIN ADVANCES IN NATIONAL RANKINGS This year’s edition of Best Colleges by The Princeton Review includes Calvin on a short list of institutions that excel in delivering health and counseling services to their students.

Calvin is ranked 10th in the nation in the guidebook’s “Best Counseling Services” category. And for the ninth straight year, Calvin appears on the “Best Health Services” list, ranking 15th in the nation. Calvin is also included as one of the best institutions for undergraduates to earn their college degree.

The Princeton Review’s lists are ranked “entirely based on what students attending the schools … tell [them] about their colleges and their experiences at them.”

In U.S. News & World Report’s “2021 Best Colleges Guidebook” rankings, Calvin gained ground in several categories while maintaining the school’s No. 3 overall ranking in the “Midwest Regional Universities” category.

Calvin’s Communication Department is launching an innovative program this spring. The master of arts in media and strategic communication will cultivate skills that industry professionals seek: media production, team management, and strategic thinking. In years past, such skills could be gained on the job through an agency’s junior training program—programs that no longer exist in today’s marketplace. To deliver these tools, faculty will explore theory, practice, and ethics, with an emphasis on developing a participant’s internal ethical compass.

Among Midwest regional universities, Calvin retained its No. 5 ranking for “Best Undergraduate Teaching” and No. 3 ranking for “Schools with the Most International Students.” Calvin also moved up to No. 13 in the “Best Value Schools” category, up five spots from last year.

Gregory Braun, an advertising leader who has created work for big-name events like the Super Bowl, will lead the program’s creative agency. Under his direction, students will solve communication problems for real-world clients.

Calvin was also rated highly by a number of other leading guidebooks, including “Fiske Guide to Colleges,” Forbes, Niche, and Washington Monthly, to name a sampling.

Throughout the program, students will have the opportunity to hone their video production skills and deliberate ethical issues. They will consider how their stories influence culture and community and learn to advocate for the humane treatment of their subjects.

In just one year, students can elevate their media production, strategic communication, and ethical practice skills to a new level.

For more information visit calvin.edu/communication.

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CAMPUS NEWS

CALL PROGRAMMING CONTINUES TO THRIVE The Calvin Academy for Lifelong Learning (CALL) is a member-based learning community for people over the age of 50.

All programming has been moved online, so curious learners can deepen their understanding from anywhere in the world.

Courses are taught by Calvin professors and other experts, and learners join in over Zoom.

This fall, there were 850 course registrations.

Topics have included Jane Eyre, electric vehicles, managing anxiety, and C.S. Lewis.

“The professor was a pro and very clear in his presentation,” one CALL participant said. “I had the chance to sit in my own office chair, have a cup of coffee, and just listen.” Another CALL member signed up for four fall classes on Zoom after a positive experience in one.

The CALL program has over 2,000 members and was established in 1996 by the Calvin Alumni Association. You don’t need to be a Calvin alum (or have attended any university) to participate.

Photograph by Matthew Erickson, Class of 2024

HOMECOMING DIFFERENT, BUT STILL FUN Calvin’s 2020 Homecoming and Family Weekend moved to a virtual format this year. This pivot gave alumni across the world an opportunity to connect with Calvin in new ways.

The completely virtual Calvin Classic 5K had over 400 participants, from Washington state to the Netherlands. Another popular choice was the trivia events that gave Calvin alumni, friends, students, and families a way to compete as a team even at a distance. One team even consisted of a three-generation Calvin family with ages ranging from 12 to 80!

“It was wonderful to be able to participate in a Calvin alumni event,” shared a Calvin alum. “Since I live in Australia, it’s rare that I’m able to make it to campus (and certainly impossible this year). My mom was also really happy because we could be on a team together even though she’s in Ohio.”

There was also plenty of action for the current students with the first Knights4Life scavenger hunt and the traditional Calvin Grand Prix (bed races), which had the largest bracket of participating students ever.

The spring session of CALL classes starts in February and courses will be listed on calvin.edu/call. For more information email call@calvin.edu or phone 616-526-8777.

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

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MAINTAINING AN IN-PERSON LIVING AND LEARNING EXPERIENCE

The January Series speakers for 2021 are available at calvin.edu/january.

JANUARY SERIES 2021: UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS The January Series is an award-winning lecture series that draws more than 70,000 attendees each year at Calvin and 60-plus remote sites. In 2021, Calvin will offer an impressive and relevant lineup, all accessible online.

“We value our audience and are working to make it as easy as possible for anyone to join from where they are, whether at home, church, in an office, on a couch, or at the kitchen table,” said Kristi Potter, director of the January Series.

Potter says the series aligns with the mission of the university. While the speakers will dig deeply into their areas of expertise, their talks are not just about helping attendees gain knowledge, but also helping them learn how that understanding can inspire action.

Speakers include Tara Westover, author of Educated, a book that stayed on The New York Times bestseller list two years; Jemar Tisby, author of The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church’s Complicity in Racism, which received the 2019 honors for Book of the Year from the Englewood Review of Books; and Bruce Feiler, author of six consecutive New York Times bestsellers.

Calvin University classes were in session and in-person for the 2020 fall semester thanks to significant preparation and planning over several months. The university’s testing of students, faculty, and staff before the semester began proved to be successful, and having that baseline to identify positive cases early mitigated community spread.

The community-wide commitment to health and safety protocols, including the daily completion of the #CampusClear App, contributed greatly to Calvin having no active COVID-19 cases among on-campus students in early October.

However, Kent County numbers began to rise later that month, and by early November, the numbers in the county continued to show an uptick, and Calvin was no exception. By midNovember, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued an epidemic order requiring all colleges and universities to move to remote learning through December 8. (This represented a slight shift from the university’s original plan of pivoting to remote learning after Thanksgiving.)

The university will return to in-person living and learning for interim and spring semester.

To stay updated, visit calvin.edu/safe-return.

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CALVIN SPORTS

A BOLD RETURN

BREAKING FROM THE PACK

Seven of Calvin’s sports teams competed in intercollegiate competition this fall:

Finding a way to continue athletics on a university campus in 2020 is a major task. With NCAA guidelines, safety protocols, and many other challenges, the task can seem daunting.

Yet Calvin University found a way to navigate through the process this fall, doing its utmost to provide a safe and positive athletic experience.

BY JEFF FEBUS ’92

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• Men’s and women’s cross country competed in four invitational meets.

• Women’s triathlon competed in the final cross country invitational.

• Men’s and women’s tennis competed in exhibition non-conference dual matches.

• Men’s and women’s golf competed in a full season of fall tournaments that included smaller but competitive fields.

Meanwhile, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball began practices and competed in inter-team matches under the lights. A limited number of fans watched and cheered on the teams.

Spring sports teams such as track and field, softball, baseball, and men’s and women’s lacrosse practiced during the fall and sprinkled in inter-team competitions. Winter sports teams such as swimming and diving, basketball, and ice hockey also returned to practice with hopes of competing in the future.

“It is a real gift to be together. Once we were able to come back to practice this fall, there was a great positive energy of being together as a group. No one was taking a day of practice or even a moment together for granted.”

— COACH RYAN SOUDERS MEN’S SOCCER

MAKING BOLD DECISIONS

MAKING IT SAFE

MAKING A COMMUNITY

The return to practice and play was not without due diligence, said Jim Timmer, Calvin director of athletics.

Health Services, Calvin Sports Medicine Office, and associate director of athletics Nancy Meyer worked to provide clear instruction to returning student-athletes.

Instructions included how to integrate into smaller and later larger practice pods, and when to undergo COVID-19 testing.

Meyer has witnessed a strong commitment to following safety protocols. Calvin studentathletes “want to practice, they want to compete, and they want to be together as a team,” said Meyer. “That commitment has been a real positive in the middle of a pandemic.”

“It’s been a challenging but worthwhile process,” said Meyer. “I feel like we owe it to our student-athletes to give them our best effort to deliver a meaningful athletics experience.

Timmer sees the positive of the return to athletics as a greater positive for Calvin.

“I am a big believer in athletics on a college or university campus providing community,” said Timmer. “At Calvin it allows studentathletes to pursue things with passion within a Christian environment. Athletics provide traditions and rallying cries for an institution.

It helps cement campuses together even in times of great division.”

“It was a spring and summer filled with online meetings with our coaches, our league [Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association], and the NCAA working on finding a path forward,” said Timmer.

On July 30, the MIAA announced the postponement of its conference fall sports season, electing to move the seasons into spring 2021.

Calvin, along with league members Adrian, Olivet, and Trine, decided to pursue fall sports competition at the non-conference level.

“We owe a lot to Calvin President Dr. [Michael] LeRoy,” said Timmer. “It was through his leadership that we made the final decision to pursue a fall season. We knew it would not be without challenges, but ultimately we felt it was the right decision.”

“Our health services and sports medicine offices have gone above and beyond in making this fall sports experience a success. Providing a safe environment and keeping our studentathletes mindful of the health protocols has been like a second full-time job for them,” Meyer said.

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CALVIN SCHOLARSHIP

BY MATT KUCINSKI

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Back in 2005, history professor Kristin Kobes Du Mez lectured on gender and how gender works in history. After class, a few male students told her she needed to read the book Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. So she did.

The best-selling book encouraged Christian men to be warriors.

This idea intrigued Du Mez, and she continued to dig deeper into the history of gender in the evangelical tradition. The result is her recently released book, Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. The book is a comprehensive history of masculinity in white evangelical culture. From a historical perspective, Du Mez examines the anti-communist crusade of the 1960s to the evangelical support of President Donald Trump.

“If we’re not actually understanding what has happened and perhaps where things have gone wrong, we will not be properly equipped to participate in the renewal of all things. This book doesn’t have all the answers, but it opens up a conversation,” said Du Mez. The book has received national and international media attention, and Du Mez has been interviewed by NPR and BBC Radio, among others.

Spark: What can someone expect to find in this book?

Du Mez: I described this as my book on white evangelical masculinity and militarism. … It is a work of Christian scholarship, and I am writing as a person of faith. [The subtitle “corrupted a faith”] is not actually a historical claim. It’s a kind of theological one.

I’m talking about how this embrace of a militant masculinity ends up transforming the faith itself. There are explicit cases where biblical passages, core teachings of the Bible— like love your neighbors as yourself, love your enemies, turn the other cheek—are explicitly rejected and thrown out. [When you believe the militant masculinity narrative,] you can’t teach a boy to be a man by teaching him to turn the other cheek. The Jesus of the gospels is literally transformed into a militant warrior Christ who has tattoos up and down his legs and rides on a horse, wielding a sword into battle to slay all his enemies … that’s the corruption that I’m talking about.

Why is it important to understand the histories of the cultures we are part of and acknowledge the unpleasant aspects of those histories?

As a Calvinist, I think that if we are just looking at the positive aspects of our tradition, that could be dangerous because we know that we are all fallen and that our institutions and our traditions also reflect our limitations. If we are not willing to investigate that and kind of excavate, we are going to be blind to the ways in which our traditions have caused harm in the past, have perpetuated perhaps abusive systems, have perpetuated injustices.

Once you define yourself as the good guys and whoever you’re opposed to as the bad guys, that’s when things get really dangerous, because then, almost by definition, whatever you do is righteous and whatever you do can be justified. The ends will justify the means because God is on your side. And this is exactly the language that we hear. And so, it becomes a very us-versus-them mentality. It’s not love your neighbor as yourself, or extending your hand to the other, the outsider, the stranger. It is seeing anybody on the outside as potential enemies, potential threats. Because if every man needs a battle to fight, well, you can’t fight a battle if you don’t have enemies.

What’s the response been to this book and to the provocative subtitle?

I was bracing myself. We live in a very polarized moment. One of the early reviews called [Jesus and John Wayne] an urgent and sharp-elbowed book. And I love that description. That was my intent. I’m not throwing punches at all, but there are some sharp elbows. And that was important to me, because through this research, I came to see how often a kind of culture of deference had facilitated abuses of power in churches, in organizations, in families.

The reception of the book has been enormously positive. I agree, I think it’s a provocative title.

I’ve had conservative Christians thank me for that, because it says there is a Christian faith that is not this. That this is a corruption that we’re talking about and that there is redemption to be made. There’s a reformation. We can reform this, and that’s what we should be trying to do. And I love that that’s the way it’s landing with many readers.

For additional content with Kristin Kobes Du Mez, visit calvin.edu/spark.

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FEATURE STORY

Tim Bergsma

Jennifer Holberg

Pearl Shangkuan Urban geography in Grand Rapids

Leonard De Rooy

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Shakespeare David Dornbos in Gezon

Sand Tigchelaar Alisa dune research on campus

PROFESSORS OF THE

PANDEMIC Daunting. Draining. Logistically intense. These are some of the words Calvin’s faculty use to describe this semester. “It’s like running a marathon with the speed of a sprint while there’s an ongoing 6.8 earthquake,” said music professor Pearl Shangkuan, who’s been in such earthquakes.

The Calvin education experience hasn’t looked like this before. Yet, as you might expect, our professors are still doing what they do best—adapting, innovating, and above all, teaching.

REDEFINING ‘CLASSROOM’

WHAT THAT 200% LOOKS LIKE

To keep a class of students at the recommended six feet apart, you need space. Lots of it. This semester, classes are meeting in dorm basements, building lobbies, the Center Art Gallery, the Gezon, the Covenant Fine Arts Center auditorium, and other spaces on campus.

When faced with these extraordinary constraints, faculty started brainstorming solutions and working together.

Calvin Information Technology set up internal listservs where professors crowdsourced ideas and helped each other with problems.

To complicate matters, faculty have students learning online in their classes. These online learners might be quarantined temporarily, choosing to learn online, or be international students who cannot leave their home countries. Some students connect in at class time.

Students on the other side of the world might watch the class later. And professors have to make sure all students are engaged and progressing academically.

Engineering professor Leonard De Rooy wanted his students learning online to see his diagrams and his body language.

“I created a recording studio at my home that has a green screen and several cameras. I had one camera pointing to my tabletop that recorded what diagrams and calculations that I wrote,” he said. “At the same time, I had a camera pointing to my face and using a green screen feature, I was able to superimpose my face on top of my tabletop recordings.”

“We’re effectively teaching three classes in one,” said English professor Jennifer Holberg, who has students as far away as Indonesia and South Korea. “And that takes a ton of work to do well. I’ve seen things in the media questioning the quality of education during the pandemic. At Calvin, I am confident that we are continuing to give students the very best we can, even as it is asking that all the faculty give 200%.”

In Mark Bjelland’s urban geography class, students normally take a city bus or a 12-passenger van to explore different parts of Grand Rapids. “Once Calvin’s social distancing guidelines were released, I realized I needed to come up with an alternative approach.” His solution? Bicycles.

He spent the summer finding helmets, bikes, and safety lights for his class. It’s worked out so well, he plans to incorporate some biking into his teaching post-COVID. “On a bike, you can see neighborhoods up close, hear children’s voices, and go places cars can’t go,” he said.

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FEATURE STORY

Mark Bjelland’s urban geography class

PEARL SHANGKUAN, MUSIC Professor Pearl Shangkuan’s discipline, choral singing, presented unique challenges during the pandemic. For months, she studied research on droplets and aerosols. How could her students continue to sing together—and be safe? Using the guidelines provided by national music organizations, she and Calvin’s Safe Return Team made a plan.

The singers wear special singing masks at rehearsals and sing at least six feet apart. They use larger facilities like the University Chapel to rehearse with smaller groups of students spread out.

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“The day when each of my ensembles first sang, I asked them to pause and ‘click save’ to remember and treasure this moment we had all been waiting to hear for six months. At times, we didn’t know if it would even happen. Being able to sing together is essential to our spirit.

It’s a gift and privilege we’ll never, ever take for granted again.”

“The adaptability that the professors have shown really demonstrates what great teachers we have here. As students, we are getting a very valuable education this year not only in class material but on coping with challenges, being innovative, and persevering.” — CATHERINE WORTHINGTON JUNIOR SPANISH MAJOR

DAVID DORNBOS BIOLOGY

ALISA TIGCHELAAR SPANISH

TIM BERGSMA BUSINESS

David Dornbos has been teaching biology at Calvin since 2004, but never like this. He’s decided to “flip” his classroom. Before class, students do the reading and watch Dornbos’ recorded lectures. Then they use their class time to ask questions and dig deeper into the material, sometimes quite literally. For the first few months of the fall semester, the class has been meeting outdoors in the Calvin Community Garden.

Spanish professor Alisa Tigchelaar makes sure to welcome “los amigos remotos” each class period. In one of her classes, she can only have 75% of students physically there at once because of the room size. They are making due, and Tigchelaar is reminding her students (and herself) to focus on the blessings and overlook the small challenges they face.

This spring, a few weeks into the abrupt change to online learning, Tim Bergsma sent his students an informal survey.

He wanted to know, directly from them, about the obstacles they were facing.

He learned his well-intentioned, dense emails were overwhelming to students, but that they craved connection and accountability. Considering the limitations and the available tools, he changed his tactics and was impressed with the results. “The virtual space allowed me to connect with students that normally wouldn’t talk with me outside the classroom,” he said.

“How we learn is different in key ways than in previous years, learning is definitely happening. And in fact, more learning may be happening by engaged students. Touching, seeing, and tasting practical examples in the Calvin Community Garden makes concepts previously constrained to a classroom more real, reduces cognitive load, and engages the visual learner in ways not possible before.”

“Today we recited the Lord’s Prayer all together, and the remote students had their mics on. It was beautiful noise to hear five remote voices crackle over the speaker and the rest in person, all of us slightly off. I pointed out that God hears us all: our asking for bread and forgiveness and to be guided in his ways, in spite of what might seem incomprehensible to us. He hears us during COVID, too.”

“At Calvin, we pride ourselves on equipping our students to address complex problems with creative and critical thinking. And we find ourselves square in the middle of a really complex situation that demands creative problem solving. In a sense, we’re living out in real time a case study.”

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FEATURE STORY

“

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I couldn’t be more pleased to see the application of such considerable academic talent devoted to delivering excellent learning in new ways.

”

DID COVID-19 KILL THE

CLASSROOM?

BY MICHAEL K. LE ROY PRESIDENT

As Calvin’s president, I am often asked whether I believe that traditional classroom learning at the university level is obsolete. I do not. But declarations from pundits, far removed from the student experience, have wrongly declared the death of the traditional classroom.

“[There is a] communal aspect of attentiveness crafted by coming together in a shared space,” they write. “When the speaker is in the same room with you, maybe even right beside you, the sense of listening—and the importance of speaking—each becomes elevated.”

In the midst of this pandemic, I began a practice of weekly office hours with students.

We gather online in small groups, and I invite them to share an experience, propose a topic for discussion, or ask a question about Calvin University. These times together have been wonderful.

Attentiveness is really hard work. Most teachers who have taught in a traditional classroom notice when it is being practiced and notice when it is absent. In the virtual classroom, or any virtual meeting, the distractions and temptations are ubiquitous. I know this because I too have succumbed to the siren song of some notification going off on my screen.

One of the most important insights I have gained from these conversations is how deeply our traditional residential students yearn for the experience of community-based incarnate learning. The students describe the value of relational learning from professors and one another, discussion and debate with nuance and passion, and the chance encounters with students, staff, and faculty.

I received an article co-published by Calvin alumni Peter Boumgarden ’05 and Abram Van Engen ’03. A key observation I appreciated is the identification of the physical energy required to attentively listen. This is a hard task under the best of circumstances, but the temptation to “check out” is far greater in Zoomworld.

I expected traditional teachers to miss the physical classroom, but the most pleasant surprise to me is how much the students miss it. Our return to in-person learning has been a joy for all of us.

This pandemic occasion has also caused many thoughtful, creative traditional teachers to cross the Rubicon into online teaching and instructional design. These faculty love their students, however they choose to learn, and are committed to making their virtual courses a worthy academic experience. I would never have wished the challenges of this season on my colleagues but, as an administrator, I couldn’t be more pleased to see the application of such considerable academic talent devoted to delivering excellent learning in new ways.

Millions of nontraditional graduate and undergraduate students, working full time and tending to family and other responsibilities, find the convenience of online learning to be the best pathway to achievement of academic and career goals. New insight, new talent, and new adversities almost always advance knowledge, so this season is indeed promising for nontraditional students, and likely beneficial in some innovative ways for all students.

As this season enhances virtual learning, we must also remember how much the traditional classroom is missed by those students who must go without it. And as Calvin ramps up new online academic programs, we must remember to apply the lessons we take for granted in our physical life together.

To read the article “In Praise of Classrooms”

by Peter Boumgarden and Abram Van Engen, visit calvin.edu/spark.

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FEATURE STORY

ADMITTEDLY COMPLEX THE NEW PLAYBOOK IN UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS

Last year at this time, Isaac Seiler was collecting college acceptance letters.

The Rockford, Michigan, student applied to 11 colleges, all across the country, and the acceptance packets kept rolling in.

“It was kind of overwhelming,” he said.

His mailbox overflowed. Colleges sent him handwritten notes, glossy posters, and trinkets emblazoned with logos.

He scrutinized virtual tours and had long conversations with friends and family.

Ultimately, Seiler chose Calvin. When he reflects on his decision, he can’t pinpoint one reason for his choice. He recalled a memorable Fridays visit, getting accepted into the Honors Scholars program, and an aid package that was competitive and made Calvin financially feasible.

Seiler’s story is a common one. “The competition in undergraduate recruitment is increasing, and there are many factors students and families consider,” said Lauren Jensen, vice president of enrollment strategy. “People often think that if we just did this one thing, we could tip a student to decide, but the recruitment landscape and decision-making process is very complex.”

BY SARAH POTTER JOHNSON ’00

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“

The competition in undergraduate recruitment is increasing, and there are many factors students and families consider.

— LAUREN JENSEN

VICE PRESIDENT OF

ENROLLMENT STRATEGY

MOVING FROM MANAGEMENT TO STRATEGY

A HARD LOOK AT THE HARD NUMBERS

Every morning, Jensen inspects that complicated landscape. Her phone flashes the latest dashboard of data that Calvin is tracking—applications, visits, “pings” on the website, and more. She’s looking for insight and opportunities.

When students were counted on census day this fall, the total Calvin University enrollment was at 3,307. There were 805 new incoming students, many moving into the residence halls, meeting new friends, and navigating the crisscross paths of campus for the first time.

“We can’t set an enrollment management plan and assume that the students will come,” said Jensen, who had been in the vice president role for only a year when the pandemic hit. “We need to be much more strategic about the use of our resources—everything from where we spend our financial aid dollars to what schools we send our admissions counselors to, to how we invest in digital advertising.”

Jensen points out that Calvin has taken this “data-driven strategy” approach in student retention in recent years—and it’s been working. After a few years of declining retention rates, Calvin assessed, evaluated, and made important changes that improved the retention rate from 84.6% to 86.8%.

If those numbers seem low to you, you’re not alone. In 2013, Calvin’s incoming class was 1,107, and the number of incoming students has been steadily shrinking since then.

This year has been especially difficult for colleges and universities as a whole, with many students deferring a college education.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the United States saw a decline in freshman enrollment this year of 16.1%. Michigan higher ed institutions saw a drop of 9.5% in undergrad enrollment in 2020.

”

Students also tended to stick closer to home this fall, opting to go to college in their home states. Calvin has large populations of out-ofstate and international students, said Jensen, so it might have been more adversely affected by that trend than other institutions. Calvin’s percentage of in-state students is up this year (54% in 2020 compared to 52% last year).

Jensen is quick to point out that demographic factors aren’t the only reason Calvin’s enrollment numbers are going down. “We can—and do—spend a lot of time looking back and analyzing what happened the prior year. We survey students about why they enrolled or didn’t enroll at Calvin, we analyze trends, and we listen to anecdotes,” Jensen said. “And taking all that into consideration, we make a strategy that will hopefully enable Calvin to grow and expand in new networks and places.”

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FEATURE STORY

NEW ADMISSIONS DIRECTOR For Melissa Rousseau, it’s all about the question “why.” She asks that question a lot in her role as the director of admissions, a job she started in July.

“When you understand why and your team understands why, you can move toward the end goal together,” Rousseau said. Her end goal right now? Meeting the enrollment targets for the next class of Calvin Knights.

It’s a challenge she is up for. Rousseau is not new to the demands of higher education. She comes to Calvin with 19 years of experience at Davenport University. While she was at Davenport, that university underwent a lot of change, consolidating 36 campuses into 11.

“I had really wide experience there,” said Rousseau, who has experience in admissions leadership, marketing, financial aid, and student services.

She also brings knowledge of reaching different audiences, like adult learners and transfer students.

Rousseau said she’s been encouraged by Calvin’s leadership to share her fresh perspective. “I’m looking at everything from billboards on the highway to our visit presentations, and I’m asking lots of questions about our goals and results.”

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A CHANGING PLAYBOOK High schoolers this year are facing travel restrictions, cancelled college fairs, and uncertainty about the economy. “In the COVID reality, the admissions playbook gets to be rewritten,” Jensen said. “This is a time for those of us who can think creatively about new approaches.”

One of the first things the admissions team reconsidered was the college visit. Instead of offering large one-size-fits-all visit days like Fridays at Calvin, Calvin changed course.

Now, students can choose from “bite-sized” sessions with lots of virtual options.

“We have an entirely new perspective on events,” said Melissa Rousseau, director of admissions. “We’re giving students the opportunity to engage with us multiple times throughout the year. We want to deliver the information that they want exactly when they want it.”

In the fall, prospective students could visit campus in person. Plus, they can join virtual events like Open House Live and Career Pathways. “We’re taking advantage of the online platform to deliver some unique and unexpected experiences,” said Stephanie Brink, associate director of admissions.

Another part of the strategy is to grow awareness of Calvin through digital campaigns.

“We’ve revamped our approach this year to be more focused and targeted in our efforts with email and digital marketing,” said Rousseau.

Data also informs which schools the admissions counselors target. “We have data on schools across the country, and we can see where we might gain some traction,” said Robin Wait, associate director of admissions.

WORLDWIDE INFLUENCE In the last six years, one segment of Calvin’s population has grown: international students.

“We made a real commitment to grow,” said Tara Braun, director of international admissions. An additional international recruiter was hired, and Braun’s team built global connections.

Alumni in places like Ghana and South Korea build Calvin’s reputation through their networks. In recent years, Calvin’s international student body has been about 13%.

In the spring, consulates were closing, and it seemed impossible for some international students to study at Calvin in the fall. “We knew we needed to do something,” said Braun, who worked with a cross-divisional team on a plan. “I’m proud of how we came together to make it all happen,” she said.

In the end, they were able to pivot to an online cohort and retain 101 incoming international students this fall, with more coming in the spring. “A lot of other institutions just lost their international students,” Braun said.

“We couldn’t let that happen.”

REMEMBER YOUR CALVIN STORY “There’s power in your story as an alum,” President Michael Le Roy told alumni on a Facebook Live video this fall. When the topic of your college experience comes up in conversation, be ready to tell how your Calvin education shaped your life.

BE BOLD ABOUT SHARING Follow Calvin on social media, and hit the share button when you see good

5 Practical Ways Alumni Can Help Calvin Grow

news. There are great things happening at Calvin, and you never know what might connect to a prospective family.

USE YOUR NETWORKS It might feel more natural to talk about Calvin with others who are already familiar. But think about ways you can introduce Calvin into other circles of your life, like including Calvin in your

THE CALVIN PROMISE Cost is a big issue in the college decision-making process. And the financial aid process can be daunting or unknown to many families.

There’s also trepidation about the amount of financial aid changing over time.

That’s where the Calvin Promise comes in. The program launched this fall and assures prospective students that they will receive at least $21,000 per year for four years if their weighted high school GPA is 3.8 or higher.

“We know that many more families are experiencing financial difficulties this year and that may continue for some. The Calvin Promise offers some assurance of stability to families,” said Paul Witte, director of financial aid.

professional bio or wearing Calvin gear to a neighborhood gathering.

GET A BUMPER STICKER Show your Calvin pride with a new Calvin University Alumni sticker for your car. Email alumni@calvin.edu with your address, and we’ll drop one in the mail.

RECOMMEND CALVIN If you talk to a high school student about Calvin, tell us about it at calvin.edu/recommend.

If you’d like to help admissions efforts in your area, email admissions@calvin.edu.

The admissions team will let you know when there is an event or initiative in

The Calvin Promise combines scholarships and grants based on the student’s academic record, background, and financial need for a combined $21,000 per year for qualified students.

Even if students don’t meet the GPA requirement for the Calvin Promise, Calvin considers each student as an individual when creating an aid package that often includes an academic scholarship, need-based grants, and other scholarships and awards. Children of alumni receive a $4,000 legacy award that automatically renews each year.

your area.

For more information and a complete list of qualifications, visit calvin.edu/promise.

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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.

Jared Rispens is an internal medicine doctor for pilots, air crew, air traffic controllers, and drone operators in the U.S. Coast Guard. He’s also an expert in infectious diseases and has been helping advise Calvin on policy in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diann Takens leads a nonprofit in Buffalo, New York. Her team works to break the cycle of poverty and bring

Read more profiles online calvin.edu/spark

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justice to the poor. She traces her accomplishments back to a chapel service at Calvin.

Ben and Kari David had no idea that God would lead them back to Ben’s home country of Uganda after graduation. They lead Hope Speaks, an organization that serves more than 800 children with disabilities and their families.

As the veterinarian at the John Ball Zoo, Ryan Colburn has a unique role in stewarding God’s creation. He’s using his talents and training to care for the zoo’s animals and inspire visitors to protect the planet.

Janet Rispens Lenger Staal Jared ’11 ’98

Diann Takens ’89

Katelyn Ver Woert Egnatuk ’13

Ben ’12 and’06 Kari ’13 David Evan Talen

Ryan Colburn ’06

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ALUMNI PROFILES Jared Rispens ’09 Spanish Flight surgeon U.S. Coast Guard Mobile, Alabama

A flight surgeon’s rise 26

GROWTH AS A KNIGHT

Despite having the title of flight surgeon with the U.S. Coast Guard, Dr. Jared Rispens ’09 cares for his patients while on the ground. He serves the Coast Guard in Mobile, Alabama, as an active duty member of the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service.

He is an internal medicine doctor for pilots, air crew, air traffic controllers, and drone operators. Because of the unique stresses their bodies endure, aviators are held to high physical standards. Rispens flies at least once a week to understand the rigors of flight, to establish rapport with the aviators, and to ultimately better care for his patients. He took special training to become more familiar with Coast Guard aircraft.

‘DISEASE DETECTIVE’ Rispens graduated from Calvin with a BA in Spanish and served as the student body president. He earned his medical degree from the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, did his residency at

Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, and then went to work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before taking his current role with the Coast Guard.

Rispens recalls the path that helped lead him where he is today. “During residency, there were no specialties that spoke to me except infectious diseases. It really fascinated me, all the different types of bugs and pathogens that could cause so much illness.”

After former CDC officers at Rush encouraged him, he entered the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the CDC, a competitive postdoctoral program. Those in the program act as disease detectives helping to determine what triggered a disease outbreak. During the program doctors go through a process to determine what division of the CDC they’ll work with. Rispens matched with a new position in the vessel sanitation program at the CDC. As part of his work, Rispens flew out to cruise ships to investigate norovirus and other disease outbreaks.

“I have the privilege of walking alongside people in health challenges and in their normal lives and that is my role as an agent of renewal, to show the compassion that Christ has given me for these people and to share life with people in that way.”

Rispens is grateful for his Calvin education that prepared him well for where he is now.

He says his time at Calvin “was probably the best four years of my life so far. So many things were jam-packed into those years.”

Study-abroad terms in Honduras, China, Spain, and Ecuador defined his Calvin experience. They prepared him for his career and gave him a broad, diverse worldview, which he credits to leading to his success.

Serving as student body president was formative in helping him grow. “What I loved the most was getting to know all the senators, learning to lead a big team, learning to lead small teams,” he said. It was such a gift and a blessing to me and it really grew me as a person and prepared me for the spots I’m in now.”

His Calvin connections remain strong and have strengthened recently by working with Dr. Laura Champion, director of Health Services at Calvin. She got to know Rispens when he was at Michigan State and she served on the faculty. During his time at MSU, Rispens was chair of the Christian Medical and Dental Association, and Champion was the mentor for that group.

Since the start of the pandemic, Champion and Rispens have had regular conversations about the coronavirus and how best to mitigate exposure for students, faculty, and staff on campus. His advice has helped to keep people working, studying, and living together safely on campus.

He sees his work as living out Calvin’s mission. “My Calvin education pushed me and equipped me to do my job. … I have the privilege of walking alongside people in health challenges and in their normal lives and that is my role as an agent of renewal, to show the compassion that Christ has given me for these people and to share life with people in that way.”

Visit calvin.edu/spark to view a video interview with Rispens and learn more about his work and interests.

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ALUMNI PROFILES

Helping people find their voice Ben David ’12 was not homesick. Home for Ben was Uganda—he grew up there and lived in an orphanage after his parents died. When he graduated from Calvin with a degree in media production, he had no desire to go back.

He and his wife, Kari David ’13, a speech pathologist, settled in Grand Rapids. Kari had what she called her “dream job.” Uganda seemed very far away.

But something changed.

HOW THEIR HEARTS BROKE The director of the orphanage in Uganda called Ben one day and asked if he could help find a speech therapist for two kids with disabilities.

The director hinted that maybe Ben and Kari could come to help with these children.

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they need. They learned that in Uganda, people with disabilities are considered a curse and are locked away. Their parents carry deep shame, and there is a high risk of children being abused or even killed.

They started praying together for God to send someone else to Uganda to help these children. “And then,” said Ben, “I started to feel really homesick.”

Kari was also deeply moved. “The situation seemed too daunting to address. We felt completely unqualified to make any impact whatsoever given the size of the need,” she said. “We continued to live our normal life in Michigan, but over time, I couldn’t get those two children off my heart and my mind.”

“I told him that we would look and try to find someone else,” Ben said. They started researching and looking for services for these children half a world away. And their hearts broke.

HOW THEY FOLLOW GOD

Even now, five years later, the Davids know the statistics off the top of their heads. In Uganda, people with disabilities make up 24% of the population of 45 million people, and most of those people will never get the services

“And we were scared out of our minds,” Ben added with a laugh. They sold everything they had in Grand Rapids and flew to Uganda.

“It absolutely seemed crazy,” said Kari. “But it was so clear that God was telling us to go, and we had peace about it.”

After a few years of working with the kids at the orphanage, the Davids launched Hope Speaks in 2017. The nonprofit has a mission “to inspire hope and raise voices for children with disabilities through speech therapy, education, and advocacy.”

Hope Speaks serves more than 800 children with disabilities and their families.

Kari discovered that speech therapy only scratched the surface of the kids’ needs.

“The families lacked a support system and the education to advocate for their kids,” Kari said.

“At the first parent support group, parents could not believe that someone else was going through what they were going through,” Kari said.

This led Ben and Kari to develop a holistic approach to meet the needs of families. They hired social workers. They created systems to empower families economically. They established outreach locations in the kids’ home communities so they could start educating neighborhoods. They started hiring Ugandan speech pathologists and providing resources to grow the field in Uganda. And they made connections in the government to advocate for people with disabilities.

“It’s been so cool to see these families’ perspectives change and their view of their children change,” Kari said. “They go from seeing their children as a burden and a curse to seeing them as a gift and a child made in the image of God.” “If you would have told us five years ago that this is what God would do through the ministry in this short amount of time, we probably would have freaked out and left,” said Ben. “It’s amazing to see how he provided and so many lives have been impacted.”

To learn how you can support Hope Speaks and about the 2020 Calvin interim visit to the organization, visit calvin.edu/spark.

Ben David ’12 Media production Co-founder, dountry director Hope Speaks Bugolobi, Uganda Kari David ’13 Speech pathology Executive director and speech therapist Hope Speaks Bugolobi, Uganda

“It’s been so cool to see these families’ perspectives change and their view of their children change. They go from seeing their children as a burden and a curse to seeing them as a gift and a child made in the image of God.” — KARI DAVID

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ALUMNI PROFILES

Following God’s call to act justly

Diann Takens ’89 is one of those people who knows exactly the moment that sparked her life’s work. It was at Calvin, when she first learned that there was a theology for the poor and broken. It was when she first learned there was a theology for her.

Today, Takens is the executive director of Peace Of The City in Buffalo, New York, a nonprofit organization committed to justice for the poor. She founded it back in 1992.

It’s grown to include many innovative programs to break the cycle of poverty, like a Shakespeare theater company and small businesses run by teens.

Diann Takens ’89 Psychology Founder and executive director Peace Of The City Buffalo, New York

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Recently Takens was awarded the Centennial Champion Award by the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo.

Her life and work are full of meaning and connection. She traces it back to a fall morning her junior year at Calvin.

AN INSIDE OUTSIDER Takens’ story starts in a familiar place.

Born and raised in the Christian Reformed Church, she graduated from Grand Rapids Christian High School.

But underneath that, things for Takens were different. She describes herself as an “inside outsider.” Growing up, Diann experienced ongoing trauma and felt different from the families around her. Her parents didn’t go to college and, like a lot of first-generation students, navigating college was a challenge.

“Calvin gave her a taste for scholarship.

She’s always learning and exploring new ways of doing things.”

— TONY CAMPOLO

“It felt miraculous to even be there,” she said.

She settled on a psychology major but didn’t have a vision for what her future could be.

Takens was paying for college on her own and felt pressure to make the most of her experience. She decided to go to every chapel service, but one day, she almost skipped.

“I sensed God’s presence, telling me to go,” she said.

A CONNECTION The speaker that day was pastor and activist Tony Campolo, who was speaking in the fieldhouse. Campolo preached about a theology she had not experienced growing up in the church—and he connected that to the pain she knew deep within her.

“I was blown away. By speaking about the world’s suffering, especially the poor, Tony spoke right to my own,” Takens said.

She stayed after to meet Campolo, writing down her name and address on a scrap of a popcorn box that she found in the bleachers.

A LIFE’S WORK Campolo must have kept that scrap.

That exchange started a friendship that continues to this day.

That summer Takens interned at Campolo’s organization in Camden, New Jersey, America’s poorest city at that time.

“Diann was incredible,” said Campolo, remembering her internship. “Diann didn’t just do what she was asked to do, she always went above and beyond.”

She returned two more summers then moved there to work year round. Living and working in Camden were transformational for Takens.

“At that time, I sensed God saying, ‘If you really want to impact these kids and families,

you need to commit your life,’ so I moved there.”

Since then, she’s committed her life to serving the poor, eventually relocating to Buffalo and launching many initiatives at Peace Of The City in trauma-informed care, restorative justice, literacy intervention, and more.

“I observe her work in Buffalo, and I cannot help but want to support her in every way,” Campolo said. “I wish I had more money, because I would give it to her.”

Campolo said that he can see the impact of a Calvin education on her life and work.

“Calvin gave her a taste for scholarship. She’s always learning and exploring new ways of doing things,” Campolo reflected.

To learn more about the Centennial Champion Award and see a video about Diann Takens, visit calvin.edu/spark.

“I said that I would follow this guy anywhere.

And that’s what I did,” Takens said.

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ALUMNI PROFILES

Stewarding the wild

Ryan Colburn ’06 Biology Veterinarian John Ball Zoo Grand Rapids, Michigan

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When Ryan Colburn ’06 thinks about moments of beauty in his life, he thinks about being in a room surrounded by turtles. It was a moment that happened before his current job as the veterinarian at John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was at an internship in Florida as part of his doctorate in veterinary medicine at Michigan State University and was assigned to take care of these patients, ranging from sea turtles to softshell turtles to tortoises.

“There were seven different species all around me, all extremely different,” Colburn recalled.

“There was so much beauty in the sea turtle markings and in the diversity of the different species. I thought, ‘This is a window and the little glimpse I’m getting into creation.’”

CARING FOR CREATION Today, Colburn gets those little glimpses often, as he cares for the animals at the John Ball Zoo. The zoo is home to many species, including penguins, porcupines, lions, sharks, armadillos, and red pandas—and Colburn sees them all.

“In addition to enjoying that diversity and variety of the animals, I add in the science and physiology,” he said. “When you start to look at how the animals function, you can see many similarities and differences. You realize how intricate creation is—we are scratching the surface of what there is to know.”

Colburn’s job involves a lot of creative problem solving. He routinely dives into online research and textbooks, searching for answers to symptoms he’s seeing in one of the zoo’s animals.

“These animals are my patients, and I’ve taken an oath to care for them,” he said.

“There is always something new crossing my path every day. On one hand, that’s the thing that makes the job very fun,” Colburn said with a laugh, “but it also is very challenging.” He has to think through complications like how to get wild animals to take their medicine, how to do surgery on fish, and how to get a baby lynx to keep her splint on.

“For these animals to stick around, we need to provide a planet where they can do that.

There are less and less places that are truly wild.”

INSPIRING LASTING CHANGE

WORKING A DREAM JOB

One thing the zoo’s veterinarian wants to be sure you know: Wild animals belong in wild places.

Doing this work has been a lifelong dream of Colburn’s. “I knew very early on that I wanted to be a veterinarian,” said Colburn, who grew up in Grand Rapids.

“For these animals to stick around, we need to provide a planet where they can do that,” Colburn said. “There are less and less places that are truly wild.”

He hopes zoo visitors take a few moments to marvel at God’s creation and are inspired to make some changes in their lives. “We can make real positive changes that translate into positive results in the world for animals in the wild.”

Colburn said that learning how products impact the world around us can lead to very simple but meaningful changes. For example, reducing the use of disposable, plastic straws and other single-use plastics can have major implications to the health of oceans. He also suggests supporting zoos whose mission centers around conservation.

When considering colleges, he had his goal of vet school in mind. “I knew I needed a program that would give me a good educational foundation. I needed a place that would teach me how to study and have a well-respected program.

Calvin has always had all of that,” he said.

A biology major, Colburn participated in summer research with the biology and chemistry department. “I loved my time as a student in the biology department. I was set up very well by my time at Calvin,” he said.

To see a video interview with Colburn and learn about his experience visit calvin.edu/spark

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CAREER

God’s glory at work REMEMBER, YOUR JOB IS MORE THAN A JOB

Kelvyn Koning ‘17 is a music composer.

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Excerpted from Work Worth Doing: Finding God’s Direction and Purpose in Your Career by Tom Heetderks, Harvest House Publishers, 2020.

BY TOM HEETDERKS ’85

The film Chariots of Fire is based on the true story of two British athletes pairing for and competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics. One athlete, Eric Liddell, qualified to be part of the team. When he discovered that his qualifying heat for the 100 meters, his signature race, was scheduled for Sunday, he faced an issue of conscience. Given his interpretation of the fourth commandment, to “cease” and keep the Sabbath holy, he decided against competing in the games.

The decision to give up his spot in the race rather than dishonor the Lord was surprisingly rewarded. His teammate, who had already won an Olympic medal, selflessly offered to let Liddell take his place in the 400-meter dash, an event contested midweek. Gratefully, Liddell accepted, and he went on to win the race and a gold medal, setting an Olympic record in the process.

What stands out about Liddell are his faith and appreciation for divine design. Often quoted, he said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast! And when I run I feel his pleasure.”

Yes, your intentional uniqueness is central to God’s plan.

And your personal thread is part of his flawless fabric and greater story. It’s true.

PHOTO CREDIT: BRIAN KELLY

FOR FURTHER READING

Work Worth Doing: Finding God’s Direction and Purpose in Your Career by Tom Heetderks ’85 Recommended for college students and if you’re trying to make a career shift, this insightful book will show you how to move forward in a career with confidence and purpose.

Consider Kelvyn Koning ’17. Often, you’ll find him delivering a piano concerto or writing an original song. He said, “When they hear the music, they’re hearing the creator’s work that’s taking place through his creation … I have a very real sense that this is what I was made to do. And I can glorify him with this, and he loves it, and he loves me.”

Have you heard of Katie Davis Majors? She founded Amazima Ministries with a mission to live out the love of Jesus by educating and empowering the people of Uganda and the communities it serves. She said, “I’m blown away that my God, who could do all of this by himself, would choose to let me be a little part of it.”

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Catholic nun and missionary Mother Terersa. After 20 years as a nun and schoolteacher, she started the Missionaries of Charity. She wrote, “Each of us is merely a small instrument. When you look at the inner workings of electrical things, often you see small and big wires, old and new, cheap and expensive lined up.

Until the current passes through them there will be no light. That wire is you and me. The current is God.” Yes, while the Lord of lords could have done it all alone, instead he chose to involve Eric Liddell, Kelvyn Koning, Katie Davis Majors, Mother Teresa, and you in his work.

Never fail to see the truth about your labor: Each day, you’re a vital worker in a workplace that’s illuminated by none other than the eternal Light of the World.

Redeeming Work: A Guide to Discovering God’s Calling for Your Career by Bryan Dik ’98 Social scientist Bryan Dik combines what he’s learned from psychological research with theological truths to offer a deeply practical and wise book.

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t n e s e t m u e b i r it tr e R

CALVIN LEGACY

Claudia D. Beversluis Whether provost or professor, Claudia DeVries Beversluis has been a major blessing to Calvin since 1991. Student learning was her highest priority. She sought to spark students’ imaginations to go beyond what currently is, to imagine and embrace what could be as Christ’s agents of renewal. Undergirding all that she does is genuine kindness and the capacity to promote collaboration.

Michael R. Barbachyn When Michael Barbachyn joined Calvin’s chemistry and biochemistry department in 2012, the perspective he brought from 27 years in industry was recognized as an asset. He’s served as a mentor to countless students and many faculty members.

Mike cares about people and shows it with his actions. His calm demeanor, wisdom, and ability to encourage others will be deeply missed.

Kenneth A. Bergwerff Calvin is fortunate to have had Ken Bergwerff as a member of Calvin’s Science Education Group and geology, geography, and environmental studies department since 2001. Master teacher and mentor, tireless worker, supportive colleague, good friend— Ken’s been all these, but as those who’ve worked alongside him will attest, his true greatness flows from his love for and desire to serve God.

Susan M. Felch A professor of English at Calvin since 1992, Susan Felch has also been the director of the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship. She has led many off-campus programs in York, England, and is a renowned scholar of the Renaissance and Reformation.She is skilled at listening, at discerning with kindness the needs of others, at showing what it means to love another as oneself.

Gail Gunst Heffner For 26 years, Gail Heffner connected Calvin to its community. In 1994, she began developing a robust, nationally recognized program in academically based service learning. Since 2004, she has served as Calvin’s director of community engagement, where she co-founded the Plaster Creek Stewards. Gail’s close colleagues describe her with words like intentional, genuine, honest, strong, smart, determined, vulnerable, committed, kind, community-minded, and compassionate.

Michael R. Barbachyn

Kenneth A. Bergwerff

Claire D. Beversluis

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Susan M. Felch

Gail Gunst Heffner

Robert J. Hoeksema

William D. Romanowski

Kurt C. Schaefer

Scott H. Vander Linde

Judith M. Vander Woude

Robert J. Hoeksema The engineering department describes Robert Hoeksema as the “keeper of the department’s oral history” and its “historical anchor.” He started teaching at Calvin in 1977 and pioneered innovations and curriculum changes throughout the years. His colleagues and students point to his presence: solid, steady, and inclusive with a measured wisdom and quiet confidence—always welcoming and smiling.

William D. Romanowski A professor of communication and scholar, Bill Romanowski has been getting students, colleagues, church audiences, and industry insiders to think about popular culture for 30 years. He’s a tough but passionate teacher who students and colleagues can count on. He has been active in curriculum development his whole career, and he helped develop the film studies concentration in the 1990s and the new master of arts in media and strategic communication.

Kurt C. Schaefer The economics department was blessed to have Kurt Schaefer as a faculty member for 33 years. His teaching is characterized by faithful imagination and winsome technical proficiency. Kurt helped create Calvin’s off-campus program in Hungary and directed the first semester there, and he often partnered with faculty in different departments to teach interdisciplinary courses.

Colleagues and students both appreciate Kurt’s pastor’s heart, and he leaves a lasting imprint of thoughtfulness and humor on the Calvin community.

To see a video tribute and read longer profiles, visit calvin.edu/spark

Scott H. Vander Linde For 35 years, Scott Vander Linde taught economics at Calvin and explained how we all play a role in ensuring the community’s economic, environmental, and social well-being. He helped write From Every Nation, Calvin’s statement on diversity and inclusion, and facilitated discussions about how the university could better include racial and cultural differences in its curriculum and pedagogy. Scott encouraged his students to search “deeply for the principles of life that would help them to see the world differently”—to see it as Christ sees it.

Judith M. Vander Woude In 1994, no one—except perhaps Judy Vander Woude—predicted the small communication disorders program would become what it is today, a thriving multidegree speech pathology and audiology department. As an innovative leader, Judy worked tirelessly to establish a reputable program. Judy taught from her heart. She challenged her students to think deeply about how their work might heal what is broken in this world. She dared to try new things in the classroom; her vulnerability and courage were a model for many.

Mark Williams In his 33 years with the classics department, Mark Williams has taught almost every course in the classics curriculum.

He served as the department chair, academic dean, and other impactful leadership roles at the university.

Through the years, he maintained a productive life of scholarship. Mark is known not only for his expertise but for his wit, hospitality, and genuine care for students.

Mark Williams

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CALVIN LEGACY

NEW ENDOWMENT STRENGTHENS GERMAN PROGRAM

James ’58 and Mary Jane ’62 Lamse loved the German language—and they spent over 30 years cultivating a love of German in Calvin students.

Through their lives and gifts they made a profound impact at Calvin. Now, through a generous gift from their estate, that legacy will live on for years to come.

The Lamse estate has funded a new endowment for the German program. Annual earnings from the endowment will fund cultural exchanges, student travel, scholarships for majors and minors, faculty research, and more.

“This generous gift comes at a very timely moment, as international travel and study abroad will look radically different in coming years,” said Corey Roberts, head of the German program and former student of James Lamse. “As we look to create enhanced abroad opportunities for the future, this gift will also support new program development and help us in efforts to keep these kinds of experiences available and accessible to our students,” he said.

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SHARING THE LOVE OF GERMAN The names of James and Mary Jane Lamse are synonymous with Calvin’s German language program. After both graduating from Calvin, James returned to Calvin’s campus as a faculty member in 1969. He spent the next 31 years educating and fostering the love of the German language and culture.

In addition to teaching the language itself, James spent decades building both the German interim abroad and a summer work exchange program, which offered robust cultural exchange experiences between Calvin students and students in Germany. He led numerous interim groups and managed the details of nearly 300 exchanges, ensuring that things went smoothly in both countries.

In recognition of James’ efforts to promote German American cross-cultural understanding, the German government awarded him the German Merit Cross.

James’ work was not done in isolation. Mary Jane, also a PhD in Germanic languages and literature, was a trusted partner and provided behind-the-scenes support to the exchange program. Mary Jane also led interim and taught German classes at Calvin, as well as worked as a translator, writer, and editor for the Amway Corp.

The Lamses were married for 55 years and have three surviving children: Elizabeth, Paul, and David. James died in 2014 and Mary Jane passed in September 2019.

FUNDING THE ENDOWMENT Prior to their passing, the Lamses thoughtfully created an estate plan that provided gifts to ensure future Calvin students and faculty could continue to learn and explore the German culture. Within the past year, the Lamse German Studies Endowment was established and funded by their estate to fulfil the Lamses’ legacy wishes. Roberts, his colleagues in the German program, the academic dean, and Calvin’s development office worked in conjunction to craft the specifics of the new endowment.

Like many Calvin supporters, the Lamses recognized the opportunity to leave a legacy in their estate plan. After making provisions for loved ones, they allocated a portion of their final estate as a cash gift to support the continuation of their life’s work. When James passed in 2014, Mary Jane made the decision to also include Calvin as one of the beneficiaries on an IRA to support their legacy wishes.

thereby preserving dollars for a deeper impact in the lives of students and faculty. Using IRA funds for gifts also allows the estate to pass more tax-wise assets to heirs for their benefit. Although it is important to ensure an entire estate plan works in conjunction with its various parts, IRA beneficiary gifts can be created quickly, easily, and without expense by contacting the IRA custodian.

If you have questions or would like to know more about how to leave a legacy at Calvin with gifts of assets, please contact Calvin’s Office of Gift Planning at 616-526-8719 or by emailing plannedgiving@calvin.edu.

PHOTO CREDIT: STEFAN WIDUA ON UNSPLASH

LEAVE A LEGACY AT CALVIN Taxable estate assets, such as IRA funds, can be given to Calvin tax-free,

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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.

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CLASS NOTES

01

02

03

04

HERITAGE (graduated more than 50 years ago) 01

Jacob “Jack” Nyenhuis ’56 was recently honored by the Historical Society of Michigan with the 2019 State History Award for his two-volume work, Hope College at 150: Anchored in Faith, Educating for Leadership and Service in a Global Society. It was his 12th book and the eighth since his retirement in 2001 from his longtime position as provost and professor of classics at Hope College.

02

Robert “Bob” Swierenga ’57 published his 13th book, His Faithfulness Continues: A History of Timothy Christian Schools of Chicagoland, under Editor-in-Chief Jacob “Jack” Nyenhuis ’56. Timothy Christian is Bob’s grade school alma mater. Tim Ellens ’82, another Timothy alumnus, designed the cover for this comprehensive account.

Bob sports a Calvin baseball jersey in his photo to honor his grandson, Henry Robert Breems ’21, a pitcher on the team. Bob has completed 25 years as a research professor at the Van Raalte Institute. He taught at Calvin in the ’60s, is a Distinguished Alumnus, and was knighted by Queen Beatrix in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

03

In December 2019, Arnold Veldkamp ’58 retired after teaching mathematics for almost 60 years (Lynden Christian, Calvin, Dordt, and Palomar College). He and his late wife, Helen Vander Mey Veldkamp ex’59, also spent two years and a semester teaching in China.

04 Married couples George ’59 and Betty De Vries ’59 Groen, John ’60 and Betty Karsten ’61 Addink, and Nelvin ’59 and Corine Haak ’64 Vogel, pictured above from left, have enjoyed their friendships since their early days at Calvin. For the past several years, the group of former roommates has been getting together for reunions at the Marriott Villas in Newport Beach, Calif.

Vince De Young ex’60 is the author of the recently published book Beyond the Hayfields: A Memoir of Blessings and Forgiveness. Vince attended Calvin for two years and is a retired attorney and U.S. Air Force veteran. The book tells the story of newly appreciated blessings recognized after painful recovery from life-threatening surgery.

The blessings he shares include family (Christian parents and six siblings, including a twin); place (the exciting and long-remembered hayfields of Prospect Park, New Jersey); experience (his unique and life-impacting time at Calvin); service (a navigator in the Air Force); and heritage (the Christian Reformed Church, forged in the Protestant Reformation). Also related are foolish mistakes and errant actions and failures along with hard lessons learned and redemption freely given.

Beyond the Hayfields is Vince’s third published work.

Sidney Greidanus ’61 completed the final book in his series Preaching Christ from the Old Testament. In 2021, Eerdman’s will publish Preaching Christ from Leviticus: Foundations for Expository Sermons.

Barry Koops ’61 has published an anthology of poems titled Final Exam: Poems About Teachers and Their Students. Final Exam includes 85 poems by 75 poets—some among the greatest authors in the English language, some relatively unknown.

The work lifts a glass to memorable teachers and mentors—including some beloved or eccentric Calvin profs—and toasts the schools we remember with nostalgia and regret. Barry says, “In the poems selected, I recognized the math teacher across the hall; a colleague whose passing I mourn; a professor whose fingerprints are all over my life; a student who, I recognize, will do what I cannot; a classmate remembered over decades, who said what I was thinking; a joke or a jest like an arrow.”

Sidney Greidanus completed the final book in his series Preaching Christ from the Old Testament.

’61

Fellow attorneys at Foster Swift Collins & Smith Lynwood “Woody” VandenBosch ’68, Bruce Vande Vusse ’74, Jack Van Coevering ’80, Jennifer Siebers Van Regenmorter ’90, and Mindi Jelsema Johnson ’01 have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. In addition, Michael Zahrt ’11 was named in the inaugural “Ones to Watch” list.

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CLASS NOTES

05

06

Tom Bloom ’71 has completed a third three-year appointment as the chair of the drama department at the University of Virginia. Bloom is an award-winning scenic designer and produced 58 productions during his time as chair.

1970s The League of Women Voters of Illinois recently established the Mary Schaafsma Inspired Leadership Award in memory of Mary Schaafsma ’73, its longtime executive director until shortly before her death in 2018. The award will be presented at the organization’s Biennium Conventions.

Rob Rottschafer is serving as the clinical psychology consultant to the surgeon general of the U.S. Air Force.

’87

Greg Brinks ’79 retired from La-Z-Boy Inc., where he served as vice president and treasurer for 10 years. Prior to that, his 28-year career with General Motors and GMAC took him around the U.S., from Detroit to Boston to Salt Lake City, and overseas to Brussels. He is now enjoying a sabbatical (complicated by social distancing and travel restrictions) as he explores what may be next.

After a medical retirement in 2018 following a traumatic injury, Ellen Helgeland Jewart ’79 returned to the classroom as a student and earned a second bachelor’s, this time in English with a concentration in writing, at Worcester State University in Worcester, Mass. She is now enrolled in graduate school, also at Worcester State University, for a master’s in literature. She says, “Memoir is one of my favorite genres. I also enjoy the short story as a means of expressing my literary ability. My eighth—hopefully last—surgery to replace my damaged knee was in June 2020. When not writing or studying, my husband and I enjoy our eight grandchildren and international travel.”

1980s Mark Van Allsburg ’81 has been named

by Best Lawyers as Grand Rapids’ 2021 Oil and Gas Law Lawyer of the Year.

He has been an attorney with Mika Meyers PLC since 1984.

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08

07

05 In spring 2019, Susan Van Nuis Korstanje ’82 completed her 25th season as conductor and artistic director of Lakehead Choral Group in Thunder Bay, Ontario. For her anniversary concert, the choir presented “Conductor’s Playlist,” a selection of choral works representing people and experiences that inspired her development as a choral musician and conductor. Susan is particularly grateful she celebrated this milestone before the pandemic hit, and she looks forward to the day her choirs are once again able to sing together!

06 Tony Norman ’84 is serving as the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ (NSNC) president for the next two years. Having transitioned from music critic to columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1996, Tony first learned of NSNC when the organization named him the winner in the top newspaper-circulation category of its annual column contest in 1999. Now, he looks forward to the challenges to come as president and is focusing on preparing for NSNC’s 2021 conference in Alabama as well as keeping the organization useful and relevant to its members during an age of social distancing.

07 Paula Faber Brummel ’85 has published a Bible study that walks readers through the scriptures of Handel’s Messiah. Covering each of the corresponding 53 lessons from God’s Word, this 14-week Bible study guides readers through in-depth study of the message that has been presented annually by the Calvin Oratorio Society over the last 100 years. Its thoughtprovoking questions allow the reader to engage the text of the Bible. Paula’s Bible study, Messiah: A Bible Study on the Lyrics of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah, is available through the Calvin Campus Store and Amazon.

Rob Rottschafer ’87 is serving as the clinical psychology consultant to the surgeon general of the U.S. Air Force. He is also the deputy chief of

the Behavioral Health Clinical Support Team, a committee that oversees and determines policy for all the military services’ mental health clinics around the world, and recruits psychologists and doctoral-level students for positions in the Air Force. Rob resides in the Washington, D.C., area.

1990s In April, Leslie Ledyard Veen ’91 accepted the position of associate dean of academic and student affairs at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary of California Lutheran University in Berkeley, Calif. She had worked for the previous seven years as the director of contextual education and lecturer at the same institution.

Lynn Woldhuis Hoekstra ’93 has been named the 2020 Excellence in Teaching winner for Columbia International University by South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities. She often comments on the great training she received at Calvin for becoming a middle school teacher and teaching at Hudsonville Christian School in Michigan and then Ontario Christian School in California before going on to get her doctorate. And now, she is training students to become great teachers themselves at Columbia International University in Columbia, S.C. Greg De Vries ’98 will be leading the international preservation planning and design firm Heritage Landscapes LLC as its managing partner. The American Society of Landscape Architects recently honored the Vermont-based company with the Firm Award for decades stewarding the U.S. Capitol, national parks, historic neighborhoods, and wherever the conservation of cultural heritage can uplift communities.

In May, Jane Tebben Griffioen ’98 released her new book, London Street: A Memoir, through Wipf and Stock Publishing. London Street is a story about growing up in a Dutch

enclave in Grand Rapids during the 1950s and ’60s. Along with three other Michigan authors, Professor Emeritus James “Jim” Vanden Bosch ’70 has an endorsement of the story on the back cover.

Amanda Hendler-Voss ’99 serves as the new designated senior minister at First Congregational UCC in Washington, D.C., a congregation founded in 1865.

She previously co-founded Land of the Sky UCC in Asheville, N.C., where she co-pastored for eight years.

Rachel Vanderhill ’99, chair of the Department of Government and International Affairs at Wofford College, has published her second book, Autocracy and Resistance in the Internet Age. The book examines the role of social media in autocratic states in the Middle East and post-Soviet regions.

2000s In March, Pam Marmon ’05 celebrated the release of her book, No One’s Listening and It’s Your Fault: Get Your Message Heard During Organizational Transformations. It has since appeared on Amazon’s bestseller list and was featured in Entrepreneur magazine. Pam says, “I am so grateful that many of you have helped me share a message of hope with leaders as we are all impacted by change in our world.”

The Grand Rapids Business Journal recognized the “40 Under 40,” a list that honors young professionals in Grand Rapids. Calvin graduates on the list include Sasha Wolff ’06, Ciarra Adkins ’11, Crystal Bui ’08, and Sunjin Yoo ’13.

2010s 08 Ryan Zwart ’13 completed his PhD from Indiana University Bloomington in Leisure Behavior this past summer after successfully defending his dissertation. In January 2020, Ryan began as an assistant professor teaching in the outdoor recreation studies program at Montreat College in North Carolina. Ryan teaches and researches in the areas of the natural environment, outdoor recreation, and human health; the effect of nature and outdoor recreation on human cognition; and more recently has a growing interest in the business, industry, and economic impacts of outdoor adventure recreation on local areas. Ryan credits his experience in the recreation program at Calvin, countless hours spent at the climbing wall as a student, and work with Calvin’s Wilderness Orientation program for sparking his interest in the field.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

A fictional journey with a former professor The Dutch refer to the winter of 1944 as the “Hongerwinter.” Cut off from food and supplies by the Germans, as many as 20,000 Dutch civilians starved or froze to death. This is the setting for a courageous and readable new book for fourth- to eighth-graders by Rob Currie ex’79.

Kirkus Review describes Hunger Winter as a “gritty but hopeful thriller.”

The story follows 13-year-old Dirk and his younger sister, Anna, on a harrowing journey across the Netherlands to reunite with their family.

To write an accurate account, Currie read many books, spent three weeks in the Netherlands, and interviewed people who lived through the war.

One of the novel’s main characters is named Lars Joose, after Calvin professor Wayne Joosse ’63. Currie wanted to honor the professor emeritus from the psychology department for the impact he made on his life. “Professor Joosse had a way of affirming students for their contributions to the class that made us want to think harder and have more worthwhile comments to add to the discussion,” Currie said.

“As Dirk tries to evade the Nazis, he meets Lars Joosse, a man who encourages him that he will succeed. The traits of encouraging a younger person, along with a gift for poignantly pointing out what’s right, led me to name and model this character after Dr. Wayne Joosse.”

Currie started writing the book when his son dashed off a two-page story in study hall. Currie suggested they continue writing it together. “By the time he lost interest in the project, I was hooked on the story and kept going. We serve a God who used a boy’s lunch of loaves and fish to feed a crowd and who turned my 13-year-old son’s impromptu story into a published book,” Currie said.

“In terms of the storyline, I want readers of Hunger Winter to see and feel that whatever difficulty they face, that with prayer and the support of others, they can overcome their adversity,” said Currie, who teaches psychology at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois.

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CLASS NOTES

09

John Muyskens ’15 was among the staff of The Washington Post who received a Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting “for a groundbreaking series that showed with scientific clarity the dire effects of extreme temperatures on the planet.” John contributed to this series through his graphics work on the article “2°C: Beyond the Limit.” This is not the first time John has earned such an honor; he was also part of the team that was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting in 2016 “for its revelatory initiative in creating and using a national database to illustrate how often and why the police shoot to kill and who the victims are most likely to be.”

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

Summing up a good math struggle Kevin Dykema ’95 always knew he wanted to be a teacher, and he’s now part of an author team that wrote a book to teach teachers. It’s called Productive Math Struggle: A 6-Point Action Plan for Fostering Perseverance.

“We argue that persevering through struggle is key to truly understanding math,” said Dykema, who teaches eighth grade math at Mattawan Middle School in Mattawan, Michigan. “As a society, we value the role of struggle in learning many things, like how to swim, ride a bike, or drive. We should also value the role of productively struggling in learning math.”

Learning to persevere through struggles in math can translate into other areas in life.

“It’s through persevering that you can truly learn a skill,” he said.

44

One thing that’s surprising to hear from a math teacher: Math is not only about getting the right answer. “Math teachers don’t—or shouldn’t—just care about getting the right answer,” Dykema said. “It is the thought process that is involved. We recognize there may be many ways to find the answer and want students to be able to justify their reasoning. The ability to explain your reasoning is such a crucial one in order to be a productive member in society.”

If you’re not a math teacher, but trying to help a child with math homework, Dykema has advice: “Have your kids explain their thinking rather than just memorize a set of steps. Being able to justify what you are doing is such a crucial skill to learn. Try not to express your dislike of math—or your perceived inability to do math—to your kids.”

In July, Eun-Sung Kim ’16 started working as a software development engineer at Amazon. There, he works in the physical stores organization/ department—specifically in the Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores development team. He is part of a team of developers who develop and manage various tools and services that product merchandisers use to determine what products are put in which stores.

09 While still in her final year of Calvin’s speech pathology master’s program, Lara Dykhuis ’19, MA ’20 launched a jewelry business, Aralay Jewelry. She donates 50% of the business’ profits to various organizations such as World Vision, The Nature Conservancy, Forgive Everyone, etc., depending on the piece. She loves using natural and repurposed materials, so that is the premise of her work.

This August, Jonathan Wiers ’19 began a contract position as a human performance investigator at Pfizer. He facilitates and leads investigations for problems that occur in the COVID-19 vaccine production process—everything from human error to equipment failure.

His team of investigators identifies these problems, corrects them, and seeks to prevent them from happening in the future.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

Running to meet with God When Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young ’99 was a Calvin student, she ran on Calvin’s campus with roommates and friends, but her passion started before that. “I started running when I was in grade school,” said Gilmore-Young, who trained with her dad for her first 10K when she was in third grade. “Running has always been a great outlet for me to stay physically fit.”

In recent years, running has taken on a deeper meaning. “My husband died of cancer in 2014, and running then became my grief therapy. It’s the place where I prayed, lamented, and found restorative rest.” She grew to love the running trails in Central California, where she could find space away from her kids to process and pray. “God continues to meet me with his glory seen through creation on the trails,” she said.

Gilmore-Young started to jot down reflections and scriptures that came to her mind when she was running. “Those little notes and reflections started to take root and grow into a book,” she said. Bethany House Publishers recently published Walk, Run, Soar: A 52-Week Running Devotional. Each chapter includes scripture, a devotional, an inspirational quote, a place to record reflections, and coaching tips from Gilmore’s husband, running coach Shawn Young.

“I believe this is a perfect book for our time when people are struggling with fear, anxiety, depression, feeling cooped up because of the pandemic, and needing a physical outlet. Families are walking more. People need ways to move, and this book coaches you to do just that—with the purpose of connecting with God and his presence,” said Gilmore-Young.

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Deaths HERITAGE John Bekkering ’49 Aug. 15, 2020, Grand Haven, Mich.

Leona Vaandrager Broers ’67 Aug. 1, 2020, Bothell, Wash.

Joan Van Sprange Brouwer ex’54 June 9, 2020, Hudsonville, Mich.

Norman Bruinsma ’56 Sept. 15, 2020, Morganton, N.C. John Bullock ex’66 May 8, 2020, Leesburg, Va. Donald Buyze ’56 Aug. 29, 2020, Dowagiac, Mich.

Margaret Ribbens Cramer ’51 Oct. 5, 2020, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Lois Haan Daane ’60 Aug. 16, 2020, Escondido, Calif.

LeRoy DeHeer ’59 Sept. 5, 2019, Puyallup, Wash.

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Wilbur De Jong ’54 May 30, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Bernard Niemeyer ’50 May 20, 2020, Portland, Ore.

Henry Dykema ’61 July 12, 2020, Zeeland, Mich.

Jean Dyk Oldenburg ’63 Oct. 11, 2020, Grand Haven, Mich.

Larry Dykstra ’60 Oct. 10, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Carol Homan Ooms ex’53 Sept. 23, 2020, DeMotte, Ind.

Martin Dykstra ’57 Jan. 26, 2020, Shawnee Mission, Kans.

William Oostenink ’56 Sept. 6, 2020, Hamilton, N.Y.

Sidney Dykstra ’49 Oct. 5, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Henry Otte ’61 Aug. 24, 2020, Dyer, Ind.

Kenneth Fletcher ’65 Sept. 25, 2020, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Nancy Lamer Overway ’63 July 26, 2020, Zeeland, Mich.

Joan Vanmalsen Gezon ex’47 Oct. 5, 2020, West Olive, Mich.

Allyn Peelen ’53 June 5, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Marlene Strootman Johnson ’53 Nov. 9, 2019, Willmar, Minn.

Helen Ruiter Penning ’45 Aug. 26, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Tom Joldersma ex’62 Aug. 11, 2020, Olympia, Wash.

Ruth De Haan Plaisier ’48 March 31, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

John Klingenberg ex’60 Sept. 12, 2020, Zeeland, Mich.

Howard Postma ’50 Aug. 12, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

William Kooistra ’58 Sept. 3, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Mary Lou Rycenga Retsema ex’65 Sept. 12, 2020, Grand Haven, Mich.

Margaret Etheridge Korcz ex’44 Aug. 16, 2020, Grand Haven, Mich.

Judith De Graaf Riddle ’68 March 6, 2019, Newport News, Va.

Donald Lenderink ex’49 July 26, 2020, Orange City, Iowa

Neal Rylaarsdam ’68 June 4, 2020, Hudsonville, Mich.

James Leys ex’42 April 24, 2020, Eatonton, Ga.

Janice Rysdyk ’59 June 4, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Kenneth Martin ex’54 May 24, 2020, Newton, N.J.

Margaret De Freitas Savidge ex’60 June 6, 2020, Haddon Heights, N.J.

Peter Meenen ’69 March 20, 2020, Nolensville, Tenn.

Shirley Tinholt Shaver ’45 July 8, 2020, Grand Haven, Mich.

Robert Meyer ex’49 Dec. 1, 2019, Denver, Colo.

Catherine Smedes Smalligan ex’48 July 10, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Cornelis Molenaar ’58 April 20, 2019, East Wenatchee, Wash.

Ruth Spikeboer ’42 May 2, 2020, North Haledon, N.J.

Sandra Brander Nagel ’66 June 6, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Harvey Stob ’68 Sept. 25, 2020, Ada, Mich.

MaryAnn Steenwyk Stob ex’52 July 21, 2020, Zeeland, Mich.

Gordon Sweers ’62 July 28, 2020, Hudsonville, Mich.

Eleanor Miner Teat ’49 Aug. 3, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

John Tong (HON) June 20, 2020, Rosemead, Calif.

David Tubergen ’59 Aug. 28, 2020, Alto, Mich.

Louise Ten Brink Vander Galien ’69 July 31, 2020, Dallas, Texas Gretchen Miller Vanders ’63 Aug. 24, 2020, Kalamazoo, Mich.

John Vander Stelt ’58 Sept. 19, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Eleanor Kuiper Vander Woude ex’55 July 3, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Barbara Marcusse Van Genderen ’58 Sept. 14, 2020, Jackson, Wyo.

1970s

1980s

Linda Bouwman Boertje ’70 Sept. 17, 2020, Zeeland, Mich.

Jayne Alofs ex’84 July 7, 2020, Chicago, Ill.

Steven Faber ex’75 Sept. 22, 2020, Northbridge, Mass.

David Brooks ’80 Jan. 21, 2020, Valparaiso, Ind.

Linda Doll Fletcher ex’71 Feb. 3, 2019, Leominster, Mass.

Susan De Young Gelting ’89 Sept. 11, 2020, Lilburn, Ga.

Carol Rycenga Folkert ’70 Aug. 30, 2020, Spring Lake, Mich.

Steven Lyzenga ’80 April 20, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Larry Hanenburg ’75 July 13, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Barbara Bandstra Newman ’84 Sept. 18, 2020, Zeeland, Mich.

P. Timothy Hybels ’72 July 22, 2020, Kalamazoo, Mich.

1990s

Bonnie Jellema ’71 Oct. 11, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Kristine Zoeller Johnson ex’79 Aug. 29, 2020, Monaca, Pa. Ronald Kooistra ’71 Aug. 4, 2020, Byron Center, Mich.

Margaret Melissant Kuizema ’70 Eleanor Doornbos Van Leeuwen ex’50 March 30, 2020, Washington Apr. 8, 2020, Montague, Mich.

Township, N.J.

Shelly Alman ’91 Sept. 8, 2020, Caledonia, Mich.

Rodney Lawrence ’93 Sept. 15, 2020, Zeeland, Mich.

Scott Sharda ’99 Oct. 6, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Sarah Hanscom Van Doorne ’94 April 24, 2020, Grand Rapids, Mich.

2000s

Neil Van Regenmorter ex’65 Sept. 12, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Thomas Kunst ’71 July 30, 2020, Grant, Mich.

Anna Crouch Conner ’05 Sept. 2, 2020, Austin, Texas

Albert Veltkamp ’48 Jan. 15, 2019, Albuquerque, N.M.

Daryl Marcus ’71 April 14, 2020, Hudsonville, Mich.

2010s

Roelena Feddes Venhuizen ex’45 Oct. 6, 2020, Manhattan, Mont.

Mark Verwys ’70 July 20, 2020, Rockford, Mich.

James Versluys ’54 May 15, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Bill Weeda ex’71 Sept. 18, 2020, Sun City, Ariz.

Eugene Westra ’60 Sept. 19, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Teunis Witte ’72 July 23, 2020, Byron Center, Mich.

Dianne Lanenga Wolf ex’63 June 23, 2020, Bellflower, Calif.

James Woltersom ’73 May 15, 2020, Cape Coral, Fla.

Burton Wolters ’56 May 31, 2020, Spring Lake, Mich.

Margie Lucas Woltjer ’70 Oct. 8, 2020, Jenison, Mich.

Kimberly Wallinga Eling ’10 July 17, 2020, Jenison, Mich.

Zachary Teela ex’13 Aug. 21, 2020, Brighton, Mich.

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IRIS JONES, 1999–2020 Known for her kindness and enthusiasm, Iris Catherine Jones was a source of light for many.

“Iris filled everyone with joy,” said Lauren Baas, friend and fellow student. “She was unapologetically herself, and she made everyone else feel that they could be that way, too.”

An honors student and history and English double major, Iris also made an impact on her professors across the university.

“I loved having Iris in class,” said history professor Kristin Du Mez. “She was an independent thinker, always fully engaged but often keeping her thoughts to herself—that is, until she’d share a particularly enlightening response to whatever we were discussing.”

Professor of English Jennifer Holberg already misses Iris’ laughter. “She was so bright and funny—my abiding memory of her will be how much we laughed together.”

In addition to her academic excellence, Iris served as a

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campus leader for the Sexuality and Gender Awareness (SAGA) group. Friend and co-leader Jacob Kooistra said, “The LGBTQ+ community at Calvin needs people like Iris. People who care so deeply, and work with such devotion that they can achieve anything.”

SAGA’s staff adviser, Kelsey Colburn, remembers Iris as someone who led with grace and kindness.

“When she committed to something, she did so with her whole self,” said Colburn.

“But more than anything, Iris was a loyal friend and caring confidant.”

Iris, 21, died Aug. 19 in Anchorage, Alaska, and is survived by her parents, Luke and Margo, her brother, Neil, and many friends and family, including cousin Ellen Reidy ’17.

The Calvin University community reminds anyone who is struggling with mental health issues to seek help. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 800-273-8255.

MARTIN BAKKER, 1933–2020 More than anything, perhaps, Martinus Arnoud Bakker was forever a student of language.

Language—in all its nuance, idiom, and idiosyncrasies—was an endless source of fascination for Martin.

Raised in the Netherlands, Martin moved to South Africa in his teens and worked in a language lab translating Dutch to Afrikaans in addition to teaching Afrikaans at the university level. At Calvin, where he taught from 1981 until his retirement in 1997, he carried the program as the only fulltime Dutch faculty member, teaching all levels of language and literature.

Martin also was known as a skilled linguist, a scholar of modern poetry, and a prolific reviewer of Dutch literature as well as an astute reader of literature. Colleagues enjoyed his sharp literary analysis and remember Martin for his dry sense of humor and for the encouragement he provided younger colleagues.

IN MEMORIAM

“What I appreciated especially about Martin was his genuine authenticity,” said Henry Baron, a Calvin colleague and fellow immigrant from the Netherlands.

“There was no pretense about him. He was real—and transparently so. That made for good heart-to-heart talks and many a deep discussion.”

Martin, 87, died June 30 in his home and is survived by his wife of 57 years, Louise Jansen van Vuuren Bakker, and his sister, Anna van der Vlies Bakker. He was a loving father to Madise (James) VanZytveld, Heloise (Kevin) Kihnke, and Annelise (Daniel) Erdman and the proud grandfather of eight grandchildren.

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 continues to invest in 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

CALVIN UNIVERSITY PRESENTS

VIRTUAL IN 2021 LIS TEN | LEARN | DI S C ER N

January 6–26, 2021 Virtual presentations will take place from 12:30-1:30 p.m. EST. Watch from your own location or gather at a small remote site.

Visit calvin.edu/january for registration, the latest remote site updates, and other details.