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Dr. Matthew vandenBerg Answers the Call to Serve
Dr. Matthew vandenBerg planned to go to school to become a doctor.
“I wanted to help people,” he said. “And I went through about one and a half semesters before I ran headlong into organic chemistry.”
During the same semester as a freshman at Alma College, vandenBerg had another reason to reconsider going into medicine after dissecting fetal pigs in biology lab. He decided to seek advice from his academic adviser and chair of the biology department.
“I told her, ‘I don’t think this is for me; I don’t think I can do this,” he said. “I was absolutely devastated because my whole life, I thought, ‘I’m going to be a doctor.’ It just wasn’t really even a question for me.
“But one of the things I learned from the experience is that at a nurturing place like an Alma College or a Presbyterian College, I had a faculty member who was there to pick me up when I fell down. And I needed to hear that there were other ways for me to be able to use my career to help people.”
vandenBerg majored in political science and became involved in student government, eventually being elected student body president during his senior year. He grew more and more interested in higher education after serving on several committees. Alma’s first-year president at the time heard about vandenBerg’s interest in higher education.
“As is so often the case at Alma or Presbyterianl, not only did I find a mentor, a mentor found me,” vandenBerg said.
“She took me under her wing and fed me opportunities to become involved in important college work like thanking donors and stewarding gifts and serving on her inauguration committee.
“My transformation as an undergraduate was truly remarkable. I arrived believing I would be a doctor, and after falling flat on my face, I had mentors —angels, really—who picked me back up, helped me find my real calling, and enabled me to launch toward the future with great confidence. I have worked diligently for this opportunity for years. Coming to PC represents a dream come true.”
PC’s Board of Trustees brought vandenBerg here, to PC, last October when they unanimously selected him as the College’s 19th president. The national search saw more than 100 applicants vying for the position, including sitting presidents.
PC wanted vandenBerg, and he wanted to serve the College too: Although he received an offer from another college to become its next president, vandenBerg felt called to PC.
“I wanted to serve an institution where there are tremendously committed individuals, not only within campus, but in the base of alumni, parents and friends,” he said. “And I saw tremendous passion among the College’s internal and external constituents.”
The “tremendous passion” was evident to vandenBerg as he learned more about PC during the search, and he’s seen more evidence of it as he’s met with alumni and students during his first days as president.
“My very first day on campus, students told me that the reason they are here, the reason they have stayed, the reason that they envision such a bright future for themselves is that the faculty and staff here have gotten to know them, have taken an interest in them, and are actively propelling them to succeed in their personal lives and careers,” vandenBerg said.
“I’ve also had a number of alumni tell me very compelling stories about their love for PC, and the central theme of those conversations is a total and unwavering commitment to their prosperity and wellbeing.”
One of vandenBerg’s favorite stories so far is one that an alumnus told him about the late Dr. Nolon Carter, the Charles A. Dana Professor Emeritus of Chemistry.
“Dr. Nolon Carter dressed head to toe in protective gear and went to the infirmary to tutor his student through organic chemistry while his student had the flu,” vandenBerg said. “That uniquely special touch is still alive and well today. Current students continue to tell me stories that showcase the PC difference.
“I am immediately impressed by the passion and commitment our alumni, our parents and families, and our friends have for PC.”
When considering which college to lead, vandenBerg was also looking for a place where he could use his high energy, penchant for creativity and bold ideas.
“And I hoped to serve an institution that wanted a collaborative style, a strong goal orientation and a sense of urgency from its next president,” he said.
In his six years at Alma College, vandenBerg’s goal-oriented approach to fundraising helped the school set records for annual giving and for overall philanthropic support. During his tenure as his alma mater’s vice president for advancement and external relations, vandenBerg led the five most productive fundraising years in the school’s history. Alma College averaged raising $17 million a year since vandenBerg arrived in 2015, compared with a $6 million average before his tenure.
One of vandenBerg’s bold ideas at Alma College included overseeing the design and launch of a trendsetting constituent engagement initiative known as the Alma Ambassador Program.
The program recruits volunteers (i.e. “Ambassadors”) to assist the school in numerous areas, including admission, student retention, and career services activities. Before the initiative, fewer than 50 prospective students per year were referred to Alma College by alumni or other individuals. The number of referrals increased to 978 during the first year of the initiative in 2016 and steadily increased every year after that. The program and its related initiatives received 14 engagement and fundraising awards.
vandenBerg says implementing a similar program at PC is a possibility.
“There are ample opportunities to further leverage the unique talents and abilities of our alumni and friends in ways that serve students and advance PC,” he said.
“There is an opportunity to think about what a community-wide effort around student recruitment, student success and job and internship support might look like at PC.”
While considering where to serve as a college president, vandenBerg focused on institutions with values-based educational and operational models. The lifelong Presbyterian was particularly interested in PC’s Presbyterian ideals of service, diversity and inclusion, cultural pluralism, hospitality, justice, and grace.
“The 54 Presbyterian colleges and universities are all different, but we all believe that we are partners in God’s work in helping students to discover and vigorously pursue their vocations, their callings,” vandenBerg said.
“And that is exactly what we do. We believe that everyone has a calling and that our students’ undergraduate years are key to self-discovery.”
vandenBerg says PC’s approach to service as a way to solve a problem, not only meeting a need, is one of the College’s strengths.
“That is what we do really well at PC,” he said. “And those are principles and values that resonate particularly well with this generation of prospective students. That’s what they care about. And those are things that we’ve been talking about as core values of ours for 140 years.
“So how do we give those values and principles new life, new purpose, new direction, in the 21st century?”
That is one of the questions vandenBerg is considering as he settles into his office in the Smith Administration Building. Other priorities include navigating PC through the changing landscape of higher education; positioning the College so that it becomes the top choice of undergraduates and students who want to pursue advanced degrees in pharmacy, PA studies, and occupational therapy; and collaborating with the City of Clinton and Laurens County to capitalize on the sprawl from Greenville, S.C., southward.
vandenBerg is up to the challenge.
“I was looking for an opportunity to have a big impact somewhere,” he said. “I wanted to go to an institution that’s looking to grow and expand its reach and make itself even more distinctive in the vast higher education landscape.”
In some ways, vandenBerg has been preparing to be PC’s 19th president ever since he decided becoming a doctor was not his calling.
“The world is a better place with PC because we do what is right for our students and society,” he said. “It will be a joy for us to help more people understand the truly transformative power of a PC education.”
