Synod leaders commended Michael Le Roy, president of Calvin College, for his transparency in dealing with the college’s financial problems. Delegates had no questions for Le Roy after he finished speaking.
“[It is] not always that a president’s speech is spellbinding, but you kept our attention through the whole thing, so thank you,” said synod president William Koopmans.
“You shared the joys, the highlights, but you were also very transparent about the challenges—we appreciate that. You laid them out in good faith, and that’s not always easy.”
In recent months, the college has revealed that it needs to repurpose 10 percent of its operating budget to meet payments on loans coming due in 2017.
In response, Le Roy told delegates, Calvin College is contacting top donors, encouraging enrollment growth, reducing the number of employees (only five were laid off but 17 vacated positions were not refilled), restructuring debt and assets, and strategizing about its identity and future.
Synod 2013 is meeting at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. from June 7-14. For continuous Banner coverage of Synod 2013, please follow The Banner on Facebook or @crcbanner on Twitter. You can find more tweeting by following hashtag #crcsynod. News stories will be posted at www.thebanner.org several times daily. For CRC Communications releases, webcast, and live blogging, please visit www.crcna.org/synod. Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are by Karen Huttenga.
About the Author
Roxanne VanFarowe is a freelance writer who claims both Canadian and American citizenship and grew up in the Christian Reformed Church. She is a member of Blacknall Presbyterian Church in Durham, North Carolina.
