In 2009 Calvin College celebrated the conclusion of a capital campaign that raised $155 million, including almost $45 million for student scholarships, financial aid, and faculty research.
Calvin president Gaylen Byker said, “It was humbling to end a long fund-raising effort knowing that Calvin alumni and friends believe in the institution enough to support it so fully, not only with financial gifts but also with gifts of time, talents, and prayers.
“Throughout the campaign I attended numerous events at locations across North America,” Byker added. “At each stop I talked with our supporters about the many ways in which Calvin equips young women and men to be agents of renewal in God’s world. . . . We celebrated what Calvin alumni do around the world, and heard from our graduates about how God works in their lives as they seek to make a difference in his kingdom.”
Calvin also celebrated another milestone in 2009: the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. It was an opportunity for the campus community to have some fun (the celebration included a humorous video, birthday cake and punch, and even some singing) and to reflect on how the 16th-century Reformer’s life and legacy lives on at Calvin College.
Today, 500 years after John Calvin’s birth and 133 years after Calvin College was founded as a place to train future ministers, Calvin continues to offer a solidly Christian education, rooted in the Reformed faith—an education that allows students to explore more than 100 academic options on the 400-acre campus in Grand Rapids, Mich., and at numerous locales around the globe through the school’s robust off-campus programs.
Please keep Calvin in your prayers as it continues to work at educating young men and women for service in God’s world.
Contact info:
Website: www.calvin.edu
616.526.6000 or 800.688.0122
Quick Facts
- Founded in 1876 as a school for CRC ministerial students with one teacher and seven students
- 100 academic majors and minors, with everything from accounting to youth ministry leadership
- 4,100 students from 48 states, seven Canadian provinces, and more than 50 countries, who join 400 faculty members on the 400-acre Calvin campus
- About 900 graduates annually who serve in a variety of places around the world and join the 60,000 members of the Calvin Alumni Association
- 2009-2010 tuition of $23,810 with 92 percent of all students receiving financial aid (average need-based award at Calvin is $16,000 per year)
- Some 60 percent of all Calvin students receive academic scholarships.
- Ministry shares provide grants for CRC students, who make up around 50 percent of the Calvin student body.
- Semester-long off-campus study programs in 12 locations such as China, Ghana, Hungary, Spain, and more.
