Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., is one of the largest Christian colleges in North America. Calvin is internationally recognized as a center of faith-anchored liberal arts teaching and scholarship.
What’s New
In the summer of 2006, Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary marked 50 years on the Knollcrest Campus.
“It’s hard to imagine how Calvin would have grown as it has without this campus,” president Gaylen Byker says. “We are thankful to God and thankful to those who had a vision for Calvin that we have been able to prosper on the Knollcrest campus these last 50 years. We hope to be here for many years to come.”
A decade ago Calvin had four off-campus programs. Now there are 10 such programs for students in countries as diverse as China, England, Honduras, Ghana, Spain, and Hungary. In addition, almost 500 students participate in 30 off-campus interims.
In 1995 Calvin had fewer than 100 non-Canadian international students. In 2005 we welcomed 200 students from other countries. The Institute for International Education ranked Calvin fourth in the United States among baccalaureate institutions for the number of students studying abroad.
The curriculum has changed too. Students can now major in Asian Studies and minor in African and African Diaspora Studies. This summer Calvin received $500,000 for an Asian Studies endowment that will sustain and expand the growing new program.
Our faculty has become international and now includes almost 50 full-time professors who are natives of other countries such as Korea, Brazil, Egypt, Peru, and China.
Calvin tied for first place in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of comprehensive colleges in the Midwest. The Princeton Review listed Calvin as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education.
The National Science Foundation awarded grants to Calvin in the amount of $225,000 to fund cutting-edge science instrumentation, advanced mathematics research, and opportunities for faculty and student research and participation.
Two new chairs were established in the past academic year. The Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity was established in early 2006 under the leadership of Calvin’s former provost, Dr. Joel Carpenter. The new Frederik Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture is led by Dr. Henk Aay, professor of geography.
Dr. Kenneth Bratt, professor of classics and director of the Calvin Honors Program, was named the 2006 winner of the Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching—the college’s top teaching honor.
A team of our engineering majors spent the 2005-06 school year researching, planning, designing, and building an innovative new recording device. Measuring just 4 inches by 9 inches (10 by 23 cm), the device can store 10 hours of professional-quality digital recording. It will replace the equipment currently used by Epic Partners International to record native speakers telling Bible stories.
Commencement 2006 featured Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff, who challenged our graduates to serve God’s world with “two eyes”: the eye of the mind (discernment) and the eye of the heart (compassion). The ceremony included the presentation of the Distinguished Alumni Award to Gerald S. Gabrielse, a 1973 graduate, and Charles P. Spoelhof, a 1954 graduate.
At Calvin we believe that God holds the whole world in his hands. That’s why our mission to train agents of renewal in all areas of endeavor is so important in these challenging times.
Website: www.calvin.edu
800-688-0122
616-526-6142
Quick Facts
- 4,186 students
- 397 faculty members (307 full time)
- Students from 49 states, six Canadian provinces, and 44 other countries
- Student to faculty ratio 14.5:1
- 873 graduates in May 2006
- Ministry shares provide grants for all CRC students
- 227 U.S. ethnic minorities (5.4 percent)
- 54,986 members of the Calvin Alumni Association
- 90 percent of Calvin students receive financial aid
- 38.6 percent of students are children of Calvin alumni
