Dr. Claudia Beversluis has been nominated as provost of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. Beversluis, a 1974 Calvin graduate, will be the first female to hold that position at the college. Provost is the second-highest ranking college official after the president.
Beversluis began working at the college in 1990, first as a professor in the psychology department and then as dean of instruction. Prior to that, she was a clinical psychologist at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in Grand Rapids and then was the minister of congregational life at Church of the Servant Christian Reformed Church, also in Grand Rapids.
Calvin has an important role to play in the world of higher education, both Christian and non-religious, said Beversluis. “I think that Calvin is a recognized leader in the realm of Christian higher education. But I think we also have a lot to offer secular higher education. The intersections of religion and culture are happening in lots of different places—politics, science, entertainment. These are areas where Calvin has been working for a long time. So I think we can be a real resource in such areas.”
Beversluis is married and has three children. Her appointment as provost must be approved by the synod of the Christian Reformed Church when it meets in June 2006.
-—Calvin College
