Calvin College
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Calvin College |
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| Motto | My heart I offer to you, Lord, promptly and sincerely |
| Established | 1876 |
| Type | Private Christian College |
| President | Gaylen J. Byker |
| Faculty | 400 |
| Students | 4,200 |
| Location | Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA |
| Campus | 390 acre, suburban |
| Tagline | Minds in the Making |
| Colors | Maroon and gold |
| Mascot | Knights |
| Affiliations | Calvin Theological Seminary, Christian Reformed Church, MIAA, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities |
| Website | www.calvin.edu |
Calvin College is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin College is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed tradition of Protestantism. Calvin College is named after Jean Chauvin, or Cauvin (John Calvin), the 16th century Reformer at the center of the Reformation movement.
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[edit] History
The college and Calvin Theological Seminary were formed by the Christian Reformed Church for the purpose of training church ministers, with seven students enrolled in the first year. The initial six-year curriculum included four years in the Literary department and two years in the Theological department. In 1894 students who were not pre-theological students were admitted to an expanded curriculum, and thus the school became a type of preparatory school or academy. In 1900 the curriculum was further broadened and made more attractive to students interested in teaching or in preparing for preprofessional courses in the universities.
By 1906 the Literary Department, which provided the four years of preparatory and two years of college work, became known officially as the John Calvin Junior College. The two-year college in time became a four-year college, and the preparatory department was discontinued. In 1917 the college established a campus on Franklin Street in Grand Rapids, where it remained until the 1960s. The first Bachelor of Arts degree from Calvin College was awarded in 1921.
Although the school grew slowly in its early years, by 1930 it had reached its pre-World War II size of 350-450 students. By 1950 the enrollment had climbed to 1,270. Over the years from 1962-1973, the college migrated to a larger campus built on the site of the Knollcrest farm in southeast Grand Rapids. During the latter decades of the 20th century, Calvin grew to over 4000 students, where the enrollment has remained since. The college contains 7 residence halls: Boer-Bennink Hall, Beets-Veenstra Hall, Bolt-Heyns-Timmer Hall, Kalsbeek-Huizenga Hall, Noordewier-Vander Werp Hall, Rooks-Van Dellen Hall, and Schultze-Eldersveld Hall.
The curriculum has expanded to include professional training in a variety of fields, but the college maintains a strong commitment to a liberal arts curriculum, which the college views as a means to develop students' understanding of God's world and their place in it.
The school made national headlines in 2005 when US President George W. Bush served as commencement speaker[1]. While most of the community was supportive, a significant number of faculty and students protested his speaking--some in opposition to the administration's policies, while others were concerned over the politicization of the event. Some protested by wearing stickers with the phrase "God is not a Republican ... or a Democrat" to the commencement. This has given Calvin a reputation for having more liberal students and faculty than most evangelical colleges.
[edit] Statistics
2006-2007 Costs
- Tuition: $20,470
- Room/Meal Plan: $7,040
- Average Need-Based Award: $14,000
- 91% Receive Financial Aid
- 61% Receive Academic Scholarships
Student Statistics
- Students: 4,200 undergraduates
- Student/Faculty ratio: 12:1
- Average Class Size: 22
- Female: 54% Male: 46%
- 53% from Michigan
- 38% from out of state
- 9% from other countries
- From Private Schools: 58%
- From Public Schools: 41%
- From homeschooling: 1%
- 88% retention rate from first to second year (compared to 71% nationally)
- 75% five year graduation rate (compared to 52% nationally)
- 313 faculty (over 83% with terminal degrees)
First Year Student Profile (middle 50% of students)
[edit] Timeline
- 1876 August 4, organized; located on Spring Street, Grand Rapids, MI
- 1892 Move to campus at Madison Avenue and Franklin Street (Fifth Avenue). Grand Rapids, Michigan
- 1894 September 8 literary course begun education preliminary to seminary instruction (comparable to present-day high school curriculum)
- 1900 Literary course extended to five years and opened to non pre-seminary students
- 1901 September 4 first women students admitted
- 1906 First public commencement at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church
- 1907 Student journal/newspaper Chimes begins; Alumni Association begins
- 1908 Junior college course begun - 6 year program included 4 years high school and 2 years college
- 1914 Three year college course begun; Franklin Street Campus purchased
- 1917 Move to Franklin Street Campus, Grand Rapids, MI
- 1919 First college president
- 1920 Four year college course begun
- 1921 First graduate with bachelor's degrees
- 1924 With opening of Grand Rapids Christian High School, last year for preparatory students, first dormitory opened
- 1925 Teacher training curriculum added
- 1926 First dean of women, Johanna Timmer
- 1928 March 8 Hekman Library dedicated
- 1930 October 29 Franklin Street Campus seminary building dedicated
- 1946 Enrollment jumps from 503 to 1245 in one year
- 1950 College enters M.I.A.A.
- 1956 Knollcrest campus purchase approved by the Synod of Christian Reformed Church
- 1960 Theological Seminary begins classes on Knollcrest Campus
- 1962 First college classes held at Knollcrest Campus
- 1973 Move to Knollcrest Campus complete
- 1991 Seminary and College have separate boards of trustees
- 2001 William Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court is commencement speaker
- 2002 "Stepping East" expansion on east side of East Beltline Avenue
- 2005 The choice of U.S. President George W. Bush as commencement speaker results in debate among faculty, students, and alumni. Letters of protest from some faculty and alumni are published in the Grand Rapids Press.
- 2005 Calvin hosts an archaeological exhibit on Petra at the Prince Conference Center.
- 2006 Calvin announces $35million fieldhouse expansion project, the largest building program in the college's history.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Meindert De Jong, children's author, Newbery Medalist (1954) (The Wheel on the School)
- Betsy DeVos, political activist
- Richard DeVos, businessman (Amway Corporation)
- Peter De Vries, author/humorist (The Blood of the Lamb)
- Bernie Ebbers, businessman (Worldcom) (Did not graduate)
- Vern Ehlers, U.S. Congressman
- John Feikens, U.S. District Court judge
- William K. Frankena, philosopher, author
- Paul B. Henry, U.S. Congressman
- Herman Hoeksema, Reformed theologian
- Wayne Huizenga, businessman (Blockbuster Video, Florida Panthers)
- Eric Jager, UCLA Medievalist
- Peter Kreeft, Catholic theologian, philosopher, author, Boston College
- Michael Marissen, musicologist
- George Marsden, historian
- Todd Martinez, chemist, recipient of MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, and Gutgsell Chair in Chemistry at the University of Illinois
- Saikat Mondal, poet, actor
- James Olthuis, theologian
- Alvin Plantinga, philosopher, theologian, author
- Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., philosopher, theologian, author
- Patricia Rozema, film director, notably of Mansfield Park
- Kenneth L. Ryskamp, U.S. District Court judge
- Leonard Schrader, screenwriter Kiss of the Spider Woman
- Paul Schrader, screenwriter Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ
- Lewis B. Smedes, author, theologian
- Jay Van Andel, businessman (Amway Corporation)
- Cornelius Van Til, theologian, author
- Albert M. Wolters, theologian
- Nicholas Wolterstorff, philosopher, theologian, author
- James Wyngaarden, medical researcher
[edit] Athletics
The Calvin collegiate sports teams are known as the Knights. The name is attributed to references to the "Calvin-ites" when the nascent sports teams played with no official nickname, with the first reference to the "Calvin Knights" appearing in 1926-27.
The Calvin-Hope rivalry is considered one of the most spirited in the country. The traditional rivalry is rooted in their closely linked heritages as well as geography and continues to be one of the defining intercollegiate rivalries in the country.
Calvin recently announced a major renovation project to expand the existing fieldhouse facilities. In addition to the remodeling, Calvin will be building a 175,000 sq. ft. arena seating around 5100 spectators, a 62,000 sq. ft. multi-purpose track and tennis center and a replaced aquatic center featuring an Olympic size swimming pool.
National Championships - NCAA Division III (8):
- 1992 - Men's Basketball
- 1998 - Women’s Cross Country
- 1999 - Women’s Cross Country
- 2000 - Men's Basketball
- 2000 - Men’s Cross Country
- 2003 - Men’s Cross Country
- 2004 - Men’s Cross Country
- 2006 - Men’s Cross Country
National Runners-up - NCAA Division III (11):
- 1986 - Women's Volleyball
- 1992 - Women’s Cross Country
- 1993 - Women’s Cross Country
- 1994 - Women’s Cross Country
- 1998 - Men’s Cross Country
- 2001 - Women's Outdoor Track and Field
- 2001 - Men’s Cross Country
- 2002 - Men's Outdoor Track and Field
- 2002 - Men’s Cross Country
- 2004 - Women's Outdoor Track and Field
- 2005 - Men’s Cross Country
Club Sports National Championships (1):
- 2004 - Men's Ice Hockey - ACHA Division III
Club Sports Websites:
- Calvin Lacrosse, Calvin Men's Club Lacrosse Team
- Calvin Hockey, Calvin Men's Club Ice Hockey Team
[edit] Student groups
- Chimes, Calvin's student newspaper
- Calvin IMPROV, Calvin's improvisational comedy team
- Calvin Theatre Company
- Uncompressed Calvin's Cultural Criticism publication
[edit] Alumni groups
- River City Improv, Calvin's alumni improv team
[edit] Notable Events
- The January Series (annual)
- Festival of Faith and Writing (biennial)
- Festival of Faith and Music (biennial)
