Calvin College Totally Explained

Everything about Calvin College totally explained

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 John Calvin, the 16th century Reformer at the center of the Reformation movement.

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 school organized on August 4, 1876 on Spring Street in Grand Rapids, MI (though the school had originally considered locating in Holland, Michigan). The initial six-year curriculum included four years in the Literary department and two years in the Theological department. In 1892 the campus was moved to the intersection of Madison Avenue and Franklin Street (Fifth Avenue) in Grand Rapids. In September 1894 the school expanded the curriculum for those who were not pre-theological students, making the school a preparatory school or academy equivalent. This yielded a program roughly comparable to a high school curriculum. 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. A year later, in 1901, Calvin admitted the first women to the school.
   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. Also that year, the college held its first public commencement at the LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church. The student newspaper "Chimes" was first published in 1907, also the same year the Alumni Association formed. Around 1910, the West Michigan cities of Muskegon and Kalamazoo fought to have Calvin relocate to their respective cities. Muskegon offered $10,000 (approximately $250,000 in 2007 dollars) and a tract of land to attract the college. The city of Grand Rapids countered with its own $10,000 offer and the junior college chose to stay in Grand Rapids. The two-year college in time became a four-year college, and the preparatory department was discontinued. John Calvin Junior College moved in 1917 to the Franklin Street Campus which at the time was the south east edge of Grand Rapids. Two years later the college appointed its first president, the Rev. J.J. Hiemenga. Then a year later, in 1920, the college transitioned into a four year college following the liberal arts philosophy of the Free University in Amsterdam as laid out by Dutch theologian and statesman Abraham Kuyper. The next year the college awarded its first bachelor's degree. In 1924, with the opening of Grand Rapids Christian High School, the college offered its last year of preparatory education, focusing exclusively on higher education and opened its fist dormitory. The next year, the college began offering a teacher training program and in 1926 appointed its first female faculty member, Johanna Timmer, as Dean of Women. The college dedicated its library, the Hekman Library on March 8, 1928. The college later dedicated its seminary building at the Franklin Street Campus on October 29, 1930. Still under the leadership of Rev. Hiemenga the college faced significant trouble during the onset of the Great Depression as financial hardship beset the college. 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, this same year the college joined the M.I.A.A.. During this period the college experienced severe space limitations as enrollment continued to climb at the land-locked on the Franklin Campus. Also at this time of growth William Spoelhoef became president of Calvin. At the Franklin campus, the college was located on one large city block. In 1956, the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church authorized the college to purchase the Knollcrest Farm from J.C. Miller for $400,000 (approximately $2.9million in 2007 dollars). Originally outside of town in the southeast of Grand Rapids, the Knollcrest farm increased Calvin's campus from approximately one large city block to 390 acres (1.6 km²) with a 100 acres (0.4 km²) nature preserve. Many were reticent about the project and the college's ability to finance it. Under the bold leadership of President Spoelhoef the college made plans to move forward. The Theological Seminary, since it didn't need to be in close proximity to the college, built a new academic building on the site and began holding classes there in 1960. As space constraints became more noticeable the college built its first academic building on the Knollcrest Campus and held classes there in 1962. For the next 10 years, the college continued to operate at both the Knollcrest and Franklin campuses, fully transitioning to the Knollcrest Campus in 1973. During the latter decades of the 20th century, Calvin grew to around 4,200 students, where the enrollment has remained since. In 1991, the Seminary and the College established separate boards of trustees.
   At the turn of the millennium, with enrollment over 4,000 students, Calvin began several forward thinking projects to continue to secure its position at the forefront of Christian higher education. The first project was "Stepping East" an expansion to the other side of East Beltline Avenue. Under the expansion, the college added an enclosed pedestrian bridge, a Communications and Political Science building, and a conference center and hotel. In 2006, Calvin announced an expansion of the Fieldhouse (to be completed by the spring of 2009), the largest building project in the college's history.
   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(External Link

). 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 isn't 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.

Academics

Calvin offers a broad range of academic opportunities for students. With more than 100 academic options to select from, Calvin offers a wide array of choices. In recent years, many popular majors include Business, Education, Communication, Psychology and Engineering. Beyond programs in the arts and sciences, Calvin offers pre-professional programs including Pre-Law, Pre-Medicine and Pre-Seminary.
Calvin is noted for operating under an articulate and systematic vision. The thrust of the Calvin vision is that the Christian worldview can and should engage the various secular fields of learning with the intent of transforming them into agents of Christian renewal and shalom.
To accomplish the college's goal of forming agents of renewal, Calvin has an extensive core curriculum.

Core- Gateway

When students matriculate into Calvin, they begin their studies with a seven-week course known as Prelude. Prelude introduces you to issues of learning, identity, vocation, discernment, and awareness through discussions and presentations. Students also take Developing a Christian Mind, a first-year interim course which introduces the development of a Christian worldview and a faith-based engagement with culture.

Core- Competencies and Studies

During students' studies at Calvin, they several key courses known as Core Competencies. These courses, such as written rhetoric, foreign language, and information technology, develop skills essential to academic success at Calvin and beyond. Also during the stay at Calvin, students take a number of core studies. Core studies courses are designed to introduce students to a variety of disciplines—from math to history—and to give them a wider understanding of the world. Typically a number of them will overlap with courses required in your major.

Core- Capstone

The Capstone course, generally taken during the junior or senior year, draws together the themes of the core curriculum with students; major area of study. This course emphasizes taking stock of what students have learned in their time at Calvin and how they can use that knowledge to engage the world and their chosen field.

Other Opportunities

In addition to engaging the world after graduation, Calvin also encourages academic exploration outside of the classroom while still studying at Calvin.

Internships - The college has numerous internship opportunities to gain valuable work experience. The Career Development Office helps to place students in internships and to find vocational callings after graduating.
Honors Program - Calvin has an extensive honors system to challenge students beyond the already academically rigorous courses of the college.
Off Campus Programs - Calvin offers ten study off campus programs at locations including England, The Netherlands, Washington, D.C., Spain, Ghana, and China. Calvin also partners with numerous other colleges to offer dozens of other off-campus learning opportunities. Calvin also offers dozens of off-campus interims as well.
Interim - Every January, students spend three weeks taking a single course for credit. These courses are designed to allow students to take courses outside of the major and explore many new opportunities. Courses have included classes on knitting, the music of U2, learning to sail in the Florida Keys and learning about traditional Chinese medicine.

Campus

Located on what was once described as one of the beautiful residential properties in Michigan, many felt the Knollcrest Farm was the perfect place for a college campus. Calvin acquired the property in the mid-50s and began a process of turning a biologically diverse farm into a center for Christian higher education. The master plan for the site was developed by William Beye Fyfe, a strong supporter of Frank Lloyd Wright's prairie style of architecture. Working with President Spoelhof, Fyfe came up with a set of design principles for the campus aimed to both symbolically represent and physically promote such ideals as the integration of faith and learning; integration of administration, faculty, and students; and the inter-relatedness of all the disciplines. The integration of knowledge was symbolized in the arrangement of the academic buildings. Unlike many college campuses which feature an impressive structure at the center of the campus, such as a chapel or administrative hall, Calvin has no such building. The major buildings on campus are all in a great circle around the Commons Lawn. The lawn was intended and serves as the common point of interaction between faculty, students, and administration. Following the ideal of an integrated community, all of the buildings are intended serve a variety of purposes. Administration is mixed with classrooms, faculty offices and lecture halls. The departments are not sequestered apart from other departments by residing in separate buildings, but many departments share facilities to encourage the solidarity of purpose and unity contributing to a strong inter-departmental character and stronger Christian community. In addition, the Prairie style of the buildings-low-slung, set into the contours of the land, and all constructed of the same beige brick that has come to be known in Grand Rapids as "Calvin Brick"-was intended to reflect Calvin's belief that we're caretakers of God's natural creation.

Academic

Calvin has nine academic buildings on campus. The first to be constructed was Hiemenga Hall. A varied use building, Hiemenga Hall houses numerous departments including Spanish, Classical languages, Dutch, German, History, Philosophy, and Religion. The building also houses the Honors Program office, Student Academic Services and numerous other activities.
   The Science Building houses many of the science departments at Calvin, including Physics, Astronomy, Psychology and Nursing. The building also features an impressive observatory for an undergraduate college. Open to the public weeknights with favorable skies, Calvin is the only institution in which new solar system object discovery is a regular assignment. The Science Building is also distinctive on campus for being designed in the shape of a hexagon, emulating the benzene ring.
   Also housing science departments is DeVries Hall. Built in the mid-1990s, John "Doc" DeVries Hall houses classrooms, faculty offices, research labs and a greenhouse. In addition to the Biology and Chemistry departments, the building houses the West Michigan Regional Lab, a consortium between the college and local hospital, Spectrum Health. Attached to DeVries Hall and the Science Building is North Hall, which houses several departments including Economics, Business, Geology and Mathematics.
   The college also has an Engineering building housing department offices and project design and construction centers. The Fine Arts Center, or the "F-A-C" as it commonly called, is one of the quickly recognized buildings on campus, given its shape as a giant heptagon. Designed around the central Auditorium, which seats 1200, the FAC houses the Music and English departments. The FAC Auditorium is the preeminent musical performance space on campus featuring exceptional acoustics. At the back of the stage is the 39 rank, 32 stop mechanical action organ built by Schlicker Organs in 1966. Reflecting the musical heritage of its supporting church, the Christian Reformed Church, the Music Department has a number of students who study pipe organ performance and play on four pipe instruments in the FAC.
   The remaining academic buildings on campus are the recently constructed DeVos Communication Center and the Spoelhof College Center, named after the famed college president. DeVos houses the Communication and Political Science departments. It also features a movie theatre and sound stage where student productions are filmed. The Spoelhof Center houses the Art and Education departments as well administrative offices.

Athletic

The Calvin Fieldhouse has been home to the combined Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance and Sport department. In spring 2007, the college began a massive construction to renovate and expand the fieldhouse. To be known as the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex, the facility will include a new 5,000 seat arena, Olympic-regulation swimming pool, and track and tennis center. The addition will add nearly a quarter million square feet to the existing facility.

Library

Beginning in 1917 with 3,500 volumes, the "library room" has grown to the modern Hekman Library now boasting over 1.7 million volumes. The collection is especially devoted to collecting works in the traditional liberal arts disciplines. The strongest collections are Theology, Religion, American and British literature and Philosophy.
Associated with the Hekman Library is the H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies. The Center is a research center specializing in John Calvin and Calvinism. With many rare items, books, manuscripts, articles and literature is acclaimed as one of the most extensive and user-friendly of all Calvin and Calvinism collections. Meeter Center is largest collection of Calvin materials in North America.

Chapel

Though always part of the master plan, The Chapel wasn't built until the late 1980s. The chapel houses daily services in a protected time slot to ensure that all students and faculty members are able to attend the 20 minute worship services. Chapel services follow a daily rhythm of stories of faith, prayer, preaching, global expressions of faith and the very popular Friday Hymnsing. While on average, only 500 or so students attend chapel the first four days of the week, Fridays invariably fill the chapel to its 1,000 seat capacity.
   Designed by GMB Architects, the Chapel sits at the highest point of the academic circle and its spire rises above all of the academic buildings. Shaped as an octagon, with seating in a round, the Chapel offers exceptional acoustics for both instrumental and vocal music, in addition to the spoken word. An unseen connection to the Spoelhof Center creates an exterior plaza at ground level and the multi-use Lab Theatre below. In addition to the sanctuary, the Chapel has small prayer rooms, classrooms, meeting spaces, a kitchen, theater storage and rehearsal spaces.
   The Chapel also features a large organ built by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders. The three manual instrument features mechanical key action with a detached console. The facade pipes, made of 75% burnished tin, conceal some 2,500 pipes.
   There are several jokes about the Chapel's design, including calling it "The Pizza Hut."

Statistics

2007-2008 Costs

Tuition: $21,460

Room/Meal Plan: $7,460

Average Need-Based Award: $16,000

92% Receive Financial Aid

58% Receive Academic Scholarships 2008-2009 Costs

Tuition: $22,940

Room/Meal Plan: $7,970

Other fees: $225 Student Statistics

Students: 4,200 undergraduates

Student/Faculty ratio: 12:1

Average Class Size: 22

Female: 54% Male: 46%

52% from Michigan

39% 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)

GPA (4.0 scale): 3.3-3.9

ACT Composite: 23-29

SAT Critical Reading and Math: 1100-1330

Notable alumni

Allison Christians, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Wisconsin Law School

Clifford G. Christians, media ethicist

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)

Vern Ehlers, U.S. Congressman

John Feikens, U.S. District Court judge

William K. Frankena, philosopher, author

Richard Gaffin, Professor at Westminster Theological Seminary

Gerald Gabrielse, physicist

Herman Hoeksema, Reformed theologian

Herbert Hovenkamp, Professor of Law at the University of Iowa College of Law; prolific author and expert in Antitrust law; member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Wayne Huizenga, businessman (Blockbuster Video, Florida Panthers)

Eric Jager, UCLA Medievalist

Gary N. Knoppers, leading scholar on Chronicles and the Chronicler, Professor at Penn State

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

Jeannine Oppewall, production designer L.A. Confidential, Catch Me If You Can, Seabiscuit

Daniel H. Park, Pastor of Nak Won CCM

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

Douglas Steenland, businessman (CEO, Northwest Airlines)

Jay Van Andel, businessman (Amway Corporation)

Cornelius Van Til, theologian, author

Albert M. Wolters, theologian

Nicholas Wolterstorff, philosopher, theologian, author

James Wyngaarden, medical researcher

Bernard Zylstra, Institute for Christian Studies Senior Member in Political Philosophy

Notable faculty

Lionel Basney, Professor of English, poet, author, critic

Johannes Broene, 1908-1925 teaching primarily in Philosophy and Education but also classes in History, Civics, Government, Chemistry, and Psychology

Vern Ehlers, 1966-1982, Professor of Physics

William Henry Jellema, 1920-1936, 1948-1963 founder of Calvin's Philosophy Department

John E. Hare, 1989-2003, Professor of Philosophy

Paul B. Henry, 1970-1978 Professor of Political Science

George Marsden, 1974-1986 Instructor, Assistant and Associate Professor, Professor of History

Alvin Plantinga, 1962-1982 Associate Professor, Professor of Philosophy

H. Evan Runner, 1951-1981 Professor of Philosophy

Lewis B. Smedes, Professor of Theology

Ralph Stob, 1915-1964 Professor of Classics

Nicholas Wolterstorff, 1959-1989 Professor of Philosophy

William Spoelhof, 1946-1951 Professor of History and Political Science

Athletics

The entire Calvin student body and alumni, along with the 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 nation, named Hope-Calvin rivalry as #4 overall in the nation's greatest college basketball rivalries and #1 in NCAA Division III. Also see Chosing the Right College 2008-9, pg. 673. 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 Michigan.
   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 (16,300 m²). arena seating around 5100 spectators, a 62,000 sq ft (5,800 m²). multi-purpose track and tennis center, of cardio/weight training space, 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 (13):

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

2005 - Women's Outdoor Track and Field

2007 - Women's Outdoor Track and Field 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

Publications

Chimes

, weekly student newspaper

Dialogue

, journal of commentary

Knightfile

, seasonal sports magazine

Prism

, yearbook

Spark

, magazine for alumni and friends

Uncompressed

Cultural Discussion publication

Student Organizations

Student Senate

Abstraction

: enhances interest in, comfort, and involvement with computers

Airband

: develop, organize, and plan for the Airband show

AIAS

: American Institute for Architecture Students

ASCE

: American Society of Civil Engineers

Anime Club

: a forum for the art form of ‘anime’ as an indicator of Japanese culture and explore the social and philosophical issues of anime storylines

Asia Club

: inform the Calvin community about Asian culture

Biology Club

: seeks to increase awareness of and appreciation for the general revelation of God's creation

Calvin College Republicans

Calvin Equestrian Club

: allows equestrian enthusiasts to gather in fellowship and heighten their understanding and practice of horsemanship.

"CVN4"

, Television Channel

Calvin IMPROV

, Calvin's improvisational comedy team

SWAT

: Spontaneous Wits Attesting Truth (ministry focused improv group)

Calvin Theatre Company

Alumni groups

River City Improv, Calvin's alumni improv team

K4L

(Knights for Life), alumni group for current students

Alumni Choir

Alumni Orchestra

Alumni Theater Company

Notable Events

The January Series (annual)

Festival of Faith and Writing (biennial)

Festival of Faith and Music (biennial)

Rangeela

(annual)

Glenn Bulthuis concerts

(biennial)

Traditions

student body nickname: Knights

school colors: maroon and gold

Alma Mater

Convocation

Chaos Day

Mud Bowl

Les Jacques de Chimes v. Faculty Fumblers

Chapel Hymnsing, Fridays

The Moses Award

(award for hacks and practical jokes)

Cardboard Canoe race

Rock Paper Scissors championships

LOFT

Black Knight Formal

Michelangelo's Moses statue

Calvin Spoof publication

πk Run (March 14)

Sem Pond Jump/Cold Knight Club

Further Information

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