Calvin Board Wraps Spring Meetings

May 21, 2004 == FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The 31-member Calvin College Board of Trustees concluded its spring meetings
May 21 on the school's campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The spring meeting is
one of three annual sessions for the Calvin Board. The Board also meets
annually in October and February. The May meeting coincides each year with
Calvin's Commencement ceremonies.

The Board participates in Commencement and this year will be part of a
Saturday, May 22 ceremony that will include the presentation of bachelor's
degrees to about 900 graduates, including a record 71 graduating with honors.
This will be the 84th such conferring of four-year degrees in Calvin's 125-year
history. In fact, Calvin awarded its first bachelor's degrees in 1921 to a
senior class of eight men.

In business prior to Commencement the Board ratified a new major for Calvin and
two new minors. Additions to the curriculum are: an Asian Studies major, an
Urban Studies minor and an African and African Diaspora Studies minor.

The Board also discussed the results of President Gaylen Byker's regular
evaluation, including a survey that went to hundreds of Calvin faculty, staff,
students, trustees and friends of the college. The results, the Board said,
were glowing.

"President Byker's leadership is truly exemplary," the Board said in a prepared
statement. "He is passionately committed to the mission and purpose of the
college and is tireless and compelling in his efforts to promote it. During
the past nine years his leadership is evidenced in many significant areas. The
president led the way in shaping the faculty to ever stronger levels of
scholarship and teaching shaping and implementing a new core curriculum,
masterfully planning and executing new and updated facilities that enable
Calvin College to host conferences, conventions and festivals of world renown,
successfully designing and completing an ambitious five-year strategic plan and
nurturing a growing cadre of friends of the college who support its mission.
The Board of Trustees thanks God for the president's integrity, outstanding
abilities and depth of faith. We celebrate the significance of his
accomplishments and affirm his strong leadership of Calvin College."

The Board celebrated the careers of Calvin retirees and of this year's
Distinguished Alumni award winners at a special dinner and conferred emeritus
titles upon five professors: music professor John Hamersma (50 years), student
academic services counselor Beverly Morrison (25 years), computer science
professor Larry Nyhoff (41 years), geology professor Davis Young (26 years) and
physical education professor Marvin Zuidema (43 years). Together those five
served Calvin for a combined 185 years.

The Board also ratified the promotion of Ruth Groenhout to professor of
philosophy and ratified the administrative reappointments of Janel Curry (dean
for research and scholarship), Cherith Fee Nordling (co-director of spiritual
leadership development), Robert Nordling (co-director of spiritual leadership
development) and Thomas Steenwyk (registrar). And it endorsed the appointment
of Lissa Schwander as director of cross cultural engagement.

The Board heard about and endorsed 11Calvin Research Fellowship Summer Awards,
including such projects as art professor Kasarian Dane's creation of 12 oil
paintings on store signage on Division Avenue in Grand Rapids and political
science professor Amy Patterson's study of African government policies on AIDS.
 Strategic issues took up a significant amount of Board time as together the
trustees looked at such issues as Calvin's on-going self-study process for
accreditation, its pricing and financial aid and its development efforts.

The Board bid farewell to five of its own members who have completed their
terms of service and also elected its officers for 2004-2005. Milt Kuyers, a
Milwaukee area businessman, will stay on as Board chair; Bastian Knoppers, a
Chicago area businessman will be the new vice chair, replacing Charles
DeRidder, a CRC pastor from South Dakota, who completed his tenure on the
Board; and Cindi Veenstra, a Kalamazoo businesswoman stays on as secretary. In
addition to DeRidder, others completing their service on the Board are: John
DeVries, John Joldersma, Arnie Morren and Henry Stronks.

NOTE: A separate release will be sent this summer highlighting the new members
of the Calvin Board of Trustees.

-end-

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Received on Fri May 21 18:16:30 2004