Calvin BOT Wraps February Meetings

February 21, 2005 == MEDIA ADVISORY

The 31-member Calvin College Board of Trustees concluded its winter meetings
this weekend on the school's campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The winter
meeting is one of three annual sessions for the Calvin Board. The Board also
meets annually in October and May.

Tenure interviews are always a highlight at the February Board meeting. This
meeting was no exception.

The Board interviewed and granted tenure to: David Crump (religion), Rebecca
Konyndyk DeYoung (philosophy), Kathi Groenendyk (communication arts and
sciences), Paul Harper (physics), Matthew Heun (engineering), Jennifer Holberg
(English), Kendra Hotz (religion), Elizabeth Howell (biology), Brian Ingraffia
(English), Karin Maag (history), Randall Pruim (mathematics), Debra Rienstra
(English), Charsie Sawyer (music), David Smith (Germanic languages and
literature) and Dianne Zandstra (Spanish).

"The tenure interviews are a very affirming process for the Board," says Board
secretary Cindi Veenstra of Kalamazoo. "Several Board members again commented
that the interviews were for them the highlight of the meetings. To hear about
how faculty integrate faith and learning and to hear about their mentoring of
students is very inspiring."

Besides the tenure interviews the Board also approved for reappointment an
additional 20 faculty members and ratified a trio of administrative
reappointments, including Gail Heffner as director of community engagement,
Steven Putt as reference and acquisitions librarian and Laura Smit as dean of
the chapel.

The Board also attended a special Faculty/Board dinner where Calvin's 12th
annual Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching was given to professor of
science education and physics Jim Jadrich. The award includes a one-of-a-kind
medallion and provides the winner with a significant financial stipend thanks
to the George B. and Margaret K. Tinholt Endowment fund, set up at Calvin by a
donor in honor of George Tinholt, a former member of the Calvin Board of
Trustees.

Another important topic of discussion for the Board was the financial side of
the college, including the setting of tuition and room and board rates for next
year and the approval of an overall budget. Both the tuition and room and board
increases are 6.5 percent. Tuition for 2005-2006 will be $18,925, while room
and board will be $6,585 for a total of $25,510. The overall Calvin budget for
2005-2006 is $83 million.

"We strive to provide an academically excellent education while maintaining
affordability," says Calvin president Gaylen Byker. "The 2005-2006 budget, and
cost increases it contains, were carefully considered and discussed. Our Board
respects how these cost increases affect our students and parents, but also
affirms the need to maintain Calvin's standard of academic excellence."

Calvin vice president Tom McWhertor notes that with about 85% of that
$83-million budget coming from tuition and room and board, Calvin has to deftly
manage its financial resources in order to both offer a superb academic
education and remain a good value.

"Though a top-rated school by a number different measures," says McWhertor,
"many college guidebooks also call Calvin an exceptional value. And our tuition
and room and board charges continue to be well below the national average for
four-year private colleges. Even more so when you look at schools that are more
comparable to Calvin academically."

In fact, this year, Calvin's tuition, room and board and fees are $3,500 below
the national average.

And, McWhertor says, Calvin has a strong financial aid program which serves
students and their families well. In fact, scholarships and financial aid for
2005-2006 also went up 6.5 percent, and Calvin will award almost $48 million in
total aid in 2005-2006. That includes over $21 million in grants and
scholarships from Calvin, some $17 million in loans, about $7 million in grants
and scholarships from federal, state and other sources and $2.5 million in work
study funds.

Over 90 percent of the Calvin student body will receive some form of financial
aid, making the actual cost to attend Calvin far less, in most cases, than the
$25,510 figure. The average need-based award at Calvin next year will be close
to $13,000.

McWhertor adds that Calvin continues to improve faculty development, including
enhancements to its competitive salary structure and an ambitious and growing
program of sabbaticals and research fellowships.

"Such efforts cost money," he says, "but they both benefit our faculty and
enhance and expand the education available to students. Students directly
benefit from what professors are learning, and they often are involved in
research projects and fellowships as student researchers."

In fact, at its recent meeting Calvin's Board approved 27 sabbatical requests,
eight Diekema Fellowships (named for former President Anthony Diekema and
awarded to younger faculty) and eight Calvin Research Fellowships.

Among the sabbaticals are Margaret Goetz' plan to study the language of
children, David Hoekema's research on the morality of peace and war, Daniel
Miller's examination of the history of the Christian Reformed Church in Cuba
and Ronald Wells' look at the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez.

The Board also heard a positive report on admissions numbers for 2005-2006.
After a shortfall in last fall's entering, first-year class, Calvin has an
increase this year of 35 percent in the number of students considering
enrollment at Calvin.

Director of Admissions Dale Kuiper notes a February 15 admissions report
showed that Calvin had admitted 1,738 students for this coming fall (compared
with 1,262 at the same time last year).

With hundreds of students still seeking admission, and if traditional yield
numbers (the percentage of admitted students who actually enroll) stay true to
form, Calvin expects to have a first-year class of somewhere between 1,030 and
1,100 students for the fall of 2005 That would be a jump of over 100 students
from the fall of 2004, when Calvin enrolled 902 first-year students.

Kuiper says several factors are contributing to the increase in interest,
including more strategic contacts with a bigger pool of students, changes in
the application process, and more dollars for Calvin's academic scholarship
program.

He also points to the efforts of Calvin's admissions counselors, citing as
just one example a project in January that saw Calvin admissions counselors and
student assistants call 3,273 prospective students in a 17-day period, an
average of almost 200 students per day!

McWhertor credits both the short-term efforts and Calvin's long-standing
reputation for melding faith-centered learning and top-rate academics.

"It does appear that the shortfall last year was a 'blip' on the screen," he
says, "but it certainly caught our attention, and caused us to consider new
strategies and ways of communicating Calvin's distinctives to broader
audiences. We are convinced that there are many who would resonate with and
benefit from what Calvin has to offer, but we need to work hard to catch their
attention and entice them to take a look."

The Board heard reports from Calvin's Student Life division on efforts to help
students choose healthy lifestyles and from the Lilly Vocation project on its
ongoing effort to help students think beyond careers to the concept of
vocation. And the Board's Executive Committee met with the Calvin Student
Senate for lunch, getting Senate's perspective on the college.

-end-
Received on Mon Feb 21 09:14:24 2005