Calvin Celebrates 10 Years with Bykers

July 7, 2005

On July 6 the Calvin College community gathered in both Gezon Auditorium and
then on the DeWit Manor lawn to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Gaylen
Byker as president of Calvin and Susan Byker as the college's "first lady."

The Byker presidency has been a significant one, marked by rapid growth in
both academic programs and buildings.

Among the building highlights are the DeVos Communication Center, the Prince
Conference Center, the Helen and Vincent Bunker Interpretive Center, the
DeVries Hall of Science and the Prince and Vermeer Engineering Buildings.

Among the highlights on the academic side are the Worldview Lectures, the
Mellema Program in Western American Studies, the Seminars in Christian
Scholarship, the De Kruyter Chair in Faith and Communication, the Byker Chair
in Political, Social and Economic Thought, the Paul B. Henry Institute for the
Study of Christianity and Politics and the Calvin Institute for Christian
Worship.

A big focus for President Byker has been international relations - perhaps
because his Ph.D. is in International Relations!

Already over two decades ago as a Calvin undergraduate, President Byker was
focused on a world bigger than just that of West Michigan. Indeed when he began
Calvin he already had served in Vietnam, entering the Army in the spring of
1967, earning a commission at the age of 19 and serving as an artillery officer
in Washington state and Vietnam, where he supervised 90 enlisted men in combat
situations and was repeatedly decorated. He was discharged with the rank of
captain and returned to study at Calvin.

At Calvin President Byker earned a bachelor's degree with concentrations in
philosophy, English, political science and speech with a minor in Russian
language (through courses taken at Grand Valley). He then went on to earn a law
degree at Michigan (cum laude) and picked up a master's degree (magna cum
laude) in world politics at Michigan on the side! He then earned that Ph.D. in
international relations at Pennsylvania.

So it should be no surprise that the Byker presidency has been marked by an
emphasis on global studies and service to a world beyond the U.S. borders.

For example, in 1995-96 Calvin had four semester abroad programs. It now has
10.

In Interim 1996 Calvin had 271 students go on 16 interims off campus. This
past January the college saw 469 students go on 28 interims away from Calvin.

And in 1995 the college had 91 international students (not including Canada)
or 2.3 percent of the student body. This past year Calvin welcomed 213 students
from other countries (not including Canada) or 5.1 percent of the student
body.
 
For more on the Byker presidency, including stats and pictures of the July 6
celebration, see

http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2004_05/byker_anniversary.htm

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Received on Thu Jul 7 12:11:38 2005