Calvin BOT Wraps February Meetings

February 18, 2006

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.

One of the highlights for the February 2006 meetings of the Board was an
interview with provost-elect Claudia Beversluis, slated to replace current
Calvin provost Joel Carpenter who will retire as provost this summer to become
director of a new Institute on campus dedicated to the study of world
Christianity.

Says Board secretary Cindi Veenstra of Kalamazoo: "The Board was very
impressed by Dr. Beversluis. We had a wonderful conversation and we were
pleased to unanimously approve her as provost of Calvin, and recommend her
appointment to this summer's Synod (of the Christian Reformed Church)."

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

The Board interviewed and granted tenure to: Jerry Bergsma (physical
education), Keith Brautigam (music), Kimberly Gall (physical education), Kathi
Groenendyk (communication arts and sciences), Deborah Haarsma (physics),
William Katerberg (history), Amy Patterson (political science), Laura Smit
(religion), James K.A. Smith (philosophy), James Timmer Jr. (physical
education), Jennifer VanAntwerp (engineering), Jeremy VanAntwerp (engineering),
Deanna van Dijk (geography) and Julie Walton (health).

"The tenure interviews are a very affirming process for the Board," says
Veenstra. "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 21 faculty members.

The Board also attended a special Faculty/Board dinner where Calvin's 13th
annual Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching was given to professor of
classics Ken Bratt. 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 item of business was the setting of the budget for 2006-2007,
including tuition, fees and room and board rates. Tuition and fees for
2006-2007 will be $20,470, while room & board will be $7,040, for a total of
$27,510. These costs represent an overall increase of 6.9 percent from
2005-2006.

The overall Calvin budget for 2006-2007 will be $86 million, 86.5% of which is
received from tuition, fees and room and board.

"Calvin works to maintain tuition well below the average for private colleges
and universities nationally," says Calvin president Gaylen Byker. "This
commitment is aided by the generosity of our alumni and friends whose financial
support helps keep tuition affordable. The 2006-2007 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's commitment to remaining affordable is evidenced by maintaining a
strong financial aid program. In fact, funding for scholarships and financial
aid will also increase by 6.9 percent in 2006-2007. Calvin plans to award over
$51 million in total aid in 2006-2007, including over $24 million in grants and
scholarships from Calvin, some $17.5 million in loans, about $7 million in
grants and scholarships from federal, state and other sources and $2.5 million
in work study wages.

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
$27,510 figure. The average total award to students who qualify for need-based
aid at Calvin next year will be over $14,000 (this includes aid from all
sources, including Calvin institutional aid).

Calvin vice president Tom McWhertor says that salaries and benefits constitute
about 65% of Calvin's budget and that consequently service-providing
organizations such as Calvin must factor a cost-of-living adjustment higher
than the generally perceived cost-of-living.

In addition, he says, rising health care expenses and a faculty salary schedule
which strengthens Calvin's ability to attract and retain outstanding professors
are part of the recent increase. Calvin also has an ambitious and growing
program of sabbaticals and research fellowships got its faculty.

"Such efforts cost money," says McWhertor, "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 22 sabbatical requests,
12 Diekema Fellowships (named for former President Anthony Diekema and awarded
to younger faculty) and 16 Calvin Research Fellowships.

Among the sabbaticals are Laura DeHaan's research on rural adolescents and
alchohol use, Irene Konyndyk's work on foreign language instruction for
students with learning disabilities and Corwin Smidt's study of religion and
civic responsibility.

-end-
Received on Sat Feb 18 14:13:56 2006