Calvin Prof Honored by Students

May 20, 2008 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Summary: Calvin professor of sociology Todd Vanden Berg was honored by the senior class this year with the Professor of the Year award.

Full story, including JPG, see http://www.calvin.edu/news/2007-08/todd-vandenberg/
 
Calvin professor of sociology Todd Vanden Berg is the class of 2008's pick for the Professor of the Year award. The honor has been bestowed annually for the last 11 years by the graduating class.

Vanden Berg was both startled and honored by the award.

"Teaching is one of those occupations where you never feel like you're doing enough, and you're never quite sure of the impact you're having on your students," he said. "So, it's affirming to receive this-particularly in light of the professors who have received it before."

There have been 10 previous Professors of the Year as selected by the senior class (last year's winner was Calvin professor of biology Joy Bonnema), while the college for the past 16 years also has selected a Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching honoree.

Norm Zylstra, the Calvin coordinator of student and young alumni programs, said being part of a process in which students honor a professor is inspiring

"I feel like when you're in that committee meeting," he said, "and you hear how passionate students are about the nominees, you understand that a huge part of their connection to the college, as students and as alumni, is their connection to those professors."

Vanden Berg, whose classes tend to draw students from the disciplines of sociology, communications arts and sciences, international development studies and missions studies, agreed.

"When I think of my teaching vocation," he said, "I'm thinking of it in terms of two spheres that interact, and those spheres should never be able to be pulled apart. To me, those spheres are the academic discipline of anthropology as well as an engaged Christian world-and-life view. So when I teach anthropology, the easy part is to teach aspects of the discipline. The challenging part is to engage with students so that they integrate their world-and-life view with the discipline."

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Received on Tue May 20 11:48:28 2008