Calvin Names Top Teacher

Summary: Calvin College professor of English Jim Vanden Bosch is the 2010
recipient of the school's Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching.

Calvin College professor of English Jim Vanden Bosch is the recipient of
Calvin's highest teaching honor. Vanden Bosch is the 18th winner of the
Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching.

The award honors one member of the Calvin faculty each year who has a record of
academic achievement and a dedication to Christian principles both inside and
outside the classroom.

A native of Zeeland, Vanden Bosch grew up in a blue-collar family, where a good
work ethic was practiced. He graduated from Calvin in 1970 and returned to
teach in Calvin's English department in 1983.

Of his alma mater, Vanden Bosch said:

"Calvin has been a very good place for me as a teacher and a scholar. I've had
the encouragement and support to get good work done. And I've really benefitted
from my colleagues in the department ... ”

Of his students, he added:

"We get good students here. They work hard, and they're typically very
grateful. What they don't realize is how much better our job is because of
them."

In his 27-year teaching career at Calvin, Vanden Bosch has touched the lives of
both colleagues and students alike. His colleagues point out the joy with which
he teaches and his ability to teach across the spectrum of English studies. His
former students have equally nice things to say about him.

"He is knowledgeable and articulate," said recent graduate Kathleen Merz. "He
is able to present topics in a manner very accessible to students, but he is
also able to go into much greater depth when appropriate. His tangents,
whenever one is lucky enough to get him off on one, consistently offer
thought-provoking and fascinating information."

The Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching includes a medallion and a
significant financial stipend supported by the George B. and Margaret K.
Tinholt Endowment fund, established in 1993 to honor George Tinholt, a former
member of the Calvin Board of Trustees, and his wife, Margaret.

-end-
Received on Thu Feb 11 20:09:33 2010