Chad Tatko and Trent Figg (Week 3)
Chad Tatko and Trent Figg
Both Dr. Chad Tatko and Coach Trent Figg find it common to put the letter "O" on a white board when teaching. One stands in front of chemistry students talking about oxygen and other elements; the other in front of football players talking offensive and defensive schemes. Both find the lessons the other teaches just as important in developing the whole student. Listen as they discuss the intersection of sport, academics, and faith.
Chad Tatko has spent 18 years at Calvin as a professor in the Chemistry and Bio-Chemistry department. Tatko is a 1998 graduate of Wheaton College and earned his Ph.D from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Chad’s recent work has revolved around partnering with Calvin’s Clean Water institute, Calvin Engineering, and Codeinese Ecuador to bring clean water to villages in rural Ecuador. Chad also serves as the faculty representative for athletics.
Trent Figg was hired as the first head coach in Calvin University football history on January 6, 2023. Figg comes to Calvin from the University of Oregon where he served as the football program’s senior offensive analyst under current head coach Dan Lanning. A native of Chillicothe, Missouri, Figg is a 2008 graduate of William Jewell College (Mo.). He was a four-year member of the William Jewell football team as a defensive back. Figg remained at his alma mater as a graduate assistant from 2009-2012. From there, he took roles in a handful of programs including full time jobs at Southern Arkansas University, Missouri State and University of Hawaii.
About Us
Our Mission
The January Series cultivates deep thought and conversations about important issues of the day in order to inspire cultural renewal and make us better global citizens in God's world.
Background
For over 30 years, the January Series of Calvin University has been one of the leading lecture/cultural arts series in the country. The series has been a three-time recipient of the Silver Bowl Award as the “Best Campus Lecture Series in the U.S.A.” by the International Platform Society. The diversity of presenters and topics has changed as the world of ideas has changed.
The foundation for excellence both in the classroom at Calvin University and at the January Series is the philosophy that an outstanding liberal arts education teaches students how to think, not what to think. We want our students to look at current ideas critically in light of history and creatively with an eye to the future. We support freedom of speech and expression; we encourage faculty, students and the community to listen to viewpoints that differ from their own. Bringing excellent speakers on a wide variety of topics to campus is one very valuable factor of education at Calvin.
Calvin University is a Christian academic community dedicated to rigorous intellectual inquiry. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Calvin has an enrollment of 3,800 curious and inquisitive students. The dynamic liberal arts university has been named a “Best College” by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, The Fisk Guide, The Princeton Review and Washington Monthly. A Calvin education, marked by scholarly engagement with enduring questions and emerging concerns, prepares students to answer God’s call to live and serve in God’s world as agents of renewal.