Celebrating Five Years of Momentum at Calvin University
Calvin University serves students of all ages in all stages of life, from around the corner, across the globe, and even behind bars.
On July 10, 2019, one of the outcomes of the university’s Vision 2030 was the institution changing its last name from “college” to “university.” While Calvin has always pushed to widen doors, integrate the Christian faith and learning, and partner well, the switch to becoming a university helped the university to do this work more effectively amidst a rapidly changing higher education landscape.
While the new last name was the most tangible and noticeable change early on, now five years later it’s apparent it signaled significant momentum ahead.
As Calvin celebrates the five-year anniversary of having its new last name, News & Stories highlights ten significant moments for Calvin since July 10, 2019.
Note: This list is representative and in no way exhaustive.
June 2019 – Launching The de Vries Institute
Integration of the Christian faith and learning across all disciplines is a hallmark of a Calvin education.
In an effort to deepen and strengthen the university’s commitment to the integration of the Christian faith and learning, a transformative $11 million grant was given to Calvin to launch The de Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development , which will assure that Calvin remains a leader in providing the finest Reformed Christian education. The institute serves faculty around the world through its resources at Reflecting Faith.
July 2020 – Setting Fundraising Records
During the fiscal year where Calvin changed from “college” to “university” it set a record with $64.3 million in gifts and new pledges. Two years later, the institution had its second-best fundraising year on record.
March 2021 – Establishing New Schools
In September 2022, hundreds of people came out for the dedication of the School of Business building.
Calvin breaks ground on the School of Business building following the receipt of the largest single donation in Calvin’s history. The building opened for fall 2022 classes. A few months after the groundbreaking, the second largest gift in school history is received to establish the School of Health.The School of Education, School of HASS (Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences), and School of STEM are also created as a result of the new university structure.
August 2021 – Expanding Graduate-Level Offerings
When Calvin was a college, it offered just three master’s programs. Since 2019, the university has quadrupled its graduate-level offerings to 12, including launching four online programs in fall 2021 alone. The expansion of graduate-level programming is one of many tangible outcomes resulting from Calvin creating the Global Campus. From prison halls to corporate boardrooms, high schools to environments for learners with intellectual disabilities, through the work of the Global Campus Calvin’s been creating additional pathways to extend its mission to more learners around the world and in every stage of life.
October 2022 – Adding Varsity Sports
The Calvin University football team played their first Maroon and Gold scrimmage on September 30, 2023.
As part of the university’s athletics strategic plan, men’s football, women’s acrobatics and tumbling, and men’s volleyball are approved to be added to Calvin’s portfolio of NCAA Division III offerings. The university now offers 25 varsity sports.
May 2022 - Awarding Bachelor’s Degrees Behind Bars
Students in the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) program participated in a Commencement ceremony inside the fences of Handlon Correctional Facility. The event, honoring the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022, marked the first time in the state of Michigan that bachelor’s degrees were awarded behind bars. To date, five cohorts of students, 71 graduates in all, have earned bachelor’s degrees through the CPI program which is offered via a partnership between Calvin University, Calvin Theological Seminary, and the Michigan Department of Corrections.
June 2023 – Adding and Upgrading Athletic and Community Gathering Spaces
Construction projects aimed at enhancing the student experience commence. This includes a significant reimagination of the first three floors of Hekman Library, the creation of new outdoor athletic facilities (track, turf field, soccer stadium, and football building), and enhancements in the new School of Health (including a new cadaver lab, simulation lab, and expanded speech pathology and audiology clinic). Many of the renovations will be ready for fall 2024.
September 2023 – Record-Setting Demand
The number and percentage of first-generation, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and international students who joined Calvin for fall 2023 were all records for the institution since it changed its name from “college” to “university."
Students from more than 90 countries submitted their applications to Calvin in 2023. The interest, which represents nearly half the countries in the world, was record-setting.
In 2024, that momentum continued to climb with a record 20% of Calvin’s incoming class coming to Calvin from outside the United States. This is crucial given one of the key reasons Calvin changed its last name from “college” to “university” was so that international students would better understand Calvin’s educational offerings within the higher education landscape.
February 2024 – Reinvesting in Theater and Music Education
In fall 2023, the Calvin Theatre Company, now in its 90th season, presented Rumors by Neil Simon.
A decision to reinstate a theater minor and a music education major beginning in fall 2024 is made. Organizing the music and theater departments under the umbrella of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences in 2021, an increase in enrollment for consecutive years, and the university’s long-standing belief that “you can’t have liberal arts without the arts,” all contributed to the decision.
June 2024 - Wayfinder Program
As part of the 49507 Initiative, Calvin launched the Wayfinder Program, the state of Michigan’s first Clemente Course in the Humanities, which is a transformative educational experience for adults facing economic and social barriers to higher education. The program is being offered off-campus in a neighboring zip code to the university in direct partnership with several community organizations.
