Calvin News

Calvin's first-ever director of campus safety will step down this month after a nine-year tenure in the post.

Gerald "Jerry" Steele came to Calvin after a 37-year career with the Grand Rapids Police Department. Interestingly his replacement at Calvin will also transition from the GRPD. Bill Corner will leave the local force after 14 years to return to his alma mater.

When Steele joined Calvin he retired from the GRPD as the deputy chief, a position he held for 16 years. He then stepped into a new post at Calvin, one that had a job description, but still awaited the personal stamp of a first director.

Those who know Steele say he was the right hire at the right time.

"Jerry is unflappable," says Calvin vice president for student life Shirley Hoogstra (Steele's boss for the past six years). "Circumstances didn't surprise Jerry and there never was a task too large or complex for his expertise. Best of all, he gave the campus a sense of security because of his good judgment and wise action. Plus he has a terrific sense of humor. We will miss him."

For his part Steele will miss Calvin too.

At the time of his hire, in August 1996, he told a reporter that the Calvin job "sort of fell out of the sky," adding: "I think it's going to be an awful lot of fun."

A Republican Presidential debate, campus evacuation, Petra exhibition and Presidential commencement visit later, he says he has no reason to contradict that earlier expectation.

"I expected it to be fun," he says, "and it was. I really can't say enough about what it's meant to be a part of this place."

Steele joined Calvin at a time when the campus safety department was renamed and moved. It quit being called campus security and it moved from the college's administration and finance division to the student life division.

That move was made recognizing that the primary focus of the department is student and staff safety, not merely the protection of physical assets.

Steele says that new focus fit in nicely with his personal style of leadership.

"We're running a force here with minimal full-time personnel," he says of a Calvin department that includes almost 40 part-time student dispatchers and patrol persons. "But it doesn't matter because the community here pitches in wherever and whenever they are needed."

Steele points to a campus evacuation in September 2001 as a great example of how people in the Calvin community and beyond make life easier for him and his campus safety personnel.

"It's nine days after September 11," says Steele, "and we get a threat to our campus. In a matter of hours we know we need to evacuate 2,100 students or so. I'm calling the National Guard asking about cots. We're thinking about local gyms and churches where kids can sleep. But when we put out the word about what's happening, and we ask people if they can take in students, the response is overwhelming. And the only problem we had was people who volunteered and we ended up not needing them. That's the kind of thing I've seen over and over again in the (nine) years."

Steele also says the continuity brought to campus safety by Robert Doornbos and Dan Gordon is a big plus for the college.

"Those guys have been here and they know the place," he says. "They do a great job and I was lucky to have them. Working with people like Bob and Dan, and people in student life, has been a fun part of the job."

Another fun experience for Steele has been the current Petra exhibition at Calvin.

In fact, Steele's last scheduled day at Calvin is August 15 - the day Petra is scheduled to end!

"I told President Byker I would see Petra through to the end," says Steele simply, who adds that Petra has been a challenging project in terms of security.

"You're in charge of priceless artifacts," he says. "It's not something we take lightly. But we were able to put a good plan together and both New York and Cincinnati (where the two organizing museums for Petra are located) have been very pleased with how things have gone."

And, Steele adds, seeing how people are responding to Petra is very fulfilling.

"I'm there every day," he says, "for at least part of the day. It's amazing to watch people in the exhibition and see how they respond to it. It's been a great project to cap my career at Calvin with."

As for the future, Steele remains mum.

"I've been working since I was seven years old," he says with a smile. "I'm 68 now and my wife thinks it's time to quit. I'm not sure about that. But I do know this (job) has been great. I don't regret a thing."

For a picture of Steele and Corner see the Calvin Around Town website