Endowed and Honorary Chairs
Current Chair (since 2023): Brad Veldkamp, PhD
Past Chair holders: Michael R. Barbachyn, PhD (2012-2023); Ronald Blankespoor, PhD (2006-2009)
Background
Endowed in 2006 by former Calvin College board members Roger and Connie Brummel.
This document spells out the details related to the establishment of an Organic Chemistry Chair at Calvin University. This Chair has been funded by a gift to the university for the express purpose of establishing this position. The person who is appointed to the Organic Chemistry Chair position will be referred to as the "designee."
Purpose
Organic chemistry along with biochemistry, analytical, inorganic, and physical chemistry comprise the major divisions within the science of chemistry. Organic compounds constitute the building blocks of living things with carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen serving as the principle atoms found in nucleic acids, proteins, sugars, fats, and petroleum products. Organic compounds are found in drugs and medicines, polymers, clothing, and fuels and are the targets of research, development, and manufacturing. Almost half of the chemists work directly or indirectly with organic compounds. Consequently, students preparing for careers in chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, or medicine must receive extensive training and have an understanding of organic chemistry. Presently, at Calvin University, three of the ten positions in chemistry are filled by organic chemists who seek to provide this important training.
In its Mission Statement, the department seeks "to engage in chemical/biochemical education and research that takes seriously the Creator’s invitation to explore and investigate the atomic/molecular features of the world, and to provide a Christian model for its study, stewardly use, and keeping." All faculty attempt to carry out this mission in the formal classroom. The primary goal of this chair is to increase the opportunity to carry out the department mission in a laboratory setting by providing increased time for research in organic chemistry applicable for student involvement, active participation, education, and inspiration. This research program is externally funded and will result in presentations, papers, and peer-reviewed publications with students as co-authors.
Current Chair (since 2013): James K.A. Smith, PhD, Philosophy
Past Chair holders: Janel Curry, PhD, Geography (2008-2011); Paul Freston, PhD, Sociology (2003-2008)
Background
Endowed in 2004 by the family of former Michigan State Senator Gary Byker and his wife, Henrietta.
Former Michigan State Senator Gary Byker (1920-1997) and his wife, Henrietta (Blankespoor) Byker (b. 1921), led very active lives raising and educating six children while at the same time engaging in farming, business, and politics on the local and state level. They served and supported a variety of civic and charitable endeavors, including non-profit organizations, churches, and both Christian and public schools. Senator Byker served in the infantry during World War II, and without having attended high school, he studied history and sociology at Calvin College, graduating in 1954. He taught for a year in the Department of Sociology at Calvin before pursuing graduate studies at the University of Michigan. He served in the Michigan Senate from 1968 to 1979.
Senator and Mrs. Byker believed that their lives were part of the seamless web of God's creation, that every square inch of this world is subject to the lordship of Jesus Christ. They saw the political, social, and economic dimensions of this world through the lens of biblical revelation and from a distinctively Calvinist/Kuyperian perspective. From this perspective, the inter-relatedness of politics, society, and the economy is an essential characteristic of all human activity and interaction. The Bykers appreciated the insights into these dimensions of reality and their inter-relatedness provided by the Bible, Greek and Roman classics, and the writings of St. Augustine, William Shakespeare, the Protestant reformers, Edmund Burke, and Alexis deTocqueville, and in the modern age by Abraham Kuyper, Max Weber, and Winston Churchill, among others.
Purpose
Many of the most influential thinkers of the modern age have stressed the interrelatedness of politics, society and the economy. The disciplines of political science, sociology and economics have arisen to study these fields, and have developed powerful insights. Yet no one discipline can provide a fully orbed analysis of the complex events, forces and ideas that sweep across our common life. Interdisciplinary studies, which link and merge approaches from these disciplines, have added dimension to our understanding of public life. In order to promote such interdisciplinary study, and to foster the integration of Christian perspectives in the social science disciplines, Calvin University proposes the Gary and Henrietta Byker Chair in Christian Perspectives on Political, Social and Economic Thought.
This chair will provide a comprehensive, Reformed Christian approach to the ways in which human interactions and structures are shaped and influenced by the dynamics of creation, the fall, redemption, and historical development. As such, the chair is designed to honor Senator and Mrs. Byker's understanding of the contributions Christians can make when they integrate their faith with service in the political, social, and economic arenas.
The primary goals of the chair will be to enhance the training and preparation of students for lives of service in God's global kingdom and to further the development of ideas and strategies that can provide the foundation for effective involvement by Christian individuals, churches, and organizations in politics, social policy, and economic development. Examples of the realms of action that would benefit from such foundational Christian thinking include:
- elective politics, as guided by a Christian understanding of political, social, and economic dynamics;
- third-world political, social, and economic development, which will be important for continued improvement in the quality of life and evangelism efforts in those regions; and
- engagement with the dominant culture and its institutions in a variety of professions. Christians need to understand the culture and its political and economic dynamics and be motivated to participate in it to provide corrective and leavening influences.
Current Chair (since 2010): Jason Stansbury, PhD,
Past Chair holder: Stacy Jackson, PhD, (2007)
Background
Endowed by James and Judith Chambery of Rochester, New York, to reflect their interest in conducting business by Christian principles.
It seems that each day's newspaper brings fresh testimony about the critical importance of personal and group ethics in shaping our world. The institutions of an economy are not merely machines to be fine-tuned through technical competence; culture and commerce depend fundamentally upon trust and faithfulness. When trust is broken by unethical conduct, the ill effects spread beyond those who have sacrificed their integrity. Every stakeholder is harmed when individuals and groups organize their lives in ways that contradict God's norms for life together.
Commercial and educational institutions are realizing the importance of integrating ethics with business education and practice. But many educational institutions are at a disadvantage in rising to the challenge. The modern era has tried to sever the natural connections between ethical education and practical competence. In business education, this often results in a curriculum in which ethics are considered in a separate "business ethics" course or curriculum, while much of the rest of the “technical” curriculum advances within a different bubble. Even when ethics are considered, much of the modern world slaves away under relativism, a harsh master that expects much while withholding the means for success.
Calvin University is in a position to provide leadership on this issue. Calvin's business and economics curriculum has not fallen into the habit of segregating ethical issues into a separate curriculum. In all our work, we aim for integrity among all the aspects of being an effective steward of the creation. During the last thirty years, the academic world has experienced an explosion of substantial Christian scholarship, and Calvin has been a major force in this development. There are now resources and networks that make possible the development of a consistently Reformed Christian voice on issues of business ethics. Many Christian academic institutions look to Calvin for leadership in this area. This opportunity also coincides with a growing awareness in the broader academic world of the difficulties imposed by modernism and relativism.
It is time to develop institutional means by which Reformed Christian voices in this conversation can be enriched and supported, and under whose leadership the University can expand its approach to integrating ethical considerations throughout the curriculum. As the department is revising its business curriculum, it would be especially helpful to have a strong scholar in this area providing leadership to our efforts to make certain that our curriculum thoroughly integrates ethical considerations throughout all of our courses at both introductory and advanced levels.
Purpose
The general purposes of this chair are to provide proven Christian scholars the opportunity to deepen their understanding of important issues surrounding ethics in business life, to create materials that increase the Christian presence in contemporary debates, to disseminate their learning to appropriate audiences, and to provide leadership to the Calvin community in addressing issues of business ethics. This would likely involve some mix of lectures, workshops, curriculum planning, and traditional research and scholarship. However nuanced in its final form, the work is expected to be thoroughly and thoughtfully Christian in its underpinnings.
Current Chair (since 2022): Craig E. Mattson, PhD
Past chairs: Carl Plantinga, PhD (2020-2022); William Romanowski, PhD (2015-2020); Quentin Schultze, PhD (2004-2015)
Background
Endowed in 2004 by friends and family of the late Rev. Arthur H. DeKruyter, graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary and founder of the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary in St. Petersburg, Russia.
During the 1980s and ’90s, the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at Calvin built the strongest communication faculty of any Christian college or university in the world. The department became known for its academic scholarship, service to Christian organizations, and contributions to the university. With the gifts of the Prince and DeVos families for college conference and communication centers, respectively, Calvin began planning for its leadership role in relating the study and practice of communication to the Christian faith. One crucial aspect of leadership is attracting and keeping outstanding scholars and teachers in the field. This chair expresses both Calvin's commitment to providing leadership in the field and the college’s desire to serve the broader Christian community.
Purpose
The Arthur H. DeKruyter Chair in Communication is for an established scholar and gifted communicator with a proven record of serving the church as well as the academy. The occupant of the chair must be a strongly committed Christian whose professional work bridges the gap between scholarly research and communication practice. The Chair is named in honor of Rev. Arthur H. DeKruyter, a particularly gifted communicator who served the church and the broader society faithfully for decades.
Current Chair: Micah J. Watson, PhD
Past chairs: Kevin R. den Dulk, PhD; Corwin Smidt, PhD
Background
Endowed in 1997 by friends and family of former member of Congress, Paul Henry.
The Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics was created to continue the work of integrating Christian faith and politics advanced by its namesake, educator and public servant Paul B. Henry.
Paul Henry was a leader of Christian vision and action. After earning his undergraduate degree at Wheaton College and his PhD at Duke University, Henry taught political science at Calvin College from 1970 to 1978.
While at Calvin, Henry served as a member of the Michigan Board of Education. Leaving Calvin in 1978 to pursue public office full-time, Henry was elected to the Michigan State House and, later, State Senate. He was elected to the US House of Representatives in November 1984, where he served until his untimely death in July 1993.
Henry was known as a person of conviction, credibility and courage. His book, Politics for Evangelicals, provides a blueprint for his own involvement in public service. His academic and political careers were characterized by a constant search for justice, providing powerful evidence that politicians can be principled and effective. Serving the Claims of Justice: The Thoughts of Paul B. Henry celebrates the life and work of Paul Henry in the words of people who knew him well.
Purpose
The Henry Institute continues Paul Henry's quest to promote serious reflection on the interplay between Christianity and public life, by becoming a national forum for research, dialogue, and information on their interaction.
Despite the importance of Christianity and politics and the growing public discussion of their effects on each other, there is much room for serious study of how these two fields interact. The rise of religiously-based political movements in the United States, the growing legal controversy on the proper role of church and state, and the manifest religious basis for many international political regimes and movements, show that the interplay between religious faith and political practice is increasing, not diminishing. With these developments, the study of Christianity and politics presents many exciting opportunities.
The Henry Institute fosters the study of Christianity and politics by providing resources for scholarship, structuring opportunities to disseminate scholarly work, seeking avenues to communicate and promote such efforts to the larger public, and motivating and training future scholars to engage in such study. The Institute is particularly dedicated to creating a new generation of scholars and public servants who are engaged, active and aware of the importance of the interplay between these two fields of inquiry.
Current Chair: Kevin Timpe, PhD
Background
Endowed by friends and family of the late William Harry Jellema, Calvin's first philosophy professor.
Jellema was the first philosophy professor at Calvin College and the mentor of many of Calvin’s most distinguished graduates in philosophy and in other fields. He joined the college faculty in 1921, the year it became a four-year college, as one of the six faculty members. He continued to teach at Calvin, with a brief sojourn at Indiana University, for nearly half a century, and his growing commitment to Christian philosophy and to the Kuyperian tradition of Christian culture witness shaped not only the minds of generations of students but the very identity of the college during the period when it grew from a small and insular denominational enclave into a fertile seedbed of Christian teaching and scholarship.
Purpose
To honor the memory of William Harry Jellema and to promote Christian philosophy. In establishing this chair the university embraces a goal dear to the heart of William Harry Jellema: the advancement of Christian philosophy. We intend this category to be inclusive and not exclusive: "Christian philosophy" encompasses philosophical reflection from a Christian standpoint on any of the major areas of philosophy, including, but not limited to, positive and negative apologetics; philosophical theology; issues of metaphysics and epistemology in relation to Christian faith; and Christian theories of culture, politics and morality. Thoughtful and creative engagement with the relationship between Christian beliefs and values and issues in philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, and philosophical anthropology are also included. It is expected that the holder of this chair will manifest in both teaching and scholarship a deep interest in the ways in which Christian belief informs and directs philosophical reflection and in the light that is shed by the Gospel upon questions of philosophical discussion.
Current Chair (since 1999): Herman De Vries, PhD, German
Past Chairs: Martinus Bakker, PhD, German (1994-1997); Walter Lagerway, PhD, Dutch (1952-1983)
Honorary (non-endowed) since 1957, dedicated to the late Queen of the Netherlands.
Flashback: A Royal Visit
From the Spark, Winter 2003:
Queen Juliana made Calvin's campus a stop on her 1952 tour
by Richard H. Harms, Archivist
In April 1952, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands made her first official state visit to the United States as the Dutch monarch. During World War II, as princess and heir to the throne, she and her daughters lived in the outskirts of Ottawa, Ont., and visited the United States several times, including a trip to West Michigan in 1941. The 1952 trip, undertaken in part to thank the U.S. for aid during World War II, included stops in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Detroit. During her time in Washington, D.C., the queen became the second woman to address a joint session of Congress; the first had been her mother, Queen Wilhelmina, in 1942. Since the royal entourage also wished to visit locations where Dutch immigrants and their descendants settled, the tour included stops in West Michigan.
Queen Juilana and President Spoelhof enter the Franklin Campus Administration Building in April, 1952
The three days in Michigan began in the Detroit area, including a visit to Greenfield Village, the season opener at Briggs Field, (which the Tigers lost 0-3 to St. Louis), and concluding with the queen receiving an honorary degree from the University of Michigan. The second day was spent in West Michigan, beginning with a flight to Grand Rapids. Local security was provided by all 205 officers of the city’s police force plus 50 reserves, five federal agents who accompanied the royal party throughout the tour, shore patrol personnel from Great Lakes Naval Station, a contingent of state police, and officers from East Grand Rapids and Wyoming Township.
The mayor of Grand Rapids, Paul Goebel, and 8,000 citizens greeted the queen at the airport on the sunny spring day that saw temperatures reach the low 60s. Having accepted an invitation from Calvin’s Board of Trustees, the queen and her royal party rode in a motorcade of nine convertibles to the Calvin College campus, then on Franklin Street. There a ceremony was held to inaugurate the Queen Juliana Chair on Language and Culture of the Netherlands, currently held by Professor Herman De Vries. Events for the day were scheduled to the minute. President and Mrs. Spoelhof greeted the queen and Prince Bernhard at the curb at 11:25 a.m. The special convocation began promptly at 11:40 and lasted 30 minutes. At 12:45, she received the key to the city from Mayor Goebel at a downtown ceremony and then attended a formal luncheon at the Pantlind Hotel, now the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. During her four hours and 25 minutes in Grand Rapids, the queen was seen by an estimated 100,000 people. At 3:10, ten minutes behind schedule, the motorcade left for Holland.
After ceremonies at the Holland City Hall and Hope College, the party returned to Detroit on a special train. From Detroit, the entourage flew to San Francisco and then on to the Los Angeles area for various events, including tours of the MGM studios and Dutch settlements in the Los Angeles area, one of which was a dairy farm operated by Dutch immigrants.
Current chair: The current Chair is Herman De Vries, PhD, German
Previous chair: Henk Aay, PhD, Geography
Endowed in 2006 by Grand Rapids philanthropists Frederik and Lena Meijer
Maintaining Calvin’s legacy
The purpose of the Frederik Meijer Chair is to engage in scholarship and teaching about Dutch culture. The term “Dutch” refers primarily to the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Dutch-American immigrant culture is only peripherally related to the purview of the chair. The term “culture” is broad in scope with relevance to fields such as history, geography, art history, literature, and theology. The activities of the chair will naturally interact with the university’s Dutch language and culture program and thereby enhance familiarization with the languages of the Netherlands-primarily Dutch, but possibly Frisian as well as Dutch dialects. In communicating a better understanding of the culture of the Netherlands, the chair shall also involve the larger university community, its supporting constituency, and the public at large.
Our country of origin
Calvin University grew from a distinctly European ethnic root, that of a Dutch Christian Reformed community that settled in the Midwest in the last half of the 19th century. Calvin has tended that immigrant root through scholarly and cultural immersion into the Dutch-American subculture in which the university thrives. Less attention has been focused, however, on the still-flourishing culture of Calvin’s “country of origin.” In a time when the university’s interests reach into a myriad of nations and cultures, it has become essential to take a good, critical look at the Netherlands, the country of ancestry of the majority of Calvin students and alumni.
The Frederik Meijer Chair and beyond
Through the Frederik Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture, Calvin University will embark on a thorough and scholarly exploration of the Netherlands, a country eminently worthy of that attention. Not only was Holland a cosmopolitan hub of art and a maritime power in the 17th century, the Netherlands of today is a model of social and economic stability. The Dutch are a continual innovative and impressive force on the world scene in the realms of art, technology, water and land engineering and social policy.
Through lectures, performances, workshops, seminars and art exhibitions, the Frederik Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture will bring the culture of the Netherlands to the community and university that have grown from that culture and to the community beyond.
The current Chair is Herm De Vries. The previous Chair was Henk Aay.
About Frederik Meijer
In 2006, Fred Meijer provided a major gift to Calvin to establish the Frederik Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture. The first holder of the Chair was Professor Henk Aay, who was born in the Netherlands and immigrated to Canada with his parents at age 13. The current chair is Professor Herman De Vries. Through the Chair, Calvin University will embark on a thorough and scholarly exploration of the Netherlands, a country which today is seen as a model of social and economic stability. The Dutch are an innovative and impressive force in the realms of art, technology, water and land engineering and social policy. Through this gift, Frederik Meijer becomes a major contributor to the field of Netherlandic studies.
Fred began working in his father’s small Greenville, Michigan grocery store when he was 14, and he has been a major force behind the expansion of that humble enterprise into Meijer, Inc., whose 176 stores are now based in five states. Fred and his wife Lena, who once worked as a cashier in the original Greenville store, have been generous benefactors to the community of Grand Rapids, founding both the Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center and the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. An avid student of Dutch History, and a regular visitor to the Netherlands—his father’s birthplace—Fred hopes that the Frederik Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture will provide a thorough and fair-minded exploration of the country he loves: “The Netherlands people are a mixture of many things,” he said. “I would hope this chair brings a pure history of the Netherlands and its people with all the warts and all the variations.
About Henk Aay
The first holder of the Frederik Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture, Henk Aay has long had a scholarly interest in his native country. Born in the Netherlands in 1945, Aay settled with his family in Canada, graduating with a BA in geography and planning from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. He earned a PhD in geography from Clark University in Worcester, MA, and came to Calvin in 1982 as the university’s first full-time Ph.D. geographer.
Aay has long studied the Netherlands, published on the geography of the country, served as a visiting scholar at the Free University of Amsterdam and University of Groningen and led more than ten Calvin off-campus interim courses there.
Current Chair: Lidewey van der Sluis, business scholar
Past chairs: Kristin Du Mez, PhD, historian (2022-2024); Debra Rienstra, PhD, scholar of English (2021-2022); Darrell Rohl, PhD, historian (2020-2021); Derek Schuurman, PhD, computer scientist (2017-2020); Micah J. Watson, PhD, political scientist (2015-2017); vacant (2014-2015); Brian M. Kreisman, PhD, speech therapist (2012-2014); Kevin R. den Dulk, PhD, political scientist (2011-2012); Andras Visky, DLA, playwright (2009-2010); Youngkhill Lee, PhD, scholar of therapeutic recreation (2008-2009); Doug Koopman, PhD, political scientist (2007-2008); Scott Thomas, PhD, scholar of religion and international relations (2005-2006); Gerald Van Kooten, PhD, geologist (2004-2005); James Ault, PhD, sociologist and documentary producer (2003-2004); Gerald Van Kooten, PhD, geologist (2002-2003); Daniel Bays, PhD, historian (2000-2002); Helen Sterk, PhD, communications scholar (1997-1999); Janel Curry, PhD, geographer (1996-1997); C. Stephen Evans, PhD, philosopher (1994-1996)
Background
Endowed in 1994 by Stanley and Harriet van Reken, in honor of the former Calvin College president.
William Spoelhof possessed unusual gifts of intellect and action. A historian by training, he was an inspiring teacher, and proved that he was also an astute administrator in guiding Calvin College from 1951 to 1976. His leadership was inspired by his vision of Calvin College as an outstanding Christian institution, marked by academic excellence and Christian commitment. This vision continues to shape the college.
He came to the Presidency during the rising tide of student enrollment (1951-1976), when Calvin's enrollment grew from 1,000 students to over 3,500. With a team of capable associates he guided Calvin through the challenging transition to the Knollcrest campus. However, he saw the college as being far more than buildings and grounds. He emphasized her Christian perspective and her faithfulness to the Reformed tradition. He recognized that Calvin had the potential to become one of the truly distinguished undergraduate institutions of our country, and he worked to develop a faculty that is academically outstanding.
As teacher, historian, and President of Calvin College, William Spoelhof's life has been marked by a commitment to academic excellence and a vision for service. He viewed his work as an opportunity to serve the Lord, the church, the college, and the community. It is this legacy which Stanley and Harriet van Reken wished to celebrate in perpetuity.
To honor William Spoelhof for his Christian academic leadership, the van Rekens created an endowed William Spoelhof Teacher-Scholar-In-Residence Chair in 1994. This chair honors Spoelhof's deep interest in the continual growth of a Reformed Christian perspective as well as his commitment to academic excellence.
Purpose
The donors of this unusual and timely gift are motivated to honor the distinguished former president of Calvin College for his long-held goal to find the procedures and means to bring to Calvin University, on a rotating basis, gifted teacher-scholars whose presence would enrich the academic ambience of the university. Within this program appointments will be made to in-residence faculty positions of persons whose proven records indicate a life of Christian commitment and public service as well as a concomitance with the spirit of the Calvin University community, by which faith and learning and life and vocation are integrated. The appointment of such persons to an in-residence faculty position would not necessarily be tied to declared staff openings or current curricular offerings.
A minimal beginning of such a plan, but short-lived, was made under the provision of the Calvin Foundation (1950-1981) which brought to the campus, in an In-Residence or in a Lectureship status, a number of Dutch and British teacher-scholars in the field of theology, law, psychology, and science. It focused primarily on foreign scholars whose lectures would be published. That program gained favorable acceptance but was too narrowly defined, overlooked a long-range developmental need, and was underfunded. A new long-range, permanently-funded plan was needed.
Stanley and Harriet van Reken also saw the need for an infusion of permanently funded resources to accomplish such a broad new program. They saw the need not only from the perspective of the college administration but from their own assessment of the college's role in making more effective the influence of Calvin and her graduates in public life and thought. They also demonstrated this concept by establishing the Christian Missionary Scholarship Foundation which supports numerous student scholarships at Calvin, Hope and Wheaton.
The primary purpose of the proposed chair is to strengthen and enhance a department or division of the university through the appointment of a gifted Christian scholar. Although this chair is established for an in-residence scholar and teacher, the provisions of the fund will be broadly interpreted to include, inter alia the following: distinguished lecture series, new experimental courses with attendant teaching materials, library acquisitions pertinent to the purposes of the chair, and similar matters normally considered to be among those included in the functions of the occupant of the chair. These projects may be carried out under the supervision of the Provost, in consultation with the Educational Policy Committee and the in-residence teacher-scholar.