Calvin Distinctives

2. Purposeful Renewal

A Calvin education calls and equips students to be agents of renewal in God's world.

In the words of the Calvin Mission Statement: "We pursue intellectual efforts to explore our world's beauty, speak to its pain, uncover our own faithlessness, and proclaim the healing that God offers in Jesus Christ. We strive to embrace the best insights of Christian life and reflection; engage issues in the intellectual and public spheres; and enrich faith by the heritage of the past and the discoveries of today."

  • From Streetfest during first-year orientation, through graduation and beyond, Calvin encourages, nurtures and honors a life of service. Over 1,000 students participate in community-based service-learning as part of their course work each year and another 1,000 participate in community service organized by a variety of Student Life Division programs.

  • The Lilly Vocation Project, made possible through a grant from the Lilly Endowment, includes a variety of programs that build understanding of and commitment to the idea of vocation for all college students. The project also works with students interested in church-related ministry.

  • Lilly’s Worship Apprentice Program trains students to lead worship in a variety of campus settings; its Jubilee Fellows program mentors student ministers in congregations in North America; its Christian Formation program encourages spiritual growth in the on- and off-campus student population; and the Lilly Faculty Scholars program, as well as the new Vocation Venture Fund, support scholarship in vocation.

  • Nineteen students now form the Barnabas Team, a group that fosters spiritual community in Calvin’s residence halls and Knollcrest East apartments. Barnabas Team members act as servant leaders of fellow students, gather students together for activities that promote Christian community, and help students discover ways to minister to one another within that community.

  • Calvin programs provide students with meaningful, real-world experiences.

    • Students in Calvin's nursing program, which focuses on community nursing, spend significant time not just in hospitals, but also in neighborhood settings such as homes, schools, churches and factories. Calvin also offers licensed nurses the opportunity to work with local churches through its new parish nursing course.

    • First-year engineering students have designed equipment for non-profit organizations, while senior engineers spend a year working on a design project. The Engineering department was involved with a large collaboration to erect a wind turbine on campus in Spring 2007.

    • For over 25 years, accounting majors have volunteered to help low-income taxpayers file their tax forms through an IRS-sponsored program, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance.

    • Communication arts and sciences faculty and students work to improve children's language skills with a lab full of toys and books.

  • Calvin's off-campus programs teach students that renewal is a worldwide effort. Students spend semesters in 10 locales -- including France, Honduras, Spain and China -- where they learn about other cultures and their purpose in God's world. Calvin was one of just four colleges and universities nationwide to be honored with a 2007 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization.

  • Calvin's on-campus institutes study specific intersections between Christian faith and culture, including worship, politics, pedagogy and business. They sponsor seminars such as the Symposium on Worship and the Arts, which annually brings 1,400 people to campus and produce books like "Serving the Claims of Justice," the compilation of writings from former Calvin professor and U.S. Congressman Paul Henry.

  • Project Neighborhood provides students with an opportunity to experience intentional community by living in an inner-city home with a mentor and other Calvin students, both to develop spiritual and interpersonal skills and to learn about being a positive neighbor and community member.

  • Calvin's campus-wide community partnerships serve a variety of people in Grand Rapids, including area neighborhoods and neighborhood organizations, public and private schools, senior citizens, youth camps and food and job assistance programs.

  • Calvin's biennial Festival of Faith & Writing brings together conference participants and significant authors for a weekend of education and renewal. The festival is joined by other notable events such as the award-winning annual January Series, the Artist Series and the concerts of the Student Activities Office. Only at Calvin would a typical school year include appearances by such people as Fareed Zakaria, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Joyce Carol Oates.

  • Pathways to Possibilities partners Calvin with area public schools and churches in West Michigan, Sun Valley, California, and the Red Mesa area of New Mexico. Together, and with support from local corporations, they work to increase post-secondary education access of youth living in urban and rural communities and encourage young people to set their sights on a college education.

  • The Entrada Scholars Program, a month-long college experience for minority high school students, and the Striving Toward Educational Possibilities (STEP) conference encourage students to pursue a post-high school academic career by giving them a gateway into the college experience. Other colleges and universities are now studying Calvin's efforts as Entrada celebrates 20 years!

  • Calvin is committed to anti-racism efforts, which includes an UNLEARN week. The goal of this week is to give everyone an opportunity to explore the sin of learned racism and how to give Christ-like love to all people.