Our Mission

Vision

Calvin College is a comprehensive liberal arts college in the Reformed tradition of historic Christianity. Through our learning, we seek to be agents of renewal in the academy, church, and society. We pledge fidelity to Jesus Christ, offering our hearts and lives to do God's work in God's world.

Purpose

To engage in vigorous liberal arts education that promotes lifelong Christian service

We offer education that is shaped by Christian faith, thought, and practice. We study and address a world made good by God, distorted by sin, redeemed in Christ, and awaiting the fullness of God's reign.

We aim to develop knowledge, understanding, and critical inquiry; encourage insightful and creative participation in society; and foster thoughtful, passionate Christian commitments.

Our curriculum emphasizes the natural, cultural, societal, and spiritual contexts in which we live; our teaching respects diverse levels, gifts, and styles of learning; and our learning proceeds as a shared intellectual task.

To produce substantial and challenging art and scholarship

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.

Our faculty and staff are committed to keen and lively work in their chosen fields and to sharing its fruits with others.

To perform all our tasks as a caring and diverse educational community

We undertake our tasks in response to a divine calling. Together we challenge ourselves to excellence as we acquire knowledge, cultivate aspirations, and practice lives of service.

We seek to gather diverse people and gifts around a common pledge and purpose; pursue justice, compassion, and discipline; and provide a training ground for the life of Christian virtue.

Our classrooms embody a community of faith and learning extended across campus and beyond.

Commitment

We profess the authority of scripture and the witness of the ecumenical creeds. We affirm the confessions and respect the rich traditions of Reformed believers worldwide, and, in particular, those of the Christian Reformed Church. We aim to enhance the cultural life about us and to address local needs. In all we say and do, wherever we may be, we hope to follow and further the ways of God on earth.