Frederik Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture

Calvin College 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 college thrives.

Less attention has been focused, however, on the still-flourishing culture of Calvin’s “country of origin.” In a time when the college’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.

canalThrough the Frederik Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture, Calvin College 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 college that have grown from that culture and to the community beyond.

Noteworthy
Henk Aay
Read the bio of Henk Aay, the first Chair holder.

Frederik Meijer
Read the bio of Frederik Meijer, namesake of this distinguished Chair.

Purpose
What will this chair accomplish?


Meijer Chair Annual Report

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