The chair’s purpose 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 college’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 College community, its supporting constituency, and the public at large.