A Calvin Alumni Chapter has the same aim as the entire Alumni Association: to support Christ-centered education through service to Calvin and its alumni and friends.
What does a chapter do?
Chapters organize individuals in a geographical region or around a common interest to carry out specific programs and projects that benefit Calvin and alumni.
The Alumni Association Board has identified seven general ways in which alumni chapters can serve: Events, Admissions, Scholarships, Careers, Development, Representation and Service. These ways of serving Calvin and alumni are known as the "Seven Service Areas" of chapter involvement. Chapters that wish to be officially recognized (chartered) by the Alumni Association must be active in at least two of these service areas. Click on the area of interest for more detail on what "active involvement" means.
Having your chapter recognized by the Alumni Association is important because it entitles alumni in your area to benefit from the services offered by the Alumni and Public Relations Office (see the events section for details).
It is understandable that, because of few alumni in a particular region, local traditions, wide distances between alumni or other reasons, your chapter may not be active in all six service areas. While we urge you to seriously consider every area, we defer to you, our "local experts" when planning alumni projects. The chapter leaders are the final decision makers when it comes to deciding on program particulars.
A Word about "Alumni Contacts"
There are many areas of North America --- or the world, for that matter --- where it is impractical for a Calvin alumni chapter to be formed. Few local alumni, great distances to travel, local concerns about "favoring one particular Christian college" or other reasons may indicate that a formally organized chapter is unnecessary or unwise. However, the Association Board, not wanting to discourage interested alumni, has created the position of "Alumni Contact" and readily welcomes alumni to volunteer for this role. Admittedly, alumni contacts are not called upon quite as often to assist the college, but the lines of communication should remain open. Certainly there are no barriers preventing a lone alumni contact in a particular geographical area to get involved in any of the "Seven Service Areas" listed above. Send email to chapters@calvin.edu (or call 616-526-6142) for suggestions.
