President Michael Le Roy is slated to give a speech on the sustainability of higher education and Calvin’s future at the January Series on Thursday.

“Higher education is at a very challenging era of its history right now in the United States, and it’s not clear what paths forward are the best,” Le Roy said.

The first two years of Le Roy’s tenure have been marked by unveiling drastic financial problems for the college, and most of his presidency has been aimed at trying to combat the financial crisis.

Calvin has been experimenting with various plans for moving forward in the world of higher education, including adding more master’s programs and exploring using online education more prominently.

“I’m convinced that with the kinds of minds and capable people we have at Calvin that, together, we will discover some powerful ways forward,” he said.

Le Roy began his tenure as president of Calvin College during the summer of 2012. Before coming to Calvin, he was a political science professor, and later the provost, at Whitworth University.