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One of the Trinity community’s favorite ways to bring in the holiday season is through music.
Not only do hundreds enjoy the worshipful tone of the annual Christmastide concert, but audiences also gather at the foot of the towering poinsettia tree in the Grand Lobby for a laid back evening of jazz at the Jazzin’ around the Christmas Tree event.
This year, the Trinity Wind Ensemble and Jazz Combo performed a variety of Christmas classics, including “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Deck the Halls,” “Sleigh Ride,” and many more. Guest musicians joined students for the concert.
“Bugler’s Dream” was performed by Dr. Ken Austin, Dr. Benjamin Austin, and Professor Ted Golden and conducted by student Alexander Salto ’15 of Summit Argo, Illinois.
The Jazz Combo is directed by Dr. Ken Austin, professor of music.
Over 700 people began an early celebration of the holiday season at Trinity’s 12th annual Christmastide program on December 7.
This year’s theme, “Jesus: The Light of the World”, was displayed through various styles of music including hymn, gospel, choir, and instrumental.
The concert featured vocal performances by students in the Concert Choir, Gospel Choir, and Honors Ensemble. Trinity’s Wind Ensemble, Brass Quintet, and the Woodwind Ensemble also took part in the celebration.
Prior to the concert, the alumni office held its first alumni reception with refreshments and music in the Van Namen Recital Hall. Several alumni joined members of the student choirs in a performance of “This Christmastide.”
At the annual ceremony on Saturday, December 14, 2013, the Trinity community celebrated the commencement of 89 students—27 traditional, 53 Adult Studies, and for the first time, nine from the graduate studies program.
Families and friends of the graduates gathered in the Ozinga Chapel Auditorium to witness the presentation of the diplomas. The invocation was delivered by Don Woo, dean for ethnic diversity and multicultural programs.
The Commencement address, “Life Is a Mystery,” was delivered by Beth Decker ’67, chair of the Trinity Board of Trustees. Decker spoke with humor and frankness about life and the future.
“You, graduates, are graduating from a Christian institution–a place where you were loved and valued and encouraged. I am sure when you made the choice to come here, you wanted that perspective on your learning. Now it is your turn to give that to the world. Sure, success is great. Of course, we want you to use this gift of an education for good in the world. But what about you personally? What do you need to live a truly joyful and honest life with integrity? You need God.”
The College also celebrated the emeritation of Dr. Brad Breems, professor of sociology and the 2013 recipient of the Professor of the Year Award. Following a sabbatical in the spring semester, Breems will retire in May.
The song of response and the song of praise were sung by Instructor of Music Nicole Saint-Victor, accompanied by Greg Saint-Victor on piano. The Commencement litany was led by Barbara Wolterink ’92, one of the graduates of the master’s degree program.
Alumni greetings were offered by Travis Bandstra ’06 director of alumni relations, and the benediction was given by Chaplain Willis Van Groningen, Ph. D.
2013 December Commencement Address, Beth Decker ’67
Thank you, Provost Rudenga.
President Timmermans, Graduates, Administration, Faculty, Parents, and Friends: I consider it a great honor to stand before you this morning. I thank you all for the opportunity to share in this moment of celebration and I extend my deep and heartfelt congratulations to all of the graduates. You are on the threshold of some wonderful times and I wish you all of God’s blessings as you walk with Him into the future.
If someone had told me back in 1967 when I was a student here at Trinity Christian College that I would be standing in front of graduates in 2013 as their commencement speaker – well, I just wouldn’t have believed it. But here I am. And I am both humbled and honored to be here – even though I know the impressive processional and the individual walks across the stage are much more exciting. I’ll try to do my best to be short!
As I thought about this day, I thought it would be important to first learn a little about the graduating class – and I heard this very interesting story. It seems that there are two young men in the class who shall remain nameless for reasons that will be clear. They were really good friends and were taking Organic Chemistry one semester. They both did really well in this class on all the quizzes, midterms, labs, etc. and going into the final exam, they both had solid “As.” These two friends were so confident going into finals week – even though the Chem final was on a Monday – that they decided to go up to Calvin College to visit with some friends the weekend before their exam. So they did this and had a great time.
However, they ended up staying longer than they had planned and they didn’t make it back to Trinity until early Monday morning. Rather than taking the final then, they found Dr. Sytsma after he had given the exams and explained to him why they missed it. They told him that they went up to Grand Rapids for the weekend and had planned to come back in time to study, but they had a flat tire on the way back and didn’t have a spare and couldn’t get help for a long time. So they were late getting back to campus.
Dr. Sytsma thought this over and agreed that they could make up the final on the following day. The two young men were elated and relieved. So – they studied that night and went in the next day at the time that Dr. Sytsma had told them. He placed them in separate rooms, handed each of them a test booklet and told them to begin. They looked at the first problem, which was something simple about free radical formation and was worth 5 points. “Cool,” they thought, “this is going to be easy.” They did that problem and then turned the page. They were totally unprepared, however, for what they saw on the next page. It said . . . 95 points “Which tire?”
Well, after that story, I thought it might be best to just concentrate on what it is that I want to say to all of you.
It is said that NO ONE – I mean, absolutely NO ONE – remembers what was said at their graduation, if they can even remember who it was who spoke. So I am under no illusion about this daunting task before me. I want to say something meaningful – something – at least one thing – that you will remember long after this day is over.
So I did what all of us usually do – I went to the Internet to see if I could find some inspiration in speeches others have given at various colleges. I looked at speeches from President Obama to Oprah Winfrey – from Winston Churchill to Thomas Friedman – from President Bush to Ellen DeGeneres (who, by the way, wore a bathrobe to Tulane’s graduation ceremony once because she had heard that everyone there would be wearing robes). And who could forget the poignant speech of Steve Jobs at Stanford in 2005? I think it’s one of the more sobering and yet realistic speeches ever given to graduates. Let me quote just a little from it:
“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday – not too long from now – you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
I must say, these were all great speeches. Their words were helpful, kind, advisory and thoughtful. They were meant to inspire and I’m sure they did. However, what struck me in all of the speeches that I read were the same words that came up over and over again: words like success, passion, optimism, courage, be yourself, don’t let someone else define you, get to the top, etc., etc., etc. Where was ANY mention of God, of following Him, of leaning on Him in the difficult times? Where was faith, and love and supporting each other? Where was the Christian life depicted? I could not find one speech even alluding to such things. Not one.
You, graduates, are graduating from a CHRISTIAN institution – a place where you were loved and valued and encouraged. I am sure when you made the choice to come here, you wanted that perspective on your learning. Now it is your turn to give that to the world. Sure – success is great. Of course – we want you to use this gift of an education for good in the world. But what about you personally? What do you need to live a truly joyful and honest life with integrity? You need God.
I mentioned at the beginning of this talk that I am surprised to find myself here today. I wouldn’t have dreamt it back when I was a student. But it’s the perfect example of how little we really control our futures. As I look back on my life, I had little to do with how it turned out. Oh sure – I thought I was making the decisions, but time and time again, I can now see that things happened for a reason – and I had no idea at the time. Let me just share one story with you to show you what I mean.
My college degree was in secondary vocal music education, but after student teaching and graduation, I really didn’t want to teach music. It was 1970 and teaching positions were hard to get. I had studied with some excellent students – far better in music than I was and far more interested in it as well. After much thought, a job interview, and a job offer, I just said no. It didn’t feel right to take a job in something I really didn’t want to do when jobs were so scarce. Or so I thought at the time. It didn’t feel right, but I found it difficult to explain my decision to people because it didn’t seem to make any sense to them.
Frankly, it didn’t make sense to me either. However, it was in the next few years that I worked for the first time on a political campaign and learned through that experience that I had a passion for government, public service, and politics. I had never given political science or government a thought when I was a student because I had never had any experience in that area. It was only then – a few years after graduation – that God brought all kinds of people into my life who influenced me to seek out this side of myself. And so, to make a long story short, after I worked on several political campaigns, I won my own election in 1982 and for 15 years afterward, every job I took involved public service in one way or another.
Fast forward to 1991. That year I was encouraged to run for mayor of Grand Rapids, MI. The polls showed I could win, the money was there, the support was there – everything looked right for a run. But something nagged at me. Something didn’t feel right. I prayed about it, I sought counsel about it, I even took a walk alone with God in the woods and asked Him to make it clear to me if this was what I should do. Well, He really didn’t make it clear, no voice came to me from heaven, but in the end I simply had to say no because that was what felt “right” to me. I couldn’t really explain to anyone why, but it certainly seemed to be the right decision for me. So I declined that opportunity, had to deal with people saying I was crazy, and had to endure the embarrassment of looking like I was not up to the challenge or whatever else some folks wanted to say about me.
Two years later, our Congressman at the time, Paul Henry, a friend and mentor to me for years, asked me to be his campaign manager. I had always wanted to work for him, so here was my chance. In 1992, at 50 years old, he was running for his fourth term in that seat. However, two weeks before the general election, Paul was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Since we believed he would pull through, we carried on with the campaign – frantically attended all of his scheduled appearances, brought in resources from Washington to help finish the campaign that Paul could no longer do, and saw the campaign through to the end. In the end, on election night, he won the seat with 68% of the vote. However, he was only able to return to Washington to be sworn in. He died that following summer.
Now what does this have to do with the earlier career decision to pass on teaching or the mayoral decision of 1991? Given the stress of what we knew about Paul and what we didn’t know about his future, his family and all of his staff were under incredible pressure. Due to my long-time relationship with him, I was the only person that Paul’s family trusted to handle the media, their privacy, and any public information about him. In addition, Paul’s staff chose me to represent them as well – because I was his friend – because they could all trust me to not get sucked into the drama of the situation. I was in a strategic position to do all of that for him and for the people in his life, let alone the community he had so faithfully served. Had I been mayor at that time, had I been a music teacher somewhere, I would not have been able to be there at this crucial time.
This is just one example. There are so many more that I could share, but in closing, let me mention one more thing. I tend to be an obnoxious problem solver. My friends know that when they come to me with a personal issue or a difficult problem, I want to fix it. My first reaction is always to see if I can help them – see if I can solve their problem. It’s only when I see the look in their eyes, reminding me that they don’t want me to solve whatever it is – they just want me to listen – they just want to be heard. It’s uncertain who coined this phrase, but it is one of my favorites: “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived.” I cannot tell you how true that is.
Live in the mystery. Be open to what you might not know. Realize that God is in there with you and it’s OK.
So Graduates, as you are about to start a new chapter in your life, what I’d like you to remember today is that you were encouraged to be open to God’s leading, to allow God to work through you for His good. Even when you have no idea why or where He is leading you. You may think that the degree you’ve earned will be your future. It may not be. That’s the mystery. Of course, you should plan for your future and have a vision for where you want to go, but if something doesn’t feel “right”, pay attention to that. It could be the Holy Spirit nudging you to make a decision that may not make a lot of sense, but will be very clear in retrospect. True success in life starts with the relationship you already have with your Lord and Maker. Let the Holy Spirit live in you every day to guide you. For it is He that will hold you in His hand for the rest of your life. It is He who loves you.
Congratulations, Graduates. I wish you God’s blessing in your futures – and a lifetime of mystery.
Thank you.
Now that finals are over and the spring semester is weeks away, we are taking a minute to look back at the fall semester and the fun that students had in between all the studying, interning, and test taking.
In addition to regularly scheduled events hosted by campus clubs and organizations, Trinity’s Student Activities plans lots of ways for students to enjoy college life.
Two big events this past fall included TrollMadness and Fall Fest.
TrollMadness, hosted by TrollNation, coaches, and student athletes, is an annual event that introduces the women’s and men’s basketball teams. This year, more than 200 students filled seats of the DeVos Gymnasium during Family Weekend for inter-squad scrimmages, a 3-point shooting contest, a dunk contest, and contests for fans. It’s a great way to get the community excited about the upcoming sports season.
2013 marked the inaugural year for Fall Fest where more than 130 students enjoyed a hay ride around campus and the community, 3-legged races, bean bag games, and s’mores and apple cider.
Other fall Student Activities-hosted outings provided students with ways to enjoy the cultural amenities of Chicago, including ice skating in the city and experiencing the lighting of Michigan Avenue.
Students who love to dance had lots of opportunities thanks to the Swing Dance Club’s weekly sessions in the Fireside Room and the history club’s Halloween celebration. Students also sampled the arts at the Social Justice Club Art Raid, improv comedy performances, the fall play and student-directed one acts, and Seerveld Gallery exhibits.
Bowling, movie nights, and concerts made for a full calendar.
The athletics department of Trinity Christian College announced the hiring of Brandon Nicol as the new head coach of the men’s basketball program. Nicol comes to Trinity from Colorado Christian University where he served as an assistant coach for the past five seasons.
“Brandon is a tremendous addition to the coaching staff at Trinity Christian College,” said athletics director Josh Lenarz. “He has a wonderful understanding of the game, a genuine desire to coach at a Christian college, and a heart to mentor young men through the avenue of basketball.”
As a part of the coaching staff at Colorado Christian, Nicol helped the Cougars to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Final Four in three seasons and to the NCAA DII National Tournament in 2007-08. The team also advanced to the NCCAA National Tournament in the 2008-09 season. Along with assisting in game strategy, he was also involved in recruiting, budget and equipment management, scouting, academic supervising, and strength and conditioning.
As a collegiate athlete Nicol played for Iowa State University, a Big 12 powerhouse, from 1999-2002. At Iowa State he was a part of two Big 12 Championships and an Elite Eight appearance. He earned the Team Hustle Award in his freshman year, the Brian Pearson Inspiration Award in 2001-02, and scholar-athlete honors for three seasons.
Nicol played his final collegiate season (2002-03) at Dakota State University. He was a member of the Kansas City Knights (ABA) in 2004-05, and the Des Moines Heat (IBL) in 2005. He also competed in a fall and overseas tour with Athletes in Action in 2005.
“My family and I feel incredibly blessed for the opportunity to be a part of Trinity Christian College,” said Nicol. “We are ecstatic to be afforded this chance to invest in the lives of young men who will be a part of the basketball program now and in the future. We trust that this is where God wants us to be and we feel blessed by the hope and encouragement that we have received from the people and student-athletes we have met.”
Nicol is a graduate of Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science. He earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Colorado Christian University. Nicol, along with his wife Jill and son Isaac, will make the transition to Trinity, where he will start his duties in late July.
Six Trinity students were among those representing the eight schools that participated in this year’s Law, Justice and Culture Institute at Trinity Christian College.
Sponsored by the Center for Law and Culture, the Institute prepares students for virtuous public service in law, government, and politics. The Institute awards three academic credits to students who successfully complete the requirements of the two-week session, during which students attend classes, hear guest speakers, and complete assignments and exams.
“The Institute helped to open my eyes to the desperate need for Christians to fill the void of immorality creeping into law, government, and politics,” said J.R. Wydra ’11 of Tinley Park, Illinois.
“I left with a renewed perspective on justice, and a deep passion to stand up for God’s truth in a world that works to silence it. As I head off to law school in the fall, the Institute reminded me of how important it is to be walking with the Lord when tackling the great tasks asked of us as leaders,” he said.
Led by Charlie Emmerich, professor of political science at Trinity and executive director of the Center, and along with various guest lecturers, the sessions explored the themes of law and the administration of justice among ancient Hebrews, the “higher law” foundation of the American constitutional order, as well as Nazism, the Nuremberg trials, and the resurgence of natural law.
At the conclusion of the two-week Institute, the Center hosted a 10th anniversary banquet attended by more than 100 people. Former Rep. Dan Severson (Minn.), who is running for the U.S. Senate, was the keynote speaker. Students also received certificates during the evening program, and Professor Emmerich was honored by the Center’s board, colleagues, and former students for his work over the past decade.
Trinity students included:
Clayton Bailye ’13 of Algonquin, Illinois
Eric Eugene Armand Tucker, Jr. ’11 of South Holland, Illinois
Timothy C. Turner ’12 of South Holland, Illinois
Scott R. Vermeer ’12 of Kentwood, Michigan
Joni Weidenaar ’11 of Manhattan, Montana
Joseph R. Wydra ’11 of Tinley Park, Illinois
Guest lecturers included:
Susan D. Emmerich, Ph.D.
CEO, Emmerich Environmental Consulting
L.B. Graham, M.Div.
Author, “The Binding of the Blade” fantasy series
Teacher at Westminster Christian Academy
George N. Pierson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Trinity Christian College
Bruce D. Strom, J.D.
Executive Director, Administer Justice
Former Rep. Dan Severson (Minn.)
Served as the Republican Minority Whip in the MN House of Representatives from November 2008 to 2010 and is a former Navy fighter pilot.
A special thank you is extended to the following event sponsors who helped to fund Institute scholarships: the Bradshaw-Knight Foundation; the Hoghton Family Charitable Trust; Hoogendoorn & Talbot, LLP; Bruce and Mary Leep; Ozinga Bros.; Providence Bank; and, Ruff, Weidenaar & Reidy, Ltd.
More than 80 alumni and friends of the College contributed a record breaking $10,000 for the Alumni Excellence Scholarship at this year’s Alumni Golf Outing on June 18. The renewable scholarship provides $1,500 awards for children of alumni attending Trinity.
The outing, held for the first year at Ravisloe Country Club in Homewood, Illinois, began with lunch, followed by a shotgun start. The event ended with the presentation of the trophy, which is engraved each year with the names of the winning foursome.
This year’s winning foursome included: Matt Huizinga ’01, Chris VanderNaald ex ’05, Ryan VanderNaald, and Jeff VanderNaald.
“It was another great year at the alumni outing,” said Eric Lindemulder ’05. “The weather was excellent for an afternoon of golfing and reconnecting with college friends and faculty while helping raise money for the alumni scholarship program. The traveling trophy continues to add a nice competitive touch, and we’ll be ready to win it back again next year!”
Alumni Director Travis Bandstra ’06 said the College is thankful for the faithful support received from the golf outing sponsors who make it possible for the funds raised by the event to go directly to the Alumni Excellence Scholarship.
Event Sponsors:
Hole Sponsors:
Alan Horticultural Enterprises
All God’s Children Orphanage
Bert Kamp, CPA
Bettinardi Golf
Clarence Davids & Co.
Colonial Chapel
Euclid Insurance
Firebone
Homewood Disposal
Interiors for Business
Ken and Margie Boss
Knudsen Construction, Inc.
LEGACY Insurance
Mama Vesuvio’s East
McGuireWOODS
Media Resources
Olive Branch Counseling
PolyJohn Enterprises Corp.
Rick and Sue VanDyken
Schaaf Window Corp.
Schepel Buick GMC Truck
Service Sanitation
Silva International, Inc.
Stepping Stone Financial, Inc.
Strack & Van Til Supermarkets
Van Bruggen Signs
Vant Hoff Financial Services Ltd.
Wentworth Tire
Student-faculty collaboration presents an excellent learning opportunity for students in any field of study.
One of those collaborative projects recently came out of the psychology department in the form of an exploratory study using Internet game concepts to encourage class participation in an undergraduate college course.
PsychWorld, an interactive game based on the popular Facebook game Farmville, was developed by Dr. Dick Cole, professor of psychology, and psychology student Jamie Parise ’12 of Orland Park, Illinois. The game was used in one section of Cole’s Introduction to Psychology last fall, and Cole and Parise presented the project and their findings at the Midwest Psychological Association’s annual convention in May.
“Faculty-student collaborative research is one of the most rewarding experiences one can have as a teacher,” said Cole. “You get to know your students while you experience working together on interesting ideas that help contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of psychology.”
As with Farmville, which simulates the basic business tasks of operating a farm, PsychWorld requires students to perform certain “jobs” that encourage student engagement in the course and earn students “psychodollars.” These can then be “spent” at the virtual Intro Store for extra points toward the final grade.
The purpose of the study was to use simulation game strategies modeled in a classroom situation to explore whether simulation game strategies would encourage increased participation in reading the assignments, attending the class, and contributing to class discussions.
Although no statistically significant difference was found for attendance and class involvement, a statistically significant difference was found for reading assignments.
Students responded that the game helped them overall to be more “attentive” and “involved” in class.
Hundreds of new students and their family members attended Blueprints, the annual registration event, on June 24 and 25. The weekend was packed with activities to welcome students to the Trinity community.
The festivities began Friday evening with a barbeque supper in the Commons, hosted by President Steve Timmermans, Ph.D. Parents attended a session on academics and student life, while the students enjoyed an opportunity to meet classmates and be officially welcomed as the newest Trolls.
Everyone enjoyed an ice cream social and later gathered in the Commons Amphitheater for a time of praise and worship. Students stayed busy into the night with a variety of options, including sporting events and games.
The faculty-hosted breakfast kicked off day two, giving students and their families a chance to talk with faculty members from their areas of study. While parents attended a session on college finances, students met with faculty members for one-on-one advising and registration.
The Information Expo supplied students and parents with information about campus organizations, and local churches, banks, and businesses. Students were able to visit some model suites in West and South Halls before attending sessions about the First Year Experience and community life at Trinity.
Matt Buren ’12 of Macomb, Illinois was selected by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to receive its prestigious Emil S. Liston award. The award is given annually to one male and one female basketball player based on excellence in character, playing ability, and scholarship. The award is named in memory of Emil S. Liston, the first executive director of the NAIA and the founder of the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB).
Buren was nominated for the award, recommended by the conference, and selected by the NAIA Council of Faculty Athletics Representatives. Trinity will receive a $1,000 scholarship award from Daktronics in his name.
In his three years on the basketball team, Buren has made an impact both on and off the court. He is a team captain and two-year starter. This past season he averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds and led the team and conference in field goal percentage at .583 percent. He also surpassed the 1,000 career point milestone. Buren was named First-Team All-Conference as well as to the NCCAA North Central All-Region team. He helped the team to a conference regular season co-championship, a NCCAA region tournament title, and a NCCAA National Championship appearance. In addition he was the recipient of the Keith Albers Memorial Award, one of Trinity’s athletics department’s highest honors.
“On the court Matt is a talented player and is committed to our team’s success,” said head basketball coach Kevin Lubbers. “He is a young man of unmatched integrity and discipline and pours his heart and soul into everything that he does out of faithful response to the amazing gifts God has blessed him with.”
Buren has also been a positive influence in the classroom, on campus, and in the community. He sets the bar high and actively seeks ways to serve. He has served as a resident assistant in the dorms, been involved in numerous campus activities and community service projects, and is a spiritual leader on the basketball team. As a double major in theology and business, he delves into his academic work and has been recognized as a scholar-athlete at the conference and national level.
“Matt is a huge asset to our basketball program and our campus,” commented Larryl Humme, Vice President of Development. “He cannot separate his role on the court from his role in the classroom from his role in life. His purpose in life is to be the best student, the best athlete, the best person because he believes that is what God deserves and requires of him.”
The NAIA news release on the Emil S. Liston award can be found at http://naia.cstv.com/genrel/060211aae.html