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Dear Trinity Community:
We send this update at the beginning of Eastertide and the day after the worldwide celebration of Resurrection Sunday. Christ’s victory over sin and death provides the animating purpose for Trinity’s existence and the reason that we as a people have deep hope for the future. We trust that, wherever you are located and whatever season of life you find yourself in, you can say with the Psalmist
Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
(Ps. 33:20-22)
We write to give you two brief updates on the Select College Committee Diversity, Unity, Conciliation, and Belonging. This is a follow-up communication from our message to you on Friday, March 12, 2021.
First, the Board of Trustees has charged the Select College Committee with two significant tasks:
- A Review and Revision of Trinity’s Key Foundational Documents. For many years, Trinity has had companion statements – Commitments to Unity and to Diversity – that, along with the College’s Mission Statement, provide important markers to our efforts to be a place that reflects John’s vision described in Revelation 7:9. As important foundational documents, these Commitments need to be regularly reviewed and updated to better reflect our ongoing understanding of what it means to provide a robust Christian education in a highly diverse world.
- Craft a Recommended Strategic Action Plan. In addition to the attention on Trinity’s foundational guiding documents, the Board also seeks the Select College Committee’s wisdom in creating a strategic action plan, that consistent with Trinity’s mission and current college Strategic Plan will operationalize the College’s foundational commitments. This Strategic Action Plan will identify the work already occurring, call us to higher and better aspirations in that work, and measure Trinity’s ongoing work to more fully reflect our Christian mission.
Second, in addition to spending time with the Board of Trustees at its May 14 meeting, the Select College Committee will host a variety of engagement sessions with members of the broader Trinity community in the coming two months. At least two such sessions will be before the conclusion of the Spring Semester:
- Tuesday, April 20 – primarily offered for current students;
- Tuesday, May 4 – primarily offered for the current campus community
It is anticipated that additional Spring sessions will be announced for off-campus members of the Trinity community.
Finally, we are close to naming the members of the Select Committee. We had hoped to do so in this communication, but the Trinity community has offered significant input and suggestions on persons to serve in this capacity. We are very grateful for this degree of interest!
On behalf of the College, we are grateful for your continued support of prayer, of time, of concern, of patience, and of resources. We feel your prayers and deeply appreciate them.
The Trustees sincerely hold the College and its mission carefully in trust. All of us receiving this message are a part of the Trinity community, care deeply for it, and earnestly desire that all members of the community flourish in every faithful way. We trust, that with God’s hand upon us all, this will be Trinity’s continuing story.
Laura Zumdahl, Ph.D.
Chair, on behalf of the Board of Trustees
Kurt D. Dykstra, J.D.
President
TrollNation’s got talent, and that will be on display again at this year’s Trollstock!
Trinity’s annual talent show is ready to debut on April 10 at 7 pm. This year’s show will be virtual on Trinity’s YouTube channel, so everyone can take part in the fun—and vote on the winner, which will be announced at the end of the show!
For those on campus, there will also be a campus watch party. Students, check your email for the sign-up link.
Mark your calendar to tune in for this year’s amazing display of skills and fun!
Good works happen every day at Trinity—and one way we recognize those are through awards for Professor of the Year and Staff Member of the Year.
Nominations for both awards may be submitted by students, staff, faculty, and alumni. Collaboration is encouraged Both nominations involve a submission of no more than 300 words, which summarize the nominees’ accomplishments with specific examples.
Nominations for each category of awards are due by Friday, April 9.
Professor of the Year Award Criteria & Process
—Candidates must be at least half-time faculty members (regular tenure-track/tenured, term, or instructor-practitioners) of any rank in at least his/her fourth year at the College.
— Candidates will have evidence of excellence in teaching or scholarship, with a preference for work that demonstrates a strong connection between teaching and scholarship, in work that advances the mission of the College.
— Nominations may be submitted by students, staff, faculty, or alumni and may be submitted to the online form linked here.
— Nominations will be reviewed by two prior award recipients, a representative of the Faculty Development Committee, the Provost or designated academic dean, and a selected leader from each of the following student groups: Student Association and the Multicultural Committee. After reviewing all nominations, this group forwards a recommendation to the Provost for final consideration.
Recent award recipients:
2019: Kara Wolff (Counseling and Psychology)
2020: Yudha Thianto (Theology)
Staff Member of the Year Award Criteria & Process
— Candidates must be at least ½ time staff members and have worked at Trinity Christian College for at least one year.
— Candidates must demonstrate excellence in their area of work and have made a positive impact on people or processes in the College community while advancing the mission of the College.
—Nominations may be submitted by students, staff, faculty, or alumni and may be submitted to the online form linked here.
—Nominations will be reviewed by two prior award recipients, three representatives of Staff Council, the Director of Human Resources, and a student representative from Student Association. If a prior award recipient is not available, an additional member of Staff Council will fill this role.
After reviewing all nominations, this group forwards a recommendation to the President’s Council for final consideration.
Current members of Staff Council, Staff of the Year Committee, and President’s Council are excluded from consideration.
Recent Award Recipients
2019: Laura Davalos (Office of Learning Services)
2020: Diana Pell (Academic Office)
For playwright, director and Theatre Program Coordinator Emma (Darcy) Schneider ’19, unconventional times have led her to create an unconventional theatre experience. Schneider’s new play, “Investigative Support,” will be premiering at Trinity from March 25-27.
“‘Investigative Support’ is an immersive play, which means that the play gets to break a lot of traditional theatre rules,” according to Schneider. Rather than being staged in the Marg Kallemeyn Theatre in the Art & Communication Center, it will be outside on the Trin Trail. Audience members will interact with the actors and decide what happens, in a dynamic “choose your own adventure” approach. And the play has five possible endings!
While Schneider majored in English education at Trinity, she has always had a love of theater and was deeply involved in Theatre Club at the College. After a year of teaching at the high-school level, she felt drawn back to the arts. Along with serving as Trinity’s theatre program coordinator and directing and writing “Investigative Support,” she is currently working towards her master’s degree in performing arts at University of Chicago.
The opportunity to return to Trinity as theatre program coordinator evolved after speaking with Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Director of Theatre John Sebestyen, Ph.D. over the summer.
“Dr. John has been a one-man show when it came to running the theatre department. But he realized he didn’t have to do it all,” she said. That led to conversations about developing a part-time role. With the COVID-19 pandemic, her grad school classes have been mostly virtual this academic year. “I love this community, and it worked out to take on the position. I started last September.”
As theatre program coordinator, she handles many of the logistics for Trinity’s plays, as well as for Theatre Club. She also served a key role in organizing the annual Trinity Arts Experience for high school students.
Schneider has also become involved in the creative side. Her new play rose out of work for her master’s thesis, which focuses on the role of audiences. “I began researching different types of theater, and I was looking for an immersive play that could take place outdoors in order to be more COVID compliant.”
When she couldn’t find one, Schneider decided to write her own. While she has written shorter pieces, including for Trinity’s annual 24-Hour Theatre Project, this is the most in-depth piece she has ever written.
And although Schneider has also directed before, she has never directed her own work. “I don’t have the same distance with the material,” she admitted. She credits the actors in the play for helping her develop the piece and identify new nuances and opportunities.
COVID restrictions continue to shape “Investigative Support.” While the play is taking place outdoors, Chicago’s winters have required rehearsing inside. And the play is also designed to allow proper social distancing between actors and audience members, adding a new layer of physicality to the work.
Schneider is excited about these opportunities to break some of the rules of theater with this play—and especially to do so at Trinity. “I’m so glad to be back here in so many different capacities,” she said. “Trinity has always been a strong home to me. I’m blessed to be here.”
“Investigative Support” will be performed at 4 pm on Thursday, March 25, Friday, March 26, and Saturday, March 27. To learn more, visit the Box Office.
The recognitions and honors for Trinity’s top-ranked nursing program continue to accumulate!
RNCareers.org is the latest organization to name Trinity as the best BSN nursing program in the state of Illinois. Trinity has recently received similar accolades from RegisteredNursing.org, NursingProcess.org, and RNtoBSN. The College is also proud to have the highest six-year NCLEX average first-time pass rate of any BSN or ADN program in Illinois.
“The COVID pandemic has reminded us with unmistakable clarity that nurses play such a crucial role in serving the common good and the well-being of communities,” said Trinity’s Provost Aaron Kuecker, Ph.D. “Preparing nurses who possess excellent clinical skills and a deep sense that their work is in service of God and the wider world is right at the heart of Trinity’s mission. External validation like this is testimony to the excellent work of our faculty and to our amazing students.”
RNCareers.org helps nursing students in their search for a top RN program. “Schools ranked on our list have proven their ability to educate highly competent nurses,” according to the organization, which evaluated a number of factors in finding Trinity at the top of the class, including first-time NCLEX-RN passing rates, the number of students taking the test, the program nursing accreditation and more.
Said Department Chair and Associate Professor of Nursing Dr. Tina Decker ’06, “While so much has changed this last year, it feels extra special to know that our academic excellence in nursing education continues to be recognized We are proud that our graduates continue to be prepared to pass the NCLEX on their first attempt to enable them to work as the nurses that the world so desperately needs right now.”
Among many examples of how Trinity’s BSN program has demonstrated its commitment to graduating the best nurses, nursing students have continued to participate in in-person clinicals during the COVID-19 pandemic. “There are many schools that have gone virtual or remote for clinicals, which we stand firmly against,” said Decker. “The department is a strong advocate for having students continue with in-person clinical experiences, preparing them to be nurses during the pandemic.”
In giving Trinity the top ranking, the organization cited how Trinity’s BSN program prepares students both academically and clinically to care for patients’ physical, spiritual, and mental needs. “Students are able to gain hands-on learning in the simulation lab, allowing them to hone their skills in a safe and controlled environment,” the organization noted.
Learn more about our top-ranked program and newly renovated facilities here.
The Healthy Troll Challenge is back, and everyone in the Troll community can take part!
Students who are majoring in Exercise Science and Physical Education K-12 are leading this year’s challenge, which is running through April 23. Since this year’s event is taking place virtually through Facebook and Instagram, anyone can work out alongside Trinity students, earn points for prizes, and get healthier.
Each week features a different theme, such as body weight, abs/core, cardio, flexibility, yoga, and Pilates.
According to Physical Education, Recreation and Kinesiology Department Chair and Associate Professor of Physical Education Shari Jurgens ‘92, an exercise science major and a PE K-12 major team up each week to create three 10-minute workout videos. “They are doing a great job of making these workout videos fun, engaging, and doable for all fitness levels,” said Jurgens.
One recent week of videos featured Matt Kamp ’21 and Manaase Mbuyi ’22, “Keep going, keep doing your thing, just keep pushing yourself,” Mbuyi urged viewers. “Just be better every day, be respectful to one another, and just make a difference in your life and the lives of others.”
Along with getting healthier, participants have the chance to earn points and compete for prizes. Points can be earned by sending in selfies to the Healthy Troll e-mail address. Selfies can include images of participants working out on their own, a screen shot of 10,000 steps for the day, a screen shot of a food log for the day, or a screen shot of participating following along with a Healthy Troll challenge workout on social media.
It’s never too late to start!
Trinity’s Seerveld Gallery brings the works of internationally famous artists, as well as artists from Chicago’s thriving art scene, to campus. And the Seerveld Gallery has opened its doors again after COVID-related closures. The gallery, located in the Art & Communication Center, is currently hosting an exhibit by Katherine Desjardins called “Touch.”
According to Desjardins, who spends time in both Chicago and Italy, “Touch” is not organized around her newest or most recent works, “…but rather around ideas of Touch and Time, in consideration of the fact that this show will be on view as we mark one year of global, collective COVID lockdown.” In an artist’s statement, she said, “I embarked upon a project (paintings) called Touch in response to tragic personal loss long before our lockdown in 2020. Time has always played a huge role in my work in the form of scrolls and protracted studio process. Our year of Covid has brought new meaning to both words.”
Among the pieces on display at the Seerveld Gallery are “Scuffle,” a new piece that Desjardins describes as a collision between calligraphic cartoon language and drawing from life.
The show also includes pieces from her “Wide-Eyed Apollos Series,” which imagines the Greek god wandering the world as an innocent witness in the midst of today’s fears and anxieties.
According to Professor Art & Design John Bakker, Desjardins’ depiction of hands in the show is particularly striking. “The pandemic has denied us touch,” he said. But the use of hands also represents conflict, including the protests that took place last summer over the deaths of George Floyd, Breona Taylor, and others.
The Seerveld Gallery is open from 10 am to 4 pm during the week. Desjardin’s show will be on exhibit until March 23, when Trinity’s senior Art & Design BFA and BA students will begin preparing to install their thesis shows in the ArCC.
Dear Trinity Community:
Greetings from Trinity’s campus. We write this message as the Board of Trustees holds its winter meeting. The Board has much to discuss during this meeting and this marks the first meeting for ten new Trustees whose diverse backgrounds, wisdom, and experiences are a great gift to the College.
Ordinarily, the Board of Trustees meets three times a year, with the Executive Committee meeting slightly more frequently. Over these last twelve months, the Board has met more often; the times have demanded it. There are a number of highly complex issues and challenges facing the College and this industry that collectively have required the Board to exert an extraordinary degree of thought, prayer, planning, and action. That the Trustees volunteer their time to this significant undertaking is a reflection of their care for Trinity and for the cause of Christian higher education.
We write today to update the broader Trinity community particularly on one such vital and complex topic: Diversity & Unity, particularly in regards to race, justice, and reconciliation. While this is not new work at Trinity, the social unrest from the last summer and its continuing reverberations across society have spurred additional attention and reflection across the land and surely at Trinity, too.
In what follows, we aim to update you on some of what that attention and reflection has entailed and foreshadow some new initiatives that will begin even as soon as this month.
We know that these important conversations regularly occur across campus. Many professors have initiated open dialogues in their classes. Trinity’s Office of Student Life has hosted various conversations, events, forums, and gatherings that have had strong attendance and interest. We continue specific attention to recruiting and retaining a diverse student body, faculty, and staff. Student Leadership groups across campus are regularly offering programs and conversations to share perspectives and learn from one another. Faculty and staff have formed various discussion groups, together reading challenging books that explore the consequences of racism and exclusion. Chapel messages have regularly explored God’s call to justice and reconciliation and the services themselves have continued to foreground varied voices and Christian traditions that seek to recognize the diversity of the Christian traditions represented on campus.
Trinity alumni have hosted candid conversations about this College’s own challenges over the years to become a multiracial, multi-culturally hospitable, sensitive, and responsive place. Over the last couple of months, all alumni were invited by the Alumni Association to participate in a survey to better understand where Trinity excels in this desire – and where it must improve. The data from that survey, which closed at the end of February, is being compiled and analyzed. We look forward to sharing those results when that work is concluded.
All of these conversations, actions, and activities have been profitable, if uncomfortable at times. We have heard old and new stories of marginalization, particularly from persons of color, stemming from actions and attitudes within our own campus that are at odds with our Christian convictions and commitments. As leaders of the College, we have an opportunity to ensure that institutionally we are cultivating a Christian community where people of all races, cultures, and backgrounds can find shalom, inclusion, respect, and value.
The Board of Trustees, Governance, and Institutional Planning
The Board, of course, is a governance body and, in that capacity, has devoted time learning about, thinking through, and examining the ways in which Trinity institutionally can more fully be the place called forth from its Reformed Christian mission. In the Fall, a working group of trustees examined the Board’s own work and set forth a series of preliminary institutional review and study principles. Then, as a new class of trustees was identified and elected in late 2020, certain members of that incoming class thought further with the Board and its leadership about how, when, and to what purposes such comprehensive institutional effort should occur.
This review and study have revealed at least three important items. First, for many years, Trinity has cared deeply about diversity, belonging, justice, and unity. The sampling above of recent engagements across the College is a reflection of this. Second, the amount of work and care that has gone into these efforts does not mean that the work is concluded; rather, we recognize that Trinity still has much to do in this area. We hear that reality in the voices of our community members and we see that in the vision of God’s kingdom to which we aspire. Third, all of these undertakings – whether existing or to be initiated – flow from Trinity’s mission and because of it. This work, like all that occurs at Trinity, is a consequence of the distinct understanding and belief of God’s call upon the life of this College and the people who are a part of it.
The Select College Committee for Diversity, Unity, Reconciliation, and Belonging
Because of these understandings, the Board of Trustees has created a Select College Committee for Diversity, Unity, Reconciliation, and Belonging to more intensely and broadly (i) assess Trinity’s existing strengths and areas of limitation; and (ii) draft a comprehensive action plan to guide and assess the College’s efforts and initiatives going forward.
This College-wide select committee is an important action that reflects the commitment and urgency expressed by Trinity’s leadership. It builds upon earnest and faithful work done at Trinity over decades. It is a reminder that the work toward Biblical justice continues with every generation and at all times. The reconciling work of Jesus Christ – work that brings together, as the Apostle John writes in Revelation, all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues – is our joyful work, too. We are, in the language of Trinity’s Mission Statement, coworkers with Christ.
This Select College Committee will be comprised of Trinity Trustees, Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni. The Board has developed a preliminary charge to this Select College Committee with particular work for its attention while at the same time understanding that part of the wisdom of having such a committee is to benefit from the wisdom of such a committee . The full membership of this body and key elements of its charge will be communicated to you before Easter.
Significantly, the work of this Select College Committee will result in a strategic action plan to guide future activities and measure institutional progress. Such a plan is consistent with the College’s Strategic Plan and is a further embodiment of it.
The work of this Select College Committee will span the balance of 2021. It will interface with the Board at the Board’s upcoming meetings in 2021. We have also requested that the Administration provide guidance, information, assistance, and insight to the Select College Committee, particularly during the periods of time between the Board meetings. While the work will span months, we will have regular points of communication with the Trinity Community, likely at quarterly intervals.
Importantly, too, the naming of this Select College Committee does not preclude the continuance of good work already underway or the launch of new undertakings. Just the opposite! There are various new initiatives presently in discussion and development, some of which we hope will be ready to announce yet this Spring.
On behalf of the College, we are grateful for your continued support of prayer, of time, of concern, of patience, and of resources. We feel your prayers and deeply appreciate them.
The Trustees sincerely hold the College and its mission carefully in trust. All of us receiving this message are a part of the Trinity community, care deeply for it, and earnestly desire that all members of the community flourish in every faithful way. We trust, that with God’s hand upon us all, this will be Trinity’s continuing story.
Dr. Laura E. Zumdahl (‘02), Chair, on behalf of the Board of Trustees
Kurt D. Dykstra, President
One Day. One Goal. One Gift. That is the spirit of Trinity Tuesday, the annual day of giving when Trinity alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, and friends show their Troll Nation colors to help ensure the ongoing excellence of activities, programs, and experiences for students.
And once again, Troll Nation answered the call for the fifth annual Trinity Tuesday, which took place on March 9! In just 24 hours, 777 donors raised $239,683 dollars for the Trinity Fund, exceeding the initial goal of 750 donors. This represents a 6% increase in donors and 38% increase in gifts over 2020, which was itself a record-setting year.
Said Director of Advancement LyNae Schleyer, “We opened the day with a small prayer gathering of campus leaders and Advancement staff and asked our Lord to guide us through the day and the Holy Spirit to touch the heart of donors to give. The results speak for themselves. God is good all the time!”
To see all of the results and special videos, visit trnty.edu/trinitytuesday.
With the encouraging local trends in the COVID metrics, Trinity Christian Athletics is excited to announce an update to our spectator policy. After careful consideration, we have decided to allow minimal, select spectators in attendance at both our indoor and outdoor competitions.
Effective Saturday, March 6 at Schaaf Athletic Complex and Monday, March 15 in DeVos Gymnasium, each rostered Trinity athlete, and members of the coaching staff, will be allotted two passes for family members. In addition, prospective recruits and their family who are on official campus visits will be invited to attend. While we know everyone is anxious to be in attendance, there will still be no visiting spectators permitted.
Those in attendance are expected to adhere to the guidelines outlined in the spectator policy. Proper social distancing and appropriate facial coverings are required. Trinity maintains the right to remove any spectators that are not following the guidelines. Please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before the start of the event. No one will be admitted who is not on the guest pass list.
We appreciate everyone’s understanding, as the health and safety of our community is our top priority. Trinity will continue to evaluate the COVID-19 environment on a regular basis; this decision may be modified at any time.
Troll athletes and coaches alike have been thrilled to welcome their fans back! Volleyball player Anna Maatman ’22 described herself as ecstatic at the news. “I immediately told my parents. They have come to almost every game of mine while growing up and my volleyball games for Trinity were no different! Whether it was away games to Michigan, Wisconsin, or Iowa I knew they would be there,” she said. “Not only seeing my parents in the stands but all the parents I have come to know during my four years at Trinity is a blessing. They bring that ‘game day’ feeling alive again.”
The impact of having fans has been felt immediately, said softball player Faith Bruinius ’24. “You could already see how the energy changed not only in the stands but also within the team,” she said. “Having that energy coming from people watching us is what fuels our energy. As we hear them cheering for us it gets out team more fired up to cheer on our own teammates!”
With fans in the stands, the energy and excitement levels increase for players, agreed Jake Ostema ’23, a volleyball player. “Also, knowing that we have supporters whether the outcome is a win or a loss is a huge confidence booster and helps our team stay focused throughout the season.”
While the fan base is limited to families, those are the most loyal supporters that every athlete has, according to Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Becky Eller. “Our families have been with us since Day 1 of being an athlete and we want to be able to share this experience with them. They are a part of our program and are so dedicated and invested in us. So it’s been hard not being able to have them there for matches,” she said. “This season has been a good reminder of how connected we need to be as a team, especially to create our own energy. But it will be great when we have our community with us to feed off of their energy!”
It’s wonderful to have fans back in the stands, said Head Women’s Soccer Coach Josh Lenarz ’98. And despite all the difficulties they have faced over the past year, the student-athletes have never given up. “We have asked them to sacrifice deeply and yet their attitudes have been remarkable and their resiliency and adaptability to the constant challenges have impressed me beyond words. We are truly blessed to have such a special group of student-athletes at Trinity Christian College,” he said.