Archives: News Stories

Trinity is proud to announce that 83% of master’s degree graduates taking the Behavior Analyst Certification Board exam for the first time have passed, a nearly 20% increase over the average rate among other colleges and universities. Trinity’s scores also make it the second-highest ranked school in Illinois for first-time pass rates.

“At Trinity, we know that the world needs professionals who are skilled and compassionate in the field of applied behavior analysis,” said Marilyn Spalla, Assistant Professor of Special Education. “The exceptional success on the BACB exam demonstrates the level of commitment and preparation our graduates demonstrate.”

According to the BACB, an average of 65% of test-takers pass the exam on the first time.

Applied behavior analysis has been empirically shown to be effective in a wide variety of areas, including those with intellectual disabilities and autism, parent training, substance abuse treatment, dementia management, brain injury rehabilitation, and occupational safety intervention, among others. More than 36,000 behavior analysts and over 55,000 behavior technicians are certified in over 89 countries. BACB standards are the basis of almost all behavior analyst licensure laws in the United States

“Through applied behavior analysis, students can see situations from different perspectives and use those skills to help their students and clients,” said Dr. Sara Baillie, Associate Professor of Special Education and Director of Trinity’s Graduate Program in Special Education-Behavior Intervention Specialist. “We are proud of our graduates who have demonstrated their comprehension and understanding of these techniques and approaches.”

Trinity offers several programs for Master’s Degrees in Special Education including one that lead to a Behavior Intervention Specialist endorsement through Illinois State Board of Education as well as the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc® (BACB) verified course sequence which allows our students to sit for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst Examination® (BCBA). To learn more, click here.

Five Trolls received the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Award for their academic and athletic performances the last indoor and outdoor track and field seasons. Caleb DeWeerd of the men’s team received the award, while Madelyn Clausen, Megan DeWeerd, Hope Fathman and Nicole Syverson received the award on the women’s side.

In order to receive this award, student-athletes must meet both academic and athletic requirements. On the academic side, they must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher. Athletically, they need to achieve an “A” or “B” standard in a championship event.

This past season, Caleb qualified for indoor nationals in the mile run while Clausen qualified for the high jump. In the outdoor event, Clausen qualified again for the high jump while DeWeerd, Syverson and Fathman qualified in the marathon.

Congratulations to the women’s volleyball team, led by Coach Bill Schepel, for being named to the 2018-19 American Volleyball Coaches Association Academic Team!

In order to receive this award, teams must maintain a 3.3 cumulative GPA.

“This award honors teams who have matched their dedication to the sport of volleyball with excellence in the classroom,” said Kathleen J. DeBoer, AVCA executive director, and Brad Wilson, AVCA manager of awards. “Meeting the award standards is an accomplishment of which [Trinity] can be very proud.”

Trinity’s women’s volleyball team excelled both on the court and in the classroom in 2018-19, as the women competed in the NAIA National Championships in Sioux City, Iowa.

This is the 18th time Trinity women’s volleyball team has received the award, and the fourth year in a row for this honor.

Trinity is excited to host its Diamond Anniversary Celebration on Friday, Sept. 27 from 7 pm to midnight at the beautiful Hilton Chicago Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center, 3500 Midwest Rd, Oak Brook, Ill. Join the Trinity family for a night of gourmet food stations; craft beer, cocktails, and wine; interactive historical displays; dancing; and connecting with Trinity friends old and new. This fun and celebratory evening is one that will only happen once and is something that you won’t want to miss.

Plus, the night supports a great cause: Trinity students! The funds that are raised will support Trinity students with scholarships and grants as they faithfully pursue God’s calling on their lives.

Find out more information, see the schedule, learn about sponsorship opportunities, and purchase tickets here. Gather your friends and make plans to join us in September, celebrate Trinity’s first 60 years, look forward to where God is leading Trinity’s next 60 years, and support Trinity students all at the same time!

In Faith,

The Trinity at 60: Celebrating our Faithful Future Organizing Committee

Leah Dykstra & Jamie Stephenson, Co-Chairs

Heidi Huizenga, Pixie Molenhouse, Mary Lynn Colosimo, Jill Ingelse, Christine Vander Laan, Kadie Verstrate, and Tina Kanis

Grab your grill, put on your Trinity gear, and join your fellow Trolls for a night of tailgating, baseball, and fun at Ozinga Field on Aug. 14 while cheering on the Windy City Thunderbolts!

Trinity’s Office of Alumni and Family Engagement has secured a special Trinity rate for everyone to get dinner and enjoy the game and for only $2! Family, friends, students, alumni, faculty and staff are all welcome to come out and participate. Game tickets and dinner tickets must be purchased separately, so make sure you sign up for both.

There’s no cost to tailgate and attendees are welcome to bring their own food, drinks and games to enjoy with family and friends in the parking lot. The Alumni and Family Engagement Office will fire up the grill and provide 2 hot dogs, chips and bottled water for each attendee. Tailgate tickets and parking are free but you must sign up on our Eventbrite page by Friday, August 9.

Tickets to the baseball game are sold separately. Follow this link to a Trinity specific landing page that will provide the special rate. You can also show up on the day of the game wearing Trinity gear and the box office will honor the $2 ticket price!

Come out to the ballpark and join TrollNation for a great night of food, fellowship and entertainment. Go Bolts! Go Trolls!

Come join the Trinity community in supporting our student athletes at the annual Trinity Athletics Club Golf Classic. This year, the outing moves to Crystal Tree Country Club in Orland Park, Ill.

Designed by award winning Golf Course Architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Crystal Tree not only offers a great risk/reward golf course but also an unmatched club experience as you join other Troll athletic supporters for a great day of golf. Proceeds from the event benefit athletic scholarships.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS – TWO FLIGHTS

Morning Flight
7:00 am: Registration for morning flight
8:00 am: Tee time for morning flight (limited to 52 players)

Afternoon Flight
11:00 am: Registration; practice range opens
11:30 am – 12:30 pm: Buffet lunch served
12:50 pm: Welcome and instructions at the carts
1:00 pm: Shotgun start; hors d’oeuvres reception and awards ceremony to follow

Click here to learn more and register.

DEADLINE FOR SIGN UP IS MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2019

Thank you to our event sponsors Ozinga and Providence Bank & Trust and luncheon and post-tournament sponsor Assurance.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities contact Dennis Harms at 708.846.4819 or dennis.harms@trnty.edu

Trinity is pleased to welcome Andrea Dieleman as SALT Program Coordinator. SALT, Seasoned Adults Learning at Trinity, is a membership program that offers a variety of educational classes, local trips, book discussions, and other activities for those in the community 55 and over. In this role, Dieleman organizes class offerings that engage and foster relationships with SALT members, providing them with opportunities to expand their knowledge in a welcoming atmosphere. She replaces Ginny Carpenter, who has retired.

“It’s exciting to begin thinking about a wide array of courses and topics that will be of interest to participants and instructors,” said Dieleman.

Dieleman became aware of the SALT program through her husband, Trinity’s Assistant Professor of History Kyle Dieleman. “Kyle taught a course for the SALT program in the spring and had nothing but wonderful things to say about all of his interactions,” she said. “In conversations with Ginny, she reiterated that from the SALT advisory board, to the staff at Trinity, to all the course instructors, and finally down to each participant, these are certainly wonderful people to work with!”

Dieleman has spent several years as a stay-at-home mother to the couple’s three children, a daughter, Emden, who is almost 4, and twin boys, Hendrik and Theissen, who turned 1 in May. Prior to that, she was director of Wyldlife in Iowa City, Iowa, the junior high ministry associated with YoungLife, a non-profit para-church ministry for high school students.

A native of Pella, Iowa, Dieleman earned her B.A. in communications from Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa. She and her husband are members of Faith Christian Reformed Church in Tinley Park, Ill.

Trinity’s SALT classes are held in the fall and spring, and information about this fall’s courses will be available soon. For more information about Trinity’s SALT program, click here.

Aron Reppmann ’92, Professor of Philosophy and Department Chair, has been named Chancellor of the Institute for Christian Studies. ICS offers graduate-level degrees in philosophy and theology and is an affiliate member of the Toronto School of Theology at the University of Toronto.

In this role, Reppmann’s duties include conferring degrees at ICS’s convocation. The chancellor serves as chair of the ICS Senate, which oversees academic affairs for the institute.

Reppmann recently completed his first five-year term on the ICS Senate and took over as chancellor in May. He succeeds fellow Trinity alumnus Dr. John Kok ’71, professor emeritus of philosophy at Dordt University.

“There are long, historic ties between Trinity and ICS,” said Reppmann. “Graduates of ICS have taught at Trinity and Trinity students have gone there for graduate school, including three of my students.”

According to ICS, the Senate, which meets twice yearly, includes internal and external members. The latter, supportive of the mission of ICS, bring to bear the wisdom of scholars whose experience in other institutions, both public and private, makes them well placed to offer counsel and provide direction to the institute’s academic programs.

The Athletics Department at Trinity welcomes Kristen Keller as the new Director of Athletics Communications. Starting in mid-July, Keller joined the athletics staff and has assumed the duties and responsibilities of the sports information position.

“We are excited to welcome Kristen as the new Director of Athletic Communications,” said Athletics Director Mark Hanna. “Kristen is well equipped to continue a longstanding tradition of excellence in sports information, and she possesses big energy for telling the story of Trinity athletics and how our student-athletes are flourishing and developing.  I am confident that she will be a great colleague and that the Trinity community will greatly benefit from her work here.”

Keller has a strong background in journalism and experience in the athletics communication field. Most recently she served as an athletics communications intern at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., where she earned a Master of Science in Journalism with a sports media specialization in June of 2019.  At Felician University in Rutherford, N.J., where she earned her bachelor degree in communications with a concentration in journalism, she worked as a sports information assistant.

Keller has worked as a freelance journalist, covering northern Chicagoland high school sports and completing articles for USA Volleyball. She has also served in editorial and marketing internships for newspaper and media sources in the New Jersey area. Keller has various published works.

“I am very excited to accept the role as the Director of Athletic Communications here at Trinity,” said Keller. “I felt right at home the moment I stepped on campus, and I know it’s where I’m meant to be. There are so many stories to tell about the amazing accomplishments of these student-athletes, both on and off the field, and I can’t wait to get started.”

At Felician, a NCAA II school, Keller was a three-sport student-athlete. She was a four-year member of their inaugural bowling team, on the volleyball team for two seasons, and competed in track and field for three seasons.

Keller replaces Amy Strong ’86, who served as Trinity’s Sports Information Director for the past 23 years. Strong remains in the Athletics Department in the role of Administrative Coordinator and will assist Keller in the sports information duties.