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The departments of music and communication arts are introducing a new major in Music Production beginning in fall 2015.
The major will provide targeted study through coursework in media studies, a senior capstone project, and an internship.
Dr. Mark Peters, professor of music, has noticed a growing need in recent years for a major that connects music and communication arts.
“We’re excited about the way this interdisciplinary program provides students with a strong foundation in both majors while intentionally connecting those fields to each other and to the broader framework of a Christian liberal arts education,” Peters said.
Students will be equipped to serve with excellence in a variety of contexts such as music studios, post-production studios, sound design studios, production houses, concert arenas, radio and television stations, audio/visual departments, and record labels.
Music education major Anna DeBlecourt ’17 of Mokena, Illinois said her experience with the music program has been rewarding and that this new major will be a great asset to Trinity.
“I find that the faculty is not only exceptionally musically gifted, they are also commendable educators,” she said. “Both inside and outside the classroom, their encouragement and mentorship have allowed me to grow not only in my musical abilities but also as a well-rounded student and Christ follower.”
Adult Studies Education alumna Brenda Mendoza ’07 was recently selected as an Emerging Leader of 2015 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
The ASCD’s Emerging Leaders Program recognizes and prepares young, promising educators from across the nation to influence education programs, policy, and practice. Those selected are enrolled in the program for two years and help to advance the ASCD’s values by serving on committees, hosting networking events, and contributing to ASCD publications.
Of the 46 educators selected from 21 states, Indonesia, and Pakistan, Mendoza is the only representative from the state of Illinois to be selected and was honored at the White Sox’s opening game.
After graduating from Trinity’s Adult Studies Education program, Mendoza continued her education by earning two master’s degrees, one in instruction with an English Language Learners/Bilingual emphasis, and a second in leadership. She currently teaches 2nd grade bilingual students at Greenman Elementary in Aurora, Illinois.
She created a program designed to get parents involved in the learning process and has subsequently trained hundreds of teachers across Illinois on the program. Additionally, she has been nominated for the 2011 Teacher of the Year Award, and the White Sox’s People All Star Teacher in 2014.
“It is an honor to be selected as one of the Emerging Leaders of 2015,” Mendoza said. She explained that ASCD is one of the most innovative organizations in education today. The organization publishes the latest educational research in the nation and honors the emerging leaders each year at a leadership conference in Washington D.C., where those selected have the opportunity to speak to educators from across the nation.
“ASCD is a prestigious organization, and we are so proud to have one of Trinity’s Adult Studies alumni honored by them,” said Dr. Trina Vallone, coordinator for Trinity’s ESL/BL program. “Brenda is a passionate and creative educator who is working toward equity in her field. We are excited for her.”
Qualifications for Emerging Leader selection include: being in the education profession for 5 to 15 years; a commitment to ASCD’s beliefs and to pursuing leadership opportunities; demonstrating a passion for teaching, learning, and leadership; and exhibiting a broad range of diversity in position, location, cultural background, and perspective.
To view the entire 2015 Emerging Leaders List, visit the ASCD Emerging Leaders Directory.
Incoming freshmen converged on campus Friday and Saturday, June 19 and 20, for the annual Blueprints registration event.
The fun and informational event gives students the opportunity to meet roommates, get one-on-one advising with professors, worship with new friends and future classmates, and begin to discover how they belong in Trinity’s community.
This year’s event was also a wonderful opportunity for new students and their parents to hear from President-elect Kurt Dykstra and meet him and his wife Leah.
Friday activities included a delicious Chicago-style dinner and ice cream social; information sessions on the Honors Program, study abroad, and athletics; praise and worship; and games and movies late into the night.
Alyssa Whyard of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who plans to study nursing, attended the event. She is not only excited about her studies, but also the upcoming sports season. “I’m most looking forward to volleyball season and meeting my teammates,” she said, as she also looked forward to possibly meeting her roommate at Blueprints.
Matthew Meyrick of Oak Forest, Illinois, is excited join his sister Kate who also attends Trinity. The future communication arts major said, “I’m most looking forward to meeting Dr. Mattson. I’ve heard some great things.”
Saturday began with the faculty-hosted breakfast, followed by one-on-one advising sessions with professors. At the Information Expo, students learned more about the variety of campus organizations, as well as local churches, banks, and businesses in the neighborhood. Students also attended sessions about the First Year Experience and Trinity’s thriving community life. The day ended with a summer barbeque for students and their families.
Incoming students can stay connected over the summer on Facebook /trinitychristiancollege and Twitter @trinitytroll.
Trinity Christian College has been listed as one of the Top 25 Christian Colleges for a Social Work Degree Program in 2015.
According to the Social Work Degree Guide, “Trinity Christian College is committed to its students’ long-term success, and annual outcomes reveal that the vast majority of graduates identify as professional social workers and feel that they can successfully apply ethical principles and critical thinking skills in their work.”
“It is an honor for our program to be named one of the top 25 Christian colleges for social work,” said BSW Program Director and Department Chair Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein. “We are proud of our students and alumni who seek to pursue their vocational call for service through the social work profession.
“We thank the many voices who have influenced the growth and cultivation of the social work program, from our founders to past and current advisory group members, as well as our various field placement partners,” added Bretzlaff-Holstein. “We share this honor with all of them.”
The social work program prepares students for community-centered generalist social work practice and emphasizes that community well-being is essential to a common good, that each community has gifts and assets, and that people are called to participate in community.
Learn more about Trinity’s social work program.
At the Commencement ceremony on May 16, Dr. David Klanderman, professor of mathematics, was awarded the title of Professor of the Year.
Klanderman has spent more than half of his life teaching at Trinity, having served on Trinity’s faculty since 1990.
“I’m very honored to be chosen from among many others who are equally deserving,” Klanderman said recently. “I see the award as emblematic of the great teaching on this campus.”
Evidenced not only by the books on his office shelves, but by the speed and enthusiasm with which he discusses math, Klanderman’s love of the discipline is exceeded only by his love of teaching it.
Into his students, Klanderman pours his knowledge of statistics and abstract algebra and numerical analysis. However, the most important part of the equation in his teaching is the integration of the Christian faith. He and his students discuss infinity, patterns embedded in creation, and even the concept of God’s omnipresence.
He said the most rewarding moment in teaching is when a student reaches that moment of understanding. “When the light turns on, that is the payoff in teaching,” Klanderman said.
Klanderman’s dedication to teaching extends to his work with middle school math students through his oversight of Trinity’s annual Math Triathlon.
Since the math triathlon’s inception, over 6,400 participants from many middle schools and states have taken part. Some of the visiting math teachers are Trinity alumni who bring their teams to the competitions and first participated themselves as either a middle school student, a Trinity student, or both.
“When students apply for admission to Trinity, they often remember their experiences with the Triathlon as one reason they chose to pursue math or math education at the college level,” Klanderman said.
The annual spring event is planned and hosted by the College’s math department. Other Triathlon events include an annual event for student in grades 3-6 at various Christian schools and the Traveling Triathlon, which is held in alternate years in January. Klanderman and his colleagues in the math and math education departments lead their students in writing the problems and solutions for individual, team, and relay events. Trinity students also design potential halftime activities and administer the triathlons.
Klanderman also shares how mathematics, and therefore God’s divine order, is evident in all majors within the liberal arts and life itself. In a spring semester chapel talk, he pointed students to the patterns and structures they see in nature, such as the spirals of a pinecone. He also showed students the visible patterns in fine arts, perspective in paintings, the ratios of violin string lengths, and the different argument forms in philosophy.
“I tell students that if they are willing to look at the world through the lens of math, they will see with a new perspective,”Klanderman said.
Trinity’s Honors Society Committee hosted the 5th annual Trinity Scholars’ Dinner in May, celebrating the work of both Vander Velde Scholars and senior students in the Honors Program. The recipients of the 2015-16 Vander Velde awards were also recently announced.
The Maurice Vander Velde Junior Scholarship Award is designed to provide academically excellent junior and senior students the experience of working closely with a mentoring professor in their chosen major. The goal is to provide encouragement and support for select students as they progress in their chosen studies.
Students conduct a wide range of collaborative research with professors and complete a variety of projects.
Last year, Cassie (Nelson) Rogalski ’15 looked at using chants from the Psalms in the modern church and worked with Dr. Mark Peters, professor of music.
“It was a privilege for me to work with her over the past two years on her research project on plainchant in the modern church, a project that grew out of Cassie’s training in both theology and music and her passion for congregational song in Christian worship,” said Peters.
This fall, graphic design major Hannah Dykstra ’16 of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, will be creating a Zine, or small graphic novel, of the composer Dmitri Shostakovitch. Dykstra will be working with Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell, associate professor of education and an expert on graphic novels, and Ryan Thompson, an assistant professor of art and design who works in niche areas and research-based art.
“One of the things I would like to explore is the relatively new terrain of the graphic novel in contemporary culture,” Dykstra said, “something relatively unstudied.”
Vander Velde Awards 2015-2016
Hannah Dykstra with Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell (Education) and Professor Ryan Thompson (Art & Design)
Shostakovich Graphic Novel
Derek Frejd with Dr. Clay Carlson (Biology)
The Genomic and Morphological Effects of Bisphenol A on Arabidopsis thaliana
Valerie Jochems and Anna Spotts with Dr. Bob Boomsma (Biology)
The Effects of Oxygen, Serum, and Chemoattractants on Mesenchymal Stem Cell Migration
Lauren Kuipers with Dr. Abbie Schrotenboer (Biology)
Biodiversity of Plant Species at Trinity Christian College
Ellie Sterenberg with Professor Ellen Browning (Graphic Design)
Cinderella and the Bible in Book Design & Typography
Last year, the Honors Program welcomed its largest cohort of incoming students in the program’s history. Students completing their work in the major were recognized the Honors Pinning Ceremony in May.
The Honors Program serves as a platform for academically talented students and centers on leadership both on and off campus. The program requires four courses and a seminar of the student’s choosing. Students also complete two credits of shared research with a professor within their major.
“My sense is that the Honors Program, although it adds something to your curricular load, is more of an intensification of your overall Trinity experience than a huge alteration,” said Dr. Craig Mattson, Honors Program director and professor of communication arts. “It puts your Trinity education into high definition.”
Alumna Kristen Blok said her project both challenged and enabled her to engage in conversation that furthered her understanding of her own discipline. “This culminating project embodies what the Honors Program is all about: finding joy in learning and spurring one another on to ask good questions and study valuable topics,” said Blok.
Honors Work in the Major
Kristen Blok with Dr. Mary Lynn Colosimo (Psychology)
“Mindfulness & Food: A Calling to Intentional Living”
Taylor Boice with Dr. Rick Hamilton (Business)
“Organizational Consulting: Learning & Leading”
Kaitlyn Claerbaut with Adjunct Professor MaryAnn Colletti (Nursing)
“Depression in Cardiopulmonary Illness”
Kerry Garrison with Dr. John Sebestyen (Communication Arts)
“Participating in Chicago Theatre through Directing”
Molly Gobeli and Rebecca Vannette with Professor Tina Decker (Nursing)
“Effects of Perceived Stress & Coping Methods”
Jessica Jacobi with Dr. Clay Carlson (Biology)
“DNA: The Code of Life”
Michael Kunnen with Dr. Clay Carlson (Biology)
“Christian Ethics on the Field of Metagenomics”
Simona Sidaugaite with Adjunct Professor Samantha Schultz (Political Science/History)
“Race Issues”
Adam Suwyn with Dr. Rick Hamilton (Business)
“The Dilemma of Non-Profit Strategy”
Logan Vos with Dr. Rick Hamilton (Business)
“Organizational Consulting”
Hannah Wasco with Dr. John Fry (History)
“1800 U.S. Presidential Election”
Kathryn Woodside with Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell (Education)
“Gender Dominance in Student Choice Book Awards”
Matthew Wydra with Dr. Rick Hamilton (Business)
“Organizational Consulting Team Leadership”
President-elect Kurt D. Dykstra’s service as the Mayor of Holland, Michigan was recognized in a statement by Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich) published in the Congressional Record on June 12.*
While addressing the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the congressman related Dykstra’s family and educational history as well as his notable leadership as Holland’s 40th mayor.
“During his tenure, Holland was named the 2013 winner of Outstanding Achievement in Heritage Preservation, the 2012 winner of Environmental Efforts, named in Forbes list of America’s Prettiest Towns, a Top Five Safest Cities in the U.S., and the 3rd Best Place for Families in the U.S.,” Huizenga said.
“I wish Mayor Dykstra the best of luck as he leaves West Michigan to become President of Trinity Christian College.”
On April 22, the College announced Dykstra’s appointment to the position of president, effective July 1, 2015. Read more about Dykstra and view the welcome reception video.
*Source: Targeted News Service
To access the original document, click here.
Update: The pre-application deadline for the 2016 Chicago Semester summer program has been extended to June 1, 2015. Trinity sophomores and juniors are encouraged to pre-apply. Contact Phil DeBoer at phild@chicagosemester.org.
Follow on Twitter @chicagosemester, #CSSummer2015
After working with organizational consulting students through a class project, Chicago Semester Executive Director Mackenzi Huyser ’98 and her staff have launched a new pilot summer program.
The summer program aims to reach students interested in Chicago Semester but whose curricular requirements, athletic commitments, or other responsibilities have made it difficult for them to participate during the fall or spring semester.
Students earn 3 course credits and 6 internship credits during the eight-week program. They will intern at their internship sites four days a week and take a cross-cultural foundation course that will help them explore issues of diversity and inequality specific to Chicago.
Additionally, students will participate in a practicum group experience that encourages them to reflect on what they are learning through their internship. Several social outings are planned as the summer is a wonderful time to explore the city.
Several Trinity students are participating in the program this summer and will live on the near north side of the city where semester students live during the academic year.
Trinity junior Evan Geels of Sheldon, Iowa, is a business/entrepreneurial management major and will be working at the American Medical Association as a marketing and communications intern.
“One of the things I found most appealing about the new pilot program was that they connected me with a company and secured an interview for me, which in turn allowed me to secure my internship,” said Geels. “Chicago Semester will also provide me with the experience to live and work in the city.”
Ally Otto ’15 of Brandon, Wisconsin, will put her entrepreneurial management degree into practice as a sustainability intern at the Rogers Park Business Alliance.
“I was originally drawn to this program because I am very interested in urban farming, specifically in the Chicago area,” said Otto. “I also understood that businesses really value previous internship experience when hiring new employees.”
Part of faculty scholarship involves sharing knowledge off campus, as professors write for various publications, present at conferences, and guest lecture.
Assistant Professor of Communication Arts Bethany Keeley-Jonker recently shared her experience as a blogger and author with students at Keene State College in New Hampshire.
Keeley-Jonker discussed her blog, ‘Blog’ of ‘Unnecessary’ Quotation Marks, and her book, Book of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks: A Celebration of Creative Punctuation.
Check out this fun example from her blog she used in the lecture.
Where does Keeley-Jonker find so many examples unnecessary quotation marks? People from around the country regularly submit photos to her for posting. She said that after she started the blog in 2005, the increased usage of cell phones with cameras made it easy for people to send her photos. Readership then increased dramatically following a story by the Associated Press about the blog in 2007, and by 2009, she had been contacted about a book contract.
During her public lecture and class presentation at Keene, Keeley-Jonker talked about the blog and the book and analyzed the reasons for their popularity.
Keeley-Jonker has been on Trinity faculty since 2012 and is a regular contributor to Think Christian magazine and has contributed to The Toast.