Calvin University

MISSION Calvin University equips students to think deeply, to act justly, and to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world. VISION By 2030, Calvin will become a Christian liberal arts university with an expanded global influence. We envision Calvin University as a trusted partner for learning across religious and cultural differences and throughout the academy, the church, and the world. Calvin University will be animated by a Reformed Christian faith that seeks understanding and promotes the welfare of the city and the healing of the world. We welcome all who are compelled by God’s work of renewal to join us in the formative pursuits of lifelong learning, teaching, scholarship, worship, and service. VALUES Boldness & Humility • Curiosity & Conviction • Diversity & Inclusion • Tradition & Innovation Identity Calvin University is a Christian academic community dedicated to rigorous intellectual inquiry. Calvin students study the liberal arts and select from a broad range of majors and professional programs. The university fosters scholarship that creates new knowledge, that performs creative work, and that sustains natural and cultural resources. A Calvin education, marked by scholarly engagement with enduring questions and emerging concerns, prepares students to answer God’s call to live and serve in God’s world as agents of renewal. Calvin University does all this with a robust commitment to providing equal opportunities for all faculty, staff, and students. Calvin University was founded in 1876 and named for 16th-century reformer John Calvin. While retaining a separate identity and function, the university is united in a covenantal relationship with the Christian Reformed Church in North America. The historic creeds and confessions of Reformed Christianity guide the university’s understanding of Scripture and inform its mission. Be an agent of renewal Do you believe things can be better? At Calvin, we believe in Christ’s promises to make all things new. With heart and mind, we strive to understand what is and live our lives in light of what can be. After all, what if a vacant lot can become a community garden? What if a muddied river can become a fresh water supply? And what if a broken relationship can become reconciliation in action? With the right lens, and God’s transformative hand in the world, an unsolved problem can become the catalyst for a game-changing solution. Your studies should inspire you to look at the world in new ways—and at Calvin, they will. You’ll think deeply, act justly, and live wholeheartedly, all while being surrounded by a community committed to helping you flourish. HISTORY Rooted and growing It started simply, as great things often do. But what began in 1876 as a school of ministry training for just seven students has emerged as a world-class Christian liberal arts institution. Our dynamic community is made up of more than 3,800 passionate, creative, and engaged students—and the faculty, staff, parents, and friends who empower them. Since its earliest stages, Calvin has embodied the multidisciplinary approach of the liberal arts. Calvin University and Seminary began as one institution—De Theologische School—in 1876, taking students through six years of curriculum that incorporated both literary and theological training. In 1884, the school expanded to admit a student body beyond pastors in training—now including aspiring teachers. The college’s horizons expanded once again in 1900 when the curriculum further broadened to include pre-professional courses. By 1906, the literary department, which provided four years of preparatory and two years of college work, became known officially as the John Calvin Junior College, a separate entity from Calvin Theological Seminary. In time, the institution became a four-year college. In 1931, the school was renamed Calvin College.