President’s
REPORT
Dordt College | 2010
President’s Message You could be forgiven for thinking that the academic year 2009-2010 was the year in which the foundations of our world were shaken to their core. Economic and social assumptions are not likely ever to be the same again.
Yet as this report makes clear, at Dordt College we discovered that our foundations are as solid as ever. It’s not that we were not affected in both enrollment and annual fund giving, but we have, gratefully, emerged from the year gone by with our biblical convictions firm and our ability to carry out our educational mission intact.
You also could be forgiven for thinking that in the past academic year everything around us came to a screeching halt while we spent some time sorting out where to go from here. In many businesses and organizations, plans laid only months earlier were thrown on the scrap heap.
Here too, we hope this report makes clear that at Dordt College our momentum never really stopped and, in significant ways, even accelerated. We did have to make changes and reshape some of our dreams, but new buildings were constructed, new programs begun, and our educational outreach expanded.
So I hope you will feel as gratified in reading this report as we were in creating it. And I hope that you will join us in giving all the glory to God alone. Dr. Carl E. Zylstra
Some ways in which Dordt College is offering national and global leadership: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Dordt College hosted a global summit in Oxford, England, for presidents of Reformed colleges and universities President Zylstra chaired an international conference of the Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities Faculty and board members worked with Northrise University in Zambia in setting up a Christian program in agriculture Dordt is collaborating with Korean scholars and universities in further developing a holistic Reformed approach to education The social work department organized the conference: “Immigration and Community: Working Towards a Biblical Perspective�
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Our Students “I believe that God has great plans for me and my peers.” Kim Brinkerhoff (’11) is an art/education major from Branchville, New Jersey, who spoke at the dedication of the Douglas and Henrietta (Miedema) Ribbens Academic Complex last fall.
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According to a United States Department of Education analysis of more than 8,000 colleges and trade schools, Dordt College students lead the nation in consistently honoring their commitments to pay off federal student loans. In a U.S. News & World Report analysis of the data, Dordt College was tied for first in the nation for student loan repayment rates among colleges with at least 100 borrowers.
Our Incoming Students by the Numbers:
3.5 54% 76%
average GPA had GPA of 3.5 or higher had GPA of 3.0 or higher
70%
were in top half of their senior high school class
24 46% 54%
average ACT female male
69%
attended a Christian
26%
attended a public high
high school
school
2% 9%
homeschooled international students
35% 50%+
come from Iowa
come from more than 500 miles away
7.5% 39%
minority are children of alumni
42%
attend a Christian Reformed church
21%
attend churches from other Reformed denominations
37%
attend churches from denominations such as Lutheran, Baptist, Catholic and others
“I came to Dordt College not only to further my education, but also to develop my faith within a Christian community. The strong sense of community at Dordt College makes home feel a little bit closer. I know that I am in the right place!� Alex Henderson is a business administration major with an emphasis in finance. He is a football player and was student co-chair of this fall’s Week of Welcome committee.
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Our Mission Our academic task is to prepare students for service, developing hearts that care and minds that grasp the ambiguities of how the world works, how creation has been distorted by sin, and how all things might be transformed through the work of God and his people.
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“When Dordt College students think about vocation as followers of Christ, they see beyond jobs or careers. Vocation is literally calling. As Christians, we know the caller is the loving Creator God of the Universe, calling us to live Coram Deo—before the face of our God. So, the aim in our curricular and co-curricular programs is to prepare students of faith and insight for these roles, always pointing to Jesus Christ in whom all things hold together.” Dr. Erik Hoekstra, Dordt’s Provost, is a co-author of The Manager as Change Agent: A Practical Guide to Developing High-Performance People and Organizations.
Our Primary Goals: 1. Lead students in becoming faithful disciples, equipped to serve around the world 2. Help students develop a holistic biblical understanding of creation and culture 3. Celebrate and proclaim the lordship of Christ over all areas of life
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Our Program Understanding the implications of Christ’s claim upon every square inch of creation is always unfinished business and demands our finest thinking and our deepest passion.
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A Dordt College education is about shaping a new generation of people who think about the whole creation in a holistic sense.
Two-year Associate of Arts Degrees Administrative Assistant Agriculture Computer Networking General Studies Special Education Aide Teacher Aide
Four-year Programs Agriculture Art & Design Biology Biotechnology Business Administration/ Accounting Chemistry Communication Computer Science Create A Program Criminal Justice Digital Media Production
Education Engineering Engineering Technology English Environmental Studies Foreign Language Health, Physical Education, and Recreation History Mathematics Music Nursing Philosophy
Physics and Astronomy Political Studies Social Work Psychology Theatre Arts Theology
Pre-professional Programs
Graduate Program Master of Education Graduate Program
Other Programs Off-Campus Programs Kuyper Scholars Program
Pre-architecture Pre-health Pre-law Pre-seminary
“As Christians we are called to fill the earth and subdue it. The engineering program at Dordt cultivated and broadened my perspective about this responsibility by teaching us to develop this fallen world as God intended. My interest in renewable energy provided an opportunity to start a company, and even in the uncertainty of such a new venture, I have seen God’s sovereign hand every step of the way.” Cody Ellens (’07), who recently received his master’s degree from Iowa State University, is a co-founder of Avello Bioenergy, a start-up company formed to provide renewable feedstocks for asphalt, fuel, chemical, and soil amendment products through low-cost thermal conversion of biomass.
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Dordt College received the highest rankings of any college in Iowa on several lists in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2011 America’s Best Colleges rankings.
1. Dordt College is
ranked third on the 2011 list of Best Regional Colleges in the Midwest, marking the 19th year in a row Dordt has been on the list and the seventh time the college has placed in the top ten. Last year, Dordt was fourth.
2. For the first time,
Dordt College was named to the “A Strong Commitment to Teaching” list, ranking second among regional colleges. Only two regional colleges out of 319 nationwide were recognized for this distinction, Dordt College and Taylor University.
3. Dordt College was
named to the “Great Schools, Great Prices” list for the fourth consecutive year, earning seventh place among Midwest regional colleges. For this ranking, USN&WR compares academic quality to cost of attendance. “The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal.”
4.
Dordt College was one of ten Midwest regional colleges named to the list “A-plus Schools for B Students,” a category that recognizes highachieving colleges where “nonsuperstars” can thrive and succeed.
Some academic accomplishments to celebrate this year:
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The Douglas and Henrietta (Miedema) Ribbens Academic Complex opens Nursing gets new facilities and its program grows Senior engineering design projects serve local businesses Art and design students win a state competition A new construction management major is introduced
“Teaching with and for Christian vision is an exciting challenge. On a daily basis, my students and I are exploring real questions as we study and celebrate God’s goodness in creating language. We investigate on a practical level: ‘What does it mean for us to be faithful stewards of language in our writing and reading?’ We’re looking for more than ‘head knowledge.’ We’re seeking wisdom that makes a real difference in our day-to-day lives.” Dr. Leah Zuidema teaches English and English education courses. In 2008, she received the Promising Reseacher Award from the National Council of Teachers of English for her study “Give ’Em Some Space: Online Induction Networks for Beginning Teachers.”
Engineers and nurses have perfect licensure pass rates again Kuyper scholars do significant academic work Digital media students assist struggling Christian organizations Education department begins a professional development school A new molecularbiology lab is completed Concert Choir performs at the American Choral Directors Convention
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“What makes Dordt College unique is the cohesion between its curricular and co-curricular programs. Whether it’s exposure to the world’s needs on a PLIA service trip, conversations about worldview in the coffee shop, or discovery of a passion for a new culture while studying abroad, Dordt College fosters a space where learning happens both in and out of the classroom. When I went to the Middle East as a student, the foundation I received at Dordt allowed me to grapple with the challenges of a foreign culture, religion, and place. When I went to Korea after graduation, I faced the challenge of doing what my professors had done: teaching students to serve God obediently in all areas of life. These experiences, and others, helped me to put legs on the education that I received at Dordt.” Linda Van Wyk (’08) is the new coordinator of International Students and Off-Campus Programs. She recently returned to Dordt College after teaching English to Korean university students.
“My favorite experience in biology happened last year on a weekend-long ecology trip. After completing the outdoor prairie lab, Professor De Haan instructed us to spread out across the fifteen acres of space to look at the sunset, the fields, the streams, the flowers, and experience the power of God. It was the most beautiful thirty minutes of my life…to bask in the glory of God’s creation, partake in the stunning sunset, and experience fellowship with the Holy Spirit.”
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Sarah Seymour is a senior environmental studies major and recipient of an Alumni Association scholarship last spring.
The new Kuyper Apartments opened this fall with: Geo-thermal heating and cooling Large windows with expansive views of the prairie Durable, environmentally sustainable building materials Group study, reflection, and relaxation spaces A student-run coffee shop
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Our Finances “As a banker, I’m impressed by the college’s ability to manage its resources in a stewardly and deliberate way.” Joe Van Tol is a banker from Rock Valley, Iowa, and co-chair of the Vision 2020 Campaign.
Dordt College currently has 135 donor-funded scholarships. The 1999-2000 catalog lists 65 donor-funded scholarships. That is an increase of 70 scholarships over 10 years.
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2009-10 Income: $28,304,520
2009-10 Expenditures: $28,345,400 34.3% Instruction
63.9% Net Tuition & Fees
2.5% Public Service 5.5% Academic Support 13.4% Student Services
6.5% Transfers for Capital Exp/ Reserves & Debt Service
22.6% Auxiliary Services: Bookstore, Food Service, Housing 0.5% Investments & Other Income
9.7% Contribution Revenue 1.3% Grants & Contracts
2.0% Educational Sales & Services
17.0% Institutional Support 15.2% Auxiliary Services
5.7% Plant Operation & Maintenance
“I attended public schools my whole life, so Dordt College has been a truly amazing experience for me. Never before have I had teachers who could strengthen my faith in the way that my professors did here at Dordt. I am very grateful that people are willing to provide financial aid so that students have a greater opportunity to gain the faith-based and community-focused education that Dordt provides.” Bethany Vander Zouwen Bakker (’10 ) from Madison, Wisconsin, was the 2009 recipient of the Teachers of Underprivileged Children Scholarship.
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Our Future Our vision for Dordt College students is to inspire commitment and help sharpen their minds. Our view is long and expansive, rooted in our reverence for God’s everlasting relationship to us as our Creator, our Sustainer, and our Redeemer. It makes everything we do, and each idea we consider, lively and important.
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Educational Support Fund Gifts
2008-09
2009-10
Church Ministry Shares and Offerings Dordt College Fund Annually Funded Scholarships Other Operating Gifts
795,027 866,499 260,328 491,901
836,961 885,021 423,440 84,500
Capital Fund Gifts
2008-09
2009-10
Spring Debt Reduction Drive Capital Projects
146,491 1,025,486
132,550 825,776
Other Gifts
2008-09
2009-10
19,080 45,600 304,507
671 10,000 405,857
Donated Property Foundation Grants Miscellaneous
“Coming back to Dordt College after more than a decade away, it’s exciting to see that while there are many new faces on campus, the passion for a shared mission and purpose remains strong. It’s clear that God is at work at Dordt, and I am reminded of this in daily interactions with students and co-workers. It’s inspiring to work in a place that is always looking for new and better ways to educate students so they can live out their desire to glorify God in every part of their lives.” Sonya Jongsma Knauss (‘97), Dordt’s new Director of Marketing and Public Relations, has held positions with Journal Communications in Milwaukee for the past six years, including serving on the editorial board of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Endowment Fund Gifts Faculty Endowment Special Subscriber Fund Bequest and Memorials Endowed Scholarships
Total – All Gift Support
2008-09
2009-10
22,705 12,989 643,788 515,941
14,743 13,612 4,135,185 426,942
$5,150,342 $8,195,258
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“We have often discussed the fact that Christian service in everyday life is sometimes hard to find in the business world and, at times, even in the church. Since such service is near to our heart, and we appreciate and respect students who give of their time and resources to reach out to the world around them, it made sense to us to set up this scholarship. God has blessed us in many ways, and through his grace, we have an opportunity both to support students and to encourage those who live a Christian life every day, wherever God has placed them. This is our small way of encouraging ‘Life Service.’” Tanya (Draayer, ’97) and Syla Baccam (’04), have their home near Dallas, Texas. They and their three children have spent time in seven countries and forty-seven states in the past seven years while Tanya consulted with a variety of organizations, assessing the information security of their computer systems. Syla homeschools the children and manages several properties.
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Dordt’s distinctive mission and contribution to higher education in North America has never been more needed as salt and light in our culture and our world. This fall we launched the Vision 2020 Campaign to ensure that the penetrating light of God’s truth continues to shine in the lives of Dordt College graduates throughout this decade and beyond. John Baas, Vice President for College Advancement, looks forward to meeting many friends of Dordt College at Vision 2020 events this year.
The Vision 2020 Campaign will make a Dordt College education affordable to more students, enable our faculty to stay current in their fields and deepen their understanding of how God works in their disciplines, and update facilities in which students prepare to become engaged and transforming professionals.
498 Fourth Avenue NE Sioux Center, Iowa 51250-1606 www.dordt.edu