On October 19, my father, Dennis Hoekstra, celebrated his 90th birthday by visiting us here at Dordt University. Over the weekend, we played nine holes of golf, hunted pheasants near his boyhood home in South Dakota, and cheered the Defender football team to a win. My father held many leadership roles in Christian non-profit organizations, including serving as Trinity Christian …
Creativity and Covid-19
In late April, as the Covid-19 pandemic wore on, Dordt University announced plans to reopen for the fall semester. “Our goal is to provide face-to-face instruction, with residential hall life, community dining, and the full spectrum of co-curricular activities, including athletics, fine arts, clubs, and cultural events,” wrote President Erik Hoekstra in his letter “Planning for the Fall Semester.” To …
It’s All in the Data if You Know Where to Look
When deciding where to attend college, high school students and their parents consider a variety of factors: a great campus visit experience, out-of-pocket costs, conversations with faculty members, opinions of friends and family. They also rely on a variety of other data, whether through third-party college rankings like U.S. News and World Report or self-reported statistics like the student-to-faculty ratio. …
The Hope Fund
The Hope Fund began with a vision: how might Dordt University help current students who had financial hardships due to the Covid-19 pandemic? “Our goal is to make it possible for every student to complete their degree at Dordt,” says Harlan Harmelink (’85), director of financial aid. “We want to send a message of hope to our students.” Defender Nation …
Kuyper Honors Program
On Fridays at 3 p.m., 33 students briefly gather in the Kuyper Honors Room before breaking into smaller, socially distanced group discussions both in the Hulst Library and the Eckardt Lounge. This is the seminar portion of the Kuyper Honors Program 110 course. The students have their fair share of readings this semester: Wisdom and Wonder by Abraham Kuyper, Liturgy …
All “Into the Fire”
As protests for racial justice mounted across the nation and the world this summer, the Dordt football team considered what it means to tackle the topic of race not only as a team but as Christians. “In order to do effective kingdom work, you have to run into fires—into places that are uncomfortable, in order to be a voice and …
Covid-19 Forces Changes to Experiential Learning Plans
The Covid-19 pandemic has paused many people’s plans. But for three Dordt seniors, the pandemic simply changed their plans and, in the process, gave them new learning opportunities. Julia Yoder, a business major, had planned to head to Fresno, California, for an internship with Amazon. She’d subleased an apartment and started researching which national parks she’d visit when she got …
Strategizing the Plan
Where is Dordt University going, and how are we living out our mission and vision? That’s what a strategic plan represents, says Dr. Leah Zuidema, vice president for academic affairs. “Our strategic plan gives us a direction to aim for,” says Zuidema. “It is meant to be aspirational—to stretch us beyond where we are now.” “With the strategic plan, we …
Being Dordt during COVID-19
When Dordt students and faculty left for spring break on March 6, they planned to come back to campus to finish off the spring semester. Because of COVID-19, a coronavirus that caused a worldwide pandemic of respiratory illness, those plans changed. On March 12, Dordt announced that spring break would be extended by a week and that classes would be …
Chemistry Majors Set Sights on Graduate School
Of the seven chemistry majors who graduated from Dordt University this year, five are heading to graduate school in the fall. Marcus Van Engen will attend graduate school in Pittsburgh to study organic chemistry. Abbey Bos is headed to Iowa State University for veterinary school. Evangeline Colarossi will earn a master’s degree in material science engineering at Colorado State University. …