One of the joys of the spring semester is that I get to speak at the first chapel in January. This year, it happened to coincide with the inauguration of President Joe Biden; as our worship team welcomed students with praise songs, Biden had been president for about two minutes. Given the date and time of day, I reminded our …
Looking the World Back to Grace: The Art of Sara de Waal
A year before she finished her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Sara de Waal (’14) looked at a task that seemed both gigantic and impossible: to finish her degree, she needed to write a book. Eventually, she did just that, and successfully. One story from that book, “Cecilia and Richard,” recently won a …
Providence in Loss: Remembering Seth Vande Kamp
Donald Roth is an associate professor of criminal justice at Dordt University and is the brother-in-law of Seth Vande Kamp, who was killed in a helicopter crash at Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in November 2020. When someone is taken from us in the prime of their life, part of our grief comes from the painful dissonance we feel between the tremendous …
Quarantine Chronicles
Last fall, more than 510 students spent time in isolation or quarantine—nearly one-third of Dordt’s student body. Although they have lessened, periods of isolation and quarantine are still with us during the spring semester as the Covid-19 pandemic continues. As of early March, 52 students have been in isolation or quarantine already this semester. For students who must quarantine—a practice …
Professional Experience
All professors are academically trained but, in some majors, it’s also important for professors to have worked in a profession related to what they teach. Professional experience is particularly helpful in majors like computer science, criminal justice, business, and social work. Experiencing firsthand what it’s like to be a social worker or a law enforcement officer allows professors to apply …
Studying Abroad during a Pandemic
What’s it like to study abroad during a pandemic? Daniel Moe and Yage Wang found that it’s not easy, but it can be worth the challenge. Moe and Wang were the only Dordt students to study outside of the United States this year. In December when Moe arrived at a connecting flight in Atlanta en route to London, his phone …
Rewiring for Diversity
Every Friday at 11 a.m., a group of mask-clad students, faculty, and staff meet in a small glass classroom in the Ribbens Academic Complex. Art Professor Matt Drissell welcomes them before settling down and pulling out an underlined, Post It-filled copy of Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Antiracist. Drissell is leading one of four discussion groups on Kendi’s …
Bartels Pens “Suite 2020”
Joseph Bartels’ (’20) musical composition “Suite 2020” had its debut performance by Dordt University’s Chamber Orchestra during the Fall Festival of Music last October. Bartels says “Suite 2020” is a response to a time of change and painful transition in his life during 2020. Last year, Bartels felt pretty certain about his future. He had completed his worship arts degree …
Advancing with Avid
This spring, 16 students taking Advanced Video Editing are doing high-end editing on Avid Media Composer. Why does this matter? “Avid is the industry leader for post-production platforms,” says Digital Media Instructor Mark Volkers, adding that approximately 85 percent of what we watch on TV and in theatres is cut on the Avid Media Composer platform. “For students to leave …
Helping God’s Children Thrive
Every person is made in God’s image, and so when we honor that image, it means we celebrate each person as they are and come alongside them to help them learn how to live their life to the fullest,” says Sarah Hawley, clinical director of the Thrive Center for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). “We can honor God as creator when …