This was the first outcome of a visioning process that helped us prepare for our next strategic plan. Our campus community gathered to talk about our challenges and opportunities in light of our strengths and our identity as an institution. Ultimately, we asked, “What will Calvin look like in 2030?”
As a result of community conversations, we created the following 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.
Three ways we’ll grow
Calvin’s 2030 vision is full of innovation and possibilities. And while the details of this vision, and the path to achieve it, will be the job of the next strategic plan, we are excited about the vision’s three areas of focus:
University status
Calvin took the initial step in 2019 to become known as Calvin University. But this transition is about much more than a name change. Discussions are already underway about what structural and governance changes will help us expand what we do well and experiment with new directions.
In many ways the college had already operated like a university, in organization and caliber. Renaming our institution as a university enhances our reputation and more accurately reflects the depth and variety of our educational work to external audiences.
Trusted partner
Calvin University aims to grow as a trusted partner. We desire to be a sought-after source for knowledge and resources for curious learners all over the globe. We want to be able to come alongside groups of all different Christian traditions, all over the world and ask how we can best partner with them to promote flourishing in the world.
Historically, the Calvin community has had a deep expertise in a variety of areas that can be matched with needs in our city, in our nation, and places across the globe. In the coming years we will redouble our efforts to seek mutually beneficial relationships with communities and institutions to promote redemption, justice, and the truth of Christ.
We want to be able to come alongside groups from all different Christian traditions, in all cultural and global contexts, and ask how we can best partner with them to promote flourishing in the world.
Reformed identity
Calvin University aims to become the source for Reformed Christian thinking in the world. While it may be countercultural, we believe with all our heart that the world needs a Reformed Christian transformational vision.
Calvin has long aspired to honor God’s sovereignty over all things and to work in and under the broad, covenantal reach of Scripture. To that end, we are expanding on our commitment to teach from a Reformed Christian perspective to become a resource for Reformed Christian thought leadership.