Presidential Inaugurations Set
Two new college presidents, Michael K. Le Roy (pictured above left) at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Erik Hoekstra (above right) at Dordt College in Sioux Center Iowa, will both be inaugurated in ceremonies later this month.
Le Roy will be officially installed as the 10th president of Calvin College during a ceremony that starts at 2 p.m. on Oct. 20 in the college’s Van Noord Arena.
Hoekstra will be inaugurated as the fourth president of Dordt College during an event scheduled for 11 a.m. on Oct. 19 in Dordt’s B.J. Haan Auditorium.
Le Roy, who has been serving as president since early this summer, replaces Gaylen Byker, who had been president for 17 years.
Calvin’s inauguration will be the culmination of Inauguration Week, nine days' worth of festivities with the theme, "Together, we offer our hearts to you, Lord."
Calvin's provost Claudia Beversluis, the co-chair of the inaugural committee, says the committee and Le Roy chose this theme to cast their shared vision for Calvin College.
"Michael has already shown himself to be a person who places a high value on listening and learning from students, faculty and staff," said Beversluis.
Le Roy began his tenure on July 2 following a 12-month presidential search process that culminated in June with ratification by Synod 2012 of the Christian Reformed Church of
North America.
Before coming to Calvin, Le Roy served as provost and executive vice president at Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash.
Le Roy is a 1989 Whitworth graduate with majors in international studies and peace studies. He earned his PhD in political science at Vanderbilt University in 1994 and taught at Wheaton College before returning to his alma mater in 2002.
He and his wife, Andrea Nelson Le Roy, have three children: son Dana and daughters Hannah and Astrid.
On Oct. 19, Hoekstra will present the Inaugural Address “On the Edge of Our Seats.”
Participants in the program will include student musicians, faculty and staff representatives of Dordt College, along with audience participation in liturgy and song.
Hoekstra replaces Carl E. Zylstra who was named president in 1996 and served until the conclusion of the 2011-12 academic year.
Born in Grand Rapids, Hoekstra is no stranger to the role of president of a Christian college. His father served as president of Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Ill., when he was growing up, and his father-in-law was president of Trinity during his college years.
Hoekstra received his bachelor’s degree from Trinity Christian College, his master’s degree from The Rotterdam School of Management of Erasmus University in the Netherlands, and his Phd from Iowa State University.
Most recently, Hoekstra served as the Dordt College provost, during which time programs in nursing, engineering, and agriculture had grown substantially, and new programs in worship arts, construction management, and actuarial science began.
Hoekstra is married to Barb Hoekstra, an education professor at Dordt College. Their family is a blend of biological and adopted children and includes Arie, 17, Max, 16, Karl, 15, and Zoe, 13.
