Ministry Shares Keep Calvin Affordable

As college tuition costs continue to soar, Ministry Shares are helping to ensure that Calvin College remains an affordable option for students coming from Christian Reformed congregations across North America.

Nearly 2,000 Calvin students who are members of CRC churches received almost $6 million in need-based financial assistance from the college in 2010-11, $2.6 million of which comes from denominational Ministry Shares.

The figure is one that remarkably has remained very consistent over the years, says Henry DeVries, Calvin’s vice president for administration, finance and information services.

Important to note, however, is that Calvin students aren’t the only ones who are receiving assistance. Many areas of the US and Canada receive a reduction in "ministry shares requested" so the churches in these areas may also provide support to other Reformed colleges in their local area.

But Calvin students make up a significant portion of those who are being helped.

At Calvin, figures from the 2010-11 academic year show that 1,921 CRC students received assistance, with higher amounts of aid being given to students who demonstrate a need for more funding based on financial hardship, DeVries said.

For college officials, the mission is simple.

“It all comes down to the students and making Calvin College affordable,” DeVries said. “We know we’re not the only college that serves the denomination, but we take the responsibility (of keeping costs affordable) very seriously.”

Canadian students received twice the percentage of assistance, based on commuting costs and the fact that they aren’t eligible for financial aid from the U.S. federal government. While Canadian students tend to receive more funding, there aren’t nearly as many students coming to Calvin from Canada, compared to areas like West Michigan, Chicago and Iowa.

Of all of the geographic regions represented, Alberta and British Columbia had the smallest number, with 14 students traveling to Calvin for their education.

Calvin continues to depend on funding from denominational Ministry Shares to benefit its students. Although the college adds $4.6 million in need-based assistance for CRC students to what it receives from Ministry Shares, DeVries said the CRC’s commitment to the college remains at the highest level.

Michael Le Roy, whose appointment as Calvin’s new president was ratified by Synod 2012, said in his interview there that affordability remains a top priority, adding that continuing support from the denomination also means ensuring that the college remains true to the principles on which it was founded.

In the 12 years DeVries has served as Calvin’s chief financial officer, he has seen the college receive close to 100 percent of its denominational Ministry Shares every year.

One reason why? Familiarity.

“I think (churches) feel like they have a direct link or tie to the college because when they see Calvin, they see local faces,” DeVries said. “I think that something that really helps.

“It’s not like we’re out there advertising more than anyone else or out beating the bushes, but we continue to have a strong connection to the congregations from which our students are coming from.”

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