2002
The Voice: Spring 2002
Faculty News
The professional involvements of Dordt faculty members outside the classroom reveal Dordt’s commitment
to provide educational leadership in the Christian community as well as among its
own students.
By sharing these activities, we hope to provide fellow Christians with further resources,
ideas, and encouragement as they work to be of service in Christ’s kingdom.
On March 16, Dr. Tony Jelsma, assistant professor of biology, spoke at Northwestern
College in Orange City, Iowa, on nerve regeneration. The presentation was part of
a “Brain Awareness Day” at Northwestern.
Dr. John Visser, professor of business, was a visiting scholar at the Harbin
Institute of Technology in Harbin, China, over spring break. The Harbin Institute of
Technology is the tenth ranked university in China. Visser led six sessions on
economic development.
Dr. Calvin Jongsma, professor of mathematics, was a panel member for a ninety-minute
session titled “Mathematics in a Postmodern Age” at the annual joint meetings of
the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America held in San
Diego on January 8. The other three panelists were from other Christian colleges
(Calvin, Trinity, Westmont); all of the panelists are also members of the Association
of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences. The session was a spin-off from the
book Mathematics in a Postmodern Age: A Christian Perspective, to which all four
presenters had contributed chapters.
Dr. Paul Otto, associate professor of history, gave a presentation, “Europeans and Native
Americans on the Frontier: Towards a New Understanding of Culture and Cultural Change,”
at the meeting of the American Historical Association held in San Francisco on
January 5, 2002. Otto also spoke on “Teaching History as Creational Development: Constructing
a History Curriculum in Light of a Reformed Perspective,” at a Covenant College
History Department Symposium on April 5.
Dr. James Schaap, professor of English, visited Christian high schools in Sioux Falls,
South Dakota; Pease, Minnesota; and Ontario, California. He spoke to students about writing
and read from his work. He is presently judging a state-wide competition in
Wisconsin to select the best novel by a Wisconsin writer.
Schaap contributed a chapter on the Christian writer and realism titled “When a
Spider is Only a Spider” to The Christian Imagination, Leland Ryken, Ed., Shaw
Books, 2002. In addition, his currently in-progress novel Things Hoped For, Things Not
Seen is being serialized over the next two years in The Banner and
is available online as the chapters are published at www.thebanner.org.
“That Morning, on the Prairie,” an essay on the September terrorist attacks that
appeared in the Des Moines Register in January, was reprinted in Image and
was selected for a state-wide exhibition of the various arts titled “Beyond 9-11:
The Art of Renewal” in Iowa. The exhibition features 105 entries from fifty-seven
artists, musicians, and writers.
Education Professors Pam Adams and Jenny Van Ry attended The Learning Disabilities Association
of America Conference from February 13-16 in Denver, Colorado. Adams and Van Ry
received stipends of $1000 and waived registration expenses because they represent both regular
education and special education and so have an interest in making sure that
all students are aware of the special needs of students with learning disabilities.
They were one of nine teams of college professors awarded the stipend based
on a proposal they wrote.
Mary Lou Wielenga, adjunct keyboard instructor, performed on Dordt’s Casavant organ for the
Northwest Iowa Choral Association High School Honors Festival concert held on campus on
February 4. She has served as guest organist for the honors choir since
1994.
David Versluis, assistant professor of art, recently had his color photograph, “Kalkaska” accepted
for publication in the 2002 spring issue of the Briar Cliff Review, a
fine arts publication affiliated with Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa.
On February 14 and 15, Dr. John Van Dyk, director of the Center
for Educational Services, conducted a two-day retreat for the board and staff of
Manhattan Christian Schools in Manhattan, Montana. The topic was: Celebrating the gifts and
meeting the needs of all of our students.
Dr. John Kok, professor of philosophy and dean of the humanities, was one
of two main presenters at the 1st annual H.E. Runner Consultation in Philosophy
held at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto on February 15.
Kok also presented a poster titled “Responsible Ecology: Knowing the mind of God
when it comes to environmental ethics” at the Ecology, Theology, and Judeo-Christian Environmental
Ethics conference at University of Notre Dame from February 21-24, 2002. The graphic
work on the three-by-eight-foot poster was done by sophomore Reuben Vander Kwaak.
Social Work Professor Jim Vanderwoerd’s paper “Is the Newer Deal a Better Deal?
Government Funding of Faith-Based Social Services” appeared in the Winter 2002 issue of
Christian Scholar's Review.
“Jocund Day,” a poem by Dr. Mike Vanden Bosch, professor emeritus of English—and
current adjunct, will appear in the spring issue of the Briar Cliff Review.
Three of his poems will also be printed in a handbook for Chinese
teachers used by the English Language Institute China (ELIC).
