NR #1995-3: For Immediate Release Calvin College Reverses Five Year Enrollment Decline [GRAPH OF ENROLLMENT AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST] by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer Reformed Believers Press Service GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (January 4, 1995) RBPS - Following a precipitous five year slide in which the Christian Reformed denominational college lost 780 students - almost twenty percent of its student body - this year's first semester enrollment figures for Calvin College indicate a modest gain of 112 students for a total student body of 3842. While the 1994 figure is far below the 1988 peak of 4505 students, it is comparable to the average enrollments at Calvin College during the late 1970's which generally ranged between 3600 and 4000 students. Phil De Haan, director of media relations at Calvin College, attributed the upswing in enrollment to a combination of two primary factors: more available graduating high school students and an aggressive campaign to attract students from outside the Christian Reformed denomination. "We are trying to reach out to mainline denominations which we think would have an affinity for what Calvin is all about," said De Haan. "In the past Calvin was pretty much exclusively CRC, in the seventies about 90 percent; it's now 60-40. We have good faculty, good resources, and the Reformed worldview we have is applicable to people who are not CRC." De Haan cited the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Reformed Church in America as two examples of denominations whose young people are being recruited to attend Calvin. "We are trying to say, 'Here's Calvin College, this is who we are, and if you want to get more information you can call us on our toll-free number and we'll tell you more," De Haan said. "Twenty years ago Calvin pretty much focussed on the CRC and didn't reach out to other denominations. Not to criticize what we were or weren't doing in the past, but if you've got a good product you don't want to hide your light under a bushel." One side effect of the renewed enrollment is that Calvin was able to partially reopen a dormitory which was closed several years ago due to lack of enrollment. Kaalsbeek-Huizenga, an ultramodern residence hall built during the boom years of the mid-1980's, was closed due to lack of enrollment a few years after it opened and converted into a conference center. Calvin also compensated for the enrollment decline by reducing the number of students per apartment in the Knollcrest East complex from six to five. However, Calvin has gotten used to having a conference center and is not entirely sure it wants to give it up. "From my perspective what Calvin did with Kaalsbeek-Huizenga was pretty innovative," said De Haan. "The old saying is when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. A lot of people would say this is a terrible situation, we have to shut the whole dorm down, and it is a credit to the administration that they can look at this and come up with a conference center." According to De Haan, if enrollment continues to pick up by about 100 students per year, Calvin will reopen the entire Kaalsbeek-Huizenga dorm and look at other options for conference housing. "The groups that have availed themselves of the conference center have had nothing but glowing reports," said De Haan. "Obviously the building is first of all a residence unit and we will need to see what we can do about creating a conference center." Contact List: Phil De Haan, Director of Media Relations, Calvin College 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 * O: (616) 957-6000 * F: (616) 957-8551 * E-Mail: DEHP@Calvin.edu ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr95-003.txt .