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On Thursday, October 20, Dr. Donald Sinnema, professor of theology, presented his ARIHE lecture “Heaven: Is It Part of Creation?” to students and faculty at Trinity.
Association of Reformed Institutions of Higher Education (ARIHE) lecturers like Sinnema are selected from member institutions and are established scholars whose works model the type of scholarship that is distinctive at these colleges. Other Trinity ARIHE lecturers have included Dr. Brad Breems, professor of sociology, and Dr. Michael Vander Weele ’73, professor of English.
Sinnema’s ARIHE lectures focus on two topics related to misconceptions in popular eschatology.
“Heaven: Is it Part of Creation?” challenges the popular Christian conception that heaven is an eternal spiritual or celestial realm that is outside of creation, a realm that includes God, angels, and the souls of deceased believers.
“Time and Eternity: Will Believers Enter Eternity?” challenges the popular Christian view of time and eternity that time extends from creation to the last judgment (the “end of time”) and that eternity in some way surrounds time since it was there “before” time, extends “over” time, and will continue “after” the end of time.
“In my lecture, I wanted to challenge the common notion that heaven is an eternal spiritual realm outside of creation,” said Sinnema. “There are no grammatical or other good grounds in Scripture to distinguish between the singular heaven and the plural heavens, as if only the heavens or skies were created.
“My main point was that heaven is indeed part of God’s creation and that it has a history—in the beginning it was created, it is part of the fallen creation, and in the end it will also be renewed as the new heaven envisioned by John in the book of Revelation.”
About Dr. Sinnema
Dr. Sinnema is an internationally recognized scholar on the Canons of Dort. His understanding of and support for Reformed Christian higher education permeate his scholarship.
Sinnema has served as professor of theology at Trinity since 1987. He has published many scholarly papers and a book about the founding of Trinity Christian College (1952-1960) titled If We Begin with Christ.
He earned a master’s in philosophy at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto, Canada.
Trinity nursing students recently talked with senior citizens attending the Behind the Headlines class offered through the Seasoned Adults Learning at Trinity (SALT) program.
The class, taught by retired Cook County Sheriff Tom Panush, covers local, national, and international news topics.
With health care a timely topic and the flu season approaching, nursing students presented information about strokes and about conditions such as flu and shingles that more adversely affect the senior population.
Tina Decker ’06, assistant professor of nursing, introduced the student speakers and was also available to answer questions from class attendees.
Student presenters were:
Peggy Flynn ’13 of Evergreen Park, Illinois
Meghan Lyons ’12 of Oak Lawn, Illinois
Michelle Marcheschi ’13 of Alsip, Illinois
Christina Vrba ’12 of Worth, Illinois
When alumna Carrie Timmermans ’11 decided to take a break between graduating from Trinity and starting graduate school, she never predicted that break would bring her back to her alma mater.
Timmermans, who graduated with a theology and English double major, is a member of Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), a branch of AmeriCorps that is devoted to fighting poverty through indirect service. AmeriCorps is a government program of the Corporation of National and Community Service that mobilizes individuals and/or groups to serve their local communities in numerous capacities.
As a VISTA member, Timmermans committed to serving full-time for one year at a nonprofit organization where her efforts would be focused on strengthening community and creating business. VISTA members help fight poverty through developing service-learning opportunities and encouraging involvement in community.
“I wanted to do something constructive during my break from school and began to search for different opportunities working or serving in the area of development,” said Timmermans. “I applied to various AmeriCorps positions, and found myself back at Trinity, working in the Office of Community Partnerships and Service Learning.”
Timmermans works as coordinator of the Students in Service program, connecting students to outreach opportunities. She also works with the office’s director Anna Rosas ’06 to encourage, plan, and incorporate service-learning opportunities into Trinity curriculum.
One particular Trinity experience, Timmermans said, prepared her for working with VISTA.
“My final semester at Trinity, I enrolled in Chicago Semester and had the opportunity to intern at the New Community Warming Center, a daytime homeless shelter,” Timmermans said. “This experience really shaped me personally and gave me the final assurance that I wanted to move toward a career resembling social work.”
The real-life experiences of Chicago Semester, combined with her Trinity education, were extremely influential in forming Timmermans’ love of community and service.
“During Chicago Semester, I put into practice all I heard and learned from my classes at Trinity about the importance of community,” Timmermans reflected. “I like to think that my theology classes laid the foundation for what I experienced when I went to Chicago Semester. I was reminded time and time again as I interned that great things can happen when a community comes together.”
Students in studio art and communication arts classes recently took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather for a field trip to Chicago to study various forms of messaging in the city.
Dr. Craig Mattson, professor of communication arts; Ellen Browning, assistant professor of art and design; and Dayton Castleman, assistant professor of art and design, accompanied students to Chicago to examine and discuss public spaces and art, along with the plethora of advertising and rhetoric found in the city.
The cross-disciplinary field trip encouraged all students to reflect on the amount of advertising produced in our culture and what such public messaging does.
“We often don’t give daily attention to the advertising that surrounds us,” said senior business communication major Karlie Monsma ’12 of Pella, Iowa. “On this field trip, my eyes were focused on every piece of text and image that surrounded us downtown, all trying to sell or persuade us in some way.”
“Our communications class works to find symbols and words that arbitrarily connect a symbol to our mind, creating a specific meaning,” added business finance major Zachary Thomas ’14 of Bradenton, Florida. “In downtown Chicago, there are millions of these symbols and words.”
For students, the field trip provided a strong connection between classes at Trinity and the Christian worldview and their application in the professional arena.
“While in Chicago, I recognized that our faith-based opinions and knowledge can allow us to apply our meta-narrative story of creation, fall, redemption, and new creation to messaging around us,” said Monsma. “We can all be redemptive in recognizing issues or problems with the messaging around us and try to redeem messages to be more pleasing to God.”
A busy Homecoming weekend at Trinity welcomed 300 alumni to campus on October 8.
Athletics and Troll Trot
The 80-degree fall day got off to a competitive start with alumni men’s and women’s soccer matches and the 5K Troll Trot. Played against the current varsity teams on the new Route 83 soccer fields, both alumni teams walked away with a win. Later that day, both the men’s and women’s soccer teams faced off against Illinois Institute of Technology. The Lady Trolls were able to capture a 2-1 win, while the men fell 0-1 to the Scarlet Hawks.
The Troll Trot welcomed more than 80 participants, ranging from alumni to current students, faculty, staff, and a Student Association team. Joey Lerner ’10 took first place for the men, and Rebecca Vannette ’15 of Washington, Illinois, snatched the title for the women.
Special alumni gatherings
Also included in the day were opportunities within certain programs for alumni to reconnect. A business and accounting breakfast took place during the morning and featured a panel discussion titled “Maintaining a Distinctively Christian Identity in Business.” The education department, in celebration of its 40th anniversary, hosted an education alumni reception.
The afternoon featured a luncheon honoring the 2011 Alumni of the Year Award recipients: Dr. Michael Vander Weele ’73, professor of English; Sanda Carra, former staff member; Grace Huitsing, former professor of English; and Dean and Ruth Koldenhoven, friends of the College.
TARC and nursing lab open houses
Alumni enjoyed an open house for the new Trinity Athletics and Recreation Complex, completed at the end of this summer. Visitors were given the opportunity to view the De Vos gymnasium and other amenities offered by the new facility.
A dedication ceremony was held for the renovated nursing lab, named after former department chair Cynthia Sander. The modernized simulation lab “has given new life to the program with the ability to provide all students with the simulations experiences that support their nursing classes throughout the curriculum,” said Dr. Laurel Quinn, associate professor of nursing and department chair. “There is a high level of excitement with the opportunities to learn and grow into the role of the professional nurse.”
Class of 1971
Trinity also hosted a Class of 1971 reunion, celebrating the first class to graduate with four-year degrees after the College transitioned from a two-year program. The reunion welcomed more than 40 attendees.
“I enjoyed seeing the tremendous development that has taken place since then,” said Mark Dykstra ’71. “In our years at Trinity, we learned to read both sympathetically and critically, to think in a structured manner, and to write with clarity and conviction. Our professors helped us face Western history and learning with a confidence rooted in our Reformed Christian heritage. I will always be grateful to God for my excellent Trinity education.”
Seerveld’s Ecclesiastes
Homecoming came to a close with a sold-out performance of former Trinity professor Dr. Calvin Seerveld’s theatrical interpretation Ecclesiastes in the Marg Kallemeyn Theatre. The original and engaging dramatization is a dialogue among various, frequently opposing voices, accompanied by live music.
During an open house on October 8, the newly constructed nursing laboratory, combined with the previous nursing department area, was officially dedicated and named the Cynthia Sander Nursing Lab. Dr. Sander served as chair of the department from 1993-2005.
Those attending the dedication ceremony included Sander, former and current faculty and administration, alumni, current students, and community members supportive of Trinity nursing education. A highlight of the event was the ribbon cutting ceremony led by Sander, President Steve Timmermans, Ph.D., and Nursing Student Organization President Dana Bush ’12 of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Located in the former computer lab space on the first floor of the Classroom Building, the state-of-the art addition contains two lab spaces for junior and senior students to practice the skills they are learning and two high-tech simulation labs. The simulation laboratories contain standard nursing equipment as well as high-fidelity simulation manikins, which can realistically exhibit nearly any symptom and are able to automatically respond to intervention. New offices accommodate more nursing faculty members hired to serve the rising number of nursing students.
“During the reception, those attending were amazed at the capabilities of the Sim Man 3G manikin, when he spoke, seized, and cried,” said Dr. Laurel Quinn, current chair of the nursing department. “His presence truly enhances the ability to teach and learn in the lab and will support the education of safe, competent, professional Christian nurses now and in the future, just as Dr. Sander envisioned.”
In this environment, nursing faculty can ensure that all students are exposed to the same broad range of nursing scenarios using actual medical equipment and are more thoroughly prepared for real-life clinical situations.
“Nursing students and faculty feel so blessed by the provision of the new lab facility and eagerly anticipate the high fidelity simulation learning opportunities that will support their clinical practice,” said Quinn. “The students are so positive, and there is a high energy level of excitement among those already using the new lab.”
The College is grateful to those who have pledged their financial support to this vital project.
The Seasoned Adults Learning at Trinity (SALT) welcomed guest speaker and Social Security expert Laura Feldman to the “Behind the Headlines” course offering.
Class attendees were engaged as Feldman presented essential information with energy and humor. Starting with Politics 101, she explained the differences between Republicans and Democrats and moved on to two subjects of special importance to senior citizens, Social Security and Medicare.
Attendees enjoyed the presentation and participated throughout, posing questions and offering feedback.
The six-week SALT course covers local, national, and international news. Class members join in lively conversations led by instructor Tom Panush, a retired Cook County sheriff.
For more information about the SALT program and classes, visit the SALT webpage or contact Ruth De Bruyn at 708.239.4827 or ruth.debruyn@trnty.edu.
About Laura Feldman
Laura Feldman brings her skills as a teacher to educating senior groups and activists across the country. She is a native Washingtonian where politics is a local sport. Demystifying politics, personalizing it, and making it fun are her goals.
She has been a grassroots organizer for the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare for the past 20 years. The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare is a non partisan advocacy organization supported by membership.
Prior to coming to the National Committee, she organized national programming for the National Science Foundation under a special education grant, which propelled her out of the classroom and into the public arena.
At an open house on October 5, the Faculty Development Committee recognized this year’s Summer Research Grant award recipients and the work accomplished during faculty sabbaticals.
Dr. Mark Peters, professor of music, and Dr. Patti Powell, professor of education and a Fulbright Scholar, shared their experiences of their recent sabbaticals.
Several faculty members received grants in order to further develop their knowledge and expertise in their disciplines through various means of research and scholarship. Each professor briefly presented a summary of their work and experiences.
Sabbaticals
One project during the sabbatical of Dr. Mark Peters, professor of music, involved travel to Germany on a William H. Scheide Research Grant from the American Bach Society to research the Magnificat cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries. Peters focused his research on the settings of the Magnificat text in German. The final goal of this research is a monograph titled “The German Magnificat from Martin Luther to J.S. Bach.”
As a Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Patti Powell, professor of education, assisted with the development of the new deaf education program at Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in Montego Bay, Jamaica from January through May 2011. In addition, she introduced service learning into the education department curriculum and researched how service learning enriches the experience of teacher. Powell documented her journey through her blog: http://pattipowell.wordpress.com/
Summer Research Grant projects
John Bakker, professor of art—Art as a social situation: The role of the viewer in meaning construction
Bakker produced the sixth in a series of large-scale paintings that have explored the role of the viewer in interacting and constructing the meaning of works of art.
Dr. David Brodnax, associate professor of history—Archival Research on the 60th United States Colored Infantry
Brodnax examined the pension files and widow’s pension files of the 60th United States Colored Infantry, an African American army regiment formed in Iowa during the American Civil War. This regiment plays a central role in his book manuscript, Breathing the Freedom’s Air: The African American Struggle for Equal Citizenship in Iowa, 1830-1900 which has an anticipated completion date of 2012.
Dr. Clay Carlson, assistant professor of biology—Investigation of the specificity non-specific DNA binding
Carlson, in collaboration with colleagues, is compiling data into a manuscript for publication that sheds light on the process of non-specific DNA binding.
Dr. Dick Cole ’79, professor of psychology—Case Studies for Introduction to Psychology: A Companion Workbook for Introduction to Psychology Courses
Cole is creating a workbook that will offer various case studies that correspond with chapters and topics often found in Introduction to Psychology textbooks. The workbook will give suggestions on how to use these case studies to help make the material in these chapters more relevant for students.
Dr. Karen Dieleman, assistant professor of English—Elizabeth Barrett and the Greek Christian Poets
Dieleman completed the revisions to her book manuscript that followed from the press readers’ reports earlier in the year. The manuscript (Religious Imaginaries: The Liturgical and Poetic Practices of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Christina Rossetti and Adelaide Procter)was submitted to Ohio University Press for future publication. .
Dr. Aron Reppmann ’92, associate professor of philosophy—A translation of Johan Stellingwerff’s Geschiedenis van de Reformatorische Wijsbegeerte
In the spring 2011 semester, Reppmann used his draft translation of the book (A History of Reformational Philosophy) as one of the major texts in his course Philosophy 310: Reformational Philosophy. His summer work involved reviewing and revising the text to prepare it for submission to Paideia Press.
Dr. Don Sinnema, professor of theology—Synod of Dort Manuscripts
Sinnema’s project consisted of two closely related parts:To take leadership in organizing a decade-long project to publish a critical edition of all extant manuscripts of the Synod of Dort (1618-19) in a multi-volume series; and to continue working on an ongoing collaborative project to prepare a critical edition of the early drafts of the Canons of Dort and related documents.
Dr. Yudha Thianto, professor of theology—Educating the Young: Catechism and Reading Materials as Tools to Transplant Calvinism in the Dutch East Indies in the Early Seventeenth Century
Thianto traveled to the Netherlands to study how basic teachings of Calvinism were taught to young people in the East Indies in the early seventeenth century. He is also writing a book on the subject of the transplantation of Calvinism in the East Indies.
Dr. Michael Vander Weele ’73, professor of English—Homer, Hesiod, and Rhetorical Aesthetics in the Ancient Mediterranean World
Study of this ancient literature, an offshoot of Vander Weele’s work at the Seminar on Hesiod & the Homeric Songs co-sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges and the Center for Hellenic Studies last year, will show a closer connection than is usually considered between ancient rhetoric and ancient poetry.
Dr. Deborah Windes, assistant professor of business—Online Education as a Disruption in Higher Education
“In the research I am doing on why online initiatives succeed or fail under different conditions, I am looking at both institutional factors that influence the success of online initiatives, as well as faculty perceptions of online education,” said Dr. Deborah L. Windes, assistant professor of business. “This is helpful as Trinity explores blended, or hybrid, courses, as well as how technology can assist faculty in the classroom.”
Students, staff, and fellow faculty members can view the library display, designed by Sarah Hoeksema ’10, library administrative assistant, which includes portraits of each professor and synopses of their art, research, and findings.
Since the time Jennifer Vander Veen ’12, a nursing major from Alton, Iowa, was a junior in high school, she held onto the goal of attaining and completing an externship with Mayo Clinic.
This past summer, her goal was achieved as Vander Veen made a temporary move from northwest Iowa to Arizona for a summer at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix.
As a worldwide leader in health care, Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization that assisted more than 1 million patients in 2010. Mayo is also accredited with providing high-quality research and education opportunities for employees, as well as students preparing to enter the medical field.
At the Phoenix location, Vander Veen spent three days per week working alongside a registered nurse as an extern on the hospital’s Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant floor, focusing on learning to provide direct patient care. Vander Veen’s responsibilities varied from taking vital signs, to running chemotherapy, to admitting or discharging patients.
One particular responsibility, Vander Veen noted, helped her practice skills beyond medicinal expertise.
“During the mid-mornings, I would give patient updates to the attending physician, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, and we would discuss the patient’s care plan,” said Vander Veen. “This was something that I didn’t have a lot of exposure to until I started taking on my own patients at Mayo, and it devoted my attention to how critical communication skills are in nursing.”
Having this opportunity before her senior year at Trinity, Vander Veen acquired some important skills to take into her final semesters.
“I learned a lot about organizing my patient care for the day,” Vander Veen said. “Organization is crucial in nursing, and I became much more efficient in my charting and plan of care for the day. I feel like this was a huge confidence booster coming into my last year of school.”
More important, Vander Veen said her experience with Mayo Clinic has redefined her views of the nursing major, and she recognizes how her time at Trinity is preparing her for life after graduation.
“Nursing as a major isn’t about passing a bunch of tests; the tests just keep me accountable for learning and incorporating my nursing knowledge into my patient care,” said Vander Veen. “Nursing requires extreme dedication to studying all of the theories, research, and care that go into medical care, and I’m realizing that my education at Trinity is equipping me for the rest of my life.”
Carita Hall, a teacher at High Point School in Orland Park, Illinois, was recently named 3M Star in the Classroom Award winner by Econ Illinois. Hall completed the Adult Studies English-as-a-Second Language/Bilingual (ESL/BL) program in 2009.
The Illinois Council on Economic Education award is given to teachers who implement economics in their classrooms.
For more than 10 years, Hall has participated in the Economic Poster Contest sponsored by Econ Illinois. “Each year at least one of my students receives regional and/or state recognition in the contest,” she said in a recent interview with TribLocal.
She will be honored at the Econ Illinois Economic Education Day on October 25,2011.
Hall also participated in the Teach Children to Save program, which educates students on the importance of saving money and introduces them to investment management through the “Stock Market Game.” Hall said, “educating students about making good economic choices is essential for becoming economically literate adults.”