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Trinity is pleased to announce that the 2020-21 Professor of the Year is Yudha Thianto, Ph.D., Professor of Theology.

“It’s an honor,” said Thianto. “Trinity is just a great place for teaching and learning. This award is about the community recognition of who we are at Trinity.”

Thianto’s nomination cited his deep caring for all his students, particularly his work with international students. “When Yudha teaches, he offers himself, his identity, and his scholarship to the students for the sake of their growth as scholars and their formation as followers of Christ,” according to the nomination.

As Professor of the Year, Thianto will offer the message at Trinity’s 62nd Annual Convocation this fall. He will also be honored on Dec. 19, when Trinity celebrates commencement for the Spring 2020 graduates.

Thianto said being named professor of the year came as a complete surprise. At the time he learned of the honor via a Microsoft Teams call with Provost Aaron Kuecker; Prof. Mark Jones, who chairs the Faculty Development Committee; and previous professor of the year honorees Kara Wolff and Clay Carlson, he was more focused on Trinity’s transition to online learning as part of the College’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Along with Trinity’s shift to online learning for the spring semester, Thianto said the pandemic has also changed his summer schedule. He planned to spend part of the summer in the Netherlands conducting research on one of his projects, the history of psalm singing in the Reformed tradition. He is also working on another project, writing an introductory book on John Calvin. Then, he planned to travel to his native Indonesia and continue work with Trinity’s partner institutions there.

Instead, Thianto is spending the summer researching and writing his book and looking forward to the return of fall classes. “Students bring joy to me,” he said.

Thianto has been on the faculty of Trinity for 19 years and his courses include History of Christianity and Calvinistic Tradition.

Recent Professor of the Year Award recipients:

2012: Bob Rice (History)

2013: Brad Breems (Sociology)

2014: Lynn White (Business)

2015: Dave Klanderman (Mathematics)

2016: John Sebestyen (Communication Arts)

2017: Michael Vander Weele (English)

2018: Clay Carlson (Biology)

2019: Kara Wolff (Counseling and Psychology)

Trinity has announced a partnership with Upkey, a Chicago startup, offering free online resources to help students with career-readiness, to offer over $1.5 million worth of academic credit to students participating in its virtual internship program. Since opening the application process in April, Upkey has had more than 5,000 students apply.

Driven by a commitment to provide unique educational opportunities that seek the public good, Trinity is offering three academic credits to students who successfully complete Upkey’s online internship and business education program. The program is open to 1,000 students with the application process closing May 17.

“While COVID-19 has brought many unpredictable and abrupt changes, it cannot shake us from our core mission of helping students flourish by providing accessible education,” said Trinity’s Provost Aaron Kuecker, Ph.D. “When we learned about Upkey’s digital summer internships and saw they had similar goals, we knew it only made sense to create additional value in the program by making it possible for students to have their educational experience transcripted for college credit.”

Upkey’s Virtual Internship Program is an eight-week educational experience, starting on June 1. Each week, participants will be learning from expert sources, conducting research, and completing interactive projects. The program will cover a broad range of topics developed with the support of faculty from leading universities and top business schools across the nation.

“We are so humbled with the volume of students who have reached out and thanked us for creating an opportunity for them,” said Amir Badr, Founder and CEO, Upkey. “Everyone at Upkey is gracious for Trinity’s help in providing real college credit to students who were impacted by COVID-19. These credits will help students both educationally and financially.”

Students looking to apply and organizations interested in discovering unique ways to give back can visit www.upkey.com.

Recent shelter-in-place requirements offer the opportunity to get to know our own backyards, according to Associate Professor of Biology Abbie Schrotenboer, Ph.D., in a recent interview with “Christianity Today.”

Schrotenboer was one of several national experts quoted in the article, “Can Staying Home Help Us Regain a Sense of Place?” As part of the article, she describes how her students explore natural areas at Trinity and in the surrounding neighborhoods.

She also describes how communing with creation allows her to draw closer to God. “The more I appreciate creation, the more I give glory to God as the Creator.”

You can read the entire article here.

At the May 2020 commencement, Trinity announced the retirement of two beloved, long-time professors, Professor of Education Liz Rudenga, Ph.D., and Professor of Music Helen Van Wyck, D.M.A. Both professors were awarded emeriti status by Trinity’s Board of Trustees.

Dr. Liz Rudenga

Rudenga taught her first Education Department course at Trinity in 1981. She went on to impact the College in countless ways as a professor, department chair, provost, interim president, mentor, and friend.

She joined Trinity after teaching high school and upper elementary level students, with a focus on special education. She started teaching part-time and in 1992 joined Trinity’s faculty full time. Rudenga quickly began taking on more administrative roles. “In 1992, Vice President Burt Rozema asked if I would chair the Education Department. I agreed to do it for one year. But then, I liked it, and ended up chairing the department for eight years,” she said. Rudenga became provost in a similar way, when that one-year assignment lasted for 14. Rudenga also spent a year as interim president in 2014-15 before returning to the classroom when Trinity’s current president, Kurt D. Dykstra, was named.

“Some of my best memories involve the relationships with students. Being an advisor was a joy,” she said.

Dr. Helen Van Wyck

Since 1987, Van Wyck has taught Trinity students how to make a joyful noise to the Lord through music classes, Christmastide, choral concerts, Honors Choir, and in so many other ways.

She came to Trinity after teaching at the K-12 level for 10 years. “It was kind of love at first sight—I got to Trinity and thought, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” When Van Wyck joined Trinity, she was the only full-time music department professor and one of the few female faculty members outside of the Nursing Department. Among her many accomplishments, she helped to launch the Honors Ensemble, created Christmastide, and impacted countless lives.

She said she has been blessed as well. “One reason I’ve been so happy over the years at Trinity is the caring atmosphere, a willingness to try things, an incredible ‘We’re pulling for each other’ attitude on campus,” she said. “It comes from the top, it’s true of our faculty and staff, and it’s true of our students.”

Trinity’s accounting graduates continued the College’s tradition of excelling on the certified public accounting (CPA) exam in 2019, leading the state of Illinois with both pass rates and average scores on the most recent test.

The Illinois Uniform CPA Examination consists of four sections, and candidates must pass all four sections in order to become a CPA: audit; business environmental concepts; financial accounting & reporting; and regulations.

Among the graduates from the 56 Illinois colleges and universities that took 16 or more sections of the 2019 CPA exam, Trinity graduates took 31 sections with a pass rate of 68%. That represents the highest pass rate in the state and well above the average pass rate of 53%. Trinity graduates also scored on average 79, which was the highest average score on the exam of any institution.

These scores are a testament to how Trinity prepares students for their vocations, according to Professor of Business and Department Chair Deborah Windes, Ph.D. “Our incredible accounting students leave Trinity prepared to succeed on the CPA exam and in their careers,” she said.

Trinity graduates are not only academically ready to succeed as accountants, according to Tammy DeVries ’01, senior manager at Topel Forman LLC, a mid-sized accounting firm located in Chicago, Ill., and Denver, Colo. The graduates are flexible and understand how to work with clients and colleagues, said DeVries who works with several Trinity alumni, as well as interviewing accounting students who are interested in an internship in public accounting. “Students from Trinity are very focused,” she said. “They have strong communication skills and are really well-rounded when transitioning to a professional role.”

The CPA exam is administered by the Illinois Board of Examiners, a state agency that evaluates academic credentials, approves candidates to sit for the Uniform CPA Examination, monitors CPA examination testing activity throughout the year, and issues the Certificate of CPA Exam Completion upon passing the exam.

Trinity’s Accountancy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

In a recent podcast for the Humane Education Coalition, Associate Professor of Social Work and Department Chair Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein, DSW, discussed the interconnectedness of social justice, human rights issues, the natural living world, and animal rights, among other topics. “To truly create change, we need to recognize these interconnections and work to address them systemically,” she told podcast host Megan Moon, President and Founder of HEC.

Bretzlaff-Holstein, who serves as an advisor to HEC, also discussed the intersection of social work and humane education, offered helpful information for people interested in learning more about aligning the different disciplines, and talked about her current research. You can listen to the entire podcast, which is part of the HEC’s series called “Connected Roots: Educational Insights for a Better World,” here.

The mission of HEC is to advance the field of humane education through collaboration, education, empowerment, and inspiration. To learn more, visit their website at www.hecoalition.org/

Every year, the Office of Student Life recognizes the outstanding contributions of Trinity students who have made a difference in the lives of the Trinity community. This year’s honorees are:

Service Award, awarded by the Student Government Association

This award is given to a senior who has been serving Trinity in a variety of areas during their time at the College.

Nominees: Michaela Kohlmeier, Daniel Walters, Jeremiah Kruithof, Ashley Rogalske, and Breanna Toppen

Award Recipient: Michaela Kohlmeier

Catherine Yonker Award, awarded by The Campus Diversity and Unity Committee

This award is given to two students who have contributed to diversity efforts on campus, as well as cross-cultural understanding.

Award Recipients: Michaela Kohlmeier & Jasmine Elliott

Outstanding Student Leadership Award, awarded by Dean of Student Life Kara Van Marion and committee

This award recognizes two student leaders who have offered particularly exceptional leadership to the Trinity community.

Nominees: Jasmine Elliott, Erica Thomas, Derrieus Pendleton, Ross Barz, Machaela Whitlock, and Mahi Akele

Award Recipients: Mahi Akele & Ross Barz

Diversity Scholar of the Year Award, awarded by Director of Multicultural Engagement Nicole St. Victor

Trinity’s Diversity Scholars Team encompasses students who have demonstrated leadership in promoting diversity.

Nominees: Derrieus Pendleton and Erica Thomas

Award Recipient: Erica Thomas

To learn more about these outstanding student award winners, visit Trinity’s Instagram account and check out the highlights section. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

The students have voted, and the elected members of the Student Government Association for the 2020-’21 academic year have been announced.

“We are excited to serve the student body!” said President Ross Barz ’21.

Executive Team:

• President: Ross Barz
• Executive Vice President: Karen Jegadish
• Vice President of Administration: Ranita Luhur
• Vice President of Communication: Kayle Lindberg

Senior Representatives:

• Lexi VanRyn
• Hannah Blom
• Jacob McCleary
• Kristi Hendricks

Junior Representatives:

• Juliana VanGorp
• Matthew Rietveld
• Ariel Love
• Sophia Wind

Sophomore Representatives:

• Damon Pater
• Nathan Rogalske
• Nicole Wideman

Amidst a global pandemic, the Trinity community is still making a difference around the world! Recently Emily Bosscher, Director of First Year Experience, taught an online English class for students in Indonesia. The class was featured on CNN Indonesia.

The students attend one of Trinity’s international partner schools, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman (Unsoed), a large public university located in Purwokerto in Central Java. Bosscher had visited the school last summer at the invitation of Trinity Professor of Theology Yudha Thianto, Ph.D., a native of Indonesia.

“Yudha has been influential in starting the Department of English at Unsoed and helping them raise their standards of teaching,” said Bosscher. “During my time there last summer, I did some guest lecturing in their College of English, along with delivering several public lectures, visiting a couple of boarding and village schools, and meeting with various faculty to talk about teaching methods and Generation Z students in general.”

Bosscher has remained friends with several of the Unsoed professors, particularly Ibu Nisa Roisaya. When Unsoed moved to virtual learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Roisaya reached out to Bosscher and asked her to consider teaching a virtual class as part of a creative writing course. “Nisa, who is also doing some certification work with this project, decided to bring in more global interaction. Along with myself, two guest lecturers from India participated as well,” said Bosscher, who focused her lesson on figurative language. “Since they are meeting virtually anyway, why not bring in voices from around the world?”

She said it was an amazing experience to teach the class and meet her fellow instructors virtually. “Since every single country, religion, and person is affected by this global pandemic, we have a wonderful opportunity to learn globally and be more creative in our teaching,” she said. “This is a great time for all professors to reach out to their international connections to collaborate in education, because we are all using platforms that are universal.”