| Prof becomes Trinity president
By Chris Wenstrom
Assistant News Editor
FILE PHOTO Professor Timmermans looks pensive as he savors his last few months at Calvin.
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Another Calvin alumni will become the president of a Christian college as Steve Timmermans, Calvin professor of education, takes an opening at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Ill.
According to Trinity’s website, “ending a search that spanned more than seven months, the board of trustees formally presented Dr. Steve Timmermans … the next president of Trinity Christian College to students, faculty and staff in Ozinga Chapel Monday afternoon, March 17.”
Timmermans will assume his new role as the seventh president of Trinity on July 7. He was picked out of 60 inquiries. Timmermans was nominated by an anonymous person for the position at Trinity.
William Weidenaar, who headed the search committee for Trinity, said, “Timmermans is educator who by his words and actions demonstrates a love of the lord Jesus Christ. [He] is committed to the Reformed faith and to the theological bases on which Trinity Christian College is founded. He is a Christian scholar with substantial academic and scholarly achievements; a skilled professional administrator whose style is thorough and admired by those who have worked with him; aware of the financial challenges faced by private institutions of Christian higher education and willing to engage in the fund raising process. He is an attentive person who listens to varying viewpoints but can be efficient and decisive; willing to make a long term commitment to Trinity Christian College and a person who has served in ecclesiastical office and will be able to communicate effectively with the church groups which have traditionally supported Trinity.”
“The Search Committee maintained a strong devotional emphasis during its existence and was firm in the belief that Dr. Timmermans is the candidate which the Lord has led to Trinity Christian College,” Weidenaar said.
Timmermans has served Calvin as director of student academic services, professor of education, interim director of the service-learning center and dean for instruction.
When asked if he felt prepared for the position of president at Trinity, Timmermans said, “I’ve always been a combination of administrator and practitioner, and I enjoy them both. I was a psychologist, an administrator, chief of pediatric psychology, a teacher, and I was a principal. I think this Trinity position gives me the opportunity to obviously focus on administration, but do so with a heart for the practice of education, for the teaching, for the student-life development work that goes on. So that I think it is my dual past that allows me to take this step.”
When looking back at the positions he has held in the past, Timmermans said, “I didn’t look at those positions as stepping stones. I tried to follow God’s lead, and that life isn’t a hierarchical sequence, rather a journey of faith.”
“First, Trinity is a wonderful college in the Reformed tradition. Given its metropolitan setting in Chicago, it is poised for great things,” Timmermans said. “What a wonderful place to be positioned. The second thing is, not in any order, we have a son who is soon to be 17 who has Down syndrome, and in Chicago is Elim Christian Schools, which does great things with special education that leads to vocational training and placement. We thought this could be a good thing.”
“My first goal is to learn much and listen a lot; understand what it is they’ve been doing, what the hopes and dreams are of the folks that are there, their gifts and interests are so that in being a leader I connect to where the place is at in terms of its people and its resources,” Timmermans said.
Timmermans is married and has four children, Becca, Paul, Jessica and Katie. Katie is currently a student here at Calvin. “She will remain here because Calvin has been a good place for her. The other three will come to Chicago,” Timmermans said.
Trinity’s interim President Anthony Diekema, former president of Calvin, will be helping Timmermans in his transition to Trinity.
“Steve is a superb choice for Trinity’s next president. He has the experience, the commitment, the vision and the energy to be a first-rate leader for Trinity in the decade ahead. I am delighted at the appointment, and convinced that Steve is a great ‘fit’ for the Trinity culture. Together they will lead the college to the next level of significant accomplishment,” Diekema said.”I feel comfortable in this transition, prepared to do it, called to do it, and excited,” Timmermans said. “I’m pleased that Trinity is a Christian college in the Reformed tradition as such that makes it a sister school to Calvin. I look forward lots of reasons to partner with Calvin; to side-by-side pursue our callings, which are not the same but are similar.”
Calvin President Gaylen Byker said, “There has always been a large number of unofficial ties [between the Christian Reformed colleges], and some official ties. We have a group called the Association of Reformed Institutions of Higher Education that meets a couple times a year, so we’ll be participating in that on an ongoing basis. I’m sure having Steve [Timmermans] there will facilitate the dialogue. Now, all six institutions of higher education that are related to the Christian Reformed church [Redeemer College, Kings College, Trinity Christian College, Dordt College, Reformed Bible College and Calvin] have Calvin alums as presidents.”
When asked how closely he has worked with Timmermans, Byker said, “For about 18 months, Dr. Timmerman worked with me on a regular basis as the executive associate to the president. He has a lot of good leadership abilities and instincts, and I assumed that if a good opportunity came along he would be a candidate for the presidency of some Christian college. He and I talked some about what is entailed with being a Christian college president.”
“I am really glad for him and I think he is going to do a great job,” Byker said.
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