GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — On Wednesday, Calvin University celebrated the inauguration of Dr. Wiebe Boer as its newest president.
About 2,000 people were in attendance for the inauguration, as Dr. Boer and his family were formally introduced and welcomed to the Calvin community.
Also in attendance were delegates from Yale University, where Dr. Boer earned his doctorate, and from the county of Nigeria, where Dr. Boer was born and raised.
The three previous presidents, Michael Le Roy, Gaylen Byker, and Tony Diekema, also came to the ceremony.
Dr. Boer spoke about his vision for the university and its mission, saying he hopes Calvin continues to produce "alumni who are taught how to think rather than what to think. How to reach hearts rather than break them. How to seek and elevate goodness rather than counterfeit or bury it. How to lift each other up rather than hold each other down.”
The inauguration featured performances from campus ensembles, including the Calvin Prison Initiative Choir, as well as a commissioned poem written by Dr. Jane Zwart, professor of English at Calvin University.
The ceremony comes nearly four months after Dr. Boer began his tenure on July 1 as the12th president, following the retirement of Michael Le Roy.
