The speaker is honoring Shirley Hoogstra on her departure from Calvin College to become the President of the CCCU. In three sentences: Shirley Hoogstra has led Calvin College's student life division for 15 years, consistently putting students first and helping to shape vibrant community experiences for many students through her leadership. Her dedication to students has had a profound impact on the college experience and allowed students to feel cared for. While Calvin will miss her leadership, the speaker wishes her the best in her new role leading the CCCU and knows Christian higher education will benefit from her strengths.

1. I’d like to begin by saying that it is a huge honor to be asked to speak at such a great occasion
and about such a phenomenal person. There is so much to be said about Shirley Hoogstra…
But since I have only five minutes and since I tend to go on conversational tangents, I’ve
written down my thoughts.
About a month ago, JB the Associate Dean of Campus Involvement and Leadership here at
Calvin College called me into his office and told me that Shirley had been chosen to be the
President of the CCCU and that she would be leaving Calvin on September 5. I’m going to be
honest, the first thoughts that came to my head as I heard the news were, “well, I guess
Student Senate won’t be having dinner at the Hoogstras this year.” Now that says a lot about
me…..but I think it also says a lot about you Shirley.
It says a lot about how you have led over the past decade and a half. Students first. It’s funny
but in the past few weeks, as I’ve thought more and more about you leaving – I’ve come to
realize that without even knowing it, we (as students) have all come to expect more from our
Calvin experience because of your hard work and persistence in your time here.
In August of the year 2000, only a year after you began your time as VP of Student Life, my
family sent off my brother Joel to college here at Calvin. I can remember my mom crying
endlessly in the days immediately following his departure…primarily because she didn’t know
who would be there to take care of him…because she didn't know who would be there
shaping his experience. If only she had known Shirley....that you were VP of Student Life.
Joel loved his Calvin experience. He enjoyed being in Rangeela and living on the Mosaic floor.
He learned so much in the classroom– but if he had to choose what really framed his time here
at Calvin, it would be the vibrant community that he was surrounded by on his floor and
amongst his fellow internationals. Student life.
Two sons later and by the time I left home to come here in August of 2011, no tears were
shed…not in the airport at least. If any were shed on the way home– to be honest they were
probably tears of joy. Tears of joy because I was leaving home and because my parents were
finally realizing their dream of being empty nesters….. but also because they knew that Calvin
had this!
Even 5000 miles away, they could rest, assured that I would be allowed to create and partake
in the college experience of my own making. Student Life.
Shirley, I think you would be the first person to point out that we wouldn’t be telling the full
story if we painted a picture that made it seem like everything about your time here at Calvin
has been rosy or lovey-dovey. You’ve had to deal with a lot of issues and have found yourself
in some difficult situations... having to make some impossible calls. You’ve had to deal with
changing demographics, decaying or seemingly outdated structures, understaffed offices, the
pain of being kept in the dark by people you've trusted, and of course a harder-to-please
generation.
But you've responded. You have tackled these challenges fearlessly. Some of your responses
have been genius. Others you've had to learn from. Some have been very popular. Others have
raised a few eyebrows.
That being said…I don’t think there is any one at Calvin who would argue that whenever you
acted, you did so in accordance with what you truly believed was the best interest of students.

2. And that is why like everyone in this room, I wish that this were a celebration of your fifteen
years of selfless service to your alma mater…..and nothing more. But sadly, it also is the time
when we must say goodbye. The coffee and snacks are nice- but we wish they didn't mean we
had to let you go.
President LeRoy put it best in his announcement . “Our loss is Christian higher education’s
gain and who are we to stand in the way of the Lord and his plans.”
So let me close with this:
For fifteen years, you have challenged class after class as you have done your best to carry out
the mission of Calvin’s student life division.
Allow me to flip the script.
Allow we, the students who you have spent the last 15 years of your life nurturing and
preparing, to now present you, Shirley V Hoogstra to the world, as a strong woman still
learning to love the things that God loves.
Allow us to be excited to see how the world of Christian higher education is blessed by your
leadership.
You are Calvin College. Remember.....Two standard deviations. We love you. We are rooting
for you.