Dordt College
Encyclopedia
Dordt College is a private, Christian
, liberal arts
college located in Sioux Center, Iowa
. It was founded in 1955 and is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church
. The college name is a reference to the Synod of Dort
.
Dordt annually enrolls about 1,300 students from more than 30 states, seven Canadian provinces, and 10 other countries, with a student-faculty ratio of 15:1. U.S. News and World Report has included Dordt in its America’s Best Colleges listing for 18 straight years (since 1993), including a six top 10 rankings in the Midwest region’s Best Baccalaureate Colleges. In 2008 it was tied for #3 in the Midwest region.
The college is committed to a Reformed
, Christian perspective that embraces the Bible as the word of God. The college offers 90 programs of study that lead to Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts
, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Bachelor of Social Work, Bachelor of Science in Nursing
and Master of Education
degrees
.
in Iowa
, South Dakota
and Minnesota
agreed to establish the college in Sioux Center. At this time, it was tentatively referred to as Midwest Christian Junior College. The first classes were held at the college in the fall of 1955 with about 40 students.
In April 1956, the name of the institution was changed to Dordt College. This name was chosen to honor a historic 17th century Reformed
church meeting called the Synod of Dort
that took place in the Netherlands
. "[T]he name 'Dordt' will constantly remind us of the heritage in which we are rooted and the goals we should strive for. It will give us a constant source of inspiration to continue in the faith of the fathers. It will tell all people everywhere just exactly what we are and what we stand for." "Dordt College, as no other name, will express the distinctiveness of our school and the purpose for which it was established, The Spirit of Dordt, its strivings to seek the glory of God in all its thinking...its efforts to be faithful to the Word of God in every detail, summarizes all the things our school should strive for..."
The first graduating class consisted of 18 students in 1957. The first students to earn B.A. degrees graduated in 1965.
Dordt is accredited to grant bachelor and Master of Education degrees by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
. Furthermore, the engineering program is ABET
accredited, the nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing
and the Iowa Board of Nursing and the social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education
.
Dordt offers more than 25 off-campus study opportunities in countries around the world through its affiliation with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
. These countries include Australia
, China
, France
, Ghana
, Honduras
, Hungary
, Mexico
, the Netherlands
, Spain
, Uganda
, and the United Kingdom
. Off-campus programs also exist for Chicago
, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles
.
Ninety-eight percent of students receive financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study opportunities. The college awards scholarships based on academic potential and performance (e.g., the Kuyper Scholars honor program), activities (e.g., sports, theater, music), and demonstrated financial need. Over $18.5 million is awarded in financial aid annually, thanks in large part to private donors and alumni.
, about 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Sioux City
, and 55 miles (88.5 km) southeast of Sioux Falls, SD. The campus covers a 115 acre (0.4653889 km²) area and contains 25 buildings, including eleven for student housing.
The hub of the campus is the Campus Center. The 70,000 square foot (6500 m2) facility was constructed in 2002 at a cost of $12.5 million and is open continuously during the academic year. The entry level consists of a bookstore, an art gallery, meditation rooms, and a student lounge. The upper level features enhanced-technology classrooms, conference rooms, and various offices. The lower level houses an activity center, a dining area, a snack bar, and the mail room. The basement features a game room complete with a four-lane regulation-size bowling alley, as well as foosball
and pool tables.
The Science and Technology Center at has 180- and 80-seat lecture halls, a greenhouse
, laboratories, general-use classrooms, and various science departmental offices. There are laboratories for organic chemistry, physical chemistry and physics. It also houses agriculture facilities for animal science and agronomy labs. The engineering wing includes labs for mechanical engineering, electronics, electrical engineering, and computer-aided design.
recitals, and other regional events. Convocation and commencement exercises are also held in "the Beej," as it is called by students. The auditorium features a three-manual
, tracker-action
Casavant Frères
organ
with 37 stops
, 57 ranks, and 2,865 pipes
.
The auditorium is adjoined by the Music Building, which also has rehearsal rooms, studios and classrooms, vocal and instrumental practice rooms, and music faculty offices. Its mezzanine also houses the International Association for the Promotion of Christian Higher Education.
The All Seasons Center was built in 2004 and contains an NHL-sized hockey rink, waterslides, a lap pool, and both indoor and outdoor family aquatic pools. This $9 million facility is shared by Dordt College and the city of Sioux Center and received the Iowa League of Cities 2002 All-Star Community Award. It is the home ice for the Dordt Blades club hockey team.
(GPAC) and in the NAIA
.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
college located in Sioux Center, Iowa
Sioux Center, Iowa
Sioux Center is a city in Sioux County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,002 at the 2000 census; a special census in 2005 counted 6,327 residents. The first report of Sioux Center's population from the 2010 census is 7,048...
. It was founded in 1955 and is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church
Christian Reformed Church in North America
The Christian Reformed Church in North America is a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. Having roots in the Dutch Reformed churches of the Netherlands, the Christian Reformed Church was founded by Gijsbert Haan and Dutch immigrants who left the Reformed Church in...
. The college name is a reference to the Synod of Dort
Synod of Dort
The Synod of Dort was a National Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618-1619, by the Dutch Reformed Church, to settle a divisive controversy initiated by the rise of Arminianism. The first meeting was on November 13, 1618, and the final meeting, the 154th, was on May 9, 1619...
.
Dordt annually enrolls about 1,300 students from more than 30 states, seven Canadian provinces, and 10 other countries, with a student-faculty ratio of 15:1. U.S. News and World Report has included Dordt in its America’s Best Colleges listing for 18 straight years (since 1993), including a six top 10 rankings in the Midwest region’s Best Baccalaureate Colleges. In 2008 it was tied for #3 in the Midwest region.
The college is committed to a Reformed
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
, Christian perspective that embraces the Bible as the word of God. The college offers 90 programs of study that lead to Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Bachelor of Social Work, Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing is an American four year academic degree in the science and principles of nursing, granted by a tertiary education university or similarly accredited school...
and Master of Education
Master of Education
The Master of Education is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in...
degrees
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
.
History
Dordt College was founded as Midwest Christian Junior College in 1953. In 1954, a group of men from local Christian Reformed ChurchesChristian Reformed Church in North America
The Christian Reformed Church in North America is a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. Having roots in the Dutch Reformed churches of the Netherlands, the Christian Reformed Church was founded by Gijsbert Haan and Dutch immigrants who left the Reformed Church in...
in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
agreed to establish the college in Sioux Center. At this time, it was tentatively referred to as Midwest Christian Junior College. The first classes were held at the college in the fall of 1955 with about 40 students.
In April 1956, the name of the institution was changed to Dordt College. This name was chosen to honor a historic 17th century Reformed
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
church meeting called the Synod of Dort
Synod of Dort
The Synod of Dort was a National Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618-1619, by the Dutch Reformed Church, to settle a divisive controversy initiated by the rise of Arminianism. The first meeting was on November 13, 1618, and the final meeting, the 154th, was on May 9, 1619...
that took place in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. "[T]he name 'Dordt' will constantly remind us of the heritage in which we are rooted and the goals we should strive for. It will give us a constant source of inspiration to continue in the faith of the fathers. It will tell all people everywhere just exactly what we are and what we stand for." "Dordt College, as no other name, will express the distinctiveness of our school and the purpose for which it was established, The Spirit of Dordt, its strivings to seek the glory of God in all its thinking...its efforts to be faithful to the Word of God in every detail, summarizes all the things our school should strive for..."
The first graduating class consisted of 18 students in 1957. The first students to earn B.A. degrees graduated in 1965.
Academics
Dordt offers over 90 programs of study with 30 majors and 11 pre-professional programs of study. The core is drawn from various academic disciplines—such as language, natural science, and social science. These courses integrate the character and scope of Christian perspective. They provide insight into the nature and demands of contemporary Christian living and help students understand how various aspects of contemporary life are interrelated and how the global culture has developed. These general education courses also supply students with the basic quantitative, analytic, lingual, and physical skills that are essential to the program overall and to their tasks as citizens.Dordt is accredited to grant bachelor and Master of Education degrees by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
. Furthermore, the engineering program is ABET
Abet
Abet may refer to:* Abet Guidaben , former Philippine Basketball Association basketball player* ABET, Inc., a non-profit organization that accredits higher education programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology....
accredited, the nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing
National League for Nursing
The National League for Nursing is a national organization for faculty nurses and leaders in nurse education. It offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to more than 25,000 individual and 1,200 education and...
and the Iowa Board of Nursing and the social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education
Council on Social Work Education
The Council on Social Work Education is the national association for social work education in the United States of America.The CSWE sets and maintains standards of courses and accreditation of bachelor's degree's and Master's degree programs in social work.The CSWE specifies foundation social work...
.
Dordt offers more than 25 off-campus study opportunities in countries around the world through its affiliation with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities is an organization designed to help primarily Protestant and evangelical Christian institutions of higher education cooperate and communicate with one another...
. These countries include Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Off-campus programs also exist for Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Ninety-eight percent of students receive financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study opportunities. The college awards scholarships based on academic potential and performance (e.g., the Kuyper Scholars honor program), activities (e.g., sports, theater, music), and demonstrated financial need. Over $18.5 million is awarded in financial aid annually, thanks in large part to private donors and alumni.
Campus
The college is located in Sioux Center, IowaSioux Center, Iowa
Sioux Center is a city in Sioux County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,002 at the 2000 census; a special census in 2005 counted 6,327 residents. The first report of Sioux Center's population from the 2010 census is 7,048...
, about 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Sioux City
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
, and 55 miles (88.5 km) southeast of Sioux Falls, SD. The campus covers a 115 acre (0.4653889 km²) area and contains 25 buildings, including eleven for student housing.
The hub of the campus is the Campus Center. The 70,000 square foot (6500 m2) facility was constructed in 2002 at a cost of $12.5 million and is open continuously during the academic year. The entry level consists of a bookstore, an art gallery, meditation rooms, and a student lounge. The upper level features enhanced-technology classrooms, conference rooms, and various offices. The lower level houses an activity center, a dining area, a snack bar, and the mail room. The basement features a game room complete with a four-lane regulation-size bowling alley, as well as foosball
Table football
Table football, also known as gitoni or foosball, is a table-top game and sport that is loosely based on association football.-Names:...
and pool tables.
Academic Facilities
The campus center is the John and Louise Hulst Library, which houses a collection of more than 300,000 book volumes, 16,000 print journal volumes, and 163,000 microtext units. The library subscribes to more than 600 journals, magazines, and newspapers, and has electronic access to another 10,000 titles. In addition to providing print and electronic resources, the library serves the campus media needs by offering checkout availability of various media equipment. The library has a significant collection of curriculum and children’s literature materials housed in the Learning Resource Center. Other specialized collections include the Dordt College Archives and the Dutch Memorial Collection.The Science and Technology Center at has 180- and 80-seat lecture halls, a greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
, laboratories, general-use classrooms, and various science departmental offices. There are laboratories for organic chemistry, physical chemistry and physics. It also houses agriculture facilities for animal science and agronomy labs. The engineering wing includes labs for mechanical engineering, electronics, electrical engineering, and computer-aided design.
B.J. Haan Auditorium
The B.J. Haan Auditorium seats approximately 1,500 people and is used for chapel services, concerts, organOrgan (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
recitals, and other regional events. Convocation and commencement exercises are also held in "the Beej," as it is called by students. The auditorium features a three-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
, tracker-action
Tracker action
Tracker action is a term used in reference to pipe organs and steam calliopes to indicate a mechanical linkage between keys or pedals pressed by the organist and the valve that allows air to flow into pipe of the corresponding note...
Casavant Frères
Casavant Frères
Casavant Frères is a prominent Canadian company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been building fine pipe organs since 1879. As of 2008, they have produced over 3800 organs.- Company history :...
organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
with 37 stops
Organ stop
An organ stop is a component of a pipe organ that admits pressurized air to a set of organ pipes. Its name comes from the fact that stops can be used selectively by the organist; some can be "on" , while others can be "off" .The term can also refer...
, 57 ranks, and 2,865 pipes
Organ pipe
An organ pipe is a sound-producing element of the pipe organ that resonates at a specific pitch when pressurized air is driven through it. Each pipe is tuned to a specific note of the musical scale...
.
The auditorium is adjoined by the Music Building, which also has rehearsal rooms, studios and classrooms, vocal and instrumental practice rooms, and music faculty offices. Its mezzanine also houses the International Association for the Promotion of Christian Higher Education.
Athletic Facilities
The campus recreation center hosts the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER) departmental facilities and the athletics offices. The Rec Center includes basketball, volleyball and raquetball courts, an aerobics room, a weight room, a 200 meter indoor track and a batting cage.The All Seasons Center was built in 2004 and contains an NHL-sized hockey rink, waterslides, a lap pool, and both indoor and outdoor family aquatic pools. This $9 million facility is shared by Dordt College and the city of Sioux Center and received the Iowa League of Cities 2002 All-Star Community Award. It is the home ice for the Dordt Blades club hockey team.
Athletics
Dordt College offers seven men's and six women's intercollegiate teams. The varsity teams are nicknamed the Defenders and compete in the Great Plains Athletic ConferenceGreat Plains Athletic Conference
The Great Plains Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota...
(GPAC) and in the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
.
Men's athletics
|
Women's athletics
|
Club sports
- Men's hockey (Dordt Blades) (ACHA Division IIIAmerican Collegiate Hockey AssociationThe American Collegiate Hockey Association is the national governing body of non-varsity college ice hockey in the U.S. The organization provides structure, regulations, promotes the quality of play, sponsors National Awards and National Tournaments....
, NCCHA conferenceNorth Central Collegiate Hockey AssociationNorth Central Collegiate Hockey Association was an ACHA Division III ice hockey league comprising smaller colleges and universities in Western and Northern Plains portions of the United States.-History:...
)
- Men's lacrosse (Dordt Sowers) (MCLA Division IIMen's Collegiate Lacrosse AssociationThe Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association is a national organization of non-NCAA, men's college lacrosse programs. The MCLA oversees game play and conducts national championships for over 200 teams in ten conferences throughout the United States and Canada...
, Great Rivers Lacrosse ConferenceGreat Rivers Lacrosse ConferenceThe Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference is a conference in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association . The GRLC incorporates teams in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin and is divided into two divisions, Division I and Division...
)