Calvin University alumni Michael and Wendi VanWoerkom have provided what leaders call a "transformational" gift to establish Calvin as a premier destination for an Aerospace Engineering degree within Christian higher education.
“When you have this kind of support behind it, it gives a lot of credibility to the decision that the university is making to move in this direction.”
Dr. Ken Visser, professor in Calvin’s Department of Engineering says the donation supports three areas: first, immediate funding for new lab equipment and faculty supporting the aerospace engineering program that launched this past fall.
“It demonstrates to the students that the university is serious about this and that we are going to move forward and create all kinds of opportunities for them.”
Second, it funds the new VanWoerkom Aerospace Lab that will house advanced equipment after renovations at the current engineering building.
“The focus of that lab will be hands-on opportunities for the students to get involved in building actual space hardware. We're going to launch a CubeSat program here at Calvin, which is where the students can design. and build, and then eventually put their satellite into orbit upon a rocket.”
Finally, the gift includes an endowed professorship – a new faculty position dedicated to leading space-focused coursework, mentoring student projects and securing research grants and partnerships.
The university describes the VanWoerkoms’ gift, as “significant.”
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