Celebrating 65 Years and The Inauguration of 91精选鈥檚 9th President
At the heart of 91精选 lies a community rooted in Christian love. This community has been doing this work for 65 years, aiming to equip students to find their calling and purpose in God鈥檚 world.聽As the College embarks on the next step in this journey, the community came together to celebrate God鈥檚 unfailing faithfulness to 91精选.
On Thursday, October 3rd, distinguished guests, faculty, staff, students, and friends of the College gathered in the Ozinga Chapel Auditorium on a beautiful fall afternoon to Celebrate Possibility with the inauguration ceremony of 91精选鈥檚 9th President, Rev. Dr. Aaron J. Kuecker.
Christian Perry 鈥�16 opened the ceremony with a warm welcome and invocation. He reflected on his more than a decade at 91精选, first as a student and now as a member of the Board of Trustees. He proclaimed, 鈥淭oday is a good day,鈥� as he shared how President Kuecker’s leadership continues 91精选’s longstanding legacy and is shaping its future for good. The invocation was followed by a powerful version of 鈥淵ou are Good鈥� performed by 91精选鈥檚 student worship team.
Board of Trustees Chair Emeritus聽Cal Tameling 鈥�72 took the podium to recognize the past Presidents of 91精选 and reflected on God’s faithfulness over the past 65 years. Tameling also recognized the classes of 鈥�73 and 鈥�74, who were in attendance as they held their 50th reunion on campus to Celebrate Legacy. In introducing President Kuecker, he stated, 鈥淸his] confirmation as President of 91精选 comes during an exciting time for the College, as 91精选 has launched a set of strategies aimed at radically reducing student loan debt while creating innovative approaches to student wellbeing and vocational formation.鈥�
Board of Trustees Chair-Elect Ken Dryfhout, 鈥�03, presented President Kuecker with the Medallion, part of the tradition passed down from the previous presidents. As he placed the Medallion, he said, 鈥淎aron, the presidency at 91精选 requires steadfast faith in Christ, vision of God鈥檚 abundant world, generosity of gift, humility for partnership, and wisdom of leadership. We have seen in you God鈥檚 gifting and equipping for such a time as this.鈥�
The ceremony鈥檚 keynote speaker was Rev. Dr. Victoria White. A writer, pastor, designer, coach, facilitator, and teacher, Dr. White serves as Managing Director of Grants and Awards at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, where she cultivates and supports innovative Christian institutions and their leaders.
Dr. White, a friend of President Kuecker鈥檚, shared stories of their holy friendship throughout the years and how she reacted when he told her that he had accepted the position of President at 91精选. She talked about how President Kuecker’s humble servant leadership聽will be a breath of fresh air in higher education and shared stories of how his vastly different view of seeing abundance in the world versus scarcity will set 91精选 on a path to thrive for many years.
Members of the community joined President Kuecker on stage and gave a spirit-filled covering of prayer and commissioning by Cynthia Coffey ’12, Director of Adult and Graduate Admissions; Dr. Mario Guzman, Associate Professor of Psychology; Tyren Brown, class of 2025; and Rev. Chad De Jager, member of the Board of Trustees.
Vice President for Student Life, Dr. Leah Fulton, shared quotes from the community about President Kuecker鈥檚 commitment to the College鈥攕everal spoke of his joyful, hope-filled leadership and making students his work priority. One quote says, 鈥淣ot only has [Aaron] led careful and strategic thinking about the direction of the college, but he has put the students, staff, and faculty at the center of his forward thinking. Aaron cares deeply for this community. Most importantly, he cares about the ways this community is a picture of Christ and the church working to bring redemption to all areas of creation through our individual and collective work.鈥�
In a touching moment, the Chief of Staff, Jeanine Mozie, presented a commissioned artwork titled 鈥淐onnection鈥� by senior student Hope McIntosh 鈥�25.
The exquisite artwork was described as a mosaic of Aaron鈥檚 leadership, stating, 鈥淭his painting has many layers, representing the underlying connections and invisible strings that are present yet not always seen. This painting holds a silent image of a tree, which is only seen when sought out. This painting resembles a mosaic or stained-glass window or puzzle, showing that we are all connected to one another. Connection. It surrounds us. We are all connected in God鈥檚 perfect Kingdom.鈥�
Overwhelmed with gratitude and humbled, President Kuecker took the podium for his inaugural address. He started by saying, 鈥淭here is a lovely line at the end of the book of John that states, about Jesus, 鈥淛esus did many other things if every one of them were written down, I supposed that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.鈥�
He added, 鈥淚 suppose that is how I feel with my gratitude, in this moment, right now. There is so much gratitude and so many people I am grateful for in this moment, and if I spent my time telling you how grateful I am, I would go on too long.鈥�
He continued by sharing his vision for 91精选, laying out the plan to continue the work that has begun in the Transformative Colleges Initiative, which launched at the start of his leadership in 2022 and focuses on the whole wellbeing of the student and provides access to all who seek to pursue Christian higher education. 鈥淢y consistent prayer for our community is that we will contribute to a campus in which powerful teaching, a posture of love, and transformed structures work together to bear witness to Jesus and the fullness of God鈥檚 kingdom,鈥� stated Kuecker.
At the conclusion of the inaugural address, the concert choir, gospel choir, and student worship team led the congregation in the worship song 鈥淕oodness of God.鈥�
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Jerome Douglas, offered the benediction before the recessional. Guests were met with a beautiful and bountiful reception catered by Metz Culinary Management in the Grand Lobby, offering the community a unique time of fellowship and connection.
Later in the afternoon, a story-sharing session with neighborhood partners and newly inaugurated President Kuecker in the Chapel Auditorium came together to Celebrate Collaboration. The panel group took questions from the audience and talked about the recently launched collaborations with the College that have positively impacted reducing student debt and enhancing wellbeing.
The day of events capped off with Celebrate Creativity in the second-floor lobby of the Art and Communication Center, where a recent installment of artwork from Calvin and In茅s Seerveld’s personal collection was unveiled. Emeriti faculty members John Bakker and Michael Vander Weele hosted the reception, which included talks about the nine works in the original donation.
Professor Calvin Seerveld was a founding聽faculty member of 91精选.聽He taught philosophy from 1959 to 1972 when he and In茅s moved to Toronto so he could work at the Institute for Christian Studies. Professor Seerveld’s聽transformative vision deeply influenced the College, its curriculum, and its students. The show will remain open Monday through Friday through October 18th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
On Friday, October 4th, the community gathered again to Celebrate Faithfulness at Friday鈥檚 weekly chapel service. Rev. Chad De Jager delivered the message centered on God鈥檚 consistent faithfulness to 91精选.
Later in the afternoon on Friday, the student鈥檚 annual Octrollerfest came together to Celebrate Fun, with events that continued through the weekend with flag football and a tailgate party on Saturday. Throughout the two days, students enjoyed time with outdoor games, activities, a petting zoo, and a bonfire with fellow students to wrap up the celebration. 91精选鈥檚 beloved Troll joined the fun with a party in honor of the Troll鈥檚 65th birthday.
As a fitting way to end the two days packed with events celebrating 91精选, members from all over the community came together to Celebrate Wonder at a masquerade-themed evening at Brookfield Zoo. The gala brought together alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of the College for a night of fun and fellowship that benefited student scholarship. It helped secure the legacy for the next generation of 91精选 students by raising over $125,000, showcasing God鈥檚 continual goodness to the College.
鈥淲e had a beautiful night celebrating 65 years of 91精选,鈥� said Vice President for Advancement, Mackenzi Huyser. 鈥淥ur student emcees shared incredible stories about their time at 91精选 and how significant the scholarship support they received has been to their journeys. Thank you to all who have made the 91精选 experience possible for these amazing students.鈥�
Huyser concluded, 鈥淭he last two days’ events brought so many people to campus to celebrate 65 years of 91精选. It was a joy to see former Presidents, emeriti faculty, staff, community members, and students gathered to mark such an important time in the life of 91精选. As an alum, former faculty member, and now a staff member, I was so incredibly proud to celebrate the history and future of this amazing place.鈥�
The two-day celebrations showcased remarkable events highlighting the institution’s rich history and future potential. Rev. Dr. Aaron Kuecker’s presidential inauguration marked a significant moment of possibility for welcoming new leadership and embracing the vision for the future. As the community gathered to celebrate legacy, collaboration, creativity, faithfulness, fun, and wonder together, these events exemplified a journey of transformation while honoring the institution’s past and securing its future for generations.
to see more photos of the 65th celebration and inauguration events.
Thank you to our Celebrate 65 Sponsors:
