[Archivist's note: This memo arrived at ICLnet under the e-mail header NR 1995-103. Since there is a number memo labeled as NR 1995-102, the memo you are reading probably is 1995-103. - ICLnet] NR #1995-102: Dordt College Announces Presidential Appointment The Dordt College board of trustees announced on October 20 that Dr. Carl E. Zylstra, currently pastor of Immanuel CRC in Orange City, Iowa, has been selected to be the third president of Dordt College. Zylstra will take office in the summer of 1996, following the retirement of the current president, Dr. John B. Hulst. NR #1995-102: For Immediate Release Dordt College Announces Presidential Appointment by Jim De Young, Director of Alumni and Public Relations, Dordt College Distributed by United Reformed News Service SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (October 20, 1995) URNS - Officials of the Dordt College board of trustees announced on October 20 that Dr. Carl E. Zylstra of Orange City, Iowa, has been selected to be the third president of Dordt College. Zylstra will take office in the summer of 1996, following the retirement of the current president, Dr. John B. Hulst. In a public ceremony on campus on Friday afternoon, board president Mark Sybesma noted that the announcement coincides with the college's week-long celebration of its fortieth anniversary. Pointing out the many changes that have occurred over forty years, Sybesma said, "One thing hasn't changed, however. Dordt College was founded to equip its students and provide its constitutuency with the means to reform and restore the world we live in. In the process of searching for a new president the board was seeking a person who had the ability to articulate that vision." Both Sybesma and Zylstra praised the other finalist for the position, Dr. Harry Fernhout of Toronto, Canada. "The board was given two excellent men to choose from," said Sybesma. "We trust God that the difficult decision we made is a wise and good decision." In his acceptance remarks, Zylstra commented on his growing knowledge of Dordt College over the years since he came to Northwest Iowa. "As I've looked [at Dordt] from the outside, there was nothing that impressed me more than the spirit of excitement, enthusiasm, and convicted diligence that what we're doing here we're doing in the name of God, and that makes every ounce of effort we put into it worthwhile," he said. Zylstra has served as pastor of Immanuel CRC in Orange City, Iowa since 1983. He is a 1970 graduate of Calvin College and earned his master of divinity degree from Calvin Theological Seminary, both in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He received his doctoral degree in practical theology from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1983. Zylstra came to Orange City from Calvin Theological Seminary where he served for a year as lecturer in practical theology. Prior to entering a doctoral program, he had pastored Hammond Christian Reformed Church in Indiana from 1973 to 1979. Zylstra's background includes significant experience in leadership roles on the boards of a number of educational institutions and church agencies. He is a current member of the board of trustees of Calvin Seminary and past president of the board of Christian Reformed World Missions. As an officer of the latter board, he was instrumental in a major reorganization effort, appointing a new executive director, revamping the management structure, interviewing all new senior-level personnel, and beginning the implementation of a strategic plan. He has also served as vice president of the Board of World Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church, on the board of trustees of Calvin College and Seminary, and as secretary of the board of Dordt College. He has served as chair or reporter on a number of committees appointed to study and report to the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church, the denomination's highest decision-making body, and in 1994 was elected first clerk of that body. His local involvements have included leadership roles on boards or committees of Orange City Day Care Center, Classis of the Heartland of the CRC, Unity Christian High School, and the Orange City Chamber of Commerce. Zylstra is 47 years old. He and his wife, Gloria, have three children, one in high school and two attending Dordt College. Cross-References to Related Articles: #1994-063: Dordt College Founder Rev. B.J. Haan Dead at 77 #1995-050: Three Finalists Named for Dordt College Presidency Contact List: Jim De Young, Director of Alumni & Public Relations, Dordt College 498 - 4th Ave. NE, Sioux Center, IA * O: (712) 722-6024 * E-Mail: jim@dordt.edu Dr. Harry Fernhout, President, Institute for Christian Studies 229 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 1R4 * O: (416) 979-2331 Dr. Carl Zylstra, Pastor, Immanuel Christian Reformed Church 217 - 3rd St. SW, Orange City, IA 51041 * O: (712) 737-3294 * H: (712) 737-8309 * E-Mail: CZylstra@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr95-103.txt .