Redeemer adopts Provost Model
Academic administration restructured to reflect whole life learning
2 min. read
July 1, 2013

The Christian university experience provided at Redeemer acknowledges that teaching and learning take place both inside and outside the classroom. Recently, the academic and student development divisions were restructured to strengthen the coherence in Christ that faculty and students seek across all of Redeemer’s curricular, co-curricular, and communal life. With the announcement today of several new appointments, Redeemer has completed a re-organization to a Provost Model. Under this model, the provost is the chief academic officer and the administrative leader of the academic division of the university. The provost is responsible for the entire educational program of the university, where the definition of “educational” is deliberately broad in order to recognize that learning happens everywhere. As such, in the Provost Model, education reflects a collaboration between the academic division (the curriculum) and the student development division (the co-curriculum). The provost and two associate provosts work closely together to ensure a frequent, deliberate, and seamless collaboration to provide students with a whole-life education. This process began when Dr. Doug Needham was appointed as Provost and Vice President Academic this past winter. Today, Dr. Needham announced that the two associate provost positions have also been filled, completing the succession needed to staff the model. Richard Wikkerink, who was the Associate Vice President, Student Development, will now serve as the Associate Provost, Co-Curriculum and Student Development (APCSD). The APCSD is the university’s senior student affairs officer, providing leadership and strategic direction for components of the co-curriculum, and services for students essential for whole-life learning. In this new role, Mr. Wikkerink will oversee such areas as athletics, chaplaincy, financial aid, learning services, student retention, career services, community-service learning, and student life. Also today, Dr. David Zietsma, Associate Professor of History, was appointed Redeemer’s new Associate Provost, Curriculum (APC). Among various tasks, the APC is responsible for the core curriculum, the continuing education program, and the internship program. Dr. Zietsma will also serve as Redeemer’s Dean of Humanities, a new division created by the merger of the Arts and Foundations divisions. The adoption of the Provost Model also led to a number of other changes in Redeemer’s academic administration. Assuming new roles and responsibilities will be: Prof. Susan Van Weelden, Dean of Social Sciences; Dr. Kyle Spyksma, Dean of Sciences; Ms. Kim Lammers, Registrar; Dr. Jim Vanderwoerd, Director of Mentoring; Dr. Kevin Flatt, Director of Research. “We are looking forward to integrating all of the curricular and co-curricular activities into a dynamic learning experience for our students,” notes Dr. Needham. “We believe that they will come to learn how to, as our tagline says, ‘Discover all things in Him.’”

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