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Calvin News

麻豆区 selects Noah Toly as provost

Mon, Apr 19, 2021
Matt Kucinski

麻豆区鈥檚 provost search committee has recommended聽 as the university鈥檚 next provost. Toly currently serves at Wheaton College as executive director of the Center for Urban Engagement, chair of urban studies, and professor of urban studies and politics & international relations.

Calvin conducted a national search for the provost position, and Toly鈥檚 name rose to the top of a highly qualified and diverse pool of candidates. President聽Michael Le Roy and professor of chemistry and biochemistry聽Kumar Sinniah co-chaired the 13-member search committee which included representatives from the university鈥檚 faculty and administration.

鈥淲e are delighted to welcome Noah to Calvin. He is an accomplished academic, a deeply committed Christian, and is enthusiastic about the Calvin community and the Reformed faith,鈥 said Le Roy, who appointed Toly following the search committee鈥檚 recommendation. 鈥淗is teaching, scholarship, and community engagement represent his commitment to seeking understanding and promoting the flourishing of all people, which is what we are aspiring to as well at Calvin鈥攖o be a trusted partner.鈥

Making a short list

Toly聽has spent much of his time in academia at Wheaton College. It鈥檚 where his journey started as an undergraduate studying interdisciplinary studies and Spanish, and where he later returned to teach after earning a masters and doctorate from the University of Delaware in urban affairs and public policy. With almost two decades spent at Wheaton, the past 15 as a professor, he knew it would be hard for him to leave.

But, in recent years, Toly, an , started to get calls鈥攑eople asking him to consider positions at other institutions. With this becoming a more frequent thing, a confidant of Toly鈥檚 suggested that he make a short list of specific positions at specific institutions he鈥檇 be willing to leave Wheaton for.

鈥淚 made a very, very short list,鈥 said Toly.

The Calvin provost position was on that list.

鈥淚 have always admired Calvin,鈥 said Toly. 鈥淚t is a university that has made room for a flourishing of life and mind across the disciplines. It is known for deep commitments to excellent teaching, outstanding scholarship, and fidelity to Reformed Christianity.鈥

Developing a deeper appreciation

These were things that stood out to Toly from a distance. But Toly鈥檚 proximity to Calvin and its faculty over the past decade would tighten. He spent a couple of weeks one summer at Calvin for a Seminars in Christian Scholarship conference, co-keynoted another conference, co-taught classes at the Au Sable Institute, and is currently a co-principal investigator on a Council for Christian Colleges and Universities grant, all alongside Calvin faculty members.

鈥淚鈥檝e had a lot of collaborators and friends at Calvin over the years. Through them, I鈥檝e had the privilege of learning not only about their work but about the good work underway across the university,鈥 said Toly.

And the closer Toly got, the more attracted he became to Calvin鈥檚 mission and its values.

鈥淐alvin鈥檚 entire mission statement is a beautiful articulation not only of what Christian educators should be doing, but what we should aspire to as Christians, what the church should aspire to,鈥 said Toly. 鈥淎nd, especially that last part of the mission statement: 鈥榣ive wholeheartedly as Christ鈥檚 agents of renewal in the world.鈥 It seems appropriately ambitious, and I think it requires faith, and hope, and love鈥攚e need all three of the theological virtues to do this work. Faith in God who works through creation and redemption, hope in his transformative work of new creation, and love for God and for our neighbors are all required if we are to live as Christ鈥檚 agents of renewal in the world.鈥

Sharing a vision

And equally as attractive to Toly is 麻豆区鈥檚 vision, which includes aspiring to become a trusted partner鈥攖o come alongside groups of all different Christian traditions, all over the world and ask how Calvin can best partner with them to promote flourishing. Aiming to become known as a trusted partner is something Toly has demonstrated a commitment to for years.

鈥淪ome institutions can become turned in on themselves and exist for their own sake,鈥 said Toly, 鈥渂ut Calvin seems to be a place that knows it exists for the church and world.鈥

Toly points to the work happening through the聽Calvin Prison Initiative as one tangible example of that vision being lived out and says he鈥檚 been watching that program closely at a distance for the past couple of years.

And as this vision is realized at Calvin, the search committee saw no better person to lead this effort than Toly, who has been living out the central tenets of Calvin鈥檚 vision during his time at Wheaton, perhaps most clearly demonstrated through his leadership in relocating the Wheaton in Chicago program to the southside neighborhood of Woodlawn, where the program has connected with community organizations and churches, developing new practices of community engagement that help students, faculty, and staff to learn from local partners.

Sharing core values

鈥淥ur center, community partners, and others at Wheaton were aligned in the hope that the move would help the college to learn and grow when it came to diversity, inclusion, justice, and unity. We prayed that God would teach us through the move, and he has been teaching us,鈥 said Toly. 鈥淲e moved to a neighborhood where the fresh wounds and old scars of racial injustice were as poignant and salient as they are anywhere in the country, and that has required us to learn new modes of community engagement. We鈥檝e had to adjust the pace of our work to match our community partners鈥攎oving from 鈥榙ecide slowly, commit late, implement quickly鈥 to 鈥榙ecide quickly, commit early, and implement slowly.鈥 We had to become more aware of our blind spots.鈥

One of the tangible outcomes of this work was the launching of an initiative that brought first-generation students from Woodlawn and select adjacent neighborhoods into the Wheaton in Chicago curriculum and offering co-curricular experiences for credit at no cost.

鈥淚鈥檝e had many opportunities to contribute to the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the college level, but my work in the Center for Urban Engagement and Urban Studies program has required consistent focus on these issues,鈥 said Toly. 鈥淪emester-in, semester-out, week-in, week-out鈥攚ith students, colleagues, our advisory board, and partners鈥攊t has required steady, long-term focus. I鈥檝e still got a lot to learn鈥攖his is not an issue where you 鈥渁rrive鈥 and you鈥檙e done growing鈥攂ut I鈥檓 grateful for the many opportunities I鈥檝e had to learn and grow in these areas already. It is some of the most difficult work we have to do, and at the same time, some of the most rewarding and important work that we do.鈥

For the search committee, they saw that Toly鈥檚 teaching, scholarship, and community engagement demonstrated a commitment to values that are important to Calvin as it pursues its mission and vision.

鈥淣oah鈥檚 breadth of experiences and vision aligns well with Calvin鈥檚 pursuit of its goal to be a leading global institution of Christian higher ed and to provide resources and walk alongside people from different Christian and cultural traditions,鈥 said Sinniah, who co-chaired the search committee.

A commitment and appreciation for Reformed theology

Sinniah also says the search committee saw in Toly someone who is deeply committed to the Reformed faith.

鈥淣oah recognizes that central to Calvin鈥檚 vision is its commitments to Reformed Christianity. He frames the pursuit of all program innovations, educational experiences, and community involvements through a reformed Christian lens,鈥 said Sinniah. 鈥淗e will bring fresh insights and new energy to these pursuits.鈥

Toly, who has spent more than two decades in confessionally Reformed churches says that his commitment to and appreciation for Reformed theology was a key attractional pull for him to this position.

鈥淲e need the work of Jesus Christ and the Spirit to restore all of creation, but we can also acknowledge the goodness of creation,鈥 said Toly. 鈥淲e can affirm those good things, even while we affirm the necessity of the redemption of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.鈥

Looking back with gratitude

Toly will begin his tenure as provost on July 1 and be formally installed as provost during the Fall Convocation ceremony in late August. He steps into the role聽Cheryl Brandsen is retiring from after faithfully serving as provost since 2014.

鈥淭hose of us who serve in administrative leadership roles at Calvin respond to God鈥檚 call for a season. We entrust our work to God and have faith that God will provide the next leader to carry the mission forward,鈥 said Le Roy. 鈥淥utgoing provost Cheryl Brandsen has served Calvin faithfully and commendably with the deep commitment to Calvin鈥檚 mission. We are grateful for her service and for her commitment to helping Noah to make a seamless transition into this leadership role at Calvin.鈥

Toly says he鈥檚 heard many great things about Brandsen and her leadership, including her commitment to fostering a community of high trust. For Toly, he aims to continue in this good work, and hopes that he鈥檒l be 鈥渒nown for gentle and faithful leadership, and for empowering others on campus.鈥


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