Dordt Names New President
Dordt College Provost Dr. Erik Hoekstra has been named the fourth president of Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa.
“Dr. Hoekstra is very passionate about the college and has a deep-hearted commitment to what Dordt is all about,” said Lloyd Vander Kwaak, the chair of the College’s Board of Trustees, in an announcement on Monday.
Vander Kwaak’s announcement came after the Board of Trustees endorsed the unanimous recommendation of Hoekstra by a presidential search committee.
A Video introducing the new president is available on YouTube.
The new president brings with him a commitment to Dordt’s historical roots, an understanding of its current strengths, and, Vander Kwaak noted, a “track record of leading organizations with a blend of excellence and creativity—in both education and business . . . ”
Hoekstra will succeed Dr. Carl E. Zylstra, the third president of Dordt College, a Christ-centered college that is associated with the Christian Reformed Church.
“Under Dr. Carl Zylstra’s leadership, Dordt is in a wonderful place now,” Hoekstra says.
Hoekstra says he was able to see first-hand as provost the challenges, joys, and responsibilities of serving in the role of president, and that has helped prepare him for it.
As provost for the past four years, Hoekstra has overseen the reshaping of the academic structure of the college. In addition, he chaired the Enrollment Management Team and worked closely with the advancement office and president on the recent Beyond Jubilee: Vision 2020 Campaign.
In Hoekstra’s time as provost, programs in nursing, engineering, and agriculture have grown substantially, and new programs in worship arts, construction management, and actuarial science have begun.
Dordt’s international programs and international student enrollment, as well as its athletic programs, have grown as well.
Hoekstra holds a bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy from Trinity Christian College; a master’s degree in international management from The Rotterdam School of Management of Erasmus University in the Netherlands, and a Ph.D. in organizational learning and human resource development from Iowa State University.
Hoekstra has co-authored several publications on a range of topics, including coaching, delegation, servant leadership, and change management.
His background includes roles in leadership development, executive coaching, organizational consulting, industrial construction, wholesale distribution and retail management, as well as teaching business courses at Dordt College.
Hoekstra is married to Dr. Barb Hoekstra, an education professor at Dordt. They have four children.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit on Thursday, September 17, 2015, upheld a district court’s 2014 decision to halt enforcement of the Department of Health and Human Services mandate against two Christian colleges, Dordt College in Iowa and Cornerstone University in Michigan.
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