By Ryan FoleyChristian Post Reporter Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Calvin University President Wiebe Boer has resigned after allegations of engaging in “unwelcome and inappropriate” behavior.

In statement posted Monday, the Michigan-based Christian institution's Board of Trustees announced that Boer offered his resignation after it received a report alleging that he “engaged in unwelcome and inappropriate communication and attention to a non-student member of the campus community.”

Emphasizing that “the report did not include allegations of sexually explicit communication or physical contact,” the university insists that “the alleged behavior is disturbing and inappropriate.”

“Upon receiving the report, we immediately engaged outside experts to ensure that Calvin University responds to the report in accordance with our policies and legal requirements, including Title IX,” the statement added.

“After being notified of the report, Dr. Boer denied some of the allegations but admitted to sending communications that were inappropriate and inconsistent with the high standard of conduct and character expected of the President of Calvin University.”

Calvin University has appointed Vice President of Advancement Gregory Elzinga as interim president while the board of trustees searches for a permanent replacement for Bure. Elzinga is praised for his “deep well of skills and experience inside and outside of Calvin” and his “equally deep knowledge and dedication to the institution.”

Located in Grand Rapids, Calvin University was founded as Calvin College and Seminary in 1876, almost 20 years after the formation of the Christian Reformed Church with which it is affiliated. It officially changed its name to Calvin University in 2019.

The school, which has an enrollment of 3,364 students, seeks to equip students “to think deeply, to act justly, and to live wholeheartedly as Christ's agents of renewal in the world.”

Buro was appointed the president of Calvin in March 2022. Born in Jos, Nigeria, to Christian Reformed missionary parents, Boer graduated from Calvin in 1997.

During his appointment, Calvin Board of Trustees Vice President Mary Tuuk Kuras praised the “academic grounding, strong sense of social justice, and depth of experience in the private and social sectors of Boer.” He started his tenure as Calvin's 12th president in the summer of 2022.

After Buro assumed the presidency, Calvin University's board of trustees voted to allow school staff members to publicly disagree with the Christian Reformed Church's doctrinal positions on human sexuality, including its opposition to same-sex marriage.

The vote, which came just months after Boer's arrival at Calvin in November 2022, came in response to pressure from theologically progressive faculty and students who identify as members of the LGBT community.

In a statement to The Christian Post at the time, a university spokesperson asserted that faculty will continue to “adhere to the university's expectations for teaching and personal conduct that honors the position of the church.”

The spokesperson added, “The Board characterized its decision as respectful of the university's affiliation with the [Christian Reformed Church of North America]consistent with denominational commitment, consistent with existing policies and procedures, supportive of academic freedom, and reflective of helpful commitment.”

Before becoming Calvin's chairman, Boer was the chief executive officer of the Shell-funded, Nigeria-based renewable energy investment company All-On. During Boer's first week as president, Calvin University signed a memorandum of understanding with the Carmel, Indiana-based SunFundED to pursue Solar-as-a-Service energy as part of a transition to solar energy on campus.