The Education Curriculum Resource Centre in Trinity Western University’s Norma Marion Alloway Library was recently renamed the in honour of one of the University’s best-known faculty members, Harro Van Brummelen, Ed.D.
On October 10, over 200 people—including staff, faculty, students, alumni, family, and friends—were on hand to celebrate the significant contributions Van Brummelen has made to the TWU community and to the field of education.
Among his many career highlights, the noted scholar and author was the main witness in the University’s 2001 Supreme Court case against the BC College of Teachers. “The positive outcome of the BCCT case allowed Harro to move forward with the goal of seeing the launch of the professional program that he had tirelessly pursued since coming to TWU,” said Provost W. Robert Wood, Ph.D.
Along with Wood, several faculty members and former students—including alumni Craig Ketchum (’10) and Katie Gemmell (’10)—spoke of Van Brummelen’s profound influence in the classroom, and in their lives. “After taking Dr. Van Brummelen’s class, I began to learn the stories of his life, and of his contributions to Christian education at TWU, in BC, in Canada, and around the world,” said Ketchum. “It’s only appropriate that this room be named after him, because he has resourced many, many people.”
Gemmell shared how Van Brummelen influenced her to pursue her Masters degree. “I admire the reputation he has established, not only in the Christian community, but in the broader community,” she said. “People can’t help but respect someone with so much integrity.”
The former Dean of Undergraduate Studies and founding Dean of the School of Education, who served at TWU from 1986 until his retirement in 2010, also served on the Ministry of Advanced Education’s Degree Quality Assessment Board of BC and was the first Chair of the Association of BC Deans of Education.
Because of his heart for TWU’s education students, Van Brummelen not only made a point of seeing what education curriculum resources were available in the library, he also added what was needed. The resource centre has been used not only by TWU students, but also by local educators.
Despite being diagnosed in 2012 with an incurable form of cancer, Van Brummelen smiled and gave the crowd a “virtual hug" as he took the podium to address those gathered. He spoke of the teachings of 8th-century scholar St. Alcuin of York. “Alcuin understood that libraries have the capacity to outlive individuals, carrying ideas into the future,” he said.
Van Brummelen also paid tribute to his wife, Wilma, herself a teacher. “Without her input about teaching—middle-schoolers and kindergartners, particularly—I might just have become one of those academics who says all kinds of lofty things but forgets about what’s actually happening in K-12 schools and classrooms,” he said. “Wilma always reminded me of the value of wisely choosing, using, and promoting good books and good resources in the classroom.”
You can support the Harro and Wilma Van Brummelen Education Award by making a donation at TWU Impact.
Read more about Harro Van Brummelen’s contributions to TWU and the field of education in this magazine article.
To see more photos from the dedication ceremony, visit our Facebook page.