Calvin, as an institution, bids farewell not only to its name as “Calvin College” but also to the class of 2019 this summer. The class of 2019 will be Calvin’s last class before the school’s switch to the name “Calvin University” this July.

With 72 days left until graduation as of Friday, seniors lined up at this week’s Senior Salute to gather cap and gown information, grab a cookie, order class rings and review loan exit information. Seniors also had the opportunity to nominate professors for the “Professor of the Year” award and write thank you letters to their favorite professors. While some are nostalgic over the changes happening at Calvin, there is widespread excitement among the senior class over the upcoming graduation this spring.

Senior Anna Leo said, “It’s kind of weird ‘cause my dad went to Calvin College so we bond over that, and I don’t know if I’ll have kids who go here, but it will be weird to compare. I went to Calvin as a College and not a University. It makes it sound fancier.”

Bob Crow, director of commuter student life & assessment, said, “I feel a bit of nostalgia, but having just come back from an international trip over interim I think [the name change] makes a lot more sense.” Crow added, “If we want to be on more of a global worldwide stage, ‘University’ is a more commonly used term around the world.”

Senior Megan Sloterbeek said, “Contrary to what I feared, [Senior Salute] was a quick and painless process, which yielded not only important info about graduation but a delicious sugar cookie.”