College's catalog - Trinity Christian College

Centers at Trinity
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Centers at Trinity christian college
THE ALEXANDER DE JONG CENTER FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION
Patti Powell, Ph.D., director
The Alexander De Jong Center for Special Education is a joint venture of Trinity Christian
College and Elim Christian Services that began in 2004. Its mission is to prepare current and
future teachers with the highest quality instruction and training to develop fully the God-given
potential of individuals with special needs.
It was named in May 2005 in honor of Dr. Alexander De Jong, Trinity’s first president (1966-68)
and pastoral consultant at Elim. The Center initiated its Summer Institute of Discovery in the
summer of 2004 to give students firsthand classroom experience as teacher assistants in Elim
classrooms.
Trinity and Elim are two unique Christian educational institutions whose mission statements
reflect a shared heritage and Reformed faith. Both offer the highest quality instruction to prepare
students for their future lives, callings, and careers by developing their potential in the context of
their relationships to God, others, and all of creation.
The Center for Special Education has identified three major challenges to educating students with
special needs:
• there is an acute shortage of qualified special education professionals who are academically
qualified and prepared with practical experience and share the heritage of Reformed education
• current special education teachers require additional resources to empower them in
promoting academic excellence
• there is a need for more research-based methods for teaching and learning in the special
education classroom
By working together purposefully, Trinity and Elim can inspire, nurture, and train special
education teachers for lives of Christlike service while enabling students with special needs to
grow and thrive as children of God.
admissions@trnty.edu