Lindsay Kuiper — Staff Writer

This semester, theatre professor Dr. Teresa Ter Haar began her new position at Dordt as the Dean of Curriculum and Instruction, a role previously held by Dr. Leah Zuidema.

Unpacked boxes cover the floor of Ter Haar’s new office in the Academic Affairs department as she begins a period of transition from working in one office to two. Instead of being a full-time department chair of theatre, she will work as a part-time professor and part-time Dean. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Ter Haar will work in the Theatre Building. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she will set up shop in the Office of Academic Affairs, located on the third floor of the Campus Center.

“A lot of my work will focus on faculty development, working with new faculty and staff at Dordt, observing classrooms, and helping shepherd the curriculum at Dordt,” Ter Haar said.

Her core responsibilities are focused around “pedagogue,” a way of inspiring good teaching, new ideas, and technological advancements for the benefit of students and teachers alike.

“I’m really excited about this new responsibility, in part because I get to work with the whole faculty,” Ter Haar said. “I’ll be helping faculty members to be empowered to be better teachers and work in new ways with their students.”

Ter Haar also said that her experience with the Women’s Institute helped prepare her for this leadership position as well as piquing her interest in helping faculty and improving curriculum. She explained that although the job would take her out of her comfort zone, “God was telling me I needed to try.”

The upcoming semester will be a time of trial and error for Ter Haar as she works around an increasingly busy schedule. “I’m nervous,” she said, “but not in a bad way; it’s the kind of nervous that excites you and inspires you to do something well.”