Hope College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan. It was originally opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled. The first freshman college class matriculated in 1862 and Hope received its state charter in 1866. Hope College is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and retains a Christian atmosphere. Its campus is adjacent to the downtown commercial district and has been shared with Western Theological Seminary since 1884. The Hope College campus, considered uniquely beautiful by many, is located near the eastern shores of Lake Michigan and is 2.5 hours away from two major cities in Chicago and Detroit.
History
Hope's motto is taken from Psalm 42:6: "Spera in Deo" ("Hope in God"). The college's emblem is an anchor. This is drawn from a speech by Albertus van Raalte, the leader of the community, on the occasion of the founding of the Pioneer School in 1851: "This is my anchor of hope for this people in the future," (an allusion to Hebrews 6:19). The primary-level Pioneer School was later expanded to secondary and college-level education as Hope College. Van Vleck Hall, which originally housed the Pioneer School, is the oldest building on campus (1858) and serves as a dormitory. It is the city's second-oldest building. The first college class matriculated in 1862, and Hope received its state charter in 1866. The college admitted its first female students in 1878.
2015 marked Hope College's 150th year of education. In honor of this, Hope held many events in 2015. The celebration began with the 150th commencement on May 3, 2015. The year held two grand openings, the Kruizenga Art Museum and the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, and the groundbreaking ceremony of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center. The college also sponsored the Presidential Colloquium lecture series, which featured an address by David Brooks on Christian education in the 21st century.
A marker designating the college as a Michigan Historic Site was erected in 2019 by the Michigan Historical Commission. The inscription reads:
In 1851, four years after settlers from the Netherlands founded Holland, the Pioneer School was established to meet some of the educational needs of the young colony. This school, the predecessor of Hope College, received direction and financial support from the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America. The school evolved into the Holland Academy, which in 1862 enrolled its first college class. On May 14, 1866, the institution was chartered as Hope College, and on July 17, 1866, the first class of eight students was graduated. The college’s name, seal, and motto are derived from a statement of the founder of Holland, Rev. Albertus C. Van Raalte, who said of the Pioneer School, “This is my Anchor of Hope for this people in the future.” In the decades that followed, a strong college of arts and sciences was developed which continues to serve the church and the community.
Presidents
The following people have presided over the college:
Philip Phelps Jr. (1866–1878) Charles Scott (1878–1893) Gerrit J. Kollen (1893–1911, Hope College Class of 1868) Ame Vennema (1911–1918, Hope College Class of 1879) Edward D. Dimnent (1918–1931, Hope College Class of 1896) Wynand Wichers (1931–1945) Irwin J. Lubbers (1945–1963, Hope College Class of 1917) Calvin A. VanderWerf (1963–1970, Hope College Class of 1937) Gordon VanWylen (1972–1987) John H. Jacobson (1987–1999) James E. Bultman (1999–2013, Hope College Class of 1963) John C. Knapp (2013–2017) Dennis N. Voskuil (2017–2019, Interim) Matthew A. Scogin (2019–Present, Hope College Class of 2002)
Hope Forward
The college is in pursuit of implementing Hope Forward, a model to fully fund every student's tuition through gifts after graduation rather than paying tuition up front. The pillars of the Hope Forward model are community, generosity and access. In order to fully fund tuition and offer Hope Forward to every student, the college seeks to raise over $1 billion. In June 2023, Hope Forward caught the attention of author Malcolm Gladwell, who devoted an episode of his podcast Revisionist History to Hope Forward, titled “A Good Circle.”
Academics
The college offers 90+ majors, all of which lead to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in engineering, or Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. It has a student population of about 3,200 with a student-to-faculty ratio of 11:1.