Author: News from Hope College

Window to Hope’s History: Sibs and Emmys Celebrate a Century

Siblings in the college’s Greek system, the Sibylline sorority and Emersonian fraternity also share a birth year in 1919. In the century since they were founded, thousands of students have built and continued traditions of friendship and service that have thrived to the present. Today, there are more than 2,000 living Sib and Emersonian alumni,… Continue Reading →

Closing Look: Welcome to Hope!

Since arriving on July 1, President Matthew A. Scogin ’02 and his family have been the guests at numerous events welcoming them to the college. During freshman Move-In Day on Friday, Aug. 23, he returned the favor and, accompanied by Dutch, Hope’s mascot, welcomed members of the Class of 2023 to their new college home,… Continue Reading →

On Four Continents, Helping Agencies Encourage Foster Care

Dr. Deb Sturtevant’s “on the side” takes her quite a distance. Guatemala. China. Romania. Zambia. Since the 1990s, she’s worked on projects with the global arm of Bethany Christian Services. In a six-year effort in Zambia that wrapped up in 2015, she and colleagues evaluated a community-based family support program and networked with a local… Continue Reading →
Photography by
Steven Herppich

Interdisciplinary Exploration of Global Issues

An innovative Hope College initiative enabled 50 faculty members to travel internationally in teams over the past 18 months to interact with scholars in other nations about complex global problems. “The impact on faculty is just tremendous,” says Dr. Deirdre Johnston, interim associate dean for global education, who co-directed the Hope Portals to the World… Continue Reading →

Striving for Balance in Zeeland, Michigan

When an elderly person falls, a cascade of medical problems may follow. So when a cluster of falls occurred in 2019 in the assisted living section of a West Michigan senior community, staff asked Hope’s Department of Kinesiology for advice. Dr. Maureen Dunn and Dr. Kirk Brumels teamed with physical therapist Dr. David Krombeen ’12… Continue Reading →
Photography by
Steven Herppich

Preparing Teacher Education Candidates To Connect Across Cultures

At Hope, the course Encounter with Cultures heightens teacher education candidates’ understanding of how ethnicity, culture and gender play out in day-to-day life. Later, when as teachers they relate to students whose lives can be radically different from their own, they draw on the critical thinking they learned about racism in America and the impact… Continue Reading →

Two Miles From Campus, Medical Outreach to Seniors

Years ago, when Barbara Vincensi’s work as a parish nurse took her to the homes of low-income senior citizens, it became clear to her that many would be healthier if regular medical monitoring were available to them close at hand. That unmet need stuck with her as she joined the Hope faculty and worked with… Continue Reading →
Photography by
Steven Herppich

Linking Researchers with the Digital Liberal Arts

As digital resources continue to change the face of research and teaching, Victoria Longfield helps Hope College faculty and students explore how cutting-edge tools can help them broaden and exceed their goals. Her job title as Van Wylen Library’s digital liberal arts librarian is unusual even in this high-tech era. Hope is among just three… Continue Reading →

Supporting Research in the Fine Arts

The upcoming production was Dance 43, Hope College’s annual faculty recital. Forty-seven student dancers were rehearsing with seven faculty and guest choreographers, and Jessica Hroncheck was the fly on the wall. Hronchek spent weeks shadowing the dance company and interviewing choreographers to learn more about how people share information in a creative context — and… Continue Reading →

COVID-19 Announcements

Hope Is More Than a Place As COVID-19 spread in China in January, the college monitored developments daily and began planning for contingencies if the virus’ reach broadened. Whatever that might come to mean, the the top principle has been “Get the students across the finish line.” In other words, Hope will see the semester… Continue Reading →

From the President: Matthew A. Scogin ʼ02

Dear Friends and Family of Hope College, We are living through an extraordinary period of human history. With the entire world confronting a pandemic unprecedented for more than a century, please know that we are praying for the health and well-being of you and your families. It’s often said that crisis builds character, but it’s… Continue Reading →

Distinctive Hope: Giving Hope to Kids

Hope students volunteer countless hours throughout the community and year, a commitment to service expressed most prominently via Dance Marathon, in which more than 1,000 participate. Held annually since 2000, the student-organized event is — as per its motto above — a fund-raiser and awareness-builder supporting Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. With more than a third… Continue Reading →

Quote, Unquote: Natalie Brown

With April upon us, we are sharing with permission the following essay by Natalie Brown ’17 of Aurora, Illinois, in which her memories of Hope at the dawn of spring provide an entry into a meditation on the hope to be found in Christ — a message itself timely in this season of Easter and… Continue Reading →

Campus Scene

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AT HEART OF NEW PROGRAM Holland’s connection to author L. Frank Baum’s beloved Oz series — he penned portions of his stories while summering at Macatawa Park — inspired the name of a new program at Hope designed to connect the college with community partners to address the city’s most pressing needs. Titled… Continue Reading →

In a Class of Their Own

For more than 150 years, Hope College has been preparing a good portion of its students to become future teachers. Pastors and teachers — those were Hope’s first two career placements. Today, approximately 4,050 Hope graduates teach in public or private K-12 schools. But for the past decade or so, the career that creates all… Continue Reading →

Any is too Many

Hope doesn’t wait for national Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April to build awareness of the issue. Hope’s prevention programming instead begins with resident assistant training and New Student Orientation each August, continuing with multiple large-scale and smaller events across the fall and spring semesters. The national statistics show why. As reported by the National… Continue Reading →

Asking Big Questions at the Nuclear Level

The research being conducted by the faculty and students of the Nuclear Group at Hope might be considered ambitious. They are, after all, trying to figure out how the universe works, and supernovas are in the mix. Admittedly, there are many directions that such big questions could go. The work at Hope is focused, in… Continue Reading →

Lifetimes of Impact

In important ways, the mission and impact are the same: providing guidance while helping young people discover who they are meant to be and ultimately preparing them to walk their own paths, journeys that in turn will touch others, and others and others. At Hope, that happens with a specific focus, which, as per the… Continue Reading →

600 and Counting

Only five years after his graduation, he began crafting a remarkable legacy when he took the helm as the head coach of Hope College women’s basketball in 1996. Now after his 24th season at his alma mater, Morehouse is not only the 2020 U.S. Marines/WBCA Coach of the Year for NCAA Division III (an award… Continue Reading →