Author: Chris Lewis

Merging Majors

Senior Elizabeth Ensink discovers new opportunities through Hope’s interdisciplinary approach to liberal arts. This summer, senior Elizabeth Ensink of Hudsonville, Michigan, participated in one of the United States’ most competitive undergraduate creative writing fellowships, “Nature in Words.” The 10-week fellowship, based at Hastings, Michigan’s Pierce Cedar Creek Institute for environmental education, provided a unique opportunity… Continue Reading →

Hands-On Learning from Day1 and Beyond

As Eleda Plouch, a freshman from Greenfield, Indiana, prepared for her first semester of college last summer, various thoughts raced through her mind. Would she enjoy her classes? How would she deal with the stress of schoolwork? And would she find a core group of friends? Those concerns all dissipated though, as soon as she… Continue Reading →

One Archbishop, Two Funerals

In the years following Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses, a wave of Protestant conversion swept through many German cities. Why, then, did the residents of Cologne remain predominantly Catholic? To this day, this remains a mystery to historians, including Dr. Janis Gibbs, who has pursued the answer for years. Long after completing her… Continue Reading →

Microecology Close to Home

For more than 15 years, Hope faculty members have worked alongside students to research Lake Macatawa’s watershed. Decades of agricultural run-off polluted it with nutrients that can kill fish, harm plant life, lead to algal blooms, and trigger high levels of E. coli bacteria. To spark students’ interest in saving local habitats, and to monitor… Continue Reading →

Dance as a Learning Strategy

Imagine a Kandinsky painting coming to life on stage, each impasto brushstroke a carefully choreographed movement. Picture a Warhol screenprint animated by dance, each plane of color made kinetic. What could young audiences learn from such dance performances? The connection between movement and cognition drives Professor Nicki Flinn. It motivates her research, and it inspires… Continue Reading →

Faith and the Bench

In September 2017, the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned Amy Barrett, a federal appellate-court nominee, about whether her Catholic faith would influence her decision-making as a judge and perhaps disqualify her from a seat on the federal bench. From his office in Lubbers Hall, Dr. David Ryden was paying close attention. Ryden has been studying the… Continue Reading →

Kuyper, the Popes — and an Economist

Where economics, morality and political theory intersect, you’ll find Dr. Sarah Estelle. Intrigued by this trio of issues, Estelle recently began to concentrate on economic theory, theological principles and the role of the state, with a focus on the late Nobel Prize-winning Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek. Hayek, who was skeptical of socialism and central planning,… Continue Reading →