The Heart of Hope

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Hope’s faculty make a tremendous difference.

Talk to any alum, no matter the era, and he or she will share stories of a mentor — and usually many — whose enthusiasm, guidance and personal interest, running in tandem of course with their scholarly expertise, were transformative.

The eight faculty retiring at the end of the current school year have been making that difference at Hope for a combined total of 280 years, individually from 17 to 48 years — literally for generations. They’ve more than earned the next stage in their lives, but they’ll be missed.

Dr. Christopher Barney
T. Elliot Weier Professor of Biology
37 years
Linda Lefever Dykstra
Associate Professor of Music
20 years
Dr. Thomas Ludwig
John Dirk Werkman Professor of Psychology
40 years
Dr. Anthony Perovich
Professor of Philosophy
37 years
Dr. James Piers ’69
Professor of Sociology
42 years
Dr. Peter Schakel
The Peter C. and Emajean Cook Professor of English
48 years
Dr. Michael Seymour
Professor of Chemistry
39 years
Vicki TenHaken ’73
Professor of Management; Ruch Director, Baker Scholars
17 years

Please follow the link below for all of the biographical sketches of this year’s eight retirees and stories by Eva Dean Folkert ’83 featuring interviews with each.

Photos by Jon Lundstrom