From the President: Matthew A. Scogin ʼ02

Dear Friends and Family of Hope College,

As I write this message, we are completing the final weeks of our semester, Christmas Vespers will soon be here, and we are looking ahead to final exams and forward to Christmas Break. Wherever you are in the rhythm of your life during this Advent season, we hope that you are well and able to be with family and friends as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. If your family includes one or more of our students, we especially hope that you are enjoying your time with them.

Speaking of our students, we began the semester with only two empty beds and a waitlist; from an enrollment perspective, we are full. We’re grateful for such strong interest in Hope.

As you peruse this issue, you will see two important results of the Hope Forward initiative, as generous gifts have enabled us to endow part of the Campus Ministries program and a new Global Health Program. These gifts benefit today’s students and are also a step forward towards transforming the lives of future students, endowing programs that make us less dependent on tuition dollars. Even though our freshman class is full, we want to make Hope College more affordable and more accessible. This is the heart of Hope Forward.

In my eyes, the main question on the table in our country right now is this: Will we be a land of opportunity for all, or a land of privilege for a few? The answer to that question isn’t just being decided by politicians; it’s playing out in the admissions and financial aid processes on college campuses. A college education provides opportunity. And yet, every year, students choose not to attend (or graduate with crippling debt) because of the high cost. Hope Forward will change that.

Thank you for your support, your gifts, and your prayers. They are not only making a difference to today’s students, but providing hope — and Hope — for the students of tomorrow.

Spera in Deo!
Matthew A. Scogin ʼ02
President