Hope College is a privateChristianliberal 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 125 acres (0.195 sq mi) campus is adjacent to the downtown commercial district and has been shared with Western Theological Seminary since 1884.
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.[4]
Presidents
The following people have presided over the college:[5]
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)
Matthew A. Scogin (2019–Present, Hope College Class of 2002) [6]
Academics
Van Vleck Hall, built in 1858, to house the Holland Academy
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. It has a student population of about 3,400 with a student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1.
The college offers off-campus study programs in several cities, including Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, and overseas programs for the summer, semester, or an entire academic year. Among its international programs, a longstanding summer semester in Vienna is fairly popular among students.
Courses offered at Hope are divided into five disciplines:
General Education: In General Education courses[7] students encounter a diverse array of topics rooted in the liberal arts education. Regardless of their majors, students take courses in art, history, language, literature, math and sciences. They also participate in a First-Year Seminar course and a Senior Seminar course. These courses were developed to help transition students in and out of their college career.
Arts and Humanities: The Fine and Performing Arts[8] degree at Hope College consists of four departments, which include Art and Art History, Dance, Music and Theatre. The Humanities division includes the departments of English, History, Modern and Classical Language, Philosophy and Religion.
Natural and Applied Sciences: The Natural and Applied Sciences[9] programs include Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Nursing and Physics.
Social Sciences: A Social Science[10] degree consists of the departments of Communication, Economics and Business, Education, Kinesiology, Peace and Justice minor, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology/Social Work.
Pre-health programs: There are a wide variety of pre-health programs[11] at the undergraduate level. They include Chiropractic Medicine, Dentistry, Genetic Counseling, Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Podiatry, Public Health, Speech Language Pathology and Veterinary Medicine. Other pre-health professions include Nursing, Athletic Training, and Pre-clinical Psychology.
Hope College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, with professional accreditation from the following:[15]
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
American Chemical Society
Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Council on Social Work Education
National Association of Schools of Art and Design
National Association of Schools of Dance
National Association of Schools of Music
National Association of Schools of Theatre
Campus life
Housing
On-campus housing[16] is provided in 11 residence halls, 15 apartment buildings, and 70+ houses (called "cottages") that the college owns near the campus. A small percentage of students—primarily juniors, seniors, and Holland residents—live off-campus. All full-time students without commuter status are required to live in on-campus housing for three years.
Demographics
Most Hope students come from the greater Great Lakes region. In 2012 approximately 90% of the student body came from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Approximately 86% of the student body is white; students from minority backgrounds account for about 12% of the student body. Approximately 2% of the student body is international.
The Hope Sailing club is one of the many clubs at Hope.
Student organizations
Student activities[17] and organizations include Dance Marathon and Relay for Life, an FM radio station (WTHS), newspaper (The Anchor), literary magazine (Opus), and yearbook (Milestone), plus a variety of academic, musical, spiritual, literary, social and athletic clubs. About 10-12% of students belong to social fraternities and sororities, which are local to Hope rather than chapters of larger organizations, with the exception of one fraternity, Phi Sigma Kappa. The college holds Sunday evening worship services ("The Gathering") and Monday/Wednesday/Friday Chapel services on campus. Attendance at these events has been voluntary since 1970, yet students routinely fill Dimnent Memorial Chapel to its capacity of greater than 1,000 students at each service.
Campus traditions
The Pull
"The Pull" is an annual tug-of-war between the freshman and sophomore classes at Hope College. It takes place across the Black River in Holland on the last Saturday of September every year (until 1993 it was held on a Friday). The Pull dates to 1898. Each team has 18 students on the rope as "pullers," and another 18 acting as guides and morale boosters, or "moralers." The freshmen are coached by juniors, and the sophomores by seniors. This arrangement has led to the rivalry between even and odd year classes. Even year's colors are red and white, while Odd year's colors are maroon and gold. The competition is limited to three hours; it previously had no time limit. The winner is the team that takes the most rope.
A view of the Odd year side at the 114th pull
The Nykerk Cup Competition
The Nykerk Cup is a multifaceted competition between freshmen and sophomore women involving song, play, and oration. As in the Pull, freshmen are coached by juniors and sophomores by seniors, also contributing to the "Odd Year" and "Even Year" competitions. The Nykerk Cup takes place during Family Weekend in late fall. The tradition was begun in 1935 by John Nykerk. Men participate in the competition as "moralers" by supporting the participants while building sets and coordinating scene changes.[18]
Winter Fantasia
One formal dance is offered by the college in February. Students may attend in large groups or with dates, and the college offers transportation to Grand Rapids, where it takes place.
Dance Marathon
The students of Hope College hold the annual Dance Marathon to raise money for the Helen Devos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids. This event takes place in the spring semester. Students volunteer to be dancers or moralers for the event. Dancers stand on their feet and dance for 24 hours while moralers take shifts supporting the dancers. Children of the hospital often visit to show their thanks.
Christmas Vespers
Each December, Hope College hosts a musical Christmas service in Dimnent Chapel. The service has been held annually since 1941 and features over 200 students, staff and faculty. It includes music performed by the Chapel Choir, College Chorus, Orchestra, and other small ensembles.[19] There are four performances each year, all of which draw a crowd that fills the chapel. The event is regularly recorded and televised on PBS stations during the Christmas season.[20]
Campus events
Hope routinely hosts well-known authors, speakers, scientists, and global leaders who present lectures on a wide variety of topics.
The Jack Ridl Visiting Writers Series brings in prominent authors for free public readings. The series is named for poet and Hope College professor emeritus Jack Ridl, who founded the series in 1982.
Employment
For 11 straight years (2006–2016), Hope College was listed among the "101 best and brightest companies to work for in West Michigan" survey of the Michigan Business and Professional Association.[21]
Campus renovation
The college marked the completion of the "Greater Hope"[22] campaign in October 2015 with the dedication of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts. In September 2015, the college dedicated the opening of Kruizenga Art Museum, designed by C Concept Design, and broke ground on construction of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center.
As of October 2015, the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts and the Kruizenga Art Museum are open and in use by students and faculty. The Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center opened for the 2017–18 school year.
Athletics
DeVos Fieldhouse on the campus of Hope College
Hope College competes in the MIAA conference, and is a Division III member of the NCAA. It currently fields 20 men's and women's varsity teams. The college has constructed several new outdoor athletic venues in recent years— DeVos Fieldhouse (2005), Boeve Baseball Stadium (2008), Wolters Softball Stadium (2008), Van Andel Soccer Stadium (2009) and Heeringa-Vande Poel Tennis Stadium (2012). The college recently acquired Holland Municipal Stadium from the City of Holland and has renamed it the Ray and Sue Smith in honor of a longtime coach and his wife. In 2006, the women's basketball team won the National Championship in its division, the second in school history.
Hope has won the MIAA All-Sports/Commissioner's Cup Championship more than any other member school. Hope has won the honor a league-leading 34 times.[23] In 2012-13 Hope athletes and/or teams qualified for nine NCAA championships.
The school's athletic teams are called the Flying Dutchmen[3] (men) and the Flying Dutch (women).[3] The school colors are blue and orange (possibly chosen because the Dutch royal family is the House of Orange-Nassau). The college sponsors club ice hockey and rugby in addition to a popular intramural sports program.
National Championships:
1990: Women's Basketball (NCAA Division III)
2006: Women's Basketball (NCAA Division III)
2014: Women's Volleyball (NCAA Division III)
2022: Women's Basketball (NCAA Division III)
National Runners-up:
1994: Women's Swimming and Diving (NCAA Division III)
1995: Men's Swimming and Diving (NCAA Division III)
1996: Men's Basketball (NCAA Division III)
1998: Men's Basketball (NCAA Division III)
2010: Women's Basketball (NCAA Division III)
Club Team National Championships:
2022: Men's Ice Hockey (ACHA Division III)
2021: Men's Ice Hockey (ACHA Division III)
2018: Men's Ice Hockey (ACHA Division III)
Club Team National Runners-up:
2003: Men's Ice Hockey (ACHA Division III)
2010: Men's Ice Hockey (ACHA Division III)
2011: Men's Ice Hockey (ACHA Division III)
The men's and women's basketball teams also take part in a notable rivalry, the Calvin–Hope rivalry.
