Hope College News
2025 May
Hope Rep Summer Camps for Children Include Staging a Full Musical
A summer at Hope College filled with activity-oriented theatre classes for young budding thespians will conclude with a new, two-week “Broadway Bootcamp” for grades 6-12 that will include presenting a full musical production.
Baccalaureate and Commencement 2025 Photo Gallery
Approximately 730 graduating seniors participated in the ceremony, held on Sunday, May 4 at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium.
Hope to Present Distinguished Alumni Awards to D.J. Reyburn ’99 and Dr. James Serum ’65
The Hope College Alumni Association will present Distinguished Alumni Awards to D.J. Reyburn ’99 of Fairview, Tennessee, and Dr. James Serum ’65 of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, May 17, during the college’s Milestone Weekend for alumni and friends of the college.
Hope College to Host Pianist Vyacheslav Gryaznov in Concert on May 14
Hope College will host a unique performance featuring Russian pianist Vyacheslav Gryaznov, showcasing his work with his own G-Phil project, on Wednesday, May 14, at 7 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.
Hope College 2025 Commencement Address
“People of Hope” By Dr. Lauren Hearit Assistant Professor of Management Sunday, May 4, 2025 Ray and Sue Smith Stadium Holland, Michigan
Graduates Encouraged to Be “People of Hope”
With the members of Hope College’s graduating Class of 2025 about to leave the familiar routine of the school year on Sunday, May 4, Commencement speaker Dr. Lauren Hearit offered a new way of structuring their lives — one guided by hope, even as their time at Hope was drawing to a close.
2025 Baccalaureate Address
By the Rev. Dr. Nathan Hart ’01 Hinga-Boersma Dean of the Chapel Sunday, May 4, 2025 Dimnent Memorial Chapel Holland, Michigan
Lauren Hearit Receives H.O.P.E. Award from Graduating Senior Class
Dr. Lauren Hearit, assistant professor of management, has received this year’s Hope Outstanding Professor Educator (H.O.P.E.) Award from the graduating Class of 2025.
Arbor Day Foundation Honors Hope as Tree Campus for Seventh Year
Hope College has received 2024 Tree Campus recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation, the seventh year in a row that the foundation has honored Hope for its dedication for enhancing community well-being through tree education, investment and community engagement.
Significant Coaching with Matt Rogers Episode #67: Becky Schmidt
Significant Coaching with Matt RogersIn this episode of the Significant Coaching Podcast, host Matt Rogers sits down with Becky Schmidt, the longtime head volleyball coach at Hope College and one of the most respected leaders in Division III athletics.
2025 Apr
Jasmine Lowell of Global Engagement Staff Receives Vanderbush-Weller Award
Jasmine Lowell, who is the international education coordinator with the Fried Center for Global Engagement at Hope College, has been named the 2025 recipient of the college’s annual Vanderbush-Weller Award for having a strong, positive impact on students.
Retiring Faculty and Staff Have Served Nearly 450 Combined Years
The 16 members of the Hope faculty and staff retiring across 2024-25 have devoted nearly 450 combined years to helping make the college the living and learning community that has shaped young lives for generations.
Retired Music Professor Robert Ritsema Dies
Dr. Robert Ritsema, a 1957 Hope graduate who was a member of the college’s music faculty for 32 years before retiring in 1999, died on Monday, April 21, 2025. He was 89.
Former Mayor Phil Tanis to Direct the Van Raalte Institute of Hope College
Phil Tanis, former mayor of Holland, Michigan, has been designated as the next director of the Van Raalte Institute (VRI) of Hope College. His term will begin July 1. In the interim, Tanis is serving as a senior research fellow at the institute. Tanis will replace current director Donald A. Luidens who will continue as the editor-in-chief of the Van Raalte Press and as a senior research fellow.
Knickerbocker Theatre to Host Four Elizabeth Taylor Films Beginning May 12
The Hope College Knickerbocker Theatre will feature four Elizabeth Taylor films in May and early June as part of its Classic Film Series. Focusing on her films from the 1950s, the series will feature “Father of the Bride” on Monday, May 12; “A Place in the Sun” on Monday, May 19; “Giant” on Tuesday, May 27; and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” on Monday, June 2. All films are at 7 p.m.
Intellectually humble people show heightened empathic accuracy and emotional resilience
PsyPostProf. Daryl R. Van Tongeren from Hope College to uncover how and whether intellectual humility affects true understanding of other people’s emotions.”
Hope Students Honored for Research Presentations during National Conference
Three Hope College students received honorable mention research awards, out of only 24 awards presented to college or university undergraduates from around the country, during the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), held on Saturday-Tuesday, April 12-15, in Chicago, Illinois.
Free Workshop to Emphasize Reading Genesis 1-11 for Today’s Needs
A two-day workshop at Hope College on Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26, will focus on reading Genesis 1-11 for insights from the biblical thought-world that can provide guidance through today’s thorniest issues.
A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Photo Gallery
Hope students researched topics ranging from the foraging efficiency of sparrows, to the effect of high-tempo music on sprint swimming, to anti-immigrant violence in the United Kingdom, to Don Quixote and social media during the college’s annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity on Friday, April 11.
Hope Student Isla Williams Wins National Research Award to Support Summer Research
Hope College sophomore Isla Williams of Elkhart, Indiana, has won an Undergraduate Research Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) in support of collaborative, faculty-mentored research that she will conduct at Hope this summer.
Students Present Research at National Conference
A total of 13 Hope College students presented their collaborative faculty-student research during this year’s National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), held on Monday-Wednesday, April 7-9, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Book Chronicles Untold History of Dutch American Midwives
The latest book published by the Van Raalte Press of the A. C. Van Raalte Institute at Hope College, “Present, but Not Counted: Dutch-Immigrant and Second Generation Midwives Working in Dutch Colonies in the United States, 1840-1940,” spotlights a group of women that author Janet Sjaarda Sheeres discovered were rendered all but invisible by their times even as they played an invaluable role during them.
Acclaimed Biography of Isabella Stewart Gardner Wins National Marfield Prize
The book “Chasing Beauty: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner” by Dr. Natalie Dykstra, professor emerita of English at Hope College, has received the 2024 Marfield Prize from the Arts Club of Washington.
Five Members of Faculty Retiring at Conclusion of School Year
Five long-time members of the Hope College faculty are retiring at the conclusion of the 2024-25 school year.
What’s Behind The Madness?
Viewpoints RadioWhat started as a second-tier basketball tournament is now a national obsession. We unpack the history, psychology, and spectacle of March Madness
Great Performance Series to Feature The Tallis Scholars on April 24
The Hope College Great Performance Series will feature the legendary early vocal music ensemble from the United Kingdom, The Tallis Scholars, on Thursday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.
What Tap Dancers Should Consider When Looking at Colleges
Dance MagazineHeather Cornell, assistant professor of dance, speaks on what a student should be asking faculty when researching a dance department.
Hope Student Wins Psychology Research Award
It was Hope College’s sterling reputation for providing students with high-quality opportunities to participate in faculty-mentored research that prompted psychology major Cassie Morse to transfer to the college as a sophomore.
April 16 Lecture: Author Tim Alberta to Discuss American Evangelical Movement and Politics
Author Tim Alberta will deliver an address based on his book “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism” on Wednesday, April 16, at 7 p.m. at Hope College in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.
Hope College Choirs and Orchestra to Perform Mozart’s “Requiem” on April 11
The combined choirs of Hope College will perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's iconic “Requiem” on Friday, April 11, at 7 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.
De Pree Gallery to Feature Annual Senior Art Exhibition
The De Pree Art Center and Gallery at Hope College will feature “Not to Get Political…,” presenting work by graduating studio-art and art-history majors, in the college’s annual Senior Art Exhibition from Friday, April 11, through Friday, May 2.
Hope College Theatre to Present “Sense and Sensibility”
The Hope College Department of Theatre will present Kate Hamill’s “Sense and Sensibility” on Friday-Saturday, April 4-5, and Thursday-Saturday, April 10-12, at 7:30 p.m., along with a free 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 6. All performances will be in the DeWitt Center main theatre.
Hope College to Present “An Evening of Jazz” Featuring Kerry Moffit
The Hope College jazz ensembles, joined by acclaimed trumpeter Kerry Moffit as a guest artist, will present “An Evening of Jazz” on Saturday, April 12, at 7 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.
Knickerbocker Spring Film Series Continues on March 31 – April 12
The Hope College Knickerbocker Theatre will continue its spring film series with the Academy Award-winning film “I’m Still Here” and Academy Award-nominated film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” from March 31 through April 12 at 7 p.m.
Hope College’s Graduation Activities Will be Sunday, May 4
Baccalaureate and Commencement for Hope College’s Class of 2025 are scheduled for Sunday, May 4. Commencement will take place at 3 p.m. at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium, and Baccalaureate will take place at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel.
Students to Present Creative and Research Projects on April 11
Original research by Hope students on topics ranging from the foraging efficiency of sparrows, to the effect of high-tempo music on sprint swimming, to anti-immigrant violence in the United Kingdom, to Don Quixote and social media will be highlighted during the college’s annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity on Friday, April 11, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse.
Hope to Present Honorary Degree to Professor Emeritus John Yelding
Hope College will present an honorary degree, the Doctorate of Humane Letters (LHD), to retired education professor John Yelding during the Commencement ceremony for the Class of 2025 on Sunday, May 4, at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium.
Author-Filmmaker Curtis Chin to Present Asian Heritage Lecture April 8
Filmmaker Curtis Chin, author of “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant: A Memoir,” will present the 2025 Asian Heritage Lecture at Hope College on Tuesday, April 8, at 3:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.
Jack H. Miller, Whose Philanthropy Helped Transform Campus, Dead at 93
Jack H. Miller, a community leader and philanthropist whose name is familiar to the thousands who have experienced the magnificent music building that his leadership gift helped make possible, died on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. He was 93.
Hope Repertory Theatre Announces an Exciting Lineup for the 53rd Season Opening June 11
From the hilarious musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” to the charming heart and magical flight of Mary Poppins, and the thought-provoking brilliance of “Primary Trust,” each production of Hope Repertory Theatre’s forthcoming 53rd season offers something unique and meaningful.
Two Hope Students Receive Prestigious Goldwater Scholarships
Hope College juniors Taylor Laurin of Portage and Sofia Rosenberger of Naperville, Illinois, have both received highly competitive scholarships from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.
Theologian and Author Kevin DeYoung to Present “The Story of the Nicene Creed” on April 8
Theologian and author Dr. Kevin DeYoung will present “The Story of the Nicene Creed: The Most Important (Extra-biblical) Text Ever Written” on Tuesday, April 8, at 3 p.m. at Hope College in Schaap Auditorium in the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center.