The story
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 Pioneer School's founding: "This is my anchor of hope for this people in the future" (an allusion to Hebrews 6:19). The primary-level Pioneer School 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 college admitted its first female students in 1878.
2015 marked Hope College's 150th year of education. 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.
A marker designating the college as a Michigan Historic Site was erected in 2019 by the Michigan Historical Commission. The inscription reads:
In 1851, four years after settlers from the Netherlands founded Holland, the Pioneer School was established to meet some of the educational needs of the young colony. This school, the predecessor of Hope College, received direction and financial support from the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America. The school evolved into the Holland Academy, which in 1862 enrolled its first college class. On May 14, 1866, the institution was chartered as Hope College, and on July 17, 1866, the first class of eight students was graduated. The college’s name, seal, and motto are derived from a statement of the founder of Holland, Rev. Albertus C. Van Raalte, who said of the Pioneer School, "This is my Anchor of Hope for this people in the future." In the decades that followed, a strong college of arts and sciences was developed which continues to serve the church and the community.
Presidents
The following people have presided over the college:
Philip Phelps Jr. (1866–1878)
Charles Scott (1878–1893)
Gerrit J. Kollen (1893–1911, Hope College Class of 1868)
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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)
Gordon VanWylen (1972–1987)
John H. Jacobson (1987–1999)
James E. Bultman (1999–2013, Hope College Class of 1963)
John C. Knapp (2013–2017)
Dennis N. Voskuil (2017–2019, interim)
Matthew A. Scogin (2019–present, Hope College Class of 2002)
From Wikipedia’s article on Hope College, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5