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The College

Founded in 1862, Hope College has always promoted, in a liberal arts setting, the dual concept of preparation for life and vocation. The stimulating academic program is supported by an accepting Christian campus community. Students from all walks of life are welcomed, respected, and given freedom to grow in this vibrant environment. Preparation for a career and for life in general involves both classroom and extracurricular activities. Activities include student publications, musical groups, and political organizations. Students manage an FM radio station, and their cable TV shows are broadcast weekly to the Holland community. There are four major theater productions each year as well as a film series, a Great Performance Series, and lectures by outstanding speakers. Many Christian activities broaden the range of student involvement, including the Campus Ministries Office, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and similar organizations. Voluntary chapel is offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, plus an extended service on Sunday evening, and is well attended. Intercollegiate sports include baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track for men and basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, and volleyball for women. Club sports include lacrosse, ice hockey, sailing, mens volleyball, and Ultimate Frisbee. An extensive program of intramural sports is also very popular among Hope students. An excellent health and recreation facility is available for student use. As Hope is a residential college, 85 percent of the students reside on the campus. The College has eleven residence halls, with capacity ranging from 40 to 300 students. Styles include corridor, cluster suite, coed, and single-sex residence halls. In addition, upperclass students have the option of living in one of fifteen apartment buildings or seventy-two cottages, which are houses on or near the campus that have been refurbished to accommodate students. The services of a well-developed Career Services Center are available to students and alumni for help with everything from assessing interests to arranging job interviews. The current enrollment is 3,203. Three percent of the students attend on a part-time basis. The student body represents more than forty states and thirty countries.

Location

Hope Colleges 77-acre wooded campus is in a residential area two blocks from the central business district of Holland, Michigan, a community that was founded by Dutch settlers and now has a population of 35,000 within city limits and a total area population of 100,000. The town is only a 30-minute drive from Grand Rapids and a 2-hour drive from Chicago and Detroit. An 85-acre biological field station is located on the shores of Lake Michigan, 5 miles from the campus. Holland has long been known as a summer resort area, but it is also a fine spot for winter sports. Excellent relations exist between Holland and the College.

Majors and Degrees

Hope College awards the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees. Major programs include accounting (public accounting), ancient civilization, art** (studio art and art history concentrations), athletic training, biology*, chemistry* (biochemistry emphasis), classical languages, classical studies, communication, computer science, dance**, economics*, engineering (ABET-accredited biochemical, chemical, computer science, electrical, and mechanical emphases), engineering physics, engineering science, English** (literature, writing emphases), French*, geology* (environmental emphasis), German*, history*, Japanese, kinesiology* (physical education, exercise science, and athletic training), Latin*, management, mathematics**, music** (instrumental education, vocal education, jazz studies emphasis, performance), nursing, philosophy, physics*, political science*, psychology, religion*, social work (CSWE approved), sociology* (criminal justice emphasis), Spanish*, special education (emotional impairments and learning disabilities endorsements), and theater*. Hope is fully accredited for certification in elementary, secondary, and special (emotionally impaired and learning disabilities endorsements) education. Preprofessional programs are offered in dance therapy, dentistry, law, library science, medicine, optometry, physical therapy, seminary, and veterinary medicine.

Alternatives to departmental majors include the composite major and contract curriculum major. The composite major is concentrated study in any approved combination of majors related to a particular academic or vocational objective of the student. Some examples include fine arts, communication/English, international studies, and language arts. The contract curriculum major allows the student to develop a plan of study within the educational objectives of the College.

*Secondary teaching certification available; **secondary and/or elementary teaching certification available.

Academic Programs

To graduate, students must pass all College-required courses, earn at least 126 credit hours, and meet minimum GPA requirements. A Phi Beta Kappa institution, Hope is widely respected as a liberal arts college that balances academic excellence with a deep concern for the quality of life of its students and alumni. Hopes commitment to the Christian faith provides an incentive for academic excellence and rigorous inquiry and a perspective on the wholeness and value of life. A core curriculum brings teachers and students together for the purpose of facilitating student growth in seven areas: communication skills, social adaptation, an understanding of American heritage and society, a respect for science and discovery, an awareness of other cultures, an understanding and appreciation of the arts, and an understanding of religion and its impact on society. To accomplish this, students select course work in the following disciplines: English, fine arts, foreign language, kinesiology, mathematics, natural science, philosophy, religion, and social science.

Off-Campus Programs

Hope College participates in off-campus programs that are sponsored and supervised by the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), the Institute for Asian Studies (IAS), the Institute for European Studies (IES), and the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA). Students may study for a semester or a year in more than sixty countries. Some continents and countries included are Africa, Austria, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Japan, Latin America, Russia, Spain, the Middle East, and the Netherlands. Hope also runs a summer study-abroad program in Vienna, Austria. The Colleges director of international education assists students in arranging programs in other countries. Domestic programs include the Washington Semester, Urban Semester in Philadelphia, Semester at the Chicago Metropolitan Center, the Oregon Extension, Arts Program in New York City, the New York Center for Arts and Media Studies, Oak Ridge Science Semester, the Border Studies Program, and Newberry Library Program in the Humanities.

Academic Facilities

The campus library contains more than 350,000 volumes. The $36-million science facility contains the most modern laboratory equipment available and facilitates close working relationships between faculty members and students. The physics laboratories include an electron particle accelerator. Students from many academic disciplines take advantage of state-of-the-art computer facilities. The theater, music, dance, and art departments are proud to offer excellent facilities as well. The DePree Art Center is a $1.3-million facility that contains a major art gallery, classrooms, and studios. An $11-million center for communication and global studies and a $22-million athletic field house were dedicated in fall 2005. Lubbers Hall, one of the College's most venerable academic buildings, underwent a $3-million renovation project during the summer of 2006. Graves Hall, a centerpiece of the Colleges identity and early history, is set to undergo renovations beginning in summer 2007. Major renovations to the baseball and softball fields are also underway and are expected to be complete for the 2008 spring seasons.

Costs

Annual charges for the 200708 academic year are tuition, $23,660; room, $3300; board (21 meals per week, reduced-cost meal plans are available, $3970; and activity fee, $170 for a total of $31,100.

Financial Aid

Types of aid include academic scholarships, grants, loans, and campus employment. Approximately 60 percent of Hopes students receive need-based aid. All accepted students may be considered for federal and Hope-funded assistance. Michigan residents may apply for state-funded programs. Applicants for aid should be accepted for admission and should submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a Hope institutional form by March1 to receive priority consideration for need-based aid. Hope sponsors National Merit Scholars with a $17,000-per-year tuition scholarship. Other academic awards range from $3000 to $17,000. Talent awards of $2500 are also available in the fine arts and creative writing. Sixty-nine percent of freshmen enrolling in fall 2007 received a merit award. Consideration for merit awards requires submission of a complete application for admission by February15 of the application year.

Faculty

Hope has 215 full-time faculty members, and 77 percent hold a Ph.D. or terminal degree in their field. In addition, there are 107 part-time faculty members who teach in a broad range of disciplines, many of whom also teach, perform, and work outside the campus community. The student-faculty ratio is 13:1. Members of the faculty are dedicated to maintaining excellence in both teaching and scholarship and to taking a personal interest in students. Many conduct research programs in which students actively participate, sometimes as early as their freshman year. Faculty members also serve as academic advisers and frequently host student groups in their homes.

Student Government

Hope has an established community governance system. Decisions that concern the College community are made primarily by boards and committees composed of students, faculty members, and administrators. The Academic Affairs, Administrative Affairs, and Campus Life boards bear the major responsibility for policy decisions, while subcommittees of each deal with more specific areas. Residence hall units elect representatives to Student Congress; these representatives are then appointed to the major boards. A Judicial Board of 7 students, 2 faculty members, and 1 staff person is charged with maintaining high standards of student life.

Admission Requirements

Hope is interested in students who seek the rigors of a proven, demanding academic program and feel comfortable in an open, supportive, Christian campus community. A complete admission file includes the completed application form, the application fee, high school/college transcripts, and either ACT or SAT scores. Primary factors considered are the applicants high school course selection, grades, rank, test scores, counselors recommendation, essay, and involvement in extracurricular/leadership activities. The College prefers that its students enroll having completed at least four college-preparatory classes per semester in the ninth through twelfth grades, including a variety of subject areas. The minimum background includes 4 years of English, 2 years of mathematics, 2 years of foreign language, 2 years of history or social studies, and at least 1 year of laboratory science as well as five other college-preparatory classes. For fall 2007, freshmen had a mean GPA of 3.74 (on a 4.0 scale), the average SAT score (critical reading and math) was 1180, and their average rank was in the 80th percentile. Campus visits are not required but are strongly recommended for interested students and their parents.

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