Dear Hope Community, A colleague recently focused me on the side of the Easter story I am usually too quick to skip over: Jesus’ suffering. The injustice He faced. His death. Emotionally, it’s easy to jump to resurrection Sunday and the joy of Easter morning. But the suffering Jesus endured is a vital part of […]
Category Archives: Scogin
Looking Ahead to the Fall
One year ago today, March 12, 2020, we cancelled classes to give faculty a chance to prepare for remote learning and provide students an extra day to pack their things. Little did we know that we were embarking on a journey requiring extraordinary patience, perseverance and resilience. Today, with one year behind us, we look […]
Philanthropy: Love of Humanity
Today is Hope’s annual Day of Giving. The word “philanthropy” is a high-sounding word typically associated with wealthy people giving money to “good causes.” That only scratches the surface. In its purest form, “philanthropy” means love of humanity. “Philos” means love (think: Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love); “Anthropos” (think: anthropology) means mankind or humanity. […]
People of Hope
Dear Hope Community, I’m sure many of you found it hard to concentrate today. I certainly did. This morning, after watching events unfold in our nation’s capital yesterday, I did my best to take solace in Psalm 30:5: “His joy comes in the morning.” Yet today, as we stand in the shadow of yesterday’s attack, […]
Freezing tuition, room and board rates for 2021-22
As we wrap up this semester and begin to look ahead, I’m excited to announce that the Hope College Board of Trustees has approved a freeze to the tuition, room and board rates for the 2021-22 academic year. For the first time since 1968, the cost of a Hope education will not increase in the coming year.
Dr. Gordon Van Wylen (1920-2020)
To the Hope College Community, It’s with sadness that I write to inform you that our former president, colleague and friend, Dr. Gordon Van Wylen, passed away early this morning at age 100. Dr. Van Wylen was a remarkable human being — a vibrant and passionate leader who devoted his life to God, the pursuit […]
Resilient Hope on Election Eve
Dear Students of Hope, This year, 2020, has been a year of turmoil unlike any other in your lifetime. And much of the drama is coming to a head right now. As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the most vicious, mean-spirited political season in modern history has reached its pinnacle. We are on the eve […]
Who Would Jesus Vote For?
Below is the text, as prepared, of President Matthew A. Scogin’s speech on christian political discourse, delivered to a Hope student and employee audience via Zoom from Diment Chapel, on September 24, 2020. President Scogin’s remarks were followed by a faculty panel discussion and live audience Q/A. Introduction 40 Days from today is election day. […]
Anchor Op-Ed: Doing the Hard Things
This piece was published in Hope College’s Student Newspaper, The Anchor. You can find the original post HERE. We are now a few weeks into our Fall semester, and one thing has become abundantly clear to all of us: this is hard! I miss gathering together in person. I miss chapel; I miss sporting events; […]
Letter to Alumni: Hope Ready
Dear Hope Alumni, This week, we began our 159th academic year at Hope College. Throughout our history, we have opened in the midst of the Civil War, the World Wars, the Great Depression, and the Great Recession. We have opened in the midst of many challenging periods, but we’ve never begun a school year quite […]