Office of the President

On Monday, June 18th the Presidential Search Committee held its first meeting following the May 10th launch of the search for the 14th President of the College. We are writing to update you on the progress of the search process.

History is a wonderful teacher. We opened our meeting with a few thoughts from the letters Albertus C. Van Raalte wrote to Philip Phelps Jr. from 1857 to 1875. These letters are collected in the book, Envisioning Hope College. We were reminded that the devotion of these men to the cause of Christian higher education and their diligent work laid the foundation for the College. We too are devoted to this cause and are committed to being diligent in the work of the search, grounded in prayer.

Scott Van Oostendorp led us in devotion and prayer focusing on the prayers of Revelation 7 – praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power and strength – and the Lord’s prayer – thy will be done. God’s leading is steadfast and sure.

Loren Anderson provided a progress report on our candidate pool, which is the result of the nominations of members of the Hope community, focused advertising and targeted outreach. There is strong interest in the position and we have a robust pool of early candidates. The Committee reviewed and adopted a rating rubric we will use in assessing applications, ensuring all candidates are evaluated by a clear and common set of criteria based on the search profile. In addition, Dr. Sonja Trent Brown facilitated an implicit bias training session for the Committee.

Throughout the summer members of the Committee will review applicant files. At its September 10  meeting the Committee will narrow the active pool of candidates to a smaller group whose references will then be checked and in person interviews will follow.

We will continue to receive applications over the summer and, as we have done previously, we encourage you to consider persons who might provide strong and effective leadership as President of Hope. A number of you have submitted nominations and we encourage others to be similarly involved. As names come to mind, please forward them to us so that we might be in contact with additional potential candidates. You will find the search profile and the qualities we seek in our next President at: https://www.agbsearch.com/searches/president-hope-college. We are pleased with the quality of candidates who have indicated their interest in our search thus far and are confident we will be successful when the process is complete.

The Committee will continue to update the Hope community throughout the search, and we welcome your comments and questions at any time. You may write to us in care of [email protected] or to our AGB Search consultant: Dr. Loren Anderson, [email protected], (252) 223-3566. He will treat any information you provide as confidential.

Thank you for your continuing prayers and support.

Spera in Deo,
Suzanne L. Shier
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Trustee, Hope College Board of Trustees

The mission of Hope College is to educate students for lives of leadership and service in a global society through academic and co-curricular programs of recognized excellence in the liberal arts and in the context of the historic Christian faith.

Hope College in Holland, Michigan announces a search for the College’s 14^th President. Hope College seeks a president who will embody commitment to the mission, values and traditions of Hope; model Hope’s vision of leadership and service; engage Hope students, employees, alumni and supporters with great enthusiasm; and advance Hope’s commitment to “programs of recognized excellence in the liberal arts and in the context of the historic Christian faith.”

Hope’s first freshman class enrolled in the fall of 1862, nearly four years before the college received its charter, and Hope’s first seniors graduated on July 17, 1866. In 2016, Hope College celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary, marking 150 years of academic excellence grounded in the liberal arts and in the context of the historic Christian faith. In 2018, the college stands in an enviable position, having experienced decades of academic, spiritual and financial health. Hope is poised to flourish in the future, enriched by its heritage and sustained by a talented management team, an intellectually engaged student body, an outstanding faculty and staff, a committed Board of Trustees, and with a campus of exceptional facilities and a robust town-gown relationship.

The 14th president of Hope College will be a committed Christian driven by a steadfast dedication to the college’s mission, values and traditions. The individual called to this role will be one who finds joy in the pursuit of learning and the charge of guiding the entire Hope community to realize its full potential. An accomplished professional with a proven record of achievement and service, the president will be fully prepared to engage and lead Hope College in addressing the opportunities and challenges facing the college. This leadership position requires a deep understanding of the liberal arts, along with a capacity to effectively articulate the strengths of a faith-based liberal arts education.

If you know an individual who is ready and qualified for this distinctive and challenging opportunity, please share this information with him or her. If you have any personal interest in exploring this position or learning more about it, we would be delighted to discuss this position with you in strict confidence. You are welcome to send the names of possible candidates to the e-mail below and we will contact prospective candidates directly.

Candidates are asked to submit electronically in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF: (1) a letter of interest that directly addresses Hope’s mission statement and the leadership opportunities outlined in the profile, (2) a curriculum vitae, and (3) the names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of five references. References will not be contacted without first securing the permission of the candidate. Applications or nominations can be sent to: [email protected]. To receive full consideration, materials should be received on or before September 1, 2018.

Please visit AGB Search to view more complete information about this position. Additional information about Hope College is available at: hope.edu.

Ms. Suzanne L. Shier
Chair, Presidential Search Committee Trustee
Hope College Board of Trustees
[email protected]

This search is being assisted by:
Loren J. Anderson, Ph.D.
Executive Search Consultant
AGB Search
Cell: (253) 223-3566
[email protected]

Presidential Search Website

Presidential Search Profile (PDF)

Position Details from AGB Search Consultant

The mission of Hope College is to educate students for lives of leadership and service in a global society through academic and co-curricular programs of recognized excellence in the liberal arts and in the context of the historic Christian faith.

Dear Campus Community:

The Presidential Search Committee met Thursday, May 3. The committee approved the presidential search profile, and reviewed and approved plans for building the candidate pool. As we enter the next stage of the search process, we are encouraged by the college’s inspiring mission, equipped with a compelling profile and uplifted by a supportive and engaged community.

Hope College will officially launch the presidential search on May 10. The next several months will be devoted to building the candidate pool. The evaluation of written applications will begin in late June and continue through the “full consideration” deadline for applications on September 1. Over the course of the Fall, the candidate pool will be narrowed, candidate references will be interviewed, and we then will conduct a series of candidate interviews. The Board of Trustees intends to elect a new president by early December.

Our search will be strengthened by the involvement and support of the Hope College community. As servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God, we are required to be found faithful (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). In this servant-steward spirit, we ask that you review the search profile when the search launches on May 10, and forward the names of potential nominators and/or candidates to [email protected] or to our AGB Search consultant, Dr. Loren Anderson, at [email protected] or 252-223-3566.

The committee meets again on June 18, after which I will send a report to the campus community. In the interim, I encourage you to visit the presidential search website, share your thoughts with members of the search committee, and spread the word about this tremendous opportunity to lead Hope College into the future. We thank you in advance for your support, prayers and engagement in this important process.

Spera In Deo,

Suzanne L. Shier
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Trustee, Hope College Board of Trustees

The mission of Hope College is to educate students for lives of leadership and service in a global society through academic and co-curricular programs of recognized excellence in the liberal arts and in the context of the historic Christian faith.

Dear Campus Community,

The Presidential Search Committee held its second meeting on Monday, March 26, 2018. The Committee began its morning with a curated history of the past presidents of the College presented by Dr. Jacob Nyenhuis, Interim Director of the VanRaalte Institute. The formal meeting opened with a devotional [1 Peter 4:10-11;1 Thessalonians 1:3] and prayer.

The Committee again reviewed the Charge to the Committee, adopted a schedule and timetable for the search, and spent time working on the position profile that will guide the search, including a description of the College and a statement of the leadership opportunities offered by Hope, as well as the leadership attributes and experience qualifications that will describe the successful candidate.

The weeks immediately ahead will be focused on finalizing the search profile and developing a plan for building the candidate pool. The Committee will meet again on May 3 to finalize the profile and will present the profile to the Board of Trustees at its May meeting. We plan to officially launch the search on May 10.

The summer will be devoted to developing the candidate pool. The evaluation of applications by Committee members will begin in late June and will continue through the full consideration application deadline of September 1.

During the months of September and October, the Committee will be focused on contacting references and completing preliminary interviews with a short list of candidates. A second round of finalist interviews will be scheduled in November, and the Board of Trustees hopes to meet and elect our new President in early December.

The Search Committee is well aware our search will be strengthened by the involvement and support the Hope College community. So we are grateful to the many members of the Hope Community who met with our consultant, Dr. Loren Anderson, during the pre-search study in late February, and to all those who completed the Presidential Survey. Looking ahead, when the search goes public on May 10, we hope that you will share the search profile with people who you think would be strong candidates and those in your network who might know others who would be strong candidates. The names of potential candidates should be sent to [email protected] or to our AGB Search consultant: Dr. Loren Anderson, [email protected], 252-223-3566.

We will report to the campus community again following our next meeting on May 3. We thank you in advance for your support and your engagement in this important process.

Spera In Deo,
Suzanne L. Shier
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Trustee, Hope College Board of Trustees

More info at hope.edu/presidentialsearch

The mission of Hope College is to educate students for lives of leadership and service in a global society through academic and co-curricular programs of recognized excellence in the liberal arts and in the context of the historic Christian faith.

On February 26 and 27, the Presidential Search Committee will host two campus forums to listen to the Hope community and learn what faculty, staff, students, administrators and trustees are looking for in the next president of Hope College.  Through these opportunities the committee will gather valuable input that will be used to draft a position description and leadership profile that will guide the committee and the search firm in conducting the national search.

Campus Forums
Monday, February 26
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Winants Auditorium, Graves Hall

Tuesday, February 27
8:30 – 9:30 AM
Winants Auditorium, Graves Hall

Dr. Loren Anderson, AGB Search consultant, will be facilitating the campus forums.  He will also conduct several focus groups and interviews during the two days he is at Hope.

The committee is also seeking feedback from the broader Hope community through an online survey.  This survey is available to all faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the college as well.

Complete the Survey

We encourage your participation in these opportunities to share your hopes and aspirations for our college. It is important for the committee to hear from you, members of the Hope community, as we begin the search for our next president.

Sincerely,
Suzanne Shier
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Trustee, Hope College Board of Trustees
hope.edu/offices/president/presidential-search/

Dear Hope College Community,

The Presidential Search Committee held its launch meeting last week to commence the search for the next President to lead Hope College. We are very grateful for the men and women who have committed to serve on the Committee. The Committee members represent the many stakeholders in the Hope community.

The Committee members shared their aspirations for the search. I highlighted the centrality of the Mission to the search process, the guiding principles of our Virtues of Public Discourse, our reliance on the prayers of the people of Hope, and the guidance of the Lord in the process. We brainstormed attributes of the President together. It was a good morning.

The next step in the search process is to prepare the “search profile”. The profile is the document that will be used to announce the search and as a guide in evaluating candidates for the presidency. To inform the profile, Dr. Loren Anderson, AGB Search consultant, will be on campus February 26-27 to facilitate a series of individual interviews, focus groups, and campus forums to gather input and information from trustees, staff, faculty, administrators and students. The schedule will be posted on the Presidential Search website and invitations will be sent shortly. You will also be invited to share your thoughts through an online survey that will be available to you and other college constituents in mid-February.

Please make every effort to participate as you are able. The input of the Hope College Community in developing the search profile is so important. We also invite you to visit the Presidential Search website which will be updated regularly throughout the search process. This website will include information on how to make a nomination when the search is launched in May.

The Search Committee will meet again on Monday, March 26, after which you can expect to receive another update. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions or comments at [email protected]. We look forward to your participation in the campus gatherings and survey later this month.

Blessings to each of you in your work and study.

Suzanne Shier,
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Trustee, Hope College Board of Trustees

The mission of Hope College is to educate students for lives of leadership and service in a global society through academic and co-curricular programs of recognized excellence in the liberal arts and in the context of the historic Christian faith.

Welcome to our search journey. As Chair of the Presidential Search Committee, it is my privilege to partner with the Hope College Community as we seek the next President of the College – the President who will lead the College to its future.

The mission of the College is to educate students to lives of leadership and service in our world. To do this in the context of the historic Christian faith. To do it through excellent academic programs and co-curricular activities. The mission of the College is the cornerstone of our search. We seek the person who is called to live this mission with us in the years to come.

The Search Committee represents the perspectives of our community – students, staff, faculty, the administration and the board. With the College’s Virtues of Public Discourse as our guide, as a Committee and as a community, we seek to listen, welcome, understand, challenge and speak truth in love.

The College’s mission is our cornerstone, the Virtues are our guide, the prayers of the people of Hope are our inspiration, and the Lord’s wisdom is the light (Proverbs 3:5-6) for our search. This website is a resource for all of us to be engaged and stay informed as the search progresses.

Thank you for your prayers. It is with a deep sense of excitement that we anticipate bringing the next President of Hope to the College.

Suzanne Shier
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Trustee, Hope College Board of Trustees

More info at hope.edu/presidentialsearch

Dear Hope College Staff and Faculty:

Today, the Hope College Board of Trustees held a special meeting to approve the selection of a Presidential Search Committee.

Following the full board meeting in October, nominations were sought for committee members to represent the Board of Trustees, Administrative Council, Alumni Board, faculty, staff and student body. These nominations were submitted confidentially to Mary Remenschneider, who provided the lists to the Executive Committee of the board. On Dec. 1, the Executive Committee met and, through prayerful discussion and discernment, approved a slate of committee members to be representative of the many voices that comprise Hope College — diverse in thought, demographics and geography, and united in commitment to the Hope mission. Today, the full board approved the membership of the Presidential Search Committee, as follows:

Suzanne Shier, Board of Trustees – Committee Chair
Kristyn Bochniak ’01, Staff 
Dr. Steve Boerigter, Board of Trustees
Clare Da Silva ’19, Student Body
Dr. Matt DeJongh, Faculty
Dan Gordon, Board of Trustees
Dr. Fred Johnson III, Faculty 
Dr. Gerald Pillay, Board of Trustees
Jeff Puckett, Administrative Council
Doug Ruch ’81, Board of Trustees
Dr. Sonja Trent-Brown, Board of Trustees
Rev. Scott VanOostendorp ’75, Board of Trustees
Dr. Matt Wixson ’08, Alumni Board

As a reminder, the charge of this committee is to:

• Conduct an analysis of the college’s future needs and opportunities, and formulate a prospectus based on the analysis;
• Generate a strong and diverse pool of qualified candidates;
• Screen the candidate pool, conduct interviews, organize campus visits and perform due diligence to screen candidates;
• Keep the board informed of committee progress at critical points throughout the process;
• Keep the college community informed at key points throughout the process;
• Provide opportunity for stakeholder feedback prior to making a recommendation to the Board of Trustees; and
• Make a recommendation of a single candidate to the Board of Trustees, ideally by or before the January 2019 meeting.

Later this month, we will be announcing the membership of the Presidential Transition Committee as well as the search firm that will be assisting Hope with the presidential search process.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, thank you for your continued prayers and support. The trustees are grateful for your commitment to Hope College, our mission and our students. As 2017 draws to a close, we are excited about the year ahead.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas season —

Sincerely,
Karl

Dear Hope College Staff and Faculty,

Last week, the Board of Trustees held its annual fall meeting. One of the main discussion points at the meeting was the search for a new president.

The board is committed to recruiting a highly qualified individual to lead the college and ensuring a successful transition of leadership. To that end, the trustees approved a comprehensive presidential search and transition process, and also affirmed the use of a search firm to work closely with the search committee. A transition committee and the search committee will be formed this fall. The search firm will also be selected this fall.

Presidential Transition Committee

The Presidential Transition Committee will provide consistent leadership of the process, from the search through the first year of the new president’s term. It will be made up of trustees and Administrative Council representatives with the charge to:

• Oversee the successful implementation of the search, transition and onboarding process;
• Ensure there are opportunities to recognize our outgoing president Dennis Voskuil and welcome the new president;
• Identify and address issues and opportunities that may impact the transition process;
• Build relationships between various stakeholders and stakeholder groups; and
• Maintain communication with various stakeholder groups at appropriate points throughout the process.

Presidential Search Committee

The Presidential Search Committee will be representative of the Hope community and committed to the full extent of its charge. It will be composed of trustee, faculty, staff, student and alumni representatives. The search committee will be responsible to:

• Conduct an analysis of the college’s future needs and opportunities and formulate a prospectus based on the analysis;
• Generate a strong and diverse pool of candidates;
• Screen the candidate pool, conduct interviews, organize campus visits, and perform due diligence to screen candidates;
• Keep the board informed of committee progress at critical points throughout the process;
• Keep the college community informed at key points; and
• Provide opportunity for stakeholder feedback prior to making a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, ideally by or before the January 2019 meeting.

The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees will select committee representatives from a slate of nominees from each stakeholder group, then send the committee slate to the Board of Trustees for approval in December 2017. Mary Remenschneider, chief of staff, is supporting the search committee, and she will work with each stakeholder group to prepare the slates for the Executive Committee.

During the search process, there will be opportunities for all stakeholders to provide input. So, whether or not you serve on the Presidential Search Committee, your feedback will inform the search for and selection of Hope’s next president.

President Voskuil and Mary Remenschneider will share more information about the search and transition process at the upcoming faculty meeting and staff town hall meeting.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, thank you for your dedication and service to Hope College. We are grateful for your prayers and support as we begin this important next step for Hope.

Spera in Deo,

Karl Droppers
Chair, Hope College Board of Trustees

Dear Hope College Staff and Faculty:

As the fall Board of Trustees meeting approaches, I imagine there may be anticipation and curiosity in the Hope community regarding the presidential search process. Indeed, this will be a topic of significant conversation for trustees next week — one that we will enter into prayerfully and diligently.

You can expect to receive a communication from me following next week’s board meeting. Before then, however, I would like you to know the following:

• The board will not be approving specific individuals to serve on the search committee at this meeting. That will occur at a later date.
• The board is committed to a process that will both strengthen the Hope community and yield a highly qualified individual to lead the institution.
• There are many ways to conduct this presidential search. The board’s goal is to follow a process that honors the campus community and positions the incoming president for success.

I have been on campus several times this fall, and each time I have experienced your extraordinary depth of care for Hope and our students. Hope College is a place of inspiration and aspiration, as evidenced by the caliber of your scholarly work and creative performance, your commitment to time-honored traditions and openness to new ones, and your focus on the success and well-being of each person.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, thank you for sharing your talents with Hope College, and for educating and preparing our students to be ambassadors of hope in the world.

Spera in Deo,

Karl Droppers
Board of Trustees Chair