Dr. William Reynolds
Dean of Arts & Humanities
Hope College
reynolds@hope.edu

Welcome from the Dean of Arts and Humanities

Welcome to the Arts and Humanities Division at Hope College.  Our division forms the center of Hope College’s core liberal arts curriculum, one that emphasizes interdisciplinary learning and educating the entire person—mind, body, and spirit.—to produce responsible, effective global citizens motivated by God’s love for all Creation.  In addition, our departments prepare students for graduate and professional education and for careers that draw on the knowledge and skills characteristic of each department.  Our programs are strengthened by a nationally-recognized Visiting Writers Series, the Great Performance Series, the Hope Summer Repertory Theatre, and a vibrant series of departmental lectures and symposia.

The Arts enrich and ennoble the human spirit.  Celebrating the creative process through art, dance, music, and theatre is essential to the richness and fullness of every human spirit.  Moreover, the Arts increase the student's capacity for receiving delight and gaining depth in understanding, and encourage future participation in and appreciation of the creative process.  Each of the four Arts departments is accredited by the appropriate national organization.

In the words of Patricia Meyer Spacks of the University of Virginia, "The humanities preserve cultural memory: they record how things came to be as they are.”  Courses in the Humanities examine perennial human situations and issues—problems of identity, purpose, relationship, meaning, and the roles of faith and religion in individual lives and the larger society.  In addition, they foster problem solving skills, critical thinking, and openness to new and complicated ideas.

Arts and Humanities professors are dedicated to teaching undergraduate students—in their classrooms or studios, in their offices, and in other one-on-one or small group settings where mentoring can take place.  Faculty members are also active in their chosen professional fields chairing regional and national organizations, performing and exhibiting in a variety of venues, and publishing over twenty books in the past five years. 

Students in both the Arts and Humanities are encouraged to take advantage of study and/or internship opportunities available locally and through off-campus programs in such locations as Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.   The benefits of living and studying in countries on every continent are available to qualified students through the college's membership in a number of consortiums, including the Great Lakes Colleges Association, Inc. (GLCA), the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES), the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE), the School for International Training (SIT), AustraLearn and a select handful of other approved program providers.

I encourage you to study the department and program websites and learn more about the myriad of activities and opportunities available at Hope College. Find your passion and join us as you explore and grow. I hope I have communicated my excitement for our programs and I encourage you to visit Hope College.

Sincerely,

Bill Reynolds
Dean