Vision 20/20

Hope College Institutional Mission Statement:
to pursue truth so as to renew the mind,
enrich the disciplines, and transform the culture

to inspire passion for knowledge that grows
into understanding and bears fruit in wisdom

to be an exceptional undergraduate liberal arts
college that provides excellent professional
and pre-professional programs

to be a leading Christian college, ecumenical in
character and rooted in the Reformed tradition

to enhance education through residential
community and superior co-curricular programs

to embrace and nurture racial, ethnic,
cultural, and geographic diversity

to promote faithful leadership and grateful
service as manifestations of Christian commitment

to engage in mutually beneficial relationships
with area communities, academic organizations,
the Reformed Church in America and other
partners throughout the world

to provide human, physical, and financial resources
commensurate with outstanding programs

Natural Science Division Mission Statement:

Science and mathematics comprise three-fourths of the ancient Quadrivium and have been a part of the liberal arts curriculum since it was established in medieval European universities. We believe that science and mathematics are best learned within the context of a liberal arts education where students can integrate their knowledge of science with wide-ranging experiences. Finally, we believe that we must support and strengthen the Christian mission of the institution by providing an education in science and mathematics that integrates learning with ethics and moral responsibility.

Specific Goals for our Division are:
- to teach science and mathematics in an experimental, hands-on mode that is steeped in investigation from the very first courses for all students, through capstone experiences for all science and mathematics majors;
- to facilitate student learning of science and mathematics by making connections to other fields of study;
- to provide a research-rich community of learners in which faculty are committed equally to undergraduate teaching and their own intellectual vitality within their discipline;
- to have students and faculty see one another as partners in education and research and where students collaborate with one another in the learning experience.
- to help students apply the ethics and values of the christian tradition to their research as they seek to answer questions in the physical and life sciences and in mathematics.

Our programs in science and mathematics at Hope College are organized around these guiding principles and our responsibility is to keep them at the forefront of our educational processes. We believe that our programs must continuously be honed with these principles in mind to motivate students, to keep faculty vital, and to provide students and faculty alike with the skills and confidence to succeed.