Grants Support Academic Programs

Strong external grant support for Hope programs and faculty both reflect the high regard in which the college and its professors are held and—particularly important—make it possible for them to do their work. In any given year, multiple grants are active in all four of the college's academic divisions—arts, humanities, social sciences and natural and physical sciences. Among other emphases, they help the college purchase new equipment, underwrite the operation of current programs or the development of new ones, or fund faculty research that—and at Hope this is a given—involves students as co-investigators.

If you are interested in providing a grant to Hope College, please contact Mark DeWitt (dewittm@hope.edu) at 616-395-7252.

Major Grants Received by Hope

The college received a major grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to strengthen existing relationships and build new ones as the college continues to emphasize its acclaimed model of teaching through faculty-student collaborative research in the sciences. The $1.4 million, four-year grant will fund multiple initiatives, many building on the success of efforts that have been supported by a $1.5 million, four-year grant that the college received from HHMI in 2004. Emphases will include enhancing research efforts in the biomedical sciences at Hope, with particular attention to collaborations with other institutions; increased emphasis on training K-12 science and mathematics teachers; increasing diversity in science, both at Hope and beyond; and initiating and participating in efforts to promote and develop scholarly lessons concerning teaching and learning at the college as well as within the broader higher education community. details

A major new grant to Hope College from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will provide scholarship aid to community-college students who are interested in continuing their education in the sciences at Hope. The scholarships will support students who transfer to Hope to major in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, the geological and environmental sciences, mathematics or physics after completing work at a community college. The $564,360 grant has been awarded through the NSF's "Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics" (S-STEM) program. It is one of approximately 90 new S-STEM awards made nationwide this year. details

Hope College is one of four colleges and universities participating in a new academic exchange program with Chinese universities through support from the John Templeton Foundation. The exchange program is part of a larger project titled "Science, Philosophy and Belief: A Program for Chinese Scholars" initiated by Calvin College's Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity in conjunction with the Society of Christian Philosophers, and supported by a $2 million grant from the foundation. Hope, Calvin, Baylor University and the University of Notre Dame are each participating in the exchange program. details

Researchers from Hope College are participating in a NASA project aimed at understanding the nature of pulsars. Dr. Peter Gonthier, who is a professor of physics, and his Hope student researchers are part of a NASA-based team that has been seeking to better understand how pulsars, which are highly compact collapsed stars, produce high-energy gamma rays. The team's project, "High Energy Emission from Pulsar Magnetospheres," recently received a three-year, $341,147 grant from the NASA Astrophysics Theory Program. details

Hope College received $245,516 from the Department of Health and Human Services to purchase new scientific equipment that will help further health care research. "Hope College is ranked as one of the top undergraduate scientific research institutions in the country," noted U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland,. "Enabling the Science Center to access additional research and teaching tools is an investment in the future of health care." details

Hope College hosts the most powerful supercomputer in West Michigan, thanks to a $379,609 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Hope is one of four colleges that shares the equipment. The new computer, which is actually a cluster of 100 computers, is housed and maintained at Hope, and will be used in research at Hope as well as at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.; Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn.; and Macalaster College in St. Paul, Minn. details

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, has announced that the federal funding package passed by the House on Saturday, Nov. 20, includes $250,000 that will contribute to the recent construction and renovation of the college's science center. "Hope College has long been nationally recognized for its reputation in undergraduate science education," Hoekstra said. "The expansion and renovation of the Peale Science Center has allowed Hope College to improve its programs by expanding its method of collaborative mentoring research among faculty and students to its sciences." details

Hope College is part of a group of colleges and universities that are working together to provide their undergraduates with new opportunities in laser research through a shared grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Hope, Calvin and Kalamazoo colleges, and the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, will all share, round-robin, a transportable pulse laser system being purchased through a $241,000 grant from the NSF. The four schools are partnering with Purdue University, which will host workshops and provide technical support. Hope's involvement is being coordinated by Dr. William F. Polik, who is the Edward and Elizabeth Hofma Professor of Chemistry at Hope. Polik and the Hope students working with him will use the new equipment to measure how reactant molecules combine to form new product molecules. They will also be testing theories of chemical reactivity which can be modeled with Hope's new super computer. details

A major grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will provide scholarships to encourage students to study computer science, engineering or mathematics at Hope College. "Our goal is to attract more students to these three disciplines," said Dr. Herbert Dershem, who is a professor of computer science at Hope and the grant's administrator. "We're especially interested in encouraging enrollment among members of minority groups and women, who are traditionally underrepresented in these fields nationally." The grant will provide support for prospective students who enroll at the college and current students who commit to one of the programs. details

The college received a major grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to futher develop its program in science education. The $1.5 million, four-year grant will fund multiple initiatives including the development of interdisciplinary courses and minors (the latter in neuroscience and computational modeling), equipping a technology-rich laboratory in the A. Paul Schaap science center, collaborative research opportunities for students, and training post-doctoral fellows. details

The nuclear research group at Hope College has received a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation's "Research in Undergraduate Institutions" (NSF-RUI) program. The research team is led by Dr. Paul DeYoung, who is professor of physics and chairperson of the department, and Dr. Graham Peaslee, who is an associate professor of chemistry and geological/environmental sciences. DeYoung and Peaslee have each held RUI support every summer during which they have been on the Hope faculty - since 1986 and 1995 respectively. The $213,000 award will support a variety of research projects for the next three years. The activities will center on radioactive nuclear beam studies at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University and the Nuclear Structure Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame. details

The college received $660,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to a Pellatron particle accelerator and attached micoprobe facility for materials analysis. The instrument supports research projects ranging from the analysis of dinosaur bones, to the development of a way to find the glucose level in blood, to testing for lake pollution. It was the largest grant for scientific equipment in Hope's history. The departments involved include physics, chemistry, and the geological and environmental sciences. details

Dr. Thomas Bultman, of the biology faculty received an $885,773, four-year grant through the NSF's "Collaborative Research at Undergraduate Institutions" (CRUI) program. It is the largest research award ever to Hope fromt he NSF, and was one of only six given nationally. The project involves five faculty from three disciplines (biology, chemistry and mathematics) and two institutions. details

The long-running Hope College Upward Bound Program has received a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant continues and even improves upon a strong tradition of support for the program, according to Elizabeth Colburn, director of Hope College Upward Bound. "We're starting our 35th year, and fortunately we've been funded all the way through," she said. "This is the first time we've been able to get a five-year grant, so that's exciting for us." The new grant totals in excess of $1,780,000 for the five years, and includes a two percent increase in support. Only a small percentage of programs received support for five years instead of four. details

A major grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. will enhance Hope College's role in helping students to consider the role of vocation or calling in their lives. Hope has received $2 million from the Endowment for its "Program for the Theological Exploration of Vocation." The multi-faceted effort, which will begin in the fall of 2003, will encourage students to reflect on how their faith commitments are related to their career choices and what it means to be "called" to lives of service. "This program will be a tremendously rich experience for our students," said Dr. James E. Bultman, president of Hope College. details

Dr. Lee Forester, associate professor of German, is developing a "next generation" multi-media course for beginning students in German through a $495,870 from the Fund for Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) of the U.S. Department of Institutional effort to develop a course that is based equally on print and multi-media/internet. details

Learn about additional grants and gifts the college has received