In addition, this past year Hope was cited as a “top 100 employer” in the state of Michigan, was ranked 12th among 419 NCAA Division III colleges in the standings compiled by the National Association of Colleague Directors of Athletics (NACDA), and ranked among the top 100 national liberal arts colleges according to the "U.S. News and World Report."

In Loren Pope’s book Colleges that Change Lives, he cites the following:

"These schools share two essential elements: a familiar sense of communal enterprise that gets students heavily involved in cooperative rather than competitive learning, and a faculty of scholars devoted to helping young people develop their powers, mentors who often become their valued friends.”

According to Pope, this dynamic group of schools also share some other common traits that have led to their distinction:

• A commitment to undergraduate education that focuses on the liberal arts and sciences. Opportunities for undergraduate research are prevalent.

• A living and learning environment that is primarily residential and emphasizes the benefits of community, personal growth, participation, and involvement.

• Smaller student enrollments that allow students to be known and recognized as individuals.

• Out of classroom learning experiences that provide students with an added perspective about themselves, their interests, and the global community.

• Alumni networks that help graduates with professional and career development opportunities.

• The ideal living and learning environment for students to meet and exceed their own expectations for personal intellectual growth.

Clearly, according to Loren Pope and so many others including alumni, parents of current students as well as graduates, and friends of the college, Hope College remains competitive and provides the unique blend of academic, spiritual, physical and social rigor. You help make it possible. Rigor, challenge and faculty-student collaboration in the classroom and over a lifetime are keystones to the Hope experience.

Thank you for your partnership and for your confidence in the Hope experience. Together, 9,622 supporters of Hope have an extraordinary and critical affect on the quality of the Hope experience for all students, be they traditional-aged or continuing learner, and each unique student journey.

Scott Wolterink  ’88
Vice President for College Advancement

The Hope Fund provides flexible, unrestricted dollars to support and enhance the academic mission of the college. An annual gift enables alumni, parents, and friends to partner in making a difference in the lives of many students. learn more

Scholarship support assures that future Hope students will enjoy the same educational opportunities as did past generations. learn more

Although Hope is about more than bricks and mortar, capital projects provide the learning space and resources members of the Hope community need to achieve to their fullest potential. Learn more about our recent, current and upcoming projects

Developing your estate plans? Include Hope in your will or trust as a beneficiary. It is through a legacy contribution that Hope College has realized so many generous gifts over decades. After all, if we do not act on the premise of giving as those who gave before us, who will? learn more

External grant support for Hope programs and faculty reflects the high regard in which the college and its professors are held. learn more