There have been two appointments and six reappointments to the Board of Trustees at Hope College.
Newly chosen to serve on the board are Dr. Kenneth G. Elzinga of Charlottesville, Va., and Dr. Fred L. Johnson III of the Hope faculty.
Those re-elected to four-year terms on the board are Gary D. DeWitt of Holland; Theodore S. Etheridge III of West Olive; Lynne Hendricks of Holland; Peter H. Huizenga of Oak Brook, Ill.; Dr. Mark A. Suwyn of Bonita Springs, Fla.; and the Rev. Charles E. Van Engen of Glendora, Calif.
Retiring from the board are Dr. David E. Cole of Ann Arbor and Dr. Lorna Hernandez Jarvis, professor of psychology at Hope.
The leadership of the board remains the same: Joel G. Bouwens of Holland as chairperson; the Rev. Peter C. Semeyn of Traverse City as vice-chairperson; and Hendricks as secretary.
Elzinga is the Robert C. Taylor Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia, where he has taught since 1967. He served two terms on Hope's board previously, from 1983 to 1990.
He is the author or editor of numerous books and articles in the field of economics. Elzinga's specialty is antitrust economics, a subject in which he does research and also advises corporations, government agencies and federal judges. Under the pen name of Marshall Jevons, he has also co-authored three murder mysteries in which the hero uses economic reasoning to solve the crime.
Elzinga is a member of numerous professional associations. He is a past president of the Southern Economic Association and a past member of the Board of Trustees of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship.
He has received multiple awards in recognition of his teaching and scholarship, including the Templeton Honor Roll Award for Education in a Free Society from the John Templeton Foundation in 1997; the Kenan Enterprise Award for Teaching Economics from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust in 1996; the Thomas Jefferson Award from the University of Virginia in 1992; Phi Eta Sigma Teacher of the Year recognition in 1992; the Commonwealth of Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award in 1992; and the Distinguished Professor Award from the University of Virginia in 1999. In 1999 he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Michigan State University, where he had completed both his master's and doctorate. He is a 1963 graduate of Kalamazoo College, which presented him with a Distinguished Alumni Award in 1983 and an honorary degree, an L.H.D., in 2000.
Elzinga's first wife, Barbara, who died of cancer in 1978, was a 1967 Hope graduate. He is currently married to Terry Maguire Elzinga, an architect.
Johnson is an associate professor of history at Hope, where he has taught since 2000. His primary field is 19th century U.S. history, specifically the Confederacy during the Civil War. His other areas of study include the U.S. in the 20th century, the U.S. military and Africa.
He is currently working on three books: "Eagle on the Continent: U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa, 1945-Present," "Second Bachelorhood: A Man's Guide to Succeeding after Divorce" and "While We Were Sleeping: African Americans Since the End of the Civil Rights Movement." His publications include three novels, "Bittersweet" (2002), "A Man Finds His Way" (2003) and "Other Men's Wives" (2005).
An acclaimed teacher, he was presented the 41st annual H.O.P.E. (Hope Outstanding Professor Educator) Award by the graduating Class of 2005. During Homecoming in October of 2002, the student body elected him recipient of the "Favorite Faculty/Staff Member" Award. He delivered the college's Commencement address in May of 2003.
His community involvement includes serving on the board of the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance, serving on the Human Relations Council for the City of Holland, co-facilitating sessions of the Institute for Healing Racism (sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce), being a charter member of the newly organized Centennial Rotary Club, and serving as president of the Macatawa Toastmasters Club.
Johnson grew up in the Washington, D.C., metro area. He received his bachelor's degree from Bowie State College in Maryland, and his master's and doctorate from Kent State University in Ohio. His past career experiences include serving as a corporate trainer and as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.