Hope College April 2012 : Page 5

Campus Scene GRADUATION ’12: In just a few short weeks, the college’s alumni ranks will swell by nearly 690. The college’s 147th Commencement, celebrating the Dr. Heather rev. Dr. Trygve graduating class of sellers Johnson 2012, will be held on Sunday, May 6, at 3 p.m. at Holland Municipal Stadium. Baccalaureate will be held earlier in the day, at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel. The Commencement speaker will be Dr. Heather Sellers, professor of English. The Baccalaureate sermon will be delivered by the Rev. Dr. Trygve Johnson, who is the Hinga-Boersma Dean of the Chapel at Hope. In the event of rain, Commencement will be held at the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse. Admission to Baccalaureate, and to Commencement if indoors, is by ticket only. RESEARCH BIRTHDAY: The college’s long-standing and acclaimed tradition of educating students through involvement in collaborative research with members of the faculty in the natural and applied sciences has been made possible and is sustained by many groups and individuals, including not only the faculty scholar-mentors who guide the work but the private organizations, government agencies, and alumni and friends of the college that provide crucial financial support. Hope notes with pride its long-standing relationship with Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), the oldest foundation in the United States devoted wholly to science, as the foundation marks its 100th anniversary this year. Through the years, Hope has received more support from the foundation, $1,695,435, than any other liberal arts college; Hope is also tied for first among liberal arts colleges for the number of grants (64) that members of the faculty have received. RCSA’s president, Dr. James M. Gentile, is a former member of the Hope faculty and dean for the natural sciences, serving at the college from 1976 to 2005. Dr. Michael P. Doyle, a previous RCSA president, was a Hope faculty member from 1968 to 1984. Based in Tucson, Ariz., the foundation provides catalytic funding for grants, conferences and advocacy to support early career faculty, innovative ideas for transformative research, integration of research and science teaching, interdisciplinary research, and building tomorrow’s academic cultures. More about the foundation and its 100th anniversary year is available online at www.rescorp.org. MILESTONE MARATHON: The annual student-organized Dance Marathon fundraiser achieved a major milestone this year, topping $1 million across the event’s 13-year history. The 24-hour Dance Marathon is conducted annually on behalf of Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., both to raise funds and to build awareness of the hospital’s work. This year’s Dance Marathon raised $92,444.32, pushing the cumulative total since the event began in 2000 to $1,003,599.60. Nearly 700 students participated in the marathon, held at the Dow Center on Friday-Saturday, March 9-10. The landmark total provided an aiming point as fundraising took place across the months preceding the marathon itself, but primarily as an effect and not a cause. The emphasis throughout—as it has been since the beginning—remained on those the effort benefits: children in a time of need. The 212-bed hospital cares for more than 7,600 inpatients and 190,000 outpatients annually from a 37-county region. Student organizations participating in the event establish relationships with families who have been served by the hospital, and the families are highlighted during the two-day marathon. “We knew at the start that it was something that would be attainable if we worked really hard,” said senior Ryan Tussey of Fort Wayne, Ind., who co-directed this year’s Dance Marathon with senior Michael Dirksen of Grand Rapids, Mich. “It’s so rewarding to be able to do this for the hospital.” Dirksen credited the tradition of generosity that has prompted thousands of students and countless contributors from the larger community to sustain a tradition of outstanding effort. “A school of Hope’s size is not expected to raise much more than $10,000, so the fact that in 13 years we were able to reach $1 million is unbelievable,” he said. More ONLINE www.hope.edu/pr/nfhc More ONLINE www.hope.edu/pr/nfhc HONORARY DEGREE: Hope will award an honorary degree to Joel Bouwens ’74 of Holland, former chairperson of the college’s Board of Trustees, on Sunday, May 6, during the Commencement. Bouwens, who chaired the board from August 2003 through July 2011, will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters degree for distinguished service to the college. A shareholder in the firm of Cunningham Dalman PC, Attorneys, he has been a member of the board since 1993. His tenure on the board will conclude in 2013. More ONLINE www.hope.edu/pr/nfhc More ONLINE www.hope.edu/pr/nfhc COMMEMORATIVE GIFT: The fall celebration of the Van Raalte Bicentennial included an international bilateral conference, which started at Hope in Graves Hall (October 24-25) and ended at an elegant former manor house, Landgoed Het Laer, in Ommen, Overijssel, the Netherlands (November 3-4). During the latter conference, Van Raalte Institute Director Jacob E. Nyenhuis and Associate Provost Alfredo M. Gonzales presented the city of Ommen with a duplicate of the 27-inch bronze maquette for the Albertus C. Van Raalte Sculpture in Centennial Park. They are pictured at left and center as Ommen Alderman J.P. “Ko” Scheele accepts the gift. VIRTUALLY HOME: A major ongoing remake of the college’s website is intended to make visiting the college online even more enjoyable and informative. Launched in January, the new design is the fourth, and most extensive, revision of the site since www.hope.edu debuted in 1995. The goal of the new design is to more clearly express Hope’s unique position in the higher-education community as an institution that provides students with rigorous academic and co-curricular programs in a vibrant Christian environment. Last year, the college’s primary web address was visited an estimated 1.2 million times, a figure that doesn’t include the hundreds of thousands of other visits directly to special-interest areas such as admissions, alumni, athletics and the arts. More ONLINE www.hope.edu/pr/nfhc HOPE IN PICTURES: Please visit the college online to enjoy extensive photo galleries organized by topic and chronicling a variety of events in the life of Hope. Pictured is a moment from the Saturday, Jan. 28, celebration of the fifth birthday of popular Hope mascot Dutch, which included not only the mascot game shown (part of the halftime activities during the men’s game with Alma College) but also the presentation of cards signed by well-wishers of all ages and a cake with candles and the singing of “Happy Birthday to You” during the Winter Happening luncheon earlier in the day. More ONLINE www.hope.edu/pr/gallery April 2012 5

Campus Scene

RESEARCH BIRTHDAY: The college’s longstanding and acclaimed tradition of educating students through involvement in collaborative research with members of the faculty in the natural and applied sciences has been made possible and is sustained by many groups and individuals, including not only the faculty scholar-mentors who guide the work but the private organizations, government agencies, and alumni and friends of the college that provide crucial financial support. Hope notes with pride its long-standing relationship with Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), the oldest foundation in the United States devoted wholly to science, as the foundation marks its 100th anniversary this year. Through the years, Hope has received more support from the foundation, $1,695,435, than any other liberal arts college; Hope is also tied for first among liberal arts colleges for the number of grants (64) that members of the faculty have received. RCSA’s president, Dr. James M. Gentile, is a former member of the Hope faculty and dean for the natural sciences, serving at the college from 1976 to 2005. Dr. Michael P. Doyle, a previous RCSA president, was a Hope faculty member from 1968 to 1984. Based in Tucson, Ariz., the foundation provides catalytic funding for grants, conferences and advocacy to support early career faculty, innovative ideas for transformative research, integration of research and science teaching, interdisciplinary research, and building tomorrow’s academic cultures. More about the foundation and its 100th anniversary year is available online at www.rescorp.org. VIRTUALLY HOME: A major ongoing remake of the college’s website is intended to make visiting the college online even more enjoyable and informative. Launched in January, the new design is the fourth, and most extensive, revision of the site since www.hope.edu debuted in 1995. The goal of the new design is to more clearly express Hope’s unique position in the higher-education community as an institution that provides students with rigorous academic and co-curricular programs in a vibrant Christian environment. Last year, the college’s primary web address was visited an estimated 1.2 million times, a figure that doesn’t include the hundreds of thousands of other visits directly to special-interest areas such as admissions, alumni, athletics and the arts. MILESTONE MARATHON: The annual student-organized Dance Marathon fundraiser achieved a major milestone this year, topping $1 million across the event’s 13-year history. The 24-hour Dance Marathon is conducted annually on behalf of Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., both to raise funds and to build awareness of the hospital’s work. This year’s Dance Marathon raised $92,444.32, pushing the cumulative total since the event began in 2000 to $1,003,599.60. Nearly 700 students participated in the marathon, held at the Dow Center on Friday-Saturday, March 9-10. The landmark total provided an aiming point as fundraising took place across the months preceding the marathon itself, but primarily as an effect and not a cause. The emphasis throughout—as it has been since the beginning—remained on those the effort benefits: children in a time of need. The 212-bed hospital cares for more than 7,600 inpatients and 190,000 outpatients annually from a 37-county region. Student organizations participating in the event establish relationships with families who have been served by the hospital, and the families are highlighted during the two-day marathon. “We knew at the start that it was something that would be attainable if we worked really hard,” said senior Ryan Tussey of Fort Wayne, Ind., who co-directed this year’s Dance Marathon with senior Michael Dirksen of Grand Rapids, Mich. “It’s so rewarding to be able to do this for the hospital.” Dirksen credited the tradition of generosity that has prompted thousands of students and countless contributors from the larger community to sustain a tradition of outstanding effort. “A school of Hope’s size is not expected to raise much more than $10,000, so the fact that in 13 years we were able to reach $1 million is unbelievable,” he said. HOPE IN PICTURES: Please visit the college online to enjoy extensive photo galleries organized by topic and chronicling a variety of events in the life of Hope. Pictured is a moment from the Saturday, Jan. 28, celebration of the fifth birthday of popular Hope mascot Dutch, which included not only the mascot game shown (part of the halftime activities during the men’s game with Alma College) but also the presentation of cards signed by well-wishers of all ages and a cake with candles and the singing of “Happy Birthday to You” during the Winter Happening luncheon earlier in the day.

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