Seal of Hope College
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Motto | Spera in Deo (Latin) |
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Motto in English
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Hope in God |
Type | Private coeducational liberal arts college |
Established | 1866 |
Affiliation | Reformed Church in America |
Endowment | $203.3 million (2015) |
President | John C. Knapp |
Administrative staff
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550 |
Undergraduates | 3224 (Fall 2016) |
Location | Holland, MI, U.S. |
Campus | Suburban, 125 acres (0.195 sq mi) |
Athletics | NCAA Division III — MIAA |
Colors | Orange and Blue |
Nickname | Flying Dutchmen Flying Dutch |
Website | www |
University rankings | |
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National | |
Forbes | 172 |
Liberal arts colleges | |
U.S. News & World Report | 94 |
Washington Monthly | 137 |
Coordinates: 42°47′13″N 86°6′8″W / 42.78694°N 86.10222°W
Hope College is a private, residential liberal arts college in downtown Holland, Michigan, United States, a few miles from Lake Michigan. It opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled. The first freshman college class matriculated in 1862 and Hope received its state charter in 1866. Hope College is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and it retains a vibrant Christian atmosphere. The school's 125 acres (0.195 sq mi) campus is adjacent to the downtown commercial district and has been shared with Western Theological Seminary since 1884. The school's enrollment is just over 3,600 undergraduates.
Hope's motto is taken from Psalm 42:5: "Spera in Deo" ("Hope in God"). The college's emblem is an anchor. This is drawn from a speech made by Albertus van Raalte, the leader of the community, on the occasion of the founding of the Pioneer School in 1851: "This is my anchor of hope for this people in the future," (an allusion to Hebrews 6:19). The primary-level Pioneer School was later expanded to secondary, and soon after, college level education as Hope College. Van Vleck Hall, which originally housed the Pioneer School, is the oldest building on campus (1858) and now serves as a dormitory. It is the second oldest building in the city. The first freshman college class matriculated in 1862, and Hope received its state charter in 1866. The college admitted its first female students in 1878.