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| hope college > academic departments > political science |
Alumni Profiles: Mlungisi Sisulu * Craig
Morford * Pete
Hoekstra * Class of 2008 * Class of 2007 * Class of 2006 * Class of 2005 * Class of 2004 Class of 2003 Many Hope College graduates have gone on to great success in the world of government or politics. Though most of them studied political science while at Hope, other graduates discovered their passion and calling later in life. Here are a few of their stories: Mlungisi
Sisulu In 1999, a year after graduating from Hope with a degree in political science, Mlungisi joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in South Africa. He began his work as the First Secretary in the South African Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic. In 2005, he started his work as the First Secretary in the South African Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, where it is believed that he contracted the cerebral malaria that led to his untimely death. While at Hope, Mlungisi was involved in Model UN, and Inquiring Minds, as well as International Education activities. He was named to the Dean's List for eight consecutive semesters. Of his death, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dlamini Zuma states "During his tenure in the department of Foreign Affairs, Mlungisi served the department and indeed the country with diligence, professionalism, loyalty and great dedication. Accordingly the death of Mlungisi Sisulu leaves the Department of Foreign Affairs and indeed our country poorer in our efforts to consolidate the African agenda." Mlungisi is also the grandson of Walter and Albertina Sisulu, leaders of the anti-apartheid African National Congress and mentor to Nelson Mandela.
Morford was an economics major, a member of the Cosmopolitan fraternity at Hope, a participant in the Washington Honors Semester, and after graduation attended Law School at the University of Valparaiso. He first got his start as a trial attorney with the IRS, then worked for the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Strike Force from 1987-1990. He spent the next 16 years with the U.S. attorney's office in Cleveland. After his distinguished handling of the Traficant case in Ohio, Morford was asked in 2004 to lead the internal investigation of a mismanaged terrorism case in Detroit. Ultimately, Morford recommended that the case be dismissed, a difficult choice for which he was praised by then Deputy Attorney General James Comey as "smart, careful, fair, decent and funny. He cares passionately about achieving justice, which is more than just winning. He is one of the good guys, and the people of the United States are lucky to have him as one of their lawyers" (quoted in the Detroit News on Wednesday March 9, 2005). Morford was noted by his then boss, U.S. Attorney Greg White in Cleveland, as someone who can be counted on "to do the right thing." While maintaining his career, Craig has remained active in his church, and leads a strong family life. He was also instrumental in government outreach efforts to the American Muslim community after 9/11 and the USA PATRIOT Act. His appointment to the high rank of Acting Deputy Attorney General provides yet another set of challenging circumstances, but this simple philosophy of doing the right thing will get him through it all.
Though a member of Congress for over 15 years and a possible candidate for governor of Michigan in 2010, Pete Hoekstra can never run for President. This Hope College graduate was born in the Netherlands and came to America with his family at the age of three. This makes him one of the few members of Congress that were born outside of the United States, and thus ineligible to be President. Nonetheless, Hoekstra has enjoyed remarkable success since graduating Hope in 1975 with a political science degree. He first earned his M.B.A. from the University of Michigan, and worked at Herman Miller as a marketing executive for 25 years. In 1992, Hoekstra challenged longtime Congressman Guy Vander Jagt (a fellow Hope alum) in the Republican primary, and won on a grassroots campaign. Since being elected, Hoekstra has primarily served on the Education and Transportation committees. In 2004, he was named Chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, an influential position in this time of the war on terror that has taken him around the globe and to Iraq several times. Hoekstra has appeared on numerous television shows such as "Meet the Press", CBS Evening News, and NBC’s "Dateline"; and also has written pieces published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and The Washington Times. However, he still finds time to regularly visit his alma mater to speak to classes and deliver speeches. Many Hope students have served on his campaigns and worked as interns in either his Holland or Washington, D.C. offices.
As Michigan Secretary of State, Terri Lynn Land is responsible for most of the day-to-day interaction that citizens have with their government. Since being elected to her position in 2002, Secretary Land has focused on providing quality customer service for those seeking to renew their Michigan vehicle registrations or driver's licenses, to name a few of the services that her office provides. Land graduated from Hope College in 1981 with a degree in political science, a choice that had already been made in her mind after extensive political involvement back in high school (she was one of the youngest attendees at Michigan's 1978 Republican state convention). To this day, Land notes that opportunities such as the Hope Republicans and campaign internships were crucial in molding her to what she has become today. Land's career path began with the Allegan, Ottawa, and Kent County Republican organizations, respectively. From 1992 until 2000, she served as Kent County Clerk, overseeing a period of great changes in Michigan's 4th largest county. In her present statewide role, Land has re-organized the branch office structure, expanded Internet and ATM-style service options, and implemented new voting systems to ensure that elections are accessible for people with disabilities. In recognition of her work, she was named as one of Government Technology magazine's "Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers" for 2005. Land has also been mentioned by some as a possible candidate for governor of Michigan in 2010.
In his October 2005 presentation at the dedication of the Martha Miller
Center, Scott Carpenter compared his life's journeys to those of Bilbo
and Frodo Baggins, saying that his travels have "taken me far
from To illustrate, Carpenter told the story of being one of only three Americans who met with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein immediately after he was captured. At the time, he was working for the Coalition Provisional Authority, helping to smooth the transition to Iraqi self-governance. He also assisted in the drafting of the interim Iraqi constitution, and the formation of the Iraqi Governing Council and the first post-Saddam cabinet. Carpenter's experiences before working in Iraq were just as significant. While a student at Hope, he participated in the Washington Honors Semester, which he identifies as an important influence upon his future. Carpenter graduated in 1987 with triple majors in political science, French, and history. He then served as a teacher first in China, where he witnessed the 1989 student-led democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, and later in Hungary. Returning to the United States, Carpenter worked for a time in Congress as a press secretary and legislative aide before earning advanced degrees in economics and European studies from Johns Hopkins University. In the mid-1990s, he traveled with the International Republican Institute to help organize the first fully democratic elections in Bulgaria after the end of the Cold War. Now, Carpenter works for the Department of State overseeing several initiatives that aim to promote democracy in the Middle East. It's an enormous task that he relishes, and one that may lead him to more yet-unkown places. As Carpenter said, "God has launched me like an arrow that has no idea of what the target is – and that is completely okay with me.”
In March of 2008, Rev. Eugene Sutton was elected as the 14th bishop of Maryland, the first African-American to lead the diocese in its 227-year history. Sutton graduated from Hope with a composite degree in international relations, although it wasn't long before he knew that he was called to work in the ministry. As the designated pastor of prayer and pilgrimage at the National Cathedral, America's "National House of Prayer", Rev. Sutton has had the opportunity to meet with and guide many of our national leaders in their spiritual walks. After 9/11, he worked with the White House to organize the national prayer service that was seen across the world. Rev. Sutton's work in the ministry has seen him serve Episcopal churches in New Jersey and Washington, D.C., pastor the Covenant Community Reformed Church in Muskegon Heights, and teach on the faculty of several seminaries across the country. In addition, he has authored several publications, organized many conferences and seminars, led pilgrimages to Rome, South Africa, and France, and fulfilled numerous speaking engagements, including Hope's 2003 Baccalaureate address. Rev. Sutton views all of his professional experiences as equally significant because they have all served to help people. Among the thousands of graduates of Hope's political science program, Rev. Sutton's career path has been unique, but he gives much credit to his college experience: "Hope College prepared me well for a variety of jobs in teaching, administration, and the pastoral ministry. A liberal arts education exposes you to many areas of inquiry. It enables you to hold knowledgeable conversations with a wide range of people, and that has been extremely helpful in my preaching. "A lot of people have the purposes of education skewed. The purpose of a college education is not to prepare you for a job — jobs come and go. The purpose of a liberal arts education is to prepare you for life, and your life is a much larger subject than your job.” Below is a partial list of what some recent graduates are doing with their degrees in political science.
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