The Rev. Dr. Dennis Voskuil began serving Hope College as interim president in August 2017 and concluded his service in June 2019. Dennis is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Van Raalte Institute.

He began his career at Hope as an assistant professor of religion in 1977. He became an associate professor of religion in 1982 and a full professor of religion in 1988. He was tenured in 1983 and became chair of the religion department in 1984, serving as chair until 1990 and again from 1992–94.

Dennis served on the President’s advisory committee from 1980–82 and 1984–85 and was a member of the Hope College Board of Trustees from 1983–84 and 1989–91. He was the Athletic Committee chair and MIAA representative from 1987–91.

In 2014 Dennis served as a senior research fellow at the Van Raalte Institute; in September 2015 he succeeded Jack Nyenhuis as the director of the institute.

Photo highlights of former President Dennis Voskuil and Betty Voskuil 

AREAS OF Expertise

Dennis served as assistant pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Watertown, Massachusetts, from 1970 to 1973; as pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, from 1974 to 1977; and as interim senior pastor of Third Reformed Church in Holland from 1990 to 1992.

He led Western Theological Seminary as president and taught church history there from 1994 to 2008 and was the Marvin and Jerene De Witt Endowed Chair in Church History from 2008 to 2014.

EDUCATION

• Ph.D., religion, Harvard University, 1974
• B.D., Western Theological Seminary, 1969
• B.S., history, University of Wisconsin, 1966

HONORS, GRANTS & AWARDS

• Baccalaureate Speaker, Hope College, 1980
• H.O.P.E. Award, Hope College, 1981
• Commencement Speaker, Hope College, 1981
• Endowed Chair, Evert J. and Hattie E. Blekkink Professorship, 1992–1994

Why hope?

Dennis sees Hope as a unique Christian college, rooted in the Reformed tradition but not sectarian. He extols Hope College for maintaining a vigorous academic environment and for being generous in spirit and devoted to Christian values and practices. He loves that Hope is committed to excellence, the liberal arts, and the intellectual and spiritual development of its students.

Outside the College

Dennis and his wife Betty enjoy being with their nine delightful grandchildren, as well as with many wonderful friends across North America. They are active at Third Reformed Church, the Century Club and Western Theological Seminary. Dennis is an avid reader of history and biographies and enjoys singing in choirs.

Dennis loves the Green Bay Packers and the Boston Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins, as well as the Wisconsin Badgers and, of course, all the Hope College teams. He plays basketball with a group of men almost every noon hour at the Dow Center of Hope College.