Hope College News
2026 Oct
Hope Hosts Indigenous Peoples’ & Environmental Justice Lecture on Nov. 10
Hope College will host a lecture titled “A Case for Why Indigenous Peoples are Leaders in Biodiversity Conservation Globally” on Tues., Nov. 10 at 3:30 p.m. in the concert hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts. The public is invited and admission is free.
Renowned Chemist and Researcher to Address Plastics Sustainability & Solutions
The Hope College Office of the Dean for Natural and Applied Sciences invites the campus and Holland community to the annual Gentile Interdisciplinary Lectureship, featuring renowned researcher Dr. Thomas H. Epps, III. The free lecture will take place on Wed., Oct. 21, from 5 to 6 p.m. in Winants Auditorium, located in Graves Hall on the Hope College campus. The campus and community are invited to attend.
Hope Hosts 2026 Affirming LGBTQ+ Students Lecture on Oct. 19
The Rev. Alexander Swain ‘16 – an Episcopal priest serving as vicar of St. Andrews and curate for Intergenerational Ministries at St. Philip’s in the Hills in Tucson, Ariz. — will be the guest lecturer for Hope College’s annual Affirming LGBTQ+ Students Lecture event. He’ll present “In Christ, a New Creation: The Significance of Inclusive Orthodoxy in the Church Today” on Monday, Oct. 19, at 3:30 p.m., in the concert hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts located at 221 Columbia Ave. The public is invited and admission is free. Doors will open at 3:15 p.m. and a Q&A panel discussion will follow the lecture.
Environmentalist & Author Bill McKibben to Speak at Hope College
Bill McKibben – an environmentalist, author and educator – will be the keynote speaker for Hope College’s annual Campus Sustainability Month program, on Thurs., Oct. 22 . He’ll address Hope College students at 4 p.m. in the A. Paul Schaap Science Center and the community is invited to attend at no charge, for McKibben’s public address at 7 p.m. at Graves Hall on campus. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Co-sponsoring this event are the Hope Sustainability Committee and the Holland Area Chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby.
Odd Year Pull Photo Gallery
The Hope College Pull — one of the longest college traditions in the country — took place for its 129th year in Holland, Michigan, at Hope College on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Even Year Pull Photo Gallery
Even Year scored another win at this year’s epic Pull competition with a 47-foot and two-inch gain.
Grammy Award-Winning Akropolis Reed Quintet Performs at Hope College
The Hope College welcomes Grammy Award-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Jack H. Miller Center, as the college’s Great Performance Series continues in 2026.
H2 Dance Company Presents Annual Fall Concert Series at Hope College
H2 Dance Company — Hope College’s pre-professional dance company — presents its annual fall concert series on October 30–31 and November 6–7, all starting at 7:30 p.m. in the Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland.
St. Benedict Institute to Host Oct. 15 Talk on “The Christ-Haunted South”
The Saint Benedict Institute will host speakers Fr. Damian Ference and James Matthew Wilson to discuss “The Christ-Haunted South: Grotesques, Poetry and the Sacramentality of Being.” The free, community event will take place Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 7 p.m. in Winants Auditorium in Graves Hall at Hope College.
De Pree Art Center Exhibition Celebrates Artist Candace Hicks
The De Pree Art Center at Hope College will open a new exhibition titled, “Notes on Cloud Formations” featuring interdisciplinary artist Candace Hicks. Exhibition dates are Oct. 9-Nov. 5, 2026.
2026 Sep
Hope College Department of Theatre to Produce “Dead Man’s Cell Phone”
The Hope College Department of Theatre will present Sarah Ruhl’s “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” on Oct. 16-17 and 22-24 at 7:30 p.m., along with a 2 p.m. matinee on Oct. 18. All performances will be held in the DeWitt Mainstage Theatre, located in the DeWitt Student & Cultural Center on Hope’s campus.
“Even Year” Freshman Class Wins 2026 Annual Pull Competition
The Hope College class of 2030 marked another win at this year’s epic Pull competition, adding to a six-year string of consecutive wins for the “Even Year” team — this year’s freshman class.
A Celebration of Shared Trust: Hope College Donors Generous In 2025-26 Fiscal Year
Humbled by the generosity of friends, alumni, businesses, faculty and staff, Hope College extends its gratitude to the 4,645 donors who gave more than $77M over the 2025-2026 academic year — which will directly advance the incredible work done with students each year.
Hope College Men’s Club Fútbol Joins US College Club Soccer for 2026 Season
Hope College Men’s Club Fútbol has entered its second year with a significant step forward, joining the U.S. College Club Soccer (USCCS) for the fall 2026 season.
Hope's Academic Building Project Takes Shape Downtown
MLiveMLive reports on the new Economics and Business building construction.
Hope College Advances in U.S. News & World Report National Rankings
The 2027 U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” rankings report published today, with Hope College repeating in several impressive spots among 1,700 colleges and universities nationally involved in the survey, and improving in rank positions from the previous year. The annual report uses up to 17 factors to measure academic quality and graduate success.
Dr. Zitai Wang addresses Guaranteed-Approval Credit Cards
WalletHubDr. Zitai Wang, assistant professor of finance at Hope, contributed to an online article in Wallet Hub about guaranteed-approval credit cards.
Hope College Choirs Offer Free Outdoor Concert on Sept. 25
The Hope College choirs will perform outdoors on Friday, Sept. 25 at 5 p.m. in the Pine Grove on the college's central campus. The free concert is open to the public and will feature the Chapel Choir, SPERA, VERITAS and College Chorus — as well as vocal soloists and instrumentalists from the college's Department of Music.
Hope College’s Epic Tug-of-War Set for Saturday, Sept. 26
One of the longest college traditions in the country – The Pull – takes place for its 129th year in Holland, Michigan, at Hope College, on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Hope Tops Out New Economics & Business Building Downtown
Fox 17Fox 17 reports on the Topping Out Ceremony at the new Economics and Business building.
Topping Out Ceremony Celebrates Progress of New Economics & Business Facility
Construction milestone marks placement of final structural steel beam for Hope College's largest academic building project.
Hope Celebrates Topping Out of New Business Gateway
Ottawa News NetworkOttawa News Network reports on the construction of the new Economics and Business building.
Van Raalte Press Releases “The Endurance of Hope”
The Van Raalte Institute announced a new collection of essays titled “The Endurance of Hope,” which is a follow-up to a 2005 edition that examined Hope College’s historical journey in the “middle way.” Both books explore how Hope College has balanced its Christian identity and academic rigor, while navigating changing cultural and higher education landscapes over the last several decades.
Hope College Accepted into NORDP Consultants Program Cohort
Now entering the final phase of National Science Foundation funding, Emory University and the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) announced that Hope College is one of four higher-education institutions accepted into NORDP’s fifth Consultants Program cohort.
National HEED Recognition Awarded to Hope for Fifth Consecutive Year
Hope College received the 2026 Higher Education Excellence in Distinction (HEED) Award for the fifth year in a row — in the undergraduate institution category — from INSIGHT Into Academia magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.
Disability Inclusion Lecture Scheduled at Hope on Sept. 29
Ben Wright, director of disability access in prison education at The Community, will present a free lecture titled “Believing in Even the Possibility.” Wright will speak on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 3:30 p.m. in the concert hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at 221 Columbia Ave. The lecture is also open to the community. Doors will open at 3:15 p.m., and a Q&A panel discussion will follow the lecture.
Hope College Orchestra Recognized Among Nation’s Best with The American Prize Win
The Hope College Orchestra and its director of orchestras — Samuel Pang — learned this week they are the national winner of the The American Prize–Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in orchestral programming in the college/university division, 2026.
Knickerbocker Theatre Presents Fall Films Series from Sept. 8 – Oct. 17
The Hope College Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland will continue its film series this fall, featuring four films screening from Sept. 8 through Oct. 17. The first film will run from Tuesday through Saturday, while the following three films will run Monday through Saturday. All screenings begin at 7 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre.
Niche Ranks Hope College as #1 Christian College & Private College in State
Hope College repeated as the #1 ranked Christian college and #1 private university in Michigan, and 14th best Christian college in America, per the 2027 Niche Best Colleges rankings.
Hope Hosts 2026 Hispanic Heritage Month Lecture on Sept. 15
Dr. Delia Fernández-Jones will present a lecture, “Don’t leave it to Chance: Inclusive Placemaking for Belonging and Access,” during Hope College’s 2026 Hispanic Heritage Month Lecture on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 3:30 p.m. in the concert hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts. The public is invited and admission is free. Doors will open at 3:15 p.m. and there will also be an audience Q&A session and panel discussion following the presentation.