There have been four appointments and five reappointments to the Hope College Board of Trustees, which has also named two new officers.
Newly chosen to serve four-year terms are Dr. Barry Bandstra of Holland, Mich.; David Van Andel '83 of Grand Rapids, Mich.; the Rev. Brian Vriesman '75 of Twin Falls, Idaho; and Emilie Wierda of Holland.
Those re-elected to four-year terms are: Janet Lawrence '80 of Schenectady, N.Y.; Philip D. Miller '65 of Holland; the Rev. Peter Semeyn '73 of Palos Heights, Ill.; Arnold Van Zanten '64 of The Woodlands, Texas; and Dr. George Zuidema '49 of Holland. Dr. Donald G. Mulder '48 of Pacific Palisades, Calif., who served on the board from 1991 to 1999, has been named an Honorary Trustee.
Members retiring from the board are: Dr. Christopher Barney of Holland; Jon Hanson of Far Hills, N.J.; the Rev. John Jong-Pyo Lee of Fair Lawn, N.J.; Julia Morrison of Dayton, Ohio; and Vicki TenHaken '73 of Holland.
Joel Bouwens '74 of Zeeland, Mich., has been elected vice-chair of the board, succeeding the Rev. Fritz Kruithof '61 of Kalamazoo, Mich. Lynne Walchenbach '73 Hendricks of Grandville, Mich., has been elected secretary, succeeding Max Boersma '46 of Holland. Both Rev. Kruithof and Boersma will continue to serve on the board. J. Kermit Campbell of Traverse City, Mich., will continue to chair the board.
Dr. Bandstra joined the Hope faculty in 1983 as an assistant professor of religion. He was promoted to associate professor in 1988, and to full professor in 1995. His primary teaching fields are biblical studies and biblical theology and Hebrew.
His numerous publications include the textbook Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. He has long explored the computer's utility as a teaching tool. His related projects include completing a CD-ROM for his textbook that includes an expanded electronic version of the text and links to relevant sites on the World Wide Web.
Dr. Bandstra holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Illinois, a bachelor of divinity from Calvin Theological Seminary, and two master's degrees and a doctorate from Yale University.
He and his wife, Debra, have three sons: Adam '00 of Holland, Mich.; Jonathan, who is a Hope senior; and Daniel.
Van Andel is chief operating officer of the Innovations Business Unit of Amway Corporation, which he also serves as a member of the Board of Directors. He is also co-owner and chairman of the Grand Rapids Griffins ice hockey franchise.
He is chairman/CEO of the Van Andel Institute for Education and Medical Research, which celebrated its grand opening in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Wednesday, May 10. He chairs the Board of Trustees of the Great Lakes Division of the American Cancer Society Foundation, and is on a variety of other boards, including serving as a trustee with the Gerald R. Ford Foundation and on the board of organizations including the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America Foundation.
He and his wife, Carol Girod '81 Van Andel, have four sons.
Vriesman is senior pastor of the Twin Falls Reformed Church, where he was formerly associate pastor. He was previously associate pastor of Peace Reformed Church in Eagan, Minn.
He is the son of the Rev. Dick Vriesman '47 and Nell Ritsema '47 Vriesman of Lynden, Wash.
He was a member of the men's basketball team at Hope, serving as captain and earning all-MIAA first team honors. A 6'5" forward, he was quoted in both Reader's Digest and Sports Illustrated for naming the greatest influence on his basketball career as follows: "My six-foot mother."
He holds his M.Div. from Western Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Lori, have four children: Nicole, who is a junior at Hope, Kimberly, Brett and Kelly.
Wierda is president of the Eagle Foundation, and with her husband manages Eagle Companies, an investment firm. She is co-owner of Crown Motors Limited, which has automobile dealerships in Charlevoix, Holland, Marquette and Negaunee, Mich.
She has been on the Board of Directors of Evergreen Commons in Holland since 1985, and has been president of the board since 1995. Her volunteer activities also include serving as vice president of Michigan Family Forum of Lansing, Mich., and as a member of the board of the Haggai Institute and Henry Blackaby Ministries, both of Atlanta, Ga.
In 1998, the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce presented Wierda with its Distinguished Service Award for her leadership in serving the community.
She is a 1983 Calvin College graduate. She and her husband, Craig, have four children.