Alfredo Gonzales has been promoted to associate provost at Hope College.
Previously assistant provost, he is also an adjunct associate professor of social work at Hope.
"Alfredo has been at Hope for the past 22 years, beginning with his role as director of Upward Bound and serving for the past 11 years as assistant provost. Alfredo brings a wealth of human relations and interpersonal skills to his assignment, and has earned the respect of both faculty and staff," said Hope College President James E. Bultman. "The professional relationships that he has established on Hope's behalf, both on and off Hope's campus, have been immensely helpful in the overall development of Hope's academic program."
Gonzales' responsibilities include general academic administration, developing strategies for recruiting multicultural faculty and enhancing multicultural learning at Hope, and oversight of capital and operating budgets. He has administrative responsibility for the Joint Archives of Holland and the college's A.C. Van Raalte Institute, Office of International Education and Women's Studies program, and is chair of Hope's annual Critical Issues Symposium.
Gonzales was active in the creation of Holland's Sister-City relationship with Santiago de Queretaro in Mexico, and has similarly been actively involved in developing Hope's relationship with the Autonomous University of Queretaro.
In 1998, he received the "Michigan Outstanding Hispanic of the Year" "Honorable Mention" award from the Michigan Educational Opportunity Fund Inc. In 1997, through one of only 24 fellowships awarded worldwide by the Ford Foundation, he participated in the "International Seminar on Diversity Issues in Higher Education" in New Delhi, India.
Gonzales joined the Hope staff in 1979 as director of the college's Upward Bound program, a position that continued with his appointment as director of minority student affairs in 1984. In 1986 he was named assistant dean of multicultural life, working in the Office of Student Development to strengthen the multicultural life at the college, assisting the admissions office in recruiting minority students, and developing contacts with area high schools and other organizations. He was named assistant provost in 1990.
Active in the community, he is currently chair of the City of Holland's International Relations Commission and a member of the board of the Holland Area Arts Council. He is past chair of the Holland Community Hospital Board of Directors, the Michigan Commission for Spanish Speaking Affairs and LAUP Inc. He has also served on the boards of Western Theological Seminary and First of America Bank Corporation.
Gonzales graduated from Grand Valley State University and earned a master of social work degree from the University of Michigan. He and his wife, Maria, have two children, both of whom are students at Hope.