The Critical Issues Symposium at Hope College will explore “Growing Distrust of National Institutions” on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The day-long event will feature multiple presentations on a variety of topics, including voting, the prison system, diet and health, the church and higher education. It will open with a keynote address at 10 a.m., continue with two sets of concurrent breakout sessions at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., and conclude with an endnote lecture at 3 p.m. The symposium is being coordinated by the Hope College Student Congress in collaboration with the college’s Provost’s Office and other campus partners.
The 10 a.m. keynote address, “Enchantment: How to Thrive in Polarizing Times,” will be presented by guest speaker Chloe Valdary in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts. Valdary is an American writer, lecturer and developer of Theory of Enchantment, a framework for compassionate antiracism that combines social-emotional learning, character development and interpersonal growth as tools for leadership development for education, business and non-profit organizations around the world. As described on the program’s website, the training is based on three principles: treat people like human beings, not political abstractions; criticize to uplift and empower, never to tear down or destroy; and root everything you do in love and compassion.
The presentations at 1 p.m. are:
“The Importance of Voting,” in Cook Auditorium of the De Pree Art Center, presented by The League of Women Voters of Holland Area;
“Resurrection Featuring the Hope-Western Prison Education Program,” in Winants Auditorium of Graves Hall, by Dr. Fred Johnson III, who is the Guy Vander Jagt ’53 Professor of History; and
“Distorted Wellness: How Media Warps Our Views on Diet and Health,” in Schaap Auditorium of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center, by Dr. Brian Rider, associate professor of kinesiology.
The presentations at 2 p.m. are:
“Mistrust in the Church: Why Are People Leaving Religion,” in Winants Auditorium of Graves Hall, by Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren, who is a professor of psychology and director of the college’s Frost Center for Social Science Research; and
“Restoring Hope in Higher Education,” in Schaap Auditorium of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center, by Hope College President Matthew A. Scogin.
The endnote lecture at 3 p.m., “How Practicing Radical Empathy Builds Trust,” will be presented in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts by Hope sophomore Elisabeth Bendle and Anna Bonnema, assistant professor of mentoring instruction.
The college’s Critical Issues Symposium is held annually to meant to stimulate serious thinking about current issues and to provide a forum for Hope College students, faculty, and staff, along with the broader Holland community, to engage in discussion with experts. The symposium embodies a commitment to open inquiry and civil discourse guided by the highest standards of intellectual integrity. Hope cancels classes for the day to provide an opportunity for the event.
First held in 1980, the symposium has been coordinated by the college’s Student Congress the past three years. Last year’s symposium explored “Discerning Truth in a World of Uncertainty,” and considered strategies and challenges for sorting fact from fiction in a time of polarization and misinformation.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar.
The Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center is located at 115 E. 12th St., at the center of the Hope campus between College and Columbia avenues along the former 12th Street. Schaap Auditorium is on the lower level near the building’s southwest corner.
The De Pree Art Center and Gallery is located at 275 Columbia Ave., between 10th and 13th streets. Those without a Hope College ID (necessary to gain access to the building) should call 616-395-7500 to visit.
Graves Hall is located at 263 College Ave., between 10th and 12th streets.
The Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts is located at 221 Columbia Ave., between Ninth and 10th streets.