The Hope College Economics & Business Department is launching its “Faithfully Off (My) Script” speaker series on Wednesday, Feb. 4 with an inaugural event featuring a presentation and discussion with Hope College Professor Tom Smith. This event is free and open to the public, and will be held at Graves Hall on the Hope campus, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.
The presentation — “Nudged to Romania” — will recount Smith’s journey as he and his wife followed an unexpected call to the Emanual University of Oradea in 2013. Smith will also share his insights and reflections regarding the overall process of vocational discernment and calling. Complimentary treats and a Q&A session will follow.
“Calling is often best understood in the rearview mirror,” Smith said. “This talk is designed to help individuals at all points in life look at their own path in a faithful way.”
The “Faithfully Off (My) Script — Stories of Vocation and Calling” speaker series is designed to help students from all academic areas on campus — and community members in attendance — think faithfully about following God’s unexpected calls in life. The series will feature a broad range of individuals who have followed God to sometimes surprising places in their life and career — and offer a faithful lens for reflecting on one’s own journey.
The event is hosted by the Hope College Economics & Business Department, which places a distinct focus on vocational discernment and calling. Through engaging with hundreds of organizations and professionals, workshops, competitive experiences and speaker events such as this one, students are encouraged to think about their own calling in light of the Christian faith.
Smith joined the college’s economics and business faculty in 1993, teaching Operations Management, Finance, Senior Seminar and Introduction to Business. He also co-led the department’s longstanding May Term in London for 15+ years, and other international initiatives. In 2005, he was awarded the ‘Favorite Faculty Member Award’ by the student body and was also appointed to the Dr. Leon A. Bosch endowed chair in 2007. He received the Janet L. Anderson Excellence in Teaching Award in 2011. He holds a Ph.D. in operations management from the University of Michigan and an MBA from University of Iowa.