Nearly 3,400 students are settling into their dormitories, campus cottages and apartments today across Hope College, ready to kick off Hope’s 165th academic year.
Among the registered students are 856 incoming freshmen, who will be officially welcomed during the traditional fall convocation address, held on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 2 p.m. at the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.
Fun facts about the Class of 2030
- Incoming, first-time students for the 2026-27 school year: 846
- 226 of those incoming students have generational ties, ready to walk the paths their family members walked years or decades earlier
- About 95% of those enrolled visited the Hope campus prior to committing
- Average GPA of this year’s incoming Class of 2030: 3.85
- The top three academic interests these students plan to enroll in: Business, Psychology, Biology
Convocation address speaker
This year’s convocation speaker is Dr. Stephen Maiullo, dean of arts and humanities at Hope College, who will address the Class of 2030
with his message titled “The Turning of Your Soul.” Convocation is open to all incoming
freshmen and is also attended by Hope College faculty and staff. The event will be
livestreamed for others to view on the college’s YouTube channel.
Maiullo joined Hope’s faculty in 2010, teaching Latin and Greek language courses, and classes that focus on the literature of the classical world — from Homer to Plato’s Republic to the New Testament — and work by other classical authors such as Vergil, Apuleius and Cicero. His primary areas of interest are ancient philosophy, literature, mythology, as well as the reception of classical tradition. He has published articles on Plato, pedagogy and the epistolary tradition. He also advises students who are preparing to apply for post-graduate fellowships, most notably the Fulbright program.
Also participating in the fall convocation event are Hope College President Matt Scogin ‘02; Provost Gerald Griffin; Rev. Dr. Nathan Hart ‘01 – Hinga-Boersma Dean of the Chapel; Samuel Byrne – this year’s Student Congress president; Eric Reyes — assistant professor of music and director of choral activities; Huw Lewis – professor of music and organist; students Celine Fakhoury ‘28 and Jayne Byrne ‘28 as the cross and banner bearers; and serving as faculty marshals are Dr. Mary Inman — professor of psychology — and Todd Wiebe, Hope’s librarian and head of research and instruction.