and the groundbreaking ceremony of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center. The college also sponsored the Presidential Colloquium lecture series, which featured an address by David Brooks on Christian education in the 21st century.
A marker designating the college as a Michigan Historic Site was erected in 2019 by the Michigan Historical Commission. The inscription reads:
In 1851, four years after settlers from the Netherlands founded Holland, the Pioneer School was established to meet some of the educational needs of the young colony. This school, the predecessor of Hope College, received direction and financial support from the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America. The school evolved into the Holland Academy, which in 1862 enrolled its first college class. On May 14, 1866, the institution was chartered as Hope College, and on July 17, 1866, the first class of eight students was graduated. The college’s name, seal, and motto are derived from a statement of the founder of Holland, Rev. Albertus …
