HOLLAND (WTHC) — After a two-day regular meeting, Hope College’s board of trustess has a new leader and a renewed commitment to President John Knapp as the school’s daily leader.
The board sent a campus-wide email, which was released to the media, stating the trustees and Knapp are “strongly united” and will continue collaborating for Hope’s best future.
Karl Droppers. Class of ’82 and a third-generation Hope alum, is the news board chairman. . Mark Van Genderen ’90 remains in his position as vice chair. Nancy Dirkse ’81 De Witt, elected board secretary, assumes her role July 1, 2016, according to the statement.
The board’s email called the May meeting a “time of intense discussion, careful discernment and deep reflection grounded in prayer.”
Knapp worked with trustees but also looked input from faculty, staff and students for the college’s strategic plan, Hope for the World: 2025. Trustees, who unanimously elected Knapp to his job three years ago, affirmed continued support of the plan.
The Board of Trustees and President Knapp are moving forward in a spirit of unity, working toward clarification of mutual expectations. Communication between board leadership and the president has been restored, and President Knapp and the trustees are looking forward to better processes and more fluent communications.
“Called by their Christian faith, the trustees and the president are forging a path forward with leadership based on grace and trust,” according to the trustees email, which continued, “They remain dedicated to serving Hope College and distinguishing Hope as a premier liberal arts college and a leader in Christ-centered higher education.”
The email ends asking every to focus on the Class of 2016, which graduates on Sunday.
