HOLLAND, MI (WHTC) – For the second time in five years, Hope College will have to look for a new president.
The Holland-based school announced on Friday that Dr. John Knapp will leave his post on July 31st to assume the presidency of Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania. He became Hope’s 12th-ever operational leader four years ago, coming from Samford University in Alabama to replace the retiring Dr. James Bultman.
During his tenure, Dr. Knapp helped develop and implement a 10-year strategic plan that the school describes as enhancing “the college’s distinctiveness and a place of academic excellence, faith development, inclusiveness and global engagement.” A first comprehensive campus master plan in more than three decades is also being completed, among other achievements.
Dr. Knapp had been under fire a year ago when popular long-time academic leader Dr. Richard Ray resigned as Hope’s Provost. Speculation about Dr. Knapp’s future at that time ended when the college board’s chairwoman, Mary Bauman, stepped down.
The school announced that succession planning is underway, with the board making decisions “in the coming weeks regarding interim leadership and the timeframe for a national search.”
