HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – One of the goals that Matthew Scogin established when he took over the leadership reins at his Alma Mater is becoming a reality.
The Hope College President announced on Wednesday (July 14, 2021) the creation of “Hope Forward,” an initiative that officials of the Holland-based institution of higher education say is a “new financial model to fund a Hope College education … built on the long-range commitment to ensure access for every student who is admitted to Hope.”
Scogin had expressed such a vision during his inauguration as school president in September of 2019, and the Hope Board of Trustees approved the initiative this past January. “We’re excited to be pursuing a new model for funding higher education,” Scogin said in a college statement. “Rather than require students to pay for their education in advance … we are working toward a funding model based on the biblical principles of generosity and gratitude.”
During a video press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Scogin admitted that “there’s a long way to go” before the program is fully funded.
Beginning this fall, 22 students will have their tuition fully funded “by the generosity of an anonymous donor,” according to the school. “Hope Forward students will invest after, not before, they receive a transformative Hope education, and in turn send the same opportunity forward to future students.” These students will still be responsible for room and board.
It’s a move away from what Scogin calls a toxic “transactional” relationship between the school and its students that comes from the tuition-based financial model.
The audio from Scogin’s video press briefing held on Wednesday afternoon is here.
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