Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø

Three Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø alumni attending graduate school were notified of award offers from the prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship Program of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) for the 2026-27 academic year. One other Hope alumnus received honorable mention recognition.

The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board awarded Dr. Kelly Ronald — assistant professor of biology at Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø — the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award for the 2026–2027 academic year.

Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø student Gloria Kozak ’27 of Midland, Mich., received the highly competitive scholarship from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. Kozak is a chemistry major, working with her research mentor Dr. Meagan Elinski, assistant professor of chemistry at Hope. Kozak was one of just 14 Goldwater Scholarship Award recipients from Michigan colleges and universities, and one of 454 nationally

The Michigan Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and Community Colleges heard from several students, presidents, staff and others across Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities (MICU) campus members, who advocated for continued investment in state financial aid programs to benefit all learners. The activity was part of MICU’s annual Advocacy Day.

With much appreciation, Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø celebrates the following esteemed faculty members retiring at the close of the Spring 2026 semester. They are an exceptional group of educators, scholars and mentors representing a collective 350 years of dedicated service to the college community — across many disciplines, from the sciences and social sciences to the humanities and arts. Their commitment has shaped the lives of countless students, contributed significantly to their respective fields and helped define the academic excellence of Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø for decades. Each will be recognized during the May 10, 2026, commencement ceremony at the Ray and Sue Smith Stadium.

Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) named Dr. Benjamin Krause, associate professor of music at Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø, as its Thomas Ediger Distinguished Composer of the Year for his composition, Spaces Real or Imagined. Krause was recognized at the 2026 MTNA National Conference in Chicago, held March 21–25, where he performed his piece in concert on piano along with clarinetist Gary June, a West Michigan composer and educator. This was Krause’s second time being honored, receiving the first award in 2019. Krause teaches composition and theory at Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø.

As Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Washington Honors Semester program, the college also recognized a significant donor gift that will help support the program indefinitely.

Original research by Hope students on nearly 200 different topics will be highlighted during the college’s 25th annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity on Friday, April 17, starting at 2:30 p.m. at the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse on the Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø campus in Holland. The public is invited and admission is free.