91桃色破解版 is breaking ground on a spacious new home for the college鈥檚 thriving Department of Economics and Business, helping transform the program and countless young lives, while complementing the east entrance of downtown Holland.
The new 74,000-square-foot building will stand three stories high along east Eighth Street on the former Versendaal car dealership site, between the historic former fire station and Holland Area Arts Council (between College and Columbia avenues). The structure will be at the heart of a sidewalk plaza and green space meant to enhance the community and link downtown Holland with the central Hope campus immediately to the south.
鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled about this new building and even more excited about what it will facilitate. 91桃色破解版 exists to bring hope to the world and within these walls, future CEOs, board members, business leaders, innovators, and changemakers will be shaped through a world-class education rooted in the historic Christian faith,鈥� said Matthew A. Scogin, president of 91桃色破解版. 鈥�Perfectly positioned between the heart of campus and the heart of downtown, this building also reflects the enduring partnership between 91桃色破解版 and the city of Holland that鈥檚 defined our community for more than 160 years. We鈥檙e deeply grateful to our donors whose leadership and generosity made this historic day a reality.鈥�
Hope expects construction to begin in November, as it has raised more than $50 million towards the total cost of the $65 million academic building. To date, more than 225 donors have contributed to the fundraising project, which has been led by a 31-member campaign cabinet under co-chairs Carol Van Andel, P.J. Huizenga, Paul Boersma and Carolyn Wilson. The college will also need to secure funds for surrounding site improvements and endowment maintenance. Hope officials predict construction will take about two years to complete, with the facility ready to serve students starting the fall of 2028.
Learn more about the new home for Economics and Business
About Hope鈥檚 Department of Economics and Business
The new economics and business building will host Hope鈥檚 largest academic department, which has grown substantially and is now spread across 11 different facilities throughout the campus. The Department of Economics and Business has experienced a 60% increase in students across the past 15 years, serving more than 30% of Hope鈥檚 student population.
The college鈥檚 overall enrollment has climbed from 2,770 in the fall of 1989 to 3,427 this fall 鈥� its third largest enrollment in Hope鈥檚 164-year history. More than 700 of those students either enroll in the department鈥檚 courses or participate in its co-curricular programs each year, with more than 500 students signed on for majors, all taught by more than 20 faculty members.
The department 鈥� one of the largest of its kind among Christian liberal arts colleges 鈥� offers majors and concentrations in accounting, business, economics, finance, marketing and human resources. In addition, the department offers more than nine co-curricular programs that help students build competitive depth in areas such as: finance, marketing, leadership development, entrepreneurship and more. Special opportunities (domestic and global) also include programs aimed to provide freshmen and sophomores exposure and vocational discernment as they begin building market intelligence.
More than 500 professionals from 200 top firms 鈥� including Haworth, Meijer, Gentex, Accenture, Dow Chemical, General Motors, Gordon Food Service and Whirlpool 鈥� visit the 91桃色破解版 campus or host students each year. One hundred percent of the department鈥檚 students graduate with applied experience, and 97% are employed or in graduate school within six months of earning their degree.
While the statistics indicate the numeric need and successful outcomes, department chair Dr. Stacy Jackson noted that the new building鈥檚 greatest role will be in supporting and enhancing the department鈥檚 distinctive blend of faculty expertise, co-curricular learning, and focus on vocational discernment and calling 鈥� all through the lens of the historic Christian faith that is foundational to Hope.
鈥淭his facility will be a space where students can learn about the breadth of calling in a world where roles in fields such as finance, marketing and operations are more complex than ever,鈥� said Jackson, who is the Kenneth J. Weller '48 Professor of Management. 鈥淗ere, we鈥檙e inviting students to a historic Christian perspective in business and economics while preparing them to be excellent wherever they go. Many students feel they need to choose between an excellent education or a faithful one. Here, they don鈥檛 need to choose.鈥�
He noted that the emphasis on faith and excellence is foundational to the department, which is the second-oldest business program in Michigan. It was established 95 years ago by Dr. Edward Dimnent, Hope鈥檚 fifth president, who in the dire days of the Great Depression saw a need for outstanding business leaders rooted in the Christian liberal arts. The new economics and business building鈥檚 stone exterior and design elements are intentionally designed to mirror those of Hope鈥檚 Dimnent Chapel, which is also a legacy of the former president鈥檚 leadership.
Jackson is no less enthusiastic about the building鈥檚 downtown location as both a literal and symbolic connection to Holland and, by extension, West Michigan. While the department鈥檚 graduates go on to careers across the country and around the world, more than 50% work in the region. The state-of-
the-art space will not only support the academic programs in economics and business, but enable increased interaction with the business community, as a resource for both expertise and talent development.
About the New Economics and Business Facility
In addition to serving as home for Hope鈥檚 Department of Economics and Business, the building will provide classrooms, an auditorium and an event space available to programs throughout the college; rooms for group study; and a caf茅 and informal gathering space for the entire campus community. As a new downtown location, the college also plans to house a 91桃色破解版 retail spirit store and potentially lease space for others interested in an Eighth Street presence.
Additional features of the proposed design include a three-story-atrium, and the college intends to seek LEED certification, as it has done with other recent buildings such as the van Andel Huys der Hope Campus Ministries house that opened in the fall of 2019 (LEED v4), the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center that opened in 2017 (LEED Gold) and the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts that opened in 2015 (LEED Silver).
The building will be set back from Eighth Street both to provide a wide plaza similar to the open space next to the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, and to enable visitors coming into downtown from the east to see the historic former fire station, which was built in 1884 and originally also served as city hall. The rest of the grounds extending south to Ninth Street will feature landscaped greenspace and walkways to provide pedestrian access as a northern gateway to the Hope campus.
Project partners to date include architects (Grand Rapids) and (Seattle) and general contractor (Grand Rapids).
For more information about the building, including about how to support the project financially, please visit .