Explore the Christ-centered campus idea

Hope College’s Arts and Humanities Division’s symposium for this spring took place Friday in Graves Hall, Winants Auditorium. The theme of this semester’s symposium explored “The Idea of a Christ-Centered College.” Professor Timothy Larsen of Wheaton College was the keynote speaker in the discussion.

Larsen shares that his “research tends to explore theological and intellectual ideas as they were appropriated and wrestled with in specific cultural, social and historical contexts.”

The event began at 1 p.m. with a welcome from Dr. Marc Baer, Interim Dean for the Arts and Humanities and Professor emeritus of history at Hope.

At 1:15 p.m., Dr. Larsen, who is the McManis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton and director of Wheaton’s Faith and Learning Program, delivered his lecture, “John Henry Newman’s ‘The Idea of a University’ and Christian Colleges in the Twenty-First Century.” The student convener was Natalie Brown.

At 2 p.m., Dr. Ernest Cole, associate professor of English and department chair at Hope, presented “The Idea of a Christian Community: A Christ- Centered Education from a Post- Colonial Perspective.” Gene Ryan was the student convener.

At 2:30 p.m., Angela Yetzke, assistant professor of Dance at Hope, presented “The Identity of Dance in a Christ-Centered College.” The presentation featured student dancer Mica Carson, and the student convener was Isabel Bustamante.

At 3 p.m., Hope President Dr. John C. Knapp, who also holds appointments as a professor of Religion and professor of Management at Hope, presented “Reflections on the Faith-Based Liberal Arts Experience” with student convener was Ivan Akansiima. The symposium was concluded with a question-andanswer session. The purpose of the symposium is to bring important and timely topics and conversation that displays the academic disciplines at their best. Each academic speaker is equipped with particular skills and training that allow them to provide the best solutions to the problems that are currently facing society.