LONDON MAY TERM
UPDATE
Fall 2014
Dear Alumni of the London May Term,
We hope this note finds you well and enjoying the fall season. For 17 of us, 15 students and 2 faculty, our summer season
officially kicked off with two-and-a-half weeks in London and a finishing weekend in Paris. While every year is different, this
year proved to be no less interesting, exciting and impactful for the students and faculty involved. In a world of increasing
digitization and alternatives to high-tech education, I remain convinced as ever of the benefits of the relationships formed
through experience and learning that happen while overseas during a program like London May term.
There were some differences in this year’s trip from past ones, most notably in trip leadership. As some of you know,
Professor Tom Smith was on sabbatical for the 2013-2014 academic calendar. Part of this time away involved the temporary
handing off of the program to two other faculty as co-leaders. I (Peter) had the pleasure of working with Tom on last year’s
May and June terms, and my colleague, Brian Porter, co-led the trip with Tom the previous May. What made the absence of
Tom bearable, however, was a delightful group of 15 students, many of whom had previous international travel experience and
were thus ready to lean into the opportunities in front of them. Half of the students worked with Dr. Porter on their senior
seminar, and half the students took an Economics/Management elective with me where we studied Thomas Piketty’s recent
book Capital in the 21st Century alongside the acclaimed Up Series films to explore issues of economic growth and wealth
disparity.
The trip as a whole was wonderful. The group stayed in apartments in the Clerkenwell neighborhood, an emerging arts district
that was the host of the larges UK industrial design conference in our last week in London. Visits involved a mix of old and
new. On the political side, some of the returning favorites of the trip included a visit with Sir Brian Griffiths, the former
economic advisor to Margaret Thatcher, and a return visit with Member of Parliament Jim Fitzpatrick. Both gentlemen were
quick to share wisdom forged at the intersection of business and politics.
From a business standpoint, we were able to again visit Herman Miller International to hear about their approach to design
thinking and business, and we added a wonderful visit with Hope alum Tyler Smith who currently works in the strategy arm of
the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Other additions to this trip included a visit with Mark Hand, a fellow
in the Oxford Center for Entrepreneurship, time with four Rhodes
Scholars who are studying such topics as ethics of end-of-life care,
education technology and Buddhism and obesity. In addition we
visited with Alpha International, a non-profit spinoff of a
congregation in the Anglican Church which works to develop
curriculum and programming to introduce individuals Christianity
across the globe. Finally, our trip was topped off with a wonderful
theater presentation of Matilda, a visit to Wimbledon (on the eve of
this year’s wonderful men’s tennis final), and a traditional
multi-course French dinner on the last night in Paris.
A few final thoughts to sum up our letter. First, please remember
the Heisler-Muiderman London May Term Scholarship fund.
Once again, it provided some much needed funding for two
students in need of financial support. Given the rising cost of
European travel and the weakening US dollar, your support continues to pave the way for future Hope College
students to have the kind of experience that you had while on this trip. As one of the students wrote in a thank you note to
the donors:
"Above all... I was able to learn valuable things about myself that I feel I could only have discovered on this trip. I learned
through a variety of business meetings how and where I will be able to thrive at the next level. I was able to learn, through
reflection after some of these experiences and bits of advice, the kind of people I need to surround myself with in order to
find success and happiness. And most of all I was reminded that all glory is to God, no matter where we are or what we are
doing."
We invite you to consider supporting this scholarship fund as a way to give back and fund the next generation of Hope
students directly. Checks may be made payable to Hope College with “London May Term Scholarship” on the memo line
of the check. We have enclosed a return envelope should you decide to contribute. All gifts of all sizes will help make this
program a reality for deserving students.
As always, we leave you with some group photos in some of our favorite places. Hopefully, they bring back some fond
memories you have of your London experience. You are always welcome to visit us in London or Paris at any time!
Cheers,
Peter Boumgarden & Brian Porter, Co-leaders, London May Term 2014