Position Description
Vice President, Public Affairs
and Marketing
About Hope College
Hope College is a strong co-educational, undergraduate,
residential, Christian liberal arts college of 3,300 students from
45 states and 35 different countries. Hope’s beautiful and wellmaintained campus is located just steps from award-winning
downtown Holland, Michigan. Proudly affiliated with the
Reformed Church in America since its founding in 1866, the
College is known for its ecumenical Christian atmosphere.
Hope is recognized as a national leader in undergraduate research
and scholarship, and for providing professional preparation and
life-changing experiences in a friendly and welcoming community.
The college has consistently ranked among the nation’s top liberal
arts colleges and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives. Key
to Hope’s success is its rare combination of rigorous academic
programs and a community life grounded in a relevant, inviting,
and vibrant Christian faith. Reflecting that success, Hope is
experiencing its third consecutive year of record enrollments.
The College is strong financially with over 40 consecutive years of balanced budgets, an endowment of
approximately $170M, no deferred maintenance, and over $92M invested in the construction of new facilities
during the past decade with two additional projects (a new center for musical arts and art museum) ready to begin
construction in the coming months.
The Position
The Vice President for Public Affairs and Marketing will report directly to the president and serve as a member of
the president’s Administrative Council. He/she will be a creative communications leader who can design and direct
a newly established Department of Public Affairs and Marketing. This new department will be responsible for
developing communication strategies to enhance the college’s reputation and relationships with key constituencies,
while providing creative services and communication support to internal departments and operating units.
The overriding objective of the new department is to generate widespread understanding, engagement and
support for Hope College as a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence and holistic student
development in the context of the historic Christian faith.
The vice president will lead a strong team to create clear and consistent messages and to disseminate them with
integrated and innovative methods, including new media, social networking, direct marketing, video, print, institutional
partnerships, and the news media. A program of research and evaluation will be important in determining communication
effectiveness in establishing Hope College as a highly respected leader among national peer institutions.
Background
For many years, communications and marketing functions have been housed within several units, including
Admissions, College Advancement and Computing and Information Technology with virtually every department and
program of the college carrying responsibility for the promotion of their own programs and activities. President John
Knapp, who took office July 1, 2013, has announced plans for the creation of a new centralized approach led by a Vice
President for Public Affairs and Marketing providing the person chosen with the unique opportunity to design and
develop an entirely new administrative unit to accomplish these tasks.
Goals of Position
• Design a new department, organizing and directing staff, and managing resources for maximum impact and
efficiency.
• Support an environment that recognizes excellence and promotes a positive atmosphere of achievement and pride.
• Lead the college in building relationships with external and internal audiences, publics and stakeholders.
• Build partnerships with on-campus colleagues.
• Develop an in-depth knowledge of the needs and goals of Hope College’s primary audiences, publics and
stakeholders, and direct activities to persuade them to act on the college’s behalf.
• Understand the college’s internal environment and external issues, and advise the president and other campus
leaders accordingly.
• Educate the campus community about the roles and effective uses of public affairs and marketing methods.
• Participate in the development of the college’s next strategic plan, and develop public affairs and marketing
strategies to help the plan succeed.
• Establish clear communication and marketing priorities and eliminate ineffective or low impact projects or programs.
Critical Competencies
• Able to foster innovation and continuous improvement in
pursuit of demonstrable results;
• Committed to mentoring and developing departmental staff;
• Accessible and responsive with the ability to provide the
highest level of service to academic and operating units across
the college;
• Insightful and well-informed on the changing national and
international environment for higher education;
• Capable of providing leadership to manage critical issues and
crisis situations;
• Collaborative and able to participate in broad decisions
affecting the college as a whole;
• Articulate and credible as a primary spokesperson for the
college in public and media communication.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will be an accomplished professional with significant experience in communications and
marketing, preferably within a complex and decentralized organization. A Master’s degree or higher in a related field
is strongly preferred. In addition, the successful candidate for Vice President for Public Affairs and Marketing will
demonstrate:
• A personal commitment to the Christian faith and a passion for the college’s mission;
• Broad vision of the future of communications and marketing with strong understanding of the latest trends and
technology;
• A commitment to relationship building, transparency, and fairness;
• An understanding of issues in higher education, especially faith-based higher education;
• A successful track record of creating innovative approaches for communicating with a wide range of audiences;
• An ability to manage and achieve maximum results with limited budget resources.
Process for Applying
To apply, visit hope.edu/employment/staff where the application instructions and electronic link to submit materials
will be found. Confidentiality will be maintained and no references will be contacted without prior notification.
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
Hope College places a high priority on sustaining a supportive environment that recognizes the importance of having a diverse faculty and staff in order to best
prepare our students for successful careers in our multi-cultural nation and global community. Applications from qualified persons with diverse backgrounds and
cultures, including women and persons of color, are, therefore, welcomed. Hope College complies with federal and state requirements for nondiscrimination in
employment.