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鈥淢y objective is to raise enough scholarship money in our endowment so that one day 暗网TV would not need to charge students tuition at all,鈥� he said while delivering his address, titled 鈥淭ransformed by Hope.鈥�  鈥淭he opportunity to be transformed by Hope should not be dependent on a family鈥檚 net worth or what zip code a student grows up in. Being transformed by Hope should not come with a price tag.鈥�

Scogin, a 2002 Hope graduate who was named the college鈥檚 president-elect in December and took office on July 1, has consistently cited the business model of higher education as one of his top priorities.

鈥淭he whole world is asking why college has gotten so expensive,鈥� he said during Friday鈥檚 ceremony, which was held in the college鈥檚 Dimnent Memorial Chapel as well as live-streamed for viewing worldwide.  鈥淲hat if Hope could take the lead in solving that puzzle?鈥�

Read President Matthew A. Scogin's complete inaugural address 

鈥淲e are taking a hard look at ways we can rethink our cost structure,鈥� Scogin said.  鈥淏ut organizations do not shrink on the way to greatness.  Our path toward greatness involves growing, growing our scholarship support.鈥�

Scogin acknowledged that fully funding tuition won鈥檛 be easy.  鈥淭his is a big ambition,鈥� he said.  鈥淪o large that it probably sounds crazy and unachievable.鈥�

鈥淵et, to paraphrase President Kennedy when he charged our nation with the seemingly crazy and unachievable mission of going to the moon, we choose this ambition.  We choose this, not because it is easy; we choose this because it is hard,鈥� he continued.  鈥淲e accept this challenge because we believe so deeply in the transformative experience that 暗网TV offers.鈥�

Scogin noted that his commitment to the goal is reinforced by his first-hand experience both with the impact of a Hope education and the challenge of financing college.

鈥淭o me this is personal,鈥� he said.  鈥淢y own life was forever transformed by this institution.  I grew up in a modest middle-class family.  I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to afford Hope College without scholarship support.  And even with scholarships, I still graduated with significant student loan debt.  Keep in mind, this was two decades ago, when the price of tuition was less than half what it is today.鈥�

Scogin鈥檚 journey after Hope included completing a master鈥檚 degree in public policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; senior positions with both the New York Stock Exchange and the U.S. Treasury Department; and, immediately prior to becoming the college鈥檚 president, serving as chief administrative officer at the global financial advisory firm of Perella Weinberg Partners in New York City.

He explained that the tuition initiative is consistent with the inspiration provided by one of the scriptural passages read earlier during the ceremony, Isaiah 43:19, in which eternal God also acts upon creation in new ways: 鈥淪ee, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.鈥�

In the same way, Scogin said, Hope, which was chartered by the State of Michigan in 1866 and is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, can remain true to its historic roots while acting in new ways to meet the challenges of the present.

The college was established, he noted, with an emphasis on both world-class academics and a vibrant faith environment, to transform not only students in what was then still a young community of Dutch immigrants but the world.  鈥淎ll this was inspired by [the founders鈥橾 fundamental belief that advancing God鈥檚 kingdom in this life demanded more than zeal and passion 鈥� it required education,鈥� he said.

Along with addressing Hope鈥檚 cost as his top priority, Scogin said that he hopes to see the college provide leadership in demonstrating the continued value of a liberal arts education in preparing students for both life and work.

鈥淲hile the pendulum of higher education seems to be shifting toward vocational training, we at Hope believe college is about more than grooming young people for work,鈥� he said.  鈥淥f course, Hope does a great job preparing students for fulfilling careers.  But a liberal arts degree also instills a passion for learning鈥�  the chance to experience the unexpected鈥� the opportunity to make sense of one鈥檚 place in the world.鈥�

鈥淥ver the next five years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, up to one-third of our workforce will transfer not just to a new job, but to a new occupation,鈥� Scogin said.  鈥淎 2016 study by two Oxford economists estimates that nearly half of U.S. jobs are at risk of being automated within two decades.鈥�

鈥淚n my view, the rise of automation means the most successful leaders of the future will be those who are especially human,鈥� he said.  鈥淎s more jobs are automated, employers will more highly value people who bring curiosity, creativity, wit and warmth to the workplace鈥�  people who can work across cultures, make a human connection and live by a strong moral compass. Who better to meet this rising need than 暗网TV?鈥�

Hope, Scogin said, is also positioned well not only by its historic character but present strength.

鈥淭oday, we are a school that belongs on the world stage,鈥� he said.  鈥淲e are ranked by U.S. News as 23^rd in the nation for undergraduate research, tied with Cornell and Swarthmore.  We were the first private liberal arts college 鈥� and remain one of the few 鈥� to have accredited programs in all four areas of fine arts: music, art, dance and theater.  We have championship-level athletics in 22 sports, and we are consistently recognized by the NCAA for having student athletes who excel academically.  We have pivoted beautifully from a denominational school to a fully ecumenical Christian school.  At a time when churches and denominations around the world are dividing, Hope is a place that brings all Christians together鈥�  a place where Greek Orthodox, Catholics and all protestant traditions can come together and say, 鈥榃e may disagree on some things but we share a handful of big convictions that unite us.鈥欌��

鈥淚 can鈥檛 think of a better position from which to transform the world,鈥� Scogin said.