Hope College is a private, residential liberal arts college located in downtown Holland, Michigan, United States, a few miles from Lake Michigan. It was opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled. The first freshman college class matriculated in 1862, and Hope received its state charter in 1866. Hope College retains affiliation with the Reformed Church in America. The school's campus—now 125 acres, adjacent to the downtown commercial district—has been shared with Western Theological Seminary since 1884. The school has about 3,350 undergraduates. John C. Knapp assumed office as 12th President on July 1, 2013.