Philosophy and Religion

Though a Midwesterner by birth, habit and choice, I attended graduate school at the University of Dallas for the most impractical and most rewarding of reasons: I love to learn. There my broad interests in literature, politics, economics and philosophy were satisfied, and I unexpectedly discovered something more practical and infinitely more valuable: My wife Elizabeth. My dissertation One Dream or Two? Justice in America and in the Thought of Martin Luther King, Jr. was published in 2002 by Lexington Books. I received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to work on my manuscript, Utopian Fiction: Recovering the Political Science of the Imagination, which will be published by Northern Illinois University Press. My articles have appeared in First Things, Touchstone, and Logos. In 2000, I was a postdoctoral fellow at Liberty Fund. From 2001-2005, I held the Folwell Chair in Political Science while teaching Constitutional Law, political philosophy and literature. In 2005, I left a tenure-track position at St. Ambrose to come to Hillsdale College, where I teach courses in political science and direct the pre-law program. My favorite “leisured activity” is spending time with my wife and our four (soon to be five) exuberant children (Leo-8, Helen-6, Emil-4, Karol-1) who are home-schooled. By necessity I have become an expert Lego-builder, chess teacher, bike-fixer, dolly-hugger, and all-around master of silliness and teller of tall tales.

Politics and Literature; Constitutional Law; Political Philosophy

Utopian Fiction. All of my interests – philosophy, politics, literature, economics, theology – come together here.

Two years ago, a student and his parents visited the College and sat in on my Constitution class. After class I spoke with them at length. They were impressed with the College, but were also attracted to another prestigious college which will go unmentioned. I had personal knowledge of this place and gave them my frank impression of it then and over the course of several other conversations. In the end, they decided to send their son to the other college. I thought I’d heard the end of them until last year when they contacted me to tell me that their son, although he had performed well academically at his school, did not feel challenged or stimulated there and would be transferring to Hillsdale. Every parent considering a college for their son or daughter should speak with this student. He is full of delight, wonder and gratitude for what Hillsdale College offers, and he is flourishing both in and outside the classroom.

I could focus on the overall excellence of the teaching, the quality of the students, the beauty of the campus, or the quality and quantity of extracurricular offerings in lectures, music, art and theater, but what most impresses me is integration of all of these into a whole culture of learning that is simply remarkable. I envy what the students have here, and I regularly tell them so. Whereas much of higher education today is characterized by mediocrity and conformism, Hillsdale College is a rare and singular place.

Not all colleges are the same, though they may look that way on paper. Your choice will be one of the most important you ever make, establishing friendships, formation and character that you will carry with you for the rest of your life. Here is some general advice: (1) Go visit the place. Look it over carefully. (One experience of fall or spring convocation at Hillsdale College would probably sell you on the place.) Look very carefully at (1) the mission of the school. Is it inspiring? Do the students know what it is? Does the institution seek to conform to it? (2) The curriculum: What classes are students required to take? What books do they read? Do they have a common core of learning that they can discuss and build upon together? (3) What is the quality of teaching overall (not just one or two professors)? Are the classes small? Do they provide opportunities to build friendships with professors? Do they make the students excited about learning? (4) What is the campus culture like outside the classroom? Do the conversations continue outside of class? What do students usually do in their spare time and with their leisure?

They care.

nschlueter@hillsdale.edu