Academics Archives

Made Ready to Rise to the Stars

I am nothing more than an amateur astronomy enthusiast. I have never studied physics, aside from Science 101, and I could not explain the mechanics behind most of the things in the sky that I find so breathtaking. My eleventh-hour entry into the world of science, however, has made me realize that it was a long process that got me to this place.

Why I Chose Hillsdale: Anne Hotz, ’18

For a long time, I thought my Hillsdale story wasn’t much of a story at all. Since middle school I had been familiar with the College and its mission due to a number of family friends who had attended. The more closely I looked into Hillsdale, the more I was intrigued.

Pursuing Truth and Defending Liberty

Taimur Khan is a Marine Corps veteran and current student at Hillsdale College. He served two tours of duty as an air support operator, first in the Pacific, and then in Afghanistan.

Continuing to Defend and Support the Constitution

After retiring from the air force as a major, Mr. Wykes joined the inaugural class at the Van Andel School of Statesmanship, moving to Hillsdale with his wife and family. His graduate coursework at Hillsdale, and now his job as the director of operations for the graduate school, are a continuation of the oath of service he took as a member of the air force to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

From the South Pacific to Southern Michigan

Hillsdale freshman Greg Woodard, a twenty-five-year-old veteran of the US Marines, did not take the conventional path to the military. The son of an American father with dual citizenship, he grew up in Canada and attended a Catholic minor seminary in high school with plans to become a priest. However, after one year of attending college, he discerned that he wasn’t being called to the priesthood and decided to serve in Afghanistan like his older brother.

Duty, Courage, and the Soul

Sitting in his office, you get an immediate feel for the institution that has most impacted Dr. Peter Jennings’ life: the Marine Corps. An old recruitment poster hangs next to the door, and the screensaver on his desktop rotates between pictures of his family and his time in Iraq and Kuwait.

A Study In How To Be A Citizen

Dr. Adam Carrington, assistant professor of politics, explains that “studying the Constitution is studying how to be a citizen in our own time and place.” This study helps Hillsdale succeed in its mission to “cultivate human beings and citizens.”

A Call to Gather

Since the re-institution of Convocation at Hillsdale in the 1980s, students and faculty have gathered in the fall, and again in the spring, for this all-school ceremony. Faculty process down the church aisle in the robes and colors of their alma maters, and students cram the balconies. The contrast is stark between the rush and clamor of everyday life on campus and these stately, solemn events.

Why I Chose Hillsdale: Ellen Sweet

There is a depth to Hillsdale that I could not have imagined as a senior in high school. During freshman orientation, Dr. David Whalen gave a lecture in which he warned me and my fellow freshmen that college is dangerous—that, in fact, Hillsdale would change our souls.

A Liberal Arts Education for Missionaries

Why bother spending four years in a classroom studying Greek philosophers and ancient history when you could be spending your time helping others as a missionary or in an orphanage? That’s what Kathryn Lewis, ’17, wanted to know when she began studying great books at Hillsdale.

Learning to Ask Questions

Though junior Jared Eckert spent many years growing up in Hillsdale, he wasn’t drawn to the college until a “shameless” Google search for top politics schools led him to Hillsdale College. He then began to seriously consider staying in his hometown for undergraduate studies.

Iconoclasm and Tradition

Dr. Hart came to Hillsdale from Philadelphia and admittedly wondered about the small town with “no Macaroni Grill, Starbucks, or Restoration Hardware.” He has since come to appreciate Hillsdale.