Academics Archives

Studying the American Mind From Three Different Perspectives

Jordan Reimschisel, ’16, enjoys the unique opportunity to study a single topic, the American mind, from three different perspectives. “How did the politics, the literature, everything interact to form the American mind? That’s what the American studies major is about. It’s writing and reading and, above all, critical thinking that encourages you to explore the relationship between those three fields.”

The Patience of a Stonecutter

Flute players are a dime a dozen, but Hillsdale’s flute instructor, Jaimie Wagner, has a knack for making students feel special.

What College is Meant to Be

This is what college is meant to be. This is Hillsdale.

The Freshman Pledge

We pledge ourselves to the pursuit of truth, the love of the good, and the cultivation of beauty, for the sake of our minds and hearts and for an ennobled society.

The Good, the True, and the Beautiful

How do we measure “good”? Is it defined by the majority? Is it measured by self-satisfaction or personal fulfillment? The good of any thing is found in its ability […]

A Study of Church Tensions

Written by Chandler Lasch Senior Bryan Morey has been interested in religious history since high school. While the majority of his studies at Hillsdale have focused on the Jacksonian period, his passion for […]

Maintaining Your Balance

It wasn’t long ago that I was in your shoes. The advice that I believe would be most helpful to you at this is about the idea of balance.

Completing the Puzzle

Professor of chemistry Dr. Lee Baron loves puzzles. “I’ve always liked to problem-solve. I just found chemistry the area where I was able to problem-solve most effectively.”

Courtney Meyet

Hillsdale’s newest chemistry professor, Courtney Meyet, spent her early undergraduate years avoiding the very subject she now teaches. She even changed her major to avoid having to take organic chemistry. But thanks to enthusiastic professors who gave her unique research opportunities, she learned to love the subject while pursuing a second bachelor’s degree and went on to earn a Ph.D. in organic synthesis. In her first year of teaching at Hillsdale, she is eager to share her knowledge with science majors and non-science majors alike.

Finding Beauty in Quantum Thermodynamics

Some might be surprised to learn that Dr. David Gaebler pursued a degree in Biblical studies after graduating from engineering school. He explains, “I have always been interested in theology. In college, I had this desire to learn the original languages of Scripture, but never had time, so after I got my undergraduate degree in math and physics, I decided to spend some time at a seminary in California.”

A New Approach to String Teaching

To explain the nature of her research to non-musicians, Dr. Melissa Knecht uses an analogy to natural language. “Try to spell the word ‘vernault.’ If you guessed, “V-e-r-n-a-u-l-t,” you’re right—but there’s a catch. ‘Vernault’ isn’t a real word. Most people can spell that word without seeing it or knowing what it means,” Dr. Knecht explains. “This test implies that people are good spellers, not because they’ve memorized every word in the English language, but because they’ve learned to recognize patterns and statistical probabilities in the language.”

Treating Staph Infections with Light

The desire to seek effective alternatives to antibiotics drew Wyatt McDonnell to study MRSA. During his research, he came across an interesting method of fighting bacterial infections called photodynamic therapy (PDT).