Betsy DeVos Delivers Drummond Chapel Lecture at Hillsdale College
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos spoke at Hillsdale College on Oct. 10 as part of the Drummond Lecture Series at Christ Chapel. Students, faculty, and staff attended the lecture, which focused on educational freedom.
“We are honored to host Mrs. DeVos at Hillsdale College,” said David Whalen, associate vice president of curriculum and professor of English. “Mrs. DeVos is a champion of educational freedom, and her work to further parental involvement in education has never been more crucial.”
DeVos opened with Scripture passages from the Book of Deuteronomy that spoke to the critically important role parents play in the the personal growth and education of their children.
“Love God with everything you have, and teach your children to love God — a pretty clear mission and pretty clear on the importance of the nature of the relationship between parent and child,” said DeVos.
The current educational system, DeVos argued, is no longer focused on educating students and empowering parents and stressed the importance of greater school choice in public education.
“The answer is for American parents to have a menu of options that reflect their values, not the enemy’s or the party’s,” said DeVos. “The answer is to force the government school monopoly to be responsive to the people they are supposed to serve by giving all families the freedom to choose other schools.”
DeVos concluded by arguing that America’s educational system needs immediate reform in order to best serve current students and future generations.
“Today’s children will be tomorrow’s leaders and we need to give each of them every opportunity to be successful,” DeVos said.
In addition to her time serving as secretary of education, DeVos has been involved in education policy for several decades. A Michigan native, she has worked in schools as a mentor to at-risk children, served as chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, and co-founded the American Federation for Children, an advocacy organization supporting parent choice in education and school voucher systems. DeVos has spoken at Hillsdale College several times before, including in 2020 during her tenure as secretary of education.
The Drummond Lecture Series at Christ Chapel presents faculty, staff, and students with lectures on faith, learning, and related issues of the day. Previous speakers include Christian psychiatrist and founder of OptimalWork Kevin Majeres, C. S. Lewis scholar Michael Ward, and Woodson Center President Robert Woodson.
To view photos from the lecture, click here.
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