Freshman Foundation Lecture Series Launches at Hillsdale College
Deans and President Larry P. Arnn discuss the partnership required in academic life and the four pillars of Hillsdale College—learning, character, faith, and freedom
Hillsdale, Mich. — This fall, Hillsdale College announces the formal launch of its Freshman Foundation lecture series. The Freshman Foundation series complements the College’s Senior Capstone lecture course, which launched in 2019 and includes two lectures by College President Larry P. Arnn to the incoming freshman class on the purposes of Hillsdale College.
Dr. Arnn gave the introductory lecture for the Freshman Foundation series on Sept. 7, addressing the functioning of the College and its purposes — or “four pillars” — of learning, character, faith, and freedom.
He applauded the students’ commitment to the task ahead.
“You’re going to study long and difficult hours at something that’s not immediately penetrable, and you’re going to need your courage and resolution,” said Dr. Arnn. “Why would you do that? Because you love something. You long to know.”
Dean of Faculty Mark Kalthoff offered the second lecture in the series titled, “Learning,” on Oct. 5. Kalthoff discussed the history and purpose of liberal learning, which is an approach to education that aims at the heart and the mind and pursues knowledge for its own sake rather than for a specific vocation. Kalthoff addressed the College’s core curriculum, which stands apart from the curricula millions of American college students are likely to encounter today.
“The vast majority of those students arrive on their campuses primed to ask, ‘How is this course, this assignment, this lecture relevant? … Tell me its practical use,’” Kalthoff said. “These are not bad questions for those seeking vocational training. But liberal learning is something different. If these concerns become the ends or specific goals, the liberality of learning can be lost.”
Kalthoff argued that the College’s core curriculum develops each student’s critical capacity to sort out good ideas from bad. He encouraged students to free themselves to take pleasure in learning for its own sake, not for the sake of what learning will do for them, saying that such an authentic love of learning will equip them not just for a job, but for all capacities.
“At this place, learning means the kind of preparation needed for living well, that is for human flourishing in the workplace and, more importantly, beyond it.”
Freshman Foundation is an introduction to the academic life, the partnership on a college campus, and what it means to be a Hillsdale student. It is required for all incoming students as part of orientation programming. The series addresses the four pillars of Hillsdale College in student life and will include three more lectures by Hillsdale College faculty deans. The series takes place over the course of the academic year:
- 16 — Dr. Matthew Young, dean of natural sciences, associate professor of chemistry, “Faith”
- 8 — Dr. David Whalen, associate vice president for curriculum, professor of English, “Character”
- March 22 — Dr. Paul Moreno, dean of social sciences, professor and William and Berniece Grewcock Chair in Constitutional History, “Freedom”
All lectures take place in the College’s Searle Center and include a complimentary lunch for all freshman students.
Find headshots of each faculty speaker here.