Hillsdale College Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé Speaks at Chamber of Commerce Meeting on Education
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé spoke at the Roseville Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development and Government Affairs Committee meeting on Sept. 23. Péwé represented Hillsdale College by offering a higher education update, alongside administrators from colleges and universities including California State University, Sierra College, and William Jessup College.
“Hillsdale College has come to believe it can have a positive impact in Placer County, which arises from its principled commitment to teach all who want to learn from the college in accord with its founding principles,” Péwé said.
In January, Hillsdale College received a gift of 1,100 acres of land in Placer County, California, from the University Development Foundation. While it is expected that land development efforts will be unfolding for several years, Hillsdale initially hopes to designate a portion of the land, which is near Sacramento, to serve as an education center as befits the mission of the college. As provided by the gift, half of the property will be developed and sold to make possible the construction of single-family homes with net proceeds dedicated to Hillsdale College’s efforts
“Understanding what it means to be a good human being and a good society is key to individual happiness as well as the survival of our nation, and indeed, of humankind itself,” said Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, who led the group that initially donated the land to the University Development Foundation, at the time of the gift. “That is what a liberal arts education is all about. There is arguably no greater gift we can give to future generations than the opportunity to have a liberal arts education that includes an understanding of our founding principles and our United States Constitution.”
During his remarks, Péwé noted Hillsdale College’s connections to the state of California. Hillsdale College president, Dr. Larry P. Arnn, resided in California for more than 20 years while he served as the president of Claremont Institute. California accounts for more subscribers to Hillsdale’s monthly speech digest, “Imprimis,” than any other state. Additionally, California residents are the second most generous in terms of charitable gifts to Hillsdale College and are the fourth most represented state among the student population.
“All of the economic indicators about Placer County have been encouraging, and we love the rate at which it is growing,” said Péwé. “And, it turns out that the Roseville area has several Hillsdale supporters. It seems like a great place to be.”