The Dow Leadership Center Celebrates 50 Years

September 8, 2014 – Hillsdale, MI

On September 8, Hillsdale College celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Herbert and Grace Dow Leadership Conference Center.

Since its construction, the Dow Leadership Conference Center has operated as an integral part of the College’s teaching environment and an educational site for adults. In addition to business leadership seminars, the Dow Center has been the site for lecture programs to educate Hillsdale students and campus guests.

In 1972, the Center for Constructive Alternatives (CCA) lecture series was developed to facilitate learning and discussion for both students and a wider audience within the context of the College’s liberal arts curriculum. The CCA still offers four seminars each year that bring political and business leaders, scholars, authors, and journalists to campus to deliver speeches on a variety of topics. The College’s speech digest, Imprimis, was first produced to reprint select speeches delivered during these CCA seminars.

In recent years, Hillsdale College has developed a distinguished visiting fellows program, through which scholars, professional leaders, and journalists teach seminar courses for students and give public lectures in the Dow Center.

During the summer months, the Dow Center hosts hundreds of adult learners who attend Hillsdale Hostels. The Dow Center also houses seminars for educators conducted by the Center for Teacher Excellence and the Barney Charter School Initiative.

The Future

The Herbert and Grace Dow Leadership Conference Center remains central to the life of the campus. It is the focal point for many of the College’s outreach activities. The Dow Center is also the campus gateway—the place where Hillsdale College first extends warm hospitality to its many visitors.