2016 Associates Newsletter

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Dear Friends,

The joy in the air was palpable and the exuberance unfettered, as the graduates of the Class of 2016 joined the Commencement march that would lead them to the rest of their lives. As I stood at the foot of the stairway to witness their descent into the real world, it was as if I were watching an ascending spiral of happiness and elated spirits that could not be dampened by the cold and rainy weather outside of the Margot V. Biermann Athletic Center. With an audience of over 5,000 family, friends, and well-wishers, the members of the Class of 2016 were treated to a Commencement address by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. You may watch the video via this link: Commencement Address May 2016. A total of 369 graduates crossed the dais to shake hands with Dr. Arnn and Justice Thomas. Included in this number are 14 master’s degree graduates from the Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship. Six of these graduates will continue their studies at the graduate school to work toward their Ph.D. in Politics.

It is impressive to think that the achievement of many of these graduates is marked by a remarkable capacity for serving others. During the past academic year, Hillsdale students volunteered a total of 12,503 hours in community volunteer roles such as tutors for local high school and elementary students, as well as lending a helping hand to the Boy Scouts, the Best Buddies program, Adopt-a-Grandparent, and the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization, just to name a few of the outlets for our students’ good will. Also, consider that while working toward the high achievement of a Hillsdale College diploma, while most of the 369 graduates received some form of privately funded financial aid, the majority held on-campus jobs to help pay for their education.

In fact, working on campus is one of the requisites for students receiving one of the many Tradition Award half-tuition scholarships. During the past academic year, 186 Hillsdale students received $2,074,656 from Tradition Award Scholarships, bringing the average award to $11,920 per student recipient (the variance here is due to some students working more and some less than eight hours per week and a few students were on campus for a single semester). To shoulder part of the cost of their education, as a group these Tradition Award recipients work a total of 22,000 hours per semester in jobs ranging from office work to maintenance to security, amounting to an average of 118 work hours per semester for each student recipient.

After working with students over the past several years, I can attest that Hillsdale students consistently exceed expectations in terms of their work ethic, attention to detail, and ability to “think outside the box.” These skills, which are honed in both their studies and jobs, prove to be outside of the norm in the workplace today and are but a few of the reasons that Hillsdale graduates are sought after by both employers and graduate schools. As a valued friend, you are a part of this school’s ongoing success in educating today’s students to become exemplary citizens and leaders in their communities. Like the North Star above the northern horizon, Hillsdale College holds firm to what is good, true, and beautiful. Thank you for keeping “steady as she goes” and standing by the College and its students.

Graduating at the Top of Their Class

During the Blue and White luncheon held on the Saturday of Commencement weekend, it is moving to witness the pride and joy in the eyes of the parents of each of the 2016 top five seniors as they are recognized for their outstanding academic careers. As each student humbly stands for the recitation by the event speaker of their academic career, it is a wonder to ponder the scope of their accomplishments. Once you review the backgrounds of the top five seniors, I think you will agree that they are each a marvel and an inspiration.

Sarah Onken, Valedictorian, majored in politics and mathematics. During her time at Hillsdale, she took part in the Collegiate Scholars Program, the Lutheran Society, the Lamplighters Honorary, the Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honorary, the Sigma Zeta Science and Mathematics Honorary, the Kappa Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honorary, and the College Republicans. Besides her many on-campus activities, she also participated in the George Washington Fellowship Program, served as an intern with the Washington Hillsdale Internship Program (WHIP), and interned for The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. She also participated in the Service Opportunities and Rewards (SOAR) Program and worked at the Alpha Omega Women’s Care Center. To help cover her educational costs, she served as both a resident advisor in the Whitley Dormitory and a tutor for the Mathematics Department. Sarah was the recipient of the Wilber S. Andersen George Washington Fellowship Scholarship and the John and Mary Shoup Remitted Scholarship. She hails from Brownstown, Indiana, and will return to Hillsdale in the fall to undertake studies toward a master’s and then a Ph.D. in politics at Hillsdale College’s Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship. She plans to pursue a career in postsecondary teaching.

John “Jack” Shannon, Salutatorian, earned dual majors in economics and Latin, as well as a minor in music. He is from Salem, Oregon. At Hillsdale, he participated in the Collegiate Scholars Program and belonged to the Eta Sigma Phi Classical Studies Honorary, the Lambda Iota Tau Literature Honorary, the Omicron Delta Epsilon Economics Honorary, the Phi Alpha Theta History Honorary, the Pi Kappa Delta Forensics Honorary, the Kappa Mu Epsilon Math Honorary, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, where he served as secretary, songmaster, and president. He also sang in the concert choir and competed with the mock trial team, where he served as a captain for three years and won awards at the invitational, regional, and state levels. To help cover his college expenses, he worked as a student researcher in the president’s office, a research fellow with the economics department, and an editorial assistant for the Journal of Markets & Morality. Jack was the recipient of the Richard E. Fox Foundation Scholarship, the Hugh and Barbara Havercamp Scholarship, the Sieffert Economics Award, and the Stegelmann Economics Scholarship. Jack will be moving to London, England, to pursue a master’s degree in Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science, before seeking a Ph.D.

Matthew Moorman majored in biology with a minor in biochemistry. He volunteered for the Humane Society and belonged to the Beta Beta Beta Biology Honorary, the Sigma Zeta Science and Mathematics Honorary, the Alpha Psi Omega Dramatics Honorary, and the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. In addition, he was selected to participate in the LAUREATES science program, where he worked on a summer research project. To support his education, Matt received the Benjamin W. Holmes Scholarship, the Mastin Scholarship, the Robey Scholarship, and the John and Mary Shoup Remitted Scholarship. Matt is from Byron Center, Michigan, and plans to work for a year before applying to graduate schools possibly to study within the field of biomedical research.

Audrey Southgate hails from Portland, Oregon, where her parents cultivated a love of beautiful places—and a love of learning—in their three daughters. She majored in English with a French minor and plans to work in the field of secondary or postsecondary teaching. While at Hillsdale she was a member of the Honors Program, assisted with the Music in the Community Project, and volunteered with the student outreach organization, “A Few Good Men.” Among other campus activities, she has served as an editor for the campus literary magazine, Tower Light, as well as president of the Pi Delta Phi French honorary, a French tutor, and enjoyed performing in the College orchestra and the Hillsdale Camerata. Audrey has received two awards for her poetry: the Barnes Award for Metered Poetry and the Margaret Weymouth Jackson Award. While at Hillsdale College, Audrey benefited as the recipient of the Bill and Nancy Blount Oregon Scholarship, as well as the Margaret Elaine Wadley Scholarship.

Timothy Troutner double-majored in History and Philosophy. While at Hillsdale, he assisted with the Hillsdale Forum magazine, participated in Collegiate Scholars, and belonged to the Fairfield Society, the Symposium, and the Phi Alpha Theta history honorary. He also served as president of the Phi Sigma Tau philosophy honorary. Timothy was a recipient of the Hugh & Barbara Havercamp Scholarship, the Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee Foundation History Scholarship, and the John and Mary Shoup Remitted Scholarship. He is from Columbus, Ohio. Timothy will attend the University of Notre Dame, where he plans to pursue a Master of Theological Studies degree, with a focus in Systematic Theology. He hopes to become a college professor.

Meanwhile, the majority of the Class of 2016 graduates have hit the ground running and are already employed, engaging in internships, or readying for graduate school. The complete Class of 2016 placement report will be available this fall from the Career Services Office and promises to give a good overview of just how Hillsdale graduates are faring. In the meanwhile, the following is a partial listing of graduates and where they will be employed or interning this summer:

Alexis Allen, Office of Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer (R)
Randy Keefe, Council for National Policy
Heather Linder, Omni Hotels
Kristin Malcolm, Immanuel Lutheran School
Anna Pfaff, American Principles Project
Naofa Noll, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
Jordan Reimschisel, The Mercatus Center
Nicholas Taylor, Charles Koch Institute
Matalyn VanderBleek, Catholic University of America

The Summer Plans of Ambitious Hillsdale Students

Many students begin applying for their summer internships as early as fall of the academic year, while others wait for time and circumstance to bring some luck their way. I remember that back in the day I found an internship at an international consulting firm in Washington, D.C., simply by checking the bulletin board daily just outside the Dirksen Senate Office Building cafeteria. I was interning for Senator Steve Symms of Idaho at the time as part of the WHIP program. Likewise, several of the students interning in Washington, D.C., this summer are working in think tank and congressional offices as well as conservative outreach organizations. The following list is a partial review of Hillsdale students’ internships this summer:

Abigail Allen ’19, The Leadership Institute
Nick Archer ’17, Manhattan Institute
Michael Beley ’17, The Fund for American Studies
Emily Blatter ’17, Media Research Center
Adrienne Carrier ’18, CATO Institute
Larissa Clark ’17, Koch Internship Program/Freedom Partners
Amelia Culbreath ’19, South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson (R)
Shayna Fields ’17, Michigan Congressman Justin Amash (R)
Jessica Fox ’17, National Journalism Center/Washington Times
Anna Goodwin ’17, National Institute of Health
Gwendolyn Hodge ’17, Supreme Court of the United States
Razi Lane ’18, The Heritage Foundation
Jennifer Matthes ’17, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse (R)
Mallory Mills ’17, College Republicans National Committee
Joseph Pappalardo ’18, National Journalism Center/Townhall Media
Joshua Schmid ’18, Bill of Rights Institute
Jack Sinko ’18, Indiana Congressman Todd Rokita (R)
Peter Staab ’17, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse (R)
Patience Tyne ’17, Law Library of Congress, Hispanic Documents Project
Victoria Wichman ’19, Foster Youth Internship Program/Congressman Steve Scalise

Should you know of a potential summer internship, please contact John Quint in the Career Services Office at (517) 607-2758 or e-mail [email protected]. For internship ideas or contacts within the Washington, D.C., area, please contact Robert Hasler at the Kirby Center by e-mail at [email protected] or phone (202) 600-7314.

The Barney Charter School Initiative: Forging New Paths in Education

There are currently 13 classical charter schools that were assisted with their inception and ongoing operations by the Barney Charter School Initiative. These classical charter schools educate approximately 6,300 students across the country, with three more schools set to open this fall at the following locations:

Seven Oaks Classical Academy in Ellettsville, Indiana; estimated opening enrollment of 200 students.
Founders Classical Academy in Schertz, Texas; estimated opening enrollment of 330 students.
Livingston Classical Academy in Livingston, Michigan; estimated opening enrollment of 200 students.

Looking forward to the 2017-2018 academic year, there are nine schools which are gathering their forces to open their doors either in the 2017 or possibly 2018 academic year. These school openings will be located in Gallup, New Mexico; Traverse City, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Clay County, Florida; and Toledo, Ohio, as well as Alvin, Texas; Falcon, Colorado; and Valparaiso, Indiana.

It is encouraging to know that teachers, school board members, and principals travel to Hillsdale College for intensive summer training sessions in their respective roles. So far a total of 356 individuals have participated in often more than one session, bringing the total to 501 participations in sessions that covered topics such as school board training, new school/new principal workshop, and teacher training for existing schools. A cadre of 26 Hillsdale College faculty members and 15 adjunct instructors taught these fundamental lessons. Coming up yet this summer is the School Principal Candidate “Boot Camp” and a teacher training for the new schools opening this fall. It is good news that there are currently 65 Hillsdale College graduates who are or will be teaching or part of the administrative staff at one of the 16 classical charter schools opening for classes this fall. Of these classical school teachers, 11 are graduates from the Class of 2016.

The approximate cost to Hillsdale College per charter school establishment is $175,000. This figure encompasses assisting schools with site selection, curriculum guidance, employment advice, and the multiple trainings detailed above, as well as “check-up” visits to established schools. To assist with these costs and keep the initiative rolling, a foundation that wishes to remain anonymous has issued a grant of $500,000, which is to be used as a $1‐for $1 challenge for the endowment of the Barney Charter School Initiative. To qualify for the challenge, gifts must be designated to the Barney Charter School Initiative endowment fund. For further information on this challenge, you may contact John Cervini at (517) 607-2670 or by e-mail at [email protected]. If you would like to learn more about the charter school initiative or perhaps know of a group that is forming from within your community, visit Barney Charter School Initiative or e-mail [email protected], or phone (517) 607-2317.

The Rebirth of Liberty and Learning Campaign Soldiers On…

As we look back upon yet another year blessed by the goodwill of friends such as you, it is important to keep in our line of sight the goals of the Rebirth and Liberty and Learning Campaign. The following is an overview of some of these ongoing fundraising projects:

The Congressional Outreach Endowment Fund has been established with a $750,000 grant from the Adolph Coors Foundation. This fund will build upon the good work in process and include conferences for congressional staffers, distribution of educational materials to members of congress, and other significant outreach activities of the College’s Kirby Center in Washington, D.C. The challenge ahead is to raise a total of $5.1 million for the Congressional Outreach Endowment Fund by November 1, 2018. One of the important interim goals for this challenge is to raise $1.8 million by November 1, 2016. Of this amount $908,000 has been raised in cash and pledges to date.
The Churchill Endowment has a goal of $9 million of which over $5.3 million has been raised. Gifts raised will go toward the official biography of Sir Winston S. Churchill, the Churchill conferences, Churchill Scholarships, and an endowed faculty chair in honor of the statesman. Also included in the endowment will be online courses as well as marketing and publications relating to the Churchill project.
The New Christ Chapel will serve as a place for Christians to gather for prayer, reflection, and academic and religious services. It will also provide a venue for orchestra and choir concerts and campus gatherings such as Convocation. As part of the Rebirth of Liberty and Learning Campaign, friends of the College have issued a challenge for the construction of Christ Chapel. This Chapel Challenge leadership gift of $12,500,000 will provide $10,750,000 for construction costs and $1,750,000 for an endowment to operate and maintain the building. To qualify for the challenge, gifts must be designated to the chapel construction fund. The total construction budget for the chapel is $28,250,000 of which over $19 million has been raised in cash and pledges. An additional $4.5 million in cash and short-term pledges of four years or less must be raised in order to break ground on the project.
Auditorium Renovation: The main- and entry-level addition to what is currently known as Phillips auditorium will add over 3,500 square feet and increase seating from 300 to 700 seats. Renovations to the existing interior include a private viewing area, balcony addition, study room, and offices. The total cost of this project will be approximately $5.5 million with over $500,000 raised to date in cash and pledges. An anonymous challenge in the amount of $2.5 million has been issued to friends of Hillsdale. With this challenge, a gift of $2.5 million would give the benefactor naming privileges for the revamped auditorium and would be matched in kind by an anonymous donor. For information on any of these projects, contact John Cervini at (517) 607-2670 or e-mail [email protected].

Overheard on Campus

Progress comes swiftly on the Hillsdale College scene, and it is often easier to relate the news as it surfaces. With this in mind, please make sure that we have your correct e-mail address by simply sending us a note that includes your name, city, and state to [email protected]. Here are a few interesting pieces of campus news to bring you up to date on Hillsdale:

Hillsdale College President Dr. Larry P. Arnn and Matt Spalding (associate vice president and dean of educational programs at the Kirby Center) have drafted a suggested platform for the Republican Party. Written from their private capacities, the platform is a two-page, clear thinking, direct document that would ideally replace the upwards of 60-page, complicated, and multiple segmented GOP platform. The concept was to draft a platform that followed the style and wisdom of the platform on which Abraham Lincoln ran for president in 1860. The resulting document offers up a clear direction that will hopefully help unite a divided party.
Radio Free Hillsdale has hired Scot Bertram as the station’s general manager. Scot brings both experience and enthusiasm to the job. The programming now includes the dialogues between radio personality Hugh Hewitt and Dr. Arnn, and a variety of other programming—mixing both the latest news and timeless classics in music and radio programs. If you’re not within listening range of Hillsdale’s 101.7—and most likely you are not given the station’s range of approximately four miles from the campus boundaries—you may listen to the program by clicking on this link: Hillsdale Dialogues.
Two new online courses will launch in the year ahead, bringing the total number of courses available at hillsdale.edu to 17. With more than 1,000 registrations daily, the online courses have resulted in over one million individuals taking one or more of the courses that cover topics from the U.S. Constitution to free-market economics to American history and Western Civilization. Launching this September, the ten-week course on “The Supreme Court” will cover topics on key cases such as “Roe v. Wade: Privacy and Liberty” and “Burwell v. Hobby Lobby: Religious Liberty.” Also launching this fall will be a seven-week course featuring Dean of Faculty and Professor of English Stephen Smith, who will cover Hamlet and The Tempest.
The Admissions Office has some preliminary news on the entering freshman class. The class will be one of the best qualified with an average ACT of 30 and also large in number with 380 students.
If you haven’t visited hillsdale.edu lately, it would be a good idea to do so since the entire College website has undergone a transformation. Although still under construction, the website is fully operational, and we encourage you to browse around hillsdale.edu to enjoy the new features.
On the sporting front, the best baseball season in Hillsdale College history came to an end with a record-setting 32-24 record. Outfielder Luke Ortel, ’16, was named First-Team All-American by the NationalCollegiate Baseball Writers of America and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association. Luke is the first Charger baseball player to earn such honors. Bravo!
The Hillsdale College Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field programs were named the Women’s Program of the Year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. This is the highest honor that can be awarded to an institution by the coaching association during an academic year.
Emily Oren, a Class of 2016 track and field athlete extraordinaire, received the Division II Honda Women’s Athlete of the Year during an awards ceremony held in Los Angeles in early June. Emily’s trophy case includes awards for seven individual national track championships and five top-three NCAA finishes. She even qualified to compete in the 2016 Olympic Trials this June in her specialty event, the 3,000-meter steeplechase. A native of Holland, Michigan, Emily is going to be aiming her laser-like focus and competitive drive into recruiting new students as a Hillsdale College admissions counselor. Faster than a speeding bullet, Emily Oren is sure to rise to the front of the pack in her new role in Admissions!
Two members of the Charger Men’s Tennis Team earned all-conference honors following their first season of GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Association) competition. Hillsdale freshman Justin Hyman was named Second Team All-GLIAC and sophomore Dugan Delp earned honorable mention in all-conference honors. For further updates on Hillsdale College sports, visit this website: Hillsdale Chargers.
For the third consecutive year, the Hillsdale College Shotgun Sports Team took the Division III title during the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Collegiate Clay Target Championship. Their collective score of 2,203 beat all but two teams across all divisions. You can learn more about the shooting sports education program by clicking on the above link or by visiting the team’s Facebook page under the moniker of “Hillsdale College Shotgun Sports Team.”

A Full Spectrum of Hillsdale College Events

We are gearing up for coast-to-coast Hillsdale College events in the year ahead. Please take a moment to review the updated events schedule, which lists everything from Hillsdale receptions to CCA seminars. Here are just a few of the highlights:

The Center for Constructive Alternative (CCA) seminar topics this year will focus on “Democrats and Republicans” (October 2-5, 2016); “Mises, Hayek and the Austrian School” (November 13-16, 2016); “The American West” (January 29-February 1, 2017); and “The Films of Orson Wells” (March 5-9, 2017). The National Leadership Seminars (NLS) in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 14-15, 2017, and Atlanta, Georgia, on April 19-20, 2017, will mark the 35-year anniversary of the NLS program, and will feature speakers such as author and journalist Mark Steyn and former Special Assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence Herbert Meyer (Phoenix NLS), and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough (Atlanta NLS). Topic statements are available through the above link.
The Free Market Forum will take place in Atlanta on October 13-15, 2016, and feature speakers such as economists and authors Sally Pipes, Alfred Eckes, and Hillsdale professors Burt Folsom and Gary Wolfram.
The Hostel dates and topics for 2017 have been announced, and include a seminar on The Federalist Papers at the Kirby Center in Washington, D.C., on March 29-April 1, 2017 and an on-campus family Hostel on the topic of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, July 16-19, 2017.
Given the scope of Hillsdale College events, it is good to know that many of the speeches delivered during our on- and off-campus seminars maybe seen at Hillsdale College’s YouTube channel. There you will also find the latest videos about Hillsdale College. Please refer to the link for the events schedule for a complete list of contacts for each category of Hillsdale College events.

City on the Hill

Hillsdale College is indeed “a city upon the hill” and watched closely by those across the nation who seek a return to the Constitution and a classical educational foundation for generations to come. Lighting the way into the future are Hillsdale graduates and current students who will graduate all too soon it seems. Hillsdale students and graduates are an integral part of our hope to turn America right side up within an upside down culture. Like a tossed stone sending ripples across a pond, the effects of integrity, wisdom, and faith in action have impact far beyond that which can be immediately perceived. We must continue to be the stone that skips and sends ripples across the tide of time and events, finally coming to rest as part of the foundation for the rebuilding of our great country. Each day granted is a gift and another chance to live our faith and walk our talk.

May your summer be marked by opportunities to enjoy the company of loved ones. Until we meet again, know that friends such as you are never far as you are always close at heart. We stand united by our common ground in tireless work for a timeless cause.

Sincerely,
Kathleen Ruddy, ’82
Director of Associates and Special Projects