| Hillsdale College | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Virtus Tentamine Gaudet |
| Motto in English | Strength rejoices in the challenge |
| Established | December 4, 1844 |
| Type | Liberal arts college |
| Endowment | $295 million (2011)[1] |
| President | Larry P. Arnn |
| Provost | David M. Whalen |
| Academic staff | 124 full-time, 40 adjunct |
| Undergraduates | 1,402 |
| Location | Hillsdale, Michigan, USA |
| Campus | Rural, 200 acres (82 buildings) |
| Former names | Michigan Central College |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Athletics | NCAA Division II; 11 varsity intercollegiate sports teams |
| Nickname | Chargers |
| Website | www.hillsdale.edu |
Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States, is a co-educational liberal arts college known for being the first American college to prohibit in its charter all discrimination based on race, religion, or sex[2]; its refusal of government funding; and its monthly publication, Imprimis.[3] National Review has described Hillsdale as a "citadel of American conservatism."[4][5]
More than 1,400 students attend Hillsdale from 47 states, the District of Columbia, and eight foreign countries. The college employs 124 full-time faculty members.[6] Hillsdale offers a variety of liberal arts majors, pre-professional programs, a teacher education program, and a journalism certificate program. Located in south-central Michigan, United States, its 200 acres (81 ha) campus contains multiple instructional and office buildings, thirteen residence halls, six fraternity and sorority houses, an athletic complex, music hall, arts center, conference center, hotel, and an arboretum.[7]
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Hillsdale College was established as Michigan Central College in Spring Arbor, Michigan on December 4, 1844. In 1853, the college moved to Hillsdale, Michigan and assumed its current name. Hillsdale was the first American college to prohibit in its charter all discrimination based on race, religion, or sex.[3] Hillsdale's founders were determined to uphold the principle of equality articulated by the Founders of America who had declared in 1776 that "all men are created equal."
Hillsdale was founded by Freewill Baptists, and in the nineteenth century Hillsdale and Bates College in Maine were the only American colleges affiliated with the denomination. Hillsdale no longer has any denominational affiliation, and Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College in Oklahoma was founded after Hillsdale College disaffiliated itself with the denomination.
Shortly after its founding, Hillsdale, as a part of the anti-slavery Freewill Baptist denomination, emerged as an early agitator for the abolition of slavery and for the education of black students.[8] Black students were admitted immediately after the college's 1844 founding, and the College became the second[3] school in the nation to grant four-year liberal arts degrees to women.[9]
Many Hillsdale students served in the Union army during the American Civil War. A higher percentage of Hillsdale students enlisted than from any other non-military college.[10] Of the more than 400 men serving, half became officers. During the conflict, four Hillsdale students received the Medal of Honor, three became generals, and many more served as regimental commanders. For the more than sixty that died, a monument was erected in their honor, which now stands between Kendall and Lane Halls.[3]
Hillsdale's non-discrimination policy remained controversial throughout its history. Furthermore, Hillsdale's football team refused to play in the 1956 Tangerine Bowl in Florida when the governing committee of the Bowl would not allow the team's black players to join the white players on the field; the committee then selected Juniata College instead.[11][12]
Hillsdale College's policies came under fire in the 1970s following the enactment of affirmative action legislation. Because some students were receiving federal loans, the federal government asserted that it could require Hillsdale College to submit Assurance of Compliance forms mandated by Title IX as a condition of the continued receipt of federal financial assistance by two hundred Hillsdale students. Hillsdale refused compliance on the grounds that its own policies were less discriminatory than those the federal government would impose. This ongoing dispute with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) began to intensify in 1979 when the College filed a petition for judicial review in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, asking the court to overturn a previous decision by the Reviewing Authority, Office of Civil Rights of HEW. In December 1982, the Sixth Circuit upheld Hillsdale's refusal to sign the compliance forms but also ruled that government aid to individual students could be terminated without a finding that a college actually discriminated.
In February 1984, in a related case, Grove City College v. Bell, the Supreme Court required every college or university to fulfill federal requirements - past and future requirements - if its students received federal aid. As a result of the court's decision, Hillsdale withdrew from all federal assistance beginning with the 1984-85 academic year; Grove City College, the defendant in that case, followed Hillsdale's lead four years later.
Beginning with the 2007-2008 academic year, Hillsdale also stopped accepting Michigan state assistance, instead matching any funds that a student would have received from the state with its own aid.[13] Since 2007, Hillsdale's entire operating budget of the college, including scholarships, comes from private funding and endowments.
Hillsdale's feud with the federal government is ongoing; in its 2010 "Resolution Against Federal Interference," it accuses both Congress and the Obama administration of appearing, "even more than the worst of their predecessors, bent on extending federal control over American higher education and other areas of American life."[14]
For the reasons stated above, Hillsdale College has been considered a major player in the history and development of American conservatism ever since the early 1970s, when it also founded Imprimis.[15][16] Most of the curriculum is based on and centered around the teachings of the Western heritage as a product of both the Greco-Roman culture and the Judeo-Christian religion. Hillsdale is among the few non-military colleges in the United States that require every student, regardless of major, to study the U.S. Constitution as a core requirement.[17] Additionally, prominent conservative theorist Russell Kirk taught at Hillsdale for years, and allowed the college to inherit many of his original writings.[18] Hillsdale houses and displays the personal library of Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises as well.[19]
Today, Hillsdale College is widely endorsed on talk radio and in close-knit conservative circles, as well as by organizations such as Young Americans for Freedom[20] and the Heritage Foundation[21].
Since 1981, Hillsdale has presented National Leadership Seminars nationwide on issues of politics, economics and culture. To date, more than 19,000 community, business and media leaders around the country have attended these seminars. Past speakers include Steve Forbes, Benjamin Netanyahu, Dan Quayle, Tony Snow, Margaret Thatcher, and Caspar Weinberger.[22][23]
In 1987, Hillsdale College's dean of women initiated a lawsuit against another faculty member, alleging he had made slanderous remarks about her in the context of a controversy around her role in the selection of the editor of the student newspaper, The Hillsdale Collegian. A letter to the editor signed by sixteen faculty members questioned the appropriateness of legal action in this dispute. One of the three faculty members who had prepared the letter, history professor Warren Treadgold, was informed afterwards that his probationary appointment would not be renewed. A subsequent investigation by a committee of the American Association of University Professors concluded that Hillsdale had violated the Association's standards in the context of the nonreappointment and found evidence that the administration had made that decision because of Treadgold's role in preparing the letter, even though this activity "should have been protected under generally accepted principles of academic freedom."[24]
Hillsdale's campus includes Hillsdale Academy, a private K-12 liberal arts school.[25]
Imprimis is the free monthly speech digest of Hillsdale College and is dedicated to educating citizens and promoting civil and religious liberty by covering cultural, economic, political and educational issues of enduring significance. The content of Imprimis is drawn from speeches delivered to Hillsdale College-hosted events, both on-campus and off-campus. First published in 1972, Imprimis is one of the most widely circulated opinion publications in the nation with over two million subscribers.[26]
In addition to the print and email editions, Hillsdale's Department of External Affairs reported that Imprimis would be developed as an Apple iPhone and iPad app by the end of 2011.[27]
Hillsdale often features prominent speakers at college events, including its Center for Constructive Alternatives (CCA) program, one of the largest college lecture series in America. Lectures are open to the public and out-of-town guests are welcomed.[28] Speakers have included Stephen Ambrose, Benazir Bhutto, Harry Browne, Russell Kirk, Harvey Mansfield, Charles Murray, Ralph Nader, P.J. O'Rourke, Phyllis Schlafly, and Juan Williams.[29][30]
The Barney Charter School Initiative is a new project of Hillsdale College devoted to the education of young Americans. Through this initiative, the College will support the launch of K-12 charter schools. These schools will be based on a classical liberal arts model and have a strong civics component that will "equip students to understand and defend the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution."[31]
According to the college's website, "Reform of American public education, to be successful and good, must be built on a foundation of classical liberal arts learning—the kind of learning best suited to a free society and most needed for its preservation. The Barney Charter School Initiative is an important step in that direction. To advance the founding of classical charter schools, Hillsdale College is continually seeking groups of parents and local citizens who care deeply about education, who plan to apply or are in the process of applying for a charter, and who are interested in an association with Hillsdale. As groups are identified, Hillsdale will provide assistance to the formation of these schools’ academic programs. Drawing upon the experience of faculty members who have led classical schools, an education department uniquely devoted to classical liberal arts learning, and the College’s relationship with outstanding charter schools nationwide through its Center for Teacher Excellence, these new schools will promote a liberal and civic education in America’s public schools."[32]
In early 2011, Hillsdale received official accreditation to establish a graduate program, to be called its "Graduate School of Statesmanship." According to the college, the program will be "a first-principles approach to graduate education in political philosophy and American politics offering the Ph.D. and M.A. in Politics," and will place emphasis on "both the theory and the practice of government." Courses are set to begin in the fall of 2012.[33]
Daniel McBride Graham was the college's first president, serving from 1844 to 1848 and later serving a second term from 1871 to 1874.[34]
Edmund Burke Fairfield was the college's second president, leading Hillsdale from 1848 to 1869.[34] During his presidency, he helped found the Republican Party.[35]
James Calder was the college's third president, serving from 1869 to 1871. He later resigned to serve as president of the Pennsylvania State University.[34] He was succeeded by DeWitt Clinton Durgin, a graduate of Union College, from 1874-1878,[34] and George F. Mosher, who served from 1886 to 1901.[34][36]
Joseph William Mauck was the sixth president, leading from 1902 to 1922.[34] He was an outspoken advocate for women's suffrage.[37][38] He was succeeded by William Gear Spencer from 1922 to 1932,[34] who departed to lead Franklin College.[39]
Willfred Otto Mauck was the eighth president from 1933 to 1942. He was succeeded by Harvey L. Turner from 1942 to 1952, and J. Donald Phillips from 1952 to 1971.[34]
George Roche III was the eleventh president of Hillsdale College, serving from 1971 to 1999. He focused on raising the college's endowment, establishing new programs like the Center for Constructive Alternatives and bringing prominent national speakers to campus. It was also during his time at the school that Imprimis, Hillsdale's speech digest, was published in 1972.[34] He resigned from his position at the college on November 10, 1999 after being placed on a leave of absence by the college's board of directors. This occurred after Lissa Jackson Roche, his daughter-in-law, was found dead in Slayton Arboretum shortly after alleging that she and Roche had an affair. He emphatically denied her claims and maintained that no sexual relationship had taken place. Her death was ruled a suicide by investigators.[4][40]
Dr. Larry P. Arnn currently serves as president of the college, a position he assumed in 2000.[41] Arnn's academic interest in Sir Winston Churchill led to the establishment of the annual Churchill Dinner in Washington, D.C. Past speakers at the dinner include Charles Krauthammer, Rush Limbaugh, Karl Rove, and Clarence Thomas.[42] Arnn is one of the highest paid liberal arts college presidents in the United States, earning an annual compensation package in 2009 totaling $608,615, which includes a base salary of $289,867.[43][44]
Hillsdale is ranked 60th of 650 schools, including 7th in the Midwest and 1st in the state of Michigan, in the 2011 Forbes report of America's Best Colleges.[45]It ranked 88th in the 2011 U.S. News & World Report listing of best American Liberal Arts colleges.[46] (It was not ranked in 2012 due to insufficient data provided to the magazine.)[47][48] It ranks first in the Princeton Review's The Best 376 Colleges 2011 listing of colleges where students are "most conservative."[49]
Off-campus study programs include the Washington Journalism Internship at the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.; the James C. Quayle Journalism Intern Program; Hillsdale College Professional Sales Intern Program; Hillsdale in Seville, Spain at The Center for Cross-Cultural Study; the Hillsdale/Oxford Scholars Program; Hillsdale College/Universität des Saarlandes, at Saarbrücken, Germany; Hillsdale College Intensive Language Summer School in Tours, France; Hillsdale College Intensive Language & Culture Summer Program in Würzburg, Germany; Hillsdale College at Regent's College, London; Hillsdale College at the University of St. Andrews, at St. Andrews, Scotland; and the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program (WHIP), where students reside one semester in Washington, D.C., studying Political Science by working 35–40 hours per week in government or private sector positions, and take two classroom courses in either American Politics or Public Policy, and either Contemporary American Foreign Policy or National Security.[50]
The Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies & Citizenship in Washington, D.C., exists "to advance the principles and ideas that have made America free and prosperous."[51] The Kirby Center sponsors lectures and online events consistent with the mission of Hillsdale College.[52][5]
Along with message-inscribed bricks purchased by friends and alumni of Hillsdale College, the Liberty Walk is lined with the likenesses of numerous well-known Western leaders and icons, the writings and ideas of which the college considers invaluable to both its own history and those of the United States and the Western tradition. Aside from the Hillsdale Eagle and a statue of the nameless Union soldier (dedicated in 1895, the 30th anniversary of the end of the Civil War), these include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Margaret Thatcher. A statue of Ronald Reagan was dedicated on October 7, 2011, coinciding with the centennial year of his birth. Reagan spoke at the college in 1977 prior to his presidency, stating, "Hillsdale deserves the appreciation of all who labor for freedom."[53] Statues of James Madison, Frederick Douglass, and Hillsdale theologian Ransom Dunn are among possible future contributions.[54]
However, numerous Hillsdale students have, for years, called for considering the likenesses of more classical Western thinkers, such as Socrates, Cicero, Aristotle, Augustine, or Thomas Aquinas among others. These requests range in urgency, and stem partly from the fear that by focusing too much on "modern" conservative icons, Hillsdale College risks being seen as "a mere right-wing ideology center." One student author commented as early as 2003, "I don't frown upon the statues we've chosen; I only regret the lack of historical depth, the relatively shallow reach with which we are dipping into tradition's pool. If we want to represent truly the glory of the Western tradition, then we need to include the likenesses of those men that paved the way for present and recent heroes."[55][56]
Slayton Arboretum officially began in 1922 when Mr. and Mrs. George A. Slayton donated 14 acres to Hillsdale College to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation. But the site’s use by the College students dates back to at least the 1860s, when the land was known as VanValkenburgh’s cow pasture. The pasture had a large, wooden knob, nicknamed Mt. Zion, which was used as a retreat for orations, marshmallow roasts, and scenic inspiration.
Dr. Bertram A. Barber, a professor in the Biology Department at Hillsdale College, envisioned creating a functional Arboretum on the site as an outdoor laboratory and field station for students and as a biological garden for the community. Additional land soon followed, and by 1924, Dr. Barber’s dream of an Arboretum was fulfilled through donated plants and the labor of Hillsdale students and volunteers.
In 1939, Slayton Arboretum was listed as one of Michigan's Points of Interest, and up to 700 people a day visited the site.
The 1970s, 1980s and 1990s saw extensive repairs and restoration to the Arboretum’s buildings and grounds, as well as the addition of several new gardens, new trails, labeling and mapping of trees and the installation of a red iron bridge to allow access across the Barber Drive wetland. An annual plant sale, launched with the help of the Hillsdale Evening Garden Club, generates funds used to make improvements in the Arboretum.[57]
The College has a number of sports teams that compete on the NCAA Division II level, including baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, softball, women's swimming, track and field, cross country, and volleyball.[58] The college also has club teams and intramural sports that vary from year to year.[59] The Chargers, as the Hillsdale athletics teams are known, compete in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Football coach Frank "Muddy" Waters was the head coach at Hillsdale from 1954-1973. The football stadium, Frank Waters Stadium, is named in his honor.[60]
National Runners-up:
Basketball Final Four:
North-American Interfraternity Conference Fraternities
National Panhellenic Conference Sororities
Hillsdale's alma mater is "White and Blue." The words and melody were composed by Bess Hagaman Tefft, Class of 1937.[71]
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