Hillsdale College, Author at Hillsdale College

Duty, Courage, and the Soul

Sitting in his office, you get an immediate feel for the institution that has most impacted Dr. Peter Jennings’ life: the Marine Corps. An old recruitment poster hangs next to the door, and the screensaver on his desktop rotates between pictures of his family and his time in Iraq and Kuwait.

Pursuing Statesmanship

Class of 2014 graduate Ian M. Swanson may be young, but that’s not stopping him from diving into politics. This year, he ran for state Legislature in his home state of Nebraska.

A Study In How To Be A Citizen

Dr. Adam Carrington, assistant professor of politics, explains that “studying the Constitution is studying how to be a citizen in our own time and place.” This study helps Hillsdale succeed in its mission to “cultivate human beings and citizens.”

A Call to Gather

Since the re-institution of Convocation at Hillsdale in the 1980s, students and faculty have gathered in the fall, and again in the spring, for this all-school ceremony. Faculty process down the church aisle in the robes and colors of their alma maters, and students cram the balconies. The contrast is stark between the rush and clamor of everyday life on campus and these stately, solemn events.

How to Turn a Dorm into a Haunted House

The idea seems pretty radical: convert an entire dorm housing two hundred guys into a haunted house for an evening. Yet this is exactly the feat that Simpson has been pulling off for the last three years; with its ever-increasing popularity each year, the Simpson Asylum event has become an integral part of Hillsdale’s Halloween celebrations.

Fighting Comparison: How your Parents’ Basement, a Gap Year, or that Barista Job is Just Right

But Hillsdale students may be less forthcoming about the darker side of senior year: that sudden sense that, as you near the finish line, you’re glancing around you with panicked self-analysis: How am I doing? Am I measuring up?

Why I Chose Hillsdale: Ellen Sweet

There is a depth to Hillsdale that I could not have imagined as a senior in high school. During freshman orientation, Dr. David Whalen gave a lecture in which he warned me and my fellow freshmen that college is dangerous—that, in fact, Hillsdale would change our souls.

A Liberal Arts Education for Missionaries

Why bother spending four years in a classroom studying Greek philosophers and ancient history when you could be spending your time helping others as a missionary or in an orphanage? That’s what Kathryn Lewis, ’17, wanted to know when she began studying great books at Hillsdale.

Simpson residents winning Spirit Week trophy

Spirit Week: Simpson’s Challenge

Virtus tentamine gaudet. Hillsdale College is widely known for its high-minded pursuit of excellence. But there exists one week out of the school year when students rejoice in more than just an academic challenge and lose sleep over more than just their GPA. This is Spirit Week.

Learning to Ask Questions

Though junior Jared Eckert spent many years growing up in Hillsdale, he wasn’t drawn to the college until a “shameless” Google search for top politics schools led him to Hillsdale College. He then began to seriously consider staying in his hometown for undergraduate studies.

Mauck Hall: A Transplanted Community

Attempting to transplant a community is always a risky endeavor. How will the integral relationships change, and will they disappear altogether?

Impressions of Fall

On a recent October day, I noticed more people outside than in the summer, probably because the weather was that perfect fall temperature. I talked with several students lounging on the grass, sitting on benches, and studying at tables dispersed around campus to gather their opinions on Hillsdale autumn.