Academics Archives

From Student to Teacher

Few can offer as fascinating a perspective as Dr. Gaetano when it comes to what it means to be not only a Hillsdale professor but a student as well. An ’05 graduate, Dr. Gaetano said that he was introduced to “the life of the mind” by his professors when he was a student at the College. His journey on the search for truth led to a desire to help others along a similar path of learning.

Leaders and Friends: How I Found the Liberal Arts in Israel

Each night in Israel brought its own delights and revelations, but our time spent with the students of Ein Prat was unforgettable.

Spotlight on Dr. Theobald and Dr. Rose

Last year, Hillsdale College hired two new French professors, Dr. Anne Theobald and Dr. Sherri Rose. I was able to sit down with both professors and discuss their experience both with the study of French and at Hillsdale.

Five Reasons You Should Study Spanish

Spanish is not only a beautiful Romance language, but it’s also spoken by a huge portion both of the U.S. and the rest of the world. Here are some of the best reasons to study Español at Hillsdale.

From Struggling Writer to English Major

Like the rest of Hillsdale, Matt took his two Great Books core English classes, and like so many Hillsdale students, he struggled to write good papers at first. “Failing to produce a clear reading of a text on Great Books made me really want to see what it was like to know what was going on in a book and be able to express it,” Matt says.

A Tight-Knit Team Both On and Off the Playing Field

Between being a member of the Hillsdale College women’s volleyball team, volunteering at a local women’s shelter, teaching Sunday school, and pursuing a bio-chem major and biology minor, junior Kyra Rodi doesn’t have a lot of time for Netflix. But when I asked about her experience as a student athlete, a huge smile spread across her face.

Speech Majors Katharine Torres and Christine Nishinaga.

The Art of Rhetoric and Public Speaking

I interviewed speech majors Katharine Torres, ’17, and Christine Nishinaga, ’16, separately, so it was by pure coincidence that both emphasized how much they love their advanced public speaking course and Dr. Kiledal herself. It was exciting to see how passionate these girls are about their major and how much good the speech department has done for them already.

A Heart for Helping People

Senior exercise-science major Shannon O’Hearn always had a heart for helping people, and her fascination with anatomy led her to believe that she belongs in the medical field. This belief was confirmed the night she saved a man’s life.

From Interviewer to Interviewee

It’s a funny thing when the interviewer turns into the interviewee. That’s what happened when I walked into Dr. Robert Blackstock’s office last year to ask him a couple of questions for a Collegian article.

Connecting Constitution 101 With Biochemistry

As a biochemistry student looking at a very probable research career, and as a conservative against excessive government spending, Dr. Slack’s lecture raised some interesting questions for me.

When the Exam Ends

“So, do you have any questions for me?” I was putting on my backpack, about to leave a French oral exam. A little surprised, I saw that Madame Theobald was giving me an encouraging smile.

Dr. Barnes during a psychology presentation.

Psychology and the Liberal Arts

Dr. Collin Barnes’s interview at Hillsdale was by far his most difficult for an academic position, though he’d completed a few. The questions were unusually stimulating, not simply testing his knowledge of psychology but his ability to place his knowledge into a much larger context. Four years later, Dr. Barnes is not only better equipped to answer those questions but has become fascinated by the pursuit of understanding them.