Hillsdale Alumni Newsletter Archives

Have You Had Your Hillsdale Moment?

Homecoming weekend’s alumni baseball game was a huge hit. It is the kind of experience the College and the Alumni Office hope to provide for our alumni in so many ways. Have you had your Hillsdale moment? We’ll do our level best to help you experience it.

The Myanmar Mission: Erin Foley Works to Keep Refugee Families Together Through the Gospel

For more than a decade, Erin Foley, ’05, has been bringing hope, resources, and the Gospel to the people of Southeast Asia, including the last eight years in Myanmar.

Hometown Hillsdale: Joe Williamson, ’03

As a student-athlete, Joe Williamson, learned both physical and mental disciplines on and off the football field. Joe has shared and applied the lifelong disciplines he learned at Hillsdale in his current roles as math teacher and head varsity football coach at Hillsdale High School.

Master Planner: Noyes Retires After 30-Year Transportation Career

Growing up in suburban Chicago, Thomas Noyes, ’86, was fascinated with the railroad. He would often dream of working for one. While that dream of having a career riding the rails did not materialize, his career path did take him to the transportation industry.

Having a Ball on the Alumni National Tour

The fall semester means new beginnings, including classes, football season, and the start of the 2025-26 Alumni National Tour. This year, the Alumni Office has more than 20 events scheduled in 15 states and Washington, D.C.

Hometown Hillsdale: Julie Willson Budd, ’84

Moving to a new city in the eighth grade isn’t an easy feat. Her move to Hillsdale at such a transformative age helped Julie empathize with her eighth-grade students during her 25-year teaching career at Hillsdale Academy. For Julie, she found the foundation of society in Hillsdale: Family, church, and local community.

Problem Solver: Williams Carves Out Career in Law

Tom Williams, ’67, earned varsity letters at Hillsdale in track and field in the long jump. The veteran with a successful career in transactional law says Hillsdale College has always been an important part of his life, from childhood until now.

Let’s “Flood” Campus for Homecoming

A Flood is coming to Hillsdale College on September 26 and 27. Mark Flood, ’78, that is. One of the unofficial “Homecoming ambassadors” is trying to get as many of his classmates back for the College’s annual gathering that has been happening for more than 100 years.

Impact Player: Gatt Carried Hillsdale Success to the Business World

Jeff Gatt, ’87, wanted to make an impact as a college football player, and he has carried that philosophy into his life and professional career. After graduating from Hillsdale with a 4.0 grade-point average in accounting, Gatt has built a career helping mid-size and small companies accomplish big things.

Taking Time to Acknowledge the Good, the True, and the Beautiful

This year’s Alumni Awards recipients were another impressive group of individuals who have impacted the world partly because of the educational foundation they received at their alma mater. Alumni continue contributing to a society that desperately needs “the good, the true, and the beautiful.”

Relationship Builder: Weston Relies on People in the Banking Business

Banking is often about numbers, but for Walter Weston, ’07, it’s about people. The senior vice president of Healthcare Sponsor Coverage and Group Leader at Comerica Bank said relationships are the key to success.

Fear Factor: Palazzo Uses Fear of Failure, Hard Work to Succeed in Business and Life

Fear of failure has always been a powerful motivating tool for Jon Palazzo, ’90. While a student at Hillsdale College, Palazzo used that fear to focus on his studies with the hope of creating his own company that could provide a good living for him, his wife, and his family and teach others how to do the same.