Writers Archives

Cool Class: History of the Book

What goes into making a book? How have books evolved from Gutenberg’s day to the present? Is a bookless future a real possibility? Hillsdale bibliophiles examine these questions—as well as items from the College’s rare book collections—in “History of the Book,” a class taught by Assistant to the Provost and Lecturer in English Mark Maier.

Community Among the Stacks: Mossey Library Outreach Programs

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden says, “There is a hunger in this digital age to hear authors together, to participate in programs, to just be in a place, a community space.” Hillsdale’s Mossey Library is such a place—giving students, faculty, and staff opportunities to explore new interests and engage with great literature through a variety of outreach programs.

Traditions That Work: Valentine’s Day in Benzing Residence

Most Benzing events follow a simple structure: home-cooked food and low-pressure ways to build or strengthen friendships.

From Injury to Victory

In the midst of a promising freshman year volleyball season, Paige VanderWall, ’19, tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee during a victory over Ashland University. The injury was caused by a simple jump and landing, something she had done thousands of times in her career. But this particular time, the landing wasn’t quite right, and VanderWall’s volleyball path for the next eight months was suddenly placed on hold. “Honestly, that night I was mostly in shock,” VanderWall recalls.

Why I Chose Hillsdale: A Graduate Profile by Christopher O’Keefe

I used to think that I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. I started college at Salve Regina University as a pre-med major, taking classes in biology and chemistry. Although I worked hard, I never felt passionate about what I was learning; I was just going through the motions. I became apathetic to my discipline and started to look at other disciplines to find what I was really passionate about. That’s how I found political philosophy.

Hillsdale College football team competing in a game.

Meet Time Management Masters Jay Rose and Maria Grinis

When senior Jay Rose goes to his 8:00 a.m. class, he’s not bleary-eyed like most college students. He’s already made time for weight lifting with the team and some early-morning studying.

Losing the Team but Finding Yourself

When I got to Hillsdale, I missed having the consistency and support of a team. I was just another freshman, and without anyone knowing my running talent, I felt aggressively mediocre. Little did I know, this clean slate was exactly what I needed.

Signaling Excellence

For as long as I could remember, I had been dead set on studying pre-med as an undergraduate. Not only did I think I’d be great in the medical field, but I loved telling people that I was pre-med. It meant that I knew what I was doing and where I was going. Unfortunately, the academic rigor at Hillsdale forces you to be honest with yourself no matter how pretty the lie.

Marching with Conviction

Every year, Hillsdale students make the ten-hour bus ride to Washington, D.C., to join the hundreds of thousands marching for life. While many today embrace the notion of online activism, students recognize that to change the world requires concrete action.

It Takes a Pilgrim to Find a Pilgrim

It was more than a struggle to get through Dante’s “Inferno” and “Purgatorio” freshman year, yet three years later I found myself sitting in a seminar class devoted to studying none other than this pilgrim’s epic. I was drawn to it for several reasons.

Why I Stayed at Hillsdale

Hillsdale is the perfect fit for me. I know that sounds clichéd, but it’s true. I’m loving life here at the Dale, and I love the school that I’m calling home for four years. But I didn’t start out that way.

Poe Sat: Hillsdale’s Poetry Underground

This tradition of congregating at an off-campus house on a weekend evening to read poetry aloud isn’t an official Hillsdale College club, but it’s been gaining popularity through word-of-mouth for several years.