Have you been following the disturbing events on American college campuses around the country? If so, I think you will be all the more impressed by the uniqueness of Hillsdale College—and all the more convinced of the urgency of our work on behalf of liberty.
Colleges and universities across America are falling under the stifling domination of political correctness. As a result, genuine education—which requires the free exchange of ideas, unregulated by thought-police—is increasingly rare.Stories about conservative speakers being shouted down have sadly become common. In a typical recent incident at an eastern liberal arts college, a prominent conservative was prevented from speaking and the professor who invited him was roughed up by left-wing students and taken to the ER.Even worse is the movement to eliminate the study of Western civilization. Recently, for instance, the leaders of another liberal arts college—this one located in the western U.S.—altered the reading list in a required humanities course. Why? Most of the books were written by Europeans, and student activists had attacked it as racist.This movement goes hand in hand with demands to tear down statues that mark our nation’s history—even statues of America’s Founding Fathers! But a civilization that turns on its past will not have a future.
And that’s what is at stake: America’s future.Political correctness has no place at Hillsdale College, where the study of our western and American heritage has been central to the curriculum since our founding in 1844.Several decades ago, the federal government attempted to regulate Hillsdale College in a way that would undermine its educational mission. The government justified this by the fact that some of Hillsdale’s students were using federal grants to pay their tuition. In response, Hillsdale did
two things:
First, it renewed its commitment to its original mission as reflected in Hillsdale’s motto: “Pursuing Truth and Defending Liberty Since 1844.”
Second, it told its students and their parents that they could no longer use government grants and loans to pay for their Hillsdale education—instead, Hillsdale would raise money from private sources to provide financial aid to its students. This principled independence frees Hillsdale from the threat of unjust and destructive federal mandates.
But independence also means that Hillsdale’s work relies entirely on the support of private citizens who understand the stakes of the education battle. And as our 2017-18 Fiscal Year comes to a close, we need to raise $500,000 by midnight, June 30.
Will you help us reach this important goal? Please consider partnering with Hillsdale in our efforts on behalf of liberty.
I’ve included a secure link to the donation page for you here:
https://secure.hillsdale.edu/defend-independence. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Warm regards,
Larry P. ArnnPresident, Hillsdale College