Have you noticed what’s happening at America’s colleges and universities? Students are dictating what should be taught to them. And if they disagree with visiting speakers, they shout them down and run them off.Even worse, administrators and faculty, afraid of violating political correctness, shrink from defending free speech—without which a free and open exchange of ideas, central to education, is impossible!

Thank God for Hillsdale College, where political correctness holds no sway here, and free, open, and civil discourse is the order of the day.You know that Hillsdale remains true to its 175-year-old mission—to offer “sound learning” of the kind needed to preserve “the blessings of civil and religious liberty.” One reason we can do that is our stubborn independence: Hillsdale refuses to accept even one

PENNY of government money—not even indirectly in the form of federal or state student grants or loans.This principled refusal frees us from the many unconstitutional and corrupting regulations and mandates that other institutions of higher learning must follow.It frees us to maintain a large and rigorous core curriculum—courses that every student takes, regardless of their major. These courses include Western and

American history, literature, philosophy, theology, math, and the sciences. We are also one of only a handful of colleges where every student takes a one-semester course on the Constitution! This education produces principled leaders who will defend liberty.Many recent Hillsdale graduates work in the White House, many are serving or have recently served as law clerks for Supreme Court Justices, and many

write for leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal. We are proud of our record of educating tomorrow’s leaders.But the fact that colleges like Hillsdale are so rare in higher education today means that we must redouble our efforts nationwide.One alarming study showed that 51 percent of today’s students think it’s acceptable to shout down a speaker, and 20 percent think it’s acceptable to use

violence to quiet a speaker. And now even national politicians are questioning whether freedom of speech is a good idea. Again, this will never happen here.Since 1844, Hillsdale has been providing the kind of education America’s Founders thought essential to preserving free government. Recently, we have extended Hillsdale’s educational mission nationwide through Imprimis, free online courses, our

classical charter school initiative, and our Kirby Center in Washington, D.C.Our work is more necessary now than ever, but we depend heavily on the support of private individuals who understand the importance of education to liberty. And as 2018 comes to a close, we have a budget goal to meet of $1,500,000 by midnight, December 31.I know you haven’t been able to send a gift yet this year, but can you take

this opportunity to make your first gift of support to Hillsdale and help us meet our year-end goal at this critical time for America?You can help preserve Hillsdale’s mission and help teach millions more Americans with your best, tax-deductible gift today. I’ve included a secure link for your convenience here: https://secured.hillsdale.edu/hillsdale/teach-millions-more-americans. I am deeply grateful for your consideration.

Warm regards,