The President’s Club
The President’s Club is Hillsdale College’s primary donor recognition and appreciation society. It began in 1969 with a handful of friends and has grown to include over 5,800 memberships, including some of the finest business and community leaders across the country. The growth of The President’s Club corresponds directly with the rise of Hillsdale College in national reputation, accompanied by its steadily escalating standards of academic and institutional excellence.
President’s Club members provide the financial strength that allows Hillsdale College to continue in its mission, free of federal taxpayer subsidies and government control. They represent those individuals who not only agree to support the college through their financial gifts, but who love the College and are ambassadors of its good name and reputation.
Obligations:
- President’s Club members remain in good financial standing.
- They agree to uphold and abide by the mission of the College.
- They promote the College in its best interest.
- They agree to be Ambassadors of goodwill toward the College and relay its key messages and extol its mission.
- They agree to embrace the standards of civil discourse and thoughtful conversation while attending any College-related event.
The College reserves the right to revoke the membership of any President’s Club member who causes disruption, conveys negative public image toward the College, engages in disparaging comments toward the College or is otherwise deemed to not be in the College’s best interest.
Message from the President
Hillsdale College is unique. There is no other place quite like it. First, there is its founding mission. As set out in its original Articles of Association, that mission is to provide “sound learning” in a way to perpetuate the blessings of “civil and religious liberty” and “intelligent piety.” Hillsdale College has remained true to this mission, even while other colleges and universities have changed with the wind. This is reflected in its undiminished devotion to the classical liberal arts, its broad and deep core curriculum, its outstanding teaching faculty, and the caliber of its students.
Second, there is its long history. It was founded in 1844, just 18 years after the deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. It is a fine thing for a college to have survived for more than 180 years. But Hillsdale College has done more than that. It has flourished. And at critical times in the nation’s history, it has risen to do extraordinary service—most notably in the period surrounding the Civil War and then again in recent decades.
Third, it is one of only a handful of colleges that operates solely on private sector support. Hillsdale College refuses to accept one penny of federal and state taxpayer subsidies, even in the form of federal and state student grants, loans, and scholarships. It takes this stand for two reasons. One is to avoid the regulations that come attached with federal and state government subsidies. More fundamentally, it believes that federal involvement in higher education violates the principle of limited government and corrupts the very idea of liberal learning.
Finally, it is strong. It is determined. It knows where it has been and where it is going. That is why Hillsdale’s Board of Trustees and administration carefully plan capital projects, renovations, and improvements to campus; establish endowments for scholarships, faculty chairs, and Imprimis; and institute such vital initiatives as the Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship, located in Washington, D.C., and the Diana Davis Spencer Graduate School of Classical Education, which calls the Hillsdale campus home. The College continues to ensure that its future is bright, and that its reach and influence extend beyond the classroom.
Our motto here at Hillsdale is “Pursuing Truth and Defending Liberty Since 1844.” It sums up our mission. Thank you for being our partner in this mission and supporting Hillsdale College through The President’s Club.
Best regards,
Larry P. Arnn