The Liberty Letter

Hillsdale College is well, and I am blessed. 

May the same be true for you and your family as this academic year ends.

You might wonder what’s happening on (and off) campus. 

Freshly admitted students are concluding their high school studies and preparing for matriculation to Hillsdale. 

Hillsdale seniors are preparing to commence the next chapter of their lives. 

There is excitement everywhere! 

Whether you’ve been part of the Hillsdale community for years (it’s been 30 years since I first heard of Hillsdale on Paul Harvey’s radio show) or are just beginning your journey with us, your dedication is shaping a future filled with promise and purpose. 

There has never been a more thrilling time to stand with Hillsdale—thank you for being part of this momentum!

Some of this energy comes from the moment in which we live. 

As Dr. Arnn often says, “Fundamental things are afoot.” The country is debating education and the constitution we’ve long hoped for, one that Hillsdale staked out a position on many years ago. And there is a seriousness about these conversations that gives me hope. 

This hope has been stoked lately by listening to a series of conversations between Dr. Arnn and Mark Levin, a radio show host and dear friend of Hillsdale. You can find those conversations here.

There’s also great joy in seeing the fruits of our labor. And it’s important to point out that by “our labor,” I do not speak of students and faculty alone. I mean all of us, including you.

Dr. Arnn often reminds us that the very word “college” means partnership, and your membership in the College makes our work possible. How would our independence have been achieved without friends and supporters like you?

Signs of this success abound: From the performance of our softball team to spotting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at one of our classical K-12 member schools, one doesn’t need to look far for a reason to celebrate. 

When you consider the caliber of the incoming class, the impact of the graduates we are deploying, and the K-12 schools we guide, the basis for our joy becomes quite clear.

As we set out to teach all who wish to learn, I’m consistently awed by how people encourage us and utilize Hillsdale’s resources. 

Every significant step in our success traces back to conversations with supporters like you.

In the case of our free online courses, a couple visited the college and sat in on one of Dr. Arnn’s Constitution classes nearly 15 years ago (I’d love to help you enjoy a similar experience when you visit campus!). They enjoyed the class but told Dr. Arnn they wanted to hear the rest of it…but had to travel home!

Their casual question and desire to continue learning have led to more than 45 courses (to date!) covering topics from ancient Greece and Rome to progressive misdeeds, the Book of Genesis, and totalitarian novels. 

Beyond the organic way the online courses began, I cherish how many friends have used their love for learning to build community.

Thanks to your generosity, Hillsdale’s online courses continue to inspire learners of all ages—even a 103-year-old man who was moved nearly to tears with gratitude for the opportunity to keep learning.

A few weeks ago in Georgetown, Texas, a group of independent living residents gathered for their thriving online courses club—one of several created by dedicated supporters like John Bickle. 

Because of you, lifelong learners across the country are engaging with Hillsdale’s mission, deepening their understanding and finding joy in education. Your support makes this possible, and we are deeply grateful.

Thanks to your support, Hillsdale’s Pocket Constitution is reaching students nationwide. Many supporters have shared these booklets with young people in their lives, becoming teachers in their own right and passing on the principles of liberty.

If you’d ever like copies to share, we’d be delighted to send them your way! And we’d love to hear—what’s the most creative way you’ve seen someone use the resources you make possible?

Now, I must hit the road.

Soon, I’ll be on campus and, before long, at our National Leadership Seminar in Kansas City. The best part of my job is spending time on the road with Hillsdale’s friends and colleagues. 

I hope to meet you along the way to share how we plan to expand in the years ahead.

Until then, you might enjoy catching up on some of the Hillsdale Dialogues and Dr. Arnn’s recent interviews. I hope you’ll listen in and be inspired!

As the team and I can ever be of service, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’ll happily get to know you better and welcome you further into our community. We’re partners, after all. 

For Liberty,

Raz Shafer
Associate Vice President of Major Gifts
Hillsdale College

HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College has launched a new online course, “Understanding Capitalism,” taught by Charles Steele, associate professor of economics. The course, released beginning March 21, examines what capitalism is, what it requires, why it leads to prosperity and human flourishing, and how to preserve against encroaching bureaucratic regulations and calls for socialism.

“Capitalism expresses the freedom and rationality of human nature in an economic system.”

“Under capitalism, man’s choices are rewarded or punished through profit or loss depending on the merit of his action,” said Jeremiah Regan, executive director of online learning. “It expresses the freedom and rationality of human nature in an economic system. Capitalism depends upon private property rights, the freedom of exchange and contract, sound money, and the rule of law, supported by citizen morality. Our natural rights-based capitalist system relies upon and encourages innovation and virtue along with economic prosperity.”

The course explores fundamental questions about capitalism: What is it? Can it be understood separately from the corrupt and perverse manifestations that many people criticize? Is it an amoral system? How has it produced prosperity, and is that prosperity purely economic?

“In this course we will study capitalism as an economic system,” Steele said. “We’ll see how this leads to economic growth with more and better goods and services, putting everything in terms of human behavior, what people actually do. Capitalism is an inquiry into human nature, the nature of society, that looks at the conditions under which humans can best flourish. It’s the system that made the prosperous world that we live in today.”

The course includes seven video lectures, which will be released to the general public each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, beginning March 21:

• Human Nature and the Cost of Choice
• Profit, Loss, and the Economic Structure of Society
• Production and the Division of Labor
• Economies of Scale and Scope
• Trade and Comparative Advantage
• Technology and Resources
• Prosperity, Freedom, and Morality

Hillsdale College held a premiere of the course in Sarasota on March 20. The event featured a talk by Steele and a screening of the first lecture of the course.

• Watch the trailer and register for the course
• Photos from the course
• Photos from the premiere

About Hillsdale College Online Courses

Hillsdale College’s free, not-for-credit online courses feature lectures from the College’s faculty members across various disciplines, including politics, history, economics, religion, and literature. More than 2.1 million students have enrolled in an online course with Hillsdale College. For more information on Hillsdale College’s online courses, visit online.hillsdale.edu.

There aren’t many firsts left for senior Joni Russell in a storied four-year career with Hillsdale College softball.

But Wednesday was a special one for the Chargers ace.

On the road against Lake Erie, Russell got the no-hitter that had been eluding her for her entire career in an 8-0 victory over the Storm in the first game, as Hillsdale swept the doubleheader with two shutouts to improve to 7-3 in G-MAC play.

Russell pitched all six innings for the Chargers, striking out nine of the 20 batters she faced without giving up a hit. The senior allowed just two baserunners on walks, both in the first inning, before settling in and cruising in a dominant performance. 

The no-hitter is Hillsdale’s first since Erin Kapteyn’s no-hitter against Queens (NY) on March 11, 2023, and just the second by a Chargers softball player in the last decade. It ends a long wait for Russell, who had pitched seven previous one-hitters in her career, including taking a perfect game to the final batter before giving up a hit against Lake Erie last season. It’s also Russell’s 23rd career shutout, tying her for the G-MAC record set by Haley Fagan of Trevecca in 2016.

With Russell dominating on the mound, Hillsdale got all the runs it needed to win in the top of the first inning, plating three on a RBI double by Taylor Lewis, a wild pitch that scored Lewis, and a RBI single by Emma Vis. The Chargers added two insurance runs in the third on a two-run double by Sydney Davis; Medleigh Danchak tacked on two more on a two-run single in the top of the fifth, and Hannah Hoverman triggrered the run rule with a RBI double in the top of the sixth.

Lewis, Hoverman and Vis each finished with two hits, including a double, to lead the Chargers at the plate.

Hillsdale’s offense exploded in the nightcap while the Chargers pitching and defense continued to hold Lake Erie in check as Hillsdale took an 18-0 victory to complete the sweep. The Chargers pounded out 20 hits and put the game away with an 11-run fourth inning that turned a 3-0 contest into a run-rule victory.

Four Hillsdale players finished with three hits in the nightcap win, as Lewis finished 3 for 4 with a double, a triple, and five RBIs, and Maggie Olaveson went 3 for 5 with two doubles and three RBIs as well. Emma Sather and Olivia Liguori each chipped in three hits as well for the Chargers, Hannah Hoverman and Sydney Davis each added two hits and two RBIs, and Anna Chellman finished with a double and three RBIs as well.

Anistyn Foster and Mackenzi Maxson teamed up for the shutout victory for the Chargers, with Foster pitching four innings while conceding just two hits to earn the victory (3-2) and Maxson pitching a scoreless final inning as well.

Hillsdale improves to 21-14 with the victories, which were also coach Kyle Gross‘ 200th career collegiate head coaching victories. The Chargers are currently in fifth place in the G-MAC standings, but it’s a tight race with only two losses separating Hillsdale from the top at this point. The Chargers will look to build on this Wednesday’s wins during a weekend trip to Kentucky, with a doubleheader against Thomas More on Saturday at 1 p.m. next for Hillsdale.

If you’re looking for a strategic way to support Hillsdale College’s mission—and enjoy significant tax benefits in the process—a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA may be just the answer.

As one generous Hillsdale supporter recently put it:

“I love knowing that when I give directly from my IRA to Hillsdale College, not only did I put money into my IRA tax free when I was working, and not only did it grow tax free all this time, but now I can give it tax free to the best college in the country, and as a 501(c)(3) they don’t pay a penny of tax on it either. That’s a WIN four times over!”

When you give directly from your IRA to Hillsdale College, you’re helping to educate principled leaders, publish Imprimis to millions of homes, provide free online courses to Americans across the country, and support K-12 classical education—all without ONE PENNY of government funding.

Here’s how a QCD works:

• You must be 70½ or older to make a Qualified Charitable Distribution.
• You may transfer up to $108,000 per year (or $216,000 for married couples) to qualified institutions like Hillsdale.
• The gift must be made directly from your IRA to Hillsdale College.
• The amount you give does not count as taxable income, which may reduce your overall tax burden—even if you don’t itemize.
• If you are 73 or older, your QCD counts toward your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).

Put simply, this is a smart, impactful way to give. You use pre-tax dollars that have grown tax-free and can now support one of the most important institutions in American life—without paying taxes on the gift and without triggering income tax liability.

Whether you’re passionate about restoring constitutional government, equipping young people with a classical education, or defending liberty through truth-centered teaching, a QCD helps you make an immediate and lasting impact.

Together, we can preserve the principles that made America great and keep Hillsdale College free and flourishing for generations to come.

You can download a sample letter for your IRA administrator here to start the distribution process. You can also request a qualified charitable distribution through your online account portal.

Please note—if you are still working and contributing to a retirement account, this gift could impact your taxable income. Please consult a qualified advisor before making a gift.

You can contact us for more information, and we would be happy to help.