Hillsdale College refuses federal funding. It makes me a better teacher.
This bold idea need not be a mere thought experiment. It's a part of my reality, as a guy who works at a college that refuses federal largesse; it's a denial that delivers a blessing. It protects me and my colleagues from bossy bureaucrats and makes me a better teacher.
Hillsdale College was founded by Free Will Baptists in Michigan in 1844. Its
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The graduates of Hillsdale College include
In 1975, Hillsdale College received a letter from the federal government, as did Harvard and every other college and university in the United States, ordering it to sign a document to say it complied with affirmative-action regulations, and then to provide data on the race and ethnicity of its students and employees.
Hillsdale declined, on the grounds that it never had discriminated, as well as to defend the principle that even a federal government with good intentions has no business meddling in its affairs. A years-long legal battle ended when the Supreme Court said that recipients of federal aid must comply with federal dictates, including schools that merely enroll students who take federal loans and veterans who seek to use GI Bill benefits.
Once again, Hillsdale College
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Rather than imposing hardship, this principled position has created opportunity. Hillsdale College can focus on providing a high-quality liberal arts education, rather than mustering an army of compliance officers who fuss over federal directives. One of these directives is the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, which has led regulators to insist that professors can't talk to the parents of their students about classroom performance. It doesn't matter if mom and dad pay the tuition.
This rule intends to protect student privacy, and there's something to be said for treating college students as adults rather than as wards. Yet FERPA bans a valuable form of communication.
I've learned this firsthand because of Parents Weekend, which Hillsdale College holds every semester. Its main event is a chance for parents to have one-on-one meetings with the professors who teach their children. Other colleges and universities also have Parents Weekend, but without this element.
During these conversations, I give out syllabi and describe the objectives of my courses. I trade information about academic interests, career ambitions, and more. I've heard about mental health challenges and other personal struggles. On multiple occasions, based on what parents have said, I've helped students find internships and jobs. The bottom line is that Parents Weekend allows an exchange that makes me better at what I'm charged to do.
And I get to do it because Hillsdale College can ignore federal regulations.
Another reward of resistance is that millions of Americans have resolved to support Hillsdale College's freedom, and they've helped the college build an endowment of about $900 million. That's a fraction of Harvard's treasure chest, but also the envy of many other liberal arts colleges, which have come to fear that they can't function without government subsidies.
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It turns out that sometimes the right choice is to declare independence.
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