S1: Every week. Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn joins Hugh Hewitt
S1: to discuss great books, great men, and great ideas. This
S1: is Hillsdale Dialogues, part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network.
S1: More episodes@podcast.hillsdale.edu or wherever you find your audio.
S2: Morning glory and evening Grace America. Thanks to Mark Davis
S2: for sitting in for me a little bit. I am
S2: so pleased to welcome back, Doctor Larry Arnn, president of
S2: Hillsdale College. It's commencement season everywhere. Some commencements are done.
S2: Hillsdale is done. Some are this weekend, some are next weekend.
S2: Some go into the middle of June. But I wanted
S2: to spend some time on that. It's not really a
S2: Hillsdale dialogue, but it's really all Hillsdale dialogue. First of all, doctor,
S2: what is the whole purpose of a commencement? Is it
S2: a unique American tradition, or does it go back to
S2: the founding of Oxford and Cambridge?
S3: Um, well, first of all, to understand that, uh, you know,
S3: I of course, what have I done? I've done 27
S3: commencements now. Isn't that great? Wow. And, uh, um, it
S3: starts with the oddness of the name commencement. You know,
S3: it is about starting out your life, right? But the
S3: mood and the tone is all farewell. You know, you
S3: could call it valediction, you know. Farewell, goodbye. This is
S3: the end. And that's, you know, the talk is heavily
S3: involved in that. It's called commencement. Now you have to
S3: ask yourself the question, what in what unites the past
S3: and the future? And the answer is not the present.
S3: That's very fleeting. The answer is eternity. And so the
S3: right theme of commencement is eternity. And there are lots
S3: of prayers and there's lots of talk about the eternal
S3: things in light of which one must commence one's life.
S3: And in a good college, you're there to learn what
S3: those things are and build the character to pursue them.
S3: So that's what commencement is about. And the best commencement
S3: speeches are like that.
S2: And you had a great commencement speaker this year in
S2: Erica Kirk. I'm going to play a lot of her
S2: commencement speech. But before I do, in the 26 prior commencements,
S2: you've had Justice Thomas. You've had a lot of great
S2: people come and speak to the college. If I were
S2: to press you and we accept Justice Thomas and any
S2: other justices, and Erica Kirk, who lingers with you after
S2: 27 years as giving a speech that made a mark.
S3: Michael Ward was very good. He's a C.S. Lewis scholar.
S3: He's got a wonderful he's a very good ceremony. He's
S3: very good in many ways, but he's a very good
S3: ceremonial speaker. And he's funny. Mostly he's funny by making
S3: fun of us. He parsed out the name Hillsdale one time.
S3: What does it mean, Hillsdale. Hills and Dales, do they
S3: go together? Uh, and he worked on that for a while,
S3: but he's he's very good. Uh, Hadley gave a great
S3: talk one year. Uh, serious. What you need to do
S3: it well is gravitas. You need serious, you need to
S3: be a serious person. And so the ones who are
S3: the most serious do the best.
S2: Uh, well, I want to dissent. I had Alexander Solzhenitsyn
S2: for two hours in the rain in 1978. He spoke
S2: in Russian, and it was translated into English. Very serious speech.
S2: Not that great of a commencement, though, uh, but a
S2: very serious speech. Let's turn to this year. Uh, Erica
S2: Kirk brilliant inspiration on your part to invite her. Why
S2: did you invite her to address it in this year
S2: of her tragedy?
S3: Well, I loved Charlie and I loved him because he
S3: was a student. Uh, uh, he was a, you know,
S3: I mean, he was an important man, right? And he
S3: was a whirlwind. And I began by resenting him, you know,
S3: because I don't like people coming up to me and
S3: telling me this is the most brilliant young man in America.
S3: Because I think if there is such a young man,
S3: I probably know him. And, uh, and if I do
S3: know him, I won't go around calling him the most
S3: brilliant young man in America, because I don't think it's
S3: good for 19 year olds. So I sort of whacked
S3: him first time I met him. And, uh, I got
S3: him to say what turning point was, and he said,
S3: you're going to change the culture on college campuses. And
S3: I said, define for me the terms culture and college.
S3: And he struggled. And I said, so you're going to
S3: fix it and you don't know what it is. And
S3: you know, I thought I'm done with that boy now. Well,
S3: I was not done with him for the next 12 years.
S3: He just haunted me. And he, uh, Erica sent me
S3: just the other day, another page from his what she
S3: calls his journals. What they are is class notes. Uh,
S3: he said, we studied a lot of things together, Charlie
S3: and I, and he. And that's what we always talked about.
S3: You know, we didn't talk very much about Donald Trump
S3: and high politics, which he was very involved in much
S3: more than I. He wanted to talk about America. What
S3: is it? What does it mean? What is the final cause?
S3: What is a formal cause? Uh, what is character? How
S3: do you get one? He just loved those topics and
S3: he was just all over him every time I talked
S3: to him. And, uh, so I came to love him.
S3: And then he was killed, and two nights later, his
S3: wife called me and we talked for an hour and
S3: a half, and it was very. And I knew her
S3: a bit. I knew him well and it was just
S3: very sad and touching. And, uh, she said, uh, you
S3: were Charlie's teacher. And I said, well, he said that.
S3: She said, Will you teach me? And I said, of course.
S3: What would you like to know? And the first thing
S3: she said was, well, she said everything. And then she said,
S3: I have to try to run Turning Point. Can I
S3: do that? And I said, well, it starts with two
S3: little kids, doesn't it? I said, how far away do
S3: you live from the office? She said, 20 minutes. And
S3: I said, move closer or move the office. You're going
S3: to have to involve them. It's going to break your heart.
S3: I have two daughters who are professional women. One of
S3: them two children went about to have one, and they
S3: have to deal with the fact that they go to work,
S3: and it'll break your heart when your children resent that.
S3: So you have to prove to them every day, first
S3: thing every day, that you love them the most and
S3: they are your first concern. And one way to do
S3: that is involve them, take them, you know, take them.
S3: So we talked about that and we talked about what
S3: does she need to know and how to run a railroad.
S3: And she asked me two nights later, would I speak
S3: at the memorial service, which I did, which was an
S3: extravaganza and, you know, a wonderful thing. And so I
S3: offered Charlie and Erica an honorary degree. So now she's coming. Anyway,
S3: we had an invitation out already to somebody to be
S3: the commencement speaker and on very good ground, that person
S3: that can't do it. But I'll meet with your kids
S3: whenever you want, whoever that person was. And, uh, uh.
S3: So now she's coming. And so we thought I'd talk
S3: to the senior class officers, and we thought that would
S3: be good. And she did do very well. I thought.
S2: In fact, let me begin by playing the beginning of
S2: Erika Kirk's commencement address. Cut number one.
S4: When we arrive, we go straight to the gym because
S4: that's what we did. And I'm on one side of
S4: the gym, Charlie's on the other. And then all of
S4: a sudden I was thinking, he pulled out the bat
S4: phone and I was like, okay, maybe he's going to
S4: put on some music. He loved classic rock. I was like,
S4: maybe he's going to put on some music. So I'm
S4: on the treadmill. He's over in the weights, and all
S4: of a sudden I hear Doctor Arne's voice coming from
S4: the side of the room. And so I walk over
S4: to him and I was like, baby, what are you
S4: listening to? He goes, I know. He was like, I'm
S4: almost done. He's like, I have to finish this. A
S4: few more lectures from Doctor Arne. I have a few
S4: more certificates I have to get for my online courses
S4: at Hillsdale. We're almost there. I can't skip them. I
S4: was like, you do what you got to do. I'm
S4: here for it. But I enjoyed it because I was
S4: learning about Churchill, too. When he was working out, I
S4: was working out. It was a great little bonding moment.
S2: That's our honeymoon doctor answer. She began the commencement speech
S2: by saying, you went with them on their honeymoon. I'm
S2: not sure that's a good thing, but it's flattering. Did
S2: the did your wife get a laugh out of that?
S3: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, Charlie went around his
S3: key advice to people to young men especially. He was very,
S3: very effective with them. And women too, was, uh. What?
S3: Learn a lot. Don't go to a bad college. Learn
S3: a lot, uh, build your character, love your country, get
S3: married and have some kids. And that's, you know, when
S3: I met Charlie, he was single. And I told him,
S3: I said, you know, because the first time I met him,
S3: it was a college event in Wyoming, and I didn't
S3: get to talk to anybody else. He just wouldn't leave
S3: me alone. I was late for my next meeting. I said,
S3: two hours. We sat and talked and I said to him,
S3: I said, are you married? He said, no. I said,
S3: you gotta get married. He said, why? And I said.
S3: He said, I know, but why do you say that?
S3: And I said, because it does make life more serious,
S3: doesn't it? Then you've done the whole thing in life, right?
S3: You got to get some kids because it's a pain
S3: and you'll learn all about life if you do that well.
S3: He went around telling the world that. And then, you know,
S3: when he got engaged to Erica, he called me about
S3: that and he said, and, you know, he brought her
S3: to Hillsdale. He came to Hillsdale many times, sit in class,
S3: he come sit in class and, uh, uh, yeah, so
S3: she's a wonderful woman.
S2: And more of that commencement speech coming up because there's
S2: a lot in it. it. Don't go anywhere, America. You're
S2: listening to Hillsdale dialogue everything. hillsdale@hillsdale.edu.
S4: He really understood that this institution wasn't normal. It was
S4: something that elevated his thinking to be a thought leader
S4: and really become a serious person, not just a political
S4: talking head, but but someone who truly sought out the
S4: beautiful things in life, the good, the true. And he
S4: really took that seriously because he loved learning. And that's
S4: what set him apart. Just as all of you, you
S4: guys love learning. And I would tell him and he
S4: would like to hear it, but I love telling him
S4: because it was honest. I would say I love learning
S4: from you. And so whenever we would have date nights,
S4: I would just be like, tell me something that I
S4: don't know about the Founding Fathers or tell me something
S4: about Benjamin Franklin because he loved learning about Benjamin Franklin
S4: or telling me something about Churchill. He just loved being
S4: able to share what he had learned in those moments.
S2: Hillsdale is not normal. That's Erika Kirk giving the commencement
S2: speech this year at Hillsdale College. Our guest is Doctor
S2: Larry Arnn. Hillsdale dialogue underway. All things Hillsdale. Hillsdale is
S2: not normal. That's a problem for America because it ought
S2: to be normal for colleges to care about learning. But
S2: it's increasingly not. When she said that, did you smile?
S3: Oh yeah. Well he that's you know, Charlie published a book,
S3: his penultimate book, one just published posthumously. And he said
S3: he gave the advice, kids shouldn't go to college. But
S3: he called me before it came out, a month before
S3: it came out and said, I'm publishing this book, but
S3: I'm exempting Hillsdale. I don't want you to be mad
S3: at me. And I said, yeah, I don't care if
S3: kids go to college unless they don't go to Hillsdale.
S3: They don't care. Uh, but he, you know, he, uh, he's, uh,
S3: you know, there's a movement, by the way, underway, not
S3: only there are fewer kids going to college, but there
S3: are more commonly. Now they say they don't intend to go. And, uh,
S3: I think, you know, the value of it is the
S3: reason it's done between the ages of 18 and 21
S3: is because you haven't started your career yet. And it's
S3: your and you've reached a maturity level where you can
S3: get seriously ready for life in general, right? And then
S3: the career will take whatever course it takes. I mean,
S3: I happen to know because I've known you for 400 years,
S3: you didn't set out to be a media person. That
S3: wasn't your deal, right? No. And I didn't set out
S3: to be a college president. You know, that wasn't my deal.
S3: I was actually against it. And, uh. So, you know,
S3: what you can do when you're young is get ready
S3: for life, and then life will tell you what you're
S3: going to do.
S2: Yeah. I think it's funny, uh, that the audience, you know,
S2: we've known each other since we were 33 years old
S2: and neither of us were remotely close to living where
S2: we are now living or doing what we are now doing.
S2: And there have been many changes in between. And that is,
S2: I think, an interesting life. Let me play for you, Erica,
S2: talking about her call on your graduates this year. Cut
S2: number three to witness.
S4: He sought to order what was disordered and came to
S4: the table with solutions instead of more problems. He was
S4: very solution oriented. That's prime characteristic of an entrepreneur. But
S4: he had solutions, whether that be for the government or
S4: for the culture. And that's what all of you are
S4: called to do. Also, all of you students here that
S4: are graduating, you have learned about the permanent things, and
S4: you share in that responsibility to be a part of
S4: the solution for this nation and this world.
S2: Part of the solution. And then let's follow with cut
S2: number four.
S4: Because we are all here on this earth for such
S4: a short amount of time, such a short amount of time.
S4: And it's so Humbling. The contrast between human limitation and
S4: God's infinity. That's why our choices, even the smallest ones, matter.
S4: They matter so much. And through your time as a
S4: student at Hillsdale, you've spent years preparing. You spent years
S4: learning and being shaped in ways both seen and unseen.
S4: And now you find yourself standing at the threshold of
S4: a life that will no longer be structured for you,
S4: but entrusted to you. And that's important. That's special. Because once,
S4: once felt guided will now require direction. And what once
S4: felt theoretical will now become deeply personal.
S2: That is pretty deep for Erica Kirk. You're part of
S2: the solution. And there's a large limitation upon what you're
S2: on the earth for. Uh, did it go over well
S2: with the students?
S3: Yeah. Yeah, It was very it was a in the middle,
S3: toward the end of it, I, uh, I looked up
S3: all of a sudden and after she'd spoken and was going, uh,
S3: maybe we're getting better at it. The problem with commencement
S3: is it's too long. And this set of record, if
S3: you adjust for the number of graduates. We got more
S3: graduates now. So it didn't quite meet the record. But
S3: if you adjust for that, it did by a lot.
S3: And one of the reasons was she was pithy and
S3: high and, and I looked up and said, hey, this
S3: is a great commencement. And everybody cheered and she got
S3: a standing ovation, uh, faculty to everybody. And, uh, she
S3: was a controversial choice, right? Partly because Charlie was controversial
S3: and she's controversial and some amazingly terrible things are said
S3: about her, uh, by certain people. Uh, and, and, uh,
S3: she didn't, you know, is she serious enough? Well, I
S3: thought she was, I though I was the one who
S3: knew her, and sure enough, she stood up there and
S3: delivered like a champ and well, she's.
S2: It was to take the incoming arrows from the fringes
S2: of our society, and the nutters who have decided to
S2: make her an object of abuse tells me a lot
S2: about her character. I should also mention for the audience, uh,
S2: if they're watching on the Salem News channel, there's a
S2: fella in the shot in the bottom right of the shot,
S2: and they think they know him. And it's Pat Sajak, right?
S2: AM I right about that? Yeah, yeah.
S3: Yeah, yeah. He's the chairman of the board.
S2: And so he's everybody's watching this. I think I know
S2: that guy. Yes. You do know that. How did he
S2: come to be with, uh, Hillsdale?
S3: Well, I met him back in Claremont. Uh, he wrote
S3: me a letter, and he's got a weird name, like,
S3: as I do. So I thought it might be he
S3: and I had watched him. You know, you have to
S3: be old to know this, but he was an extremely
S3: popular weatherman on the nightly local news in LA. He
S3: was a feature. Everybody tuned in to watch him do
S3: the weather because he was funny. And then he gets
S3: the talk show for a while, and he's done a
S3: lot of things, and then he gets Wheel of Fortune.
S3: And so I wrote him back and said, maybe we
S3: should meet. And that began a process of every few
S3: months or weeks we would meet at Ilford, Iowa, in Pasadena,
S3: which is halfway between him and me.
S2: I just got to say, Hillsdale is a is a
S2: crossroads for many unimaginable but yet very real meetings. We'll
S2: be right back. Don't go anywhere. Hillsdale dialogue continues. Come
S2: right back for more doctor Larry Arnn here on the show.
S2: Welcome back America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. The Hillsdale dialogue is underway.
S2: Here is cut number five from Erika Kirk's commencement speech
S2: at Hillsdale College this year.
S4: And as you continue forward in life. I want you
S4: to kind of embrace a similar blueprint of my husband,
S4: where he loved to point out that God made us
S4: purposeful beings and continue forward in life with clarity and intention.
S4: And you will come to understand that life is not
S4: defined by the abundance of options. But by the weight
S4: of the choices that you make within them. And those choices,
S4: more often than not, are not dramatic or obvious, but
S4: quiet and compounding, forming the blueprint of your life long
S4: before anyone else can see what you are building. Each
S4: of us must order his own house, live rightly, and
S4: aim for high and beautiful things. And if we do,
S4: we may save our souls and perhaps by the mercy
S4: of God, contribute to the preservation of our country.
S2: Preservation of our country. That's not going to be heard
S2: in a lot of commencements. And one more doctor before
S2: I get your commentary. Cut. Number six from Erica's commencement.
S4: But what does that mean for you? For the students
S4: that are sitting here, for the graduates, it means that
S4: responsibility has now settled upon you. And that's very important.
S4: Not as a burden meant to overwhelm you, but as
S4: a calling meant to ground you. And starting tomorrow, you
S4: are now in a position where truth must be pursued
S4: and defended. And that responsibility comes from your identity as Christians,
S4: as Americans, and as graduates of Hillsdale College. Because to
S4: the world they believe truth is something to be reshaped.
S4: But to all of us in this room, it is
S4: something to be honored. If you are going to live
S4: as a purposeful being, then aim high at worthy things,
S4: because purpose is not something that just drifts into your life.
S4: It is formed through what you attend to, what you
S4: think about, what you return to when your thoughts start
S4: to wander over and over again. And over time, your
S4: thoughts become your priorities, and your priorities become your direction,
S4: and your direction becomes unmistakably your life.
S2: So, Doctor Arne, I don't think anyone arrives at Hillsdale
S2: thinking they're going to get given a purpose. And I
S2: don't think you have a purpose to give everyone, but
S2: they leave with a purpose. And the network effects of
S2: Hillsdale over the years, I've known you are extraordinary and
S2: they're multiplying exponentially. What do you put in that other
S2: colleges are leaving out?
S3: Well, it actually does start before they come. Uh, yesterday
S3: I reviewed an annual letter that I sent to all
S3: the matriculating students deposited with us. And it's been the
S3: same for 25 years now, and I send them two books.
S3: I send them a copy of Founding Father by Rick Brookhiser,
S3: which is a great short examination of Washington's character. And
S3: I send them Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, and I reminded them
S3: something they've known from the first materials they see from
S3: Hillsdale College. There's an honor code to sign, and you
S3: got to sign it. Don't come if you're not going
S3: to sign it. Right. Because you're here to become a
S3: serious human being. And that means the moral and intellectual virtues.
S3: So the point is, Hillsdale is a society of volunteers,
S3: and we have our arguments all the time. And, uh,
S3: on the other hand, we have our purpose and the
S3: arguments revolve around what the best way to serve that
S3: purpose is. And you know, that, you know, I've learned
S3: trying to educate young people for a long time now,
S3: but you can't really do anything to them that they
S3: have not chosen. Uh, especially when they're 18 and they
S3: don't quite know what all the consequences are, right? They
S3: don't know that they will bear the burden of their
S3: choices fully. You know, they have a sense of it.
S3: But and so if you do things to them that
S3: don't seem to help their growth, then they don't like it. And, uh,
S3: and so make them choose as a first step, right?
S3: If you want this, this is what this is. If
S3: you don't want this, you should go somewhere else. And
S3: that's really crucial.
S2: You know, we only have a minute to the break.
S2: What room is that commencement held in, by the way?
S2: People are watching on the Salem News Channel. It's a vast,
S2: vast room with a lot of graduates. I don't recall
S2: seeing that room on my trips up there. What is that.
S3: Called? The Beerman Center. Uh, it's the indoor track and
S3: tennis facility designed for, uh, with two novel features. One
S3: of them is Everything on the walls looks like athletics
S3: until you turn it over and it looks like commencement. Aha! And, uh.
S2: Okay.
S3: And then the second thing is it's got a massive
S3: air conditioning system, so it can remain comfortable when there
S3: are 5000 people in it.
S2: Well, it's it's well done. Whoever designed it, I'll be
S2: right back with Doctor Arnn. Don't go anywhere. The Hillsdale
S2: Dialogues can be found@hughforhillsdale.com. All things Hillsdale, including Ericas speech@hillsdale.edu.
S4: If you're seeking the ugly, the conspiracy, the pain, you'll
S4: find it. And if you're seeking the good and the
S4: true and the beautiful, you will find that as well.
S4: For example, if what occupies your mind is comfort, you will,
S4: with remarkable consistency, build a life that avoids difficulty and
S4: seeks ease. If it is pleasure, you will find ways
S4: to arrange your life around it. And while you may
S4: succeed in achieving both comfort and pleasure, you may also
S4: find perhaps your own surprise that they are incapable of
S4: sustaining the weight of a meaningful life. Because you are
S4: not made for a life that asks nothing of you.
S4: You are made for something higher. Something that calls you
S4: upward rather than settles you downward at the center of
S4: that life. It must be Jesus Christ always to love
S4: him and to serve him, because he is the axis
S4: upon which all other priorities turn.
S2: Uh, doctor, I, I agree with that and I know
S2: you agree with that, but Hillsdale does not exclude non-Christians.
S2: I just want to make sure people know that people
S2: of all faiths or none at all, are welcome at Hillsdale.
S2: And we began this hour, hour, last hour talking about, uh,
S2: maybe last week about Abraham and God speaking to the
S2: Israelites where the West begins. What we understand is the West. Um,
S2: did you get any pushback for that? Or is that
S2: the common understanding?
S3: No, we we, uh, we got over that. Um, Hillsdale
S3: is very Christian. It might be the most Christian college,
S3: but we've never in 182 years required a faith statement
S3: to attend the college. And we're starting now. We get
S3: some we're getting Jews and we'll probably get more. And
S3: we're starting a minor in Judaism and Western civilization. We
S3: started next year. Um, so yeah, it's A and C college.
S3: A college is not the same thing as a church. It's,
S3: it's related to a church and its purpose is to learn. Right.
S3: And so among our first sentence of our college history
S3: and the articles of association are Grateful to God for
S3: the prevalence in the land of the inestimable blessings of
S3: civil and religious freedom. That's America and intelligent piety and.
S3: And so we're here to learn about those two things
S3: so as to preserve them. It actually says the diffusion
S3: of sound learning is necessary to the preservation of these blessings.
S3: And we hereby endow and found a college at Hillsdale, Michigan.
S3: That's the purpose of Hillsdale College right there. And so.
S2: Intelligent piety. That is an interesting phrase because you can
S2: just say piety and convey a lot. But when you
S2: add the adjective intelligent piety, you're saying a lot more.
S3: That's what turns it into a college. You see it,
S3: you know, you. If I understand the New Testament properly,
S3: you can go to heaven just believing and being generally ignorant.
S3: But Christianity itself, like nature itself, is an invitation to learn. Right?
S3: What is the Jesus is the word, right? Something God says.
S3: So you're called to understand that to believe it is enough,
S3: but to understand it is. And so that's, you know,
S3: the first educational institutions, uh, in, you know, the, the
S3: oldest ones existing now were founded first and foremost to
S3: study theology. Right.
S2: Certainly in America, and I don't know.
S3: Well, Oxford and Cambridge too. Right. Okay.
S2: Okay.
S3: Monks. And, uh, and so they. So the point is, uh, we,
S3: we have, you know, civil and religious freedom and intelligent Piety.
S3: That's the reason why we have always been devoted to Christ,
S3: but also open.
S2: Let me also play Erica cut number eight, because there's
S2: also an unusual feature for a college 180 plus years old,
S2: cut number eight.
S4: But I just want to encourage all of you to
S4: the men you are called to provide, you are called
S4: to lead, to anchor your families in strength and consistency
S4: to the women you are called to nurture, to build,
S4: to shape lives with wisdom and endurance. These are not
S4: secondary callings. They are among the most significant ways of
S4: life can be rightly ordered.
S2: Along with Oberlin, which was abolitionist in its origins and
S2: opened to men and women. So was Hillsdale abolitionist in
S2: its origins. And I don't know how early it opened
S2: to women. Was it open to women from the beginning,
S2: Doctor Hahn?
S3: Hillsdale College. The 1844 articles read all who wish without
S3: regard to race, sex or national origin. Girls from the
S3: first girls.
S2: Okay, one more cut from Erica. Cut number nine.
S4: And so in closing, as you journey along, pursue truth
S4: and defend liberty. Like I said before, love your country.
S4: I've said this many times and I'll say it again
S4: our country is not perfect, but my goodness, is she good.
S2: Pursue truth. Defend liberty. Love your country. Pretty good mission
S2: statement from Erica Kirk.
S3: Yeah. It's lovely. Um, I, I, uh, wrote her, uh,
S3: I wrote her about how and why. You know what?
S3: What is, you know, you started this thing. Uh, I
S3: wrote her. We text she I, I don't like the text,
S3: but she texts. I'll text all day with her. And
S3: I wrote her what we started this thing with, you know,
S3: she said, give me some advice. And so I wrote
S3: her what commencement is and what the tone is and
S3: what the point is. And then she just put that
S3: and you know, other things too. I mean, I think
S3: she just did extraordinarily well. And, uh, I was happy
S3: for her and for the college because if you understand
S3: her situation, you have to wish her well. Um, when I,
S3: when I first met her and I've gotten to know
S3: her well now, um, I decided I, you know, I,
S3: one of my beliefs, having been married to Penelope for
S3: so long is women have to be tough and it's
S3: probably a mistake to marry him for that. I didn't
S3: really marry Penny for that. I married her to take
S3: care of her. Which is the right thing, right? But
S3: come to find out, you can't. You're going to have
S3: the baby. You're going to both have to work, right?
S3: And so I think Erica is resilient and intelligent and
S3: high minded. Proud of her.
S2: Stand by. We have one more segment. Welcome back America.
S2: I'm Hugh Hewitt. Doctor Larry Arnn is my guest. So
S2: doctor you got to do this every year. And the
S2: parents come and they're going to want they're going to
S2: watch the video and they're going to expect you to
S2: top it. But you really can't top things or you
S2: have to do something different. Do you start thinking now
S2: about next year?
S3: Well, in early September I will meet with the senior.
S3: First of all, I'm not willingly thinking about anything about
S3: next year. Right now I'm thinking, uh, but, uh, in
S3: early September, I meet with the senior class officers, and
S3: they will they're talking to the by. However, the kids
S3: talk today about putting a list together and, uh, and
S3: they'll bring a list and I'll bring a list and, uh,
S3: involve the provost and he gets a list from the faculty.
S3: And I involve other colleagues. And we start out with
S3: a list and, uh, we're looking for somebody who will
S3: represent the college. Well, uh, the kids tend to favor
S3: famous more because it's a human. It's a natural thing, right?
S3: Who's your commencement speaker to their friends and other colleges
S3: and back home, they talk to. And if you name
S3: somebody they never heard of, that's not cool, right? So
S3: they like famous. They tend to recommend very decent people.
S3: Robert Barron is one of the best commencement speakers.
S2: Oh my goodness. Yes.
S3: And and he's become a friend of mine. We're doing
S3: a series of the great books co-editing him and I.
S3: And I just love that guy. I heard of him
S3: first from the senior class officers, and we had him.
S3: And so they hit Homer pretty often. Faculty like to have, um, uh,
S3: you know, high academics there. They that's a good pool.
S3: They can be really good and they can be a
S3: little boring sometimes too. And, you know, I don't, I,
S3: I'm not arrogant about commencement speakers. I regard it as formidable. Um,
S3: because it's hard to give a good commencement speech. The worst.
S3: I won't name who it was, but the worst I've
S3: ever heard. There's a consensus that Hillsdale College, it's a
S3: long time ago now. It was a politician and I
S3: thought he'd do very well. And God, it was awful.
S2: And I have been to five. I've been to five,
S2: two of my own and three of my kids. And
S2: I can tell you the worst by far, but I'm
S2: not going to name it to you. And it was
S2: a public official, and someone had written it so that
S2: we may have a through line there. You might want
S2: to avoid the public, although Senator Cotton can give a speech.
S2: We'll see, we'll see. Doctor Larry Arnn, thank you. Don't
S2: go anywhere America. Stay tuned to the Salem News Channel.
S2: All of the Hillsdale dialogues, all of them are collected@hughforhillsdale.com.
S2: We're coming back to Churchill next week. We are back
S2: in their finest hour. Volume two.
S1: Thanks for listening to the Hillsdale Dialogues, part of the
S1: Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More episodes@podcast.hillsdale.edu or wherever you find
S1: your audio. For more information about Hillsdale College, head to hillsdale.edu.