Overworking:
Classics Musicians:
Dolly Parton:
OPINION: Embrace Hillsdale’s busyness. Life will only get busier.
The two latest Classics faculty are a guitarist and pianist.
Campus remembers the late country music legend.
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Courtesy | Tony Jelso
Illustration | Maggie O’Connor
Courtesy | Dalton Sala
Michigan’s oldest college newspaper
Hillsdale County sheriff faces felony charges By Gemma Flores City News editor Hillsdale County Sheriff Scott Hodshire pled not guilty to two felony charges at his Sept. 2 arraignment in Jackson at the county courthouse. Hodshire and his Ann Arbor-based attorney John Shea appeared via Zoom before Jackson County District Judge Daniel Goostrey. Hodshire was charged with one count of obstruction of justice and one count of misconduct in o!ce. Lawyers for the prosecution were not present at the arraignment. Hodshire, who is currently serving his second term as Hillsdale County’s Sheriff, is accused of tampering with an investigation carried out by the Williams County Sheriff ’s Office in Ohio.
Hodshire allegedly tampered with a theft investigation that WCSO requested assistance from Hillsdale County Sheriff ’s O!ce on, according to court transcripts obtained by the Hillsdale Daily News. The suspect, according to the transcript, was residing in Camden, Michigan, which is under HCSO’s jurisdiction. Hodshire allegedly called the suspect and both of the suspect’s parents to inform them of an active search warrant, including what the police were looking for. The prosecution claims that Hodshire’s actions placed police o!cers in jeopardy. Hodshire’s next appearance in court will be his probable cause conference, scheduled for Sept. 30.
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College to build War Memorial By Sophia Bryant Features editor Hillsdale College will build a memorial in the quad to honor student soldiers who died fighting in armed con&icts. Construction on the memorial will begin in April 2027 and will finish in late May 2028, according to Chief
als, living memorials,” College President Larry Arnn said in an email to The Collegian. “They attest to the purposes of the college and our activity in service to them. It is traditional to place in such places memorials to the past and to the connection of the college to the outside world. We have several, beginning with our
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www.hillsdalecollegian.com
Vol. 150 Issue 2 – September 3, 2026
Michael Knowles named 2027 commencement speaker By Ellie Fromm
Editor In Chief
public commentary,” Hillsdale College president Larry Arnn told The Collegian in an email. “His commentaries are an instruction and an entertainment. He is an example of man keeping his bearings in a shifting, dangerous, and opportune world.” Earlier this year, Knowles hired Christina Lewis ’26 as a researcher for his podcast and in July she began working for him in Nashville. “Michael is a good pick as Hillsdale’s commencement speaker because he represents everything that Hillsdale stands for,” said Lewis, who
thinkers of Western tradition,” she said. “He will give a good commencement address that focuses on students while also talking about deeper topics in life.” Knowles is from New York and married Alissa Mahler in 2018, and the couple has three children. Andrew Klavan, host of The Daily Wire’s “The Andrew Klavan Show,” hired Knowles 12 years ago to write Klavan’s Twitter posts. Soon after hiring him, Klavan noticed something special in Knowles. “He did such a good imitation of me, I often read my
Michael Knowles will deliver the commencement address for the class of 2027 on May 8, according to the college provost’s o!ce. The 36-year-old Knowles has hosted “The Michael Knowles Show” podcast at The Daily Wire since 2017, which is No. 27 on Spotify’s news podcast charts. He also hosts PragerU’s “The Book Club,” a show in which Knowles and “special guests discuss the great literature that has shaped Western Civilization,” according to PragerU’s website. Knowles earned a degree in history and Italian literature from Yale University. He frequently lectures at colleges and u n ive rs it i e s , and spoke at Hillsdale College in September 2021 about free speech, according to The Collegian. “ M i c h a e l Michael Knowles in Arizona in 2024. Courtesy | WikiMedia Commons Knowles is witty, quick, and studied history at Hillsdale feed just to remind myself profound. He studied seri- and was on the staff of The what I sound like. In keeping ous things at Yale, and he Collegian. with this, I recommend Hillshas improved his knowledge “In his show, he always dale’s students should listen and his faith by intense effort brings up Aquinas and Saint to him as long as he sounds as he has built a career of Augustine and all these great like me,” Klavan joked in an
email to The Collegian. “If he strays into any thoughts of his own, put your fingers in your ears and whistle Dixie, or if Dixie is no longer acceptable, the title song to the musical ‘Mame,’ which will work just as well.” Klavan was a Hillsdale College Eugene C. Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Journalism in 2019. “There is no one working today who can more expertly eviscerate the specious arguments of socialists and other enemies of the American founding,” Klavan said. “To watch him stand as a lone conservative on a TV panel or debate stage is a joy — sort of like watching a samurai slice up a sparrow m i d - f l i g ht , although in that case, the sparrow has a better chance o f e s c ap e . He’ll be an i nspi r at i on as these fortunate grads ride off into the fray.”
Hillsdale’s two new Fulbright students spend time abroad By Sophia Mandt CollegiaN reporter
The War Memorial Courtesy | Rich Pewe
Administrative O!cer Richard Péwé. The memorial will be located between the Diana Davis Spencer Graduate School of Classical Education building and Strosacker, according to a mock-up. “All the buildings at the center of the campus are memori-
Civil War statue, proudly facing out toward the world in the South Quad. The War Memorial will repeat this theme and recognize all the Hillsdale students who have sacrificed for our country.”
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It was a normal day at work in the Mossey Library archives for Phaedra Kelley ’26, until she discovered she had received a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. “I’ll never forget that moment,” Kelley said. “It was just a huge wave of disbelief and relief all rolled into one, and I definitely started crying.” Kelley and Ethan Bourgeois ’26 both received scholarships from the Fulbright
Volleyball sweeps 3-0 on the road By Ashley Luke CollegiaN reporter
We were just more comfortable when the game was on the line.”
WSU 3-1 with 56 kills and 4 aces, and swept Quincy University 3-0 with 42 kills and The Hillsdale 9 aces. Junior women’s volleymiddle/outside ball team won all hitter Ellie Fles three matches at led against IUP the Wayne State with 12 kills. University Warrior B oth junior Invitational tourmiddle hitter nament Aug. 28-29 Caroline Lanand earned touricek and Fles nament and Great dominated at Midwest Athletic WSU with 16 Conference distinckills. Fles fintions. ished QU with “We’ve got a 13 kills. During tough schedule this t he tour naSenior Chloe Pierce, sophomore Grace Drake, junior Ellie Fles, year,” head coach ment, Lanicek was Chris Gravel said. freshman Ella Vandermark, and junior Caroline Lanicek. selected for the “We’ve done a lot of Courtesy | Athletics Department all-tournament work on performing while Hillsdale beat Indiana team and Fles was awarded being uncomfortable, and I University of Pennsylvania think that was the difference. 3-1 with 43 kills and 11 aces, See Volleyball A9
program this year. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and awards grants to graduating American seniors, graduate students, and professionals who plan to conduct research, pursue graduate study, or teach English abroad.
Phaedra Kelley.
Ethan Bourgeois.
Courtesy | Phaedra Kelley
Courtesy | Ethan Bourgeois
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Students nominated for top college broadcast awards
ITS overhauls campus Wi-Fi
By Monica Smies CollegiaN reporter
By Blake Schaper CollegiaN reporter
College Broadcasters Inc. has named three Hillsdale College students as finalists for national awards due to their exceptional work with Hillsdale’s radio program. Junior Lilly Faye Kraemer is nominated for Best Regularly Scheduled Entertainment Program for her episode, “Story Behind the Song: Stephanie Childress”; senior Luke Miller is a finalist for Best Documentary for his work, “Commander in Chief: Lyndon B. Johnson”; and Erika Kyba ’26 is nominated for Best Podcast for her program episode, “The Poetry Fix: Old Ironsides.”
CBI is a national college radio competition that gives awards to colleges across the country for radio, podcasts, and documentaries, according to Scot Bertram, general manager at WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. The submissions are judged by multiple professionals in journalism, journalism-adjacent fields, and mass communications, according to CBI rules. The first-place winners for each section will be announced at the CBI convention in October.
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Hillsdale College’s internet is getting software and hardware upgrades, improving connectivity, security, and accessibility for students. Hillsdale ITS has been working over the summer to move to a new network equipment vendor, add more Wi-Fi access points in notoriously spotty areas, and adjust the Wi-Fi usage for guests. Additionally, ITS is implementing a new network, HC-Wi-Fi, which will require a secure, one-time Hillsdale account login.
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