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- [00:05]
Narrator/Announcer
Every week, Hillsdale College President Larry Arne joins Hugh Hewitt to discuss great books, great men and great ideas. This is Hillsdale Dialogues, part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More episodes at Podcast Hillsdale. Edu or wherever you find your audio,
- [00:29]
Hugh Hewitt
Morning Glory and Evening Grace America. Thanks to Mark Davis for sitting in for me a little bit. I am so pleased to welcome back Dr. Larry Arn, President of Hillsdale College. It's commencement season everywhere. Some commencements are done. Hillsdale's is done. Some are this weekend, some are next weekend, some go into middle of June. But I wanted to spend some time on that. It's not really a Hillsdale dialogue, but it's really all Hillsdale dialogue. First of all, Dr. Arne, what is the whole purpose of a commencement, that it's is it a unique American tradition or does it go back to the founding of Oxford and Cambridge Gold it
- [01:07]
Dr. Larry Arne
well, first of all, to understand it, you know, I, of course, what have I done? I've done 27 commencements. Now, isn't that crazy? And it starts with the oddness of the name commencement. You know, it is about starting out your life right, but the mood and the tone is all farewell. You know, you could call it valediction, you know, farewell, goodbye. This is the end. And that's, you know, the talk is heavily involved in that. It's called commencement. Now you have to ask yourself the question, what unites the past and the future? And the answer is not the present. That's very fleeting. The answer is eternity. And so the right theme of commencement is eternity. And there are lots of prayers and there's lots of talk about the eternal things in light of which one must commence one's life. And in a good college, you're there to learn what those things are and build the character to pursue them. So that's what commencement is about. And the best commencement speeches are like that.
- [02:18]
Hugh Hewitt
And you had a great commencement speaker this year in Erica Kirk. I'm going to play a lot of her commencement speech. But before I do, in the 26 prior commencements you've had Justice Thomas, you've had a lot of great people come and speak to the college. If I were to press you, and we accept Justice Thomas and any other justices and Erica Kirk, who lingers with you after 27 years as giving a speech that made a mark.
- [02:50]
Dr. Larry Arne
Michael Ward was very good. He's a C.S. lewis Scholar. He's got a wonderful he's a very good ceremony. He's very good in many ways, but he's a very Good ceremonial speaker. And he's funny. Mostly he's funny by making fun of us. He parsed out the name Hillsdale one time. What does it mean? Hill. Dale. Hills and dales. Do they go together? And he worked on that for a while. But he's. He's very good. Hadley Arkis gave a great talk one year. Serious. What you need to do it well is gravitas. You need serious. You need to be a serious person. And so the ones who are the most serious do the best.
- [03:38]
Hugh Hewitt
Well, I want to dissent. I had Alexander Solzhenitsyn for two hours in the rain in 1978. He spoke in Russian and it was translated into English. Very serious speech. Not that great of a commencement, though, but a very serious speech. Let's turn to this year. Erica Kirk. Brilliant inspiration on your part to invite her. Why did you invite her? To address it in this year of her tragedy.
- [04:06]
Dr. Larry Arne
Well, I loved Charlie and I left him because he was a student. He was, you know, I mean, he was an important man, right? And he was a whirlwind. And I began by resenting him, you know, because I don't like people coming up to me and tell me this is the most brilliant young man in America, because I think if there is such a young man, I probably know him. And. And if I do know him, I won't go around calling him the most brilliant young man in America because I don't think it's good for 19 year olds. So I sort of whacked him first time I met him and I got him to say what Turning Point was. And he said, you're going to change the culture on college campuses. And I said, define for me the terms culture and college. And he struggled. And I said, so you're going to fix it and you don't know what it is. And, you know, I thought, I'm done with that boy now. Well, I was not done with him for the next 12 years. He just haunted me. And he. Erica sent me just the other day another page from his. What she calls his journals. What they are, is class notes. We studied a lot of things together, Charlie and I, and he. And that's what we always talked about. You know, we didn't talk very much about Donald Trump and high politics, which he was very involved in much more than I. He wanted to talk about America. What is it? What does it mean? What is the final cause? What is a formal cause? What is character? How do you get one? He just loved those topics. And he was just all over him every Time I talked to him, and so I came to love him. And then he was killed. And two nights later, his wife called me and we talked for an hour and a half. And it was very. And I knew her a bit. I knew him well, and it was just very sad and touching. And she said, you were Charlie's teacher. And I said, well, he said that. She said, will you teach me? And I said, of course. What would you like to know? And the first thing she said was, she said, everything. And then she said, I have to try to run a turning point. Can I do that? And I said, well, it starts with two little kids, doesn't it? I said, how far away do you live from the office? She said, 20 minutes. And I said, move closer or move the office. You're going to have to involve them. It's going to break your heart. I have two daughters who are professional women. One of them, two children, one about to have one. And they have to deal with the fact that they go to work. And it'll break your heart when your children resent that. So you have to prove to them every day, first thing, every day, that you love them the most and they are your first concern. And one way to do this, involve them. Take them, you know, take them. So we talked about that, and we talked about, what does she need to know? And how to run a railroad. And she asked me two nights later would I speak at the memorial service, which I did, which was an extravaganza and, you know, a wonderful thing. And. And so I offered Charlie and Erica an honorary degree. So now she's coming. Anyway, we had an invitation out already to somebody to be the commencement speaker. And on very good ground, that person that can't do it, but I'll meet with your kids whenever you want, whoever that person was. And so now she's coming. And so we thought. I talked to the senior class officers and we thought that would be good. And she did do very well, I thought.
- [08:02]
Hugh Hewitt
In fact, let me begin by playing the beginning of Erica Kirk, Commencement Direct cut number one.
- [08:10]
Erica Kirk
When we arrive, we go straight to the gym, because that's what we did. And I'm on one side of the gym, Charlie's on the other. And then all of a sudden, I was thinking, he pulled out the bat phone, and I was like, okay, maybe he's going to put on some music. He loved classic rock. I was like, maybe he's going to put on some music. So I'm on the treadmill, he's over in the waits and all Of a sudden, I hear Dr. Arn's voice coming from the side of the room. And so I walk over to him, and I was like, baby, what are you listening to? He goes, I know. He was like, I'm almost done. He's like, I have to finish just a few more lectures from Dr. Arne. I have a few more certificates I have to get from my online courses at Hillsdale. We're almost there. I can't skip him. I was like, baby, you do what you got to do. I'm here for it. But I enjoyed it because I was learning about Churchill, too. When he was working out, I was working. It was a great little bonding moment.
- [09:03]
Hugh Hewitt
That's their honeymoon, doctor. Or so she began the commencement speech by saying, you went with them on their honeymoon. I'm not sure that's a good thing, but it's flattering. Did the. Did your wife get a laugh out of that?
- [09:16]
Dr. Larry Arne
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, Charlie went around his key advice to people, to young men especially, he was very, very effective with them and women, too. Was what? Learn a lot. Don't go to a bad college. Learn a lot. Build your character, love your country, get married and have some kids. And that's, you know, when I met Charlie, he was single. And I told him, I said, you know, because the first time I met him, it was a college event in Wyoming, and I didn't get to talk to anybody else. He just wouldn't leave me alone. I was late for my next meeting. I said, two hours. We sat and talked, and I said to him, I said, are you married? He said, no. I said, you got to get married. He said, why? I said. He said, I know, but why do you say that? And I said, because it does make life more serious, doesn't it? Then you've done the whole thing in life, right? You got to get some kids because it's a pain. And you'll learn all about life if you do that. Well, he went around telling the world that. And then, you know, when he got engaged to Erica, he called me about that and he said, you know, he brought her to Hillsdale. He came to Hillsdale many times. Sit in class. You come sit in class. And, yeah, so she's a wonderful woman.
- [10:44]
Hugh Hewitt
More of that commencement speech coming up, because there's a lot in it. Don't go anywhere, America. You're listening to Hillsdale Dialogue. Everything. Hillsdale at Hillsdale. Eduardo.
- [10:54]
Narrator/Announcer
Hello, this is Jeremiah Regan, executive director of online learning here at Hillsdale College, and I have some great news. We've brought Hillsdale's incredibly popular free online courses to the Hillsdale College Podcast Network, and our next series is the American Left From Liberalism to Despotism, a course taught by Associate professor of Politics Kevin Slack and Hillsdale President Larry P. Arn. After listening to all 11 episodes, you'll have a deeper understanding of what has happened to America in the past 60 years and what we can do about it today. The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, hosted by Online Learning Marketing director Juan Davalos and me, expands Hillsdale's mission to provide all who wish to learn the education necessary to increase happiness and to preserve the civil and religious liberties of America. We want you to be a part of it at Podcast Hillsdale. Eduardo subscribe now to the Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast to hear new episodes every week with additional commentary and insights from our team. Go to Podcast Hillsdale. Edu to learn more. That's Podcast Hillsdale. Edu hello, this is Jeremiah Regan, executive director of Hillsdale College Online Learning, and I am the executive producer and one of the screenwriters of Revolutionary America, Hillsdale College's new documentary about the founding, showing in theaters only May 31 through June 2. To find a theater near you or to buy tickets in advance, go to Hillsdale. Edu Film. That's Hillsdale. Edu Film. Witness the founding of our nation described in vivid detail and with sharp accuracy by Hillsdale professors and guests, including narrator Tom Selleck. Take your friends and your family. Go see Revolutionary America. In theaters only May 31 through June 2. Buy tickets at Hillsdale. Edu Film.
- [12:48]
Erica Kirk
He really understood that this institution wasn't normal. It was something that elevated his thinking to be a thought leader and really become a serious person. Not just a political talking head, but someone who truly sought out the beautiful things in life, the good, the true. And he really took that seriously because he loved learning and that's what set him apart, just as all of you. You guys love learning. And I would tell him and he would like to hear it, but I love telling him because it was honest. I would say, I love learning from you. And so whenever we would have date nights, I would just be like, tell me something that I don't know about the Founding Fathers, or tell me something about Benjamin Franklin, because he loved learning about Benjamin Franklin. Or tell me something about Churchill. He just loved being able to share what he had learned in those moments.
- [13:43]
Hugh Hewitt
Hillsdale is not normal. That's Erica Kirk giving the commencement speech this year at Hillsdale College. Our guest is Dr. Larry Arne, Hillsdale Dialogue Underway all things Hillsdale. Hillsdale is not normal. That's a problem for America because it ought to be normal for colleges to care about learning, but it's increasingly not. When she said that, did you smile?
- [14:04]
Dr. Larry Arne
Oh, yeah. Well, he, that's, you know, Charlie published a book, his penultimate book, one just published posthumously. And he said he gave the advice, kids shouldn't go to college. But he called me before it came out, a month before it came out, and said, I'm publishing this book, but I'm exempting Hillsdale. I don't want you to be mad at me. And I said, yeah, I don't care if kids go to college unless they don't go to Hillsdale, then I care. But he, he's, you know, there's a movement, by the way, underway, not only there are fewer kids going to college, but there are more commonly now they say they don't intend to go. And I think, you know, the value of it is the reason it's done between the ages of 18 and 21 is because you haven't started your career yet and it's your. And you've reached a maturity level where you can get seriously ready for life in general. Right. And then the career will take whatever course it takes. I mean, I happen to know, because I've known you for 400 years, you didn't set out to be a media person. That wasn't your deal, right?
- [15:14]
Hugh Hewitt
Nope.
- [15:14]
Dr. Larry Arne
And I didn't set out to be a college. You know, that wasn't my deal. I was actually against it. And so, you know, what you can do when you're young is get ready for life, and then life will tell you what you're going to do.
- [15:29]
Hugh Hewitt
Yeah. I think it's funny that the audience, We've known each other since we were 33 years old, and neither of us were remotely close to living where we are now living or doing what we are now doing. And there have been many changes in between. And that is, I think, an interesting life. Let me play for you, Erica, talking about her call on your graduates this year. Cut number three, full to witness.
- [15:52]
Erica Kirk
He sought to order what was disordered and came to the table with solutions instead of more problems. He was very solution oriented. That's prime characteristic of an entrepreneur. But he had solutions, whether that be for the government or for the culture. And that's what all of you are called to do. Also, all of you students here that are graduating, you have learned about the permanent things and you share in that responsibility to be a part of the solution for this nation, in this world,
- [16:24]
Hugh Hewitt
part of the solution. And then let's follow with cut number four.
- [16:28]
Erica Kirk
Because we are all here on this earth for such a short amount of time, such a short amount of time, and it's so humbling, the contrast between human limitation and God's infinity. That's why our choices, even the smallest ones, matter. They matter so much. And through your time as student at Hillsdale, you've spent years preparing. You spent years learning and being shaped in ways both seen and unseen. And now you find yourselves standing at the threshold of a life that will no longer be structured for you, but entrusted to you. And that's important, that's special, because once what once felt guided will now require direction. And what once felt theoretical will now become deeply, personally.
- [17:24]
Hugh Hewitt
That is pretty deep. For Erica Kirk, you're part of the solution, and there's a large limitation upon what you're on the earth for. Did it go over well with the students?
- [17:35]
Dr. Larry Arne
Yeah, yeah, it was very. It was in the middle, toward the end of it. I looked up all of a sudden, and after she'd spoken, and it was going, maybe we're getting better at it. The problem with commencement is too long. And this set a record. If you adjust for the number of graduates, we've got more graduates now, so it didn't quite meet the record, but if you adjust for that, it did by a lot. And one of the reasons why she was pithy and high, and I looked up and said, hey, this is a great commencement, and everybody cheered, and she got a standing ovation. Faculty, too, everybody. And she was a controversial choice, right? Partly because Charlie was controversial and she's controversial, and some amazingly terrible things are said about her by certain people.
- [18:28]
Erica Kirk
And.
- [18:29]
Dr. Larry Arne
And she didn't, you know. Is she serious enough? Well, I thought she was. I am, though. I was the one who knew her. And sure enough, she stood up there and delivered like a champ.
- [18:39]
Hugh Hewitt
Well, she's. It was to take the incoming arrows from the fringes of our society and the nutters who have decided to make her an object of abuse tells me a lot about her character. I should also mention for the audience, if they're watching on the Salem News Channel, there's a fella in the shot, in the bottom right of the shot, and they think they know him. And it's Pat Sajak, right? Am I right about that?
- [19:03]
Dr. Larry Arne
Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's a chairman of the war. And so
- [19:10]
Hugh Hewitt
everybody's watching this. I think I know that guy. Yes, you do know that. How did he come to be with Hillsdale.
- [19:17]
Dr. Larry Arne
Well, I met him back in Claremont. He wrote me a letter and he's got a weird name like as I do, so I thought it might be he. And I had watched him, you know, you have to be old to know this, but he was an extremely popular weatherman on the nightly local news in la. He was a feature. Everybody tune in, watch him do the weather because he was funny. And then he gets the talk show for a while and he's done a lot of things, and then he gets Wheel of Fortune. And so I wrote him back and said maybe we should meet. And that began a process of every few months or weeks, we would meet at IL for now in Pasadena, which is halfway between him and me.
- [19:59]
Hugh Hewitt
I just gotta say, Hillsdale is a as a crossroads for many unimaginable but yet very real meetings. We'll be right back. Don't go anywhere. Hillsdale Dialogue continues. Come right Back for more Dr. Larry Arn here on the Hugh Hewitt Show. Welcome back, America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. The Hillsdale Dialogue is underway. Here is cut number five from Erica Kirk's commencement speech at Hillsdale College this year.
- [20:30]
Erica Kirk
And as you continue forward in life, I want you to kind of embrace the similar blueprint of my husband, where he loved to point out that God made us purposeful beings and continue forward in life with clarity and intention. And you will come to understand that life is not defined by the abundance of options, but by the weight of the choices that you make within them. And those choices, more often than not, are not dramatic or obvious, but quiet and compounding, forming the blueprint of your life long before anyone else can see what you are building. Each of us must order his own house, live rightly, and aim for high and beautiful things. And if we do, we may save our souls and perhaps by the mercy of God, contribute to the preservation of our country.
- [21:26]
Hugh Hewitt
Preservation of our country. That's not going to be heard at a lot of commencements. And one more doctor on before I get your commentary, cut number six from Erica's commencement.
- [21:37]
Erica Kirk
But what does that mean for you, for the students that are sitting here? For the graduates, it means that responsibility has now settled upon you. That's very important. Not as a burden meant to overwhelm you, but as a calling meant to ground you. And starting tomorrow, you are now in a position where truth must be pursued and defended. And that responsibility comes from your identity as Christians, as Americans, and as graduates of Hillsdale College. Because to the world, they believe truth is something to be reshaped. But to all of us in this room. It is something to be honored. If you are going to live as a purposeful being, then aim high at worthy things. Because purpose is not something that just drifts into your life. It is formed through what you attend to, what you think about, what you return to when your thoughts start to wander over and over again. And over time, your thoughts become your priorities, and your priorities become your direction, and your direction becomes unmistakably your life.
- [22:49]
Hugh Hewitt
So, Dr. Arne, I don't think anyone arrives at Hillsdale thinking they're going to get given a purpose, and I don't think you have a purpose to give everyone, but they leave with a purpose. And the network effects of Hillsdale over the years I've known you are extraordinary. And they're multiplying exponentially. What do you put in that other colleges are leaving out?
- [23:12]
Dr. Larry Arne
Well, it actually does start before they come. Yesterday, I reviewed an annual letter that I send to all the matriculating students, deposited with us, and it's been the same for 25 years now. And I send them two books. I send them a copy of Founding Father by Rick Brookheiser, which is a great short examination of Washington's character. And I send them Aristotle and Key in Ethics, and I remind them something they've known from the first materials they see from Hillsdale College. There's an honor code to sign, and you got to sign it. Don't come if you're not going to sign it. Right, because you're here to become a serious human being. And that means the moral and intellectual virtues. So the point is, Hillsdale is a society of volunteers, and we have our arguments all the time. And on the other hand, we have our purpose, and the arguments revolve around what the best way to serve that purpose is. And you know that. You know, I've learned, trying to educate young people for a long time now that you can't really do anything to them that they have not chosen, especially when they're 18 and they don't quite know what all the consequences are. Right. They don't know that they will bear the burden of their choices fully. You know, they have a sense of it, but. And so if you do things to them that don't seem to help their growth, then they don't like it. And. And so make them choose as a first step, right? If you want this, this is what this is. If you don't want this, you should go somewhere else. And that's really crucial.
- [25:01]
Hugh Hewitt
You know, we only have a minute to the break. What room Is that commencement held in, by the way, people are watching on the Salem News Channel. It's a vast, vast room with a lot of graduates. I don't recall seeing that room on my trips up there. What is that called?
- [25:15]
Dr. Larry Arne
The Biermann Center. It's the indoor track and tennis facility designed with two novel features. One of them is everything on the walls looks like athletics until you turn it over and it looks like commencement.
- [25:34]
Hugh Hewitt
Okay.
- [25:36]
Dr. Larry Arne
And then the second thing is it's got a massive air conditioning system so it can remain comfortable when there are 5,000 people in it. Well, it's.
- [25:45]
Hugh Hewitt
It's well done, whoever designed it. I'll be right back with Dr. Arn. Don't go anywhere. The Hillsdale dialogues can be found at euforhillsdale.com all things Hillsdale, including Erica's speech at Hillsdale. Edu
- [26:01]
Narrator/Announcer
on the new episode of the Larry Arn Show. Hillsdale College President Larry Arn sits down with senior journalism fellow at Hillsdale College and editor in chief at the Federalist, Molly Hemingway for a one on one conversation.
- [26:14]
Erica Kirk
I always try to be optimistic about the situation, but we really do have some serious problems going forward that need to be addressed.
- [26:23]
Dr. Larry Arne
And we need more great men to help lead us.
- [26:27]
Erica Kirk
Men like Justice Thomas and Justice Alito. These men are not made every day,
- [26:32]
Dr. Larry Arne
but there are other men and women
- [26:34]
Erica Kirk
I would encourage to step up and help lead us from our current troubles.
- [26:39]
Narrator/Announcer
Listen to this exclusive interview with Molly Hemingway right now, only available on the Larry Arn Show. Find it on the Hillsdale College Podcast Network at Podcast Hillsdale. Edu or wherever you get your audio and subscribe to receive new episodes delivered right to your device. That's Podcast Hillsdale. Edu.
- [27:04]
Erica Kirk
If you're seeking the ugly, the conspiracy, the pain, you'll find it. And if you're seeking the good and the true and the beautiful, you will find that is true.
- [27:14]
Dr. Larry Arne
Well,
- [27:17]
Erica Kirk
for example, if what occupies your mind is comfort, you will, with remarkable consistency, build a life that avoids difficulty and seeks ease. If it is pleasure, you will find ways to arrange your life around it. And while you may succeed in achieving both comfort and pleasure, you may also find, perhaps to your own surprise, that they are incapable of sustaining the weight of a meaningful life. Because you are not made for a life that asks nothing of you. You are made for something higher, something that calls you upward rather than settles you downward. At the center of that life, it must be Jesus Christ always to love him and to serve him, because he is the axis upon which all other priorities turn.
- [28:07]
Hugh Hewitt
Dr. Arne, I agree with that and I know you agree with that, but Hillsdale does not exclude non Christians. I just want to make sure people know that people of all faiths or none at all are welcome at Hillsdale. And we began this hour, last hour, talking about maybe last week about Abraham and God speaking to the Israelites where the west begins. What we understand is the West. Did you get any pushback for that or is that the common understanding?
- [28:39]
Dr. Larry Arne
No, we got over that Hillsdale is very Christian. It might be the most Christian college, but we've never in 182 years required a faith statement to attend the college. And we're starting now. We're getting Jews and we probably get more and we're starting a. A minor in Judaism and Western civilization be started next year. So yeah, it's. And see, college, a college is not the same thing as a church. It's. It's related to a church and its purpose is to learn. Right. And so among our first sentence of our college history and the articles of association are grateful to God for the prevalence in the land of the inestimable blessings of civil and religious freedom. That's America and intelligent piety. And so we're here to learn about those two things so as to preserve them. It actually says the diffusion of sound learning is necessary to the preservation of these blessings. And we hereby endow and found a college at Hillsdale, Michigan. That's the purpose of Hillsdale College right there.
- [30:00]
Hugh Hewitt
And so intelligent piety, that is an interesting phrase because you can just say piety and convey a lot. But when you add the adjective intelligent piety, you're saying a lot more.
- [30:18]
Dr. Larry Arne
That's what turns it into a college. You see it. You know, if I understand the New Testament properly, you can go to heaven just believing and being generally ignorant, but Christianity itself, like nature itself, is an invitation to learn. Right. What is the Jesus? Is the word right? Something God says? So you're called to understand that too. Believe it is enough, but to understand it is. And so that, you know, the first educational institutions and you know, the oldest ones existing now were founded first and foremost to study theology. Right.
- [31:03]
Hugh Hewitt
Certainly in America. And I don't knowledge of God.
- [31:07]
Dr. Larry Arne
Well, Oxford and Cambridge too. Right.
- [31:09]
Hugh Hewitt
Okay.
- [31:09]
Dr. Larry Arne
They were monks and so they. So the point is we have civil and religious freedom and intelligent piety. That's the reason why we have always been devoted to Christ. But also open.
- [31:30]
Hugh Hewitt
Let me also play ERICA Cut number eight because it's also an unusual feature for a college 180 plus years old. Cut number eight.
- [31:39]
Erica Kirk
But I just want to encourage all of you. To the men, you are called to provide, you are called to lead, to anchor your families in strength and consistency. To the women, you are called to nurture, to build, to shape lives with wisdom and endurance. These are not secondary callings. They are among the most significant ways a life can be rightly ordered.
- [32:08]
Hugh Hewitt
Along with Oberlin, which was abolitionist in its origins and open to men and women, so was Hillsdale abolitionist in its origins. And I don't know how early it opened to women. Was it open to women from the beginning?
- [32:20]
Dr. Larry Arne
Dr. Orne, Hillsdale College. The 1844 articles read, all who wish without regard to race, sex or national origin. Girls from the first girls.
- [32:36]
Hugh Hewitt
Okay, one more cut from Erica. Cut number nine.
- [32:40]
Erica Kirk
And so, in closing, as you journey along, pursue truth and defend liberty. Like I said before, love your country. I've said this many times, and I'll say it again, our country is not perfect, but my goodness, is she good, Larry.
- [32:56]
Hugh Hewitt
Pursue truth, defend liberty, love your country. Pretty good mission statement from Erica Kirk.
- [33:03]
Dr. Larry Arne
Yeah, it's lovely. I, I wrote her, I wrote her about how and why, you know, what, what is commit, you know, you started this thing. I wrote her, we text. She, I don't like to text, but she texts, so I'll text all day with her. And I wrote her what we started this thing with, you know, she said, give me some advice. And so I wrote her what commencement is and what the tone is and what the point is. And then she just put that and, you know, other things too. I mean, I think she just did extraordinarily well and I was happy for her and for the college because if you understand her situation, you have to wish her well. When I, when I first thought it matter, and I've gotten to know her well now, I decided, you know, I, one of my beliefs, having been married to Penelope for so long, is women have to be tough. And it's probably a mistake to marry her for that. I didn't really marry Penny for that. I married her to take care of her, which is the right thing, right? But come to find out, you can. You're gonna have these babies, you're gonna both have to work, right? And so I think Erica is resilient and intelligent and high minded, proud of her. Stand by.
- [34:37]
Hugh Hewitt
We have one more segment. Welcome back, America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. Dr. Larry Arden is my guest. So, Dr. Arne, you got to do this every year and the parents come and they're going to want, they're going to watch The Erica Kirk video. And they're going to expect you to top it. But you really can't top things or you have to do something different. Do you start thinking now about next year?
- [35:03]
Dr. Larry Arne
Well, in early September, I will meet with the city. First of all, I'm not willingly thinking about anything about next year. Right. But in early September, I meet with the senior class officers, and they will. They're talking to the by. However, the kids talk today about putting a list together and. And they'll bring a list and I'll bring a list. And I involve the provost, and he gets a list from the faculty, and I involve other colleagues. And we start out with a list. And we're looking for somebody who will represent the college. Well, the kids tend to favor famous more because it's a. It's a human. It's a natural thing. Right. Who is your commencement speaker to their friends in other colleges and back home. They talk to. And if you name somebody they never heard of, that's not cool. Right. So they like famous. They tend to recommend very decent people. Robert Barron is one of the best commencements.
- [36:13]
Hugh Hewitt
Oh, my goodness, yes.
- [36:16]
Dr. Larry Arne
And he's become a friend of mine. We're doing a series of the great books, co editing him and I. And I just love that guy. I heard of him first from the senior class officers, and we had him. And so they hit Homer pretty often. Faculty like to have, you know, high academics. That's a good pool. They can be really good. And they can be a little boring sometimes, too. And, you know, I don't. I'm not arrogant about commencement speakers. I regard it as formidable because it's hard to give a good commencement speech. The worst. I won't name who it was, but the worst I've ever heard. There's a consensus at Hillsdale College, and it's a long time ago now. It was a politician, and I thought he'd do very well. And God, it was awful. And I even.
- [37:12]
Hugh Hewitt
I've been to five, two of my own and three of my kids. And I can tell you the worst by far, but I'm not going to name it to you. And it was a public official and someone had written it down, so that is that. We may have a through line there. You might want to avoid the public, although Senator Cotton can give a speech. We'll see. We'll see. Dr. Larn, thank you. Don't go anywhere, America. Stay tuned to the Salem News Channel. All of the Hillsdale dialogues, all of them, are collected@hugh for hillsdale.com we're coming back to Churchill next week. We are back in their Finest Hour, Volume two.
- [37:49]
Narrator/Announcer
Thanks for listening to the Hillsdale Dialogues, part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More episodes at Podcast Hillsdale. Edu or wherever you find your audio. For more information about Hillsdale College, head to Hillsdale.
- [38:06]
Dr. Larry Arne
Eduardo.