While inflation is ticking upward and many in the private and public sector are turning to the federal government for bailout money, Hillsdale College, as always, goes counter-cultural. They’ve announced a freeze on tution and room and board for the coming year. One of the few safe academic bastions for conservative and libertarian thought, the school is already the cheapest of Michigan’s nine major private colleges without any federal or state aid compromising their mission by mandating absurd politically dictated education requirements. From the press release:
Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn stated: “During these hard economic times Hillsdale College will continue to provide our students and their families the best available liberal arts education at a competitive cost. To that end, we have made prudent budget adjustments that will allow us to freeze our tuition and room and board charges.”
In her State of the State address last month, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm called on Michigan’s public universities and colleges to hold the line on tuition rates during this economic downturn, and later indicated money from federal stimulus legislation will prevent a cut in state aid to public universities and colleges.
Hillsdale College refuses any federal taxpayer subsidy, even in the form of student grants and loans, and in 2007 voluntarily ended over $700,000 in annual student aid from the State of Michigan.
Two summers ago I attended a wedding between two recent Hillsdale grads, where I met several current and former students as well as a professor. On the whole, they were far more impressive than the sum total of Ivy Leaguers I’ve run across. Whatever Hillsdale charges for tuition, it’s worth a lot more.