Hillsdale College Welcomes Class of 2019

HILLSDALE, Mich., Sept. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Hillsdale College welcomed the Class of 2019 at its Freshman Convocation ceremony at the Margot V. Biermann Center on August 30, 2015. The ceremony included remarks by Hillsdale College President Dr. Larry P. Arnn and words of encouragement from rising seniors Marie Wathen and Kyle Cooper. Hillsdale's national profile continues to grow, with 41 states represented in this class—the most ever.

"Hillsdale College is a place where people cultivate the virtues, moral and intellectual, that can make them excellent free citizens and understand what that is," Dr. Arnn said at the Freshman Convocation ceremony. "The word 'college' means partnership, and partnerships can only really work among free people if they share purposes. Welcome to this partnership."

"Hillsdale College offers more than exposure to great ideas and wonderful classes," said Wathen. "It offers an incredible community that will support you along the way. That community sets Hillsdale apart and I'm so pleased to welcome you into it."

"Carry yourself in a way that you can be proud of everyday," Cooper told the audience. "Focus on all those little things that make each day special and really get to know the people here. I promise you will enjoy your college experience. Congratulations on beginning at this new stage in life, and welcome to Hillsdale College."

Hillsdale College Class of 2019 by the numbers (as of August 31, 2015)

Number of full-time freshman: 386
Number of states represented: 41
Students from Michigan: 33%
Students from private school: 30%
Homeschooled students: 16%

Hillsdale College Class of 2019 Academic Profile (as of August 31, 2015)

The middle 50 percent of freshman enrolled for fall 2015:

- Scored between 1820 and 2060 on the SAT
- Scored between 27 and 31 on the ACT

Average ACT: 29.22
Average SAT: 1976
Average GPA: 3.81
Highest ACT: 35
Highest SAT: 2330
Highest GPA: 4.31
Most popular intended majors: Politics, History, Pre-Law, Economics, English, Biology, Pre-Medicine and Osteopathy

At the conclusion of the convocation ceremony, students recited the Matriculation Pledge:

"We, the students of Hillsdale College, commit ourselves to diligent study and patient reflection. Having come to learn, we are proud to do so with integrity and will conduct ourselves with exemplary honor. As sacrifices past and present make possible our education, we too become stewards of this College for the generations yet to come. We pledge ourselves to the pursuit of truth, the love of the good, and the cultivation of beauty, for the sake of our minds and hearts and for an ennobled society. By so doing, we embrace the high calling of liberal education."

To view photos of Hillsdale College's Freshman Convocation 2015, please follow this link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mgc7r1wwmps803p/AAAfZ3nQk3aryKvcvWA8KXHva?dl=0 

About Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College, founded in 1844, has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies — even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 2.9 million.

SOURCE Hillsdale College