A documentary film program is one of the many projects proposed in the Rebirth of Liberty and Learning Campaign. The program is currently under development with its official start date dependent on a fundraising goal of $7.25 million.
Earlier this year, President Larry Arnn approached John Miller, director of the Dow Journalism Program, to consider a documentary film program at the college.
“President Arnn asked me to give it some real thought. I spent two months researching,” Miller said. “I called everybody I knew that had anything to do with filmmaking. I had a series of conversations that eventually helped me put together a proposal.”
Provost David Whalen explained that the proposed program aligns with the mission of the college.
“The college is a liberal arts institution and one charged with a special duty regarding citizenship and responsible liberty. It is easy to see how a journalism program and a documentary film program could be a service to the latter two,” Whalen said.
Maria Servold, assistant director of the journalism program, mentioned that current students have expressed interest, but the resources have been limited.
“Currently, we are making some small steps to increase video with The Collegian. But for the most part we don’t have the capability or resources to professionally teach students how to document stories with video.”
In conjunction with the journalism department, this program will focus on documentary filmmaking for students interested in video journalism as well as film.
“Film and video are important parts of storytelling. I think the college understands the importance of knowing how to tell a true story on film, and they want to be able to teach students how to do that,” Servold said.
“The programs will synthesize what one liberally learns about narrative, about analysis, about causes, about the human condition and other things that are simply good to understand, and deploy that understanding in a public manner,” Whalen said.
According to the Department of Institutional Advancement, the film and documentary program has set a campaign goal of $7.25 million by June 30, 2018.
“Once we have those commitments, we will get it started. I am confident that five years from now it will either be in existence or we will be getting it off the ground,” Miller said. “Ten years from now we will have an excellent nationally recognized documentary film and journalism program at Hillsdale.”
Last Friday, the Dow Journalism Program hosted its first documentary screening of “The Way Back to Yarasquin,” a documentary produced by Hillsdale alumna and owner of TwentyTwenty Studios, Sarah Gerber.
