The Hillsdale College community attracts more than just students. Supporters from all across the country come to take part in the life of the college; some 20 families even move to Hillsdale to be closer to the college.
Senior Director of Institutional Advancement Calvin Stockdale said that families moving near the college is nothing new.
While most colleges receive the majority of their financial support from their alumni, according to Stockdale, that is not the case with Hillsdale, which has around 12,000 to 15,000 living alumni and 350,000 to 400,000 donors.
“The vast majority of the support the college receives is from people who have no direct connection to the school,” Stockdale said. “They view Hillsdale as more than just a school; they view it as a cause.”
Mary Buerger moved to Hillsdale from Southern California 10 years ago and has three grandchildren who went to Hillsdale. At the time of her move, she was living alone, her husband having passed away and her children living in various locations across the country.
“I wanted to do something interesting,” Buerger said. “I didn’t want to sit around and do nothing.”
Buerger said that her family was initially shocked by her decision to move, but she had plenty of friends around the college.
“I explained to them what a great place it is,” Buerger said. “Over the years they have come to CCAs and they like it now.”
Cheri and Jerry Brauer, on the other hand, didn’t initially move to Hillsdale for the college. They met as students at the University of Michigan and lived in Illinois for 30 years, and then figured they would move back to Michigan in their retirement. Four years ago, when Cheri’s father was declining in health, they bought a condo in Hillsdale to be closer to him.
“I knew the college was here and I knew it had a conservative reputation,” Jerry said. “But there wasn’t any motivation to be by the college.”
The Brauers got involved with the college pretty much right after they arrived in Hillsdale. They said they were impressed by the first program they attended, a lecture by Jonah Goldberg, and they now attend most of the college’s CCAs, concerts, plays, and lectures. They even sit in on classes throughout the semester. They currently attend “Political Journalism” with John Miller, director of the Dow journalism program, and Cheri is also in “Leadership, Power, & Responsibility” with Robert Blackstock, professor of law. The Brauers said they are very grateful for the openness to the community and the opportunity to sit in on classes.
For most of her life, Cheri was a clinical social worker and an active member of the Democratic Party. Around the time they moved to Hillsdale, she had been dissatisfied with the party for a while, and she was becoming more conservative. She said that the education of the college molded her beliefs.
“All the stuff I was trying to formulate in my mind for all those years I was learning here,” Cheri said.
Jerry, on the other hand, is a lifelong conservative. He was a historical museum director for many years. He said that the reason they support the college is because they agree with classical liberal approach to education.
“We’ve seen the politicalization of education,” Jerry said. “The great thing about Hillsdale is that you hear alternative views and people are not afraid. People’s views and values are respected here.”
The Brauers have spent most of their life in various college towns and they have had a lot of friends who were professors.
Cheri said she appreciates the opportunity to continue learning during her retirement years.
“It’s saving me, I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t taking classes,” she said.
Buerger also attends music and theater productions at the college, as well as speaking engagements and CCAs.
“It’s an intellectually exciting environment that keeps my mind running,” Buerger said, adding that observing Hillsdale is “like putting lawn feeder on grass and watching it turn a beautiful green. That’s what it’s been like watching Hillsdale students turn out beautiful.”
After about 6 months of living in Hillsdale, the Brauers established their first scholarship in Classics and then a year later they pledged to the “The Frederick Douglass” scholarship which aims to support minority students. Through their involvement with the college and their scholarships, the Brauers have gotten to know a few students over the years, and still keep in touch with some of them.
“Since we don’t have any children of our own I think that has met a need for us,” Jerry Brauer said.
Danielle Lee is a sophomore at Hillsdale and a current recipient of the Brauer’s contributions. She said the Brauers have been “so kind to me and are generous in their support.”
She also said that Cheri texts her every once in a while to check up on her, and that the Brauers have been very understanding and supportive with her workload and the challenges of school.
“I cannot thank God enough for them,” Lee said.
Stockdale said the most difficult part of his job is conveying the mission of the college to donors who have never seen it.
“Once we get them to campus, they catch the vision of the college,” Stockdale said, “and at that point the college sells itself.”
Buerger said Hillsdale College is full of “wonderful and good people.”
“The college has been like a great friend to me,” she said.