Three highly educated and respected academic personnel from Hillsdale College in Michigan, USA, took a trip to South Africa where they encountered insightful and meaningful experiences they can take home.
David Whalen, Mark Kalthoff and Mark Maier engaged with the students and personnel of Akademia through insightful lectures about various topics on the liberal arts.
Hillsdale College is an independent institution of higher learning founded in 1844 by men and women “grateful to God for the inestimable blessings” resulting from civil and religious liberty and “believing that the diffusion of learning is essential to the perpetuity of these blessings”.
In simpler terms, Hilldale defines itself as “a small, Christian, classical liberal arts college in Southern Michigan that operates independently of government funding”.
Their teachings specialize in liberal arts, focusing on classical fundamentals, timeless truths and inspirational teaching. The college also considers itself a trustee of our Western philosophical and theological inheritance tracing to Athens and Jerusalem, a heritage finding its clearest expression in the American experiment of self-government under law.
“Liberal learning produces cultivated citizens with minds disciplined and furnished through wide and deep study of old books by wise authors,” wrote Mark Kalthoff, PhD.
By training people in the liberal arts, Hillsdale College prepares them to become well-educated and virtuous citizens willing to defend the blessing of civil and religious freedom Americans have inherited from their Founders.
During their visit, the professors got the opportunity to learn more about the Solidarity Movement and its institutions. Sol-Tech, AfriForum, Kanton, Solidarity, and the Voortrekker Monument were all part of the tour.
“I haven’t stopped learning since I got here,” Dr Whalen laughed. “This is my first time visiting South Africa, and I didn’t know what to expect. Seeing the institutions, learning more about the Afrikaner culture and connecting with nature has been a wonderful experience thus far.”
Leaders of the Solidarity Movement visited Hillsdale in the past and explained how they took inspiration from the Hillsdale campus and community to implement it at Akademia and Sol-Tech.
Inspiration such as the sense of community and the Christian values and ethics, among other things, were taken from Hillsdale and implemented successfully at Akademia and Sol-Tech. Another similarity is that Hillsdale is independent of government funding and values, and follows a more conservative, old-school ideology.
Whalen was also amazed by the enthusiasm of the Akademia students and personnel. “These persons have so much interest in the liberal arts and asks deep and intelligent questions. Their enthusiasm and interest reminded me to never take my work for granted.”
Although lectures and intellectual conversations are intriguing, the highlight of their visit – all three professors agree on this – was during their stay at Dinokeng Nature Reserve when a pride of lions roamed just outside their tent.
The Solidarity Movement is always proud to welcome international guests. We wish these professors from Hillsdale College a safe flight back home and we hope they are inspired to continue the great work in their field. We sincerely hope they value what they have learned from us as much as we value what we have learned from them.
