Ashlyn Vermeer (freshman), Brenda Mata (sophomore), Destiny McClintock (junior), and Jessie Kohl (senior), are this year鈥檚 scholarship recipients. As free society scholars, these students will conduct research on the foundations of a free society. These foundations are a free-market economic system, a democratic form of government, and strong cultural institutions like the church.

鈥淚 think I am most excited to independently explore an area and simply become, not necessarily an expert, but at least well versed enough to hold a long conversation with someone about it,鈥� says Jessie Kohl, senior scholarship recipient. 鈥淔ew things beat out the ability to have a deep, well-informed conversation with someone on a topic in which you are passionately investing time in learning about.鈥�

These students were selected based on an essay submission explaining what a free society is, what it means to them, and what it means to their community and country. This is a renewable scholarship so students can continue their research throughout their college career.

鈥淚 am really excited about the opportunity to work with this group of students over the course of their academic career at HLGU,鈥� says Scott Hall, Moorman Professor of Business at HLGU. 鈥淭o be able to work with them year to year on a consistent topic is worth its weight in gold. It鈥檚 the kind of thing you don鈥檛 get to do within the frame of normal coursework. I can鈥檛 wait to see how it turns out.鈥�

For more information about free society programming at 番茄社区 University, contact FreeSociety@hlg.edu.

This funding made it possible to implement programming on campus that focused on the foundational principles of a free society. Through exclusive lecture series and student-led reading groups, students have the opportunity to better understand and to participate in conversations about democratic government, free-market economic systems, and strong socio-cultural institutions. These three principles are at the core of programming funded by the Moorman Foundation.

Programming is executed by HLGU鈥檚 Moorman Professor, Mr. Scott Hall. 鈥淭he funding from the Moorman Foundation allows us to promote free society concepts to the student body and community at large,鈥� said Hall. 鈥淚n our own small way, we鈥檙e trying to educate the population so they can make decisions that will help them prosper鈥攖hat鈥檚 the whole point鈥攖o educate about free society and show people effective pathways to prosperity.鈥�

With the grant renewal, HLGU will have the resources to continue to promote the importance of free market principles in business and society.

For more information about the Moorman Professorship or upcoming events, contact Hall at 573.629.3023, or via email at scott.hall@hlg.edu.

by Emma Anderson, HLGU student

Mr. Scott Hall, chair of the business department and assistant professor of business, is leading the way for these types of events on campus. He says, 鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited to host Dr. John Wilsey as our first speaker for our fall speaker series on the nature of a free society. Dr. Wilsey is a nationally known author with particular insight on the impact religion has on liberty, particularly Christianity. Events like this help students and the community toward a greater understanding of what a free society is and how we can maintain one. These talks are a lot of fun; always interesting and entertaining!鈥�

On Friday morning, September 18, the honors community hosted Dr. Wilsey for a talk on the topic of 鈥淐onservativism: What is it? Does it have a future?鈥� He outlined the basic tenets of conservatism, which he identified as an approach to life, which includes an appreciation of the wisdom of the past and a cautious approach to change. He also identified several strands of American conservative thought, including Black Conservatism.

Dr. Miles Mullin, director of the honors program, commented, 鈥淚t is always a privilege to have someone of John鈥檚 intellectual stature on campus to address our academic community. His talk was well-delivered and stirred discussion regarding many issues, which is really the point of our efforts.鈥�

Dr. Wilsey is associate professor of church history and philosophy at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He was 2017-2018 William E. Simon Visiting Fellow in Religion and Public Life with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, where he conducted research for his forthcoming religious biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower鈥檚 secretary of state, John Foster Dulles. That book will be released under the title God鈥檚 Cold Warrior: The Life and Faith of John Foster Dulles by Eerdmans this February 9. Dr. Wilsey edited an abridged edition of Alexis de Tocqueville鈥檚 Democracy in America for Lexham Press in 2016, and is the author of One Nation Under God: An Evangelical Critique of Christian America and American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion: Reassessing the History of an Idea.

鈥淭he power of the seminar is seeing how our field of study influences our perspective on the subject matter and gaining an appreciation for the nuances offered by alternative points of view. My greatest reward from this event is the excitement and involvement I see in the students.  There are so many interesting ideas that they come up with; I learn something every time.鈥� said Scott Hall, business department chair.

In order to participate in the event, students and participating adults were required to read material by authors Timothy Keller, Miroslav Wolf, Deidre N. McClosky and Dorothy Sayers prior to the event. The purpose was to spark discussion about key ideas amongst students and faculty in four categorized sessions.

鈥淚 think this event really helped me broaden my perspective on real world topics. It also enabled me to think academically as well as spiritually on topics that are very interesting as well as thought provoking. It was interesting to see how my peers used their majors and knowledge to bring a different perspective.鈥� said student and participate Kamey Fiedler. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s goal is to inspire college students to discover, embrace, and advance the principles and virtues that make America free and prosperous. These conferences are held nationally and this was the first one for Hannibal-Lagrange University to host. To learn more about the ISI, visit their website at home.isi.org

The four students, members of Phi Beta Lambda (PBL), the college-level of Future Business Leaders of America, attended the 2018 PBL State Leadership Conference and earned several top-level rankings, beating out competitors from larger schools such as University of Missouri, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and Missouri State University.

鈥淚鈥檓 extremely proud of these students and the hard work they鈥檝e put into their academic careers,鈥� said Scott Hall, business department chair and assistant professor of business.

David Ballew received a one ranking in statistical analysis and in microeconomics, Nathan Rose received a one ranking in marketing concepts, Tyler Billings received a one ranking in accounting analysis and decision making, and Sydni Bedsworth, Nathan Rose, and Stephen Schildknecht received a one ranking in the team competition for marketing analysis and decision making.

The PBL State Leadership Conference is sponsored by Missouri FBLA-PBL, and operated through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The conference attracts 250 members from 21 PBL chapters to compete in over 65 events. Students are also able to attend business workshops, listen to keynote speakers, learn from industry experts, earn scholarships and recognition, explore careers, test and develop business skills, and network with business leaders.