

The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour
Hillsdale College
The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour is a one-hour, weekly radio show/podcast advancing the efforts of Hillsdale College in radiating its knowledge and teaching to the world outside of campus. Listeners will hear the arguments and debates that make up the liberal arts education and will experience the learning and teaching that happens on campus. Hosted by Scot Bertram.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 13, 2024 • 42min
Kevin Roberts: Shifting Power Back to the People
Guests: Kevin Roberts & Timothy McDonnell Host Scot Bertram talks with Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, about the future of the American republic and his new book Dawn's Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America. And Timothy McDonnell, associate professor of Music at Hillsdale College, begins a series on the history of some of the most popular Christmas carols. This week: the complicated story of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 6, 2024 • 51min
Sean McMeekin Traces the Evolution of Communism
Guests: Matthew Mehan & Sean McMeekin Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Mehan, associate dean and assistant professor of government at Hillsdale’s Washington, D.C. campus, about how the ancients viewed virtuous leadership. And Sean McMeekin, the Francis Flournoy Professor of European History and Culture at Bard College, explains the violence inherent in communism and discusses his latest book, To Overthrow the World: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Communism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 27, 2024 • 19min
Giving Thanks at Hillsdale College
Host Scot Bertram talks with Bill Gray, vice president for institutional advancement at Hillsdale College, about the culture of thanks at Hillsdale, the College’s national impact, and how to include Hillsdale in your Giving Tuesday plans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 22, 2024 • 56min
Victor Davis Hanson: How Trump Won
Guests: Victor Davis Hanson & Steven Gow Calabresi Host Scot Bertram talks with Victor Davis Hanson, the Wayne and Marcia Buske Distinguished Fellow in History at Hillsdale College and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, who provides analysis and insight into the results of our recent Presidential election. And Steven Gow Calabresi, Henry R. Barber Professor of Law at Northwestern University and co-chairman of the Federalist Society, reviews the illustrious career of Edwin Meese and the birth of the originalist movement, as laid out in his new book The Meese Revolution: The Making of a Constitutional Moment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 15, 2024 • 49min
George Gilder: How Israel Enriches the U.S.
Guests: Stephen Smith, George Gilder, & Patricia R. Bart Host Scot Bertram talks with Stephen Smith, dean of humanities and professor of English at Hillsdale College, about the new Hillsdale College online course on John Milton's Paradise Lost. George Gilder, prolific author and co-founder of the Discovery Institute, describes the enriching relationship between Israel and the United States and discusses his new book The Israel Test: How Israel's Genius Enriches and Challenges the World. And Patricia R. Bart, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, continues an in-depth series on the history of the English language.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 8, 2024 • 48min
Inside the Nixon and Reagan White Houses with Ken Khachigian
Guests: Kathleen O'Toole, Ken Khachigian, & Clay Travis Host Scot Bertram talks with Kathleen O'Toole, assistant provost for K-12 Education, about why classical education can reverse the damage done to learning achievement during the pandemic. Ken Khachigian, director emeritus of the Richard Nixon Foundation board of directors and chief speechwriter and senior political advisor for President Ronald Reagan, gives a behind-the-scenes look at the Nixon and Reagan White Houses as detailed in his new book Behind Closed Doors: In the Room with Reagan & Nixon. And we play excerpts from a recent lecture from co-host of The Clay & Buck Show and founder of OutKick Clay Travis titled "Wokeness in Sports," delivered at a Hillsdale College event in Bellevue, Washington.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 1, 2024 • 49min
Larry O'Connor on Media and the 2024 Election
Guests: Mark Moyar, Larry O'Connor, & Kevin Gerstle Host Scot Bertram talks with Mark Moyar, the William P. Harris Chair of Military History at Hillsdale College, about his recent essay on the left-wing capture of higher education. Larry O’Connor, host of O’Connor and Company on WMAL-FM in Washington, D.C., recounts his move from the world of professional theater to talk radio and provides a survey of the effect of new media on the 2024 election. And Kevin Gerstle, associate professor of mathematics at Hillsdale College, describes the relationship between mathematics and cryptography.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 25, 2024 • 46min
Michael Waltz: Leadership and the Green Berets
Guests: Michael Waltz & Patricia R. Bart Host Scot Bertram talks with Michael Waltz, congressman for Florida's sixth district and the first Green Beret elected to Congress, about how the mindset he honed in military service can help anyone conquer everyday challenges, and his new book Hard Truths: Think and Lead Like a Green Beret. And Patricia R. Bart, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, continues an in-depth series on the history of the English language.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 18, 2024 • 44min
The Genius of Rodgers and Hammerstein
Guests: Wilfred McClay & John Steele Gordon Host Scot Bertram talks with Wilfred McClay, Victor Davis Hanson chair in Classical History and Western Civilization at Hillsdale College, about the importance of civic education in higher education and summarizes a report on the subject he wrote for the American Enterprise Institute. And John Steele Gordon, author, historian, and nephew of Oscar Hammerstein, gives a survey of how the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein influenced the golden age of the American musical.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 11, 2024 • 45min
The Roots of America's Housing Crisis
Guests: Richard Samuelson & James S. Burling Host Scot Bertram talks with Richard Samuelson, associate professor of government at Hillsdale College's Washington, D.C., campus, about the 250th anniversary of the First Continental Congress. And James S. Burling, vice president for Legal Affairs at Pacific Legal Foundation, explains how various government interventions created America's worsening housing crisis as laid out in his new book Nowhere to Live: The Hidden Story of America's Housing Crisis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


