Response to the National Call to Action for University Presidents and Governing Boards
Adrian College is delighted to respond to this national call to all universities and colleges across the United States of America. Our institution recognizes and understands that these crucial actions are steps that we have implemented and supported since at least 2005. The College has enjoyed unprecedented consistency and balance that align with this call under the leadership of Dr. Jeffrey R. Docking. Adrian College has successfully reinforced similar actions associated with freedom of speech, free inquiry, debate, viewpoint diversity, intellectual pluralism, academic rigor and excellence, and program creation, innovation, expansion, and work force adaptation over these many years.
The College has publicly and privately demonstrated substantial support for these types of actions which are vital in higher education. On two separate occasions, Dr. Docking testified before U.S. Congress via an invitation from Republican U.S. Representative Tim Walberg. On September 18, 2013, Dr. Docking testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training to present Adrian College’s growth strategy, tuition safety net initiatives, and cost-containment practices. November 18, 2025, Dr. Docking testified before a U.S. House committee to showcase Rize Education as an innovative way for colleges to expand high-demand majors while lowering costs and reducing student debt. When conservative entertainer Pat Boone faced public calls for cancellation over his political views prior to the 2012 commencement, Adrian College resisted external pressure and protected his invitation, upholding campus free speech and viewpoint diversity. Even in private settings, Dr. Docking and other Adrian College representatives were invited to join national higher education leaders, scholars, and policymakers at the American Enterprise Institute’s (AEI) closed-door Spring 2026 Higher Education Working Group roundtable to discuss outcome-based accountability measures, ROI, and higher education's economic value.
These are just a few brief but meaningful examples of Adrian College’s ongoing commitment to serving the best interests of all American students regardless of their socioeconomic and ideological background. Like our neighbor Hillsdale College, Adrian College understands the imperative to safeguard Western intellectual heritage, reject ideological conformity, and ground higher education in patriotic stewardship and economic prosperity.
Question 1: Admissions Transparency, Merit, and Equal Treatment
● Adrian College maintains fully accessible undergraduate and graduate admission guidelines published in the official Academic Catalog and public admissions portal. The College clearly outlines high school preparation expectations, cumulative GPA thresholds, and test-optional policies (where standardized tests are optional for admission but evaluated for merit scholarship consideration).
● In full accordance with federal law and the Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, Adrian College strictly enforces a non-discrimination policy. Every prospective student is evaluated as an individual without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, or protected characteristics.
● Admissions decisions are grounded in merit and objective academic achievement, high school coursework rigor, cumulative GPA, secondary school recommendations, and alignment with the College’s educational purpose. No hidden quotas, subjective ideological filters, or covert preference mechanisms are utilized.
● The Office of Admissions conducts regular internal audits of evaluation metrics and recruitment practices to verify complete transparency, ensuring that all admissions pathways remain fair, equitable, and merit focused.
Question 2: Protecting Free Speech, Civil Discourse, and Campus Safety
● Institutional Adoption of the Chicago Statement: In September 2019, Adrian College’s Faculty Body formally endorsed the Chicago Statement on Freedom of Expression, affirming the College's core commitment to open inquiry, wide-ranging debate, and the uninhibited exchange of ideas across all academic and co-curricular spaces: https://www.fire.org/sites/default/files/2019/11/06130124/Adrian-College-Faculty-Resolution-on-Academic-Freedom.pdf
● Guided by Adrian College’s Ribbons of Excellence framework and the College of the Future initiatives, which include additional efforts to balance the hyper-partisan pendulum of higher education and support true freedom of speech and open bipartisan debate, the institution actively sponsors and incorporates center to center right conservative thought via guest speakers and public debates series on political topics designed to model constructive disagreement. Examples include:
▪ Riley Gaines, Political Activist, Commencement Speaker, 2024: https://www.adrian.edu/news/2024/03/11/riley-gaines-to-serve-as-adrian-college-spring-commencement-speaker
▪ John James, Republican U.S. Representative of Michigan, Commencement Speaker, 2025: https://www.adrian.edu/news/2025/05/08/rep-john-james-urges-adrian-college-class-of-2025-to-find-their-purpose
▪ Ravindra V. Wagh, Brigadier General, Commencement Speaker, 2026: https://www.adrian.edu/news/2026/04/21/brigadier-general-ravindra-v-wagh-to-speak-at-adrian-college-spring-commencement
▪ Pat Boone, Christian Conservative Activist, singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host, and philanthropist, 2012.
▪ Warren Treadgold, Conservative American Historian, Bob and Jean Lok Freligh Community Lecture Series, 2023: https://www.adrian.edu/news/2023/02/15/ac-freligh-series-speaker-treadgold-to-share-thoughts-on-the-university-we-need
▪ Ken Starr, American Lawyer and Judge, Bob and Jean Lok Freligh Community Lecture Series, 2019: https://www.adrian.edu/news/2019/01/17/ken-starr-to-speak-at-adrian-college
▪ Rick Snyder, Former Republican U.S. Governor of Michigan, Commencement Speaker, 2017: https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2017/02/gov_rick_snyder_named_as_adria.html
▪ Ronna Romney McDaniel, Former Chair of the Michigan Republican Party, Open Discussion, 2015: https://www.lenconnect.com/story/news/education/campus/2015/11/06/romney-mcdaniel-asks-adrian-college/33155784007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z117004e008100v117004d--70--b--70--&gca-ft=184&gca-ds=sophi
▪ Carol Van Andel, Dave and Carol Van Andel Family Foundation, Commencement Speaker, 2011.
▪ Mike Rogers, former Republican U.S. Representative of Michigan, Commencement Speaker, 2006.
▪ George W. Romney, Former Republican U.S. Governor of Michigan, Commencement Speaker, 1993.
▪ Guy A. Vander Jagt, former Republican U.S. Representative of Michigan, 1981.
▪ Carl Duane Pursell, former Republican U.S. Representative of Michigan, 1984.
- Debate Series, sponsored by the George W. Romney Institute for Law & Public Policy
▪ Dean Paul Moreno, Hillsdale College, Is Donald Trump Governing Like a Constitutional President or a Political Strongman?, 2025.
▪ Dean J. Richard Broughton, Detroit Mercy Law, Gender Disparity & the Death Penalty, 2025.
▪ Professor Steven Dulan, Lawyer and NRA Board of Directors, Does the Constitution Allow Donald Trump to Be President?, 2024.
▪ Professor Lee Strand, Ohio State University, Is Speech on College Campuses Free Enough?, 2023.
▪ Professor Keith Whittington, Yale University, Constitution Day: Freedom of Thought and the Struggle to End Slavery, 2022.
● Adrian College assures that invited speakers across the political and ideological spectrum can present their views without fear of disruption or intimidation. Campus Safety protocols are deployed proactively to maintain order while protecting open discourse.
● The College supports a wide spectrum of organizations and clubs for students, faculty, and staff that represent a multiplicity of ideologies. Some of these organizations specifically incorporate center to center right conservative thought which is becoming uncommon in higher education. Likewise, they foster and encourage viewpoint diversity, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and open debate:
- Turning Point USA
- American Enterprise Institute
- Connect
- Heterodox Academy
- LDSSA
- Young Life
● Adrian College enforces its Student Code of Conduct, which explicitly prohibits harassment, intimidation, or disruptive behavior that interferes with classes, guest lectures, research, or official college operations.
Question 3: Encouraging Intellectual Pluralism and Academic Rigor
● Adrian College’s general education curriculum mandates the Great Conversations Series, inspired by the Great Books pedagogy. Courses such as GCON 110: The Meaning of Life, GCON 120: Western Civilization, and GCON 150: What It Means to Be a U.S. Citizen ensure every student engages deeply with foundational primary texts, Western intellectual thought, and civic responsibility rather than contemporary partisan orthodoxies.
● By returning foundational Western texts, classical philosophy, and historical literacy to the core general education requirements and the Humanities & Arts, Adrian College actively balances campus discourse, ensuring viewpoint diversity, classical liberal principles, and traditional intellectual traditions are given rigorous and serious study alongside modern scholarship.
● Research, scholarly inquiry, and student capstone projects at Adrian College are guided by the Ribbons of Excellence framework, specifically "Thinking Critically," "Crossing Boundaries," and "Learning More with a Purpose." Scholarly activities prioritize objective truth-seeking, original evidence-based analysis, and faculty-mentored research that addresses real-world community challenges and serves the American public.
● Faculty qualifications, hiring criteria, and evaluation frameworks are rigid and determined directly by the faculty through the formal governance process. This faculty-led structure ensures hiring and promotion remain anchored in subject-matter expertise, scholarly credentials, and pedagogical rigor rather than ideological conformity. To support academic vitality, hiring practices value viewpoint diversity and ideological neutrality. To advance our vision for the College of the Future, Adrian College has thoughtfully hired accomplished full- and part-time scholar-teachers from Hillsdale College. Their contributions to our Great Conversation courses enrich our classroom discussions, strengthen foundational inquiry, and elevate academic rigor across the humanities.
Question 4: Cost Containment, Value, and Affordability
● As a founding pioneer of the Lower Cost Models Consortium (LCMC) and incubator of Rize Education, Adrian College leverages cutting-edge academic program-sharing to introduce high-demand, career-aligned majors at a fraction of traditional instructional costs. By sharing specialized coursework across a national network of liberal arts institutions, the College expands academic offerings without adding administrative overhead, passing operational savings directly to families.
● For five years, Adrian College pioneered a national model for student financial safety nets through its Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), branded as AdrianPlus / The Freedom Plan. This initiative helps cover student loan repayments for eligible graduates who earn below specific income thresholds, providing peace of mind and tangible financial backing.
● The vast majority (over 95%) of undergraduate students receive financial aid or institutional scholarships, substantially lowering the net cost of attendance relative to published sticker prices.
● The College continuously reviews administrative overhead and operating expenses, reallocating funds directly into instruction, student learning environments, and classroom technology.
● Adrian College prioritizes high-market-demand programs (including Cybersecurity, Data Analysis, Sports Management, Public Health, Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Education, among others), equipping graduates to secure meaningful employment and maintain federal student loan default rates consistently at or below national averages.
Question 5: Maintaining Academic Rigor and Adapting to AI
● Adrian College centers its institutional identity on teaching excellence, maintaining small class sizes and a faculty-to-student ratio that fosters direct student-professor interaction. Faculty development initiatives emphasize high-impact pedagogical practices, active learning environments, and continuous peer evaluation to ensure high instructional quality across all academic departments.
● To maintain the integrity of degrees and combat grade inflation, the College relies on faculty governance and departmental oversight to establish objective, standardized grading rubrics. Assessment standards require that high marks represent true subject mastery and exceptional achievement rather than routine participation or inflated baseline performance.
● Rather than banning technology, Adrian College leads liberal arts innovation by embedding AI literacy directly into its general education requirements through AIL 100: AI for Everyone. Furthermore, the College offers specialized pathways, such as a B.B.A. in AI for Business Strategy and a Minor in AI & Ethical Leadership, ensuring students master AI tools responsibly and strategically.
● The College explicitly incorporates AI usage into its Academic Dishonesty catalog policies, defining unauthorized AI generation of assignments as academic misconduct while allowing faculty to set syllabus parameters for permitted tools. To guarantee authentic learning, instructors prioritize human-centered assessments, including supervised laboratory experiments, oral examinations, bluebook essays, live presentations, and original capstone research.
Question 6: Safeguarding Research Integrity and Foreign Influence
● As an independent American liberal arts college, Adrian College maintains absolute institutional sovereignty. The College refuses all foreign government grants, gifts, endowments, or state-sponsored partnerships that carry strings attached or attempt to influence curriculum, faculty hiring, or campus discourse.
● As an undergraduate-focused institution, Adrian College enforces ethical research standards through the Faculty Handbook and departmental academic governance. Faculty engaged in scholarly publishing, capstone mentoring, or external grant projects are held to strict standards of professional conduct, required to disclose conflicts of interest, and subject to administrative oversight through Academic Affairs to ensure the integrity of undergraduate research and scholarly work.
● The Adrian College Academic Catalog explicitly defines academic and research dishonesty to include the fabrication, falsification, or unauthorized AI generation of research data, essays, and intellectual property. All student and faculty research projects, including capstones and undergraduate research initiatives, must adhere to strict ethical standards.
● Adrian College protects its intellectual property and administrative networks through institutional cybersecurity protocols. The College secures institutional data, research repositories, and digital infrastructure against unauthorized external access, foreign espionage, and cyber threats.
● Academic programs, research priorities, and instructional materials remain strictly under the authority of Adrian College faculty and academic leadership. All curriculum changes must pass through internal, transparent faculty governance reviews, ensuring that academic programs are guided solely by rigorous scholarship.
Question 7: Advancing American Prosperity, Workforce Needs, and Security
● Established in 1859 by abolitionist leaders, Adrian College’s commitment to the nation was sealed in 1861 when trustees offered campus grounds as Camp Williams to train the 4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry. Today, the College maintains that tradition by instilling constitutional principles, civic duty, and public service in its students.
● Through its affiliation with the Michigan Army National Guard and Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), Adrian College offers academic programs in Military Science and Tactical Strength and Conditioning. The campus annually hosts "Meet the Army Community Day" and the "Tactical Athlete Competition," connecting students and the regional community with Army personnel, military vehicles, and ROTC scholarship opportunities.
● Led by faculty in the Institute for Sports Medicine and Graduate Athletic Training, Adrian College partners with military physical readiness programs to support the Army's Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) system. This collaboration trains tactical athletes, athletic trainers, and strength specialists to optimize human performance for national security forces.
● Adrian College participates in the federal Yellow Ribbon Program and GI Bill® benefits, providing full tuition support and academic infrastructure for military veterans, active service members, and their dependents to earn higher degrees.
● To directly address critical national security vulnerabilities and supply chain risks, Adrian College has deployed high-demand, industry-aligned majors, including Cybersecurity Management, Applied AI & Data Science, Supply Chain Management, Emergency Management & Disaster Planning, and Public Administration. Developed in partnership with industry experts, these career-ready programs equip graduates with practical skills to defend American digital infrastructure, fortify domestic supply networks, and protect public safety. The growth and adaptation of Adrian College’s academic programs has explicitly responded to the changing demands of workforce development.
