Institute for Classical Education

Lecture by Mary Hirschfeld (Villanova U.)

Carol Reynolds (SMU), David Mason (Colorado College), Diane Vincent and Paul Spears (Biola U.)

Dr. Owen Anderson (Arizona State University) takes a closer look at the meaning that humans inherently seek from their reading and interpretation of history.

Dr. David Diener began his formal post-secondary education at Wheaton College where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Philosophy and Ancient Languages. After putting his philosophical training to work by building custom cabinets and doing high-end finish carpentry for an Amish company, he moved with his wife to Bogotá, Colombia, where they served as missionaries for three years at a Christian international school.  He then attended graduate school at Indiana University where he earned an M.A. in Philosophy, an M.S. in History and Philosophy of Education, and a dual Ph.D. in Philosophy and Philosophy of Education.  He has taught at The Stony Brook School and Taylor University and has served as Head of Upper Schools at Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth, TX, and Head of School at Grace Academy in Georgetown, TX.  He currently works at Hillsdale College where he is the Headmaster of Hillsdale Academy and a Lecturing Professor of Education.  He also is an Alcuin Fellow, serves on the Board of Directors for the Society for Classical Learning and the Board of Academic Advisors for the Classical Learning Test, and offers consulting services through Classical Academic Press.  He is the author of Plato: The Great Philosopher-Educator and serves as the series editor for Classical Academic Press’ series Giants in the History of Education.  The Dieners have four wonderful children and are passionate about classical education and the impact it can have on the church, our society, and the world.

Lecture by Stanley Kurtz (Ethics and Public Policy Center)

Great Hearts Vice President of Professional Development, Jerilyn Olson, discusses elementary reading within a classical education.

Dr. Hochschild delivers a lecture titled “Why Go Back to Aristotle? How Classical Philosophy Makes You Antifragile”.

Fostering Good Conversation Over Great Books with Jon Balsbaugh, Carol B. Reynolds, and David Bobb.

At the 2nd annual National Classical Education Symposium, we explored “The Historian’s Craft and the Art of Teaching History.” One of our informants, Dr. Wilfred McClay, was delighted by the conversation we hosted and the colleagues we invited. McClay’s new book, Land of Hope, was the general topic for his talk, as he shared with us the historian’s perspective on writing history–a discipline that unites the science of historical observations with the art of story-telling.

The Institute provides donors an opportunity to shape a generation of hearts and minds.