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Author Profile

Graham Hillard

Graham Hillard joined the Martin Center in the spring of 2022 after fifteen years at Trevecca Nazarene University, where he taught creative writing, literature, and composition. He holds a bachelor's degree in communication arts from Union University and an MFA in creative writing from New York University.

Hillard's opinion pieces and articles have appeared widely, in such venues as The Los Angeles Review of Books, Memphis: The City Magazine, The Oxford American, and The Weekly Standard. He is a regular contributor to National Review and writes frequent film and television commentary for The Washington Examiner. On two occasions, his work has been listed among the year's "notables" in Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Best American Essays anthology. He was a finalist for the 2012 Livingston Award for Young Journalists in the "local reporting" category and the recipient of a 2017 individual artist fellowship for poetry from the Tennessee Arts Commission.

In addition to his duties at the Martin Center, Hillard is the founding editor of the Cumberland River Review, a digital literary quarterly. His first book of poems is forthcoming in the Poiema Poetry Series (Cascade Books). He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife and children.

Articles by Graham Hillard


The University as Life Coach

Feb 23, 2023 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on The University as Life Coach

What do you call an employee who is emotionally unprepared to work? Why, a recent college graduate, of course. So says a new report by the Mary Christie Institute, a … Continue reading “The University as Life Coach”


App State’s Magical Vanishing DEI Committee

Feb 6, 2023 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on App State’s Magical Vanishing DEI Committee

Last May, Inside Higher Ed reported that Appalachian State University was building a summer ’22 “working group” to address how the institution solicits and evaluates “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) … Continue reading “App State’s Magical Vanishing DEI Committee”


No, Colleges are Not Unsafe

Oct 24, 2022 · Graham Hillard and Natalia Mayorga · Comments Off on No, Colleges are Not Unsafe

In 1986, Lehigh University freshman Jeanne Clery was raped and murdered in her on-campus dormitory. This terrible event led to the passage of the Clery Act (1990), which requires American … Continue reading “No, Colleges are Not Unsafe”


“Updated Mission Statements, Comrade!”

Oct 17, 2022 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on “Updated Mission Statements, Comrade!”

University mission statements are the cell phone user contracts of higher-ed prose. Committee-generated and loved by none, they sit awkwardly on webpages and internal reports, awaiting readers to justify their … Continue reading ““Updated Mission Statements, Comrade!””


A Popular Fiction Genre is Unreadable Garbage. Blame Colleges.

Jul 8, 2022 · Graham Hillard · Comments Off on A Popular Fiction Genre is Unreadable Garbage. Blame Colleges.

Over the last several years, a burgeoning new genre has put the book-watching world on notice. “New Adult,” a coinage first used by St. Martin’s Press in 2009, refers to … Continue reading “A Popular Fiction Genre is Unreadable Garbage. Blame Colleges.”

More in Academics

  • The Media Take On the UNC Board Mar 20, 2023

    When news broke that UNC-Chapel Hill had plans to create a new School of Civic Life and Leadership, it was inevitable that there would be some confusion. But nearly two … Continue reading “The Media Take On the UNC Board”

  • ROTC and the Ivies Mar 17, 2023

    Ivy League universities have a distinguished history of their students serving the country in the armed forces. Yale can claim Captain Nathan Hale, class of 1773, executed by the British … Continue reading “ROTC and the Ivies”

  • Law-School “Mismatch” Is Worse Than We Thought Mar 15, 2023

    Eighteen years ago, I published an article in the Stanford Law Review which documented for the first time the enormous breadth and scale of race-based admissions preferences in law schools. … Continue reading “Law-School “Mismatch” Is Worse Than We Thought”

More in Commentary

  • The Media Take On the UNC Board Mar 20, 2023

    When news broke that UNC-Chapel Hill had plans to create a new School of Civic Life and Leadership, it was inevitable that there would be some confusion. But nearly two … Continue reading “The Media Take On the UNC Board”

  • ROTC and the Ivies Mar 17, 2023

    Ivy League universities have a distinguished history of their students serving the country in the armed forces. Yale can claim Captain Nathan Hale, class of 1773, executed by the British … Continue reading “ROTC and the Ivies”

  • Davidson College Affirms Free Speech Mar 16, 2023

    Last week, faculty at Davidson College affirmed their commitment to free expression on campus by approving their own version of the Chicago Principles. It’s a step that the pro-free-speech organization … Continue reading “Davidson College Affirms Free Speech”

More in Governance

  • The Media Take On the UNC Board Mar 20, 2023

    When news broke that UNC-Chapel Hill had plans to create a new School of Civic Life and Leadership, it was inevitable that there would be some confusion. But nearly two … Continue reading “The Media Take On the UNC Board”

  • ROTC and the Ivies Mar 17, 2023

    Ivy League universities have a distinguished history of their students serving the country in the armed forces. Yale can claim Captain Nathan Hale, class of 1773, executed by the British … Continue reading “ROTC and the Ivies”

  • Davidson College Affirms Free Speech Mar 16, 2023

    Last week, faculty at Davidson College affirmed their commitment to free expression on campus by approving their own version of the Chicago Principles. It’s a step that the pro-free-speech organization … Continue reading “Davidson College Affirms Free Speech”

More in Innovation

  • Davidson College Affirms Free Speech Mar 16, 2023

    Last week, faculty at Davidson College affirmed their commitment to free expression on campus by approving their own version of the Chicago Principles. It’s a step that the pro-free-speech organization … Continue reading “Davidson College Affirms Free Speech”

  • How to Make Study-Abroad Programs Better Mar 13, 2023

    Studying abroad presents students with opportunities to earn course credit, gain exposure to different languages and cultures, and engage with students and faculty of different backgrounds. Improving the University of … Continue reading “How to Make Study-Abroad Programs Better”

  • An Ivy League Degree for Nontraditional Students Mar 8, 2023

    When an Ivy League school breaks with its storied past by introducing a degree for nontraditional students, the relevance for other institutions of higher learning can’t be overlooked. In 2016, … Continue reading “An Ivy League Degree for Nontraditional Students”

Popular Articles

  • Law-School “Mismatch” Is Worse Than We Thought Mar 15, 2023
    Eighteen years ago, I published an article in the Stanf...
  • The Media Take On the UNC Board Mar 20, 2023
    When news broke that UNC-Chapel Hill had plans to creat...
  • ROTC and the Ivies Mar 17, 2023
    Ivy League universities have a distinguished history of...

Recent Articles

  • The Media Take On the UNC Board Mar 20, 2023

    When news broke that UNC-Chapel Hill had plans to create a new School of Civic Life and Leadership, it was inevitable that there would be some confusion. But nearly two … Continue reading “The Media Take On the UNC Board”

  • ROTC and the Ivies Mar 17, 2023

    Ivy League universities have a distinguished history of their students serving the country in the armed forces. Yale can claim Captain Nathan Hale, class of 1773, executed by the British … Continue reading “ROTC and the Ivies”

  • Davidson College Affirms Free Speech Mar 16, 2023

    Last week, faculty at Davidson College affirmed their commitment to free expression on campus by approving their own version of the Chicago Principles. It’s a step that the pro-free-speech organization … Continue reading “Davidson College Affirms Free Speech”

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