During Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) All-American Halftime Show, Hillsdale College announced the launch of its “Learn Like Charlie” campaign, urging Americans to take the same free Hillsdale College online courses completed by Charlie Kirk, studying the Bible and America’s founding.
The Monday press release from the school quoted Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn, who spoke at Kirk’s memorial service on Sept. 21, 2025.
Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University during his “American Comeback Tour.”
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Arnn recalled advising Kirk that a serious and honest education is challenging but rewarding.
“He said, ‘What should I do?’ And I said, ‘Well, you have to suffer. If you want to grow, you have to suffer. It’s hard to learn — into the night, crack of dawn in the morning. Start with the Bible. Read the classics. Study the founding of America. In those places you will find that there’s a ladder that reaches up toward God, and at the bottom of it are the ordinary good things that are around us everywhere.’”
Arnn added that he did not expect to hear from Kirk again after that conversation.
“I thought I’d never hear from him again,” Arnn said. “Within a month, he got ahold of my cellphone number, and he texted me a copy of a certificate of completion of a Hillsdale College online course.”
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The campaign spotlights several free Hillsdale online courses Kirk completed, including “Constitution 101: The Meaning and History of the Constitution,” “The Genesis Story: Reading Biblical Narratives” and “American Citizenship and Its Decline.”
In the press release, Hillsdale College said it started the campaign with a 60-second commercial during TPUSA’s All-American Halftime Show, featuring public conversations in which Kirk encouraged listeners to enroll in Hillsdale’s courses.
“In one clip, a caller to ‘The Charlie Kirk Show’ said, ‘I listen to your podcast, I’m taking Hillsdale online courses,’ to which Kirk replied, ‘Now that’s what I’m talking about. I love it,’” the release stated.
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Hillsdale College online courses are free and not for credit, and feature lectures from faculty members across a range of subjects, including, economics, history, politics, religion and literature.
