HILLSDALE, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 9, 2026--
Hillsdale College announced the launch of its “ Learn Like Charlie ” campaign on Feb. 8 during Turning Point USA’s All-American Halftime Show. The campaign encourages people to take the same free Hillsdale College online courses that Charlie Kirk took and study the classics, the American Founding, and the Bible.
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Charlie Kirk completed many of Hillsdale’s free online courses and often recommended them. By going to LearnLikeCharlie.com, Americans young and old are encouraged to take the courses Charlie took, including three favorites:
Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn spoke at Kirk’s memorial service in September. He recalled telling a young Charlie that a good and true education is difficult but worthwhile:
“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.’”
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“I thought I’d never hear from him again. Within a month, he got ahold of my cell phone number, and he texted me a copy of a certificate of completion of a Hillsdale College online course.”
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“Charlie, you see, has suffered enough. He’s gone to the Lord. He deserves his reward.”
The campaign launched with a 60-second commercial during Turning Point USA’s All-American Halftime Show, encouraging all Americans to take the same courses Charlie took so they can pick up the mic and continue his legacy.
The commercial captures some of the public moments when Kirk recommended 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.”
To view the commercial and begin learning like Charlie, click here. For photos of Kirk at a Hillsdale College event, click here. For still shots from the commercial, click here. For a headshot of Dr. Arnn, click here. For photos of Hillsdale College, click here. For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.
About Hillsdale College Online Courses
Hillsdale College’s free, not-for-credit online courses feature lectures from the College’s faculty members across various disciplines, including politics, history, economics, religion, and literature. More than 5 million students have enrolled in an online course with Hillsdale College. For more information on Hillsdale College’s online courses, visit online.hillsdale.edu.
About Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College is an independent, nonsectarian, Christian liberal arts college located in southern Michigan. Founded in 1844, the College has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 7.3 million. For more information, visit hillsdale.edu.
Learn Like Charlie Commercial Still
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears are sticking with their current timeline for selecting a site for a new stadium amid an uncertain future for a proposal in the Illinois state legislature that would provide incentives for the NFL team to build its new home in the state.
The Illinois Senate passed a bill early Monday morning that would have cleared the way for Arlington Heights and Chicago to create local stadium authorities, creating a pathway for the Bears to avoid paying property taxes on a new stadium in Illinois. But the House adjourned without taking up the measure on the last day of the state's spring legislative session.
The Bears said they are finalizing their evaluation of possible stadium sites in Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana, and they “remain on the late spring/early summer timeline.”
"We will provide an update when we have a decision to share,” the team said in its statement.
State Rep. Kam Buckner, whose district includes parts of Chicago, posted on social media that the modified bill approved by the Senate did not have enough support in the House.
“I remain optimistic,” Buckner wrote on X. “We all share the same goal: finding a solution that works for the Bears, works for taxpayers, and earns the confidence of the General Assembly. This morning was the end of session. It was not the end of the conversation.”
The Bears' lease for Soldier Field runs through 2033, but the team can pay a fee to break the lease early.
The twists and turns during the final days of Illinois' spring legislative session were consistent with what has been a laborious stadium process for the Bears, a charter NFL franchise.
The team announced in September 2021 that they had signed a purchase agreement for 326 acres of land in Arlington Heights, about 30 miles northwest of Chicago. The $197 million deal with Churchill Downs Incorporated was finalized in 2023.
In September 2022, the team unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for Arlington Heights that called for an enclosed stadium that could host Super Bowls and Final Fours. The conceptual illustrations also provided for a year-round entertainment district with restaurants and shopping.
But the Bears shifted their focus toward building a new stadium next to Soldier Field after Kevin Warren was hired as team president in January 2023, replacing the retiring Ted Phillips. The plan to transform Chicago’s Museum Campus got an enthusiastic endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson and a tepid reception from Gov. JB Pritzker and state legislators when it was announced in April 2024.
The team switched gears again in May 2025, announcing it had made “significant progress” with local leaders in Arlington Heights.
Amid lingering efforts to secure tax incentives in Illinois, along with as much as $855 million in public money for infrastructure at the Arlington Heights site, the Bears began to take a closer look at possible options in Northwest Indiana.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and state lawmakers jumped on the Bears' interest. A state House of Representatives committee passed a bill in February that established a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and lease a stadium. The team said it was doing its due diligence on a tract of land near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana.
The Bears said on May 21 that Hammond and Arlington Heights were the only sites under consideration, but some Illinois state lawmakers kept pushing for a plan that they hoped would make Chicago part of the conversation once again.
The Bears have played in Illinois since the team’s founding in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys. Since moving to Chicago in 1921, the Bears have never owned their stadium, whether playing at Wrigley Field from 1921 to 1970 or Soldier Field since.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
FILE - Soldier Field is seen prior to an NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, Dec. 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski, file)
