Imprimis

History

Imprimis was founded in 1972 by Clark Durant and George Roche III as a free alumni service. Lew Rockwell was an early editor. Hillsdale's then-President George Roche III initially sent 1,000 issues to "friends of the College." The publication improved Hillsdale's name recognition and did "wonders for out-of-state enrollment" as its circulation "ballooned." By the 1980s, Imprimis and Hillsdale were "closely associated with intellectual ferment on the right".

Hillsdale College claims that Imprimis readership has grown to over 6.8 million as of 2025. It is a free publication but encourages donations. Distribution is no longer limited to alumni.

Imprimis content consists almost entirely of edited transcripts of speeches delivered by conservative movement leaders at Hillsdale-sponsored events.

In 1991, the dean at Boston University, H. Joachim Maitre, was accused of plagiarizing an Imprimis article by Michael Medved in a commencement address, which led to Maitre's resignation.

Contributors to Imprimis have included Jeb Bush, Ward Connerly, Dinesh D'Souza, Milton Friedman, Victor Davis Hanson, Jack Kemp, Irving Kristol, Rush Limbaugh, Bjorn Lomborg, David McCullough, Richard John Neuhaus, Sarah Palin, Ronald Reagan, Jason L. Riley, Margaret Thatcher, Clarence Thomas, and Tom Wolfe.

Reception

Imprimis has been praised by conservatives. For instance, Walter E. Williams wrote that Imprimis is "Hillsdale's way of sharing the ideas of the many distinguished speakers invited to their campus. And, I might add, Hillsdale College is one of the few colleges where students get a true liberal arts education, absent the nonsense seen on many campuses."

In contrast, Mark W. Powell, writing in the Toledo Blade, criticized Imprimis for eschewing fact-checking and failing to issue editorial corrections, which he described as part of a pattern of "cavalierism with facts to drive political points." Jordan Smith of Salon offered similar criticisms, citing a piece by Republican representative Paul Ryan that he said repeated a "widely discredited assertion" regarding health care rationing under Obama's health insurance reforms. Kevin D. Williamson at National Review argued that speech transcripts ordinarily aren't fact-checked or verified for the truth of their claims.

References

References

1. {{ISSN. 0277-8432; {{OCLC. 3890282
2. Smith. (2010-05-13). "The most influential conservative publication you've never heard of". Salon.com.
3. "Q&A with Larry Arnn".
4. Elaine Underwood. (1991-11-11). "Beyond the Wall Pennant: New, Improved Ways To Keep School Ties Strong – and Alumni Writing Checks". Brandweek.
5. Daniel J. Williams. (2008-04-10). "Imprimis". Hillsdale Collegian.
6. Morgan. (January 4, 1981). "Conservatives: A Well-Financed Network". The Washington Post.
7. "Free Lifetime Subscription to Imprimis".
8. Fox Butterfield. (1991-07-03). "For Dean at Boston U., a Question of Plagiarism". The New York Times.
9. Mary B. W. Tabor. (1991-07-13). "Boston Dean Quits In Plagiarism Case". The New York Times.
10. Jeb Bush. (April 1997). "Virtue and the Free Society". Hillsdale College.
11. Jeb Bush. (June 1995). "Deinventing Government". Hillsdale College.
12. Ward Connerly. (August 2001). "Warriors of Freedom". Hillsdale College.
13. Ward Connerly. (February 2000). "The Content of Our Children's Character". Hillsdale College.
14. Ward Connerly. (February 1998). "Back to Equality". Hillsdale College.
15. Dinesh D'Souza. (November 2008). "Created Equal: How Christianity Shaped the West". Hillsdale College.
16. Dinesh D'Souza. (September 2001). "Multiculturalism: Fact or Threat?". Hillsdale College.
17. Milton Friedman. (July 2006). "Free to Choose: A Conversation with Milton Friedman". Hillsdale College.
18. Victor Davis Hanson. (July–August 2023). "Imperialism: Lessons From History". [[Hillsdale College]].
19. Jack Kemp. (July 1998). "Rules to Live by on and off the Playing Field". Hillsdale College.
20. Jack Kemp. (August 1994). "A Cultural Renaissance". Hillsdale College.
21. Irving Kristol. (April 1973). "Utopianism, Ancient and Modern". Hillsdale College.
22. Rush Limbaugh. (January 2009). "Do Conservatives Need to Get Beyond Reagan?". Hillsdale College.
23. (April–May 2023). "Thinking Smartly About Climate Change". [[Hillsdale College]].
24. David McCullough. (May 2006). "A Man Worth Knowing". Hillsdale College.
25. David McCullough. (April 2005). "Knowing History and Knowing Who We Are". Hillsdale College.
26. Richard John Neuhaus. (July 1982). "Moral Leadership in Post-Secular America". Hillsdale College.
27. Sarah Palin. (September 2008). "Alaska's Promise of the Nation". Hillsdale College.
28. Ronald Reagan. (January 1978). "Whatever Happened to Free Enterprise?". Hillsdale College.
29. (March 2022). "The Continuing Importance of Thomas Sowell". Hillsdale College.
30. Margaret Thatcher. (April 2001). "All Beginnings are Hopeful: Challenges Facing the 21st Century". Hillsdale College.
31. Margaret Thatcher. (March 1995). "The Moral Foundations of Society". Hillsdale College.
32. Clarence Thomas. (October 2007). "A Conversation with Justice Clarence Thomas". Hillsdale College.
33. Clarence Thomas. (November 2000). "Never Give In". Hillsdale College.
34. Clarence Thomas. (June 1994). "Education: The Second Door to Freedom". Hillsdale College.
35. Tom Wolfe. (January 1984). "Idea Fashions of the Eighties: After Marx, What?". Hillsdale College.
36. Walter E. Williams. (2007-01-31). "Property rights". Townhall.com.
37. Mark W. Powell. (2010-04-18). "Hillsdale disappoints in competence, conduct". The Toledo Blade.
38. Kevin D. Williamson. (2010-05-26). "Exciting New Developments in Conservative Anthropology". National Review.