Opinion | ‘The Navy SEALs of Western Civilization’

A facts-only brief, written by a local AI model from this article in The Wall Street Journal, October 30, 2026. It may contain mistakes, and it is not the article: the full story is at wsj.com.

Ralston College, a private liberal arts institution in Savannah, Georgia, emphasizes the study of ancient Greek to preserve Western cultural heritage. The college’s founding president, Stephen Blackwood, described the institution as a response to a perceived crisis in American elites and a neglect of civilizational foundations. Dean of graduate studies Joseph Conlon maintains that the college’s mission is prepolitical and focused on fostering gratitude and humility toward historical traditions rather than engaging in partisan debates. Students participate in an intensive two-month immersion in Greece, visiting sites such as Samos and Dimitsana, before completing a one-year master’s degree in humanities.

Background

• Ralston College began operations in 2022 with a cohort of 24 students, supported by a $25 million gift from British philanthropist Paul Marshall that allows most students to attend tuition-free.
• The college requires students to pass an ancient Greek proficiency exam at the end of their first semester, a requirement Blackwood argues helps reconnect students with historical figures and ideas.
• Jordan Peterson served as the college’s first chancellor in 2022, a role he held without compensation, before being succeeded by psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist the following year.
• Blackwood states that the college aims to regenerate culture through a bottom-up approach, while Conlon insists that no employee views the institution’s work as a political project.

Read the full article at wsj.com

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