What's next for Pat Sajak post-'Wheel of Fortune'? Chairman at conservative Hillsdale College
After more than 40 years, Pat Sajak is stepping down as the host of "Wheel of Fortune." So, what will the longtime gameshow host be doing now?
For one thing, he'll be continuing to work as chairman of the Board of Trustees for the conservative Hillsdale College.
Hillsdale College commemorated Sajak's retirement and confirmed that he would continue to work with the school in an emailed statement to USA TODAY Friday.
"For decades, Pat Sajak has been an icon of radio and television," wrote Hillsdale College spokesperson Emily Stack Davis. "We know that he will be missed and congratulate him on his well-deserved retirement."
"Hillsdale College is fortunate to have an even closer relationship with Mr. Sajak," she added. "Since 2019, we have benefitted from his wisdom, intellect, and good humor as chairman of Hillsdale’s board of trustees. We look forward to continuing our important work together and to what we are sure will be a bright future for Mr. Sajak and his family."
Sajak has been a member of the school's Board of Trustees for decades: He served as vice chairman from 2003 to 2019, according to Zeiser, and was promoted to chairman in 2019.
Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn praised Sajak when talking to The Collegian in 2019.
"Pat is a man of calm and steady judgment, possessed also of a wicked wit. He is a man of selfless service, famous and yet not interested in celebrity, hilarious and yet serious. He knows the purposes of the college and is devoted to them," he told the paper.
Sajak also shared his gratitude for the position. "I'm in an industry where we're always patting each other on the backs for different awards we've won," Sajak said in a quote to The Collegian, "but this one is at the top of my list."
What is Hillsdale College known for?
Hillsdale College is an independent, liberal arts college in Michigan with a student body of about 1,400, according to its website. It has frequently hosted conservative leaders like U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and former Vice President Mike Pence as its commencement speakers.
Hillsdale is one of the few schools in the country that does not take any federal or state funding whatsoever, not even Pell grants for financial aid or G.I. Bill money, in order to avoid having to follow any federal regulations.
Among other federal rules, the school does not follow Title IX guidelines, which prevent discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. A set of "institutionally binding" guidelines on the school's website state that "the College has always understood morally responsible sexual acts to be those occurring in marriage and between the sexes."
"The College cannot therefore lend itself or its approbation to organizations or activities that contravene this commitment," the message goes on. The guidelines not only prohibit gay relationships, but were also used to forbid the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance in 2009.
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Pat Sajak retiring from 'Wheel of Fortune'
Sajak, 76, announced in a statement Monday that he decided to step back from hosting "Wheel of Fortune" after its upcoming season in the fall.
"Well, the time has come," he wrote on social media. "I've decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It's been a wonderful ride, and I'll have more to say in the coming months."
Sajak has hosted "Wheel of Fortune" alongside co-host Vanna White since the show debuted in syndication in 1983.
"When we started @WheelofFortune who could have imagined we’d still be at it 41 seasons later?" White wrote on Twitter Tuesday after news of Sajak's exit. "I couldn’t be happier to have shared the stage with you for all these years with one more to come. Cheers to you, @patsajak," she added.
Sajak has expressed conservative ideas in satirically incendiary fashion. He faced backlash for a now-deleted 2014 tweet that read, "I now believe global warming alarmists are unpatriotic racists knowingly misleading for their own ends."
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Sajak said the tweet was just hyperbole, and the next day posted, "Later today I'll be tweeting my views on the subjects of nuclear proliferation and free-range chicken."
He took a similar tone in columns he wrote for the conservative political news website Human Events. Posts were titled "Opposed to Obamacare? Then You Must Be a Racist" and "Why I've stopped arguing with liberals," and expressed a repeated frustration with what Sajak called the "rhetorically hysterical" tone of liberal people.
"The moral superiority they bring to the table allows them to alter the playing field and the rules in their favor," he wrote in 2005.
Contributing: Erin Jensen, USA TODAY; Aleanna Siacon, The Detroit Free Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pat Sajak to chair board of Hillsdale College after 'Wheel of Fortune'