Texas Congressman Ron Paul is very popular at many college campuses, and can draw thousands of young people who admire his unique take on today’s issues.

The Hill contributor Molly K. Hooper provides details on Paul’s retirement plans, which includes spending extensive time at the nation’s institutions of higher learning.

Retiring Rep. Ron Paul plans to deliver speeches on college campuses next year and beyond, continuing his message of liberty and reducing the size of the federal government.

In an interview with The Hill, the Texas Republican clearly indicated that he isn’t ready for the rocking chair.

The 77-year-old physician-politician said, “I’m excited about spending more time on college campuses, not less. College campuses will still be on my agenda. That’s where the action is.”

He added, “The young people don’t like the debt they are inheriting, the violation of their civil liberties. They don’t like the war and it’s a fertile field. The people up here sort of ignore them.”

During the 2012 GOP presidential primary campaign, Paul said that he visited at least 36 college campuses. He was surprised that the best turnout occurred at the historically liberal bastion, U.C. Berkeley, where 8,500 students attended his event.

“The same week I went to Texas A&M, which is conservative, I got like 4000 [students]. They thought that was good, but we went out to Berkeley and they said that [crowd] wouldn’t have happened in the 60’s,” Paul said with a chuckle.

He started drumming up collegiate interest during his first presidential bid for the GOP nomination in 2008, and built on the excitement in the 2012 primary. (Paul ran as the Libertarian Party presidential nominee in 1988.)

The GOP hasn’t been able to capitalize on the college vote but the libertarian Paul has connected with young voters.

Paul opted not to endorse GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who was badly beaten by President Obama by college-aged voters.

The retired obstetrician attributed the youth support of Obama to the president’s tone on avoiding war, calling him “the peace candidate.”

“Even though both sides [were] equally aggressive, Obama had a different tone…The good progressive Democrat knows that Obama short-changed them [in his first term]. But his rhetoric was still more appealing that he would be less likely to go to war,” Paul said.