Belmont Abbey College
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| Belmont Abbey College | |
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| Motto: | That in all things God may be glorified. |
| Established: | 1876 |
| Type: | Private, Catholic liberal-arts college |
| President: | Dr. William K. Thierfelder |
| Faculty: | more than 90 |
| Undergraduates: | 1320 |
| Postgraduates: | 0 |
| Location: | Belmont, North Carolina, USA |
| Campus: | Suburban, 650 acres (2.6 km²) |
| Colors: | Crimson and cream |
| Nickname: | Crusaders |
| Website: | BelmontAbbeyCollege.edu |
Belmont Abbey College is a private liberal-arts Catholic college located in Belmont, North Carolina, a small town 15 miles west of Charlotte. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The school is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict.
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[edit] Institution
Belmont Abbey College, known colloquially as The Abbey, serves not just as a college, but also as a monastery for the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey as well as a place of worship for the Roman Catholic congregation of the Belmont Abbey Basilica. The Benedictine tradition that would become Belmont Abbey College began in 1872 when 500 acres (2 km²) of farmland was purchased by a priest, Fr. Jeremiah O'Connell (for whom a residence hall is now named). He would eventually become a Benedictine oblate. He originally offered the land to the Jesuits, but they turned down the offer. After the Jesuits rejected the offer, this sizable purchase of land was then given to Saint Vincent's Archabbey in Latrobe, PA, a small town outside of Pittsburgh, with the provision that a school and religious community be established on the land. Soon after, St. Mary's College (a men's college) and Mary Help of Christians Abbey were established. Additionally, the Sisters of Mercy established their own convent and college just down the road and christened it, Sacred Heart College (coed).
St. Mary's College (name changed to Belmont Abbey College in 1913) remained a men's college until the mid-1960s when the decision was made to go coed. This decision would prove damaging, and in fact fatal, for Sacred Heart College and in 1993 the Sisters of Mercy school graduated its last class. An agreement between the two schools exists today, and Belmont Abbey College, as it is now known, operates alumni functions for both the Abbey and Sacred Heart graduates annually.
Newly hired president, Dr. William K. Thierfelder, has announced plans for increased enrollment at the college as well as a new residence hall to house the increased number of students. He has also proposed a complete overhaul of facilities--including the renovation of the classroom buildings and the construction of a new library, a new science building, and a new student center. These changes are part of a multi-year strategic plan, though, and will not be completed until the 2010s. First steps have included classroom renovations, dorm renovations, the construction of an on-campus coffeehouse, and a number of faculty hires.
[edit] Faculty health care coverage
In early December 2007 it was discovered that the Belmont Abbey College healthcare policy covered "abortion, contraception and voluntary sterilization", these were removed immediately after they were discovered. On January 18 Abbot Placid Solari spoke to faculty and staff explaining the change in policy. Abbot Placid stated that "it is the clear, consistent, incontrovertible, public, official and authoritative teaching of the Roman Catholic Church that abortion, contraception and voluntary sterilization are actions which are intrinsically wrong and should not be undertaken because of their very nature" and so coverage of these procedures by the school's health care plan would be inconsistent. No member of the faculty or staff was consulted before this change took place. Following the change in policy eight faculty members filed formal complaints to the North Carolina Department of Insurance, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the National Women's Law Center, the latter most threatening a lawsuit on behalf of the eight faculty members. The Abbot and the administration have stated that they have no intention of reinstating those portions of the health care plan. [1]
The school's administration has received numerous statements of support from catholic news sources and other organizations, citing the school's "brave leaders" [1] and some stating that the school is a "good role model" [2]
On the other hand some objections have been raised internally by the school newspaper, the Belmont Abbey Crusader. In May 2008 a Crusader article written by student Ray Wentowski cited the fact that "Although Belmont Abbey College no longer subsidizes aborition, voluntary sterilization, and artificial contraception for its faculty and staff, the Abbey profits from two retail stores on Abbey land that sell contraceptives."[3] The article explains by detailing how rental payments Belmont Abbey receives from the Wal-mart pharmacy in Montcross and the Rite Aid pharmacy in the Abbey Plaza are partially generated through the sales of contraceptives drugs and devices, including condoms, birth-control pills, and emergency contraception.
The article states that, Dr. Jim Giermanski, one of the faculty members who filed formal complaints "believes that the alterations to the health care policy constitute sexual discrimination." He continues to criticize the administration by saying, "Is it possible that the interpretation of morality by this president and abbot is contingent upon who benefits?".[3]
Dr. David Williams, a professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College is quoted as stating that "it is about the responsibility of the College as a Catholic and Benedictine institution neither to sponsor nor promote activities that the authoritative teaching of the Church considers seriously immoral."[3]
Abbot Placid Solari defended the existence of Wal-Mart and Rite Aid on Belmont Abbey land, stating that "[They] are preponderantly good operations, i.e. 99 percent or more of their business is not problematic, and the employment generation and economic stimulation they provide for the community of Belmont are worth tolerating a small amount of evil. The abbey is not willing to lease to them because they sell contraceptives, but despite it." [3]
[edit] Student life
Belmont Abbey, though small, has a robust assortment of student life programs for its students.
[edit] Greek life
The College has Two fraternities(One National, and One Local Fraternity) and four sororities.
[edit] Fraternities
Phi Kappa Theta
Sigma Alpha - Local
[edit] Sororities
Alpha Sigma Pi
Delta Psi Theta
Tau Kappa Delta
Delta Chi Zeta
[edit] Households
Belmont Abbey, in following the Catholic tradition, has several "households" which are devoted to the glorification and worship of God. The organizations also strive to help the surrounding area through service projects and outreach programs.
Brothers in Christ, Sons of Mary (Men's)
Faithful Daughters (Women's)
One Body in Christ (Co-ed)
[edit] Clubs/organizations
Belmont Abbey has many standard organizations found at campuses nationwide. The Student Government, headed by President John Robinson as of May, 2008[4], oversee many of the student activities and clubs/organizations around campus. College Democrats and College Republicans groups exist on campus; the Abbey Cheerleaders help their teams to victory; Campus Activities Board plan campus-wide events; Abbey Crusader writers relate their academic lives and provide an internal commentary to the outside world on stories related to the Abbey. The Abbey Players have performed on campus for 124 years, and are regionally recognized for the excellence of their productions.In 2004 the Players' production of Michael Frayn's Copenhagen was transferred to the Booth Playhouse in Charlotte by the Charlotte Repertory Theatre, a LORT organization[5] The Abbey Players, under the direction of Simon Donoghue since 1976, has run the Shakespeare Series since 1991, staging one work each year until the entire canon has been performed. The 2008-2009 Season will mark the 125th consecutive year of performances for the Abbey Players.
[edit] Athletics
Belmont Abbey's athletic teams call themselves the Crusaders and participate in the NCAA's Division II program. The Crusaders are members of Conference Carolinas. Men's and women's lacrosse, women's golf, men's JV basketball and men's JV baseball were added at the start of the 2005 - 2006 academic year. College basketball coach Al McGuire, who coached Marquette to the 1977 NCAA Men's title, coached the Crusaders from 1957 to 1964 prior to becoming the head coach at Marquette. He led the Crusaders to 5 post-season tournament appearances,
[edit] Men's sports
Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Wrestling
JV Baseball
JV Basketball
[edit] Women's sports
Basketball
Cross Country
Cross Country
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Volleyball
[edit] Curriculum
The majority of Belmont Abbey undergraduates (approximately 53%) receive their degrees in business; the other top two majors are Biology and Education.
[edit] Majors
Accounting
Biology
Business Management
Computer Studies CIS
Criminal Justice and Security Studies
Economics
Elementary Education
Educational Studies
English
Environmental Science
History
International Business
Liberal Studies
Mathematics
Philosophy
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology
Sports Management
Theology
[edit] Minors
International Studies
Justice and Peace Studies
Physics/Mathematics
Pre-law
Motorsports Management Concentration
Theatre Arts - Either Artistic or Technical track
Biotechnology
[edit] Core curriculum
Belmont Abbey employs quite an intense core curriculum program in order to achieve its goal of producing well-rounded, liberally-educated students. As part of the program, all first-year students are required to take the college's introductory First Year Symposium course. This course, taught by professors of various topics, introduces and explains the theories of a liberal education through readings and lectures. The course is also meant to inform students about the Rule of St. Benedict and the Benedictine Tradition. As part of the course, students are required to be proficient in the use of computers; each student takes a computer literacy test during orientation to ensure this goal has been met. Additionally, each student acquires the information necessary in the First Year Symposium to successfully navigate and utilize the college's Abbot Vincent Taylor Library.
Progress past freshman year, students are required to take one writing intensive course, one social sciences course, one global perspectives course, one math course, one fine arts course, two theology courses, as well as courses in logic, philosophy, and other topics. [1]
[edit] Honors Institute
Under the direction of Dr. Eugene Thuot, a Fulbright Scholar, Belmont Abbey College created the Honors Institute. It accepts between 14 - 18 students per year, who receive an Honors Fellowship of up to $17,000 per year. These students are required to maintain a 3.5 GPA for the year in college, and to have a nonweighted high school GPA of 3.7. Students are also required to have an SAT score of 1200 with a minimum of 600 on the verbal section, along with a completed application, essay, and interview.
Each student is required to take 45 Honors credits composed of advanced philosophy, political science, history, English, theology, and social science courses.
In August 2007, the Honors Institute received its inaugural class of 10 females and 4 males.
[edit] Admissions
Belmont Abbey College accepts students on a rolling admissions basis, with decisions beginning in early September during the Fall of the student's senior year.
[edit] Test scores
According to the Princeton Review, the following averages apply to accepted freshman at Belmont Abbey.
Average SAT: 1021
Average Writing SAT: 510-600
Average Verbal SAT (25-75%): 440-550
Average Math SAT (25-75%): 450-530
Average ACT (25-75%): 18 - 21
Average High School GPA: 3.04
[2]
[edit] High school performance
The following statistics are provided by the College Board.
13% had h.s. GPA of 3.75 and higher
14% had h.s. GPA between 3.5 and 3.74
18% had h.s. GPA between 3.25 and 3.49
16% had h.s. GPA between 3.0 and 3.24
27% had h.s. GPA between 2.5 and 2.99
12% had h.s. GPA between 2.0 and 2.49
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[edit] Percentage admitted / enrolled
Belmont Abbey accepts 77% of freshman applicants according to College Board. [4]
[edit] Rankings
[edit] U.S. News and World Report
In the 2006 edition of U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges," Belmont Abbey is ranked as number 27 in the category of Southern Comprehensive Colleges: Bachelor's. [5]
[edit] Princeton Review
The Princeton Review also ranks Belmont Abbey College among the 40 best colleges in the Southeastern United States. [6]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Aggie Catholics. "Belmont Abbey College", Aggie Catholics, May 7, 2008.
- ^ LifeSiteNews.com. "Belmont Abbey College Removes Employee Benefits for Abortion, Sterilization and Contraception", LifeSiteNews.com, May 7, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Wentowski, Ray. "Belmont Abbey Removes Contraception Coverage from Employee Healthcare, Benefits from Contraceptive Sales on Abbey Land", abbeycrusader.com, May 7, 2008.
- ^ "Belmont Abbey Removes Contraception Coverage from Employee Healthcare, Benefits from Contraceptive Sales on Abbey Land", abbeycrusader.com, May 7, 2008.
- ^ http://www.belmontabbeycollege.edu/crossroads/summer-2004/crossroads-summer-2004.pdf page 25
[edit] External links
- http://www.belmontabbeycollege.edu/ Official website of the college
- http://www.abbeyathletics.com/ Belmont Abbey Crusaders Athletics
- http://www.abbeycrusader.com/ The Abbey Crusader student newspaper
- http://www.belmontabbey.org/ Official website of the Belmont Abbey monastery
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