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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: Aug 24 2012 at 8:21am | IP Logged
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Anyone have their children attend of have any experience/thoughts about Belmont Abbey. I think it is a relatively new college, if I am correct, but I was thinking about having my son apply there this fall for school. I would appreciate any information from a Catholic parents perspective! Thanks!
Kim
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Lisbet
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While I can't offer specifics, I know a fantastic Catholic family that sent their son there 3 years ago and they only have good things to say about his experience.
I seem to think Martina (a member here) has a daughter that just left for her first year.
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SeaStar
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Ditto here- I know a family whose daughter just graduated from Belmont Abbey. She had a great experience there.
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drmommy
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I have a dear friend who has 2 girls attending there, and they love it!
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SallyT
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Hi --
My husband is in the theology faculty at Belmont Abbey, and our high-school children take classes there (so far nobody's gone there for college, maybe because it's too familiar by the time they're seniors . . . ).
The Abbey is not a new college, but was founded in 1876 by Benedictine monks from Latrobe, PA -- well, originally from Germany! Originally all the faculty were monks, and the monks are still a presence on campus. The Abbot functions as Chancellor of the college. The college has experienced something of a rebirth in the last six to eight years, with an administration committed to both academic excellence and Catholic identity. This is all a work in progress, but the progress and change since our arrival in 2008 has been incredible. Every year the new freshman class is better: stronger academically, more definite in Catholic commitment. Considering that the college was in danger of closing in the early 2000s, due to the mismanagement of a previous administration, its current condition is something of a miracle.
It's a very small, everybody-knows-everybody kind of campus, and also very beautiful. Professors are very oriented towards teaching and mentoring students, and are a strong presence at daily Mass and Adoration (a gorgeous Adoration chapel was dedicated several years ago). Relationships between students and professors are very close and collegial, and most faculty are there because they love teaching (as opposed to being invested in research and teaching because they have to). I would not say at this point that every single professor is 100% committed to the college's new mission and vision, but there's been a lot of turnover since the current administration took charge, and new hires across the departments have been very good in every respect.
There are several very good scholarship programs: the Honors Institute, the Thomas More Society, and the Hintemeyer Fellowship, all of which provide not only generous financial awards but also special classes, lectures, events, and community-oriented experiences. These all have application deadlines in the fall of the prospective student's senior year, so anyone interested in applying should plan to have taken the SAT/ACT in time to have those scores in hand.
I don't know exactly what proportion of the student body are homeschool graduates, but there seem to be a lot of them, and more all the time. Dr. Bill Thierfelder, the college president, is the homeschooling father of ten, and a lot of faculty, administration, and staff are homeschoolers as well, so it's a very homeschool-friendly place. Committed, well-prepared Catholic homeschool graduates are exactly the students the college is seeking -- the stronger the student body, the stronger everything is overall. Currently, it's absolutely the kind of environment I'm comfortable having my high-school student immersed in three days a week. When he goes to Mass, Confession, or Adoration, he's got lots of company. Some of his good homeschooling buddies of previous years are already students there, too.
Anyway, as maybe you can tell, we love the Abbey. My husband has taught other places (Christian Brothers University in Memphis, most notably), and at the Abbey, he has been happier than I've ever seen him, with good colleagues who are also good friends, and, increasingly, very good students. I'd have been grateful for him to have a job, period, but *this* job is a blessing. I think most people teaching and working there feel the same way, and I know that alums of the college regard their experiences there with a huge degree of affection. It really is a special place.
If any of you come to visit, let us know! You can have the Thomas Family Specialty Guided Tour. Also, if you'd like to sample what's on offer, Tan Books is producing a series of Catholic Courses (sort of like the Teaching Company's Great Courses series), and my husband's Intro to Theology course will be one of the first ones released, hopefully this fall. I seem to remember October as a release date, but I'm not sure about that. I also don't know what other Abbey faculty are doing courses for the series, but I'm sure some of them are! So keep a lookout.
Anyway, that's the rundown from the faculty-family side of things! If anyone has specific questions, I can try to answer them (ie ask the theology prof and get back to you). I can't speak so much to the student experience, though my high-schoolers have loved their classes and professors. But I can talk somewhat about which programs are particularly strong. Many are, but the college is still somewhat in recovery mode (the economy has not helped), and there are still pieces missing or in development. Overall, though, a liberal-arts-minded Catholic student can receive a strong, competitive education, with professors who care about him/her as a whole person.
Hope that's helpful! And really, if anyone is coming to visit the school, please let me know! It would be fun to meet up. I promise I am not this talkative and dominant in real life!
Sally
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4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: Belmont Abbey
