Cold, grey day in Atchison, Kansas - birth place of Amelia Erhart, location of Benedictine College.
I am not certain how many American colleges are Benedictine. But, I understand that historically some were all satellites of St. Vincents in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. German Benedictines came to the U.S. before the Civil War and made a go of it in northwest Pennsylvania. As part of their mission to evangelize individual monks were sent out to the southeast (Belmont Abbey, North Carolina), and points west, namely, Atchison, Kansas (Benedictine College) and St. Joseph, Minnesota (College of St. Benedict). Although each of these college share a common heritage, they have evolved into very different kinds of schools. Similarities exist of course, but not all the schools have retained their original sense of purpose, For instance, as tempting as College of St. Benedict may have originally been with their lure of scholarships, when I read that the Theater Department's Spring play was about two lesbians on the loose in NYC, the school had to be removed from our short list. I cannot imagine the good brothers have much involvement in the college anymore. And that's a tragedy.
On the other hand, like Belmont Abbey, Benedictine College (BC) is Newman Guide-recommended for adherence to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
As noted above, we arrived from Kansas City on a cold, grey morning after a reasonable drive of about an hour. Our visit was the last scheduled "Raven Day" of the academic year. Despite the weather, it was well attended.
The day began with a campus tour. In contrast to Belmont Abbey College (BAC), much of BC is new. At one point in the tour our attention was directed to a few buildings that dated back to the early 1900's, but the success of the college has resulted in expansion in terms of enrollment and facilities.
New it may be, but I think BAC was larger. That is to say there's more land and the campus isn't as concentrated.
Arianna and I liked the campus. Sharon did not.
Much of our day was spent in the large building at the top of the hill in the center of the photo, Ferrell Hall. We listened to talks about curriculum and scheduling of classes, scholarships and leadership opportunities, and general information.
One difference in the presentation that we felt was not as good as BAC was our inability to meet professors. At both Dominican and BAC, we were given the opportunity to talk to teachers who represented their areas of study. Since Raven Day is held on a Friday, class is in session, i.e., the teachers are working. Informative as the student volunteers were, we couldn't really probe.
Another downside to BC is I think their selectivity. Here's Arianna a straight A honor's student with a 31 ACT and the likelihood of her getting any scholarships is probably not as great as at BAC or perhaps even the University of Dallas. This explained in one the sessions. 'We know your kids are smart,' Dr. Travis said. 'We're looking for a depth that differentiates one from another.
So, of the 160 students who applied for scholarships in 2016, only 24 were awarded.
Reading about some of the recipients of these awards on the BC website before we traveled to Atchison, I already wondered whether Arianna could compete. Although liberal arts majors are not ignored, the bias I think is toward students involved in STEM.
Will Arianna apply? I think she should . . . and for a scholarship too. But, I have no expectations of her getting fully paid tuition.
Other short comings include a lack of German language instruction. This surprised me. Modern languages mean French and Spanish. At BAC there isn't a German language major or even a minor, but the language is taught as an elective. Since two years of a foreign language is required, this means Arianna would either have to start fresh or take classes elsewhere and transfer the credit. From my point of view this is the kind of complexity we want to avoid.
And then of course there was Sharon's curiosity about the Theater program.
On the tour, our guide mentioned in passing that the stage was in the basement of such-and-such building. Quite a contrast from BAC, where the theater has been renovated and serves as a focal point on campus. Later, when we had a few minutes between sessions, we went to see the stage. Very small. Is this a reflection on BC's bias toward STEM? Don't know. BC does teach Great Books, which is positive. But, as far as theater goes . . . no 24 Hour Play program here. Could Arianna spearhead its adoption? Perhaps. And that would be a great accomplishment.
What else?
We saw both women's dorms, Memorial Hall and St. Scholastica Hall. The former dates from the later 50's early 60's and shows sign of its age, whereas the latter is only a few years old. Of course anybody who tours campus and applies to BC is going to request St. Scholastica Hall. Of course, not everybody who requests St. Scholastica Hall is going to have their request honored.
Since it was a week day, we were treated to lunch. Upon entering the dining hall, a mature woman greeted us to take our tickets. She was extraordinarily friendly and made a point to let us know that BC is a 'special place'. Meeting her, a member of the support staff, impressed me. She's appeared to be a grandmotherly woman who might very well be a good judge of the students she encounters on a day-to-day basis.
Lunch was enjoyable. A dining service operates a number of stations that ranged from cold cuts for sandwiches to stir fry. While in line for stir fry, Sharon struck up a conversation with the student in front of us. She asked why she came to BC, whether she liked it, and so forth. Again, the kind of impromptu exchange that can help us in our decision process.
I did similarly on the dorm tour when I asked the young woman why she transferred from Ave Maria (Florida) to BC. Essentially, she said it came down to community. Ave Maria had many separate communities (cliques?), she said, but BC worked very hard to create a single community.
All in all a good, informative visit. In comparing Belmont Abbey College to Benedictine College, I'd say that they are both wonderful and Sharon and I would not hesitate to send Arianna to either, but - aside from the new facilities - Belmont might have the edge insofar as Arianna probably has a better chance at the Honors program (and the associated scholarship), they teach German, and will provide her more of an opportunity to continue to participate in plays.
Next up: Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio) and University of Dallas (Texas). Both of these will be in the Fall, after the 2017-2018 school year has started.
