Belmont Abbey College
Belmont Abbey College is a
private liberal-arts Catholic college located in
Belmont, North Carolina, just twenty minutes from
Charlotte. It was founded in
1876 by the
Benedictine monks of
Belmont Abbey. The school is affiliated with the
Roman Catholic Church.
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 monk, Fr.
Jeremiah O'Connell (for whom a residence hall is now named). 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
Maryhelp Abbey were established. Additionally, the
Sisters of Mercy established their own
convent and
college just down the road and christened it Sacred Heart College (a women's college).
St. Mary's College (name changed to Belmont Abbey College in 1913) remained a men's college until the mid-1970s when the decision was made to go
coed. This decision would prove damaging, and in fact fatal, for Sacred Heart College and in
1984 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.
Today, the college is embarking on an ambitious plan to enliven Belmont Abbey with the air of change. 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. In the Fall of 2005, the college opened its coffeehouse, Holy Grounds, which proudly serves Starbucks coffee and Aladdin foodservice products.
Belmont Abbey, though small, has a robust assortment of student life programs for its students. No matter the interest, the college has a club that caters to it.
Greek Life
The College has three
fraternities and three
sororities.
Fraternities
Delta Tau DeltaPhi Kappa Theta Sigma AlphaSororities
Alpha Sigma PiDelta Psi ThetaTau Kappa DeltaHouseholds
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.
Clubs/Organizations
Belmont Abbey has many standard organizations found at campuses nationwide. College
Democrats and
Republicans spar in political debate; the Abbey Cheerleaders help their teams to victory;
College Union Board plans campus-wide special events; Abbey Crusader writers relate their academic lives to the outside world; and many other organizations do their part to make the Abbey a vibrant campus run by, and for, the students.
 |
Belmont Abbey Crusaders athletic logo |
Belmont Abbey's athletic teams call themselves the Crusaders and participate in the
NCAA's
Division II program. The Crusaders are members of the
Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC). The college recently embarked on an ambitious plan to expand its athletic offerings in an attempt to lure more students and funds to college. As a result, 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.
Men's Sports
Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Tennis
Wrestling
JV Baseball
JV Basketball
Women's Sports
Basketball
Cross Country
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Tennis
Volleyball
The majority of Belmont Abbey undergraduates (approximately 53%) receive their degrees in
business or
marketing.
Majors
AccountingBiologyBusiness ManagementComputer Studies/ CISCriminal Justice and Security StudiesEconomicsElementary EducationEducational StudiesEnglishEnvironmental ScienceHistoryInternational BusinessLiberal StudiesMotorsports ManagementPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychologySociologySports ManagementTheologyMinors
International StudiesJustice and Peace StudiesMathematicsPhysics/MathematicsPre-lawTheatre Arts - Either Artistic or Technical trackCore 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. 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. The
core curriculum is known as a big hassle to students while in college, but many laud the program after graduation for helping them to achieve a wider view of the world they live in.
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.
Test Scores
According to the
Princeton Review, the following averages apply to accepted freshman at Belmont Abbey.
Average SAT: 1013
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
[
1]
High School Performance
The following statistics are provided by the
College Board.
12% had h.s. GPA of 3.75 and higher
12% had h.s. GPA between 3.5 and 3.74
13% had h.s. GPA between 3.25 and 3.49
16% had h.s. GPA between 3.0 and 3.24
30% had h.s. GPA between 2.5 and 2.99
15% had h.s. GPA between 2.0 and 2.49
2% had h.s. GPA between 1.0 and 1.99[
2]
Percentage Admitted / Enrolled
Belmont Abbey accepts 77% of freshman applicants, 30% of which choose to enroll at the Abbey, according to
College Board. [
3]
Rankings
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 a "less selective" school. It ranks number 27 in the category of
Southern Comprehensive Colleges: Bachelor's. [
4]
Princeton Review
On admissions selectivity, the
Princeton Review ranks Belmont Abbey "73" on a scale of 60 - 99. This is a relatively low
selectivity rating. The
Princeton Review also ranks Belmont Abbey College among the 40 best colleges in the Southeastern United States. [
5]
*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
