Benedictine College

Benedictine College

Type	Private, Undergraduate
Established	1971 by the merger of Mount St. Scholastica College (founded 1923) and St. Benedict's College (founded 1858)
President	Stephen D. Minnis
Location	Atchison , KS , USA
Campus	Urban
Colors	Black █ and Red █
Mascot	Ravens
Website	www.benedictine.edu

Benedictine College is a small co-educational university in Atchison, Kansas, founded on July 1, 1971 by the merger of St. Benedict's College (established in 1858) for men and Mount St. Scholastica College (established in 1923) for women. It is a Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts, and residential college located on bluffs overlooking the Missouri River about forty-five minutes northwest of Kansas City, Missouri. One of a number of U.S. Benedictine colleges, it is sponsored by St. Benedict's Abbey and Mount St. Scholastica Monastery. The abbey has a current population of some thirty-five monks, while the monastery numbers around 153 sisters . The school has been named one of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report. It has also been named a Leader in Educational Excellence by Colleges of Distinction as well as one of the top 20 Catholic colleges in the nation by The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College.

Beginnings

The predecessors for the modern university were Mount St. Scholastica College, an all-women's campus named for Benedict of Nursia's twin sister Scholastica, and St. Benedict's College, an all-men's campus named for Benedict of Nursia, founder of modern western monasticism. In 1970, Fr. Alcuin Hemmen, OSB, president of St. Benedict's College, announced that St. Benedict's would become a co-educational college, causing Sr. Mary Noel Walter, OSB, president of Mount St. Scholastica College to organize discussion of a merger of the two colleges. It was agreed upon, and the universities merged on July 1, 1971 to form the current Benedictine College. The college is also known as "The Co-Educational College of Mount St. Scholastica and St. Benedict's Colleges". The public usage of this name has disappeared since the college closed the South Campus, the former Mount St. Scholastica College, in 1989.

Four Pillars

The college builds its core values around four "pillars" -- Catholic, Benedictine, Liberal Arts, Residential -- which exemplify the Benedictine experience.

Education

Undergraduate programs include Art, Accounting, Astronomy, Athletic Training, Biochemistry, Biology, Business Adminstraion, Chemistry, Classics (Minor Only), Computer Science, Criminology, Dance (Minor Only), Economics, Economics & Political Science (Minor Only), Elementary Education, Engineering Physics, English Literature,Environmental Studies (Minor Only), French languages, French, History,International Business, International Studies, Journalism and Mass Communications,Latin (Minor Only), Liberal Studies, Mathematics,Music Education, Natural Science, Nursing, Philosophy, Physical Education, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Secondary Education, Social Science, Sociology, Spanish,Special Education,Speech Communication, Theatre Arts, Theatre Arts Management, Theology and Youth Ministry. Masters degree programs include Education and Business.

The college staff to student ratio is 15:1.

Arts

Benedictine College has been known for its quality programs in the arts, in majors such as Art, Music, Music Education, and Theatre Arts. The college features two performance spaces: the Mabee Theatre seats approximately 130 and the O'Malley-McAllister Auditorium seats around 545 people.

The college's music department traces its roots to Mount St. Scholastica Academy, now the modern Maur Hill-Mount Academy, when the Benedictine sisters were said to have first purchased a house and then a piano.

Athletics

The colors of Benedictine College's athletic teams are black and red, with the Raven as the mascot. The Raven is associated with St. Benedict as it would bring the sixth-century saint, food during his time as a hermit in the mountains near Subiaco, Italy. The legend also has the raven saving St. Benedict from eating poisoned bread.

The Ravens compete in fifteen varsity intercollegiate sports (NAIA and Heart of America Athletic Conference), with men’s teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, and track and field. Women’s athletics, "The Lady Ravens", include teams in basketball, cross-country, soccer, softball, track, and volleyball. Benedictine’s cheerleading and spirit squads have been recognized nationally.

Faith life

Mass is offered to students four times daily in several places, including St. Benedict's Abbey in its Abbey Church, St. Benedict's Parish, and St. Martin's Chapel. There are many opportunities for retreats, Bible study, evangelization, mission trips, service projects, youth ministry, LifeTeen, music ministry, Communion and Liberation, and pro-life work. The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), a collegiate leadership apostolate, was founded at Benedictine College by Curtis Martin.

The college is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, though it is not officially affiliated with the Archdiocese.

Presidents

• Sr. Mary Noel Walter, OSB (Acting, July 1, 1971 to February 12, 1972)
• Fr. Gerard Senecal, OSB, Ph.D. (February 12, 1972 to May 29, 1987)
• Sr. Katherine Delaney, OSB, Ph.D. (Acting, May 29, 1987 to 1988)
• Thomas O. James, Ph.D. (1988 to 1995)
• Daniel J. Carey, Ph.D. (1995 to 2003)
• Stephen Minnis, J.D. (2004 to present)

Notable alumni

• Irv Comp, former starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, member of the 1944 NFL Championship team.
• Terrance W. Gainer, Sergeant-at-Arms of the U.S. Senate for the 110th United States Congress (January 4 2007 – present)
• Thomas Hoenig, President, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, earned his bachelors degree in economics at St. Benedicts College in 1968.
• Jamie Mueller, Former professional NFL running back of the Buffalo Bills (1987-1990).
• Donn B. Murphy Ph.D., longtime professor of theatre at Georgetown University, and president of The National Theatre in Washington D.C.
• Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Winner
• Terry Hanson, '69 Athlete and Coach in Ravens Hall of Fame who went on to a successful career in pro sports and the media
• Chris L. Rutt, inventor of Aunt Jemima pancake mix.
• Darryl Jones, '68, NAIA All-American, NAIA Half-Century Basketball Team, National Champion
• Bob Veale, '58, National League Strikeout leader, Pittsburg Pirates
• Ralph Nolan , Won NAIA national championship twice, 1954 and 1967.
• Eduardo Sardina, Former President of Bacardi North America

Notable facts

• Benedictine College is one of the few colleges to continue the tradition of making incoming freshmen wear a beanie atop their heads for the first week of orientation. If an upperclassman or alumni spots a freshman without the beanie, they are required to "kaw like a raven" on top of the highest point in the area.

External links

• http://www.benedictine.edu/
• http://www.kansasmonks.org
• http://www.mountosb.org/