| Benedictine College | |
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| Established | 1858 as St. Benedict's College and 1863 as Mount St. Scholastica College 1971 became Benedictine College when the above institutions united |
| Type: | Private, Undergraduate |
| 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 university in Atchison, Kansas. 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. The abbey has a current population of some thirty-five monks.
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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. The universities merged on July 1, 1971 to form the current Benedictine College. At the time of this merger, the college was also known as "The Co-Educational College of Mount St. Scholastica and St. Benedict's Colleges". The usage of this name has disappeared since the college closed the South Campus, the former Mount St. Scholastica College, in 1989.
Education
Undergraduate programs include Art, Astronomy,Business, Finance, Mass Communications, Theatre, Philosophy, Theology, Music, Biology, Computer Science, Education, History, English, Sociology (including Criminology), Math and Physics. Masters degree programs include Education and Business. In a recent survey of approximately 162,000 students at 472 four-year colleges and universities (National Survey of Student Engagement), Benedictine College scored in the top 5 percent nationally for student-faculty interaction, supportive campus environment, and enriching educational experiences. [1] The university staff to student ratio is 16:1.
Athletics
The school's athletic teams, the Ravens, wear black, red and white uniforms. St. Benedict is usually pictured with his pet raven, because of the legend that his raven saved him 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, tennis, and track and field. Women’s athletics, "The Lady Ravens", include teams in basketball, cross-country, soccer, softball, tennis, 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 chapels including St. Martin's Chapel and St. Benedict's Abbey. There are many opportunities for retreats, Bible study, evangelization, mission trips, service projects, youth ministry, music ministry, 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.
Notable alumni
- Terrance W. Gainer, Sergeant-at-Arms of the U.S. Senate for the 110th United States Congress (January 4 2007 – present)
- Scott Hieger, Famous teacher of world history at Berkner High School and formerly (and fondly) at Lake Highlands High School, expert on the Byzantine Empire
- Thomas Hoenig, President, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, earned his bachelors degree in economics at St. Benedicts College in 1968.
- Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, earned her bachelors degree in biology at the Mount St. Scholastica College from 1960 to 1964.
- 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.
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.
- While Benedictine holds a tradiation of not having frats or soroities on campus, the Catholic answer to scandalous Masons, the Knights of Columbus, remain a very active student group. They are not shread in nearly as much secrecy as Masons, but still abide by strict initiation rites. In addition, suspicions are high that there is at least one other "secret" organization on campus that promotes leadership and political influence both on campus and in the private sector. It is not known how extensive or powerful it is, but the notable alumni seem to provide evidence that some graduates do have the ability to enter high levels of leadership with in US government, world issues, and private sector executives.
