Belmont Abbey College is a
private liberal-arts Benedictine/Catholic college
located in Belmont, North Carolina
, 15 miles west of Charlotte
. It was founded in 1876 as
St.
Mary's College by the
Benedictine monks of
Belmont Abbey. It was changed
to the current name in 1913. The school is affiliated with the
Roman Catholic Church and the
Order of Saint
Benedict.
Academics
Majors
Accounting
Applied Psychology
Biology
Business Management
Computer Studies CIS
Criminal Justice and
Security Studies
Economics
Elementary Education
Educational Studies
English
Environmental Science
History
Liberal Studies
MathematicsPhilosophy
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology
Sports Management
Theology
Core curriculum
Belmont Abbey employs a
core
curriculum in order to achieve its stated 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. Taught by professors from
various fields, this course introduces and explains the theories of
a
liberal education through
readings, lectures, and discussions. The course is also intended to
inform students about the
Rule of
St. Benedict and the Benedictine Tradition.
After the freshman year, students are required to take a writing
intensive course, a
social sciences
course, a global perspectives course, a
math
course, a
fine arts course, two
theology courses, as well as courses in
logic,
philosophy, and other
topics.
Athletics
Belmont Abbey Crusaders athletic
logo
Abbey's athletic teams call themselves the Crusaders and
participate in the
NCAA's
Division II program. The Crusaders are members
of
Conference Carolinas. 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 and women's tennis and men's and women's track and
field have been added for the 2009 season.
College basketball
coach Al McGuire, who coached Marquette
to the 1977 NCAA Men's title, coached the Crusaders
from 1957 to 1964 prior to becoming the head coach at
Marquette. He led the Crusaders to 5 post-season tournament
appearances.
Men's Sports
Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Track and Field
Tennis
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Wrestling
JV Baseball
JV Basketball
JV Soccer
Women's Sports
Basketball
Cross Country
Track and Field
Tennis
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Volleyball
Notable alumni
Notable events
Faculty health care coverage controversy
In early December 2007 it was discovered that the Belmont Abbey
College healthcare policy covered "
abortion,
contraception and voluntary
sterilization." These were removed by the
administration immediately after they were discovered. Following
the change in policy eight faculty members filed formal complaints
to the
North
Carolina Department of Insurance, the
Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, and the
National Women's Law Center
about the removal of contraceptive coverage, the latter threatening
a lawsuit on behalf of the eight faculty members. The Abbot and the
administration have stated that they have no intention of
reinstating those portions of the health care plan.
The school's administration has received statements of support from
Catholic news sources and other organizations
In May 2008, the student newspaper, the Belmont Abbey Crusader,
published an article pointing out that the Abbey still profits from
two stores on its land that sell contraceptives, including a
pharmacy.
A Professor of Theology at Belmont Abbey College, is quoted as
stating that the larger issue "is about the responsibility of the
College as a Catholic and Benedictine institution neither to
sponsor nor promote activities that the authoritative teaching of
the Church considers seriously immoral."
The Abbot defended the existence of Wal-Mart and Rite Aid on
Belmont Abbey land, stating that "[They] are preponderantly good
operations, i.e. 99 percent or more of their business is not
problematic, and the employment generation and economic stimulation
they provide for the community of Belmont are worth tolerating a
small amount of evil. The Abbey is not willing to lease to them
because they sell contraceptives, but despite it."
Notes
- [1]
- [2]
- [3]
- Aggie Catholics. "Belmont Abbey College", Aggie Catholics, May
7, 2008.
- LifeSiteNews.com. "Belmont Abbey College Removes Employee Benefits for
Abortion, Sterilization and Contraception", LifeSiteNews.com,
May 7, 2008.
- Wentowski, Ray. "Belmont Abbey Removes Contraception Coverage from
Employee Healthcare, Benefits from Contraceptive Sales on Abbey
Land", abbeycrusader.com, May 7, 2008.
External links
Top topics
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
