Atchison, Kansas, has been known historical- ly for its railroad identity (Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe) and as the birthplace of aviator Amelia Earhart in 1897. It also has long been a center for Benedictine life, hosting separate orders of Sisters and Brothers.

St. Benedict\u2019s Abbey spawned a college for men in 1859, while the Benedictine Sisters of Mount Saint Scholastica opened a women\u2019s college in 1923. The two institutions merged to form the coed Benedictine College in 1971.

from 38 states to study the liberal arts amid a Catholic culture. The administration takes their Catholic and Benedictine identity seri- ously as is evidenced in their vision statement: \u201cBenedictine College\u2019s vision is to be one of the great Catholic colleges in America.\u201d

There are 39 majors running the gamut from traditional liberal arts disciplines to athletic training to youth ministry. Three of these majors\u2014international studies, interna- tional business and foreign languages (cover- ing two or even three languages and study abroad)\u2014were added in fall 2007. In addition, there are opportunities to pursue many mi- nors and double majors. Graduate programs are restricted to business administration and school leadership.

The college drew students from 43 states, Puerto Rico and 21 other countries in the 2006\u201307 academic year. Undergraduate en-

Founded: 1971 (merger)
Type of institution: Small liberal arts college
Setting: Small town
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,229 (2006\u201307

rollment for fall 2007 was the highest in the college\u2019s history and represented the ninth consecutive year of enrollment growth.

trustees are lay representatives. Each of the two Benedictine orders has three members on the board.

Stephen Minnis, a lawyer and Benedictine College alumnus, has been college president since 2004. Mr. Minnis promotes the college\u2019s Catholic identity, urging on his website wel- come, \u201cLet us have Jesus in our hearts for- ever.\u201d

At his installation, Mr. Minnis was pre- sented by the co-chairs of the board with symbols of the institution\u2019s four pillars: repre- senting Catholicism was a cross; Benedictine heritage, the Medal of Saint Benedict; liberal arts, a copy of Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman\u2019s book The Idea of a University; and residential life, a drawing of a new residence hall with a verse from the Acts of the Apos- tles.

\u201cThe second you step on campus,\u201d one stu- dent told us, \u201cyou realize it is a Catholic col- lege.\u201d The college repeatedly refers to its four pillars. For example, in recruiting for assistant professors of English and sociology in early 2007, the website notes: \u201cCandidates must support the Catholic, Benedictine, Liberal Arts and Residential mission of the College.\u201d

March 21; Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City- St. Joseph was the principal celebrant of the 2006 Mass.

grieving over the death of Pope John Paul II, 300 students held a \u201cPope Party\u201d to celebrate the election of Pope Benedict XVI in April 2005. Another example is the Lenten tradition where students perform an outdoor Living Stations of the Cross.

In January 2007, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dr. Wangari Maathai was an honored guest and speaker on campus. A 1964 graduate of forerunner Mount St. Scholastica College, Dr. Maathai has achieved fame as founder of the Green Belt deforestation program in Kenya. Although she did not raise the issue during her visit, some on campus were disturbed by her history of supporting contraceptive use to address AIDS in Africa.

Hahn; Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.; and Christopher West of the Theology of the Body Institute. Mother Teresa also visited the cam- pus in 1981.

The 2007 commencement speaker was for- mer Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, who was awarded an honorary degree.

President Minnis has said, \u201cThere are some who say young people don\u2019t care about their faith any more. Let them come to Benedictine College where 150 to 200 of our students at- tend daily Mass and almost 250 of them par- ticipate in voluntary Bible study through the FOCUS [Fellowship of Catholic University Students] program.\u201d

Indeed, all the elements of a vibrant Catho- lic spiritual life are present at BC. There are 10 Masses per week at St. Martin\u2019s Chapel. In ad-

Benedict Abbey Church, the Mount St. Scho- lastica Chapel and St. Benedict\u2019s, the nearby parish. One student reported, \u201cYou have your options from a very conservative Mass [Ab- bey] to a more charismatic Mass with Praise and Worship [the youth-based campus cha- pel]. There is nothing irreverent and you can

emphasizing charismatic worship. Students are very engaged in assisting with all aspects of the campus chapel. In addition to serving as Eucharistic ministers and lectors, there also

ers (Tack Ministry), working on the website and keeping the chapel clean (Chapel Dust- ers).

The priests are very active, too. Perhaps this has helped boost the work of the St. Greg- ory the Great vocational discernment group on campus, which can claim more than 30 students who have entered religious life since 2000. Certainly the fact that there has been an average of one new Benedictine novice on campus each year for about the last eight has

Priests and monks are readily accessible for consultation or spiritual direction, and opportunities for confession are available

beyond the daily scheduled time. Eucha- ristic adoration is held on Wednesdays, and students have taken the initiative to promote one-hour participation.

The glue that holds much of the spiritual life together is a phenomenally active cam- pus ministry. There is an athletes-in-training scriptural study program, prison ministry, social justice programs, targeted events such as Guadalupe Day and Day of the Dead, a weekly Wednesday Skip-a-Meal fasting pro- gram, Daughters of the King (Catholic fellow- ship among women), international mission trips and many other activities.

The FOCUS group involves about one- quarter of the undergraduates. FOCUS, which is an acronym for Fellowship of Catho- lic University Students, is a national Catholic evangelization program on 32 campuses. Al- though mostly present on secular campuses, three Catholic colleges, including Benedic- tine, have FOCUS chapters.

Retreats are also extensive, prompting one student to say, \u201cThe joke on campus is \u2018Which retreat should I go on this week?\u2019\u201d These re- treats include those targeted for men, women and freshmen as well as an Abbey Triduum Retreat during Holy Week. Also prominent are evangelization programs and charismatic initiatives such as Rave N Worship.

One graduate student living on campus said, in summary, \u201cThere is so much spiritual activity going on at the campus, it is unbe- lievable.\u201d In fact, this was a typical comment of current and former students. One 2004 alumna summed up her Catholic experience there by saying, \u201cMass, campus ministry, FOCUS\u2014from day one I was like a kid in a candy store!\u201d