Belmont Abbey College

Belmont, North Carolina

www.belmontabbeycollege.edu

Overview
Benedictine monks migrated from Pennsylva-
nia to Gaston County in south central North
Carolina in 1876 and began an education min-
istry that eventually became Belmont Abbey
College in 1913. It first granted bachelor’s de-
grees in 1952 and became coed 20 years later.
For most of its existence, the college was a
base for quiet evangelization in the midst of
the Protestant Bible Belt. Today, it is moving
outward a bit more aggressively as the college
grows in size and appeals to more students
outside the region. quick facts
The locale is compelling and offers an Founded: 1876
opportunity for Belmont Abbey to attract Type of institution: Small liberal arts college
broader interest in a rapidly growing area. Setting: Suburban
Situated in the small town of Belmont, with a Undergraduate enrollment: 1,100 (2006–07
academic year)
population of about 8,700 people, it is only 10
Undergraduate cost: $28,505 (tuition, room
miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina’s larg-
and board for 2007–08)
est city; the impressive urban skyline is very Undergraduate majors: 20
prominent from the campus.
Charlotte’s population has nearly doubled Five Key Points
since 1980, and it is today a major banking 1. The Benedictine abbey influences the
center and the epicenter of the booming NAS- college.
CAR motor sport industry. Belmont Abbey
2. Recent initiatives have strengthened
has taken advantage of its location by, among the college’s Catholic identity.
other things, establishing a unique under-
3. There is an effort to create a Catholic
graduate concentration in motor sports man-
outreach into the local community.
agement.
4. An Honors Institute and program
But what distinguishes the college is a allows students a broader Great Books
revitalized commitment to its Catholic and exposure.
Benedictine roots, as evidenced by a national 5. There is a core curriculum, but it could
advertising campaign called “Got Monks?”, be enhanced, including in theology.
which began in October 2006. This has been

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Belmont Abbey College
only one of the initiatives launched by Dr.
William Thierfelder, who became college
president in 2004.
Dr. Thierfelder, a sports psychologist and
former college All-American high jumper
and Olympian, has established his priorities
as strengthening the college’s Catholic identi-
ty, emphasizing its academic credentials and
promoting athletic opportunities.
Some of these enhancements are embodied
in one of the more impressive strategic plans
that we have seen in our research on Catho-
lic colleges. It has three components: Catholic
and Benedictine goals, liberal arts programs,
and efforts to improve overall “excellence and
virtue.”
Progress has been considerable on the
plan, which was launched in 2005. One result
of their advertising campaign and the overall
strengthening of the college was a 15 percent
increase in enrollment among traditional-
aged (18- to 22-year-old) students in 2006–07
over the previous year.
Although 43 percent of traditional stu-
dents are from North Carolina, during this
past academic year students came from 34
states and 26 countries as the college expands
its appeal to a broader base.
Students become acclimated to Benedictine
values through a First Year Symposium and
end their work with a capstone Great Books
course four years later. They can undertake a
more extensive Great Books program through
the new Honors Institute, which provides for
broader intellectual opportunities as well as
a stipend.
There are 20 majors offered, most of which
are common programs. About 50 percent of
students major in business and accounting
and another 30 percent major in education.
Among the less common are environmental
science, sports management and the motor
164
sports management program that includes
four courses in management and marketing
as well as an internship. There is a theology
major.
Homeschooled students are welcomed.
Part of that support comes from President
Thierfelder whose children are homeschooled
and who has spoken to homeschooling
groups.
Although about 65 percent of the students
are “traditional,” the college also provides
evening and weekend classes in its Adult
Degree Program; this is a rapidly growing
group, which included 380 students in the
2006–07 academic year. These non-traditional
students, similar to the traditional ones, are
most concentrated in business and education
majors. The college does not have a graduate
program.
One other aspect of Belmont Abbey is
the arsenal of scholarship programs. Ninety
percent of students receive merit-based aid.
Among this assistance are stipends for hon-
ors students, the Felix Hintemayer Scholar-
ship for student leadership, Benedictine Hos-
pitality Award and the Sport at the Service of
the Spirit Scholarship.
Governance
Belmont Abbey College is run by the South-
ern Benedictine Society, which consists of
two separately incorporated entities, Belmont
Abbey monastery and the college. The Abbey
is the largest donor to the college, which en-
sures Benedictine influence.
Abbot Placid Solari, O.S.B., who has been
abbot since 1999, is a former president and
dean of the college. He is currently chancellor
of the college and interviews all college hires.
The abbot, who is a theologian with a degree
The Newman Guide
 Belmont Abbey College

in patristics, is reported to be “strongly ortho- A college staff member told us that such
dox.” objectives were diligently followed in a “qui-
et, Benedictine way but now we are moving
The abbot also is a member of the college
outward.” By all accounts, President Thier-
board of trustees, which is largely a lay board
felder has had a big impact in helping reshape
including many Charlotte area businesspeo-
the college into a more visibly Catholic insti-
ple. Of the 38-member board, five are monks,
tution that is increasingly drawing national
one is a member of the nearby Sisters of Mer-
attention.
cy and one is the chancellor of the Diocese of
Charlotte. Two members are non-Catholics. This is reflected in the “Got Monks” cam-
paign, which also appears to be helpful in
Dr. Thierfelder, a lifelong devout Catholic,
ongoing recruiting for vocations. Three of the
was a sports psychologist and president of
five priests ordained in the Diocese of Char-
York Barbell Company before assuming the
lotte in June 2007 were Belmont Abbey Col-
presidency of the college three years ago. He
lege alumni.
and his wife are Benedictine oblates, lay fol-
lowers of the Rule of St. Benedict. There are a number of ways in which
the Catholic presence on campus is being
strengthened. One is through several new,
Public Identity full-tuition scholarships aimed at attracting
Catholic students.
At the heart of Belmont Abbey College is its
Another is faculty hiring, a matter of some
Benedictine identity, sustained by 20 monks
importance since Catholics number just “over
at the Abbey. There is an atmosphere steeped
50 percent” of the faculty, according to one
in the Rule of St. Benedict and the values
senior staff member. The same staff member
that it reflects. According to Abbot Solari in a
told us, “In the last three years, almost all of
Spring 2007 interview in the college’s alumni
the faculty hires have been Catholics. In ad-
magazine, Crossroads, the Benedictine heri-
dition to the president, all the vice presidents
tage “ensures that the educational approach
are Catholic. All the job postings stress the
established and maintained here reflects the
Catholic mission.”
Catholic intellectual tradition.”
Recent hires include Dr. Anne Carson
This commitment is reflected in various
Daly as vice president for academic affairs
college documents, including the mission
and dean of the faculty. She is an English lit-
and vision statements. The vision statement,
erature professor with an expertise in J. R. R.
for example, states: “Belmont Abbey finds its
Tolkien and C. S. Lewis.
center in Jesus Christ. By [H]is light, we grasp
the true image and likeness of God which ev- Among other recent developments is the
ery human person is called to live out.” construction of a new, larger Eucharistic Ado-
ration Chapel, for which ground was broken
The college embraced Ex corde Ecclesiae
on August 22, 2006, Feast of the Queenship
when it was issued in 1990, according to one
of Mary. Bishop Peter Jugis of the Diocese of
theology faculty member. And at a March
Charlotte participated. The new chapel will
2007 faculty retreat, there was a discussion of
allow for perpetual adoration.
the document and how Catholic teachings on
the relationship between faith and reason ap- Also in 2006 was the opening of The Cath-
ply to colleges. olic Shoppe, a Catholic book and supply cen-

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Belmont Abbey College
ter that offers study courses and vespers for
students and the community. Future plans for
the shop include story hours for children and
prayer time. In April 2007 a three-day Catho-
lic Family Expo was held on campus in con-
junction with the Diocese of Charlotte.
In summer 2007, it was announced that
Envoy magazine, a Catholic evangelical pub-
lication, will be housed at the college and will
expand to include an Envoy Institute. This
institute will focus on the spiritual needs of
youth and should help with the faith forma-
tion of Belmont Abbey students.
As part of its commitment to pro-life Cath-
olic principles, the college announced in 2007
that it will work with an existing Charlotte
Catholic maternity home to develop a Room
at the Inn facility for pregnant and unwed
mothers. It will provide educational opportu-
nities, support and health care.
These new programs supplement oth-
ers, in particular the Bradley Institute for the
166
Study of Christian Culture, which was estab-
lished in 1996 in honor of former college pres-
ident Father John Bradley, O.S.B. Dr. Robert
Preston, another former college president, is
director of the institute and was a student of
Father Bradley’s.
According to the college, the institute
“supports the mission of the college by fos-
tering an understanding of the Catholic Intel-
lectual Heritage and by advancing the truth
of Christian thought and an appreciation of
their unique impact upon the development
of Western culture.” In December 2006 the
Vatican designated the institute as a Seat of
Catholic Culture.
The institute has monthly speakers and at-
tracts students and others from the Belmont
area. Among upcoming speakers in fall 2007
will be Father Joseph Koterski, S.J., of Ford-
ham University, who will speak on “The Im-
portance of Natural Law in Catholic Moral
Theology.”
One recent speaker in another lecture se-
ries was Catholic writer John Allen, author of
a 2005 book on Pope Benedict XVI, who spoke
on “Understanding the Megatrends Affecting
the Catholic Church” in April 2007. Overall,
the speakers program includes business lead-
ers or religious commentators.
Interestingly, Belmont Abbey does not
have outside speakers at their commencement
ceremony. Rather, as Ken Davison, the vice
president of college relations, told us, “the
Baccalaureate Mass is the focus and highlight
of commencement. The homilist, therefore,
is the ‘speaker’ and is so honored. Since it’s
a Mass, the homilist must be a priest or bish-
op and approved by the abbot. There are no
problems with dissidents.” The 2007 homilist
was Archbishop Wilton Gregory of the Arch-
diocese of Atlanta and a former president of
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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As a physical example of the college’s pub-
lic identity there is a lovely Lourdes Grotto,
which was dedicated in 1891 and has been
given special status as a Pilgrimage Shrine. In
addition to ongoing visits, there is a program
of prayer each May. The grotto complements
the impressive Abbey Basilica and the monas-
tery, both of which are close by on campus.
Spiritual Life
The spiritual life at Belmont Abbey is cen-
tered at the basilica, which is officially known
as Abbey Basilica of Mary Holy of Christians.
The beautiful 19th-century Gothic structure
served as a cathedral for 67 years and is now
on the National Register of Historic Places. It
seats about 300.
There are three Masses per weekend at
the basilica, one on Saturday morning and
two on Sunday, including a 7 p.m. student
Mass, which draws about 200. Daily Mass is
at 5 p.m. Students also can participate in the
Divine Office prayers of lauds, midday and
vespers throughout the week, and about 10 to
12 students participate daily with the monks.
The Mass is said in the vernacular. On
Sunday, there is organ music but weekday
Masses have a capella singing. The Divine Of-
fice is recited in recto tono chant. Priests and
monks are active in campus ministry.
Confessions are held six days a week. One
staff member said of the chaplain during the
2006–07 academic year, “He challenges stu-
dents, he ‘gets in your face’ about going to
confession; students respond well.” The ado-
ration chapel is always open and there is an
exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 16 hours
a day. There also are days of recollection and
“fasting opportunities.”
Students must perform 10 hours of com-
munity service each semester, and this pro-
The Newman Guide
Belmont Abbey College
gram falls under campus ministry. Among
the options available are working with mater-
nity homes such as Room at the Inn or crisis
pregnancy centers; helping needy and home-
less people in the area; teaching religion to
young people through the Queen of Apostles
program; and mentoring and coaching at lo-
cal schools.
One professor said, “The campus minis-
try emphasizes the life issues as taught by
the Catholic Church—not just abortion but on
issues such as war.” Some students have en-
gaged in war protests. There also is a contin-
gent that participates in the annual March for
Life in Washington, D.C. In 2007, two buses of
students, faculty and staff made the 400-mile
trip. President Thierfelder was among them.
Other campus ministry projects include
Homelessness Awareness Week and a Habitat
for Humanity program. Students also partici-
pate in alternative spring break programs that
have included trips to the Dominican Repub-
lic, Honduras and the U.S.-Mexican border.
Some of the campus ministry programs
appeal to non-Catholic students but, accord-
ing to one faculty member, “Because the
school is in the Bible Belt, it has no specific
ministry to non-Catholics recognizing that
the area offers an array of opportunities for
Protestant students.”
Catholicism in
the Classroom
Belmont Abbey is proud of its core curricu-
lum, emphasizing that it reflects the Catholic
and Benedictine tradition. “But,” one faculty
interviewee said, “since up to 45 percent of
the student body is not Catholic, the courses
are not labeled Catholic—though they operate
from a baseline Catholic perspective.”
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Belmont Abbey College
What this means is that of the required
120 credit hours, 59 are in the core curricu-
lum. There are 12 credits in “Foundational
Skills,” including writing, critical thinking
and mathematics. An additional 41 credits
are required in seven broad disciplines in the
traditional liberal arts. Within these catego-
ries there is considerable choice.
In philosophy, students need to take a sur-
vey ethics course (“Philosophy 250”) and can
choose either ancient and medieval philoso-
phy or modern and contemporary philoso-
phy. There is, thus, a six-credit philosophy
requirement.
There are six credits required in theology,
which are comprised of one course in early
and medieval Christian thought and one in
Reformation and modern Christian thought.
Theology faculty members have received
or applied for the mandatum. But, one faculty
member said, “The college provides a learn-
ing experience that gives students an intro-
duction into an ethical and moral view of the
world shaped by a Catholic philosophy that
avoids the left and right extremes.”
Given the influence of Abbot Placid, the
leadership of President Thierfelder and the
launching of a number of strong Catholic ini-
tiatives, it could reasonably be expected that
the Catholic content of the curriculum will be
enhanced in the near future. Such strength-
ening is at least implicit in the current strate-
gic plan.
For most students, Belmont Abbey pro-
vides a small environment to develop market-
able skills. About 50 percent of students ma-
jor in business-related concentrations, which
is not surprising given the array of offerings.
These include business management, interna-
tional business, sports management and mo-
tor sports management. There also is a Centre
for Global Commerce.
168
In the fall 2007 semester, a new Honors
Institute began with an emphasis on Great
Books; the college expects it to consist of about
18 students. This competitive, 15-course pro-
gram replaces a less-defined honors program
that had only nine courses. Honors Institute
students will have the opportunity to interact
with faculty and others in informal settings
and will be eligible for grants, including full
tuition remission.
Scholarships, including those that attract
Catholic students, are an impressive part of
the current Belmont Abbey outreach pro-
gram. The Felix Hintemayer Scholarship,
named after a former prior and vicar general
of the Benedictine order, encourages student
leadership.
There also is the Sport at the Service of the
Spirit Scholarship, an initiative of Dr. Thier-
felder, and a Benedictine Hospitality Award,
which was competitively offered for students
applying during the month of May 2007. This
latter award, up to $10,000, was to be given
to a student reflecting the spirit embodied by
the Rule of St. Benedict.
Finally, there is a modest study-abroad
program. The college does not operate or
participate in an overseas campus but allows
students to take part in several overseas pro-
grams offered by the School for Field Studies.
Student Activities
Students have access to about 30 recognized
student groups, which run the gamut from
quilting and chess clubs to Crusaders for Life
and the Student Government Association.
There is a monthly student-run newspaper,
the Crusader, and a literary magazine, Agora.
Four sororities and three fraternities also are
available. There are no clubs that are at vari-
ance with Catholic teachings.
The Newman Guide

Some students take advantage of reli-
gious-oriented groups known as households.
Presently, there are four such households:
Brothers in Christ Sons of Mary Household,
Faithful Daughters Household, Our Lady of
Good Counsel Household and One Body in
Christ Co-Educational Household.
One especially prominent campus organi-
zation is the Abbey Players, which can trace
its history back to 1883. Recent Abbey Play-
ers productions have included Good, a play
about an academic who falls prey to Nazism,
and Copenhagen, a discussion between Dan-
ish physicist Niels Bohr and German physi-
cist Werner Heisenberg about the nature of
atomic weapons. Student performers can mi-
nor in theatre arts and are eligible for the John
Oetgen, O.S.B., Excellence in Theatre Scholar-
ship.
For others, there is an active intramu-
ral sports program that includes the typical
sports as well as offerings such as wiffle ball
and billiards. Students also are able to use the
facilities of the R. L. Stowe, Jr., Family YMCA
in Belmont, which is about five minutes from
the campus.
BAC fields seven men’s and seven women’s
sports team that compete in NCAA Division
II through the new Conference Carolinas.
President Thierfelder, who has had a long ca-
reer in sports, is working to upgrade the pro-
gram. As part of that process, in July 2007 the
college hired a veteran athletic director from
Cal State-Northridge, promoted the assistant
men’s basketball coach to the top spot and
signed a women’s professional basketball as-
sistant coach to coach the women’s basketball
team.
The Newman Guide
Belmont Abbey College
Residential Life
Campus housing accommodates about 625
students in three residence halls with single-
sex suites and apartments. Overnight oppo-
site-sex visitation in rooms is prohibited, but
we understand it is not closely policed. There
is no curfew. Chastity is encouraged both
through policy and by resident staff.
To address student drinking, the Student
Life office has launched a quarterly Alcohol
Education Seminar. Students who run afoul of
alcohol rules are required to attend the semi-
nar in lieu of being assessed a fine. In 2005,
there were 47 campus liquor law violations
that rose to the level of disciplinary action.
The campus is relatively safe. In the three
years of 2003, 2004 and 2005, there were 26
criminal offenses, 20 of which were burglar-
ies. The town of Belmont, however, has a
crime rate that is about 20 percent above the
national index average.
Students have access to a health center
where routine medical issues are addressed
by a nurse practitioner and others. The 435-
bed Gaston Memorial Hospital is located in
Gastonia, about 15 miles west of the campus.
And, of course, Charlotte offers a variety of
medical facilities.
The Community
Belmont is a small town that is about 15 min-
utes from Charlotte, a major urban center.
Charlotte, which has a population of 664,000,
is the home of the nation’s second and fourth
largest banks, Bank of America and Wachovia.
NASCAR, now a major sports entertainment
industry, looms large in the area’s economy.
Evangelist Billy Graham was born in Char-
lotte 88 years ago—when the population of
Charlotte and its county, Mecklenburg, was
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Belmont Abbey College
only about 12,000—and evangelical and Prot-
estant influences in this southeast section of
North Carolina remain strong.
But with its rapid growth and prosperity,
the Charlotte area is now a diverse mix and
offers what you would expect of the nation’s
20th largest city. Belmont Abbey students are
able to take advantage of the many social, cul-
tural and sports opportunities.
The Charlotte Douglas International Air-
port is about 10 minutes from Belmont. It is a
major hub for U.S. Airways and hosts many
major carriers. The area also is easily acces-
sible by road through Interstates 85 and 77.
The Bottom Line
Belmont Abbey is on the move. After provid-
ing a liberal arts education to students, often
Protestants, in the region for more than a cen-
tury, the college is repositioning itself. With
170
impressive marketing skills and the Catho-
lic commitment of a new president, Belmont
Abbey has embarked on a campaign to make
itself a national institution with a stronger
Catholic presence.
Some of the enhancements are subtle, such
as broadening its outreach to the communi-
ty, while others are more substantial as evi-
denced by a broader array of targeted schol-
arships and a revitalized core-curriculum
Honors Institute. The college also has been
nimble in taking advantage of regional part-
nerships, including one that supports a motor
sports management program.
Undergirding its expansion and new stra-
tegic thinking has been the presence of the
Benedictine monks and the Abbey. Most of
the key ingredients are in place to help move
this small liberal arts college to the next level
of national prominence. For that reason, it is
worth consideration from Catholic students
wishing to ride the wave.
The Newman Guide