Belmont Abbey College Possibilities & Purpose by Belmont Abbey College

N A SC A R

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n so a re Greek philosophy

M u si ca ls

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Now is the time to discover new possibilities and new directions, to forge the unique combination of talents that makes you who you are. At Belmont Abbey, your education brings together all sides of yourself—intellectual, physical, and spiritual. The result? A college experience that continually brings you new opportunities to connect your passions and your purpose. Here, you’ll develop the practical skills and mental agility to navigate an everchanging job market. You’ll strengthen your sense of self and your calling. Above all, you’ll learn to critically engage the world and see the glory of God in it.

69% of full-time faculty hold doctorates or terminal degrees. Average class size: 17 Student-teacher ratio: 16:1

INQUIRY

AGILITY

Today, the average college graduate can expect to have 15 different careers. Training in one narrow field won’t suffice anymore. Instead, you need to be mentally agile, to know how to master information quickly, and how to communicate and defend your ideas. Learning at the Abbey provides just that. As part of the Catholic intellectual tradition—the driving force behind the world’s greatest universities—we combine deep inquiry with opportunities that prepare you for whatever your career path brings.

Experts & friends At Belmont Abbey, our professors are nationally recognized experts and leading scholars in everything from education to botany to theology. But they’re more than just teachers. They choose to be here because they’re committed to helping each student find their passion and discover their calling. You’ll work directly with professors on writing projects, in labs, and out in the field. That pays off in how you learn and who you become.

Your introduction to the Abbey Our First-Year Symposium introduces you to the Catholic liberal arts approach and our Benedictine values. It’s the ideal foundation for academic success, making friends, and making yourself at home. It also includes a visit with the monks and cultural or outdoor experiences.

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Our Honors Institute is your opportunity to read the great authors of Western thought and to discuss, both inside the classroom and out, lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fundamental questions with other students, faculty, and college administrators. Along the way youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll enjoy cultural opportunities, from Beethoven to Bluegrass, as well as special events including an academic retreat in Hilton Head, SC, and trips to destinations such as Rome, Dublin, Madrid, and Oxford.

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Honors Institute students generally receive a prestigious four-year Honors Fellowship and receive significant financial assistance annually.

We also offer the Felix Hintemeyer Catholic Leadership Program, which fosters Catholic leadership through service, and the Saint Thomas More Scholarship program, which includes an opportunity for a valuesoriented internship.

Whatever your interest—whether it’s motorsports or theology, classical languages or computer science—Belmont Abbey provides the academic programs you need to pursue your goals. Integrating small classroom environments, research opportunities, networking with industry leaders, and internships all over the country—no matter your chosen major—you’ll get the kind of firsthand learning and real-world experiences it takes to turn your education into a career.

A model of learning

real-world experience

Majors Accounting Biology Business Management Criminal Justice & Sociology Educational Studies Elementary Education English Government & Political Philosophy History Mathematics Motorsports Management Psychology Sport Management Theology

Dan Guffey 2010 Motorsports Management Director of Social Media & Online Business, Jeff Gordon, Inc.

“Few schools offer such a specialized program that provides access to influential people within the industry. Belmont Abbey’s motorsports management program delivers the unique ability to not only learn the sport from a business perspective, but also connect with industry professionals who frequented our classes as guest speakers. In most cases, opportunities begin with people and relationships. For me, being able to establish those vital connections helped open a lot of doors.”

FAST TRACK

success sT ries POWERHOUSE

Moses Stansberry 2013 Business Management (Marketing Concentration) Time Warner Cable Media, Client Solutions Associate (Strategic Marketing Specialist)

“Marketing is an extremely competitive field but Belmont Abbey prepared me well. Career Services offered me an internship with the top media company in the world: Clear Channel Media. The week my internship ended, I was offered a paid position in the promotions department. Recently I was hired by Time Warner Cable Media to build marketing strategies for companies all over the U.S.”

Chess and camping. Improv workshops and social-justice campaigns. Literary magazines and student government. With more than 40 student groups and organizations, Belmont Abbey offers you lots of ways to get involved, take the lead, make a difference, and have fun. All year long, our student-run Campus Activities Board brings in comedians, musical acts, and coffeehouse performances. They also help organize major campus events like our FDOC (First Day of Class) Bash, Homecoming Block Party, the President’s Ball, and our annual Crawfish Boil on the Quad.

LITERARY MAGAzines

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Living on campus. Living well. On campus, you’ve got newly renovated residence halls and a new state-of-the-art dining center. Stay fit in our newly equipped Student Fitness Center—we’ll also have over 100 new Wi-Fi spots across campus this Fall. Study or just hang out with friends at the Holy Grounds Coffee Shop. Our Wellness Center offers programs in transitioning to college life, relaxation skills, stress management, assertiveness training, herbal supplements, and weight issues—many at no charge.

The Abbey Players, our 129-year-old theatre organization, is open to all members of the campus community. Students, faculty, staff—even monks— regularly appear in the six main-stage shows we produce each year. Along with staging a wide repertoire of drama, comedy and musicals, we also put on the Abbey Shakespeare Series, an ongoing project dedicated to producing each of Shakespeare’s plays. Not into acting? Students interested in technical work build sets, run lights and sound plots, and oversee shows with state-of-the-art equipment.

Heard, not scene Beyond theatre, Belmont Abbey is home to a vibrant arts community, which includes Arts at the Abbey, our free cultural series that brings a wide variety of artists to campus, and the Abbey Chorus, a choral ensemble that performs sacred and secular works.

SING O ST T R A P

A minor leading to major roles Study performance or technical aspects of theatre with our minor in Theatre Arts. Whichever direction you choose, in your senior year you’ll help create a full production as part of your practicum experience. Our student performers and technicians have consistently been accepted into competitive M.F.A. and theatre programs.

Play o Ts T r a p

Ten minutes away is Charlotte, home to Fortune 500 companies, world-class museums, shopping, and all kinds of nightlife and entertainment. Like sports? Here you can catch NASCAR, the Panthers, the Hornets, the Knights, the Checkers, nearly anything you could want. Charlotte is even home to the U.S. National Whitewater Olympic Training Center.

SmallTown charm Just a short walk from campus is downtown Belmont and its restaurants and shops. Friendly, quaint, and safe, Belmont is the kind of small town that will close down its Main Street to host free weekend concerts during the summer months.

ForTune 500 opporTuniTies now

English Teen Services Assistant at the Spartanburg County Library Headquarters

“Belmont Abbey has bettered my life in countless ways. With excellent academics, vibrant enthusiasm for the Catholic faith, and especially the professors’ genuine concern for each student’s well-being and success, I could not have picked a better place to earn my degree. I feel incredibly well prepared for life, and I could not be more grateful for the blessing of my years at the Abbey.”

COUNTLESS WAYS

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Jessica Brushaber 2014

US CONGRESS

Patrick McHenry 1999 History US Representative for North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District “Had I not experienced the Abbey, I don’t think I would be in Congress today. I don’t think I would be as happy personally and have a fulfilled spiritual life and fulfilled personal life as I do without my Abbey education and training. It’s those monks that are on campus and those professors that gave me just a little bit more than I could have experienced at any other institution.”

As a Benedictine institution, we welcome students of all faiths and strive to instill in them a habit of worship that cultivates their personal spirituality.

prayer Spiritual growth in community We encourage students to use their unique talents to serve the campus and local community and to live an integrated Christian life. Opportunities for spiritual growth include daily Mass, community worship services, Rosary in the Quad, and day retreats with the Abbot. The Fellowship of Catholic University Students also runs 20+ Bible studies. Our household system enables students to form small Christ-centered groups that create deep relationships based on faith.

Reverence for the sacred, awareness of the profound dignity of each person, service to others as an expression of love for God—these are the Benedictine values Belmont Abbey lives by and seeks to instill in students. All of this is summed up in the Benedictine motto “Ora et Labora,” “prayer and work.” Prayer happens in many ways on campus—with the monks, in the St. Joseph Adoration Chapel and the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, and within faith-based student groups. And work—the recognition of your vocation— starts in the classroom and extends throughout the community.

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The heart of our spirit At the heart of spiritual life on campus is our historic Abbey Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians, which celebrates Mass three times each weekend. Mass with the monks takes place every weekday, and you can join them for daily prayers and evening Vespers. Mass is also held every Tuesday morning in the St. Joseph Adoration Chapel.

Texas Hold’em

Division 2

Free weights & whitewater Our athletic facilities include a newly renovated fitness center that houses cardio equipment, weight machines and free weights, and space for aerobics and stretching. Want more? You’ve got free access to the Belmont YMCA, which features a pool and exercise classes. Also, nearby is the U.S. National Whitewater Center where you can hone your rafting skills in a custom-made whitewater river.

Sport & virtue Athletics at Belmont Abbey is about more than competition. We see it as a way to develop virtue, honesty, and integrity in our athletes. And this isn’t just talk: we’ve won the Messick Award, the highest sportsmanship honor within our conference, three times, and hold a league record with seven teams recognized for sportsmanship in their sports.

With 21 sports teams—19 varsity and two junior varsity—competing in NCAA Division II as part of the Conference Carolinas, Belmont Abbey is known as a strong contender with regional and national titles. If you’re looking to keep playing a sport, this is the opportunity to raise your game and integrate athletics with the rest of your college experience. We don’t expect you to choose between being a student and being an athlete. This means your coaches and professors work together with each other and with you to ensure you have all you need to be successful—on the field and off.

More friendly competition Our hugely popular intramural program includes regular seasonal sports such as sand volleyball, flag football, and soccer. But we also offer a variety of single-day tournaments like bowling, Ultimate Frisbee golf, dodgeball, and Texas Hold’em.

Thinking about graduate or professional school? We can help with that too, and we’ve got the track record to prove it. Our graduates have been accepted in some of the nation’s top graduate schools and medical schools, including:

STarTing poinT

Helping you turn your education into a career is what our Office of Career Services and Internships is all about. Overseen by a former corporate trainer, the Office provides individualized career coaching and complete career-development services—everything from interest assessments to writing a resume to negotiating your salary. We’re also your go-to source for internships, fulltime jobs, and part-time jobs in the Charlotte area.

T he University of Chicago The University of Notre Dame Georgetown School of Foreign Service The University of Michigan Law School William and Mary Law School Bowman Gray School of Medicine Baylor University The University of Dallas Loyola University of Chicago

We bring employers to you. Meet potential employers, network with professionals in your field, talk to graduateschool recruiters, and learn about available internships through our annual Career Expo and from the companies we regularly host for oncampus recruiting and interviewing.

GO-TO RESOURCE

We have a 100% placement rate for graduates applying to medical, dental, and veterinary schools.

Mike Laheta 2012 Marketing NASCAR Hall of Fame, Manager, Corporate Partnerships

“Belmont Abbey truly exemplifies what it means to educate the whole person—mind, body and spirit—and I found opportunities and activities to support my learning, growth and development in all three areas. Having access to professors outside the classroom allowed me to explore areas of interest to me beyond the course curriculum. I think that is something that makes The Abbey unique.”

success sT ries ACCESS

ADVANTAGE

Jessica Jasso 2014 Accounting Major Accountant at Mel Jackson Tax & Accounting

“The community at Belmont Abbey is like no other. I was challenged by my peers, professors and the monks to take advantage of every opportunity that I had at the Abbey, including daily mass and confession and a beautiful adoration chapel outside my door. I was also able to find a career that I absolutely love and I am excited to continue developing skills and talents to help me succeed.”

All colleges say they strive to be more affordable and accessible. We’re actually doing it. In the last two years, we’ve reduced tuition by 33%, making us one of the most reasonably priced private colleges in the country. Our goal is to operate so efficiently that we run on tuition alone and apply our fundraising solely to student success—not to operating costs. This approach enables us to keep tuition costs down while reducing our students’ need for state and federal financial aid.

While the average tuition at colleges and universities has risen 440% in the past 25 years, we reduced ours by 33% in one year alone. In addition to lowering our price, we provide many scholarships. These include: • The Honors Fellowship • F elix Hintemeyer Catholic Leadership Award • The Thomas More Scholarship Program

More than 85% of Belmont Abbey students receive financial aid; 90% receive a merit-based scholarship.

QualiTy EducaTion

a 33% reducTion

Sunday Brunch

STaTisTics

Belmont Abbey College finds its center in Jesus Christ and believes in the development of the whole person—mind, body and spirit.

Campus Founded in 1876 10 miles west of Charlotte, N.C. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Come visit! We offer campus tours Monday through Friday at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 2:00 p.m. Weekend group information sessions and tours are offered most Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. followed by Mass at 11:00. To schedule your visit, call us at (888) 222-0110 or go to bac.edu. We look forward to your visit!

Enrollment Traditional students: 888 Gender: 54% male; 46% female Residence: 48% N.C. residents; 48% out-of-state students; 5% international 23 countries and 43 states represented

Abbey Experience Open House Throughout the year, we host “Abbey Experience” sessions, special open house events that enable you to visit with other prospective students. These half-day events give you the opportunity to tour campus, talk with current students and faculty, learn about financial aid, meet with admissions counselors, and hear presentations by the President, the Academic Dean, and the Abbot. Sunday Luncheon at The Abbey Join us for brunch, presentations by the President, our admissions team, and a campus tour. If you choose, you can attend morning Mass.

2013-2014 Freshmen Profile Avg. ACT: 21  Avg. SAT Critical Reading: 487 Avg. SAT Math: 485 Avg. GPA: 3.11 Average Class Size: 15 Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1 Faculty 75 full-time 69% of full-time faculty hold doctorates and/or terminal degrees. 2013-2014 Tuition Expenses Tuition & Fees: $18,500 Freshman Room & Board: $5,828 Unlimited Meal Plan: $4,466 Accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

Admissions Process Rolling Admissions  Deposit deadline of May 1st. Financial Aid 85% of Belmont Abbey full-time freshmen receive some form of financial aid. We offer merit scholarships based on academic history. Athletic grants and needbased aid are also available. Majors Accounting Biology Business Criminal Justice Education: - Elementary Education - Educational Studies English Government & Political Philosophy History Liberal Studies (ADP) Mathematics Motorsports Management Psychology Sport Management Theology Minors (minor programs with no associated major are in bold)

Accounting Biology Business: - Business Management - Entrepreneurship

Chemistry Classical Languages Computer Studies: - Information Systems - Computer Science Economics Education English Finance Government & Political Philosophy History Interdisciplinary Minor International Studies Justice & Peace Mathematics: - Mathematics - Physics-Mathematics Medieval Studies Motorsports Management Pre-Law Psychology Sport Management Theatre Arts Theology Concentrations Biology: - Environmental Science Business: - Accounting - Actuarial Science - Economics - Entrepreneurship - General Business (ADP) - International Business - Management

- Management Information Systems - Marketing - Motorsports Management - Sport Management Mathematics: - Actuarial Science - Physics Clubs & Organizations Abbey Cheerleaders Abbey Volunteers Agora (literary magazine and club) Art Club Ballroom Dancing Club Belmont Abbey Improv Troupe Bowling Club of Belmont Abbey College Brothers of Christ, Sons of Mary Household Campus Activities Board (CAB) Chess Club Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society College Republicans Crusaders for Life Debate Club and ISI Discussion Club Faithful Daughters Household Greek Council Green Team International Club Math Club Military Leadership Organization Motorsports Club Outdoor Adventure Club Psychology Club

Society of Catholic Tradition Student Government Association (SGA) Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) The Abbey Players (theatre organization) The Crusader (student newspaper) XCEL Women’s Fitness Club Unique Scholarship Programs Honors Institute  Hintemeyer Catholic Leadership  St. Thomas More Scholars  These programs require an additional application. Recognition The Cardinal Newman Society calls Belmont Abbey one of the top Catholic colleges in America for faithfulness and affordability. First Things magazine named us America’s #1 “School On The Rise, Filled With Excitement.” We have received a “Top-Tier Ranking” by U.S. News and World Report. We were named “A Best Southeastern College” by The Princeton Review.

100 Belmont-Mt Holly Rd. Belmont, NC 28012 www.belmontabbeycollege.edu