In the news and on social media, one hears about the utilitarian purpose of higher education: Go to college so you can find a good job after graduation. While that is certainly a crucial aspect of college, we’d like to make the case that it is so much more than a means to an end.
At Belmont Abbey College, we work to ensure that all students, whether they live on campus or not, feel like they have a home away from home. As a Catholic college, we recognize the importance of home, family and community, and we strive to instill those qualities in the college experience.
Take, for example, our student clubs. These groups are more than just a way to pass the time or a line on a future resume. Not only does participation help students build skills for life and career, but it also serves as a way for students to connect with each other. Those new connections are vital when family and childhood friends are far away.
We entrust our students to build friendships that last a lifetime, but we also encourage them to find a spiritual director or mentor. These holy friends serve as a source of clarity in a world where thousands of online opinions quickly become clanging cymbals. Our students have something no college within 300 miles offers: a Benedictine Abbey adjacent to campus. The abbey reminds students of our connection to the Church, and it offers the spiritual support that students may miss when they are away from home.
The relationships that are formed during the college years have an incredible impact on the lives of our graduates. College classmates end up becoming godparents, confirmation sponsors, business partners and best friends. College friends who answer the call to the priesthood one day administer the Sacraments to future generations. These bonds are the direct result of the home-away-from-home experience at Belmont Abbey College.
While the culture on campus fosters meaningful relationships, our students are also given the opportunity to experience life outside the Abbey. Whether it’s our Honors College students attending performances by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, our Crusader athletes volunteering in the #hashtaglunchbag project, which provides food for local youth, or students participating in study abroad programs, BAC provides opportunities to grow both personally and professionally.
All of this, combined with world-class academics, makes Belmont Abbey College the right choice for students who want to learn, seek and thrive in a spiritually rich community.
