Magdalen College (New Hampshire)
Encyclopedia
The College of Saint Mary Magdalen, in Warner, New Hampshire
, is a four-year coeducational Roman Catholic liberal arts
college
offering a curriculum based on the classic texts of Western civilization
.
The college was established by Catholic laymen as Magdalen College in 1973. From 1974 to 1991 the college operated at its original campus in Bedford, New Hampshire
; in 1991, it moved to its current site in rural Warner.
As of 2010, enrollment was reported as 68 students.
founded Magdalen College in 1973, responding to the Second Vatican Council
’s call for the education of lay Catholic leaders, and with the encouragement of the Bishop of Manchester
, Ernest John Primeau
. The college was chartered by the State of New Hampshire August 22, 1973, and enrolled its first students in September 1974.
From 1974 to 1991, the college operated at its original campus, a former motel building in Bedford, New Hampshire
. In 1979, there were 70 students and 20 alumni.
Under the presidency of co-founder John Meehan, the college followed a policy of standing in loco parentis
and closely supervised students' dress, manners, and behavior in order to maintain a moral atmosphere.
In 1988, there were 39 students. New Hampshire state education officials questioned the college's financial stability. A benefactor's support enabled the college to continue operation. Within three years, Magdalen College had purchased and developed a new campus property.
The college relocated to its current site in Warner, New Hampshire
, in 1991.
In 2008-10 the college underwent a process of reform to shed its image of severity; the Student Handbook was revised and the college's policy on dating was reversed.
In October 2010, the college was renamed The College of Saint Mary Magdalen. It modified its curriculum to include studies of ancient Rome
, the Middle Ages
, the Renaissance
, and post-Modern
culture, and a four-year cycle of music and art courses.
In 2011, the students and faculty of the Erasmus Institute of Liberal Arts, founded by Magdalen's first president Peter V. Sampo
, joined the College, bringing its own four-year liberal arts curriculum inspired by educators Donald and Louise Cowan.
" of Western civilization. One program--the Great Books Program--follows a Socratic
pedagogy of questioning and discussion, while the other--the Cowan Program--relies upon lecture. In the Great Books Program, students may receive an Apostolic Catechetical Diploma and follow a course of study based upon the classical trivium and quadrivium
. In the Cowan Program, students may concentrate in Literature, Political Science, or Philosophy in their junior and senior years. Students in both curricula spend a semester in Rome
.
and, on completion of the Bachelor's degree, the Apostolic Catechetical Diploma awarded by the Roman Curia
's Congregation for the Clergy
.
member of the American Academy for Liberal Education
.
In 2009, the college reported the start of a "self-study" process for possible regional accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
.
, maintaining the buildings, or working in the library.
Student visits to opposite-sex dormitories are not permitted.
, formerly a novitiate for the Order of St. Camillus, and operated it as a site for retreats, religious events, and educational programs.
Warner, New Hampshire
Warner is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,833 at the 2010 census. The town is home to The College of Saint Mary Magdalen, Rollins State Park and Mount Kearsarge State Forest....
, is a four-year coeducational Roman Catholic liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
offering a curriculum based on the classic texts of Western civilization
Great Books
Great Books refers primarily to a group of books that tradition, and various institutions and authorities, have regarded as constituting or best expressing the foundations of Western culture ; derivatively the term also refers to a curriculum or method of education based around a list of such books...
.
The college was established by Catholic laymen as Magdalen College in 1973. From 1974 to 1991 the college operated at its original campus in Bedford, New Hampshire
Bedford, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the Census of 2000, there were 18,274 people, 6,251 households, and 5,125 families residing in the town. The population density was 556.6 people per square mile . There were 6,401 housing units at an average density of 195.0 per square mile...
; in 1991, it moved to its current site in rural Warner.
As of 2010, enrollment was reported as 68 students.
History
Catholic laymen Francis Boucher, John Meehan and Peter SampoPeter V. Sampo
Peter V. Sampo is an educator and college president.He is a founder of four colleges and was first president of two Catholic liberal arts colleges with curricula built on Great Books of Western culture, The College of Saint Mary Magdalen...
founded Magdalen College in 1973, responding to the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
’s call for the education of lay Catholic leaders, and with the encouragement of the Bishop of Manchester
Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the region of New England in the United States comprising the entire state of New Hampshire...
, Ernest John Primeau
Ernest John Primeau
Ernest John Primeau was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Manchester from 1960 to 1974....
. The college was chartered by the State of New Hampshire August 22, 1973, and enrolled its first students in September 1974.
From 1974 to 1991, the college operated at its original campus, a former motel building in Bedford, New Hampshire
Bedford, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the Census of 2000, there were 18,274 people, 6,251 households, and 5,125 families residing in the town. The population density was 556.6 people per square mile . There were 6,401 housing units at an average density of 195.0 per square mile...
. In 1979, there were 70 students and 20 alumni.
Under the presidency of co-founder John Meehan, the college followed a policy of standing in loco parentis
In loco parentis
The term in loco parentis, Latin for "in the place of a parent"" refers to the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent...
and closely supervised students' dress, manners, and behavior in order to maintain a moral atmosphere.
In 1988, there were 39 students. New Hampshire state education officials questioned the college's financial stability. A benefactor's support enabled the college to continue operation. Within three years, Magdalen College had purchased and developed a new campus property.
The college relocated to its current site in Warner, New Hampshire
Warner, New Hampshire
Warner is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,833 at the 2010 census. The town is home to The College of Saint Mary Magdalen, Rollins State Park and Mount Kearsarge State Forest....
, in 1991.
In 2008-10 the college underwent a process of reform to shed its image of severity; the Student Handbook was revised and the college's policy on dating was reversed.
In October 2010, the college was renamed The College of Saint Mary Magdalen. It modified its curriculum to include studies of ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, and post-Modern
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
culture, and a four-year cycle of music and art courses.
In 2011, the students and faculty of the Erasmus Institute of Liberal Arts, founded by Magdalen's first president Peter V. Sampo
Peter V. Sampo
Peter V. Sampo is an educator and college president.He is a founder of four colleges and was first president of two Catholic liberal arts colleges with curricula built on Great Books of Western culture, The College of Saint Mary Magdalen...
, joined the College, bringing its own four-year liberal arts curriculum inspired by educators Donald and Louise Cowan.
Presidents of the college
- Peter V. Sampo, 1974-1978
- John Meehan, 1978-1998
- Jeffrey Karls, 1998-2011
- George Harne, 2011-
Academics
The college offers two curricula, both based on close reading of the "Great BooksGreat Books
Great Books refers primarily to a group of books that tradition, and various institutions and authorities, have regarded as constituting or best expressing the foundations of Western culture ; derivatively the term also refers to a curriculum or method of education based around a list of such books...
" of Western civilization. One program--the Great Books Program--follows a Socratic
Socratic method
The Socratic method , named after the classical Greek philosopher Socrates, is a form of inquiry and debate between individuals with opposing viewpoints based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas...
pedagogy of questioning and discussion, while the other--the Cowan Program--relies upon lecture. In the Great Books Program, students may receive an Apostolic Catechetical Diploma and follow a course of study based upon the classical trivium and quadrivium
Quadrivium
The quadrivium comprised the four subjects, or arts, taught in medieval universities, after teaching the trivium. The word is Latin, meaning "the four ways" , and its use for the 4 subjects has been attributed to Boethius or Cassiodorus in the 6th century...
. In the Cowan Program, students may concentrate in Literature, Political Science, or Philosophy in their junior and senior years. Students in both curricula spend a semester in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Degrees
Students may obtain an Associate of Liberal Arts, a Bachelor of Liberal ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and, on completion of the Bachelor's degree, the Apostolic Catechetical Diploma awarded by the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
's Congregation for the Clergy
Congregation for the Clergy
The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders...
.
Accreditation
The College of Saint Mary Magdalen is an accreditedEducational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
member of the American Academy for Liberal Education
American Academy for Liberal Education
The American Academy for Liberal Education is a United States educational accreditation organization.- Accreditation :AALE provides two types of accreditation for higher education institutions that offer general education programs in the liberal arts...
.
In 2009, the college reported the start of a "self-study" process for possible regional accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
.
Student life
Students assist on campus in a variety of ways for two to three hours per week: these hours of campus service might include maintaining the college's website, tutoring other students, working in the kitchen, serving as a resident assistant, maintaining the grounds, serving as sacristanSacristan
A sacristan is an officer who is charged with the care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents.In ancient times many duties of the sacristan were performed by the doorkeepers , later by the treasurers and mansionarii...
, maintaining the buildings, or working in the library.
Student visits to opposite-sex dormitories are not permitted.
Retreat house
From 2007 to 2011, the college owned the Durward's Glen retreat house in Baraboo, WisconsinBaraboo, Wisconsin
Baraboo is the largest city in, and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, USA. It is situated on the Baraboo River. Its 2010 population was 12,048 according to the US Census Bureau...
, formerly a novitiate for the Order of St. Camillus, and operated it as a site for retreats, religious events, and educational programs.