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Belmont Abbey College is a Private Liberal-arts Catholic College located in Belmont, North Carolina , a small town 15 miles west of Charlotte . It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey . The school is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church and the Order Of Saint Benedict . INSTITUTION Belmont Abbey College, known colloquially as The Abbey, serves not just as a college, but also as a Monastery for the Benedictine Monks of Belmont Abbey as well as a place of worship for the Roman Catholic congregation of the Belmont Abbey Basilica . The Benedictine Tradition that would become Belmont Abbey College began in 1872 when 500 acres (2 km&2) of farmland was purchased by a priest, Fr. Jeremiah O'Connell (for whom a residence hall is now named). He would eventually become a Benedictine oblate. He originally offered the land to the Jesuits, but they turned down the offer. After the Jesuits rejected the offer, this sizable purchase of land was then given to Saint Vincent's Archabbey in Latrobe, PA, a small town outside of Pittsburgh , with the provision that a school and religious community be established on the land. Soon after, St. Mary's College (a men's college) and Mary Help Of Christians Abbey were established. Additionally, the Sisters Of Mercy established their own Convent and College just down the road and christened it, Sacred Heart College (coed). St. Mary's College (name changed to Belmont Abbey College in 1913) remained a men's college until the mid-1970s when the decision was made to go Coed . This decision would prove damaging, and in fact fatal, for Sacred Heart College and in 1993 the Sisters Of Mercy school graduated its last class. An agreement between the two schools exists today, and Belmont Abbey College, as it is now known, operates Alumni functions for both the Abbey and Sacred Heart graduates annually. Today, the college is embarking on an ambitious plan to enliven Belmont Abbey with the air of change. Newly hired president, Dr. William K. Thierfelder , has announced plans for increased enrollment at the college as well as a new residence hall to house the increased number of students. He has also proposed a complete overhaul of facilities--including the renovation of the classroom buildings and the construction of a new library, a new science building, and a new student center. In the Fall of 2005, the college opened its coffeehouse, Holy Grounds, which proudly serves Starbucks coffee and Aladdin foodservice products. STUDENT LIFE Belmont Abbey, though small, has a robust assortment of student life programs for its students. No matter the interest, the college has a club that caters to it. Greek life The College has three Fraternities and four Sororities . Fraternities Delta Tau Delta Phi Kappa Theta Sigma Alpha Sororities Alpha Sigma Pi Delta Psi Theta Tau Kappa Delta Delta Chi Zeta Zeta Delta Phi Households Belmont Abbey, in following the Catholic tradition, has several "households" which are devoted to the glorification and worship of God . The organizations also strive to help the surrounding area through service projects and outreach programs. Brothers in Christ, Sons of Mary (Men's) Faithful Daughters (Women's) One Body in Christ (Co-ed) Clubs/organizations Belmont Abbey has many standard organizations found at campuses nationwide. The and Republicans spar in political debate; the Abbey Cheerleaders help their teams to victory; College Union Board plans campus-wide special events; Abbey Crusader writers relate their academic lives to the outside world; and many other organizations do their part to make the Abbey a vibrant campus run by, and for, the students. The Abbey Players have performed on campus for 123 years, and are regionally recognized for the excellence of their productions. The Abbey Theatre, under the direction of Simon Donoghue since 1976, has run the Shakespeare Series since 1991, staging one work each year until the entire canon has been performed. ATHLETICS Belmont Abbey's athletic teams call themselves the Crusaders and participate in the NCAA 's Division II program. The Crusaders are members of the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC). The college recently embarked on an ambitious plan to expand its athletic offerings in an attempt to lure more students and funds to college. As a result, men's and women's lacrosse, women's golf, men's JV basketball and men's JV baseball were added at the start of the 2005 - 2006 academic year. Legendary college basketball coach Al McGuire , who coached Marquette to the 1977 NCAA Men's title, coached the Crusaders from 1957 to 1964 prior to becoming the head coach at Marquette. He led the Crusaders to 5 postseason tournament appearances, Men's sports Baseball Basketball Cross Country Golf Lacrosse Soccer Wrestling JV Baseball JV Basketball Women's sports Basketball Cross Country Cross Country Golf Lacrosse Soccer Softball Volleyball CURRICULUM The majority of Belmont Abbey undergraduates (approximately 53%) receive their degrees in Business ; the other top two majors are Biology and Education . Majors Accounting Biology Business Management Computer Studies CIS Criminal Justice And Security Studies Economics Elementary Education Educational Studies English Environmental Science History International Business Liberal Studies Motorsports Management Philosophy Political Science Psychology Sociology Sports Management Theology Minors International Studies Justice And Peace Studies Mathematics Physics/Mathematics Pre-law Theatre Arts - Either Artistic Or Technical Track Biotechnology Core curriculum Belmont Abbey employs quite an intense Core Curriculum program in order to achieve its goal of producing well-rounded, liberally-educated students. As part of the program, all first-year students are required to take the college's introductory First Year Symposium course. This course, taught by professors of various topics, introduces and explains the theories of a Liberal Education through readings and lectures. The course is also meant to inform students about the Rule of St. Benedict and the Benedictine Tradition. As part of the course, students are required to be proficient in the use of computers; each student takes a Computer Literacy test during orientation to ensure this goal has been met. Additionally, each student acquires the information necessary in the First Year Symposium to successfully navigate and utilize the college's Abbot Vincent Taylor Library . Progress past freshman year, students are required to take one Writing Intensive course, one Social Sciences course, one Global Perspectives course, one Math course, one Fine Arts course, two Theology courses, as well as courses in Logic , Philosophy , and other topics. {Link without Title} ADMISSIONS Belmont Abbey College accepts students on a Rolling Admissions basis, with decisions beginning in early September during the Fall of the student's senior year. Test scores According to the Princeton Review , the following averages apply to accepted freshman at Belmont Abbey. Average SAT: 1013 Average Writing SAT: 510-600 Average Verbal SAT (25-75%): 440-550 Average Math SAT (25-75%): 450-530 Average ACT (25-75%): 18 - 21 Average High School GPA: 3.04 {Link without Title} High school performance The following statistics are provided by the College Board . 12% had h.s. GPA of 3.75 and higher 12% had h.s. GPA between 3.5 and 3.74 13% had h.s. GPA between 3.25 and 3.49 16% had h.s. GPA between 3.0 and 3.24 30% had h.s. GPA between 2.5 and 2.99 15% had h.s. GPA between 2.0 and 2.49 2% had h.s. GPA between 1.0 and 1.99 {Link without Title} Percentage admitted / enrolled Belmont Abbey accepts 77% of freshman applicants, 30% of which choose to enroll at the Abbey, according to College Board . {Link without Title} Rankings U.S. News and World Report In the 2006 edition of U.S. News And World Report 's " America's Best Colleges ," Belmont Abbey is ranked as number 27 in the category of Southern Comprehensive Colleges : Bachelor's. {Link without Title} Princeton Review On admissions selectivity, the Princeton Review ranks Belmont Abbey "73" on a scale of 60 - 99. The Princeton Review also ranks Belmont Abbey College among the 40 best colleges in the Southeastern United States. {Link without Title} EXTERNAL LINKS
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