Southern Catholic College

Southern Catholic College Dawsonville, Georgia www.southerncatholic.org

Overview The city of Atlanta, the long-time symbol of the New South and one of the largest cities in the region, has been a Protestant bastion. But in recent years, the number of Catholics in that metropolitan area has increased along with the overall growth in population. In fact, the Catholic population within the confines of the Archdiocese of Atlanta more than doubled from 1990 to 2004. But there was no Catholic college in the state of Georgia. So Thomas Clements, a Catholic businessman, and several likeminded people decided there was a need for a Catholic college in the Atlanta archdiocese. Southern Catholic College was launched in 2000 and opened its doors in September 2005 with an inaugural class of 72 students. Clements said, “We are working to build this college at no cost to the archdiocese in order to provide a Catholic higher education for our growing Catholic population.” Now well-established, with the graduation of its first class in May 2009, SCC is undergoing a major new change. Seeking to build a national reputation for SCC, the board of trustees invited the Legion of Christ to take control of the college, and the transfer was made official in July 2009. The Legion, a religious order of Catholic priests well-known for their orthodoxy, has assured students, faculty and staff that its goal is not to significantly alter the college except to increase the number of students, expand financial support for the college, offer additional spiritual activities and enhance SCC’s strong Catholic identity.

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quick facts Founded: 2000 (first students in 2005) Type of institution: Small liberal arts college Setting: Rural Undergraduate enrollment: 240 (2008–09 academic year) Total undergraduate cost: $24,500 (tuition, room and board for 2009–10) Undergraduate majors: Seven

Five Key Points 1. Control of college transferred to the Legion of Christ in 2009. 2. Support for Ex corde Ecclesiae is built into governing documents. 3. A 56-credit core curriculum reflects the Catholic intellectual tradition. 4. Most popular majors are business, theology and psychology. 5. The attractive campus is located at a former golf resort outside of a small town near Atlanta.

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“What Southern Catholic College has built in terms of a Catholic school reflects what we would have built ourselves,” said Ivens Mendonca, the Legion’s Director of Operations in the United States. He also noted that the Legion of Christ operates many high schools in the Atlanta area and nationwide, and the order hopes SCC will be a next step for many of them as well as a stepping stone for the Legion’s graduate programs at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia, and the University of Sacramento, California. Some staff changes at SCC were inevitable. The founding president Dr. Jeremiah Ashcroft has retired and is succeeded by Legion priest Fr. Shawn Aaron. The chaplain Fr. Brian Higgins also was dismissed one year before his contract expires, leaving room for a Legion priest to take charge of campus ministry. Five Legionaries have been added to the board of trustees. The transfer of control of SCC to the Legion occurred in July 2009, just after the Vatican announced that Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput would lead an Apostolic Visitation of the order in the United States and Canada. The Legion has prominent supporters but also critics; Archbishop Edwin O’Brien of Baltimore and others have raised questions about the order’s transparency, recruitment and formation. The Vatican review should provide a healthy distinction between rumor and fact, and since the visitation is just getting underway it is unclear at the time of publication of The Newman Guide what effect, if any, its findings might have on the order or the operation of the college in the future. Families considering SCC will want to pay attention to this process. The college is located one hour north of Atlanta on a 100-acre campus outside the small town of Dawsonville on the site of the former Gold Creek Country Club. The attractive campus, with includes a lake, waterfall

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From the Financial Aid Office “Financing a college education is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ experience. At Southern Catholic College, we believe in working individually with each student to create a plan which empowers them to attend one of the most exciting Catholic colleges in the country. “Southern Catholic College offers both merit-based and need-based forms of financial aid. SCC is eligible for federal Title IV funds including the Pell, ACG and FSEOG Grants and federal student and parent loans. SCC also has a limited number of on-campus jobs available that do not count as financial aid but provide students with additional moneys during the school year. “One hundred percent of all students at SCC receive some form of aid, whether merit, need-based or both. Students must complete a FAFSA in order to be considered for need-based aid. Merit aid is determined by the Admissions Committee upon admission to the College. No separate application for merit aid is required. “Further information can be found on the website at www.southerncatholic.org or by emailing [email protected] or calling 866-722-2003.” and residential villas, attracted students from 26 states in its fourth year (2008-2009) as enrollment soared to 240 students. Plans call for the student body to reach 500 over the midterm and to eventually rise to 3,000, drawing young men and women from throughout the nation. Perhaps the two factors that have most accounted for SCC’s growth are a firm com-

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mitment to Catholic teachings and a strong core curriculum. The college is strongly supportive of Ex corde Ecclesiae and enjoys a warm relationship with the archdiocese. The Integrated Core Curriculum reflects a traditional liberal arts program in the Catholic intellectual tradition. Students need to complete 56 credits in eight disciplines and fulfill foreign language proficiency. According to the college, the integrated core curriculum “offers an internally coherent program of required courses designed to help students soar on ‘the two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of Truth, namely faith and reason’” (this refers to Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Fides et Ratio). There are seven majors: business, English, history, integrated sciences, philosophy, psychology and sacred theology. To date, the most popular majors have been business, sacred theology and psychology. The college also has a cooperative elementary education program with Brenau University, located about 30 miles away in Gainesville, Georgia. Fifty-six percent of the SCC’s students last year came from public schools, 32 percent from private schools and 12 percent were homeschooled. Upwards of 90 percent of the students are Catholics. The college received pre-accreditation from the American Academy for Liberal Education in May 2007 and also plans to seek accreditation from its regional agency.

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Southern Catholic College

Southern Catholic’s price tag is somewhat higher than the average college tuition in Georgia, but students struggling with expenses should apply anyhow, because financial aid has been very generous in the college’s first years. Every student has received some form of aid, and federal grants and loans are available. The total cost for tuition, room and board in 2009-10 was $24,500.

Governance SCC was established under a Board of Fellows, tasked with evaluating and upholding the Catholic identity of the college, reviewing appointments of the college president and chaplain, and preserving the core curriculum. The transitional bylaws have eliminated the Board of Fellows, with the board’s tasks assumed by the Legion of Christ. The order plans to establish a new oversight board of about four or five Legionaries. Former Fellow and SCC founder Clements, although no longer an official of the college, is helping the Legion of Christ with fundraising and will advise SCC’s development office. The college also has a second-tier board of trustees that governs the college’s affairs. The predominantly lay board of trustees remains largely the same as it was before the Legion of Christ took charge, except that it now has five Legion priests, including Father Aaron and Fr. Scott Reilly, L.C., director of the Legion’s territory covering the southern Unit205

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ed States. The 20-member board also includes Archbishop Wilton Gregory of the Archdiocese of Atlanta; Monsignor Luis Zarama, the archdiocese’s vicar general; and Father Dennis Dease, president of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Edward Schroeder, retired international president of UPS, remains chairman of the board. The founding president Dr. Ashcroft, formerly president of East Georgia College,

retired in 2009 and has been succeeded by Father Aaron. Since his ordination in 2002, Father Aaron has worked as a development officer for the Legion of Christ and has served on the boards of two Legion-affiliated schools since 2008. He earned his bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome. We were told by a fellow priest that Father Aaron

Message from the President Dear Parents and Prospective Students: Southern Catholic College is a residential coeducational liberal arts college founded in 2005 for the purpose of developing moral and ethical leaders. The College operates under the auspices of the Legion of Christ and is authentically Catholic with an active spiritual community. The talented, dedicated faculty of Southern Catholic College are products of some of the greatest national and international universities. Each student receives individual personal attention. Student life at Southern Catholic College is based on the development of a nurturing, supportive community. Students are encouraged to take leadership roles in organizations, intramurals and spiritual formation activities. SCC students reside in beautiful villas with comfortable common areas for social activities. The villas are gender-specific for personal privacy. Southern Catholic College students have opportunities to grow intellectually, socially and spiritually. Every student is on his or her own personal journey. The College’s goal is to assist each student grow and mature. We believe one day each student will be a leader in his or her family, community and church. Come visit Southern Catholic College. You will be impressed with the natural beauty surrounding the College and the warm, inviting atmosphere. We hope you consider becoming a part of the Southern Catholic College tradition.

Yours in Christ,



Father Sean Aaron, L.C.

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Southern Catholic College

is well-liked and has significant fundraising experience, important qualities in a difficult economy.

Public Identity Clements told us that when he founded the college he “wanted it to be as clear as possible that Catholicity is to be the overriding priority.” He established the Board of Fellows and several other protections, such as requiring that theology faculty have the mandatum and preventing professors from changing the core curriculum on their own. The college is solidly committed to the Magisterium and says that it “consults with the Archbishop of Atlanta regarding the orthodoxy of the Catholic doctrine taught at the College.” The college has been embraced by Archbishop Gregory and Archbishop emeritus Donoghue. Archbishop Gregory has celebrated opening Masses each year. He and Archbishop Donoghue concelebrated the dedication Mass for the college’s new chapel in November 2005. SCC has not had many speakers, but those who have been presented are faithful to Catholic teachings. Among the speakers have been Thomas Woods, author of the 2005 book How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, and Joseph Pearce, biographer of G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc.

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Academics “A college is primarily defined by its academic dimension,” one Southern Catholic professor told us, “and Southern Catholic is squarely rooted in a Catholic liberal arts tradition. Our core curriculum is based upon the Catholic principle and tradition of faith and reason working together.” The theology requirement is satisfied by taking three courses, “Introduction to Catholicism and Sacred Theology,” “Introduction to Sacred Scripture” and “History of the Catholic Church and Thought.” All theology courses are taught from within the Magisterium. Theology professors have the mandatum; currently, there are two full-time theology professors and two adjunct professors who are priests of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. A notable recent addition to the sacred theology department is Catholic author and apologist Dr. Paul Thigpen. A particularly popular elective in the 2008-2009 academic year was his course on eschatology. The department also has introduced bioethics among course offerings. There are three required philosophy courses, including “Philosophy of God and Creature.” Among the impressive elective philosophy courses is one on “Love and Responsibility,” an issue of particular importance to college-age students. Among other requirements are four history and political science courses. Another professor told us of these courses: “They have 207

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a focus upon the history of ideas, on the role of religion in general and on the role of the Church in particular.” One example is the upper-level history course “History of the Papacy.” From our interviews, it was clear that a Catholic apreciation of human dignity permeates the core curriculum. In fact, one of the required philosophy courses is appropriately titled “Understanding the Human Person.” In the area of natural sciences, there is a required course on the principles of scientific investigation. According to one professor, “Students are made aware of the type of knowledge science discovers and the limits of it. We try to show that scientific knowledge is one manifestation of reason, but that objective knowledge in the realm of morals is accessible through natural reason.” Even in the more specialized areas, such as the business curriculum, students are required to take a course on values, in this case “Business Leadership, Values and Society.” Here, we are told, ethics and the question of treatment of humans in the for-profit arena are raised. A one-credit course in “Leadership Studies” is part of the core curriculum. About 75 percent of the full-time faculty and all in the humanities are Catholic. All interviewees spoke well of the faculty, but two names consistently emerged as exemplary teachers: Dr. Kelly Bowring in theology and Dr. Herbert Hartmann (formerly of Thomas Aquinas College) in philosophy. As part of the college’s academic support program, there is a peer tutor program.

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Students at Southern Catholic appear to be engaged in their education. A faculty member told us, “It is encouraging to have students who are so appreciative of the education they are receiving here. They express their gratitude, saying how much it means to them. I’ve had notes on my truck’s windshield from students.”

Spiritual Life The first building erected on campus was the 120-seat chapel. There is a daily noon Mass Monday through Saturday and two Masses on Sunday, 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. One professor said, “Masses are traditional, upholding the standards of devotional liturgies.” It was reported that between 25 and 40 students and about half the faculty attend Mass daily. No classes are held during Mass times so students can may attend. Con fession s are held four times weekly and by appointment. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is held every Monday evening, and recitation of the Rosary takes place on Thursday evening. There was a two-day retreat offered in early 2009 by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. Also, every Friday during Lent 2009, there were “Living Stations of the Cross” at a series of new statues on campus, each of which is five-feet tall; students acted out the key parts, including the crucifixion of Jesus on the Cross. The student group Apostolic Works undertakes service projects, supports pro-life activities and engages in Bible study. StuThe Newman Guide



Southern Catholic College

dents have attended the March for Life both in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. A number of students also get involved in youth ministry work at local parishes.

Student Activities Besides Apostolic Works, there are several other student groups covering such areas as art, dance, debate, drama, liturgical music and choir. There also is a student newspaper, The Highlander Herald, and club athletic teams in cross country, golf, soccer and tennis. Many students participated in the 2009 Marches for Life in Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, D.C. Since the college is relatively new, social traditions are still developing. Among the recent studentdriven activities has been the screening of classical movies. Students are able to mingle at the Campus Center and the Campus Coffee House, “Drogo’s Alley.” A 27-hole golf course abuts the campus.

Residential Life The campus is situated on a former golf resort, and students live in nine villas that once formed part of it. Students are grouped three to each room with its own bathroom, and there generally are four rooms per floor. These residential facilities are near capacity and there are already plans to expand them. Each villa is restricted to a single sex, and

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there is no visitation by a member of the opposite sex at any time. A resident assistant is assigned to each villa. Chastity is encouraged by the college rules, and faculty members talk about it in lectures. No major problems have surfaced in the residential units. Students have access to the Neighborhood Health Care Center, which is 10 miles from campus. Chestatee Regional Hospital is located in Dahlonega, 14 miles away, and the larger Northside Hospital-Forysth is in Cumming, 25 miles south of the college.

The Community The population of nearby Dawsonville was only 815 people in 2007. It is the county seat of Dawson County, which has about 21,000 residents. The area has a NASCAR heritage, and it is recalled during the annual Moonshine Festival, which has been held in Dawsonville every fall for the past 40 years. Within the county is Amicalola Falls State Park, which features a 729-foot waterfall, the tallest of its kind in the eastern United States. Hiking opportunities exist along the Appalachian Trail, the 2,175-mile challenge that begins (or ends) eight miles from the falls and extends to central Maine. Boating is available at Lake Lanier. Georgia Route 400 is the main artery from Dawsonville to the state capital of Atlanta, about 60 miles away. Atlanta has a population of 500,000 and is the hub of a 5.5 million-person metropolitan area, which has 209

Southern Catholic College

nearly tripled since 1970. Among the many cultural and entertainment opportunities in Atlanta are four majorleague sports franchises: baseball (Braves), football (Falcons), basketball (Hawks) and hockey (Thrashers). Southern Catholic has sponsored a number of trips for students to Atlanta. The Atlanta region is served by Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which served more passengers than any other airport in the world each year between 1998 and 2006. Amtrak also services the city, and there is a vast network of highways that makes the city accessible from every direction.

in recent years. Although the college will certainly appeal to those in Georgia and the southeast, its strong Catholic mission should appeal to students nationwide—and the new influence of the Legion of Christ should enhance SC’s Catholic identity. The formula here is simple and yet rather uncommon among most Catholic colleges today: Be faithful to the Church and its teachings, and immerse young men and women in the great Catholic intellectual tradition. This is a winning formula, and there is every reason to believe SCC and its students will prosper in the years ahead.

The Bottom Line Southern Catholic College is another example of the crop of small liberal arts colleges created to meet the needs of Catholic students

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