Samkon Gado
Green Bay Packers
Posted on 12/16/2005 9:36:15 AM PST by SirLinksalot
Group names top 10 conservative colleges
Schools said to shun curricula favored by 'liberal academia'
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© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
A noted conservative organization has released a list of the top 10 colleges and universities it says espouse like-minded social and political beliefs.
"Each year, hundreds of thousands of students begin their college search. Admission guides, seminars, advice from friends and help from advisers all offer different perspectives. Presented with so many options, confusion often clouds this important decision-making process," says the Young America's Foundation, a Virginia-based group that promotes "traditional values" to the nation's young adults.
"Many conservative students seek alternatives in higher education, but they may not be fully aware of institutions that fit these criteria," says the organization.
According to YAF, the schools offering the best conservative experience are:
Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich.
Grove City College in Grove City, Pa.
Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio
Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind.
Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif.
Harding University in Searcy, Ark.
College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo.
Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.
Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Va.
Christendom College in Front Royal, Va. Colleges deserving of an "honorable mention" include Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.; Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky.; Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va.; and King's College in New York City.
"To be selected, a college must proclaim, through its mission and programs, an active dedication to maintaining and strengthening the conservative values of its students," YAF says.
"The listed colleges offer an alternative to the liberal status quo, because they allow and encourage conservative students to explore conservative ideas and authors," said the group.
The selected schools "offer coursework and scholarship in conservative thought and emphasize principles of smaller government, strong national defense, free enterprise and traditional values."
Furthermore, the group said, "they avoid trends in academe by continuing to study Western Civilization instead of straying toward the study of Marxism, feminism, sexuality, postmodernism and other modern distractions that do not give students a complete understanding of our country, our culture, and its founding principles."
By comparison, the Princeton Review has identified the 10 most politically liberal colleges and universities. They are:
Mills College in Oakland, Calif.
Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.
New College of Florida in Sarasota, Fla.
Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass.
Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina
Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y.
Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif.
Reed College in Portland, Ore.
Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vt.
Earlham College in Richmond, Ind.
The Review says "students at these 10 schools wear their mantles of liberalism with pride." According to its "annual survey of college students, students at these schools can never veer too far left of mainstream."
Students at Bard College, the Review noted in one example, said they were "more concerned with the terrorism for which our government is responsible than the terrorism that targets the United States."
As a graduate of Texas A&M University, I can attest that the student body has a strongly conservative bent. Of course, at a state school of its size (45,000 students), there is going to be the typical liberal lunacy. However, the presence of numerous conservatives on its faculty makes a difference, and having a president, Robert Gates, who served during George Bush's administration helps maintain that Right focus.
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What about my Alma Mater, Michigan, in the People's Republic of Ann Arbor?
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I wouldn't put MSU in the Conservative list. Isn't this the school whose Affirmative Action policies in its law school sparked a lawsuit that went all the way to the SCOTUS and proving once and for all that Sandra Day O' Connor is no conservative ?
You should see how freaked out Bay Area liberals get when I tell them that we had a student armory in the basement of each dorm hall.... :-)
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My daughter enters Patrick Henry College next fall.
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Excellent College. Their debating team recently won against England's Oxford University if memory serves me right...
Just out of curiosity, did you homeschool her ? This College is known for its large home schooled high school applicants.
Gosh, I made the Liberal top ten and still wound up here.
The church is on College Ave, as are several other churches I've noticed (it cracks me up to see a church, a couple of fraternity houses, then another church as one drives down the street). I'm sure this congregation has fallen victim to the overall leftwing politics of the ELCA powers-that-be. When my son tried this place out, it was in the weeks leading up to the 2004 election, when anti-George Bush fever was rampant. It is a very tiny congregation, made up of a small number of current & retired faculty. I attended there twice and only saw a handful of students either time.
I know people who graduated from Harding and they have many liberal professors. This is the college that cancelled Ann Coulter as she was too controversial. I graduated from a sister school of Harding and even though it was conservative in moral values, when I look back on the curriculum, there was no christian world view. Pepperdine is also a sister school of Harding and it's no conservative haven. I think these reviewers actually believe what the administration tells them rather than actually attending some of the classes. Just because they have chapel and a dress code does'nt make them conservative.
My sister and brother-in-law lean a little to the left as well.
My parents are lifelong Dems (holdover from FDR - Dad is a WWII vet).
I don't have political discussions with my family.
And I'll add this about Fr. Scanlon: at the time of the opening (1975, I think), he was not even an applicant for the position. But the first two candidates for PRes. withdrew their names, and the order prevailed on him to apply. At the interview with the Board of Trustees of Franciscan, Scanlon laid it out very clearly what he would do if they chose him [see your post]. They hired him. He did it. Within 3 years, even tenured faculty who were not on board with the idea had found other employment.
Can I assume Intelligent Design, or better yet, Creation Science, is on the curiculum at all these conservative institutions?
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Pepperdine is also a sister school of Harding and it's no conservative haven
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I thought Judge Kenneth Starr ( of Clinton/Lewinsky) fame is the Dean of their law school. Starr is as conservative as they go.
"modern distractions" - perfect
Glad to see three orthodox Catholic colleges on the list. That list is pretty short, but they're the only schools I'll consider paying for. As for most colleges, they can go to hell. Actually, they already have.
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Can I assume Intelligent Design, or better yet, Creation Science, is on the curiculum at all these conservative institutions?
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Actually, I know that some schools teach BOTH The Theory of Evolution *AND* Intelligent Design.
I won't be surprised if they sponsor debates where both sides present their views and critique the other side's. Many schools and churches in this country already have.
I believe that this is the fairer, more open kind of atmosphere that fosters well rounded education.
I don't know if he's Dean of the Law School or a chaired Professor; i'd have to go to their site. I don't know how conservative he is; I was'nt too happy with his "investigation". I can tell you that most of the law school profs are liberal. It is extremely expensive and the campus is awesome. It'l set in the hills of Malibu overlooking the ocean. Students can swim in a pool, dine on market-fresh sandwiches and fruits while watching the surfers!
Thank God!
Here's a telling anecdote.
I know someone who went there. She said that when she would forgot her laundry in the dryer, she would often find it neatly folded when she returned.
At Thomas More the students are charged with cleaning their classrooms and dorms.
And for those who wonder what they're missing in sunny Hougton, MI:
http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/cams/view/still.html
Still, having enjoyed the indoor range a time or two, it was a great place to get an education.
And I don't know if they're still around, but the Campus Crusade for Christ group was a great group to hang around & have bible studies with.
There was a baptist church on the North side of College Ave. that had a good pastor, as well as an AofG church in Hancock.
But that was ... a few years ago.
Too bad there weren't many female engineering students. :P
(And I should have paid more attention to the one who kinda liked me - [sigh] I miss Marcia...)
K
Oh, and P.S. There were definitely a share of libs in the "liberal arts" zone. Imagine that!
It's too bad they show the Admin building in the foreground of the webcam shot. It is by far the ugliest building on campus, inside and out: it was designed to hamper campus riots, so the windows are kept as small slots for firing out, and the interior is a 3-dimentional maze.
It really makes you wish they would have kept the old Hubble Hall (demolished in '68"):
Still though, Houghton - you can see the "downtown" off in the distance - is a very pretty town, right along the Portage. I miss it, and will have to return soon.
Is The Library still open? That was always my favorite watering hole when I got up there. But I haven't been up there (Houghton, not the UP) for at least 20 years.
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