Posted on 07/09/2007 7:11:25 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
As many Townhall readers may remember, I spent last week blogging from Grove City College’s Center for Vision and Values conference on “The De-Christianization of Europe: From Nicea to Nietzsche”. It was a privilege to be a part of this highly philosophical, conservatively intellectual examination into the decomposition of Christian values that’s taking place across the world. Grove City truly is a bastion for principled education and it was refreshing to observe the students as they interacted with some of the brightest minds in modern religious studies.
Following the Virginia Tech travesty, I reflected again on my experience at Grove City College and the severe contrasts I see between educations grounded in the teachings of Christ and the atmosphere this creates for a student body- as opposed to the secular educational system of public colleges and universities. As more and more private universities give way to the political correctness of the Rosie O’Donnell culture, cutting ties with their formerly Christian roots, it’s important that we acknowledge the irrevocably intrinsic presence of faith within educational communities - despite all attempts to ignore it.
A group of residents and students pray during a prayer service at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg, Va., Monday, April 16, 2007. A gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, shot up a classroom building across campus Monday, killing 32 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. The gunman committed suicide, bringing the death toll to 33. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton.
In the coming days, weeks, and years, those affected by the horrific events at Virginia Tech will attempt to come to terms with their grief and find hope through the rebuilding of a close community. Many of us are becoming increasingly alarmed at devilish acts being committed within the confines of what should be shelters for scholarly achievement. The prestigious reputation of Virginia Tech is well-noted across the country, which makes these acts even more difficult to swallow. It is a direct assault on the confidence and security felt by students in the cultivating environment of a university campus.
However, those of us who think that we’ve begun the descent on the slippery slope of moral decline for future generations should find hope in the bright example of Grove City College. If you visit the Grove City College website, you’ll find an unabashedly Christian foundation that begins with their mission statement:
Since its founding in 1876, Grove City College, committed to Christian principles, has striven to be equal in academic quality to the finest four year colleges. It seeks to provide liberal and professional education of the highest quality that is within the reach of families with modest means who desire a college that will strengthen their children's spiritual and moral character.
This mission is so engrained within the identity of the college that they fought all the way to the Supreme Court to preserve their right to educate from a religious perspective in a culture that’s becoming increasingly hostile towards religious influences. In a landmark case, Grove City College v. T.H. Bell, Secretary of the Department of Education, Grove City successfully challenged federal regulation and upheld their commitment to freedom. They remain a rare example of a college or university that vehemently refuses to accept government funds- which ensures their right to determine their own curriculums for Grove City College students.
The result of their garnered independence from federal control was evident during a class I observed on the final day of the Center for Vision and Values’ conference. As I posted in my last blog, I found myself accidentally attending a class as I remained in the back of the auditorium during a conference recess. As I was concluding some work for Townhall on the computer, I looked up (in utter surprise) to hear the professor lead his class in a pre-lecture prayer…an obvious benefit of academic freedom.
It was impossible to deny the existence of something great on the campus of Grove City College. Maybe it was the presence of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it was the comfort of knowing that one could be free to seek an education free from worry that it may be tainted by government agendas. Either way, the atmosphere that Grove City upholds is one that cynics should consider before writing off future generations as casualties of a broken system. All is not lost.
So as we attempt to find hope and reconciliation amongst the devastation felt by all Americans over the immense loss on the campus of Virginia Tech, we can acknowledge that it’s ok for these students to turn to faith- integrating it into the healing process and the rebuilding of their educational community. Virginia Tech will undoubtedly be stronger after having endured this collective heartache, and we’ll be left with incredible stories of courage in the face of evil.
By looking optimistically at the future of education in America, one can find hope through the stories of courageous students and the example set by the mission of Grove City College. Whether it’s seen in the institutionalized freedom of values or the random acts of faith and sacrifice, it’s clear that God is still an instrumental part of the American educational system.
Lindsay Boyd is the Coalitions Manager and Associate Editor at Townhall.com.
Grove City Collge, like Hillsdale has steadfastly refused government funding and yet, is able to maintain one of the lowest tuitions of all private colleges in America while at the same time, maintaining an undergraduate academic rigour that stands up to the likes of Harvard or Yale or any Ivy league schools out there.
The existance of this college is a testament to the fact that we don't really need Washington DC's aid to have superior education.
Also, the great Prof. Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell are invited lecturers in the Grove City economics class.
Furthermore, this school is one of the very few in the country that actually teaches the AUSTRIAN school of economics.
See here :
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig4/boettke1.html
-------------------------------------------------
Reflections on Becoming an Austrian Economist and Libertarian, and Staying One
by Peter Boettke by E. C. Pasour, Jr.
I am flattered that Walter invited me to contribute to this list of reflections on how one became a libertarian. Like most things in life, there is a simple answer, and a complicated one. The simple answer is that in 1979 I ended up at Grove City College and was exposed to the lectures and then writings of Dr. Hans Sennholz. Within a very short period I was a convert to the principles of the private property order and saw government as more the source of problems than the solution to them. Sennholz pointed me in the direction of the Austrian school of economics and I decided to become a professional economist. But everyone at Grove City was exposed to Sennholz’s wonderful lectures in classes and a few times every year in our morning church obligation. His lectures sang to me from the first time I heard them and unlike many of my classmates I loved the tune. So much so in fact, that I decided to become an academic economist.
CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE REST...
Thanks for posting this. We homeschool and are less than two hrs from Grove City. Certainly a school to keep in mind as our kids get older. I knew it was a Christian based school but had no idea they take no fed funding whatsoever.
I teach physics and chemistry at a Christian prep school. For the last several years I have been recommending my students check out Grove City.
They have been looking, but so far no takers. (We are in Texas and western Penn. looks a little far away.)
Grove City is also a great Engineering University, started teaching the Toyota Production Systems many years ago...
excellent school, if I could return to my youth, this would be one of my choices.
Here is something for you to think about :
1) Grove City ranks second in the Princeton Review’s The Best 361 Colleges 2007 listing of most politically conservative colleges. However, not all Grove City students and professors are politically, socially, religiously, and ideologically conservative.
2) It is currently ranked by US News and World Report as a best value in the nation, with a total cost (including tuition, room, and board) of around $16,000 a year. It has also been positively reviewed in the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s guide — Choosing the Right College: The Whole Truth about America’s Top Schools.
3) The school currently ranks 7th among Comprehensive Colleges–Bachelor’s (North) in the US News & World Report America’s Best Colleges 2007 [2].
4) The average SAT score of incoming freshmen is above 1300.
The school fought a court case in the mid 80’s all the way tot he Supreme Court. Under President Dr. Charles S. MacKenzie, the college was the plaintiff-appellee in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in 1984, Grove City College v. Bell. The ruling came seven years after the school’s refusal to sign a Title IX compliance form, which would have subjected the entire school to federal regulations, even future ones not yet issued.
The court ruled 6-3 that acceptance by students of federal educational grants did fall under the regulatory requirements of Title IX, but limited the application to the school’s financial aid department. Although the college’s materials call this a victory for the school, the Court ruled against it on two out of the three claims it advanced.
In 1988, new legislation subjected every department of any educational institution that received federal funding to Title IX requirements. In response, Grove City College pulled out of the Stafford loan program entirely, and established its own loan program in association with PNC Bank. Grove City does not allow its students to accept federal financial aid of any kind, including grants, loans, and scholarships yet heavily influences local politics often determining outcomes beneficial to the campus community.
Inspite of this, the school still has $100 Million in Endownments. Impressive for a school with just 2,500 students.
Something to consider -— The school emphasizes a humanities core curriculum, which endorses the Judeo-Christian Western tradition and the free market. While loosely associated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), the college is non-denominational and does not require students to sign a statement of faith, though they are required to attend sixteen chapel services per semester ( students might hate it if they hate going to church ).
September 27, 2006
GROVE CITY, Pa. – Grove City College is ranked fourth in the nation for increasing students’ knowledge of American history and institutions, according to a recent Intercollegiate Studies Institute study.
Commissioned by the ISI, the study is the culmination of research administered by the University of Connecticut’s Department of Public Policy. It is the first and largest study of its kind, according to ISI. The study identifies the lack of knowledge most college students have about American history, government and politics and ranks colleges and universities according to strength of coursework, learning and civic involvement.
The researchers asked more than 14,000 randomly selected college freshmen and seniors at 50 colleges and universities across the country 60 multiple-choice questions aimed at measuring their knowledge in four subject areas: American history, government, America and the world, and the market economy.
While Grove City was ranked fourth due to how much was learned between their freshmen and senior classes, only Harvard and Princeton seniors had higher scores than Grove City seniors.
http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/report/additional_tables.html
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.