Safeguard the Riches of the Western Canon: Support Classical Education at Belmont Abbey College
A Legacy of Classical Education
For centuries, classical education has formed young people to value Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. It has honed critical thinking and communication skills, inspired creativity, fostered virtue, and enriched our culture with a lively repository of tradition, wisdom, and understanding.
Since its founding in 1876, Belmont Abbey College has championed classical and liberal arts education. As a Catholic and Benedictine institution, in fact, we take particular joy in placing its profound legacy and transformative fruits at the service of our students, that they may become ever more fully the flourishing men and women they were made to be.
In this mission, the Abbey always draws from the steadfast prayer and work of the Benedictine tradition, which itself saved Western culture by preserving its texts and cultivating places of learning and sanctuary.
Abbey Honors Formation
Students in Belmont Abbey’s Honors College engage the Great Books of the Western canon in Socratic community, entering into conversation with the deepest wisdom of our cultural heritage and learning from our greatest philosophers, theologians, thinkers, and poets how best to pursue the True, the Good, and the Beautiful.
“The education and community… fully form you—body, mind, and soul—and gives you lifelong friendships. Studying the Great Books challenges you to encounter new ideas, and this prepares you to critically think about and articulate complex concepts. Honors especially taught me how to joyfully pursue excellence in both my professional and personal life.” – Lily Mullen ‘20
Join us in supporting this transformative work in the lives of our students.
The Honors College offers every accepted student a $9,000 renewable scholarship to help make classical study and the riches of the Western Canon available to all exceptional seekers, regardless of means. We hope you will join us in this good work, which is only possible through the kindness and generosity of people like you.
Your gift will sustain this work and equip our students with the wisdom and resources necessary to pursue the Good, the True, and the Beautiful throughout their lives.
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The Assault on Our Intellectual Heritage
The Western Canon gathers the greatest works and most significant ideas of our civilization, drawing from thousands of years in pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. It is our cultural heritage.
Yet progressive agendas, polarizing politics, generational shifts, and changes in attitudes toward education increasingly devalue or even efface this heritage. Truth itself is labeled as hate speech, and a diluted education shambles along in the shadow of budget cuts, skeptical and ill-equipped alumni, and campus violence.
| Threat | Description | Impact on Education |
| Progressive Ideologies and Identity Politics | “Woke” agendas cancel canonical works that challenge their ideological aims, replacing these classics with modern texts that uphold political correctness. | Students no longer learn to seek Truth, Beauty, and Goodness as universals capable of informing our cultural identity or enriching our lives. Modern curricula indoctrinate rather than educate, degrading the wisdom of our intellectual heritage. |
| Politicization and Institutional Decay | Educators face institutional politics, external politicization, increasingly aggressive and entitled attitudes, and even violence. | Schools are no longer places of safety, nor do they cultivate an unbiased pursuit of Truth. |
| Funding Cuts and Cultural Shifts | Funding evaporates or becomes conditional on mandates that jeopardize educational integrity. Concerns about vocational preparation and college costs cast doubt on the value of liberal arts programs. | Fewer institutions provide a classical formation. Meanwhile, educational disparities increase and the moral element of education continues to diminish. |
| Distraction and Social Media | Curated online realities, constant distraction, sensory overload, and instant gratification crowd out contemplation, keeping a consumerism-saturated media in the foreground of student lives. | Inundated by social and mass media, students struggle to engage deeply with complex ideas and texts. Attention spans decrease, and fewer and fewer learners recognize the value of sustained effort and prolonged study. |
Join us: Support Belmont Abbey College’s Honors College
As a Benedictine Catholic institution near Charlotte, North Carolina, Belmont Abbey College’s Honors College is a bastion for the Western Canon, offering a Great Books curriculum that pursues wisdom and truth not only in the classroom but also through extracurriculars like field trips, retreats, and study abroad.
With a dedicated, nationally recognized faculty, we provide academic, spiritual, and networking opportunities to diverse students. Donations will fund scholarships, faculty development, program expansion, and resources like the new Endowed Chair for Classical Education, all of which seek to counter threats to our cultural and intellectual heritage.
- Donate Financially: One-time or recurring gifts—$50 funds a Great Book, $1,000 supports a scholarship, or more provides for faculty endowments.
- Spread the Word: Share this page on social media or with like-minded networks.
- Attend Events: Join us for public lectures, register a student for the Schola High School Summer Program, or explore other cultural events to engage directly.
- Apply or Enroll: Encourage students to join our Honors College for a transformative experience.