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�� Graduates First-Ever Master’s Level Cohort

December 20, 2022 By radefolaju Leave a Comment

�� Graduates First-Ever Master’s Level Cohort

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Belmont, N.C. (December 17, 2022) – For the first time in college history, Belmont Abbey announces the graduation of its inaugural graduate level cohort. The Master of Health Administration launched in August of 2021 is the first graduate program offered by the private liberal arts college. The five graduating students display exemplary understanding of healthcare disciplines and will make a valuable impact on the industry at large.

The MHA program is asynchronous and online, with expected completion in less than 18 months. “We developed this program to meet the needs of busy working professionals who desire to deepen their understanding of the healthcare industry and enhance their career opportunities,” says Dr. Gwyndolan Swain, Founding Director of the MHA program at ��. “It’s with great joy that I announce that our first cohort has completed their requirements for graduation and will now continue the exceptional work they’ve started as part of the workforce.” Due to the flexibility of the program, students are able to advance their skills without putting their current occupations on hold. Graduates from the program have careers in health policy, hospital administration, and insurance.

As a Catholic, Benedicitine institution, Belmont Abbey is committed to offering academic programs that address societal issues. The MHA program creates a pipeline of qualified healthcare leaders that emerge ready to lead. “Going through a global pandemic tested the durability of our healthcare systems. Several factors contributed to the healthcare shortage, but COVID-19 reminded all of us how important it is to have ethical, well-trained healthcare leaders working in the field”, says Dr. Travis Feezell, Provost at Belmont Abbey. “There’s a great demand for leaders in this space and we are doing all we can to answer this call, specifically in Gaston County.” In addition to the MHA, Belmont Abbey recently launched new BSN, RN-BSN, and MSN degree programs to meet the needs of aspiring healthcare workers.

As part of the inaugural graduate cohort, Belmont Abbey celebrates several undergraduate alumni who came back home to complete their Master’s degree. Grace Bruno ‘17, is part of that group. “Going back to the Abbey was an easy decision for me because I knew what I was going to get in terms of education. I knew I would have a hands-on experience, guided by dedicated faculty who know what it’s like to balance Graduate school and a full-time job,” Bruno says. “I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.” For more information on joining the Master of Health Administration program at the Abbey, visit bac.edu/mha.

Press inquiries can contact Rolando Rivas, AVP of Marketing and Communications, at rolandorivas@bac.edu. For information on all of the Graduate degrees offered at Belmont Abbey, visit bac.edu/academics/graduate-studies/.

Download the press release.

December 19, 2022 By radefolaju Leave a Comment

Art History Implications

Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Amil Werr

Just yesterday I was walking up the steps from the grotto towards the monastery and basilica. I noticed facilities personnel had one of the manholes open. Curious, I peeked inside the manhole and noticed old brick walls surrounding what looked like a water main valve, all underneath the asphalt driveway. I was then much more aware of the ground beneath my feet.

I thought to myself, “Wow! Are those part of the old monastery walls? Was it part of a cellar, a monk’s cell, a refectory? How far do those walls go down?”

Memories of Art History class with Dr. Pastryk returned as images of Basilica di San Clemente with its 1st century structures underneath its 4th century basilica underneath its now standing, above ground, 12th century basilica. I had previously thought Art History only involved looking through frames of paintings or glass cases of coins, pottery, and sculpture. I was wrong. The windows through which we can peer into different times are myriad, beyond museum walls, kind of like that open manhole in the asphalt driveway. It was helpful for me in furthering my understanding of the nuance and depth of Art History to know that it can also be called “Material Culture.”

When I think of the word “culture,” I think of wine, beer, cheese, bread, yoghurt. I think of each culture, each community of beings endowed with distinct capacities to take material and, through it, express themselves. I think of beings, too small to see with bare eyes, partaking in expressive and transformative action. Those old brick walls underneath that manhole were built by beings I cannot now see.

However, if I am curious or perceptive (or lucky?) enough I can see, study, and appreciate how some ancestors expressed themselves and transformed their world. Though I still forget, I have been aided in my remembrance that, more often than not, we tread unawares right on top of the transformations our ancestors partook in. Having participated in Art History class, it seems as though I’ve received tools of perception that facilitate just enough awareness and interest that I can stop and wonder in wonder, for at least a few seconds, “In what kind of world and with what kind of people were those old brick walls not underneath a manhole in an asphalt driveway?”

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 1 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.

December 18, 2022 By radefolaju Leave a Comment

The Southeastern Psychological Association Conference (SEPA)

Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Rachel Price

Earlier this year in March of 2022, the psychology department here at Belmont College gave their students the opportunity to attend the SEPA Conference, located
in Hilton Head, South Carolina. 10 psychology majors, including myself, and two of our professors attended the conference.

This experience allowed us to strengthen our relationships with our classmates, learn about other students’ psychology research from other colleges and universities (some near and some farther), and the honor of supporting our very own Belmont Abbey alumni and professor while they presented their research as well.

While most of us at the time were rising seniors, we had the opportunity to speak with a variety of graduate programs and their students. We collected information,
heard their individual experiences with the program, and what types of programs the schools had to offer. Looking back, I can say that this trip was well worth all my time and effort as my top pick graduate school is one that I discovered at the conference.

I thank the psychology department for making this trip possible for the other students and myself. Together, we made long lasting memories, learned a variety of professional skills, built stronger relationships with our professors and their families, and shared what we all may agree was a remarkable experience overall.

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 1 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.

December 17, 2022 By radefolaju Leave a Comment

Campus Activities Board: Who Are They?

Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Hannah Schudlik

��’s Campus Activities Board (CAB) is a student organization that designs and provides exciting activities and programs for student life. CAB is credited with sponsoring various events such as movie nights, dances, talent shows, and holiday parties. Nate Bolton is the faculty advisor for the club, as well as the director of student activities on campus. As a Belmont Abbey alumnus, Nate is dedicated to creating a fun experience and community-based environment for students.

What Do They Do?
Typically, CAB begins planning ideas in September for events that will be held from October through May. Abbeyfest is a traditional Belmont Abbey event held
in the fall semester that incorporates live music, catering, and mini-games for the college’s students and alumni. Last year, October brought chilly weather and beautiful scenery to campus. Thus, CAB hosted “Nightmare on Abbey Lane!” Members of the club guided students, and the school faculty’s children down the spooky-decorated Abbey Lane. Activities included pumpkin carving, costume and decorating contests, live music, games, and trunk-or-treating.

The spring semester consists of planning for an annual dance formal and student talent show. The Spring Formal, hosted by student activities and CAB, surprises
students each year with an unknown destination for a school dance. Previous locations have been the Honey Hunters baseball stadium, downtown Belmont, and
even on a yacht! As March approaches, “Abbey’s Got Talent” will show off Belmont Abbey students singing, dancing, performing comedy routines, and more!

Why You Should Join?
CAB is a great way to meet new people and form friendships! The club meets once a week (typically via Zoom) to discuss ideas and plan events, so it is not too
demanding of one’s time. There is little commitment required, as attendance for meetings and events is not mandatory. The team consists of a President, Vice
President, Secretary, and an abundance of students. Being a part of the council allows for experience in social media management and creating flyers (pictured
below). If you have creative ways to get students involved on campus, email natebolton@bac.edu to join CAB!

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 1 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.

December 16, 2022 By Laura Schaffer Leave a Comment

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Most of us probably recognize Our Lady of Guadalupe: that miraculous image which appeared on Juan Diego’s tilma as a sign that Mary herself had spoken to him. The portrait is all but ubiquitous, not just in Mexico, but across the United States as well, and to a certain extent throughout the world. It’s a beautiful image, but this past Monday, December 12, as we celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I started thinking about why she seems to have captured our cultural imagination to such an extent.

And I think, for those of us in the Americas, the key might lie in the Our of Our Lady.

That Christ’s mother, whom he gave, also, to us, would appear to the simple, the poor, and the utterly, vulnerably human, is a wonderful comfort. But that she would do so in our own clothes, as it were, and our own, recognizable culture – that Our Lady of Guadalupe takes on the Nahuatl speech, the traditional dress, and the knowledge of place particular to that corner of Mexico – is somehow more wonderful still.

It reminds me that receiving her as our mother is not a mere gesture. She takes on our patterns and colors, the textures of our experience, embracing us, not as if we were an abstracted mass of peoples, but as individuals and families immersed in animating culture. In a beautiful echo of her Son’s incarnation, she comes to meet us with the familiarity of our “Little Mother,” even turning what is native to us – whether roses or robes – into a miraculous gift and a sign of her nearness.

Soon we will begin the fourth and final week of Advent. We’ll light all four candles in our Advent wreaths and make the last preparations for welcoming Christ into our homes at Christmas. As we near this beautiful feast, let’s imitate the gentle Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady, by reaching out to know and love others in the language native to their souls.