Gutenberg College

Last updated
Gutenberg College
Gutenberg College photo.jpg
MottoGreat Books, Great Conversation
TypePrivate
Established1994
President Dr. Chris Swanson
Dean Dr. Charley Dewberry
Academic staff
5 full-time
3 part-time
Students20
Address
1883 University St.
Eugene, OR 97403
, ,
OR
,
USA

44°02′21″N123°04′27″W / 44.039131°N 123.074199°W / 44.039131; -123.074199
CampusSmall City Urban
Colors    Blue and Silver
Website www.gutenberg.edu

Gutenberg College is a private, four-year Great Books college in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1994, the school currently has 20 students as of 2018. [1] The college "does not participate in any government-funded financial aid programs." [2]

Contents

History

The college occupies a Jacobean building designed in 1927 by Lawrence, Holford, Allyn and Bean. Originally the University of Oregon's Delta Tau Delta fraternity house, the building became Delta Zeta sorority in 1946 when Delta Tau Delta moved across the street. Then in 1985 McKenzie Study Center occupied the building. [3]

Gutenberg College grew out of McKenzie Study Center (MSC), a Christian ministry that has existed in Eugene for 40 years. MSC was founded in 1979 as a ministry to present a biblical worldview to University of Oregon (UO) students; it now serves not only UO students, but the surrounding community. In 1991, after examining prospective curricula and programs, the board of McKenzie Study Center decided a Great Books curriculum would best accomplish their goals of providing a unique and well-rounded education. Gutenberg started in 1994 with four students and graduated its first class in 1998. Gutenberg remains small, with an enrollment of less than fifty students.

Great Books program

The Gutenberg college great books approach is based on the program developed in the mid-1900s at the University of Chicago by Mortimer Adler that later became the Great Books of the Western World of Brittannica, at Rutgers and St John's by Stringfellow Barr, et al. This alternative approach to education emphasizes less the vocational skills and specialization of most undergraduate degrees, seeking instead to produce individuals who are well-read, well-reasoned, articulate, and mature. Personal growth rather than vocational training is emphasized and accomplished through studying the most influential works of Western Civilization in every discipline: philosophy, math, science, theology, literature, and art.

Academics

The curriculum centers on the most influential primary texts of Western Civilization, which students study with "tutors" in round-table discussions. In addition, the curriculum includes the following: a weekly lecture, classes and practicums in science, art, math, foreign language and the reading of difficult texts ("microexegesis"). The curriculum is viewed through a biblical Christian perspective, though the staff and faculty is not associated with any one denomination. Gutenberg offers one degree: a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts.

Coursework includes the following: two years of classical Greek; two years of German; two years of math (ancient and modern); two years of Western Civilization (Great Books readings); two years of Great Conversation (more in-depth Great Books readings), four years of Microexegesis (practicums in reading difficult texts), and several classes and practicums in physics, biology, chemistry, and art.

All students read the same works over the four-year program. Readings progress through the Great Books chronologically and cycle through the history of Western Civilization twice in the four years of study.

To promote lively discussion, classes are kept small, usually five to twelve students. A small number of lectures and secondary sources supplement the classic curriculum. At the end of the first two years, students must pass a series of comprehensive exams in order to progress to the last two years. During the senior year, each student writes an extensive thesis dealing with an issue discussed by two classic authors.

Authorization and accreditation

Gutenberg is a non-profit corporation authorized by the State of Oregon to offer and confer a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts.

On November 3, 2009, Gutenberg College was first awarded full accreditation status by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) Accreditation Commission. [4] TRACS is an accrediting organization recognized by the Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The college is exempt from various federal guidelines concerning discrimination (e.g., Title IX), the investigation of accusations of sexual abuse, and the reporting of on-campus crimes that govern most other accredited colleges due to its refusal to accept federal funding. [5]

On October 21, 2014, the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) Accreditation Commission awarded Gutenberg College "Reaffirmation I" of its Accredited status as a Category II institution. [6] This status is effective for a period of ten years.

Related Research Articles

Educational perennialism is a normative educational philosophy. Perennialists believe that the priority of education should be to teach principles that have persisted for centuries, not facts. Since people are human, one should teach first about humans, rather than machines or techniques, and about liberal, rather than vocational, topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Jewell College</span> Private college in Liberty, Missouri, US

William Jewell College is a private liberal arts college in Liberty, Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and endowed with $10,000 by William Jewell. It was associated with the Missouri Baptist Convention for over 150 years until it separated in 2003 and became independent. After becoming a nonsectarian institution, the college's enrollment fell by approximately 40% to 739 students in 2018. Jewell is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe)</span> Private liberal arts college in the United States.

St. John's College is a private liberal arts college with campuses in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. As the successor institution of King William's School, a preparatory school founded in 1696, St. John's is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the United States; the current institution received a collegiate charter in 1784. In 1937, St. John's adopted a Great Books curriculum based on discussion of works from the Western canon of philosophical, religious, historical, mathematical, scientific, and literary works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaGrange College</span> Private Methodist college in LaGrange, Georgia, U.S.

LaGrange College is a private college in LaGrange, Georgia. Founded in 1831 as a female educational institution, LaGrange is the oldest private college in Georgia. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and offers more than 55 academic and pre-professional programs, including graduate degrees in education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Core Curriculum (Columbia College)</span> Academic program at Columbia University

The Core Curriculum was originally developed as the main curriculum used by Columbia College of Columbia University in 1919. Created in the wake of World War I, it became the framework for many similar educational models throughout the United States, and has played an influential role in the incorporation of the concept of Western civilization into the American college curriculum. Today, customized versions of the Core Curriculum are also completed by students in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the School of General Studies, the other two undergraduate colleges of Columbia University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary</span>

Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary (FLBCS) is one institution of higher education consisting of two programs, the undergraduate Free Lutheran Bible College (FLBC) and the four-year pastoral training program Free Lutheran Seminary (FLS). FLBCS is accredited through the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), and an associate member of the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). FLBCS is located in Plymouth, Minnesota, near the national offices of the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC).

Boston Baptist College is a private Baptist college in Boston, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marietta College</span> Private liberal arts college in Marietta, Ohio, US

Marietta College (MC) is a private liberal arts college in Marietta, Ohio. It offers more than 50 undergraduate majors across the arts, sciences, and engineering, as well as Physician Assistant, Psychology, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and Athletic Training graduate programs. Its campus encompasses approximately three city blocks next to downtown Marietta and enrolls 1,200 full-time students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Andrews University (North Carolina)</span> Private Presbyterian college in Laurinburg, North Carolina, U.S.

St. Andrews University is a private Presbyterian university in Laurinburg, North Carolina. It was established in 1958 as a result of a merger of Flora MacDonald College in Red Springs and Presbyterian Junior College; it was named St. Andrews Presbyterian College from 1960 until 2011 when the college changed its name to St. Andrews University. That same year, it merged with Webber International University of Babson Park, Florida. It is also home to the St. Andrews Press. In 2013, St. Andrews added its first graduate program, an MBA in business administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Saint Andrews College</span> Christian college in Idaho

New Saint Andrews College is a private classical Christian college in Moscow, Idaho. It was founded in 1994 by Christ Church, and modeled in part on the curriculum of Harvard College of the seventeenth century. The college offers no undergraduate majors, but follows a single, integrated classical liberal arts curriculum from a Christian worldview in its associate's and bachelor's degree programs. The college also offers master's degrees in theology and letters and classical Christian studies. The New Saint Andrews board, faculty, and staff are confessionally Reformed (Calvinist). Board members are affiliated with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas More College of Liberal Arts</span> Liberal arts college in New Hampshire

The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Merrimack, New Hampshire. It emphasizes classical education in the Catholic intellectual tradition and is named after Saint Thomas More. It is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. It is endorsed by The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College.

Crown College is an independent Baptist Bible college, featuring a trade school, seminary, language school, and music conservatory in Powell, Tennessee.

Carolina University (CU), formerly Piedmont International University (PIU), is a private Christian university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Carolina University offers both residential and online programs including dual enrollment, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. It is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) and is a member of the American Association of Christian Schools (AACS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Oregon College of Design</span> Art school at the University of Oregon

The University of Oregon College of Design is a public college of architecture and visual arts in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1914 by Ellis F. Lawrence, the college is located on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, off the corner of 13th and University streets, and also has programs at the historic White Stag Block in Portland, Oregon.

Lutheran Brethren Seminary (LBS) is an institute of theological higher education of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America (CLBA), located in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. It shares its campus with the denominational headquarters of the CLBA and the denomination’s high school, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy. The seminary’s primary mission is to train and equip pastors, missionaries, and Christian lay workers for ministry in the Church of the Lutheran Brethren and other church bodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classical education movement</span> Renewal of a traditional liberal arts education

The classical education movement or renewal advocates for a return to a traditional education based on the liberal arts, the canons of classical literature, the fine arts, and the history of civilization. It focuses on human formation and paideia with an early emphasis on music, gymnastics, recitation, imitation, and grammar. Multiple organizations support classical education in charter schools, in independent faith-based schools, and in home education. This movement has inspired several graduate programs and colleges as well as a new peer-reviewed journal, Principia: A Journal of Classical Education.

Dakar Academy is a private PreK-12 school in Dakar, Senegal, that utilizes a North American-based curriculum with Christian perspective. founded in 1961. Dakar Academy is an accredited college preparatory school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morthland College</span>

Morthland College (MC) was a private Christian liberal arts college in West Frankfort, Illinois. The school was founded in 2009 by Dr. Tim Morthland and opened in 2011 as a small, co-educational liberal arts college. The college had an initial enrollment of forty students and 300-400 students prior to its closure in 2018. Morthland College athletic teams were known as the Patriots. The college was a member of the NCCAA in the Division-I Mid-East Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Lucien Campbell</span> American academic and university president

Prince Lucien Campbell (1861–1925) was an American academic who served as the fourth president of the University of Oregon from 1902–1925. Educated at Christian College in Monmouth, he graduated from Harvard College in 1886. He was president of the Oregon State Normal School in Monmouth, Oregon, a precursor of Western Oregon University, from 1890–1902.

References

  1. "Frequently Asked Questions". Gutenberg College. Retrieved Jan 15, 2018.
  2. "Financial Aid". Gutenberg College. 2020-08-17. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  3. Shellenbarger, Michael (April 1, 1989). "Ellis Lawrence Building Inventory". Oregon Inventory of Historic Property. University of Oregon; Oregon State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  4. "Gutenberg College Great Books". www.gutenberg.edu. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  5. See Ibby Caputo and Jon Marcus, "The Controversial Reason Some Religious Colleges Forgo Federal Funding," The Atlantic, July 7, 2016, accessed online at
  6. "Gutenberg College Great Books". gutenberg.edu. Retrieved 23 May 2017.