Southern Catholic College Accepting Student Applications For Inaugural Fall Semester

PRISCILLA GREEAR, Staff Writer

Published: September 9, 2004

DAWSONVILLE—Southern Catholic College, a regional private Catholic college in formation, announced on Aug. 23 that it is accepting applications from students for its inaugural freshman class in the fall of 2005.

Located within an hour’s drive north of Atlanta in Dawsonville, Southern Catholic will initially serve a student population of 150, with projected growth to 600 within five years and an estimated 3,000 within 15 years.

The 100-acre site, surrounded by the scenic Appalachian Mountains, includes buildings for classroom and worship space, student residences and amenities for student leisure activities.

Since 2000 founders have raised $14 million. Planning began for the school in 2001, after project leaders began discussing the project in 2000 and determined the need for Georgia’s first Catholic college. It was originally planned to open in the fall of 2002, then 2003, then 2004, with the date being pushed back due to financial constraints and a lag in fund-raising with the economic downturn.

The president of Southern Catholic, Dr. Jeremiah Ashcroft, said that he and the board’s president Ed Schroeder are working through their parish-to-parish information program to get the good news out about their progress and are also meeting with bishops around the Southeast to discuss recruiting in their dioceses. Their admissions staff is talking at parishes and high schools and to teen groups. He said, despite past setbacks, all are confident the school will open next year.

“We are very excited as we begin accepting students for our first freshman class next fall … We really need to get the word out and I think people are going to respond favorably,” said Ashcroft. “We are especially proud and thankful for all the support we have received to make Southern Catholic College a reality. The college will help meet the educational and spiritual needs of our younger generation ... I really would like for students to realize this is Georgia’s first Catholic college. It’s a great opportunity for many Catholics of Georgia to get a quality higher education within a spiritual environment.”

The school has secured an option to purchase 10 acres of the former Gold Creek conference center near the Gold Creek Country Club, which is surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains and has existing buildings and infrastructure that can quickly be adapted to form the core campus of a college community. They hope to close on that purchase by December. Project leaders are in the process of purchasing an additional 90 acres around it. Their fund-raising goal to open the school, to provide an endowment and renovate existing buildings is $7.6 million. They now have a contract to sell the 273 acres at Lumpkin Campground and Georgia 400 they had purchased for $4.5 million in 2001, which was the original proposed construction site. They previously sold 64 acres.

“In order to meet all of our needs, we are now within $2 million of that, and it looks very optimistic. And I think we’ll have that by the end of the year. That’s how the board feels.”

Schroeder said that project leaders determined that on the original site with no existing buildings a 2005 opening was still not feasible and that vision needs to be realized before it fades. Ashcroft said that they then planned to have board members purchase the 90 acres for the school to eventually buy, but now “we feel pretty confident so Southern Catholic is purchasing itself.”

The conference center overlooking Spring Lake will be converted into an educational center with classrooms, study and office space and room for a variety of other activities including liturgies, cultural activities and dining. A pavilion will be converted into a chapel. Nearby are nine villas that will serve as men’s and women’s residence halls. Construction to retrofit the buildings will begin in early 2005 and in the fall of next year new dorms will be built. The site, which has existing water and sewer lines, offers amenities including a swimming pool, lighted tennis courts and access to a 27-hole golf course.

It will be able to accommodate a college population of up to 600 students and allows for future expansion on an additional 90 acres. The college, all of whose board of trustees are Catholic, is certified by the Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission of the State of Georgia. Upon opening in the fall of 2005, it will apply for provisional status with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools toward full accreditation by the first graduating class year.

Students can major in business, English, psychology, history, philosophy and theology.

While the student body will consist largely of Catholics, the college welcomes students from all faiths and backgrounds throughout the country.

Initially, student recruitment will be focused in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Tuition is $16,500 per year and every student will have an opportunity to apply for Southern Catholic College financial aid based on merit and need. Ashcroft said they have between $1.3 and 1.4 million for scholarships for the first year.

Southern Catholic College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college dedicated to preparing moral and ethical leaders. It will offer small classes and a learning environment grounded in values and the Catholic intellectual tradition and campus ministry will provide spiritual retreats, daily Mass and celebration of feast days.

For additional information or an application, call (706) 216-8860 or visit www.southerncatholic.org.