Christendom College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college founded in 1977 in Front Royal, Virginia, United States, located in the Shenandoah Valley.
Christendom College was founded by Warren H. Carroll, a contributor at L. Brent Bozell Jr.'s Triumph magazine.[3] Carroll decided not to accept federal funding at the college, choosing instead to rely on benefactors. Similar to the reasonings at Hillsdale College, Carroll believed that the government might eventually intrude on Christendom's academic and religious freedom.[3]
1980s
Damian Fedoryka with Pope John Paul II
Carroll remained as president until 1985 when Damian Fedoryka was named as the second president.[3] Carroll remained on the faculty, serving as the chairman of the history department until his retirement in 2002.[3]
During Fedoryka's seven-year tenure as president, Blessed Margaret and St. Joseph's Halls were constructed, and the college became fully accredited in 1987.[3]
Fedoryka, through his contacts in the Vatican, brought the college into contact with then-Pope John Paul II, who later told Carroll that Christendom "was doing a great work for the Church."[4] Fedoryka resigned in 1992, in order to pursue other educational ventures, including stints at Franciscan University of Steubenville[5] and Ave Maria College in Michigan (later Ave Maria University FL).[6]
1990s—present
Timothy T. O'Donnell
In 1992, Timothy T. O'Donnell, who had been a professor at Christendom since 1985, was named as the college's third president. During his tenure, the college increased the number of buildings on campus to over 20, including St. Lawrence Commons, St. Francis, St. Benedict, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Clare Hall, St. Louis the Crusader Gymnasium, and St. John the Evangelist Library. O'Donnell's biggest building contribution was the new Chapel of Christ the King, which he promised in his inaugural address as president.[7] Needing a major gift to launch the project, O'Donnell prayed with then-Executive Vice President Mark McShurley for help and, within 30 minutes of praying together, an anonymous donor called to pledge $250,000 to the Chapel fund.[7] Construction began in 1992, and was completed in 1995. Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan donated 19th Century wooden stations of the cross to the Chapel, and it was dedicated by Cardinal Jan Schotte, Pope John Paul II's Secretary-General to the World Synod of Bishops.[citation needed]
The college also acquired the Notre Dame Institute during O'Donnell's tenure. Started in 1969, the Notre Dame Institute was created for teacher training, but began to accept lay students in the late 1970s. In 1983, the Institute was permitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia to grant degrees. In the 1990s, Reverend William Saunders became president of the Institute and moved it to its present location in Alexandria, Virginia, in addition to leading it to full accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1997, the Institute was merged with Christendom College and became the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College, now the Graduate School of Theology.[3] In 2002, Fr. Saunders left his position as dean, and founding faculty member Kristin Burns took over the position. Under her tenure, the graduate school began offering M.A. in Theological Studies degrees online.[3]
The college's Junior Semester in Rome program was established in 2002. Students live near the Vatican during the fall and spring, taking classes in St. Peter's Square and traveling across Europe during their time abroad.[8]
Since 1992, the number of undergraduate students has increased from 144 to nearly 550 students.[9] The school has broken enrollment goals and records numerous years in a row.[10]
The college employs more than 40 full-time faculty members.[11]
On May 1, 2023, Christendom College President Timothy O'Donnell announced his intention to retire from the college[12] as President at the end of the 2023-24 academic year. On March 25, 2024, President O'Donnell announced that his successor, the 4th President of Christendom College, would be George Harne.[13]
College Scorecard
In 2015, Christendom was left off of President Barack Obama's College Scorecard, which was created to help high school graduates pick schools. Critics claimed that conservative schools, such as Hillsdale College, Grove City College, and Christendom were intentionally left off due to their conservative values.[14] The Department of Education explained that the scorecard was limited to schools that participate in the federal financial aid program, because it used data that participants in the program are required to submit.[15] The President of Christendom College, Timothy O'Donnell, stated that the college was "not surprised to be left off the list as Christendom receives no federal money, and as a consequence, files no data under Title IV; without this data, it is impossible for the Scorecard to include Christendom."[15]
"A Call To Greatness Campaign", and Christ the King Chapel
Starting in September 2016, Christendom College launched an ambitious project called the "A Call To Greatness Campaign" to raise $40 million for the college's endowment, the annual fund, and a construction project to build a new 750-seat medieval gothic chapel featuring a 130-foot tower and eight prayer altars. The cost of the chapel is estimated to run approximately $13.5 million, with an additional $13.5 million allocated to the endowment and the remaining $13 million going to the annual fund. Within a month of the fundraiser's launch, roughly 70%, or $28 million, had been raised for the campaign.[16] The chapel was officially opened to the public after its dedication by Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge on April 15, 2023.[17][18]
Endorsements
When meeting with College President Timothy O'Donnell and founder Warren Carroll in 1991, John Paul II told Carroll that “Christendom College is doing a great work for the Church.”[19]
Pope Benedict XVI also gave his endorsement to Christendom College, saying, “I am well aware of the distinguished record of Christendom College and of the outstanding contribution which it has made to Catholic life in the United States. For this reason, I am particularly honored to associate myself with such a fine Catholic institution of higher learning and my prayers are that Christendom College will enjoy many more years of service in the education and formation of young people.”[20]
The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College also lists Christendom College as a "Recommended College". The Guide, which seeks to defend and promote Catholic higher education,[21] calls Christendom "a national model of faithful liberal arts education and Catholic formation."[22]
Over the years, the college has also received praise from political leaders in the United States. In 2018, while delivering the Commencement Address for Christendom, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said, “This is a wonderful, wonderful, college… a decidedly Catholic college, and I am decidedly and unapologetically Catholic. It is this faith that has been the guiding beacon during some difficult and seemingly hopeless times, even when I had turned my heart against Him and turned my back on [faith]. I have no doubt that this faith will do the same for each of you if you let it, and perhaps even if you don’t. It is not a tether. Rather, it is a guide — the way, the truth, and the life.”[23]
Student sexual assault and harassment allegations
By refusing to accept most forms of federal funding, Christendom College is exempt from many federal guidelines concerning sex-based and other forms of discrimination (e.g., Title IX), investigations into accusations of sexual abuse, and the sharing of information about on-campus crimes.[24]
On January 16, 2018, Catholic blogger Simcha Fisher broke the story of three rape and sexual harassment allegations by students of the college.[25] College President Timothy O'Donnell acknowledged victims in an official statement, saying, "We have failed some of our students. I am grateful to each woman who has come forward with her story. We need to hear you and your experience. Disclosing abuse and its aftermath is painful and difficult, and it takes a tremendous amount of courage. To those students who have been harmed, I am deeply sorry. We will do better."[26][27] This statement has since been removed from the college website. The college has since updated the apology with a Sexual Misconduct FAQs page that outlines the steps the college takes when cases of sexual misconduct are brought to its attention.[28]
Since the story initially broke, additional allegations of at least 18 previous cases of sexual harassment and assault over the past 45 years have been made.[29] As a result, a group of alumni called for the school to adopt Title IX policies to better protect students in the future and also called for the resignation of O'Donnell. A change.org petition in support of O'Donnell was signed by over 1,000 people.[30] The college hired Husch-Blackwell to audit campus compliance with best practices in sexual assault and harassment cases, although it is not bound to do so by Title IX as the College does not accept federal funding of Title IV. The college has not released the results of this audit to the public.
Additional allegations against staff
Former professor and Professor Emeritus William Raymond Luckey was arrested on June 25, 2021 on charges of solicitation of a minor younger than 16 years old and two counts of taking indecent liberties with a child."[31] He was released on $50,000 bail on July 12, 2021. In regards to the 2018 sexual assault and harassment allegations, Luckey was one of several staff members that a college administrator mentioned as having been "transitioned out."[32] Luckey was a professor at Christendom College from 1984 until he retired in 2015, according to a statement on the college's website.[33] He has had no interaction with the school since 2015, the college said in an interview with the Northern Virginia Daily, adding that Luckey’s relationship with the school would not continue.[34]
In 2022, Luckey appeared in court and pled guilty in order to receive a reduced sentence of time served, 24 months supervised probation, and must register as a sex offender. Judge William W. Sharp accepted the agreement and Luckey’s guilty pleas. Luckey also has no prior criminal record, the judge added.[35]
The Semester in Rome includes a continuation of the College's core curriculum program for juniors (THEO 301 Moral Theology during the Fall; and THEO 302 Apologetics in the spring), as well as courses in Italian, Roman Art & Architecture, and the Language, Culture, and History of Rome. The semester also includes a week's pilgrimage to Assisi and Siena as well as a trip to Florence.[36]
Undergraduate college
All graduates of the undergraduate college are awarded a bachelor of arts degree in one of the following fields of study:
Christendom sponsors nine varsity sports that compete in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA)[38] as a member of the Eastern States Athletic Conference and offers a variety of intramural sports.[39] Christendom competes at the USCAA Division II level in men's and women's basketball and soccer and women's volleyball.[40][41] The USCAA does not have separate divisions for baseball, cross country and softball. Since the USCAA does not sponsor rugby, the men's rugby team competes in National Collegiate Rugby's Small College Division as a member of the Cardinals Collegiate Rugby Conference.[42]
In 2017, Christendom's rugby team won the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) 7s national championship in its first year of contention.[43] The team defeated St. Mary's College of Maryland in overtime to capture the title, earning the school its first national championship.[44]
In 2021, the rugby team won the National Collegiate Rugby Cohen Cup national championship in Houston, Texas, defeating New Mexico Tech.[45] This was the school's first 15s rugby national championship title.
In 2021,[46] and 2022,[47] the men's rugby team also received the #1 national ranking from National Collegiate Rugby.
Christendom College women’s basketball team won its first national title in women’s basketball defeating Johnson & Wales Charlotte 76-65 in the USCAA DII National Championship game in Petersburg, Virginia, on March 13, 2024.
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