At the start of the second session of our Collegiate Summer Program, Dr. Erik van Versendaal invited students to enter fully into the life of Magdalen College during their two-week stay on campus. In his remarks, the Academic Dean clarified the end goal by stating that “the primary reason why this college exists is to...

Magdalen got a report card. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) examined 1,135 major colleges and universities in the country. Institutions earn a grade based on the degree to which they require students to take academic courses covering the broad sweep of the arts and sciences. Magdalen College was one of only seven...

The Orthodox tradition speaks of “writing” rather than “painting” icons. Several Magdalen students and graduates recently enjoyed a fascinating opportunity to “Write the Light” in Greece. The occasion was the Summer Iconography School taught by renowned master iconographer Dr. George Kordis. Mrs. Keri Weidersphan, who teaches iconography at Magdalen, helped organize and run the event....

“Magdalen is for those who have an inkling that the world is enchanted with beauty and meaning and want an education that will help them explore it at a deeper level.” So argue Prof. Anthony Esolen and Pres. Ryan Messmore in a recent interview with the Cardinal Newman Society. When asked about the special value...

National Catholic Register, a leading news source for faithful Catholics, recently interviewed Magdalen College’s new president, Dr. Ryan Messmore. Since Dr. Messmore began his tenure as the college’s fifth president in July, his zeal for Magdalen’s intentional, Christ-centered approach to liberal education has rippled through the community. The full interview explores his background, highlights what...

Anthony Esolen, Professor and Writer-in-residence at Magdalen, recently highlighted the college in The Catholic Thing. He explains how Magdalen provides an education in true freedom that liberates students from the “social manacles” of secular orthodoxy. This approach to education, punctuated by our vantage point atop the slopes of Mount Kearsarge, ripples through every classroom, every liturgy,...

Dr. Anthony Esolen, Professor and Writer-in-residence at Magdalen College, was recently published in Crisis Magazine. His article, titled “First Things First,” highlights an important feature of Magdalen College. Compared to the “critical” approach found on many college campuses, at Magdalen we are grateful to “heroic modern souls who sought the truth and told of what...

During their final year at the college, seniors have the opportunity to write a thesis and introduce the fruit of their study to their peers and members of the faculty through a sustained presentation and discussion of their work. This year’s senior theses included: Here I Am: A Reflection on Human Understanding and Divine Providence...

On this, the ninety-third birthday of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, we offer this essay on his inspiring vision of the ends and means of Catholic education. Today, we are in the midst of a great renewal in Catholic higher education. Colleges and universities founded after the Second Vatican Council with the intention of cultivating a...

“The quest for Wisdom will not be stopped by a mere pandemic!” one our faculty members was overheard to say. During the last few weeks, the students and faculty of the college have embraced the challenge of online courses whole-heartedly and are improvising, adapting, and overcoming the obstacles. A few snapshots: Last week in a...