College Changes Name After 37 Years

On Saturday, October 16th Jeff Karls, President of The College announced to parents, students, staff, alumni, and friends attending Parents' Weekend a bold new beginning for The College.  After 37 years of being known as Magdalen College, The College will now be called, The College of Saint Mary Magdalen. 

The change in name reflects The College’s desire to clearly proclaim our Catholic identity, to bring greater honor to our patroness, Saint Mary Magdalen, and to stand firmly with The Church in the commitment to the New Evangelization.

Patrick Reilly, President and Founder of The Cardinal Newman Society which publishes The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College addressed the Parents' Weekend attendees later that evening to comment on the exciting new beginning for The College of Saint Mary Magdalen.  In his remarks he stated:

"And with the encouragement and leadership of Pope John Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI, and the wonderful example of The College of Saint Mary Magdalen, we can forge ahead with the project that Newman began 150 years ago with these hopeful words: "…[T]his is our hour, whatever be its duration, the hour for great hopes, great schemes, great efforts, great beginnings… to recommence the age of Universities.”

That is what this College’s founders started here in New Hampshire 37 years ago, and what you have chosen to partake of.  May God bless you for it!"

In addition to a new name, The College of Saint Mary Magdalen has also renewed the program of studies.  George Harne, The College’s Academic Dean stated, “In our new curriculum, we have sought to ground the Great Books approach to education more deeply within the Catholic tradition, integrating the vigorous and joyful pursuit of truth with a more disciplined pursuit of intellectual excellence.  In addition, we have given Catholic philosophers, theologians, historians, poets, and artists the prominent voice they deserve within any liberal arts program that is worthy of being called Catholic.” 

The new, integrated curriculum offers its students four years of philosophy and humanities seminars, four years of theology and catechesis, two years of music, two years of art, two years of Latin, three years of science, three years of Rhetoric, writing and literature, as well Logic, Geometry, Italian, an Honors Program, and a summer course of studies in Rome and Norcia, Italy.