New Saint Andrews College is a private
classical Christian college in
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow ( ) is a city in North Central Idaho, United States. Located along the state border with Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 census. The county seat and largest city of Latah County, Moscow is the home of the Universit ...
. It was founded in 1994 by
Christ Church, and modeled in part on the curriculum of
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
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
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
). Board members are affiliated with the
Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches
The Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), formerly the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches, was founded in 1998 as a body of churches that hold to Reformed (Calvinistic) theology. Member churches include those from Presbyte ...
(CREC).
History
New Saint Andrews began with four students in the fall of 1994 and graduated its first two students in 1998. It moved to its present location in downtown
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
when it purchased the historic
Skattaboe Block
The Skattaboe Block is a historic building in Moscow, Idaho. It was built by Taylor & Lauder for the Moscow Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1892. With It was owned by the Inland Telephone Company from 1925 to 1952, when it was purchased by the ...
(1892).
[ With ]
![New Saint Andrews College building](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/New_Saint_Andrews_College_building.gif)
In 2005, New Saint Andrews became an accredited member of the
Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools
The Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) is a U.S. based institutional accreditation organization that focuses on Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries seeking collegiate accreditation in the United Stat ...
(TRACS), which is recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
and the
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). TRACS authorized the college as a Category III Master's degree-granting institution in April 2007. New Saint Andrews was nationally reaccredited in 2010. The college is a charter member of the
Association of Classical and Christian Schools
The Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS) is an organization founded in 1994 to encourage the formation of Christian schools using a model of classical education movement, classical education. The association's website lists over 300 m ...
(ACCS) and a member of the
Association of Reformed Institutions of Higher Education (ARIHE).
The college was featured on the
Christian Broadcasting Network
The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series ''The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing ''Superbook'' an ...
in March 2006. In August 2006 New Saint Andrews was named by the
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) is a nonprofit educational organization that promotes conservative thought on college campuses.
It was founded in 1953 by Frank Chodorov with William F. Buckley Jr. as its first president. It sponsor ...
as one of the top 50 schools for "conservatives, old-fashioned liberals, and people of faith." The college was also featured in the September 30, 2007 edition of ''
The New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine Supplement (publishing), supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted man ...
'' in an article titled, "Onward Christian Scholars."
Roy Atwood served as president until 2014, and was succeeded by
Ben Merkle.
Academics and student life
The college's classical Christian program of studies follows the
Trivium
The trivium is the lower division of the seven liberal arts and comprises grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
The trivium is implicit in ''De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii'' ("On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury") by Martianus Capella, but t ...
and
Quadrivium
From the time of Plato through the Middle Ages, the ''quadrivium'' (plural: quadrivia) was a grouping of four subjects or arts—arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy—that formed a second curricular stage following preparatory work in the ...
in its single, integrated undergraduate curriculum in liberal arts and culture. The curriculum stresses learning from
great books
A classic is a book accepted as being exemplary or particularly noteworthy. What makes a book "classic" is a concern that has occurred to various authors ranging from Italo Calvino to Mark Twain and the related questions of "Why Read the Cl ...
and developing the skills to be a lifelong learner. Rather than using textbooks, the college requires reading of primary works in the classical and Christian literature of
Western civilization
Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''.
image:Plato Pio-Cle ...
. The college uses "Oxford-style" small group recitations, in which six to eight students meet with individual faculty members to discuss the assigned readings. Students have examinations every eight weeks, many of which are conducted orally. Seniors are required to write theses and defend them before a faculty panel. The college offers associate and bachelor's degrees in liberal arts and culture, a Master of Arts in Trinitarian theology and culture, and a Master of Studies (and Graduate Certificate) in Classical Christian Studies.
The college limits new student enrollment to about 50–60 new undergraduates and 10–15 graduate students each year. The student body numbers about 160 students (150 full-time equivalent) from about 30 states, five foreign countries, and more than 20 Christian denominations. Approximately half of the college's students were home-schooled and a quarter attended
Association of Classical and Christian Schools
The Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS) is an organization founded in 1994 to encourage the formation of Christian schools using a model of classical education movement, classical education. The association's website lists over 300 m ...
(ACCS) affiliated high schools.
The college provides no dormitories or food services, by board policy. Instead, it encourages students to live as responsible members of the local community, and assists students and their families in arranging appropriate housing.
As of the May 2010 Commencement, the college had more than 200 alumni. Approximately one-third of the college's graduates pursue graduate school or advanced professional studies, one-third go on to teach at classical and Christian schools, and one-third pursue other callings or professions.
Sports
New Saint Andrews College does not participate in the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
(NCAA), but does offer a variety of intramural sports, namely men's rugby, women's volleyball, and co-ed soccer.
Notable faculty
*
Douglas Wilson
*
N. D. Wilson
Nathan David Wilson (born 1978) is an American author of young adult fiction.
Background
Wilson is the son of Calvinist minister Douglas Wilson and author Nancy Wilson. He was named after the biblical figures Nathan and David, and was educated ...
Further reading
* Molly Worthen (2007). "Onward Christian Scholars", ''The New York Times Magazine'', September 30, 2007.
* John Zmirak (2006). ''All-American Colleges: Top Schools for Conservatives, Old-Fashioned Liberals and People of Faith''. Wilmington, Delaware: Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2006.
* Samuel Schuman (2010). ''Seeing the Light: Religious Colleges in Twenty-First-Century America''. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010.
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Christian universities and colleges in the United States
Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools
Educational institutions established in 1994
Classical Christian schools
Seminaries and theological colleges in Idaho
Reformed universities and colleges
Buildings and structures in Latah County, Idaho
Education in Latah County, Idaho
Moscow, Idaho
1994 establishments in Idaho