Give Me Liberal Arts

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Oct 22, 2001 | by Andrea Billups

Patrick Henry College in Virginia, the nation's first institution of higher learning geared toward homeschooled students, is thriving and reaching out to traditional students as well.

Matthew du Mee scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT. Not long afterward, letters from colleges began clogging his mailbox. But not just local schools near his home in Peoria, Ariz. Yale, Harvard, Stanford -- universities that boast the nation's best and brightest scholars -- were eager for his presence on their campuses.

But du Mee chose to relocate to neither New Haven, Conn., nor Cambridge, Mass., nor Palo Alto, Calif., but to the tiny town of Purcellville, Va., joining the freshman class at Patrick Henry College, the nation's first college geared for students who have been homeschooled.

Choosing Patrick Henry over the country's elite universities wasn't a difficult decision, says du Mee, who eagerly began his studies in government on Aug. 31, just as the college kicked off its second year. "I felt that Patrick Henry would give me the best education," says du Mee, 19, who was awarded a full scholarship at the school and already has an eye on a career in public service.

"I appreciated their founding principles, what they had guiding them, what they were working toward, the high quality of teachers and the tough academic standards," says du Mee, who shares the college's Christian outlook. "I knew it would be a challenge here, maybe even more of a challenge than a school of more prestige, but their focus on government and training young people to get into government was exactly what I wanted to do."

Patrick Henry President Michael Farris, a lawyer and home-education advocate who led the fight to make homeschooling legal in all 50 states, is proud of the quality of his student body. A father of 10 homeschooled children, Farris was

in September meeting students and their families as they moved into dorms, got acquainted and attended orientation classes on the campus, an hour from Washington.

Watching his educational venture take wing is "exciting," says Farris, who was happy to have his first year, with all its anticipated kinks, squarely behind him. "We've had all of the highs and a few of the difficulties that are associated with starting something," he recalls. "The challenges have been good proving grounds for us, and we've refined the program. We think we are stronger and closer to our goals than we were a year ago."

News of Farris' vision to create a small, elite Christian college has quickly caught on in homeschooling circles and beyond. This year's student body includes 155 students from 34 states who boast an average SAT score of 1260, up 50 points from the college's inaugural class. Three attended public schools.

The college has expanded to offer degree programs in government, journalism, creative/professional writing and education. The last offers training to those interested in writing curriculum and to those who want to teach in the classical Christian school and homeschool settings. "We wanted to be training those who will lead the nation, and now we are excited about training those who will help shape the culture," says Farris.

As the college, with its red-brick, Colonial-style buildings, has grown in enrollment and curriculum, it also has expanded its faculty to nine full-time professors and seven adjuncts. Patrick Henry sprang up on 40 acres when it opened last November, and the school purchased 66 additional acres in January, giving it more than enough land to grow over the years.

Construction on a new dormitory is planned for this school year, with the possible addition of a new gymnasium. If the gym happens, the school will sponsor a basketball team in September 2002. This fall, female students will play exhibition soccer with several local colleges that have agreed to add the Patrick Henry team to their schedules.

Debate, however, remains the sport of choice for many homeschoolers at the college. One-third of the freshman class participated in the debate team, which proved its skill in April, winning honors as the country's top first-year debate program at the National Educational Debate Association tournament.

Among the long-term plans for Patrick Henry: the creation of a law school within the next 10 years, as well as the development of a school of American culture with degree programs in film, television production, drama, music and art.

Publicity has helped attract students, but he expects homeschooling enthusiasts to remain the school's core constituency, according to Vice President and Development Director Brett Rudolph. The college hopes to attract a broader base of support. About 80 percent of those students who are accepted choose to attend Patrick Henry. As the course offerings expand, the quality of students increases.

"We have a very high rate of success of attracting people who come and take a close look at us," says Farris. "They are thrilled that we are unique. Some of the criticisms that we have received from the education establishment in the past year is that we don't look and act like other colleges. While that is a source of criticism in their minds, it's the very reason parents and students are thrilled with our college."