Overview

The College of Saint Benedict was founded by the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, who received an educational charter from the State of Minnesota in 1887 and offered their first college courses in 1913. The institution was one of the first colleges in the Upper Midwest established for the undergraduate education of women, and this year is the celebration of our centennial year.

Located on 315 acres adjacent to the town of St. Joseph, the Saint Benedict's campus is an impressive combination of contemporary and carefully restored and maintained turn-of-the-century buildings. Though the earliest buildings date from the late 1800s, the campus is centered around the modern 40,000 square foot Clemens Library completed in 1986, the Lottie and Frank J. Ardolf, Jr. Science Center completed in 1992, the S.L. Haehn Campus Center completed in 1996, and the Gorecki Dining and Conference Center completed in 2007. The college is also the home of the Benedicta Arts Center, one of the Upper Midwest's most highly regarded cultural arts facilities, and the Claire Lynch Hall, the campus athletic facility. The campus opens toward the recently restored Sacred Heart Chapel, the center for spiritual worship for both the sisters of Saint Benedict's Monastery and the college's students, faculty and staff.

Since its founding in the sixth century, the Order of Saint Benedict has actively encouraged its men and women to participate in the work of the world, not just education and the intellectual life but also other occupations that support the full development of individuals in the context of community.

As such, the Benedictine influence contributes to the close community of faculty, staff and students at the college. Most students - approximately 85 percent - live on campus. The campus residential program includes the active participation of many Benedictine and lay professionals who live and interact with the students they advise.

Saint Benedict's curriculum is taught by a distinguished faculty, with a diverse educational and religious background. Many members of the faculty excel in research and scholarship, in addition to their primary commitment to teaching. 

The College of Saint Benedict designs programs to meet the needs and aspirations of young women, emphasizing women's leadership and a personal development profile that includes intellectual, spiritual, emotional and physical development. Our values-based and value-added residential liberal arts education provides the framework for fulfilling lives of disciplined inquiry and leadership in careers devoted to the professions, public life and service to others. This extends to encouraging women's leadership roles in student organizations, clubs and standing college committees as well as participation in a broad range of varsity, intramural and club sports. In recent years, Saint Benedict's intercollegiate athletes have earned championships in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) volleyball, basketball and soccer as well.

College of Saint Benedict Mission and Vision

The mission of the College of Saint Benedict is to provide for women the very best residential liberal arts education in the Catholic university tradition. The college fosters integrated learning, exceptional leadership for change and wisdom for a lifetime.

The College of Saint Benedict commits the following to its students:

A unified liberal arts curriculum, which expands the traditional knowledge base to include women's experience and promotes teaching methods that facilitate women's learning.

An integrative environment for learning, which ensures the quality of women's learning by recognizing the interdependence of women's personal and cognitive development.

An emphasis on the personal growth of women, which celebrates women and provides a culture that explicitly values women, allowing the student to see herself as a person of value.

An experience of Benedictine values grounded in a women's monastic community, which allows the student to see her gender in active church roles and enhances the student's faith and spiritual life.

The opportunity to observe and practice leadership and service so that women recognize their ability and have confidence in their power to contribute to their community and to become agents for change.

The capacity to make their place in the world and ensure success in their careers and their lives.

The College of Saint Benedict offers these mission commitments in partnership with Saint John's University-providing a laboratory where women and men can achieve new respect and genuine partnerships with one another.

Vision

Our history is characterized by a fierce belief in the power of liberal education, an engagement with the world around us, responsiveness to the needs of society, an enduring commitment to our Catholic and Benedictine Heritage, and an unwavering focus on women's development as leaders, professionals, and scholars. We envision our future as grounded in these same commitments, and we embrace the changes and challenges impacting the world with the same courage, strength, and boldness of our foremothers.

Accreditation

• American Chemical Society
• Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Association of Theological Schools
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• Minnesota Board of Nursing
• Minnesota Professional Educators Licensing and Standards Board
• National Association of Schools of Music
• The Higher Learning Commission