Campus Watch

‘Best’ Catholic Colleges

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT, Sept. 3 — Three Catholic colleges made the magazine's annual top-50 list, including the University of Notre Dame (18th), Georgetown University (25th) and Boston College (37th). Holy Cross was 31st among national liberal-ar ts colleges.

Catholic colleges and universities fared best in the categor y of best universities-master's, which ranks schools with undergraduate and master's programs but few, if any, doctoral programs.

Divided by region, eight Catholic schools were in the top 15 in the categor y in the North with Villanova University first. First-place Creighton University and three other Catholic institutions were among the top 15 in the Midwest.

Seven of the top 15 regional universities in the West are Catholic, and three Catholic schools made the top 15 in the South.

Collegians for Life

TIME, Aug. 30 — A feature on the growing conser vatism of American college students pointed out that 45% of freshmen are pro-life on abortion — a marked improvement from the 33% in 1992. The number of freshmen who say they never party is up from 12% in 1987 to 23% today.

Time suggested that even the more “liberal” positions of students are really “libertarian.” These include 40% suppor t for legalized marijuana use (the most since the 1970s) and homosexual “marriage,” endorsed by a record 59% of freshmen as opposed to just 30% in the general population.

Applications Accepted

SOUTHERN CATHOLIC COLLEGE, Aug. 23 — The regional Catholic college now in formation is accepting student applications for its inaugural freshman class in 2005.

An hour's drive nor th of Atlanta, in Dawsonville, Ga., Southern Catholic will initially ser ve a student population of 150, with projected growth to an estimated 3,000 by 2020.

The 100-acre site, surrounded by the Appalachian mountains, already includes buildings for classroom, worship and living space.

Donation Lost in Scam

CHRONICLE.COM, Aug. 18 — Saint Mar y's College of California will have to put major construction plans on hold and repay a multimillion-dollar bank loan for a new science building after officials learned that a donor will have to renege on a $100-million pledge, apparently as a result of a real-estate investment scam.

Benefactor Conrad Col-brandt is being treated as one of some 40 victims in the swindle and will face no criminal charges.

College officials maintain that only capital projects were affected by the loss of the $100-million pledge and that St. Mar y's endowment remains sound.

‘Harvard of the Right’

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Aug. 18 — The Rev. Jerr y Fal-well will open a law school as par t of Liber ty University in Lynchburg, Va., this fall in hopes of training a generation of attorneys who will fight for traditional causes, especially those involving freedom of religion and the right to life.

“We'll be as far to the right as Har vard is to the left,” Falwell told the Associated Press.

Heidi Thompson, one of 61 founding students, said she would like to help reverse the decision to legalize abortion. Said Thompson, “I'd love to fight Roe v. Wade.”