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Bdmont Abbey Cdky
VOLUME VII, NUMBER THREE
BELMONT, N.C.
FEBRUARY 1979
Blessed
Abbot Peter N. Stragand,
O.S.B., sixth abbot of Belmont
Abbey, received the abbatial
blessing on Saturday, January
13 in the Belmont Abbey
Church.
The liturgical rite of blessing
was conferred by the Most
Reverend Michael J. Begley,
D.D., Bishop of Charlotte.
Serving as deacon was the
Reverend Mauricio West,
O.S.B., deacon at St. Ger
maine’s of Bethel Park, Pa.,
and a four-year theology
student at St. Vincent Ar
chabbey in Latrobe, Pa.
Following the homily
delivered by the Reverend
Anselm H. Biggs, O.S.B., Abbot
Peter was presented to Bishop
Begley by his assistants, the
Rev. Sebastian Doris, O.S.B.,
and the Rev. Benedict Mc
Dermott, O.S.B. He was
questioned by the Bishop about
his responsibility to the
monastic community and to the
church.
After the Litany and prayer
rite by Bishop Begley, the Abbot
was crowned with a miter and
received the Rule of Saint
Benedict, a ring, the seal of
fidelity, and a golden staff, the
symbol of office as shepherd.
He then received the sign of
peace from the visiting abbots
and the monks of Belmont
Abbey.
Following the abbatial
blessing, the Abbot was honored
at a reception in the Haid.
Abbot Peter was elected
abbot on November 24 by the
monks of Belmont Abbey. He
had been serving as ad
ministrator of the monastery
since the official resignation of
Abbot Jude Cleary, O.S.B. on
August 10, 1978. Before Abbot
Jude’s resignation, he served as
prior of the Abbey.
As abbot of Belmont Abbey,
Abbot Peter also serves as
chancellor of Belmont Abbey
College and an ex officio
member of its Board of
Trustees.
Professed as a Benedictine
monk of Belmont Abbey in July
1963, Abbot Peter was ordained
to the priesthood in May 1969
after completing his theological
training at St. Vincent Ar
chabbey in Latrobe, Pa.
He also holds a bachelor’s
degree in math from Illinois
Benedictine College, Lisle, 111.,
and the M.A. degree from the
University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill.
He is the son of Gilbert and
Bertha Stragand of Durham.
ACCREDITATION
REAFFIRMED
Abbot Peter (left) receives the golden staff from Bishop Begiey
(seated) in the presence of Br. Paul Shaniey, O.S.B. (kneeiing).
acoiyte; Fr. Mauricio West, O.S.B. (right), deacon; and Fr. David
Brown, O.S.B. (center), master of ceremonies.
Abbot Peter
Belmont Abbey College’s
accreditation as a member of
the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools has been
reaffirmed for the normal
period of ten years.
Father Neil W. Tobin,
president of the College,
received official notification of
the accomplishment in a letter
from Gordon W. Sweet,
executive secretary of the
Commission of Colleges. The
letter stated: “It is a pleasure
to inform you that your in
stitution has satisfactorily
completed the Institutional Self-
Study Program and that its
accreditation was reaffirmed at
the Annual Meeting of the
Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools in
December 1978. We
congratulate you on this at
tainment.”
Members of the Southern
Association of Colleges and
Schools must reaffirm their
accreditation every ten years.
The [X'oeess begins with an
Institutional Self-Study
Program which is conducted by
the college and submitted to the
Southern Association for
review.
Belmont Abbey College began
preparation for the self-study in
January 1976. Dr. George
Herndl, chairman of the
English department, directed
the program, and Fr. James
Soiari, O.S.B., then academic
dean, chaired the Steering
Committee which was
responsible for overseeing the
self-study.
The study was completed in
August 1977, and a Southern
Association Visiting Committee
visited the college November
13-16, 1977. The nine members
of the committee were selected
from the faculty and ad
ministrators of member
colleges, each qualified to
examine a different aspect of
the college. Miss Jenelle Spear,
dean of students of Converse
College in .South Carolina,
chaired the committee.
The committee’s official
report to the Southern
Association was received on
March 9, 1978, and Belmont
Abbey College’s accreditation
was again reaffirmed on
December 13, 1978.
The purpose of this In
stitutional Self-Study Program
required by the Southern
Association is to help in
stitutions of higher learning
improve their educational ef
fectiveness. The procedures of
the program are designed to
help institutions reassess their
objectives, measure success in
attaining objectives; explore
ways and means by which
educational efficiency may be
improved, and prepare for the
increasing demands by society.
Belmont Abbey College first
became accredited by the
Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools as a senior ■
college on December 5, 1957.
ALUMNI WEEKEND
March 30, 31 & April 1
This year’s Alumni Weekend
promises to be very special, and
attendance should be the
highest ever. Alumni Weekend
is scheduled for March 30, 31
and April 1, 1979.
A block of rooms have been
set aside for your convenience
at the Quality Inn, Airport
(formerly the Royal Villa). The
Quality Inn is located in
Charlotte at the Mulberry Road
exit off of 1-85. The toll free
number for reservations is 1-
800-228-5151. Please mention
that you are with the Abbey
group so that you will get the
group discount of $19 for a
single and $23 for a double
room.
All alumni are invited to join
in the festivities which begin
Friday evening with an in
formal welcome in the Pied
mont Room of the Quality Inn.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Alumni Association will co
sponsor the rweption Friday
evening. Beer and wine will be
provided.
Saturday’s program begins
with breakfast in the school
cafeteria from 10:30-11-30 a.m.
A general alumni meeting will
be held in the Library
Auditorium at 12 noon. At 1
p.m. !ampus tours will be
available. At 1:30 p.m. the
reunion classes of ’69 and ’74
will face-off in an alumni
basketball game at Wheeler
Center. At 2 p.m. the Belmont
Abbey College tennis team will
play Centre College from
Danville, Kentucky on the
Abbey tennis courts.
The gala evening celebration
begins with a cocktail party
from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. in the
Abbot Vincent Taylor Library.
A banquet will follow the
cocktail party at 7:30 p.m. in
Maurus Dining Hall. The
reunion classes of 1949, 1954,
1969 and 1974 will be honored.
Special guests will be Dr.
Gilbert Farley (’40), former
Chairman of the Economics and
Business Department, and Mr.
J. P. Smith (’35), former
Business Manager and
Chairman of the Accounting
Department, both of whom will
retire at the end of the school
year. We hope that all former
students of Dr. Farley and Mr.
Smith will make a special effort
to attend.
An alumni dance will con
clude the evening’s events. The
dance will be held in the Haid
College Union, from 9 p.m. - 1
a m. Mixers and ice will be
provided (BYOB).
The total cost of Saturday
evening’s activities, including
the open bar, cocktail party,
banquet and dance, will be $14
per person.
Reservations and a $10
deposit are to be sent to the
Alumni Office no later than
March 20, 1979.
See schedule & reply
form on page 2
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