Reinventing the Traditional University
Ralston College ~ Savannah, GA
I’m introducing a new feature on Fridays, highlighting notable efforts in the renaissance of classical education and the humanities. I hope our readers will enjoy it!
Ralston College in Savannah, GA is stepping forward to a bold enterprise: providing students with opportunities to encounter “the richest and most challenging works of art and intellect from an uncensored past.”1 Founding President Stephen Blackwood has a calling to help a new generation of scholars discover that real education is about free and purposeful inquiry—an opportunity to apprehend and savor the enduring truth, goodness, and beauty of our greatest achievements as a civilization. Dr. Blackwood describes the stultifying academic conditions of late that have compelled his project:
Today’s one-size-fits-all approach—rigid, four-year degree programs often steeped in ideological politics, coupled with exorbitant tuition costs—is in fact a very recent development with little to suggest it’s the best approach.
Perhaps a better approach is what Ralston College hopes to deliver. The college is inaugurating its first academic year in 2022-23 by offering twenty full-tuition fellowships in its Humanities MA program. Anyone interested in applying can now submit their inquiry online. (Oh, to be young again and preparing to embark on my future! This is exactly the kind of opportunity I’d look for.) The program will explore the theme, “What is the Self?” The first of 4 terms will commence in Greece with an intensive language residency in ancient Greek. The remaining terms will take place on the beautiful grounds of the Savannah campus. It’s an exciting and challenging course of study! Do check it out.
Another reason to take note of this enterprise: Dr. Jordan Peterson was recently named Chancellor of Ralston College. Those who are fans of his work may have seen or heard Dr. Peterson and Dr. Blackwood together in other programs. Now as colleagues, they share their vision for Ralston College in the short video below. Please view and share it with others so vital projects like this can become a timely remedy to restore our decaying culture!
“About.” Ralston College. Accessed May 6, 2022. https://www.ralston.ac/about.
I visited Ralston College just 5 months ago. All factors considered, I deem it the BEST graduate program in America for gaining a classical liberal arts education at the graduate level. It’s housed in a couple of beautiful mansions nestled in the historic sector of possibly America’s most beautiful city. The city-wide culture is still dedicated to preserving the beauty of classical architecture. The historic churches there very well resemble the best worship opportunities of European basilicas and liturgy. The college’s namesake honors an influential Rector from St. John’s, and the college seemingly relies on the church for meeting space during special occasions, lectures, and banquets in the church’s historic mansion. I may very well move there for these reasons when I retire from the Army.