Patrick Henry College

Infobox_University
name =Patrick Henry College
native_name =
latin_name =


motto ="Pro Christo et Libertate"
mottoeng =For Christ and for Liberty
established =2000
type =Private
endowment =
staff =
faculty =25 full-time
8 adjunct [http://www.phc.edu/admissions/catalog/Final%202006-7%20catalog.pdf Academic Catalog] Retrieved on: May 25, 2007]
president =Graham Walker
provost =Gene Edward Veith
principal =
rector =
chancellor =Michael Farris
vice_chancellor =
dean =
head_label =
head =
students =325
undergrad =
postgrad =
doctoral =
profess =
city =Purcellville
state =VA
country =U.S.
campus =Suburban 100+ acres (400,000 m²)
free_label =
free =
colors =Blue and Gold
colours =
mascot =Sentinel
nickname =
affiliations =
footnotes =
website = [http://www.phc.edu www.phc.edu]
address =One Patrick Henry Circle
Purcellville, VA 20132
telephone =540-338-1776
coor =
logo =

Patrick Henry College, or PHC, is a private, independent Protestant college that focuses on teaching classical liberal arts and government, located in Purcellville, Virginia. Patrick Henry is the first college in America founded specifically for Christian home-schooled students,cite web | title=From Home to Harvard | publisher=TIME | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,53959,00.html | accessdate=2007-05-29 | last=Rosin | first=Hanna | authorlink=Hanna Rosin | date=September 3, 2000] and is known for its conservative evangelical Christian focus. As of April 17, 2007, the college was nationally accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, an accrediting organization recognized by the Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

The school was founded with the help of the Home School Legal Defense Association, and now serves as the headquarters for the organization, with which it is still closely connected.

The college has gained much publicity because of its strong ties with the Republican Party and the Bush administration,cite news
last=Buncombe
first=Andrew
url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=3563816
title=Thou shalt be like Bush
publisher=New Zealand Herald
date=2004-05-01
accessdate=2007-05-24] and its high emphasis on debate and moot court. [http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/050328Media.asp "Patrick Henry College Defeats Oxford Moot Court Team Again,"] Craig Smith, Patrick Henry College, March 28, 2005 Retrieved on: May 25, 2007] The school has also been criticized for the religious interpretations of science that all students and faculty must agree to and continually uphold.cite news
last=Gefter
first=Amanda
url=http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19225776.100
title=Home-schooling special: Preach your children well
publisher=New Scientist
date=2006-11-11
accessdate=2007-05-24]

History

. It officially opened September 20, 2000, with a class of 92 students. Since then the school has grown to approximately 325 students. Because the school does not ask for race on applications the ethnic demographics are unknown. The college refuses to accept any federal financial aid and therefore is relieved from Department of Education reporting requirements on the racial makeup of its student body.cite journal
title = Patrick Henry College: White, Bright, and Christian
journal = The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
issue = 33
date = October 31, 2001
doi = 10.2307/2678918
accessdate = 2007-08-08 | pages = 67]

Patrick Henry College receives all of its funding from tuition money or personal donors. The college states that it does not accept any money "from government, or any other source that includes terms which supersede the authority of our Board of Trustees or conflict with our foundational statements. Patrick Henry College also operates without debt, adding new facilities and programs only as funds are available. Instead, it relies heavily on giving of people across the country to meet their financial obligations. [cite web | title=How Can I Support PHC | url=http://www.phc.edu/support/default.asp | accessdate=2007-05-30] The Home School Legal Defense Association remains one of the primary benefactors of the school and all members of the association receive a thirteen hundred dollar grant if accepted as students. [cite news
last=Smith
first=J. Michael
url=http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/washingtontimes/200606060.asp
title=Patrick Henry College Gains Notice
publisher=Washington Times Op-ed
date=2006-06-06
accessdate=2007-06-02] [cite web | title=Financial Aid | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/admissions/financialaid/offer2007-2008.asp | accessdate=2007-06-02]

Media attention

The school has been the subject of media attention from its inception, attracting reports from every major network and cable news organization, and being the subject of articles in "Time",cite web | title=From Home to Harvard | publisher=TIME | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,53959,00.html | accessdate=2007-05-29 | last=Rosin | first=Hanna | authorlink=Hanna Rosin | date=September 3, 2000] "The New Yorker",cite web | title=God and Country | publisher=The New Yorker | url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/06/27/050627fa_fact | accessdate=2007-08-08 | last=Rosin | first=Hanna | authorlink=Hanna Rosin | date=September 3, 2000] "The Economist",Citation
title = Dreaming of spires; The next stage. (What home-schoolers do next)
newspaper = The Economist
year = 2004
date = February 28, 2004
accessdate = 2007-08-08
url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-113730963.html] the "New York Times",cite news
last = Kirkpatrick
first = David D
title = College for the Home-Schooled Is Shaping Leaders for the Right
publisher = New York Times
date = March 8, 2004
url = http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/08/education/08HOME.html?ex=1394168400&en=15fb7af553c976b8&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND
accessdate = 2007-05-29] and others. Most recently, the college was the subject of the television documentary "God's Next Army", which aired in the spring of 2006 on Britain's Channel 4 and the Discovery Times Channel in the United States.cite web | title=God's Next Army | publisher=Chanel 4 | url=http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/C/can_you_believe_it/debates/godsarmy.html | accessdate=2007-06-13 ] Initial media interest stemmed from the fact that the college deliberately sought students with homeschooled backgrounds. [cite web | title=Distinctives and Nonnegotiable Principles | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/about/DistinctivesNonnegotiables.asp | accessdate=2007-05-29] As time went on, it also attracted notice because of a perceived closeness with the Bush administration, which had given the school's students a number of White House internships and opportunities. In the spring of 2004, of the almost 100 student interns working in the White House, seven were from Patrick Henry College, which had only 240 students at the time.cite news
last = Kirkpatrick
first = David D
title = College for the Home-Schooled Is Shaping Leaders for the Right
publisher = New York Times
date = March 8, 2004
url = http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/08/education/08HOME.html?ex=1394168400&en=15fb7af553c976b8&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND
accessdate = 2007-05-29] This is the same number of interns Georgetown University had during the same period.cite web | title=Young, Gay Christians On a Bumpy Bus Ride | publisher=The Washington Post | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/12/AR2007041202438.html?hpid=sec-artsliving | accessdate=2007-05-29 | last=Rosin | first=Hanna | date=April 13, 2007] Hanna Rosin, a well-known writer who has covered religion and politics for the Washington Post, the New Yorker, The New Republic, GQ, and the New York Times, wrote a book about Patrick Henry College entitled, "God's Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America", released September 10, 2007. [cite book
last = Rosin
first = Hanna
title = God's Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America
publisher = Harcourt Trade Publisher
month = September | year = 2007
pages = 320 pp.
isbn = 9780151012626
url = http://www.harcourtbooks.com/bookcatalogs/bookpages/9780151012626.asp
accessdate = 2007-09-17] Additionally, the college's moot court team was the subject of an independent film, Come What May, shot on campus during summer 2007 by Advent Film Group, a startup Christian production company. The film is marketed primarily to a homeschooling audience and was shown to limited preview audiences in summer of 2008, with a wide release being expected in late 2008 or early 2009. [cite news
last=Pride
first=Sarah
url=http://phc.edu/news/docs/20070711Media.asp
title=Advent Films Brings Full-length Feature to College
publisher=Patrick Henry College
date=2007-07-11
accessdate=2007-07-12]

Accreditation

The school is nationally accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, which announced its decision to grant full accreditation on April 17, 2007. [cite web | title=TRACS GRANTS PHC FULL ACCREDITATION STATUS | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/04182007Media.asp | accessdate=2007-05-29 | last=Halbrook | first=David | date=April 17, 2007] The college previously suffered a setback in the spring of 2002 when it was refused accreditation by the American Academy for Liberal Education because of its requirement that faculty teach in favor of creationism. [cite web | title=PHC Appeals Discriminatory Accreditation | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/200205100.asp | accessdate=2007-05-29 | date=May 9, 2002] Likewise, the college filed for preliminary accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the principal accreditation institution for the Southeast, but then stopped pursuing accreditation from the association. [cite news
last = Chandler
first = Michael Alison
title = Christian Group Accredits School
publisher = Washington Post
date = April 20, 2007
url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902584.html
accessdate = 2007-05-29] On June 30, 2005, the school was officially recognized by the United States Department of Education as an eligible institution for DOE programs. It also allowed students to use more scholarships and grants and made donors and students eligible for various tax benefits. [cite web | title=Ruling Opens Up Tax Benefits to PHC Parents | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/050718Media.asp | accessdate=2007-05-29 | last=Kiser | first=Michael | date=July 18, 2005]

Academic Freedom Dispute

In a dispute in March 2006, five of the college's sixteen faculty members—Erik Root, Robert Stacey, Kevin Culberson, Todd Bates, and David Noe—resigned in protest, claiming that the President's interpretation of the college's Biblical Worldview policy, which all faculty must sign, restricted academic freedom.cite web | title=Interview: Erik Root | publisher=PBS | work=Religion & Ethics Newsweekly (PBS) | url=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week939/interview2.html | accessdate=2007-05-29 | last=Lawton | first=Kim | date=May 26, 2006] cite web | title=A Clash of Ideas at Evangelical College | publisher=LA Times | work=5 of Patrick Henry's 16 faculty members leave over its mission and curriculum | url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1036057571.html?dids=1036057571:1036057571&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+13%2C+2006&author=Molly+Hennessy-Fiske&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=A.4&desc=THE+NATION | accessdate=2007-05-29 | last=Henessy-Fiske | first=Molly | date=May 13, 2006] All resulting faculty vacancies were filled by the beginning of the fall 2006 semester. [cite web | title=Faculty Positions at PHC Filled | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/07282006Media.asp | accessdate=2007-05-29 | last=Halbrook | first= David | date=May 28, 2006] The departures were not the first disagreement between the college and its staff; they were preceded by a dispute between the administration and a member of the library staff regarding baptism and salvation. [cite web| title = 5 Professors Quit Religious School | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/18/AR2006051801995.html?nav=rss_metro/va | publisher = Washingtonpost.com]

Recent Faculty Changes

Farris announced his resignation as president of the college on March 6, 2006, to take on a new role as chancellor. Graham Walker, formerly of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, was named the new president on April 3. Farris' resignation took effect once Walker assumed the role and responsibilities of president in July 2006.

In April 2006, the college named author and educator Gene Edward Veith as Academic Dean. Formerly the cultural editor of "WORLD Magazine", Veith began his new position on July 1, 2006.cite web | title=Interview: Erik Root | publisher=PBS | work=Religion & Ethics Newsweekly (PBS) | url=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week939/interview2.html | accessdate=2007-05-29 | last=Lawton | first=Kim | date=May 26, 2006] cite web | title=Patrick Henry College Names New Academic Dean | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/05102006Media.asp | accessdate=2007-05-29 | last=Halbrook | first=David | date=May 10, 2006] As part of multiple structural and administrative changes implemented in November 2006, Veith was appointed to the position of provost and oversees the departments of Academic Affairs and Student Life.

Religious affirmations

All students must sign a "Statement of Faith" before they arrive, affirming belief in what the college considers core Christian doctrines. For example, students are asked to acknowledge "Satan exists as a personal, malevolent being who acts as tempter and accuser, for whom Hell, the place of eternal punishment, was prepared, where all who die outside of Christ shall be confined in conscious torment for eternity", and "Christ's death provides substitutionary atonement for our sins." [cite web | title=Statement of Faith | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/about/faith.asp | accessdate=2007-05-29] The college professes non-denominational Christian beliefs.

Teaching faculty must also sign the "Statement of Faith", plus a more detailed "Statement of Biblical Worldview", which represents the College's requirements for what should be taught.cite web | title=Statement of Biblical Worldview | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/about/BiblicalWorldview.asp | accessdate=2007-05-29] For example the "Statement of Biblical Worldview" requires, "Any biology, Bible, or other courses at PHC dealing with creation will teach creation from the understanding of Scripture that God's creative work, as described in Genesis 1:1-31, was completed in six twenty-four hour days." New Scientist, a science news magazine, has claimed that Patrick Henry College and the homeschooling community in general are "possibly threatening the public school system that has fought hard against imposing a Christian viewpoint on science teaching."cite news
last=Gefter
first=Amanda
url=http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19225776.100
title=Home-schooling special: Preach your children well
publisher=New Scientist
date=2006-11-11
accessdate=2007-05-24] The New Scientist article protests what its author views as false scientific teaching in that, while the claims of macroevolution are presented in the classroom, those claims are typically viewed from a critical perspective.

In a recent radio phone in to "Fresh Air" on National Public Radio, [Citation
last =Halbrook
first =David
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
year =2006
date =June 22
accessdate =2007-06-01
title =Dr. Farris Appears on NPR’s “Fresh Air”
place =
publisher =Patrick Henry College
edition =
volume =
id =
isbn =
url =http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/06022006Media.asp] the former president of Patrick Henry College, Michael Farris, commented that the college held the view that its faith was the only true faith and path to heaven, and expressed disapproval of certain views of religious toleration. Concerns were expressed that this viewpoint was a threat to American democracy, considering that the Founding Fathers of America made no mention of a particular religion in their original documents. [cite news
last = Clooney
first = Nick
authorlink = Nick Clooney
title = Tolerance Collides with Intolerance
work = Op-Ed
publisher = Cincinnati Post
date = June 9, 2006
url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-146858276.html
accessdate = 2007-05-30]

On April 12, 2007, Soulforce, a group advocating the acceptance of a variety of sexual practices, selected Patrick Henry College as the location for one of the group's stops on its annual "Equality Ride", the purpose of which is to protest the stance of conservative Christian colleges concerning homosexuality. Like many other Christian colleges, Patrick Henry did not allow Soulforce to enter the university premises, though the college did offer to send student representatives to conduct a formal debate at a neutral location on the merits of the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.cite news
last=Halbrook
first=David
url=http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/04092007Media.asp
title="Soulforce Equality Ride" Targets PHC
publisher=Patrick Henry College
date=2007-04-09
accessdate=2007-05-31] Soulforce organizers declined this offer and notified the college of their intent to enter the campus to speak directly with students. When the college again refused to allow the group on campus, Soulforce formed a picket line outside the entrance to the campus, where they protested for approximately five hours before leaving because of inclement weather. [ [http://www.soulforce.org/article/1158 "2007 Equality Ride East Bus Route: Patrick Henry College,"] retrieved January 16, 2009.] The protest was largely peaceful and without incident, though two protesters were peacefully arrested for trespassing after attempting to enter the campus.cite news
last=Halbrook
first=David
url=http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/04132007Media.asp
title="Soulforce Equality Ride" Passes Peacefully
publisher=Patrick Henry College
date=2007-04-13
accessdate=2007-05-31] cite web | title=Young, Gay Christians On a Bumpy Bus Ride | publisher=The Washington Post | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/12/AR2007041202438.html?hpid=sec-artsliving | accessdate=2007-05-29 | last=Rosin | first=Hanna | date=April 13, 2007] cite news
last=Jackson
first=Charlie
url=http://www.leesburg2day.com/articles/2007/04/13/news/fp9890phc041207.txt
title=Two Arrested As Gay Rights Group Gathers At Patrick Henry College
publisher=Patrick Henry College
date=2007-04-12
accessdate=2007-05-31]

Campus

Patrick Henry College is located in the town of Purcellville in rural northern Virginia, approximately 40 miles northwest of Washington D.C. The campus currently consists of six buildings arranged around a retention pond popularly called "Lake Bob", [cite news
first =Libby
last =Copeland
authorlink =
author =
coauthors =
title =Higher Yearning: At Patrick Henry College, Home-Schooled Students Learn to Confront the World
url =http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A19351-2001Nov26&notFound=true
format =
work =
publisher =Washington Post
id =
pages =
page =Page C01
date =November 27, 2001
accessdate =2007-06-01
language =
quote = ] as well as several athletic fields. The largest and most prominent structure, Founders Hall, opened in 2000 and contains three classrooms, a dining hall, a library, a weight room, and various administrative and faculty offices. It is also home to the offices of the Home School Legal Defense Association.

The school's residential village is composed of five residence halls located along the edges of the lake. There are two men's dorms (Red Hill and Oak Hill) and three women's dorms (Mount Vernon, Monticello, and Montpelier). The four smaller dorms opened in 2001, while the largest residence hall, Red Hill, opened in 2003. [cite web | title=Dorm Life | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/studentlife/DormLife.asp | accessdate=2007-05-31] In addition to student housing, Red Hill also contains three classrooms and an office suite on its basement level. Located in the basement of Mount Vernon is an auditorium referred to as Town Hall, where the school's daily chapel sessions and other special events are held.

Barbara Hodel Student Center

The college is currently in the process of constructing a $31 million, 106,000-square-foot Student Life Center, which when completed will significantly expand dining, classroom, recreational, and athletic facilities. Construction began in late November 2006, [cite news
first =David
last =Halbrook
authorlink =
author =
coauthors =
title =New Student Life Center Underway
url =http://phc.edu/news/docs/03122007Media.asp
format =
work =
publisher =Patrick Henry College
id =
pages =
page =
date =March 12, 2007
accessdate =2007-06-01
language =
quote = ] and as of September 2008 most of the building's exterior had been completed.

In November 2007, the college announced that the student center will be named the Barbara Hodel Center in honor of trustee Babara Hodel. [cite news
first =David
last =Halbrook
authorlink =
author =
coauthors =
title =STUDENT LIFE CENTER NAMED FOR TRUSTEE BARBARA HODEL
url =http://phc.edu/news/docs/20071102Media.asp
format =
work =
publisher =Patrick Henry College
id =
pages =
page =
date =November 5, 2007
accessdate =2008-07-29
language =
quote = ] On January 21, 2008, the college announced that it had received a pledge guaranteeing full funding for the center's completion, with an anticipated opening date of Fall 2009. [cite news
first =David
last =Halbrook
authorlink =
author =
coauthors =
title =Challenge Gift Guarantees Completion of Barbara Hodel Center
url =http://phc.edu/news/docs/20080121Media.asp
format =
work =
publisher =Patrick Henry College
id =
pages =
page =
date =January 21, 2008
accessdate =2008-07-29
language =
quote = ] According to the college, the guarantee was made "in the form of a 'challenge grant' meant to enlarge the College’s base of existing donors while solidifying the long-term fiscal health of PHC and its annual scholarship program." In response to the grant, the school initiated a year-long fund raising campaign entitled "Finish the Foundation." [cite news
first =David
last =Halbrook
authorlink =
author =
coauthors =
title =Challenge Gift Guarantees Completion of Barbara Hodel Center
url =http://phc.edu/news/docs/20080121Media.asp
format =
work =
publisher =Patrick Henry College
id =
pages =
page =
date =January 21, 2008
accessdate =2008-07-29
language =
quote = ]

Academics

Students at the school can specialize within one of two tracks of study: Government or Classical Liberal Arts. The Government department offers majors in Government and the option to specialize in Domestic Policy, International Policy, Political Theory, Strategic Intelligence, or an "undeclared general" government track. Patrick Henry College also offers a degree in Journalism, while the Classical Liberal Arts department offer degrees in Classical Liberal Arts Education, History, and Literature.

The school's Fall 2007 SAT mid-range was 1230-1400 [cite web| title = Quick Facts About Patrick Henry College | url = http://www.phc.edu/about/aboutphc.asp | publisher = Patrick Henry College] .

The Government department's Public Policy degree was the first one offered by the college, and is still largely seen as its "flagship" program, with close connections to the George W. Bush administration, Washington, DC Republicans, and conservative think tanks and organizations. In late November 2006, the school announced plans to split this track into separate domestic and foreign policy tracks.

The college has a 100% placement rate among graduates who have applied to law school, with the majority of students receiving admission to first tier law schools, such as Georgetown University Law Center and University of Virginia Law School, [cite web | title=Are You Considering Law School After College | publisher=Patrick Henry College (as saved by the Internet Archive on February 7, 2007) | url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070207030048/http://phc.edu/news/docs/200405040.asp | accessdate=2007-11-01] including two students who have been accepted to Harvard Law School. [cite news
last = Braund
first = Allison
title = PHC Grad Accepted to Harvard Law
publisher = Patrick Henry College
date = May 1, 2007
url = http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/05012007Media.asp
accessdate = 2007-05-31] [cite news
last = Pride
first = Sarah
title = Lindsay See Sets Off to Harvard Law
publisher = Patrick Henry College
date = May 28, 2008
url = http://phc.edu/news/docs/20080528Media.asp
accessdate = 2008-07-30] Patrick Henry College is currently accredited through the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, a federally-recognized accrediting agency. On January 24, 2007, the school successfully completed an on-site review by a TRACS assessment team, and was granted full accreditation in April. [cite news
last = Halbrook
first = David
title = TRACS Completes PHC Accreditation Site Review
publisher = Patrick Henry College
date = January 25, 2007
url = http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/01252007Media.asp
accessdate = 2007-05-31] [cite news
last = Halbrook
first = David
title = PHC Granted Accreditation by TRACS
publisher = Patrick Henry College
date = April 17, 2007
url = http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/04182007Media.asp
accessdate = 2007-05-31] ]

Patrick Henry offers many of its core classes online, enabling students to participate in classes with other students from their own homes. Tuition for the program is less than the cost of on-campus education.

Faculty

Of the twenty-five full-time professors, twenty-one have at least one Ph.D.; one professor has a D.M.A., and another holds an Ed.D.cite web | title=Department of Classical Liberal Arts Professors | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/academics/liberalarts/default.asp | accessdate=2007-05-31] [cite web | title=Department of Government Professors | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/academics/government/default.asp | accessdate=2007-05-31] The college's founder and chancellor, Mike Farris, has a J.D. [http://www.phc.edu/admissions/catalog/Final%202006-7%20catalog.pdf Academic Catalog] Retrieved on: May 25, 2007] Several of the faculty are well known having authored multiple books and been involved in national and global issues. These professors include chancellor Mike Farris who has authored several novels and critiques of constitutional law, and has argued numerous cases before federal and state high courts, as well as the United States Supreme Court. Provost Gene Edward Veith is the author of seventeen books on topics involving Christianity and culture, classical education, literature, and the arts; and is the culture editor of World (magazine).cite web | title=Department of Classical Liberal Arts Professors | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/academics/liberalarts/default.asp | accessdate=2007-05-31] Recent faculty addition John Warwick Montgomery has distinguished himself by specializing in religious freedom in global human rights cases. [cite news
last = Halbrook
first = David
title = Renowned Apologist John Warwick Montgomery Joins PHC Faculty
publisher = Patrick Henry College
date = July 31, 2007
url = http://phc.edu/news/docs/20070802Media.asp
accessdate = 2007-08-04 ] Finally, best-selling author David Aikman was a journalist for "Time" magazine for twenty-three years.cite web | title=Department of Classical Liberal Arts Professors | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/academics/liberalarts/default.asp | accessdate=2007-05-31]

Political views

Patrick Henry College has been criticized for what some see as extreme conservatism and evangelical Christian ethos, including creationism, by many newspapers such as the New Zealand Heraldcite news
last=Buncombe
first=Andrew
url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=3563816
title=Thou shalt be like Bush
publisher=New Zealand Herald
date=2004-05-01
accessdate=2007-05-24] and New Scientist.cite news
last=Gefter
first=Amanda
url=http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19225776.100
title=Home-schooling special: Preach your children well
publisher=New Scientist
date=2006-11-11
accessdate=2007-05-24] The school has also been criticized for an alleged Republican biascite news
url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5427797
title=Patrick Henry College's Michael Farris
publisher=Fresh Air from WHYY
date=2006-05-24
accessdate=2007-06-01] with a New Zealand journalist criticising the college for its connections to the Bush administration.cite news
last=Buncombe
first=Andrew
url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=3563816
title=Thou shalt be like Bush
publisher=New Zealand Herald
date=2004-05-01
accessdate=2007-05-24] Janet Ashcroft, wife of John Ashcroft, serves on the Board of Trustees. [cite web | title=Patrick Henry College Board of Trustees | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/about/trustees/default.asp | accessdate=2007-06-01] This has prompted the British newspaper "The Independent" to dub Patrick Henry College "The Bible College That Leads to the White House." [ [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0421-09.htm The Bible College That Leads to the White House] Andrew Buncombe, Originally published on April 21, 2004 by the Independent/UK]

Civic involvement

Patrick Henry encourages its students to be involved in the community and it requires its Government students to fulfill up to 24 credits of apprenticeship projects, which include internships, research and writing projects, and extracurricular activities such as Moot Court and Model United Nations. [cite web | title=Bachelor of Arts in the Government Major | publisher=Patrick Henry College | url=http://www.phc.edu/academics/government/bagovernment.asp | accessdate=2007-06-01] Students currently serve as interns in a wide variety of organizations, including the White House, congressional offices, and think-tanks. Students are active in local and national politics, and members of the Patrick Henry College Republicans chapter often work with local political action groups to lobby for conservative issues at the federal and state levels. Classes are canceled the Monday before and Tuesday of the national elections so that students may volunteer on political campaigns if they so choose; and many students act as Student Action Team leaders for Generation Joshua, leading groups of usually homeschooled high school students volunteering on campaigns across the United States. A number of students volunteer with the Purcellville Rescue Squad and The Vibe (formerly known as the Purcellville Teen Center). [cite web | title=Volunteering at The Vibe at Purcellville Teen Center | publisher=Purcellville Teen Center | url=http://www.the-teen-center.com/volunteers.html | accessdate=2007-06-01]

tudent life

while under the authority of the college, which is defined as any time during a semester while enrolled, on or off campus. Men and women are not allowed in each others' dorm rooms, and underclassmen are subject to a curfew. Firearms are prohibited on campus.cite news
title = 2006 Student Handbook
pages = 60
publisher = Patrick Henry College
url = http://www.phc.edu/studentlife/2006StudentHandbook.pdf
accessdate = 2007-06-01|format=PDF] The college has a number of traditions rooted in dorm life, including "bobtisms"--a portmanteau of Baptism and "Lake Bob", in which newly-affianced males are dunked. [cite web | title=Izzy's Bobtism | publisher=HomeSchoolDebate Forum | url=http://www.homeschooldebate.com/phorum/viewtopic.php?p=42541&sid=6941127efcc5d7a9600a6be1871ba729 | accessdate=2007-06-02 | last=Dark Lord of Debate | date=September 25, 2005]

Dancing is not allowed on campus, but students hold several school dances off-campus, including the annual spring Liberty Ball, usually held at a historic Civil War era manor or plantation. The first Liberty Ball, held during Patrick Henry College's inaugural year on the anniversary of Patrick Henry's famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech of March 23, 1775, was organized by a parent and has since been assumed by student coordinators. [cite web
title = Social Activities - Liberty Ball
publisher = Patrick Henry College
url = http://www.phc.edu/studentlife/Social/LibertyBall.asp
accessdate = 2007-08-08 ] Another popular dance is the annual fall hoedown, which is a student sponsored barn dance which usually occurs in mid fall. [cite web
title = Social Activities - Hoedown
publisher = Patrick Henry College
url = http://www.phc.edu/studentlife/Social/HoeDown.asp
accessdate = 2007-08-08 ]

Students are active in multiple campus clubs including the College Republicans, Eden Troupe (which produces regular stage dramas), the Streaming Media Network (which produces student films), and several philosophical and literary societies. Students also participate in the school's student government, which consists of a student senate composed of approximately 25 members, elected every fall semester; and a student president and vice president who run as a ticket and are elected every spring semester. Though it serves primarily as an advisory body to the college administration, it does have limited powers to enact campus policies and is considered an important part of life at Patrick Henry College. [cite web
title = Student Government
publisher = Patrick Henry College
url = http://www.phc.edu/studentlife/StudentGovernment.asp
accessdate = 2007-08-08 ]

Debate

Debate is one of Patrick Henry College's primary extracurricular activities. Prior to fall 2008, the college was active in the National Educational Debate Association (NEDA), where students consistently won many of the top awards at tournaments around the country. [cite news
last = Halbrook
first = David
title = PHC Debate Team Dominates Early Contests
publisher = Patrick Henry College
url = http://phc.edu/news/docs/12042006Media.asp
date = 2006-12-04
accessdate = 2007-06-01] In fall 2008, the school ended its involvement in NEDA in favor of the larger National Forensic Association. The school is also active in the invitational National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE), though they have not been as successful on the national circuit. [cite web
title = 2007 NPTE Ranking Ordered By NPTE Points
publisher = National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence
url = http://npte.debateaddict.com/unleashed/rank.php?npteyear=2007&sort=points&start=1&end=713
accessdate = 2007-06-01] [cite web
title = 2006 NPTE Ranking Ordered By NPTE Points
publisher = National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence
url = http://npte.debateaddict.com/unleashed/rank.php?npteyear=2006&sort=points&start=1&end=1042
accessdate = 2007-06-01] [cite web
title = 2005 NPTE Ranking Ordered By NPTE Points
publisher = National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence
url = http://npte.debateaddict.com/unleashed/rank.php?npteyear=2005&sort=points&start=1&end=1078
accessdate = 2007-06-01] Another large national tournament that Patrick Henry College is involved in is the National Parliamentary Debate Association, which is America's largest college debate organization. Patrick Henry College won the first place team trophy in the novice division at one regional tournament in 2003, against schools such as Purdue, University of South Carolina, Ball State, and Notre Dame. [cite journal
title = Debate Team Triumphs Again
journal = The Trumpet Monthly - Patrick Henry College
volume = Volume 3
issue = No. 4
date = Fall 2003
url = http://www.phc.edu/news/trumpet/2003_11/2003_11_03.asp
accessdate = 2007-08-20]

Students also compete in the American Collegiate Moot Court Association (ACMA), and had the winning teams at both the 2005 and 2006 ACMA National Tournaments. Moot court is a form of debate competition designed to simulate appellate arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, in which teams of two students function as co-counsels and stand before a panel of judges to argue legal matters. Patrick Henry College won the ACMA National Tournaments back-to-back years in 2005 and 2006.cite news
last = Farris
first = Mike
title = Letter from the Chancellor
publisher = Trumpet of Liberty (Patrick Henry College)
url = http://www.phc.edu/news/trumpet/monthly/2007/Winter_07_web.pdf
date = Spring, 2007
accessdate = 2007-06-05|format=PDF] cite news
last = Smith
first = Craig
title = PHC Moot Court Team Defends National Championship
publisher = Patrick Henry College
url = http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/06242006Media.asp
date = January 24, 2006
accessdate = 2007-08-20] In 2006, Patrick Henry College not only won first overall but also won second, third, and fifth place, a feat that had never before been accomplished in ACMA history.cite news
last = Farris
first = Mike
title = Letter from the Chancellor
publisher = Trumpet of Liberty (Patrick Henry College)
url = http://www.phc.edu/news/trumpet/monthly/2007/Winter_07_web.pdf
date = Spring, 2007
accessdate = 2007-06-05|format=PDF] cite news
last = Smith
first = Craig
title = PHC Moot Court Team Defends National Championship
publisher = Patrick Henry College
url = http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/06242006Media.asp
date = January 24, 2006
accessdate = 2007-08-20] Likewise, in 2006, the college took home the most trophies out of any school for the fifth straight year.cite news
last = Farris
first = Mike
title = Letter from the Chancellor
publisher = Trumpet of Liberty (Patrick Henry College)
url = http://www.phc.edu/news/trumpet/monthly/2007/Winter_07_web.pdf
date = Spring, 2007
accessdate = 2007-06-05|format=PDF] In a much publicized event during the 2004-2005 academic year, Patrick Henry College's moot court team defeated that of Oxford University's Balliol College in two separate competitions — one held in England using British law, and the other in Virginia using American law. [http://www.phc.edu/news/docs/050328Media.asp "Patrick Henry College Defeats Oxford Moot Court Team Again,"] Craig Smith, Patrick Henry College, March 28, 2005, Retrieved on: May 25, 2007]

Athletics

Patrick Henry College competes as the Sentinels, fielding intercollegiate teams in men's and women's soccer and basketball, and is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and the Shenandoah-Chesapeake Conference. Students also participate in various intramural sports including softball, volleyball, fencing, and ultimate frisbee. Patrick Henry's Student Handbook states, "Our intercollegiate athletic program will always be secondary to our academic program,".cite news
title = 2006 Student Handbook
pages = 60
publisher = Patrick Henry College
url = http://www.phc.edu/studentlife/2006StudentHandbook.pdf
accessdate = 2007-06-01|format=PDF]

References

External links

Official

* [http://www.phc.edu Patrick Henry College Official Website]

Articles

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/4311709.stm Educating America's Christian Right] - An article by BBC on the college.
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0B17FA3D5A0C7B8CDDAA0894DC404482 College for the Homeschooled is Shaping Leaders for the Right] - New York Times article.
* [http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/050627fa_fact God and Country] - "The New Yorker" article.
* [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0421-09.htm The Bible College That Leads to the White House]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/07/AR2005080701004.html Divide on Doctrine Fuels Fight Between Va. College, Ousted Clerk] - Washington Post article.
* [http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/120/12.0.html Shakeup at Patrick Henry College] - Christianity Today article.
* [http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:chronicle.com/daily/2006/05/2006051202n.htm 5 Departures on Patrick Henry Faculty Pose Question: Are Christianity and Liberal Arts Contradictory Missions?] - May 12, 2006 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
* [http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/C/can_you_believe_it/debates/godsarmy.html God's Next Army] - Channel 4's June 2006 documentary film about PHC and its students.
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/11/AR2006091101483.html Is He a Bridge or a Barrier: Christian College Hires New President After a Faculty Revolt] - Michael Alison Chandler, The Washington Post. Thursday, September 14, 2006
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/12/AR2007041202438.html?hpid=sec-artsliving Young, Gay Christians, On a Bumpy Bus Ride] (account of the Soulforce protest at PHC) - Hanna Rosin, The Washington Post. April 13, 2007

ee also

* [http://adventfilmgroup.com/Site/Home.html Advent Film Group]
* [http://hslda.org Home School Legal Defense Association]