Holy Spirit College, a college faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, plans to substantially expand its degree and course offerings at its Atlanta, Ga. campus, The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) has learned.

“I had the pleasure of visiting the campus of Holy Spirit College this week and I am confident that Catholic families and students in the South and across the nation will find it a place for the development of faith and reason in harmony with the grand intellectual tradition of the Catholic Church,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of CNS.

Holy Spirit College’s goal is to “educate the mind, body, and soul in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition in full compliance with Ex corde Ecclesiae, the Apostolic Constitution of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II on Catholic Universities,” according to the college's website.  The College has a particular emphasis on the study of Philosophy.

Founded in 2004, Holy Spirit College has until now primarily served students from sister-institution Holy Spirit Preparatory School with a program leading to an Associate of Arts degree or certificates in Philosophy or the liberal arts. The college has also provided general education in the Atlanta community through their well-regarded Holy Spirit Lecture Series.

The College boasts that many of its graduates from the certificate program have matriculated into other selective colleges throughout the United States, including Harvard, Notre Dame, and the US Naval and Air Force Academies.

Holy Spirit currently has pre-accreditation from the American Academy for Liberal Education.

Gareth N. Genner, President of Holy Spirit College, told CNS today that the institution is planning to greatly expand its course offerings and academic focus in the coming semesters. The College will offer a bachelor's degree program starting in the fall of 2010.  While maintaining an emphasis on Philosophy and the liberal arts, Genner said the College plans to launch an education program that will concentrate on the training of Catholic educators. Holy Spirit has already launched an education internship program in the Atlanta area.

“The College remains founded in the Catholic intellectual tradition,” Genner said.

A unique aspect of the college's new Philosophy bachelor's degree is that students will able to complete it in only three academic years, saving a year's worth of living expenses and allowing them to get a jump start on a graduate program or entering the workforce.  Other academic programs Holy Spirit plans to develop in the coming semesters include political and social sciences. 

Students at Holy Spirit will be required to take one course on the Catholic faith each semester.

Today’s exciting news about the planned academic expansion of Holy Spirit College comes on the heels of a report that another faithful Catholic college in Georgia is unexpectedly closing mid-semester.

Fr. Shawn Aaron, L.C., President of Southern Catholic College in Dawsonville, Georgia, sent an email to students, faculty and staff on April 7 sharing the news that the college would be forced to shut down for the rest of the semester beginning on April 15 due to a lack of funds. 

Since 2007, Southern Catholic has been included by The Cardinal Newman Society in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College for its strong Catholic identity. It is unclear at this point whether the College is closing permanently. Several other Newman Guide colleges have been in touch with Southern Catholic to offer transfer assistance to students.