Geneva School of Boerne will host the Mars Hill Forum which is an annual event focused on the intersection of faith and culture for all Geneva parents, friends and community members on Thursday, February 8 at 6:30pm. This event is also open to the larger public interested in this year’s topic. This year, we are delighted to have two speakers, Dr. Pano Kanelos—founding President of the University of Austin and former President of St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD—and Mr. Jeremy Tate—founder and CEO of the Classic Learning Test—speak on “The Future of Higher Education in the United States.”
Dr. Kanelos is the founding President of the University of Austin (UATX) which has raised $200 million in private donations and received state approval since its launch two years ago. UATX will enroll its inaugural undergraduate class in the fall of 2024. Dr. Kanelos has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Fox News, and called “The new Socrates of the Academy” by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
UATX has drawn together leaders and professors from around the world who desire to renew higher education and cultivate virtue in the next generation through the liberal arts. According to UATX’s website, “We believe great works are not antiquated relics but guides toward intellectual liberation. Our educational approach seeks to free the mind from ephemeral dogmas and biases, to place before it the fundamental questions of human existence, and to open it to enduring sources of truth and meaning.” You can learn more about UATX by clicking here.
Mr. Tate, founder and CEO of the Classic Learning Test (CLT), has likewise been featured in national news outlets for his work in the realm of college entrance exams. The CLT is a college entrance exam and alternative to the SAT and ACT. According to CLT’s website, “The Classic Learning Test (CLT) exists to reconnect knowledge and virtue by providing meaningful assessments and connections to seekers of truth, goodness, and beauty...As far back as Plato, the goal of education was understood as developing both intellect and character in students. Its purpose was to help students become better human beings. Standardized tests should reflect that same goal. They should leave students feeling inspired and enriched while equipping them to pursue their goals. That’s why our tests feature beautiful and meaningful content in addition to assessing timeless academic skills.”
As an organization, CLT currently partners with over 250 colleges, most of which are, according to CLT’s website, “private, liberal arts, or faith-based colleges that share the organization’s mission to reconnect knowledge and virtue in the classroom.” The state of Florida’s recent approval of the CLT as an alternative to the SAT and ACT for admissions to public universities testifies of the test’s growing appeal for state officials in addition to students and universities.
All interested in this important topic are invited to join us for this evening together. The event will take place on Thursday, February 8, from 6:30-8:15 p.m. at the Geneva campus. Any questions about the event can be directed to Rhetoric School Headmaster, Matt Donnowitz, at mdonnowitz@genevaschooltx.org.