Utah has a Catholic college next door

Photo courtesy of WCC

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Students at Wyoming Catholic College are encouraged to trek kin the wilderness.

LANDER, WYO. - Wyoming Catholic College (WCC) is a four-year coeducational Catholic college with the objective to offer a traditional liberal arts education in all three dimensions: mind, body and spirit.

A four-hour drive north of Salt Lake City, the college opened its doors three years ago.

Three men started the project: Bishop David L. Ricken of the Diocese of Cheyenne; Dr. Robert K. Carlson, a humanities and philosophy professor at Casper College; and Reverend Robert Cook, president of the Wyoming Catholic College. Their goal was to teach students to become leaders and agents of change for the resurrection of the vision of Catholic culture in this country.

"The culture of America is rapidly de-Christianizing and disintegrating morally," said Fr. Cook.

In its third year, WCC has 99 students enrolled from 35 states, although the majority are from California.

Admission requirements include good grades, a good intellect and a total commitment to giving their all because, as Fr. Cook said, "It's a very demanding program."

The curriculum is centered on the Great Books and there is a lot of intense reading and studying.

The college also has an outdoor program that, despite being demanding, teaches leadership skills. Every incoming student is required to participate in 21 days of wilderness safety and leadership training.

In the wilderness the students encounter many obstacles that require them to make critical decisions. In addition, the group members must stay together and take care of each other while reaching their goals. "That is a perfect format for learning leadership," Fr. Cook said.

The initial outdoor expedition in which the new students participate "teaches them practical skills [and] a sense of self-confidence, so if they manage the rigors of the outdoors they can manage the rigors of the classes," said Mark Randall, vice president of development & public relations spokesperson.

The first students "have grown in a very remarkable way, both in their ability to think critically and in being able to learn new subjects quickly; their communication skills are absolutely first class," Fr. Cook said.

In addition to academics and leadership courses, students are active in their faith. They're encouraged to attend Mass daily and to participate in other spiritual activities. For example, last weekend, they participated in a pro-life walk in San Francisco, Calif. Last year, a group of students became the first from WCC to participate in the peaceful pro-life demonstrations that are held throughout the country on the anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade.

"They just do it in accordance to their Catholic faith," said Fr. Cook.

The college stresses the humanities, rhetoric, theology and philosophy; students upon graduation have earned a bachelor of arts in liberal education.

WCC is in the final steps of the process for the accreditation of the American Academy for Liberal Education.

"We provide a more complete, general, foundational education that teaches students how to learn, how to communicate and relate well to people, and how to lead and succeed," Randall said.