Testimonials

Reading and discussing the Great Books has made me see the few underlying worldviews from which the writings of any time period spring. This has helped me figure out some of the key questions to ask of anything I read, whether Plato or the newspaper. Everyone is writing out of some vision of the world, and to be able to see through the words used to the worldview beneath is the first step in understanding and evaluating the claims of the writer.

~Brian Julian, Class of 2004

Gutenberg was the single greatest choice I’ve made in my life. If I could rewind my life before Gutenberg—and had only four years left to live—I’d do my education all over again.

~Josiah Martens, Class of 2009

It is difficult to write of my school—to pin it like a butterfly on velvet and say, “This is the species of my education.” The difficulty is that Gutenberg has been so much more than a school to me and so defies description as such. Gutenberg has been an invasion of my life, an event that has colored my soul. The piece of paper with two certain initials [B.A.] on it will mean so little to me in comparison with the ‘sea-change’ that the cast of my life has taken. Gutenberg is not about the mind, but rather the soul. Thus, education is but a springboard to life, and Gutenberg seems to embrace this truth with a unique force.

~Axon Kirk, Class of 2002

Gutenberg allows people to run as far as they want within the confines of reason, trusting that truth will be found by those who search.

~Marianne Scrivner, Class of 2006

What I thought was the best difference [between Gutenberg and other schools] was the tutors’ personal attention to the students. Also, the interaction between the upper and lower classmen. In short, I suppose, what I liked most about GC was the community I walked into…

~Camille Stallings, Class of 2005

A letter to my tutors:

When I saw my friends earning their practical degrees from prestigious schools on the East Coast, I wanted to quit. They would be making $150,000 a year as lawyers and computer programmers, while I would be stuck with an unaccredited degree from a school that sounds like a cult. I wondered if I would even make minimum wage. But God changed me. It took three years to grasp the life that the little brick building on University Street offers. It doesn’t promise a job. It doesn’t secure a career.

But it teaches truth. While this switch came in my junior year, the last two months of my new life in the nation’s capital has made my love for Gutenberg grow even stronger. Granted, I enjoy working at The Washington Times as a culture reporter and studying for my master’s degree in journalism at the University of Maryland.

I am learning how to apply my faith to my work, to connect the good news with the daily news. But I miss truth. In Washington, there are only facts. Truth for the journalist is the correct number of deaths in Iraq and the scientific polls that show Bush or Kerry in the lead. It is the exact date that Christopher Reeve died and the proper spelling of al Qaeda.

In this cold world of pulp and ink, thought has no haven. The rollers of the press want to grab the writer’s tongue and suck him into its monotony, making him spit out facts, facts, facts, every hour, every minute, every second. The journalist has no time to think. He cannot stop to ask, ‘Why am I here?’ ‘What is my purpose?’ because the clock keeps counting and the printers keep rolling. Deadlines don’t move.

Although you tutors taught me how to put facts in context and think, write, and read well—skills that every journalist needs—more importantly you gave me a passion for truth. God burned in my heart the desire, but you forged in my hand the tools I need to read the Bible, reflect on life and ask the difficult questions. But I usually wait until after deadline.

Because of your commitment, I have been able to live, study, and work in Washington while keeping my soul. I may never make $150,000 (journalism isn’t known for its six digits), but I will always live for—and write about—the truth.

~Christopher Stollar, Class of 2004

Gutenberg College is excellent academically, but even better personally. This is the best place I could have been for the last year and a half, during which I experienced several private crises. Gutenberg continues to facilitate my healing. One of the ways it does this is through the atmosphere of the house, creating a space for individual reflection as well as a strong community to return to when I am ready. The second and more significant way that Gutenberg facilitates healing is through the tutors, both in and out of the classroom. The tutors are earnest listeners and caring advisers. The word ‘magnanimous’ is from Latin roots which mean ‘great soul’ . That’s what our tutors have and what I seek for myself. Having them as friends and examples is invaluable, and I feel very fortunate to spend these years with them at Gutenberg.

Something magical happens as students journey through Gutenberg: the experience transforms each student into a new thinker. Although I’d heard people say this, somehow I didn’t think it would happen to me and my class. But it did. We’re growing our wings and beginning to fly! For instance, we (the new juniors) had our best Great Conversation discussion ever this past week when we considered Thomas Reid’s ideas on morality. The five of us were so engaged in the material that we drove the conversation and soared on our own; the tutor leading the discussion didn’t speak until the last five minutes, a sign that we were doing something right. Our conversation got personal when we banked around moral responsibility and whether sin lies in actions or intentions. At the end of two vigorous hours, I hadn’t recruited others to my position–that’s not the goal; rather, I gained a deeper understanding of both my own position and those of my classmates. Saint Francis prayed, “Lord, give me the desire to understand more than to be understood.” That’s the goal. We mounted the heights, and it was beautiful.

~Emily Dunnan, Class of 2019

My son Chris has been immeasurably blessed by the quality program and the character of the tutors at Gutenberg. Thank you for your commitment to building faith-filled, mature thinkers! Traditional programs, while they do offer academic development for the dedicated learner, cannot compare with the importance Gutenberg puts on the personal development of each student. Please be encouraged that the work you are committed to is changing lives for eternity.

~Marilyn Hickey, mother of Gutenberg College student

I couldn’t be more pleased with the education my son has gotten at Gutenberg. It is academically excellent and demanding: qualities that aren’t found at many colleges any more. Gutenberg is much more than just academics. Our son has grown in ways that I would not have imagined in the time that he has been there. He has developed deep and lasting friendships among a group of caring people. The environment of learning in the discussions encourages listening skills and learning respect for others’ opinions. The tutors at Gutenberg College are role models not only in intellect and knowledge, but also in character which reflects humility and great love for the students. There is something very special and unique about Gutenberg. Whereas most colleges desire to attract the brightest students, Gutenberg desires to attract students whose goals are to gain greater understanding and to develop wisdom for living lives in Truth. Because they are true to this ideal in practice, they see students as more than just their minds; they see them as individuals with all of an individual’s unique qualities. They recognize that intelligence is not a primary factor for success and that success is not measured by the world’s standards; they recognize that a willingness to learn and to work hard is often more influential in a student’s success. Because Gutenberg has different goals than most colleges, they attract students of varied backgrounds and a richer environment is created. It is a privilege to me for my son to be attending a college where the faculty live out their Christian lives in such a way to influence and inspire students.

~Patti Hobbs, mother of Gutenberg College student

I said (to a prospective student) there is no college quite like it (Gutenberg College) where they care as much as you all do; and if a student is willing to humble himself, ask for help, follow-up, take constructive criticism without an ‘attitude’, and work hard, he has a chance for success. I gave him the Mortimer Adler spiel that even a ‘C’ in some ‘Great Books’ seminar/classes will mean a lot, as you will be drinking a cup of whole cream vs. a quart of skim milk in the alternative college class.

~Larry Bailey, former board member of the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association