A Letter from Dr. Peter Sampo

Americans interested in the education of their children have expressed concern about the quality of high school education. Accordingly, this concern has caused several responses which range from fleeing the formal high schools as in the home schooling movement and the Paidea Project launched by Mortimer Adler that tries to put the “great books” into the hands of high school students. Both of these attempts seem quite successful. Adding to these efforts, in 1975 I started the Collegiate Summer Program for High School Students – designed to make available the best of the collegiate academic and community experience to high school age students. I realized, of course, a two-week period even if intense learning could hardly match a four-year program but immersing the student into an academic, moral, and spiritual environment consecrated to the joys of learning could form the student into making a serious beginning on the adventure of life-long learning. It was an immediate success. I recall a mother writing to me about her son’s experience of the Program, “When I picked up my son at the end of the Program, a dear boy who is part of the T.V. generation, I thought I had died and gone to heaven when he began discoursing on the significance of the death of Socrates.”

Since 1975, a number of Catholic colleges have picked up on the need for this type of program. The spread of the Collegiate Summer Program has heartened me and has been all to the good for our country. The good is not diminished by its expansion. I would like to see this program spread across the country.

Indeed, we have an opportunity at this moment to help spread this program. Beth Hinkle, a graduate of Thomas More College and a Masters degree recipient of Leuven, has gathered a group of colleagues who
have experience conducting this type of summer program and wish to bring it to the New York City area. I enthusiastically support their efforts and will help her and her colleagues in any way I can.

Reflecting on what has made the Collegiate Summer Program such a success, I think the balanced activities is one of the reasons for its success. A combination of academic, spiritual, and recreational activities marks the order of the day. Of course, the academics provide for the development of the love of learning and the joy that accompanies learning. The students are told during their orientation that if they immerse themselves in the various facets of the program, particularly in the academics, these two weeks will be the best two weeks of their young lives. On a number of occasions, several years after attending the program, students have told me what was said to them was true: it was the best two weeks of their young lives.

Students and teachers read and discuss the books that have formed our society and our culture and become inspired by them. Teachers share with students this inspiration, this love of learning, and help create a community of learners. They are partners in learning and respect each other as a result of this partnership.

Students have come to the program from all parts of the country and from foreign countries as well. When I ran the program in New Hampshire we had more students from Alaska and, indeed, from Italy than we had from New Hampshire. This mixture makes for an exciting mix of students that leads to forming fine friendships. The greatest joy of learning comes from learning with friends.

I urge you to support Miss Hinkle and her colleagues in whatever way you can. They deserve our praise and support for undertaking this noble task of educating our children.

Sincerely,

Peter V. Sampo
President Emeritus
Thomas More College