No Curve Zone
Despite evidence of grade inflation at other institutions and new policies aimed at controlling it, Saint Anselm College has always resisted the practice. “One of the greatest disservices educators can do is give grades that aren’t earned,” says Fr. Peter, now a professor of theology. “It is dishonest, and I cannot think of a more harmful decision to undermine the well-being of students and society than to pretend that average students have mastered a discipline in an above-average way. It gives students a false and distorted evaluation of their abilities and achievements, and weakens the value of the college diploma.”

As dean for 25 years, Fr. Peter remained steadfast against the erosion of academic standards and says he was simply continuing the good work begun by Fr. Placidus Riley, O.S.B., in the 1950s. Under Fr. Peter’s leadership, the grading practice was reviewed every five years, with members of the faculty leading the charge—a practice that Fr. Augustine plans to continue. The collaborative process includes academic department chairs and administrators who discuss, revise (if needed), and vote on the standards.

“Grade inflation took off in the 70s, but we chose to be counter-cultural, if you will,” says Fr. Peter. “We could not have maintained this, however, without a supportive faculty who believed in the standards.”

Fr. Augustine agrees that faculty welcome the opportunity to raise the bar. “Our faculty are committed to excellence, and they undergo high standards to get where they are,” he says. “They expect that same performance of their students. An undergraduate education is an enormous investment, and students and parents make huge sacrifices. We take that very seriously.”

Elona Lucas has been member of the English Department for 23 years. When she joined the faculty, she was use to high standards and appreciated that the college’s philosophy matched her own.

“I believe we have a moral obligation to set the bar high so that students strive to achieve all they can,” Lucas says. “I explain to my students, especially the freshmen, on the first day of class, that I may be the hardest teacher they have. But that’s because a college degree has to have meaning; that degree should represent their ability to function in society at a level beyond that of those who did not or could not attend college.”

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