The founding documents of the NHIOP place the study of politics in
the context of a liberal education. The study of politics is an important part of
such liberating education inasmuch as the study of politics involves the study of
liberty and draws on fields essential to liberal education—philosophy, theology,
literature, art, economics, psychology and history. In service of that liberal arts
education, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College
promotes work in these academic fields and others. The Institute seeks to be
Anselmian in character by preparing publications and sponsoring conferences
that address important ethical and public policy issues, and treating those issues
in a serious, scholarly way. 

The NHIOP enjoys the resources of one of the nation’s top liberal
arts colleges. It is housed on the campus of Saint Anselm College and
managed by College faculty and staff. Consistent with the traditions of
the Benedictine monastic community which founded Saint Anselm College
in 1889, Institute programs recognize the individual as part of a larger
community. Institute scholarship and events are designed to strengthen
the academic and extracurricular programs at Saint Anselm College and
to build bridges between the students and faculty of Saint Anselm, the
citizens of New Hampshire and the general public.

Saint Anselm College is ideally suited for the hosting of the New
Hampshire Institute of Politics. A Catholic liberal arts college in the Benedictine
tradition, Saint Anselm offers students access to an educational process that
encourages them to lead lives that are both creative and generous. Saint
Anselm challenges students to engage in the fullest experience of a liberal arts
education, to free themselves from the strictures of ignorance, illiteracy and
indecision, and to dedicate themselves to an active and enthusiastic pursuit
of truth. It is through an appreciation of the several kinds of truth—scientific,
technical, poetic, philosophical and theological—that students learn to
challenge both personal and social problems.

In many ways the world we live in is subject to constant change; the
issues and political actors of the day, the technology and popular culture of our
time will become objects of nostalgia very quickly. What endures is a foundation
of knowledge and skills upon which we may ground our future choices and
decisions. It is that foundation and those skills that are essential for leadership,
and that a liberal arts education provides. In this way, a Saint Anselm College
liberal arts education—predicated on the Catholic Intellectual Tradition—is
genuinely liberating; it frees us to give direction to our own lives. The activity of
scholarly research—of inquiry, investigation, and analysis—is a model of the life
of liberal education. Moreover, research enhances critical thinking and problemsolving skills that are essential for citizenship in the 21st century.