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Mission, History and Religious Affiliation
Admissions, Expenses and Financial Aid Scholarships and Special Endowed Funds Catalog Statement and Policies
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College SealMacalester’s founder, the Rev. Edward Duffield Neill, created the College’s official seal representing the confluence of academic pursuit and personal values. In a sermon preached before the Presbyterian Synod of Minnesota in September 1873, he explained its significance: “On the corporate seal of the institution are engraved two female figures, one in classic drapery, telescope in hand and compass at the feet, representing Science investigating the laws of Nature; the other in sitting posture and modern dress holding open the word of God, representing Revelation. They are in friendly converse, twin sisters of heaven as the motto suggests: Natura et revelatio coeli gemini.” Macalester would be affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, but unlike some religious schools of the time, it would be open to students of other faiths, and it would also be open to scientific and scholarly quests for knowledge and truth at the highest levels of quality. That spirit of openness has continued through the years, resulting in a Macalester community where students, faculty and staff speak literally hundreds of languages; their cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds form a rich tapestry that adds complexity and nuance to an already fertile liberal arts curriculum. Today’s students engage in the full scope of that curriculum, from the classics and religious studies to the ever-increasing complexity of the sciences, and from traditional strongholds such as political science, history, economics, languages and the arts to newer interdisciplinary fields such as environmental studies and international studies.
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