The idea-centered freshman composition program at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina, functions not only to meet the immediate needs of freshmen writers, but also to promote the aims of liberal education. The program has three interrelated goals: (1) to engage freshmen writers in "college thinking," defined as giving reasons for one's belief about serious ideas; (2) to teach students the conventions of academic discourse; and (3) to help all students achieve a minimal level of competence in doing college writing. The components of the Abbey writing program--the means employed to achieve the stated goals--include assessment, classroom instruction, and instructional support through a campus-wide writing center. Assessment is used for placement of freshmen into the appropriate English course; for diagnosis of writing problems after students have enrolled in a writing course; and for determining competency of writers after they have completed English 101. Classroom instruction, which is the core of the program, can be characterized as idea-centered because it focuses on reading, discussing, and writing about serious ideas, such as feminism, civil disobedience, and poverty. The purpose of the writing center is to provide a tutoring service for all students who need help with one or more phases of the composing process. It offers ongoing individualized writing instruction, encourages a commitment to better writing at all levels of instruction, and brings an important social dimension to learning through peer tutoring. (An English 101 placement essay, scoring guide for essay evaluation, mid-semester examination, and final examination are attached.) (MM)