Thomas Aquinas College

Last updated
Thomas Aquinas College
Seal of Thomas Aquinas College.png
Latin: Collegium S. Thomae de Aquino
MottoFides Quarens Intellectum (Latin)
Motto in English
"Faith Seeking Understanding"
Type Private liberal arts college
Established1971
Accreditation WASC
Religious affiliation
 Catholic
President Paul J. O'Reilly
Academic staff
46 [1]
Undergraduates 439 [1]
Location
Santa Paula
,
California
,
United States

34°25′48″N119°05′13″W / 34.430°N 119.087°W / 34.430; -119.087
CampusRural, 845 acres (3.42 km2)
Other campuses
Colors    Maroon & black
Website www.thomasaquinas.edu

Thomas Aquinas College is a private Catholic liberal arts college with its main campus in Santa Paula, California. A second campus opened in Northfield, Massachusetts in 2018. [2] Its education is based on the Great Books, and students are instructed via the seminar method. It is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. [3]

Contents

Academics

The Chapel TAC Interior 2.jpg
The Chapel

Thomas Aquinas offers a unique, single degree program: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts. [4] The degree program comprises courses in mathematics, philosophy, language, theology, natural science, and music theory. [5]

To ensure institutional autonomy, the college doesn't accept funding from either the federal government or the Catholic Church. Rather, the college relies upon private donations to provide its need-based scholarships. [6] The college does not provide merit based scholarships.

In 2012, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni included Thomas Aquinas College in its What Will They Learn? study, which assigned a letter grade to 1,070 universities based on how many of the following seven core subjects were required, according to its specific criteria: composition, literature, foreign language, American history, economics, mathematics, and science. Thomas Aquinas College was one of 21 schools which received an "A" grade, a grade assigned to schools that included at least six of the seven subjects. [7] [8]

Curriculum

Thomas Aquinas College offers one degree, a Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts. This is an integrated liberal arts curriculum made up primarily of the Great Books of the Western Tradition, with the order of learning emphasized in the structure of the curriculum. Much of the first two years of the four-year program is devoted to the Trivium (logic, rhetoric, and grammar) and the Quadrivium (geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, and music.) [9] Natural science, philosophy, and theology are studied over the course of all four years. By the completion of their third year, students will have completed eleven papers assigned over the course of their semesters—"Five essays are written in  freshman year, four in sophomore year, and two lengthier essays are written in junior year." [10] In their fourth year, students produce a senior thesis under the guidance of an advisor and defend it before a panel of faculty members.

The college replaces textbooks with the original sources, which are the seminal works of each discipline. [11] Thomas Aquinas College acknowledges that not all of the texts in its program are of equal weight: some are viewed as masterworks while others are studied as sources of opinions that "either lead students to the truth or make the truth more evident by opposition to it." [9] Some texts are read in their entirety, whereas others are covered via selected excerpts. [9]

Student life

Three chaplain-priests reside on campus and provide the Sacraments as well as spiritual direction. [12]

Intramural sports are practiced throughout the year and include volleyball, soccer, football, basketball, ultimate, and baseball. The St. John Paul II athletic center is home to both male and female exercise rooms, a rock-climbing wall, a lap swimming pool, outdoor tennis and basketball courts, and an indoor gymnasium. The athletic center is the newest building on the California campus, opening its doors in early 2022. [13]

The St. Genesius Players produce one play a year, commonly a selection from Shakespeare. [14] The College Choir presents an annual concert and a spring musical, often a production of Gilbert and Sullivan.[ citation needed ] The choir sings at Sunday Mass as well as special events. A second student choir, often joined by various instrumentalists and vocalists from the student body, performs at formal and informal events throughout the year.

Unmarried students are housed on campus in six dormitories. Married students may live off-campus. Men's and women's residence halls are off-limits to members of the opposite sex. [15]

The possession or use of alcohol or illegal drugs on campus or in the dormitories is prohibited and may entail expulsion from the college. [15]

Chapel

The Chapel Thomas Aquinas Chapel Facade.jpg
The Chapel

As the “crown jewel” of the Thomas Aquinas College campus, Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel was dedicated on March 7, 2009. [16] The design for this 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2), $23 million building employs Early Christian, Renaissance, and Spanish Mission styles. [17] Designed by the New Classical architect Duncan Stroik, it is cruciform in shape and features both a 135-foot (41 m) bell tower and an 89-foot (27 m) dome. [18] Pope John Paul II blessed the chapel's plans in 2003, and in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI blessed its cornerstone. Adoremus Bulletin has called Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel “A Triumph of Sacred Architecture.” [19]

Library

The ceiling of the college's Saint Bernardine of Siena Library has a 17th-century Spanish monastery artesonado. The library has a collection of rarities including thousands-year-old Hittite seals and devotional and sacred objects of saints.[ citation needed ] [20] The library is home to some 65,900 works. [1]

New England Campus

Beginning in the Fall 2019 semester, Thomas Aquinas College has operated on an additional campus in Northfield, Massachusetts. Both campuses are under the authority of the same board of governors and follow the same curriculum, however each campus has a unique culture due to its unique geography. The New England campus formerly belonged to Northfield Mount Hermon School, a preparatory school that moved to another campus in 2005 and was given to Thomas Aquinas College in 2017 by the National Christian Foundation. [21] The campus is located near the Connecticut River, and includes 100 acres of land, residence halls, a library, gymnasium, a chapel, and plenty of classrooms and administrative space. [22]

Notable alumni

See also

Related Research Articles

Educational perennialism is a normative educational philosophy. Perennialists believe that the priority of education should be to teach principles that have persisted for centuries, not facts. Since people are human, one should teach first about humans, rather than machines or techniques, and about liberal, rather than vocational, topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberal arts college</span> College with an emphasis on the liberal arts and sciences

A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and general sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional or vocational curriculum. Students in a liberal arts college generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including general sciences as well as the traditional humanities subjects taught as liberal arts. Although it draws on European antecedents, the liberal arts college is strongly associated with American higher education, and most liberal arts colleges around the world draw explicitly on the American model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberal arts education</span> Traditional academic course in Western higher education

Liberal arts education is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. Liberal arts takes the term art in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. Liberal arts education can refer to studies in a liberal arts degree course or to a university education more generally. Such a course of study contrasts with those that are principally vocational, professional, or technical, as well as religiously based courses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Providence College</span> Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island, US

Providence College is a private Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the local diocese, it offers 47 undergraduate majors and 17 graduate programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northfield Mount Hermon School</span> School in Gill, Massachusetts, United States

Northfield Mount Hermon School, is a co-educational college-preparatory school in Gill, Massachusetts. It educates boarding and day students in grades 9–12, as well as post-graduate students. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association and the Six Schools League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xavier University of Louisiana</span> Private university in New Orleans, Louisiana

Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) is a private, historically black (HBCU), Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only Catholic HBCU and, upon the canonization of Katharine Drexel in 2000, became the first Catholic university founded by a saint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christendom College</span> Private college in Front Royal, Virginia, US

Christendom College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college founded in 1977 in Front Royal, Virginia, United States, located in the Shenandoah Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquinas College (Michigan)</span> College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, US

Aquinas College is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquinas College (Tennessee)</span> Catholic college in Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Aquinas College is a private Roman Catholic college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1961 and named in honor of St. Thomas Aquinas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominican University (Illinois)</span> Catholic university in River Forest, Illinois, US

Dominican University (DU), known from 1922 to 1997 as Rosary College, is a private Roman Catholic university in River Forest, Illinois, affiliated with the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. It offers bachelor's and master's degrees, certificate programs, and a PhD in information studies. Dominican University offers more than 50 majors in the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences and 20 programs in five graduate academic divisions.

Zaytuna College is a private liberal arts college in Berkeley, California. It is the first accredited Muslim undergraduate college in the United States. It was built on the foundation of an educational institute, founded in 1996 by Hamza Yusuf and Hesham Alalusi. After graduating its pilot batch of full-time students, Zaytuna Institute formally changed its name to Zaytuna College in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas More University</span> Catholic university in Crestview Hills, Kentucky

Thomas More University is a private Roman Catholic university in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. It serves about 2,000 full and part-time students. The university was founded in 1921 by the local Benedictine Sisters as Villa Madonna College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College of Saints John Fisher & Thomas More</span> Catholic college in Fort Worth, Texas, US

The College of Saints John Fisher & Thomas More was a private Catholic liberal arts college that operated from 1981 to 2014 in Fort Worth, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas More College of Liberal Arts</span> Liberal arts college in New Hampshire

The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Merrimack, New Hampshire. It emphasizes classical education in the Catholic intellectual tradition and is named after Saint Thomas More. It is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. It is endorsed by The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Joseph Academy (San Marcos, California)</span> Private, coeducational school in San Marcos, , California, United States

St. Joseph Academy is a traditional Roman Catholic K–12 school located in San Marcos, CA. Its stated mission is "to transform human society through the most effective means possible, namely through training the youth in faith, reason, and virtue". The school is operated independent of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego and offers a complete K-12 education. St. Joseph Academy has been named by the Catholic High School Honor Roll as one of the top 50 Catholic High Schools in the United States for three consecutive years and carries a 99% college matriculation rate. The school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges accredited school and formally approved by the Diocese of San Diego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Paul the Great Catholic University</span>

John Paul the Great Catholic University (JPCatholic) is a private Roman Catholic university in Escondido, California. It offers Bachelor of Science degrees, a Bachelor of Arts degree, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

The Saint Ignatius Institute (SII) is an undergraduate program at the University of San Francisco (USF), a private university operated by the USA West Province of the Society of Jesus in San Francisco, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts</span> Catholic college in Warner, New Hampshire, United States

Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts, is a private Catholic liberal arts college in Warner, New Hampshire. The college has experienced significant financial challenges and will close at the end of the spring 2024 semester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Charles Borromeo Seminary</span>

Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, that is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the Philadelphia region, the school is named after Charles Borromeo, an Italian saint from the Counter-Reformation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trivium School</span> Private independent catholic school in Lancaster, Massachusetts, United States

Trivium School is an independent Catholic college-preparatory school for boys and girls in grades seven through twelve. It is located in Lancaster, Massachusetts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Fact Sheet | Thomas Aquinas College" . Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  2. ↑ Beale, Stephen. "Thomas Aquinas College to Open East Coast Campus". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "Accreditation". Thomas Aquinas College. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  4. ↑ "Degree". Thomas Aquinas College. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  5. ↑ "The Degree | Thomas Aquinas College" . Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  6. ↑ "Financial Aid". Thomas Aquinas College. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  7. ↑ "Thomas Aquinas College". What Will They Learn?. American Council of Trustees and Alumni. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  8. ↑ Czupor, Z.J. (Oct 11, 2012). "National study ranks Colorado Christian in top 2% of colleges". Denver Post. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 "Curriculum". Thomas Aquinas College. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
  10. ↑ "Syllabus". Thomas Aquinas College. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  11. ↑ "Great Books". Thomas Aquinas College. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
  12. ↑ "Chaplains". Thomas Aquinas College. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
  13. ↑ "Athletics". Thomas Aquinas College. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  14. ↑ "Theater". Thomas Aquinas College. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
  15. 1 2 "Rules of Residence". Thomas Aquinas College. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  16. ↑ "News". Ventura County Star. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
  17. ↑ "Chapel". Thomas Aquinas College. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  18. ↑ "A Sign of Contradiction". Inside the Vatican. Archived from the original on 2010-06-14. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
  19. ↑ "Chapel". Adoremus Bulletin. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  20. ↑ "St. Bernardine of Siena Library". Thomas Aquinas College. 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  21. ↑ "Thomas Aquinas College gets green light for New England campus". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  22. ↑ "College Receives Approval for New England Campus!". Thomas Aquinas College. 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  23. ↑ "Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense: Thomas A. Alexander ('99)".
  24. ↑ "Mary Bridget Neumayr ('86) Confirmed to top White House Environmental Post".
  25. ↑ "Katrina Trinko". The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  26. ↑ "Katrina Trinko ('09) Named Editor of The Daily Signal" . Retrieved 20 March 2023.