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About
Fidelity & ExcellenceThomas Aquinas College is unique among American colleges and universities, offering a faithfully Catholic education comprised entirely of the Great Books and classroom discussions.
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A Liberating Education
Truth MattersTruth, and nothing less, sets men free; and because truth is both natural and supernatural, the College’s curriculum aims at both natural and divine wisdom.
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A Catholic Life
Under the Light of FaithThe intellectual tradition and moral teachings of the Catholic Church infuse the whole life of Thomas Aquinas College, illuminating the curriculum and the community alike.
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Admission & Aid
Is TAC Right for You?Do you enjoy grappling with complex questions? Are you willing to engage in discussions about difficult concepts, with the truth as your ultimate goal?
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Students & Parents
Mind, Body & SpiritThere is always something to do at TAC — something worthwhile, something fulfilling, and something geared toward ever-greater spiritual and intellectual growth.
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Alumni & Careers
What Can You Do with a Liberal Education?Nothing speaks more to the versatility of the College’s academic program than the good that our alumni are doing throughout the Church and the world.
In Memoriam: Rev. Michael Scanlan, TOR (1931 – 2017)
Members of the Thomas Aquinas College community join their friends in Steubenville, Ohio, and throughout the country in mourning the death of Rev. Michael Scanlan, TOR, former president and chancellor of Franciscan University of Steubenville, who died on January 7. “Fr. Scanlan was, along with the founders of this college and several others, one of the 20th century’s great champions of faithfully Catholic higher education in the United States,” says Thomas Aquinas College President Michael F. McLean. “We pray for the repose of his soul, for the consolation of his loved ones, and in gratitude for his ministry and life’s work.”
A graduate of Williams College and Harvard Law School, Fr. Scanlan was ordained to the priesthood in 1964 as a member of the Franciscans of the Third Order Regular. He then served for five years as the academic dean at what was then called College of Steubenville, followed by another five as rector of St. Francis Seminary in Loretto, Pennsylvania. In 1974 he returned to Steubenville as the college’s president, a position he held until his retirement in 2000, after which he served as chancellor until 2011.
“Fr. Scanlan became president of the College of Steubenville at about the same time as the founding of Thomas Aquinas College, during what was a very difficult period in Catholic higher education,” says Dr. McLean. “While most Catholic colleges and universities were jettisoning their intellectual and spiritual patrimony, he made a concerted effort to restore the academic program and Catholic identity on his campus.” As president Fr. Scanlan made fidelity to Christ and His church a top priority in the reformation the college, which, as its academic program expanded, took the new name of Franciscan University. He required the oath of fidelity for the school’s faculty members and built up the theology program from a few lonely courses to the university’s top major.
“He was an inspired leader and a genuinely kind man,” recalls Dr. Joseph Almeida (’81), a Thomas Aquinas College graduate who now serves as chair of Franciscan University’s Department of Classics and director of its the Great Books Honors and Legal Studies programs. “From the very beginning he took the time to learn my first name. I always felt that he was genuinely concerned not only about the good of the university but of each individual who depended on it.”
Dr. Vincent DeMeo, a tutor at Thomas Aquinas College, earned his undergraduate degree at Franciscan during the later years of Fr. Scanlan’s presidency. “For good reason, many consider him to be a pioneer in the renewal of authentic Catholic higher education in America. His impact on such a renewal, which cannot be overstated, is still being experienced today in various Catholic institutions that bear his mark in one way or another,” says Dr. DeMeo. Yet what was “most remarkable about this holy Franciscan priest,” he adds, “was his prayer life — he was a servant who deeply loved his God and His church to the end.”
Eternal rest, grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.