Education for Life
Summer Programs for the Wider College Community
(Fall 2007 Newsletter)
The unexamined life is not worth living." These words of Socrates
are at the heart of what we do at Thomas Aquinas College. The program
of Catholic liberal education that we offer is based on the principle
that coming to know the truth about nature, man, and God is worthwhile
for its own sake, and that we are better men and women for doing
so. Rather than being undertaken for the sake of a specific profession
or occupation, liberal education is education for life.
The College's conviction about the enriching character of liberal
learning has, naturally enough, led it to search for ways in which
its program can be of service to the broader Thomas Aquinas College
community. Over the years, therefore, we have initiated summer programs
for the benefit of members of the wider community of Thomas Aquinas
College: friends and benefactors, prospective students, and the
teaching faculty, to name a few.
President's Council Members, Benefactors
 This
past summer, two weekends in July were set for President's Council
members and other benefactors for the College's annual Summer Seminar
weekends. Begun in 1990, these events are designed to bring together
like-minded friends and supporters of the College so that they can
taste what our students do in the classroom on a daily basis. Together
with members of the College's faculty, participants read and discuss
three 'great books'-one of literature, one of philosophy, and one
chosen from the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Together, these
works address a certain topic or question such as "What is
happiness?" or "The Nature of Faith."
The readings this past summer concerned the nature of kingship
and its responsibilities, and the readings chosen to address the
topic were Sophocles' Antigone, Machiavelli's The Prince,
and St. Thomas Aquinas' work "On Kingship." In the course
of the weekend, participants met three times for class and discussed
the readings in small seminars just as our students do. They also
enjoyed meals and social events together, and Mass was offered on
both days, with the Sunday Mass featuring the College Choir.
Many benefactors attend the Summer Seminars on a regular basis,
and strong friendships have been forged among them over the years.
Prospective Students
 In
1997, the College began a two-week summer program for students who
had completed their junior year of high school. It has proven to
be both rewarding for the students and an excellent means of introducing
rising seniors to the College's regular academic program and its
spiritual and community life.
This year, 120 high school students from across the country gathered
at the campus from July 15th to August 6th to read and discuss great
works proportioned to their ability and interest and commensurate
with the works being read in the College's four-year program. They
experienced the richness of the College's religious and social life
as well. Mass was offered and confessions heard each day in the
College chapel by Thomas Aquinas College graduate, Rev. Sebastian
Walshe, O.Praem., ('94) who served as chaplain for the program.
Fr. Walshe was also available for spiritual direction throughout
the two weeks. Participants also enjoyed a number of social activities
both on and off campus, including a trip to the Getty Museum and
an evening concert under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl.
Each year, a large percentage of the High School Summer Program
participants apply and are accepted to the College as freshmen.
This year, 50% of the freshman class is composed of students who
attended the summer program in 2006.
Teaching Faculty
Members of the College's faculty participate each summer in a five-week,
on-campus program devoted nearly exclusively to the study of key
texts from the works of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, the College's
principal intellectual patrons. This last June, instead of holding
the usual one or two classes for large groups of tutors, the College's
Instruction Committee decided to offer tutors choices from among
four classes, each of which would study a different text. Topics
were drawn from a number of disciplines including logic, physics,
and metaphysics. In addition to reading and discussion, time was
allotted at the end of the program for tutors to make presentations,
either to their particular study groups or to all.
Says Dean Michael McLean, "Though we departed from our usual
one or two class offerings, the goal of the program remained the
same, namely, improving our understanding of the texts and doctrines
that lie at the heart of our mission."
-- Qtrly Newsletter, Fall 2007
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