Interim President Appointed at Thomas Aquinas College
(April 21, 2009)
 SANTA
PAULA, CA - In the wake of President Thomas E. Dillon's tragic death
in a car accident in Ireland on April 15, 2009, the chairman of
the board of governors of Thomas Aquinas College, Maria O. Grant,
consulted Monday morning with the executive committee of that board
concerning the appointment of an interim president for the 4-year,
Catholic college. With the unanimous support of the executive committee
members, Mrs. Grant announced her appointment of the College's Vice
President for Finance and Administration, Mr. Peter L. DeLuca, as
interim president.
In a statement yesterday, Mrs. Grant said, "Mr. DeLuca is a
founder of the College, completely committed to its mission, and
already deeply involved in the daily running of the school. I have
every confidence that he is ready and able to take immediate charge
of the affairs of the College. I know that the faculty, students,
and staff of the College will give him their full cooperation and
support." Mrs. Grant added that she would shortly initiate
the process whereby a new president will be appointed.
Commenting on his appointment, Mr. DeLuca said, "I appreciate
the confidence the board has placed in me and will do all in my
power to protect and preserve the College until a new president
can be selected."
PETER L. DELUCA III is treasurer and vice president
for finance and administration of Thomas Aquinas College. One of
the founders of the college, he has been a member of the Board of
Governors since 1969 and of the teaching faculty since 1971. He
has also served as senior vice president and vice president for
development. A graduate in economics at St. Mary's College of California,
Mr. DeLuca served as western director and national director of the
Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He then worked as assistant to
the president of Grant Oil Tool Co. and pursued graduate studies
at the University of Southern California.
ABOUT THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE:
Ranked the #5 "Best Value" in the country for 2008 among
all private institutions in the United States by The Princeton Review,
Thomas Aquinas College is a four-year, Catholic liberal arts college
with a fully-integrated curriculum composed exclusively of the Great
Books, the seminal works in the major disciplines by the great thinkers
who have helped shape Western civilization. There are no textbooks,
no lectures and no electives. Instead, under the guidance of faculty
members and using only the Socratic method of dialogue in classes
of no more than 20, students read and discuss the original works
of authors such as Euclid, Dante, Galileo, Descartes, the American
Founding Fathers, Adam Smith, Shakespeare, Copernicus, Kepler, Newton,
Einstein, Aristotle, Plato, St. Augustine, and of course, St. Thomas
Aquinas. Graduates consistently excel in the many world-class institutions
at which they pursue graduate degrees in fields such as law, medicine,
business, theology and education. They have distinguished themselves
serving as lawyers, doctors, business owners, priests, military
service men and women, educators, journalists and college presidents.
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