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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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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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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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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.
President McLean Announces Plans to Resume In-Person Classes at California & New England Campuses
May 13, 2020
10,000 Ojai Road
Santa Paula, CA 93060
Media Contact: Chris Weinkopf, Director of Communications
805-421-5926
cweinkopf@thomasaquinas.edu
Hi-res photos: https://thomasaquinas.edu/about/hi-res-photos
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SANTA PAULA, CA — May 13 — Dr. Michael F. McLean, president of Thomas Aquinas College, today published the following letter to the College’s families:
Dear Thomas Aquinas College families,
By God’s grace, we are nearing the end of our 49th academic year, albeit under far from ideal circumstances. With heavy hearts, we bade our students an early farewell, we postponed Commencement for our graduating seniors, and we made do with an online-learning platform which, while adequate, fell far short of the rich, in-person conversations that define our program of Catholic liberal education.
Still, it has been a time of great blessing. We are thankful to God, to so many benefactors, to our tutors, and to our students and their parents for making it possible for us to complete the academic year. We are relieved that the ravages of COVID-19 have not been as widespread as we had reason to fear, and that our community has remained safe. We are grateful for our leaders, both ecclesiastic and civil, who have had to make difficult decisions — often without recourse to conclusive data or guiding precedent — for the common good.
Naturally, our thoughts now turn to the next academic year, which is set to begin at the end of August. Every day I hear from our students, who cannot contain their eagerness to return to our campuses. They long to resume their study of the Great Books through vigorous conversations, surrounded by their friends and fellow scholars. Our faculty members, too, are likewise unanimous in their desire to get back to the classroom. This is the work of Thomas Aquinas College, the work to which our students have dedicated these four years; and our tutors, their lives.
I am pleased to report that, God willing and subject to the restrictions of local authorities, our students and faculty will return to their classrooms in August. Indeed, our entire faculty and staff are working tirelessly toward this end.
The safety of our students, our families, and our surrounding communities is, of course, paramount. As Catholics, our yearning to resume our former lives cannot come at the expense of the vulnerable among us, to whom we owe our special protection.
Providence, however, has blessed Thomas Aquinas College with two beautiful campuses which are rural, remote, and largely self-contained. With diligent adherence to all applicable health and safety guidelines, I am confident that we can operate in a manner that poses minimal risk to our students, our employees, and our neighbors. That may require us to make significant changes to the way we are used to living on campus, but based on my many conversations with students and tutors, I am confident that all would gladly make any such necessary sacrifices.
As we plan for the upcoming academic year, let us recall that God instructs us to fear not “the pestilence that stalks in darkness,” as long as we have faith in Him. “Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent” (Ps. 91:6, 9-10). In faith, let us then return to the work to which we have been called, under the protection of Christ, our refuge and fortress in Whom we trust.
I look forward to seeing all of our incoming and returning students, and as many families as possible, in August.
Sincerely,
Michael F. McLean, Ph.D.
President
About Thomas Aquinas College
A four-year, co-educational institution, Thomas Aquinas College has developed over the past 49 years a solid reputation for academic excellence in the United States and abroad and is highly ranked by organizations such as The Princeton Review, U. S. News, and Kiplinger. At Thomas Aquinas College all students acquire a broad and fully integrated liberal education. The College offers one, four-year, classical curriculum that spans the major arts and sciences. Instead of reading textbooks, students read the original works of the greatest thinkers in Western civilization — the Great Books — in all the major disciplines: mathematics, natural science, literature, philosophy, and theology. The academic life of the college is conducted under the light of the Catholic faith and flourishes within a close-knit community, supported by a vibrant spiritual life. 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. The College opened a second campus in Northfield, Massachusetts on August 24, 2019. For additional information, visit www.thomasaquinas.edu.