ACTA Gives TAC Curriculum an “A” for 2022-23

The American Council of College Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has released its annual report on the curricular strength of American institutions of higher learning and, once again, Thomas Aquinas College is at the very top of the list.

“Thomas Jefferson famously declared that ignorance and freedom do not exist together. His friend and ally James Madison envisioned liberty and learning leaning together for their mutual support,” writes Dr. Michael Poliakoff, president of ACTA. “Many of our Founders … were themselves trustees or benefactors of institutions of higher learning: They saw such learning as essential for the new nation. And it remains essential today.”

Conscious of the civic significance of quality education, ACTA posts evaluations of the major public and private colleges and universities in all 50 states on its What Will They Learn? website. The group examines over 1,100 four-year institutions, with more than 8 million undergraduate students among them. But while most guides rank schools based on popularity or reputation, ACTA evaluates these institutions solely on the basis of their core curricula. The organization identifies seven essential areas of study for undergraduates: composition, literature, U.S. government or history, a foreign language (at an intermediate level), mathematics, natural science, and economics. The more, and more substantively, a college or university requires students to engage with these areas, the higher the school’s overall ACTA rating.

For the thirteenth time in as many years, ACTA has given Thomas Aquinas College a perfect rating, which lands it among the top 2 percent of American colleges and universities, 22 schools in all, named to ACTA’s coveted A-List. Within that list, the College is one of only seven schools, or the top 0.5 percent nationwide, to earn a perfect score for the strength of its curriculum. Given ACTA’s conviction that prevailing college guides overlook key criteria, that Thomas Aquinas College has received high marks both from those guides as well as ACTA testifies to the quality of Catholic liberal education it provides.

“Thomas Aquinas College offers a carefully designed program of studies. Every student goes through the same integrated program that includes four years of philosophy, theology, mathematics, natural science, and seminar (literature, history, and political science), as well as two years of Latin, and a year of music,” says Dean John J. Goyette. “This hearkens back to a tradition of learning that has been abandoned by the modern universities, an integrated curriculum designed to provide a well-rounded education.”

The versatility of the program shines in the College’s alumni, who go on to excel across the professional spectrum, from law and medicine to journalism, public policy, technology, architecture, and military service. “The rigorous study of the Great Books, and our use of the Discussion Method, not only elevates the minds and hearts of our students to the most important things, it also perfects their powers of reason,” says Dr. Goyette. “It helps them develop the ability to read carefully, think critically, articulate a thesis, and learn from their peers. It thus provides them with the skills necessary for success in any discipline or profession.”