Thomas Aquinas College Annual Report 2017

Dear Friends of Thomas Aquinas College,

The financial statements linked below cover our 2016-2017 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, 2017. Nevertheless, I cannot begin this letter without expressing our deep gratitude for the outpouring of support we have received as a result of the Thomas Fire, the largest wildfire to strike California in recorded history, which was named because of the proximity of its starting point to the College. From the firefighters who battled all night to save our campus, to the many families who sheltered our evacuated students, to the friends near and far who provided financial assistance, to the countless souls who have held us up in prayer, we have been richly blessed. Thank you.

Even before the fire, it was an extraordinary year for the College: on May 2, the National Christian Foundation donated to us a former preparatory-school campus in the town of Northfield, Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, the day-to-day work of the College has continued, sustained by thousands of contributions to our Annual Fund. Euclidian demonstrations and discussions of St. Thomas don’t appear in the news, and the gifts that support them seldom make headlines, but in the end, all of these apparently small things make up the work that matters most.

Since our founders first designed our great books curriculum, Thomas Aquinas College has maintained that liberal education is not a means to an end, but good for its own sake. Still, as Our Lord tells us, “every good tree bears good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17) In the 2017 fiscal year, we saw much good fruit, including:

The ordination of eight alumni priests:

• Rev. Miguel (Gaspar ’08) Batres, O.Praem., Rev. Jeffrey Hanley (’13), and Rev. Maximilian Nightingale (’13)
• Rev. Patrick Seo (’06)
• Rev. Deneys Williamson (’10)
• Rev. Reginald (Ryan ’97) Wolford, O.P.
• Rev. Joseph Hudson, O.S.B. (’03), and Rev. Robert Nesbit, O.S.B. (’07)

A Commencement that coincided with the 100^th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions.

And a strong and joyful witness at the Walk for Life West Coast.

These and many other stories are truly the fruits of your generosity. Our efforts to keep this education affordable for students and families mean that roughly one quarter of our annual operating budget must be met through private donations. It is important to us to be good stewards of your gifts. I invite you to review our audited financial statements for Fiscal Year 2017 (PDF).

Finally, I want to share with you something that one of our current juniors, Rachel Rivera, wrote at the end of the past academic year. She describes the effect that we hope to have on all of our students, and which we could not achieve without your help:

“When you know the truth — really know it — it demands better of you. The truth forces you to become a better person. One of TAC’s gifts to its students is a chance to discover the truth. Another gift is the assistance in growing afterwards. Virtues grow with practice, and TAC makes it easy to practice. My faith, my relationship with my parents, my friendships — all have grown stronger because of what I’ve learned here. A liberal education is supposed to set you free. That freedom is worth the hours of study to me, and is made all the more precious by the knowledge that it is only possible because of the generosity of others.”

Thank you for making this education possible for Rachel and for all of her fellow students.

May God reward you.