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About
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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A Liberating Education
Truth MattersTruth, and nothing less, sets men free; and because truth is both natural and supernatural, the College’s curriculum aims at both natural and divine wisdom.
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A Catholic Life
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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Admission & Aid
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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Students & Parents
Mind, Body & SpiritThere is always something to do at TAC — something worthwhile, something fulfilling, and something geared toward ever-greater spiritual and intellectual growth.
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Alumni & Careers
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.
For the Class of 2022, Gifts Call to Mind St. Thomas … and Dr. McArthur
At the annual President’s Dinners honoring the senior class, the faculty traditionally presents the imminent graduates of Thomas Aquinas College with not one, but two parting gifts. One is from the College, the other from an anonymous friend.
The College’s gift to the seniors is a sterling silver medal of its patron, St. Thomas Aquinas. The founders presented the seniors with just such a medal at the first Commencement in 1975, and every year since the faculty has echoed the gesture. “The College gives these medals in the hope that they will help our graduates grow in discipleship and devotion to St. Thomas,” says President Michael F. McLean, “and that he, whom the Church has proclaimed the Common Doctor, will help them continue on the path to wisdom and the attainment of the vision of God Himself in the eternal glory of heaven.”
But the seniors will leave this year’s President’s Dinners — the first in California, and the next in New England — with an additional keepsake, in honor of the College’s founding president, Dr. Ronald P. McArthur. Alongside their medals, they will receive a knotted Rosary, on which knots in the cord, rather than beads, denote each prayer.
Dr. McArthur once received a similar Rosary from a former student who went on to become a lifelong friend, and he treasured it during his final days. At his request, he was buried with the Rosary after his death on October 17, 2013. Knowing that the Rosary meant so much to Dr. McArthur, this friend first decided to present the seniors with Rosaries like it at the President’s Dinner in 2014, and has generously kept the tradition ever since.
The Rosary comes in a pouch, along with a note, which reads:
Ron McArthur was the first president of Thomas Aquinas College. One of his students at St. Mary’s College gave him a knotted cord Rosary with which he was buried. His student honors him by giving you the same type of Rosary. Please use it to pray for Dr. McArthur and his wife, Marilyn. Their faith, courage, and sacrifices have, in great measure, made the College — and your graduation from it — possible.
The head chaplain on the California campus, Rev. Paul Raftery, O.P., recently blessed the medals and the Rosaries that will be distributed at the California President’s Dinner on Wednesday. Pairs of the same gifts will be blessed and distributed to the New England graduates at their campus’s first President’s Dinner the following Wednesday, May 18.
May God bless you on your way, Class of 2022!
