A Brief History of Thomas Aquinas College
Part III - Toward Permanence
[Following is Part III in a three-part series on the history
of Thomas Aquinas College.]
For the next ten years, College administrators were concerned
primarily with making ends meet under the crushing debt burden
incurred during the relocation. Only the first of fifteen
buildings planned under the Campus Master Plan had been built:
St. Joseph's Commons. Not until 1989 did the second building
appear, St. Katharine of Alexandria Residence Hall, and debt
remained a constant companion.
Distractions arose from time-to-time, such as the large forest
fire which blazed to the campus boundary in 1986, transforming
students into firefighters. And the 1980s also saw a protracted
legal dispute with a neighboring oil company over claimed
rights of company trucks to rumble through campus grounds.
The College eventually won.
A Steady Pattern of Growth
Throughout much of the 1980s, enrollment remained constant
at about 120 students. But in 1987, after implementing an
aggressive advertising campaign and adding another student
recruiter, class sizes increased, more tutors were hired,
and the College embarked on a course of growth from which
it has never veered. During this time, the College's Board
of Governors grew from 25 to 30 and included a dynamic group
of individuals who were determined to see the College succeed
financially and expand its influence. Several encouraging
signs had given them cause for hope.
In 1981, the College achieved full accreditation status,
after enduring several years of short-term approval. And in
1982, the College received national exposure when Mother Teresa
appeared as Commencement Speaker at only two colleges in America:
Harvard University and Thomas Aquinas College. Also important
in the Board's mind, more and more individuals were beginning
to see that financial gifts to the College were ultimately
making an impact on society and the Church.
By mid-1991, two more permanent buildings had been added:
a residence hall for men and a classroom building. And earlier
that year, founding president Dr. Ronald McArthur handed over
the reins to Dr. Thomas Dillon, his former student from St.
Mary's, who had come to the College in its second year, serving
as a tutor and from 1981-1991 as academic dean.
Reputation for Excellence
While the College's curriculum and pedagogy have remained
unchanged since its founding, what did change over the years
was the reaction of others to the program. In 1991, the National
Review College Guide declared the College "one of America's
Top 50 liberal arts schools." By 1995, the Los Angeles
Times called the College "one of the nation's
best liberal arts schools." By 1997, the Intercollegiate
Studies Institute, in its book, "Choosing The Right
College: The Whole Truth About America's 100 Top Schools,"
proclaimed the College as having a "curriculum virtually
unparalleled for providing students with a rigorous liberal
arts education." In 1999, U.S. News & World Report
ranked the College the Third "Best Buy" of all
national liberal arts colleges nationwide. And the College
routinely makes "top 10" best college lists
by the National Catholic Register, Crisis, and Insight magazines.
Good Friends, Old and New
Throughout this period, the College's growing reputation
was matched by growing financial support. Three foundations,
in particular, helped ensure the permanency of the College:
The Dan Murphy Foundation, which contributed more than $10
million, and the DeRance and Fritz B. Burns Foundations, each
of which contributed more than $4 million.
In 1997, the College surpassed its five-year, $25 million
campaign goal, and acquired more than 500 President's
Council members each of whom contribute $1,000 or more a year
for the support of the school. These and other gifts made
possible the construction of four more permanent buildings.
Another sign of the permanence of the College emerged: the
number of distinguished visitors received over the years.
The College has been blessed by the visits of seven cardinals,
numerous bishops, and outstanding scholars and statesmen from
across the world. All have given resounding praise to the
College, its program, and its graduates.
While seven more buildings must still be completed, and while
its endowment needs to be fully funded, one fact stands clear:
Thomas Aquinas College is a thriving institution that will
serve society and the Church for years to come.
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