From the Desk of the President
President Thomas E. Dillon
(Fall 2002 Newsletter)
[Index
of Past Articles by President Dillon]
At the close of our Convocation
ceremony, the new academic year was ushered in by sustained
and enthusiastic applause from our student body - the largest
the College has yet had. With a freshman class of 102 and
total enrollment at an all-time high of 331, we are quickly
approaching our maximum enrollment of around 350.
Though no educational institution can grow indefinitely,
most grow far beyond our target maximum. The founders of Thomas
Aquinas College, however, had a Catholic college in mind that
would require a limited student body. They were not simply
founding a school with a certain curriculum - they were founding
a community of learners who would seek the truth together,
in small seminars, with a spirit of charity and trust based
on friendship - friendship among the students, and friendship
between the students and the tutors who guide them. Were the
student body to grow too large, the hope of widespread friendships
and a common life would be lost.
Relying in large measure on the experiences of other somewhat
similar Colleges, most notably that of St. John's College,
with campuses in Annapolis and Santa Fe, our founders settled
on a maximum enrollment range of 350-370.
As we approach this target, our student body has increased
ten-fold since the first year of the College's history, yet
we have maintained our commitment to small classes, with an
average of 17 students per class. This small size enables
students to engage in fruitful discussion of the Great Books,
with all students having a chance to participate in the conversation
and take an active part in their own education. And because
all of our students progress through the same integrated curriculum,
discussions abound outside of class among students and tutors
at all stages of the program.
With a solid reputation for excellence, a waiting list that
gets longer each year, and consistently high retention rates,
we are likely to reach the high end of our maximum target
enrollment in three years. We are grateful to God for this
blessing and to the many generous benefactors who have been
His instruments in sustaining the College over its 31 years
of existence.
At the same time, our Comprehensive Campaign to finish building
the campus takes on urgency. We are already in cramped quarters.
Classroom and faculty office space is tight, and we must build
a third women's residence hall. And daily, the temporary Chapel
and the dining area are filled to overflowing.
Our building program, however, like our enrollment, is not
open-ended. Once the remaining 6 of the 15 buildings in our
Master Plan are completed, our project will be finished.
So, I ask you to please join me in praying for the success
of our Campaign. Thomas Aquinas College exists today because
of its generous donors. Please pray that others will be inspired
to come forward to join your ranks, which, while helping to
build buildings, will be helping to build souls.
-- Qtrly Newsletter, Fall 2002
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