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Aristotle begins the Metaphysics by stating ‘all men by nature desire to know,’ making it clear that the pursuit of wisdom begins in wonder and in our desire to free ourselves from ignorance.” On this fitting note for Convocation Day, President Thomas E. Dillon began his welcoming remarks to the Class of 2010 on Monday, August 21, 2006. The day had commenced earlier with a Mass of the Holy Spirit offered by the Most Reverend Michael J. Sheridan of Colorado Springs. During this Mass, Bishop Sheridan delivered an edifying homily about the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. (See page 4 for the full text.) In a formal matriculation ceremony that followed, President Dillon, Bishop Sheridan, and faculty in full academic regalia welcomed 103 freshmen—the largest class to date. The matriculating students, who hail not only from across the United States but also from far afield, bring with them an average SAT score of 1284. They come from a variety of backgrounds and have diverse primary and secondary educational experiences. Eleven percent of the freshman class has had previous college experience, and 43% attended the College’s high school summer program. Thirty-five states are represented in the class of 2010 as well as Canada, Ireland, Scotland, and South Africa. During the matriculation ceremony, Bishop Sheridan shared some thoughts with the in-coming freshmen, students, faculty, and staff. He mentioned that some of his staff back in Colorado wondered why in the world he would take the time and effort to visit a small college out in California. Bishop Sheridan told those in attendance that the reputation of the College for fidelity and academic rigor had drawn him to it, and that the faithfulness of the Thomas Aquinas College community, as he witnessed it that day, not only validated his decision to come to Santa Paula, but also gave him a great sense of hope for the future of the Church. Following Bishop Sheridan’s kind words of encouragement, President Dillon officially welcomed the students and encouraged them to seize whole-heartedly the opportunity they had been given. “Give full rein to your wonder, and do not settle for easy answers,” he exhorted them. “Your short time here, in relative leisure and free from the cares of the world, is precious, and you should make the very best of this rare opportunity.”
Dr. Dillon thanked Bishop Sheridan for taking the time out of his busy schedule to visit the College. Dovetailing with the Bishop’s homily regarding wisdom that is the gift of the Holy Spirit, he spoke of the virtue of wisdom in the intellectual life: “Now if it is right that wisdom entails understanding the highest causes and principles of things and knowing the highest objects, then the pursuit of wisdom must be in fact the task of a lifetime.” Dr. Dillon also emphasized that this Convocation was a beginning for these students in every sense of the word, saying that one of the best “gifts” Thomas Aquinas College could bestow on them would be to help them become “life-long learners.” As Director of Admission Jon Daly, read the names and places of origin of each freshman, the new students were invited to greet President Dillon and Bishop Sheridan and then move to the College Registry to sign their names, thus officially becoming members of the Thomas Aquinas College Class of 2010. During the ceremony, longtime chaplain and newly-appointed Assistant Dean for Religious Affairs, Rev. Wilfred Borden, O.M.I., administered the Oath of Fidelity to three new members of the teaching faculty and led them in a Profession of Faith. All three completed an intensive interview process, demonstrating facility with the Socratic discussion method used in all the classes at the College, and each displays substantial intellectual competence across the broad spectrum of disciplines in the rigorous curriculum. President Dillon later commented, “The faculty of the College are the key to our success. With their intelligence, their discipline, and their humility, they serve not only as guides for our students in pursuit of truth, but also models of the intellectual and moral virtues. When recruiting new faculty members, these are the qualities we look for, and I am delighted to have appointed three new members to this impressive group.” (See page 8 for a detailed profile of each new tutor.) When the last freshman had signed his name and the 2006 Convocation ceremony concluded, words of Aristotle quoted by Dr. Dillon earlier in the day lingered: “If reason is divine, then in comparison with man, the life according to it is divine in comparison with human life. But we must not follow those who advise us, being men, to think of human things, and being mortal, of mortal things, but must, so far as we can, make ourselves immortal and strain every nerve to live in accordance with the best thing in us.” Thomas Aquinas College wishes the Class of 2010 and the Classes of 2007, 2008, and 2009 success as they do indeed strive each day to pursue the truth and come to serve ever more perfectly the One who is Truth.
-- Qtrly Newsletter, Fall 2006 |
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