Insight Magazine Names Thomas Aquinas College To List of
Top Fifteen in Nation
Insight magazine, a publication of the Washington Times Corporation,
has named Thomas Aquinas College to its list of top 15 colleges
in the nation. In its October 2-9, 2000 issue, Insight proclaimed:
"Thomas Aquinas College, a Roman Catholic school, offers one
of the most creative core curricula at any American college.
Courses are based, with adjustments toward the times in which
we live, on the trivium and quadrivium of medieval education.
Their freshman year, students read Homer, Plato, Thucydides.
Four years later as seniors, they read Einstein, Tolstoy and
other 19th- and 20th- century greats."
The 15 colleges
chosen for distinction (see sidebar) include three state-owned
schools, two evangelical Christian schools, three Presbyterian
schools, three Roman Catholic schools, and four secular private
schools. Thomas Aquinas College and Claremont McKenna College
were the only California colleges to make the list.
Pepperdine University in Malibu, however, was listed among
"Another 15 Excellent Colleges to Consider."
The magazine developed this list by considering such factors
as (1) the dedication of professors to teaching; (2) the presence
of a core curriculum in which students are exposed to basic,
broad-based courses in the fundamental subjects, from the
humanities to the sciences; (3) the quality of the campus;
(4) a good record for sending students on to law, medical,
and other professional schools; and (5) the presence of an
efficient student-aid program.
The College has
enjoyed a growing national reputation for its commitment to
academic excellence. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute,
in its college guide, "Choosing The Right College: The Whole
Truth About America's 100 Top Schools," states that, "with
its 'Great Books' program, the Thomas Aquinas curriculum is
virtually unparalleled for providing its students with a rigorous
liberal arts education." Similarly, the National Review
College Guide, America's 50 Top Liberal Arts Schools, touts
the College as offering "one of the most rigorous curriculums
of any school in the country." Indeed, the College is
the only Catholic college to be included on all three "best
colleges" lists.
"We're very pleased
to be recognized for this distinction," said College Relations
Director, Dave Shaneyfelt. "It's one more hopeful indicator
that more and more people are coming to realize that you can
provide authentic Catholic liberal education and still maintain
academic excellence."
The College admitted
85 freshmen this fall who had an average SAT score of 1260,
thus placing them in the top 10% of college freshmen in the
nation.
Insight's "Top 15"
Roman Catholic:
Thomas Aquinas College (CA)
Franciscan U. of Steubenville (OH)
Christendom College (VA)
Evangelical Christian:
Calvin College (MI)
Wheaton College (IL)
Presbyterian:
Grove City College, (PA)
Hampden-Sydney College (VA)
Rhodes College (TN)
Secular Private:
Claremont McKenna College (CA)
Hillsdale College (MI)
St. John's College (MD & NM)
Shimer College (IL)
Public:
James Madison College (MI)
St. Mary's College of Md. (MD)
College of William and Mary (VA)
|
