Thomas Aquinas College Looks Toward Maximum Size
(September 27, 2002)
More than thirty years ago, when the founders of Thomas Aquinas
College designed their ideal college of Catholic liberal education,
they planned a maximum size student body. With the matriculation
of 102 freshmen this fall, they now have that size in sight.
"We intended to establish a small Catholic community
of learning based on the Church's time-honored maxim,
Faith Seeking Understanding," said Peter L. DeLuca III,
one of the College's founders who still teaches and serves
as Vice-President for Finance and Administration. "Liberal
education requires trust, and trust requires charity and friendship.
Our goal was a college in which each student would know all
the other students and all the teachers, so that together,
as friends, we would pursue truth. But a circle of friends
must have some size and so we knew it would have to be limited."
But what limit to pick? As DeLuca explains, the founders
looked to the experience and success of other programs of
liberal education, including that of St. John's College
in Annapolis, Maryland, and selected 350 as the maximum target.
"There's no magic number," he said. "We
wanted a number that would be appropriate for our purpose,
given our seminar-style classes. We figured that if we admitted
six sections of our maximum class size (17 students), and
then applied anticipated retention rates, we'd meet our
target."
Until recently, the College never had the opportunity to
reach maximum size due, in large part, to lack of sufficient
building space. With the completion last winter of Sts. Peter
& Paul Men's Residence Hall, the school may now accommodate
a larger number. In three years, the College will likely hit
the target size, all while keeping its classes small.
According to DeLuca, the sections are kept intentionally
small so that each student will have a chance to participate.
The College, in fact, has one of the highest percentages in
the nation, sometimes the highest, in classes under 20 students,
according to U.S. News & World Report surveys.
"You can't hide in our classes," says DeLuca.
"You have to be able to articulate, defend, or explain
a position about the text, or be prepared to reproduce a mathematical
theorem on the board in front of classmates - at random call.
It's part of what makes our experience unique in American
higher education."
It's also why such collegiate reviewers as the Intercollegiate
Studies Institute and National Review proclaim that the College
offers one of the most rigorous programs in the country. Last
year, as it has for a number of prior years, U.S. News ranked
the College as one of the Top 40 "Best Values" of
all national liberal arts colleges in America - it was the
only Catholic college to appear on the list. And this year's
freshman profile will only further that reputation - the 55
men and 47 women from 30 states and four foreign countries
have an average SAT score of 1292, making that average among
the highest in the nation for entering freshmen.
Moreover, Thomas Aquinas College has a fixed and integrated
curriculum of courses; all courses build on each other from
freshman through senior year. For that reason, the College
accepts no transfer students. Students enter as freshmen,
whether or not with previous college experience - something
that a surprisingly high percentage typically have. Twenty-one
of this year's class, for example, have attended college
elsewhere, but are willing to start over at Thomas Aquinas
to take advantage of its special program.
Three more years of classes with 102 freshmen will put the
College at its maximum size. "Normally, we graduate more
than two-thirds of a given class, says DeLuca. "It's
a rate that's consistent with retention rates at other selective
colleges. But lately it's been improving; more students are
staying through to graduation. That means we are likely to
hit the upper end of our range, perhaps as many as 370."
All of which raises a separate concern for the College. "We
haven't yet completed all the buildings under our Master
Plan," says DeLuca. "We're terribly pressed
for space."
The dining hall, located within St. Joseph's Commons,
was built for maximum size. But one third of it is being used
as a temporary chapel. Temporary modular units continue to
be used for dormitory space, and classroom space is tight
as well.
Last year, to remedy these problems, the College launched
a $75 million fund raising campaign. Because of some early
success, a beautiful new chapel and several other buildings
are being designed. "The end is in sight," says
DeLuca. "We're just going to be uncomfortable until
we get there."
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