Record Attendance at Thomas Aquinas College's
High School Great Books Summer Program
(August 7, 2006)
SANTA PAULA, Calif.—For two weeks in late July and early
August, a record 120 high school students from around the
country and abroad participated in Thomas Aquinas College's
9th annual Great Books program on the college's 132-acre campus
at the entrance to the Los Padres National Forest. Under the
direction of 14 regular faculty members (tutors), these rising
high school seniors had a taste of the unique curriculum and
pedagogy that the 4-year liberal arts school offers to its
students.
Said Director of Admission, Jon Daly, "This year, we
had a record number of applications for our summer program,
so we thought we would experiment with taking on an extra
18 participants. That was easy enough. The hard part was saying
"no" to the many others left on the waiting list."
In small groups of no more than 18 and with the guidance
of their tutors, participants read and discussed works by
Plato, Sophocles, Euclid, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Shakespeare
and St. Thomas Aquinas, considering questions such as: What
is the nature of instinct in animals? What does Euclid's definition
of a line mean? What was Oedipus' tragic flaw? Can we prove
by reason that God exists? How is it that faith is compatible
with reason?
In between study and classes, they also experienced some
of the sights and sounds of Southern California, visiting
the Getty Museum and scenic Santa Barbara, and attending an
evening musical under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl. A trip
to a Pacific Ocean beach, hiking in the nearby national forest,
and frequent ultimate Frisbee matches rounded out the program's
recreational offerings.
Mass was offered daily in the College chapel by the program's
chaplain, Rev. Andrew Koch, O.S.B., who was also available
for confessions and spiritual direction throughout the two-week
session. A graduate of the Class of 1985, Fr. Andrew is a
member of the Benedictine monastery in Norcia, Italy, the
home of St. Benedict himself.
Commenting on the program's success, Daly said, "It's
wonderful to observe these young people from widely varied
backgrounds come together for two weeks, read and discuss
some of the greatest works in a variety of disciplines, and
build solid friendships. If the past is any indication, we
can expect about 40% of them to return to the campus as freshmen
in the fall of 2007."
About Thomas Aquinas College:
Thomas Aquinas College opened its doors in 1971. It is a four-year
Catholic liberal arts college exclusively devoted to the study
of the Great Books, using only the Socratic method of dialogue
in all of its classes. There are no text books, no lectures
and no electives. Instead, the College offers an entirely
integrated curriculum using only the original texts of the
greatest thinkers who have helped shape Western Civilization.
These authors include St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, Aristotle,
Plato, Shakespeare, Euclid, Dante, Galileo, Descartes, our
American Founding Fathers, Adam Smith, Copernicus, Kepler,
and Newton to name a few.
Thomas Aquinas College graduates consistently
excel in the many world-class institutions where they pursue
graduate degrees in such disciplines professions as law, medicine,
business, theology and education. They have distinguished
themselves in these fields serving as headmasters, business
owners, lawyers, priests, journalists, doctors, military service
men and women, educators and college presidents.
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