Current Students

Members of the Class of 2021 and ther families began arriving on campus Thursday morning for the start of the 2017-18 academic year. That afternoon the College hosted campus and Chapel tours, after which Head Chaplain Rev. Paul Raftery, O.P., offered Mass in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel. Following Mass there was a barbeque for freshmen and their families, and then new students and their siblings took part in an ice-cream social, while parents attended an orientation in St. Bernardine of Siena Library, followed by a reception with members of the faculty in St.

By  Dr. John J. Goyette
Dean, Thomas Aquinas College

Note: The following remarks are adapted from Dean Goyette’s report to the Board of Governors at its May 12, 2017, meeting. They are part of an ongoing series of talks about why the College includes certain texts in its curriculum.

On August 21 some 102 freshmen from across the United States and abroad — the Class of 2021 — will begin their four years of study at Thomas Aquinas College. Welcoming the students for the start of the academic year will be the Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, S.T.L., D.D., Archbishop of Oklahoma City, who will offer the Convocation Mass of the Holy Spirit and preside over the matriculation ceremony.

Each year, starting in the fall and continuing well into the spring, the seniors of Thomas Aquinas College labor to create what will be the culmination of their four years of academic efforts — the senior thesis. Based on a subject of each student’s own choosing, and drawing from the College’s classical curriculum, the thesis represents its author’s effort to apply his or her education to a matter of scholarly and personal importance.

The above slideshow features photographs of the members of the Class of 2017 and the titles of their Senior Theses.

Note: The following essay is adapted from comments made before the Thomas Aquinas College Board of Governors at its May 12, 2017, meeting.

Note: The following essay is adapted from comments made before the Thomas Aquinas College Board of Governors at its May 12, 2017, meeting.

Thomas Aquinas College has been blessed for more than 12 years to have Rev. Cornelius M. Buckley, S.J., serve as one of its chaplains. His wit, wisdom, and holiness have been a source of joy and consolation for many.

Five years ago, to celebrate the 50th Jubilee of his ordination, the College launched the Fr. Buckley Scholarship Fund — a way to honor this beloved priest by supporting the students he so faithfully serves. Since then the fund has raised over $300,000 for financial aid. 

On Friday nights throughout the 2017-18 academic year, the students of Thomas Aquinas College will have the privilege of attending lectures from some of the nation’s most distinguished scholars — covering a wide range of topics — through the St. Vincent de Paul Lecture and Concert Series.

“Work on St. Cecilia Hall has reached a new level of intensity in recent weeks, with as many as 75 workmen of a variety of trades currently on the job,” reports Peter L. DeLuca, the College’s vice president for finance and administration. “Inside, insulation and drywall installation are well advanced, while the application of the first layer of exterior stucco is beginning.”

Dr. Paul J. O’Reilly
Vice President for Development
Thomas Aquinas College
Address at New England Reception
July 1, 2017