• Mother Agnes Mary: In These 26th days … (May 23)
• Now Available: Class of 2017 Portraits & Commencement Photos (May 22)
• Rev.

On Wednesday, as members of the Senior Class completed their last final examination, they greeted one another with hugs and congratulations on the academic quadrangle. After all arrived — and despite the unseasonably cool weather — they then headed down to the campus ponds for the traditional celebratory swim:

In assembling its annual list of America’s Best Value Colleges, the editors of Forbes magazine begin with a simple question: Will a college “deliver a  meaningful return on investment?” Thus the guide focuses on five key criteria: “best bang for the tuition buck based on tuition costs, school quality, post-grad earnings, student, debt and graduation success.”

Note: Rev. Ryan Rooney is a graduate of the Northfield Mount Hermon school, which previously occupied the campus of Thomas Aquinas College’s planned New England campus. On Tuesday morning, prior to the signing ceremony at which the National Christian Foundation formally donated the campus to the College, Fr. Rooney offered a Mass for the College’s officials and friends at St. Patrick’s Church in Northfield. Below is the text of his homily.

In anticipation of tomorrow’s transfer ceremony — in which the National Christian Foundation will formally donate to Thomas Aquinas College a campus in Northfield, Massachusetts — President Michael F. McLean and members of the College’s Board of Governors today toured the property. As part of the tour, the group visited  residence halls, the gymnasium, administrative and classroom buildings, and the campus chapel.

“Giving New Life to Dwight L. Moody’s Vision”

By Michael F. McLean, Ph.D.
President, Thomas Aquinas College
“The Northfield Celebration”
(event following New England Campus Transfer Ceremony)
Northfield, Massachusetts
May 2, 2017
Prepared text

Tuesday morning in Western Massachusetts’ historic Connecticut River valley marked, as President Michael F. McLean described it, “a monumental day in the history of Thomas Aquinas College.”

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 education to a matter of scholarly and personal importance.

Each spring, in the final weeks of the semester, members of the Senior Class team up against the faculty in the annual Senior-Tutor Softball Game. In this year’s contest, which took place on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 26, the seniors won for the first time in seven years, besting the tutors by a score of 8-7.

After the game, the College’s athletic fields became the site of another popular senior tradition — the thesis draft-burning party.

To celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy, Chaplain Rev. David Gonzalez, O.Praem., led a Eucharistic procession across the campus after Sunday’s 11:30 a.m. Mass. The procession visited each of the residence halls, where students kneeled, sang hymns, and prayed before the Eucharistic Lord.

Jesus, we trust in you!