A perennial top performer in Kiplinger Personal Finance’s annual college rankings, Thomas Aquinas College has jumped several spots — into the Top 10 Best Values in U.S. Colleges, or as the magazine describes it, “the crème de la crème” of its newly published guide, Top 300 Best College Values of 2017.

To help ease the financial burden on students and their parents, the Thomas Aquinas College Board of Governors voted at its recent annual corporate retreat to freeze the cost of tuition and room & board for the 2017-2018 academic year. This is the fifth year in a row that the College’s governors have kept the cost of the school’s classical liberal education at the same level.

On Saturday, December 3, the students of Thomas Aquinas College transformed St. Joseph Commons into a formal ballroom for the annual Advent dance:

As is custom at the College, a large portion of the evening was dedicated to student-produced entertainment, with songs, skits, caroling, and a dramatic reading of “The Night Before Christmas” for children of faculty members.

By Dr. Steven R. Cain

The following remarks are adapted from tutor Dr. Steven R. Cain’s report to the Board of Governors at its May 13, 2016, meeting. They are part of an ongoing series of talks about why the College includes certain texts in its curriculum.

On November 18 the Thomas Aquinas College Choir hosted a Thanksgiving concert in St. Joseph Commons as part of the St. Vincent de Paul Lecture and Concert Series. The Choir, directed by Daniel J. Grimm (’76), performed Mozart’s Requiem and Piano Concerto No. 12 (1st movement):

Immediately after the concert, members of the student orchestra and other musicians met up for an impromptu “jam session” in the Dumb Ox Café:

On Sunday evening Thomas Aquinas College hosted students, faculty, staff, and members of their families at an all-college Thanksgiving dinner. The evening included remarks from Dean Brian T. Kelly, music by the student choral group Chrysostomos and, of course, turkey and all the fixings.

In anticipation of this year’s Turkey Bowl flag-football game, the women of the freshman and sophomore classes got together on Thursday night to make uniforms for their classes’ team:

Their efforts paid off. On Sunday, underclassmen bested the upperclassmen, 15-6. See photos, below:

A Tutor Talk by Dr. Joseph P. Hattrup

Audio | Text

At last May’s Commencement exercises, Thomas Aquinas College honored Viltis Jatulis, who was stepping down after 45 years as head librarian and reducing her work hours to part-time. Upon learning of Mrs. Jatulis’ semi-retirement, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has now also recognized her faithful service, issuing a formal proclamation that reads:

In the most recent installment of the monthly Dorm Talk Series she sponsors in St. Bernard Hall, Resident Assistant Sarah Dufresne (’14) presented a talk on a subject of increasing importance as students approach Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations — leisure.