91�����

For nearly 40 years, 91����� Aquinas College has operated on a 131-acre property in Santa Paula, California. By God�s grace, the size of that property has now expanded more than six-fold.

At the end of August, College officials acquired more than 700 acres of surrounding open space. The acquisition substantially re-assembles the historic Ferndale Ranch along Santa Paula Creek, 131 acres of which were first deeded to the College in 1975.

�We have hoped for some time,� says President Michael F. McLean, �to acquire the land surrounding our present campus so that, as our students have prayed at nightly Rosary for many years, 91����� Aquinas College �might be more firmly established at Ferndale.� That day has arrived, and we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to secure the College for generations to come.�

The purpose of the acquisition is to improve the existing campus, not to enlarge the College�s enrollment. �This additional property enhances what is already a beautiful and well-situated campus,� says Dr. McLean. �It will provide expanded recreational areas that are convenient and safe for the College�s students.�

Students are already benefitting from the acquisition. �The new property opens up a beautiful running and hiking loop that was not accessible to our students in the past,� says Dean John J. Goyette. �And in the spring, after the rains, we are hoping to use portions of the land for organized campouts. We are also in the process of acquiring a large telescope and observatory which will be installed on the ranch property, and we are looking forward to hosting stargazing parties there.�

Located on a distant part of the property is a 40-acre avocado orchard which the College is leasing to a local land-management company, and, as such, remains off-limits to members of the College community. �Those crops belong to our lessee; so, no, we have not secured a supply of avocadoes for our dining hall,� jokes Dr. Goyette. �The farm will essentially operate, as it always has, as an independent entity, but the lease fees will provide a welcome revenue stream for the College.�

91����� Aquinas College will not, however, benefit from the continued operation of two small-scale oil-pumping operations located on 10 remote acres of the property. �We do not own the mineral rights on the original property or on our newly expanded property,� says Dr. McLean. California Carbon Co. operates those pumps, under the terms of its longstanding, county-approved conditional use permit.

�We owe special thanks to the members of our Board of Governors who helped negotiate this acquisition � Don Swartz, Dieter Huckestein, and Bud Daily � and who worked with senior staff and officers of the College to effect a smooth transition of ownership,� says Dr. McLean. �I encourage all members of our community to express our gratitude for this blessing with prayers of thanks, and by using the land responsibly and well.�