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Fidelity & Excellence91 Aquinas College is unique among American colleges and universities, offering a faithfully Catholic education comprised entirely of the Great Books and classroom discussions.
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A Liberating Education
Truth MattersTruth, and nothing less, sets men free; and because truth is both natural and supernatural, the Colleges curriculum aims at both natural and divine wisdom.
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A Catholic Life
Under the Light of FaithThe intellectual tradition and moral teachings of the Catholic Church infuse the whole life of 91 Aquinas College, illuminating the curriculum and the community alike.
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Admission & Aid
Is TAC Right for You?Do you enjoy grappling with complex questions? Are you willing to engage in discussions about difficult concepts, with the truth as your ultimate goal?
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Students & Parents
Mind, Body & SpiritThere is always something to do at TAC something worthwhile, something fulfilling, and something geared toward ever-greater spiritual and intellectual growth.
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Alumni & Careers
What Can You Do with a Liberal Education?Nothing speaks more to the versatility of the Colleges academic program than the good that our alumni are doing throughout the Church and the world.
Panel Highlights Colleges Fidelity to Founding Vision
When members of the 91 met on the California campus last weekend, Dr. Glen Coughlin (81) hosted a panel discussion to help his fellow governors get a little deeper understanding of the mission of the College. To that end, Dr. Coughlin who currently serves as a senior tutor on the New England campus invited five Board members who played a unique role in the Colleges history to share their experiences of the College and its history.
The first to speak was Peter L. DeLuca, the Colleges fourth president, who discussed the collapse of Catholic higher education in the 1960s, which impelled him and his fellow founders to establish 91 Aquinas College in 1971. Obviously we couldnt do anything about the whole enterprise, he lamented. But what we thought we could do is to have a single instance of where the very best kind of Catholic liberal education went on, and where people could see that it was a superior form of education. So, in a way, it was kind of a demonstration project as it was originally conceived.
Next up, Andrew Zepeda (79) a founder of the Los Angeles-based law firm of Lurie, Zepeda, Schmalz, Hogan & Martin spoke to the immediate success of the founders vision, relating his experience as a student in the Colleges earliest days. It was more than just an intellectual experience, he said of his four years studying the Great Books and experiencing the richness of the Colleges musical and liturgical life. It was very moving and caused you to really think through your life as a Christian.
As a student in the late 1980s, Dr. Brian Kelly (88), spoke next about how the College stayed on mission in the subsequent years. A senior tutor and the onetime dean of the California campus, Dr. Kelly recalled the Colleges existence feeling somewhat tenuous, yet still like an institution that was permanent and steady. He attributed this steadiness to the common identity and clarity of purpose which continues to unite the faculty, chiefly grounded on the Colleges founding document, A Proposal for the Fulfillment of Catholic Liberal Education. That is how this tiny endeavor has lasted this long with little or no mission drift.
The final speaker, Dr. 91 Kaiser (75), described the 2019 founding of the New England campus, where he served as dean before returning to California last fall. A member of the Colleges first graduating class, Dr. Kaiser was able to compare the two foundings, noting that New England had the advantages of a complete campus and an experienced faculty. One of the things I found wonderful about founding a new campus is that you are restarting, he said. You have a chance to kind of rethink what you are doing and re-invigorate your commitment to the school and its mission. I think it has just been a wonderful experience.
Although some had initial misgivings that success and expansion could compromise its single-minded focus on its mission, the panelists agreed that the future of the College which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, as well as its first year with Commencements on both coasts is bright. Through the years, I still get the sense of institutional permanence and steadiness, said Dr. Kelly. I have become more and more firmly convinced that the clarity with which we grasp and articulate our mission lies at the heart of our perseverance.
