Aquinas College, Tennessee

Big world vision. Small community culture. Aquinas College offers a dynamic academic experience in a welcoming and supportive Catholic environment. Guided by our outstanding faculty and the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation, students study on our beautiful 83-acre campus in Nashville, Tennessee.

As a Catholic educational institution, Aquinas College is an ecclesial community that participates in the evangelizing mission of the Church. Specifically, it is a ministry of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, a religious institute devoted to the apostolate of Catholic education. Aquinas College’s approach to education is unique because it is animated by the charism of the Congregation of St. Cecilia. We are a community of religious women engaged in service to educational institutions of all levels in over 50 schools in 30 dioceses and 7 countries. We bring practical experience and dedication to Catholic education that flows from our consecration to God and zeal for the spread of the Gospel.

Aquinas College’s outstanding lay faculty and staff participate with the sister faculty and staff in the Dominican charism of preaching and the salvation of souls in an environment marked by devotion to truth and charity. Like our patron, St. Thomas Aquinas, we see Christ as the perfect Teacher: formed by this master Teacher through prayer, study, and community, each of us is thus enabled to teach others.

Small in size, and yet big in vision, the students at Aquinas are known as individuals and offered opportunities that are beyond the mass production of larger schools. The student teacher ratio and the family atmosphere supports the entire student body and significantly enhances their educational experience.

We are concerned with the whole person. To say that Aquinas College is a Catholic school is to understand faith as light and not as restriction. This light is shed on all areas of the curriculum but not in a way that is unnatural, superimposed or intolerant of other beliefs. Faith and reason are not in opposition but in actuality they are considered complementary aspects of reality.

Aquinas College is committed to truth, beauty and goodness. The foundation of an education is more than just a preparation for a career, but truly a preparation for life. Appreciation for that which is truly beautiful takes cultivation and not just exposure. Recognizing truth requires that one actually learn how to learn. Much has been said about life in the information age, but what truly makes us human is our ability to consider information according to rational principles.

Appreciation for that which is true and beautiful prepares us for attraction to that which is truly good. When goodness is fully embraced, we find true happiness.

Aquinas College is focused. Aquinas College is owned and operated by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation. Their spirit of joyfulness, unity, and dedication to education permeates campus life and the curriculum. There is a unique sense of camaraderie and vision that unifies the faculty and staff, where at most colleges professors are focused within departments or in some cases moving in multiple directions.

The faculty at Aquinas believe in the mission of the college and share a deep commitment to her students. They clearly love to teach, as well as to learn. Each year the faculty and staff undertakes a group study where they share insights and attend workshops on the subject. What results is an understanding, not just of their individual subject area but of the big picture we are seeking to deliver to each student.

The Mission of Aquinas College is unchanging because Truth itself is unchanging. Taking inspiration from St. Dominic and St. Thomas Aquinas, the College exists to serve the Church by transforming lives for the Gospel of Christ.

Aquinas College is a Catholic community of learning in the Dominican Tradition with Christ at its center. The College directs all its efforts to the intellectual, moral, spiritual, and professional formation of the human person in wisdom.

Students are formed individually and in Christian community so that the harmonious integration between faith and reason can permeate every dimension of their lives. Immersed in exploring the relationship between human civilization and the message of salvation, the College community embraces the Dominican imperative to preach the Gospel, serve others, and engage culture in truth and charity.

Aquinas College’s academic programs are rooted in the Dominican Tradition, a Catholic spiritual and intellectual tradition entering its eighth century. By the inclusion of philosophy and theology in each course of study, the academic programs facilitate the “dialogue between faith and reason.

At Aquinas College, we offer something that cannot be measured merely by a catalog of course offerings. Since we are specialists, with a unique focus on the dignity of the human person from an authentic Catholic perspective, we offer something which is rooted in Someone: the person of Jesus Christ, Who has a plan for each of us. All of the resources and activities of the campus help our students discover that plan and equip them with the educational, social, and spiritual support they need to respond generously to God’s call.