Aquinas College (Michigan)

Aquinas College

Motto	Non nisi te, Domine (Latin)
Motto in English	nothing but You, Lord
Type	Private
Established	1886
Affiliation	Roman Catholic (Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids)
Endowment	$42 million
President	Juan R. Olivarez PhD
Provost	Gilda Gely PhD
Academic staff	86 FT and 159 PT
Students	2,001
Undergraduates	1,634 full-time 229 part-time
Postgraduates	15 full-time 123 part-time
Location	Grand Rapids , Michigan , United States
Campus	Urban, total 117 acres (0.47 km2)
Colors	Maroon and White
Nickname	Saints
Affiliations	Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference
Mascot	Nelson the St. Bernard
Website	www.aquinas.edu

Aquinas College is a small Catholic college that aims to provide a liberal arts education located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Aquinas was ranked among the "Best Regional Universities – Midwest" by U.S. News & World Report (2012).

History

Founded by the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids in 1886, Aquinas has a Catholic heritage. Aquinas began as a novitiate normal school, for young women who had yet to take their vows to the Dominican religious order.

In 1922, the Dominican Sisters merged their newly created college for lay women with the normal school. This new college received a charter from the state of Michigan to grant degrees in 1923. In 1931, it became the first Catholic college in the US to go co-ed, and was reorganized as Catholic Junior College.

The college began to operate as a four-year institution in 1941, when it was renamed in honor of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Campus

The college campus is in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Aquinas College has 4 dorms, including Dominican Hall, Hruby Hall, St. Joseph Hall, and Regina. Aquinas also has 5 on campus apartments, and 5 on campus living learning communities (Houses).

The Moose

Organization and administration

The school's first administrator was Monsignor Bukowski, for whom the school's chapel is named. In February, 1969, Dr. Norbert J. Hruby succeeded Monsignor Bukowski as President. Hruby Hall, an administrative building and residence hall on campus, bears his name. Aquinas’ third president, Dr. Peter D. O’Connor, took office in 1986 and served until 1990. In 1990 Mr. R. Paul Nelson was named the College’s fourth president, serving until 1997. Dr. Harry J. Knopke became the fifth president of Aquinas College in 1997. Dr. Knopke served from 1997 through 2006. On July 1, 2006, Provost C. Edward Balog was named Interim President and he became the College’s sixth president in May 2007. Dr. Balog retired from Aquinas College on June 30, 2011. Dr. Juan Olivarez became the seventh president of Aquinas College on July 1, 2011. In March 2014 Dr. Gilda Gely became Provost and Dean of Faculty for Aquinas College. Previous to Aquinas, Dr. Gely was provost and executive vice president at Grand Rapids Community College.

Notable Board of Trustees members include Chairman Lt. General John Nowak, United States Air Force (Ret.) and Sr. Nathalie Meyer, O.P., Prioress of the Grand Rapids Dominicans. Trustees Emeriti include Msgr. William Duncan Vicar General of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids, Sr. M. Aquinas Weber, O.P., and local philanthropists Martin Allen, Jr., Peter Wege and Kate Pew Wolters.

Academic profile

Aquinas has more than 2,000 students and offers over 60 majors, awarding Bachelor's degrees and Master's degrees. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Many Aquinas graduates go on to graduate schools: approximately 90% of pre-med students from Aquinas are accepted into medical schools. The opportunity to study abroad is a draw for many Aquinas students, as many take a semester at an international university. A study abroad program in Rome was added in 2010.

Center For Diversity and Inclusion

Bukowski

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion offers guidance and support to out of the country students. It has welcomed many people from different parts of the world such as Asia, Europe, Central and South America. Special and unique orientation programs and events are offered. It aids students get familiar with US culture and the city of Grand Rapids.

There are many multicultural clubs offer at Aquinas College through the Center of Diversity and Inclusion such as: Arabic Language and Culture Club, El Tango, AQ Pride, Gender Studies Club, German Club, Japanese Cultural Club, Klub Polski, Latin@ Student Association (L@SA), Le Club Francais, Social Action Committee (SAC), Spanish Club and Voices Inspiring Black Students Everywhere (VIBE).

Sport

Indoor Track

AQ Gym

Aquinas College teams, previously known as the Tommies, are now known as the Saints. The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC), while men's ice hockey competes at the Division III level of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference (MCHC) and women's lacrosse competes in the National Women's Lacrosse League (NWLL). Men's Sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, dance, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.

Nelson, a St. Bernard, is the mascot of the Aquinas Saints. As Aquinas has never fielded a football team, the men's and women's soccer and basketball teams prove big draws. The men's cross country team holds the nation's longest current active streak of being ranked in the Top 25. The Saints have been a mainstay in the poll for 135 consecutive weeks dating back to September 2000. The Athletic Department is led by long-time men's baseball coach Terry Bocian, who retired from coaching in 2002 to focus solely on his duties as athletic director.

Aquinas College teams have been national runners-up twice. In 1963, the Aquinas men's golf team narrowly lost to host Southwest Missouri State in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II tournament. The '63 squad was inducted into the Aquinas College Athletic Hall of Fame on September 26, 2003. In 2004, the men's cross country team finished second to Virginia Intermont College at the NAIA national meet in Louisville, Kentucky. Five Aquinas athletes have won seven individual national titles in golf and indoor and outdoor track and field.

• 1964 – John Kurzynowski – Men’s Golf – NCAA Division II
• 1974 – Tom Carr – Men’s Hammer Throw – NAIA
• 1978 – Pat Weiler – Men’s 3000-meter Steeplechase – NCAA Division III
• 1999 – Jason Carver – Men’s Outdoor 200-meter Dash – NAIA
• 1999 – Kellie Leeuw – Women’s Outdoor High Jump – NAIA
• 2001 – Jason Carver – Men’s Indoor 55-meter Dash – NAIA
• 2001 – Jason Carver – Men’s Indoor 200-meter Dash – NAIA
• 2010 – Rumeal McKinney – Men's Indoor 60-meter Dash – NAIA
• 2012 – Nicholas Thelen, Grant Gunneson, Dustin Heiler, and Caleb Teachout – Men's Outdoor 4 × 800 m Relay – NAIA
• 2013 – Álvaro Romero – Men's Indoor Long Jump – NAIA

Notable Alumni

For a more comprehensive list, see Category:Aquinas College (Michigan) alumni.

• Paul Assenmacher, a pitcher on the school's baseball team in the late 1970s and early 1980s before going on to play for five Major League Baseball teams during a 14-year career;
• Dave Gumpert, who pitched for three Major League Baseball teams during five seasons in the mid-1980s; and, Canadian sportscaster
• Godfrey Mwakikagile, writer, scholar and specialist in African studies from Tanzania. He has written non-fiction books about African history, politics and economics and others works. His books are found in college and university libraries, and in public libraries, around the world. They are mainly for the academic community but they are also read by members of the general public.
• Brian Williams, a 1968 graduate who began his broadcast career while calling the college's basketball play-by-play in 1967. His professional career started with Toronto's CHUM radio. After a year at CFRB Radio in Toronto, he joined CBC Television's Toronto station, CBLT. With more than 25 years of broadcast experience, Williams is considered the dean of Canadian sports commentators.

External links

• Aquinas College website
• Aquinas College athletics website
• Aquinas College Alumni website
• History of the campus at the Historic Campus Architecture Project