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September 13, 2012
10,000 Ojai Road
Santa Paula CA 93060
Contact: Anne Forsyth, Director of ������ý Relations
(805) 525-4417      
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HIGH RANKINGS FOR ACADEMICS AND VALUE FOR THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE FROM U.S. NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SANTA PAULA—September 13, 2012—In the newly released 2013 edition of its Best ������ýs guide, U.S. News & World Report places Thomas Aquinas ������ý in the top tier of all American liberal arts colleges. It has also taken note of the college’s financial aid program and ranked the school in its list of the Top 40 “Best Value Schools.”In discussing the basis for its “Best Value” rankings, U.S. News explains that it “takes into account a school’s academic quality…. The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal.” It adds that “only schools ranked in or near the top half of their categories are included, because U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that are above average academically.”

Says director of admissions, Jon Daly, “We are very happy to see that Thomas Aquinas ������ý has maintained its high rankings for both academics and financial aid in this year’s U.S. News guide. In these difficult economic times, it is important for students and parents to be confident that the investment they make in a college education does not go to waste.”

The ������ý has received high marks in the newest editions of all the top annual college guides, both Catholic and secular, including the Princeton Review, the Association of ������ý Trustees and Alumni, Forbes, the National Catholic Register, and Catholic Digest.

“Taken together with this report from U.S. News,” says Mr. Daly, “parents and prospective students can get a fairly good idea of the unique program we offer here at the college. But,” he adds, “I encourage all who are interested to visit the campus and observe our classes, our students, and the vibrant spiritual life of Thomas Aquinas ������ý. Those who do visit get a firsthand look at the great good that is being done in the minds and souls of our students through our great books program that is fully faithful to the teaching Church.”

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Thomas Aquinas ������ý has developed a solid reputation for academic excellence in the United States and abroad. At Thomas Aquinas ������ý, there are no majors, no minors, or electives because all students acquire a broad and fully integrated liberal education. The ������ý offers one 4-year, classical curriculum that spans the major arts and sciences. Instead of reading textbooks, students read the original works of the greatest thinkers in Western civilization — the Great Books — in all the major disciplines: mathematics, natural science, literature, philosophy, and theology. Rather than listening to lectures, they engage in rigorous Socratic discussions about these works in classes of 15-18 students. The academic life of the college is conducted under the light of the Catholic faith and flourishes within a close-knit community, supported by a vibrant spiritual life. Genuinely committed to upholding civic virtue and leading lives dedicated to the good of others, Thomas Aquinas ������ý graduates enter a wide array of fields where they are a powerful force for good in the Church and in the culture. Well-versed in rational discourse, they become leaders in education, law, medicine, journalism, public policy, military service, and business. In addition, a steady 10% of alumni go on to the priesthood or religious life.