������ý

February 13, 2016
10,000 Ojai Road
Santa Paula CA 93060
Contact: Anne Forsyth, Director of ������ý Relations
(805) 525-4417      

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Statement of Thomas Aquinas ������ý President on the Death of Justice Antonin Scalia

SANTA PAULA, CA—February 13—Thomas Aquinas ������ý president Dr. Michael F. McLean made the following statement today regarding the death of Justice Antonin Scalia:

“The community of Thomas Aquinas is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia. A faithful Catholic, a patriot, and a brilliant jurist, Justice Scalia will long be remembered for his fidelity to the Constitution of the United States. His passing today is an enormous loss for our country.

“In 1997, Justice Scalia visited our campus in Santa Paula to attend a dinner in his honor and address our students, faculty, and board members. It was as much an honor for us to host him then as it was a delight to make his acquaintance. In more recent years, we have had the pleasure of knowing his son, Fr. Paul Scalia, of the Diocese of Arlington, who now serves as chaplain to our Board of Regents there.

“To Fr. Scalia and all his family, we extend our deepest sympathies for the loss of this great man, and a promise of our prayers for the happy repose of his soul.”

������ý Thomas Aquinas ������ý

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.