The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts is a private Catholic

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...

Merrimack, New Hampshire Merrimack is a New England town, town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 26,632 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. There are four villages in the town: Merrimack Village (formerly known as So ...

, United States. Established in 1978, it emphasizes classical education in the Catholic intellectual tradition and is named after Saint

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, theologian, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VII ...

History

Founding

Thomas More College was founded in 1978, with political science professor Peter Sampo as its first president. Sampo had been a co-founder and president of both Cardinal Newman College in St. Louis and Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts, in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. The curriculum, designed by educators Donald and Louise Cowan, associated with the

University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a Private university, private Catholic church, Catholic university in Irving, Texas, United States. Established in 1956, it is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Southern Associat ...

, centered on the direct reading of foundational works of Western culture.

Since 2009

In 2009, the curriculum was revised under president William Fahey to improve its chronological approach to topics and strengthen the presentation of Catholic themes. Distinct majors in literature, political science, and philosophy were phased out in favor of a unified liberal arts major based on "the great classics of western thought." In the same year regional accrediting body the

New England Association of Schools and Colleges The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC ) is an American educational organization that accredits private and public secondary schools (high schools and technical/career institutions), primarily in New England. It also ...

placed the college on probation for two years on the ground that it was not meeting NEASC's standards for financial resources. The college improved its financial position, and the period of probation ended in 2011. In late 2013, the college bought a 1908 mansion in the Nashville Historic District of Nashua. College president William Fahey indicated plans to use the historic house, originally built by shoe manufacturer Frank Anderson and later the home of Mount Saint Mary Seminary, a girls' high school, as an educational site and eventually also a dormitory.

Presidents

# Peter V. Sampo, 1978–2006 # Jeffrey Nelson, 2006–2009 # William Fahey, 2009–present

Academics

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts offers one degree program: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts. The college is accredited by the

New England Commission of Higher Education The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United States and othe ...

. In 2010, the college started a program of teaching students practical skills in art and music, using the medieval

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

system as a model. For admissions, Thomas More College accepts the Classic Learning Test as alternatives to the SAT and ACT.

Curriculum

The first two years of the four-year program are dedicated to the Trivium (logic, rhetoric, and grammar) and the Quadrivium (geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, and music). Students read great works of Western literature, philosophy, and political science instead of textbooks. Students are also required to study a semester in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

; this is done in the second semester of sophomore year. Natural science, philosophy, scripture, and theology are all required courses. In their third year, students must present a junior project in front of a panel of three faculty members; in their fourth year, students produce a senior thesis and defend it before faculty and student peers.

Publishing

The college has sponsored the Centre for Faith and Culture at

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, England, publisher of ''Second Spring'', a journal on faith and culture, since 2007. In April 2011, Thomas More College, together with Holy Spirit College in Atlanta, reached an agreement with the non-profit publisher Sophia Institute Press, which became the publishing division of the two colleges. The two colleges, in turn, appoint representatives to the board of directors of Sophia Institute. In 2016, the college began its own publishing initiative, called the Thomas More College Press. To date the Thomas More College Press publishes the major works of

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

, as translated by Hippocrates Apostle, as well as books by Romano Guardini, John Senior, and Heinrich Rommen.

Former faculty

* Louise Cowan (1916–2015), professor of English * Anthony Esolen, professor of English Renaissance and classical literature, translator of Dante * Joseph Pearce, St. John Henry Newman Visiting Chair in Catholic Studies * Robert Royal, Catholic author and the president of the Faith & Reason Institute * Peter V. Sampo (1931–2020), political science professor and first president of the college

References

External links

* {{authority control Liberal arts colleges in New Hampshire Universities and colleges established in 1978 Universities and colleges in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Catholic universities and colleges in New Hampshire Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester Merrimack, New Hampshire 1978 establishments in New Hampshire