Welcome back for the 2023-2024 academic year. We are off to a great start of what is bound to be another wonderful year here at Aquinas College. 

It is a delight to have so much energy on campus. As peaceful as summer was, it is much more rewarding to see students reuniting, the band practicing, hammocks swinging, and athletes conditioning for upcoming competitions.

There is so much to look forward to this year! Saint Stock is coming up on August 31, an excellent opportunity to get to know registered student organizations, community organizations and campus offices and departments. Don’t forget to get your Aquinas gear ready for Homecoming. It’s coming up fast– September 14-17. We will have four days full of events including men’s and women’s soccer, reunions, an alumni art show, a Main Stage Tent and more. Saint Slam, on October 26, is a late night event featuring the men’s and women’s basketball teams, the AQ pep Band and the dance and cheer teams. You can expect all kinds of fun from competitions and giveaways to live music and dancing that evening.

We are also excited to welcome our very first cohort of students enrolled in block scheduled classes. This one-class-at-a-time model is only offered at a handful of colleges and universities in the country. Combined with our emphasis on experiential learning, these courses further positions Aquinas as a leader in innovative education. Thank you to the faculty and staff who worked tirelessly to bring this program to life and thank you to the students who opted into these courses. We look forward to hearing about your experiences.

We are so proud of all of our AQ students. I have heard great things about the successes of our 2023 graduates. And almost all of our Class of 2022 graduates (96%) were employed, in graduate school, or engaged in service work within 6 months of graduation. Many of our current students spent their summer engaged in research, internships and summer jobs, taking what they have learned out in the world. Our local community members tell us about our hardworking, kind and humble Saints. I, for one, am not surprised to hear these accolades, because we see that here on campus every day.

I hope you have a great year. Aquinas is a community of wonderful people with an abundance of resources to support and celebrate each and every one of you– new and returning students. Our doors are always open– including mine.

God bless you all.

Sincerely,

Alicia Córdoba, DMA
President, Aquinas College