Thomas College
| Thomas College | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Established | 1894 |
| Type | Private |
| Endowment | $11.2 million[1] |
| President | Dr. George R. Spann |
| Vice-president | Beth Gibbs,Rob Callahan, Lisa DeSautels-Poliquin, Christopher Rhoda and Bob Moore |
| Provost | Dr. Thomas Edwards |
| Academic staff | 80 |
| Students | 1066 [2] |
| Undergraduates | 910 [3] |
| Location | Waterville, Maine, U.S.A.  |
| Campus | Rural |
| Colors | Red and Black |
| Mascot | Terrier |
| Website | thomas.edu |
Thomas College is a small, liberal arts college located in Waterville, Maine, U.S. It was founded in 1894 as a non-sectarian, co-educational college dedicated to career training. Thomas specializes in business, education, and technology. Thomas offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
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[edit] Mission
Thomas College prepares students for success in their personal and professional lives, and for leadership and service in their communities.
[edit] Campus
The College campus is located on 120 acres of woods and fields along the historic Kennebec River and includes well-maintained athletic fields. The Campus consists of about a dozen buildings, including nine residence halls. The majority of campus facilities are constructed of mostly brick masonry. Future plans call for the landscape redesign of the main road to form a "ring" around the campus, transforming the center of campus into more pedestrian walkways while expanding the "campus green."
[edit] History
Thomas College has a long history in Waterville, Maine, beginning in 1894 when it was founded as a nonsectarian, co-educational college dedicated to career training. It was founded as Keist Business College and was located on three floors above the F.W. Woolworth Co. in the Edith Building on Main Street in Waterville. At the turn of the century, Keist Business College saw a growing reputation for coeducational career training and was purchased by Willam Morgan. It was renamed Morgan Business College in 1896.
In 1911, A Peterborough, N.H. railroad administrator, John L. Thomas Sr., who himself was a business college graduate, purchased the college and renamed it Morgan-Thomas Business College. For half a century the College trained accountants and secretaries and gained an excellent reputation.
In 1950, the college was renamed Thomas Junior College and in 1956 the college moved from Main Street to the former home of John Ware on Silver Street, which was known as one of Waterville's largest and finest estates.
The 1960s was a decade of significant growth and development for Thomas College. A men's and women's dormitories were dedicated. Thomas Junior College was renamed Thomas College. In 1963, the Maine State Legislature granted Thomas the right to confer four-year degrees and in 1964 the Mariner Library, named after Chairman of the Thomas College Board of Trustees, Ernest C. Mariner, was opened. In 1965 a theater for lectures and dramatic presentations was constructed, but towards the end of the decade, the college had outgrown its Silver Street campus. [4]
In 1966 the College purchased more than 70 acres (280,000 m2) of land next to the historic Kennebec River.The entire college was relocated to the West River Road campus.
In March 2011 The Harold Alfond Foundation[5] announced a commitment of $5 million dollars that will support the construction of the Harold Alfond Academic Center and the establishment of the Harold and Bibby Alfond Scholarship Fund at Thomas College. This commitment is the largest single gift in the history of the College. The College also unveiled the campus master plan which outlines plans for campus growth with construction of a dozen new buildings.
[edit] Vision and values
Vision for Thomas College:
Thomas College prepares students for success in their personal and professional lives, and for leadership and service in their communities. Thomas provides a supportive learning environment that values the needs and goals of individual students. At Thomas, students discover and fulfill their unique potential. Each program at the College promotes professional excellence, informed by ethics and integrity.
Thomas aspires to be a regional leader in business and liberal arts education. The College is committed to quality teaching and to the application of technology at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Thomas offers broad opportunities for professional development, and promotes economic prosperity through long-term community partnerships.
[edit] Academics
Academic programs focus on career-specific and liberal arts degrees. The most popular majors are: Accounting, Criminal Justice, Elementary Education, Sports Management, Psychology, and Information Technology. The school places a strong focus on small class sizes through a student to faculty ratio of 15:1.
The college offers the following degrees: [6]
- Associate in Science
- Associate in Arts
- Bachelor of Science with majors and concentrations in accounting, business, communications, computer technology, criminal justice, education, finance, general studies, management, political science/pre-law, psychology and sports management
- Bachelor of Arts with majors and concentrations in political science, psychology, forensics, pre-law, English, general studies, and liberal arts
- Master of Business Administration[7]
- Accelerated Master of Business Administration[8]
- Master of Science in Education[9]
[edit] Athletics
The College competes at the NCAA Division III Level in 13 intercollegiate sports and is a member institution in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC). The Athletics Department currently sponsors Baseball, Softball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Field Hockey, Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Soccer, and Men's and Women's Tennis. The school also sponsors Club Sports in Men's Ice Hockey.
The College mascot is a terrier nicknamed "Tommy" which appears at sporting and other public events.
[edit] Primary campus buildings
- Administration & Classroom Building houses most classrooms and computer labs, admissions, administrative and faculty offices as well as the library and bookstore
- Dining Center/Student Center contains dining facilities, T-Bones grill, atrium lounge, ATM and mailboxes for Grant, Parks and Heath (GPH) Halls
- Laurette Ayotte Auditorium is a high tech 300-seat structure which also houses two technology-driven classrooms
- Larry Mahaney Gymnasium is an NCAA regulation size athletics facility
- Harold Alfond Athletic Center is a 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m2) facility which includes a multi-sport, three court surface (striped for basketball, tennis and volleyball), an indoor track, lacrosse ball-wall, plyometrics room, locker rooms, fitness center, multipurpose room and lounge area
- Alumni House hosts the Alumni Office and the Office of Institutional Advancement
[edit] Residence halls
The College offers 9 residence halls, including traditional double occupancy rooms, suite-style living arrangements, and townhouse apartment-style complexes.
Grant, Parks and Heath (GPH) Halls are the underclassmen residential hall complex and the oldest residence halls on campus. These three halls house over 200 students and are connected by a central lobby which contains the security office, a 24-hour computer lab, a recreation room, vending machines, and a kitchen.
The Village hosts apartment-style rooms for upperclassmen. Each room contains direct access to the outdoors and each has a bathroom and sink along the back wall. The Village consists of two-single story buildings.
Bartlett Hall offers suite-style rooms for upperclassmen on three floors. Suites are organized into five, six, or seven-person living arrangements.
The Townhouses offer private entrances, shared common areas as well as double and single living quarters.
All on-campus housing is equipped to provide students with wireless Internet, wired Internet ports and cable television service.
[edit] Information technology
All of the college buildings and high-traffic outdoor areas are covered by an 802.11a/b/g/n wireless network. Laptop computers are recommended for all incoming students, and the College has a special arrangement with Dell Computers for discounted laptop purchases. The Services Desk is located in the Library and provides technology assistance for all students, faculty and staff.
[edit] References
- ^ As of June 30, 2011. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2011 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2010 to FY 2011" (PDF). National Association of College and University Business Officers. January 17, 2012. p. 22. http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2011_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final_January_17_2012.pdf. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=488
- ^ http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=488
- ^ http://www.thomas.edu/content/4007/History_/
- ^ http://www.haroldalfondfoundation.org
- ^ http://www.thomas.edu/content/4085/Majors_/
- ^ http://www.thomas.edu/content/4536/Master_of_Business_Administration_/
- ^ http://www.thomas.edu/content/4887/Accelerated_MBA/
- ^ http://www.thomas.edu/content/4538/Master_of_Science_in_Education_/
[edit] External links
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44°31′27.64″N 69°39′48.49″W / 44.5243444°N 69.6634694°WCoordinates: 44°31′27.64″N 69°39′48.49″W / 44.5243444°N 69.6634694°W
