Founded:19 81
Type of institution: Micro liberal arts college
Setting:Ur ban
Undergraduate enrollment: 55 (2006\u201307

ic gems is a micro college that re\ue001ects quiet civility, a unique commitment to classical education and a \ue000rm dedication to orthodox

The college was founded in 1981 as the Thomas More Institute. The driving force since its inception has been Dr. James Patrick, who has served as provost and is now chan- cellor. He has worked to ensure that the West- ern intellectual tradition is taught through the prism of Ex corde Ecclesiae.

All 55 students study the College List of Texts, a Great Books-plus curriculum. It in- cludes the great Church fathers and classical thinkers as well as important modern writers. Graduates are awarded a Bachelor of Arts de- gree in Liberal Arts. The college was accred- ited by the appropriate regional agency, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern As- sociation of Colleges and Schools, in 1999.

lege, a somewhat similar institution, Saint Thomas More appeals to non-traditional students; indeed, only about 25 percent of incoming freshmen enter directly from high school. Most of the students are in their 20s while some are in their 30s or older.

In the 2006\u201307 academic year, six of the eight incoming freshmen transferred from other institutions. One student was a physi- cian thinking of entering the priesthood. Two

Several have described the college as steeped in a 19th-century Oxford University model with Fellows (professors), seminars and ongoing conversation inside and outside

given to English converts such as John Hen- ry Cardinal Newman, G. K. Chesterton and those in the Oxford movement. A particular mark of the school is an institutional commit- ment to civility and decency.

Students take four years of theology, phi- losophy, classical languages and literature. According to Chancellor Patrick, \u201cWe do more here with literature than almost anyone else.\u201d An alumnus who now teaches at the college said, \u201cIn one sense every class is the same class. That is, all courses go back to the

eight members who serve seven-year terms. Four board members are also Fellows. Board members are to be Catholics but there is an exception to this rule for one member who is a long-time and special supporter of the col- lege.

Bishop Kevin Vann of the Diocese of Fort Worth supports the college and visits it. He also has endorsed the college\u2019s current capital campaign.

Dr. Patrick, 74, has clearly been the vision- ary and leader of the college. A truly Renais- sance man, he is an expert on architecture, history, education and theology (he has a doc- torate in theology). One 2003 alumnus said of him: \u201cHe is the heart and soul and body of the college.\u201d

Patrick\u2019s college. It is The College of Saint Thomas More and it is the Great Books that are the teachers. If you have the books and people who have read them, you\u2019ll have a school.\u201d

Another alumnus we interviewed said, \u201cYou couldn\u2019t imagine going to a school that is more dedicated to truth, to not just Catholic spiritual life but also to continuing the Catho- lic intellectual tradition.\u201d

While many of the writers on the College List of Texts are prominent Catholic thinkers, just as many are not. But the college makes it very clear what is its priority. The website notes: \u201cMore than the great authors, Jesus is the center of the College, and it is the wish of the Fellows and Visitors that His teaching and life permeate the work of the College.\u201d

Jones, editor of Culture Wars. There has been a one-man C. S. Lewis play as well. There have been no speakers, plays or other public events at variance with Church teachings.

Mass is celebrated twice daily at the Christ the Teacher Chapel by a retired priest who serves as chaplain. The weekday Masses, with \u201cspectacular sermons,\u201d are Novus Ordo and on Sundays are the 1962 Tridentine Mass. Adoration is every week from Thursday noon until Tuesday noon. Confessions are sched- uled once a week, but informal opportunities are present before each Mass.

There are a variety of religious activities at the chapel. These include a Children\u2019s Holy Hour on Tuesday morning, a Young Serrans First Friday\u2019s Holy Hour of Reparation and several cenacles including a Scriptural Ro- sary.

Three-fourths of the students are Catholic, and conversions are common. One alumnus said that such conversions come not from evangelization \u201cbut through the curriculum, the personal example of others and through the openness in which non-Catholics are not made to feel alienated.\u201d

There is excitement about the building of a new Chapel of Christ the Teacher, for which fundraising is now taking place. When com- pleted, the chapel will seat 120 people with the opportunity to accommodate another 80. This construction of the chapel and a new li-

Students also take advantage of two near- by churches, St. Patrick Cathedral and St. Mary of the Assumption, both of which are

Every Fellow at the college is Catholic, and each takes an Oath of Fidelity on his or her knees before the Blessed Sacrament. One former student said, \u201cAll of the professors at the college stand out as representative of the faith. All are dedicated to the truth.\u201d

and taught faithfully. Dr. Patrick teaches the- ology, and one of his former students said of his teaching: \u201cIt is impossible to describe. He has a precise, broad, comprehensive and in- genious grasp of the Western theological and

Dean Judith Stewart Shank teaches litera- ture and philosophy. According to one alum- nus, \u201cShe presents literature as a mode of knowledge, a subset of philosophy. Literature, then, reveals truth through beauty, especially the beauty of language.\u201d

We were impressed by the entire comple- ment of 12 Fellows and associates. In addition to Drs. Patrick and Shank, interviewees also mentioned Dr. Donald Carlson, who teaches literature, and visiting Fellow and C.S. Lewis scholar Dr. Thomas Howard, who also teach- es literature. In addition to English Catholic writers, there is a focus on southern agrarian authors such as Flannery O\u2019Connor.

There is a limit to what disciplines are studied here, but proponents argue that what is taught is what is needed. These are the clas- sical disciplines. We believe that the college is

Greek all four years. Dr. Patrick, when asked why French or other more modern subjects are not part of the curriculum, said that those