| Aquinas College, University of Adelaide | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
| Full name | Aquinas College | |||||||||
| Motto | Lucere et Ardere To enlighten with knowledge and enliven with faith |
|||||||||
| Named after | St. Thomas Aquinas | |||||||||
| Established | 1950 | |||||||||
| Head | Professor Dennis Ralph | |||||||||
| Location | North Adelaide | |||||||||
| Residents | 130 | |||||||||
| Admission | Co-residential | |||||||||
| [www.adelaide.edu.au/Aquinas] | ||||||||||
Aquinas College is a Catholic Residential College for tertiary students to live at whilst studying at one of South Australia's three major tertiary institutions, the University of Adelaide, Flinders University, and the University of South Australia.
Contents |
History
Founded in 1950 by the Catholic Bishops of Adelaide and Port Pirie to provide services for country students attending the University of Adelaide, the College has since catered for students attending Flinders University, the various campuses of the South Australian College of Advanced Education institutions (CAE's) and the Institute of Technology students. The campus is situated atop Montefiore Hill in North Adelaide. It overlooks both the central business district of Adelaide and Adelaide Oval. The statue of Light's Vision is situated opposite the college grounds. The administration building and surrounding grounds were the residence of Sir Samuel Way, a South Australian legal practitioner, former member for Sturt, Attorney General, Chief Justice of South Australia and Lieutenant Governor of South Australia. Gleeson House was the former residence of the Darling family. Roche House was designed in 1904 for A. Earnest Ayers. Other buildings have been purchased or rented in the College's history, including one each on Strangways Terrace and opposite the College on the eastern side of Palmer Place. Until the end of 2001, the College was administered by Jesuits, with a Rector and Chaplain living on the grounds. Fr Shannahan, an Eastern-States diocesan priest, assumed the duties of Rector between 2001 and 2004. With his departure, the Jesuit presence within the College concluded. From 2005 onwards, the College has been presided over by dedicated Catholic Heads of College, Mr. Sam Armstrong (2005) and Professor Denis Ralph. Three Marist Brothers arrived in 2006, and now assist with the spiritual and pastoral life of the college. Students entering the Hannan and Beovich Houses of the College see the College moto Lucere et Ardere over their heads, which means to enlighten with knowledge and enliven with faith (incidentally, also the motto for St Mark's College, Port Pirie). Aquinas College is named in honour of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican medieval philosopher and teacher. Aquinas College competes in an inter-college sport competition known as the Douglas Irving Cup against the other residential colleges in Adelaide, their main rival being St. Mark's College. The College grounds house a multipurpose court and gymnasium. 2007 has seen the acquisition of new property. Known as the Jeffcot Townshouses, the property was fomerly under the ownership of an elderly lady. The house was converted to a building for students.
Staff
Rectors
- Fr Finn SJ (Fr. Finn, the founding Rector, is the only priest after whom a college house is named)
- Fr Theo Overberg SJ
- Fr Michael Head SJ
- Fr John Shanahan
From 2005 onwards, after the last priest retired as rector, the position of Rector was replaced with Head Of College
- 2005 Mr. Sam Armstrong
- 2006 - current Professor Dennis Ralph
Professor Ralph is a Fellow of Flinders University, and attended Aquinas College in 1967.
Dean
The position of Dean of Studies and Deputy Head of College was created in 2006 and is currently held by Br. John Furlong FMS. This position replaced the position of Students Services Manager, held by Mr Gavin McLaughlin till the end of 2005. The Dean assists students with their pastoral, academic, and general needs, and is responsible for the coordination of Academic Tutors.
Chaplains
The current college Chaplain is Br. Rod Thompson FMS, who joined the college in 2006. Former Chaplains include:
House Coordinators and Academic Tutors
The House Coordinators are a group of senior students who assist with the social wellbeing and pastoral care of college. They are also responsible for fire emergencies, police emergencies and security issues. Until 2006, the House Coordinators were known as House Tutors. In 2007, Academic Tutors were created to aid the Dean of Studies in the academic aspects of the college.
Student Club
The Student Club, of which all Aquinas students are members, is run by senior students for the benefit of its members. The responsibilities of the student club include:
- promoting the welfare of students.
- organising religious, cultural, social, and sporting activities.
- liaison between the College Administration and the student body.
- maintenance of College equipment, such as gymnasium and sports equipment.
