Thomas College

Thomas College

File:ThomasSeal.png
Type	Private
Established	1894
Endowment	$11.2 million
President	Laurie Lachance
Vice-president	Beth Gibbs,Lisa DeSautels-Poliquin, Christopher Rhoda and Bob Moore
Provost	Dr. Thomas Edwards
Academic staff	80
Undergraduates	1,201
Postgraduates	133
Address	180 West River Road , Waterville , Maine , U.S.A.
Campus	Rural
Colors	Red and Black
Mascot	Terrier
Website	www.thomas.edu

Thomas College is a business and liberal arts College, located in Waterville, Maine, 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. In addition, the College's Sports Management degree programs are accredited by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation.

Campus

The College campus is located on 120 acres of woods and fields along the historic Kennebec River. Thomas is a highly residential campus with students living in ten residence halls.

Academic buildings consist of the Ayotte Center and the Harold Alfond Academic Center which contains the Library. The Laurette Ayotte Auditorium also houses classrooms along with a 300-seat auditorium used for classes, meetings, lectures and concerts. The Alumni House contains the office of institutional advancement as well as conference rooms.

Athletic facilities include The Harold Alfond Athletic Center, The Larry Mahaney Gymnasium, Alumni Field, two all-weather turf fields, and well maintained athletic fields for soccer, baseball, field hockey and softball.

The George and Marty Spann Student Commons is the main student gathering center on campus and includes the dining center, campus bookstore, meeting rooms, and recreation rooms.

Campus housing options vary and include traditional style dormitories in Grant, Parks and Heath Halls, suite style living in Bartlett Hall, motel-style options in "The Village" residence halls, apartment-style living in "The Townhouses," and pod-style living in Hinman Hall.

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 Company in the Edith Building on Main Street in Waterville. At the turn of the century, Keist Business College was purchased by Willam Morgan. It was renamed Morgan Business College in 1896.

In 1911, a Peterborough, New Hampshire 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.

The 1960s was a decade of significant growth and development for Thomas College. 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.

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 announced a commitment of $5 million 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.

In April 2012, the College announced the inauguration of its fifth president, Laurie Lachance, M.B.A.'92.

Academics

Thomas College offers over 30 majors in the Undergraduate Program including Accounting, Criminal Justice, Elementary Education, Sports Management, Psychology and Information Technology. Business management

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 university also sponsors in men's ice hockey as a club sport as part of the Northeast Collegiate Hockey Association (NECHA).

The college mascot is a terrier nicknamed "Tommy" which appears at sporting and other public events.

Despite the schools size it has produced a number of international soccer players, including Mikkail Crockwell and Tre Ming, both of whom played for the Bermuda national football team.

Alma Mater

Alma Mater

To thee oh Alma Mater

We sing a song of praise;

With joyful strength and duty

Our voices loud we raise.

To praise thee for the knowledge

That thou dost give to us;

We learn with joy and gladness

Within thy well-loved halls.

To thee oh Alma Mater

We pledge our loyalty

Thy fame dear Thomas College

Our constant aim will be.