Small liberal arts university in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
St. Thomas University
(also
St. Thomas
or
STU
) is a Catholic, English-language
liberal arts university
located in
Fredericton
, New Brunswick, Canada. It is a primarily
undergraduate
university offering
bachelor's degrees
in the arts (
humanities
and
social sciences
), education, and
social work
to approximately 1,900 students. The average class size is 30 and no class is larger than 60.
[6]
The university offers recognized majors in
Criminology
,
Journalism
,
Human Rights
, and Communications and Public Policy. St. Thomas is the home of the Frank McKenna Centre for Communications and Public Policy.
[7]
The university is unique in Canada for its sole focus on liberal arts and its commitment to social justice.
[
citation needed
]
St. Thomas' notable
alumni
includes a Canadian prime minister,
Brian Mulroney
, a New Brunswick premier,
Shawn Graham
, federal and provincial cabinet ministers, prelates, university presidents as well as several Rhodes Scholars.
[8]
History
[
edit
]
St. Thomas University
acknowledges the land
in which the school is built on as traditional territory of Indigenous communities. These communities include the
Wolastoqiyik
/
Maliseet
, and the
Mi'Kmaw
, and
Passamaquoddy
/
Peskotomuhkati
Tribes / Nations, who signed
peace treaties
with the
British Crown
in the 1700s.
St. Thomas University traces its institutional origins to the establishment of a Catholic academy in the former community of
Chatham, New Brunswick
(now
Miramichi
) in the late nineteenth century. Due to an influx of Irish immigration in northwestern New Brunswick, Chatham saw a need for more centers of education and religious instruction. Officially opened in October 1860, St. Michael's Academy was inaugurated by Bishop
James Rogers
of the newly formed
Diocese of Chatham
.
[9]
St. Michael's Academy catered to young English-speaking males in the Miramichi River Valley and the growing port town of Chatham. A women's academy was created a year later. St. Michael's consisted of a single wooden structure constructed near the seat of the Diocese of Chatham, the new
St. Michael's Cathedral
. The institution offered a classical education and was intended to prepare students to study for the diocesan priesthood. From 1865, the school was known as St. Michael's College. It closed for several years in the 1870s and 1880s.
[9]
Its uneven operation was curbed by the
Basilian Fathers
, a religious order who assumed the administration of the College in 1910. Since the Toronto-based religious order already had a Catholic college in the Ontario capital, named
St. Michael's College
(a federated component of the
University of Toronto
), St. Michael's in Chatham was renamed St. Thomas College after
Thomas Aquinas
. It remained a high school and a junior college; however, in 1934, the institution gained degree-granting status from the Government of New Brunswick.
[9]
STU's lower campus in
Fredericton
After 1923, the Basilian Fathers transferred the administration of the college to the Diocese of Chatham.
[10]
The diocese was restructured as the Diocese of Bathurst. Its seat was moved to the primarily francophone community,
Bathurst
, north of Chatham. While St. Thomas College remained in Chatham, its future remained uncertain. In 1959, the college was subject to territorial changes in the reorganized
Diocese of Bathurst
. English-speaking parishes and the college were transferred to the
Diocese of Saint John
with its seat in New Brunswick's major
port city
.
[11]
The Bishop of Saint John became the Chancellor of St. Thomas. By mid-century, the economic and social significance of post-secondary institutions saw an increased role of state intervention. In 1960, the institution was renamed St. Thomas University by an act of the
New Brunswick Legislature
.
[12]
Under the government of
Louis Robichaud
, the Royal Commission on Higher Education was launched. Headed by
John James Deutsch
, a professor and administrator from
Queen's University
, the commission recommended greater centralization and public funding in post-secondary education.
[13]
Arising from the Commission's recommendations, St. Thomas University was encouraged to relocate to the campus of the
University of New Brunswick
in Fredericton to share facilities. Not without controversy and animosity, St. Thomas University moved to the provincial capital and abandoned its secondary school curriculum.
[12]
A new campus was built in the
Neo-Georgian
style by the architects of the University of New Brunswick (Larson & Larson) to complement the campus of its institutional neighbour.
[14]
It officially welcomed students in October 1964.
[12]
Relationship with UNB
[
edit
]
St. Thomas University and the
University of New Brunswick
's Fredericton campus are located in the College Hill neighbourhood in
Fredericton
. The two institutions share facilities for their student unions, libraries, athletics, and a common heating plant and building maintenance services. Students from STU are permitted to take a certain number of classes at UNB and vice versa. However, STU and UNBF itself are financially and academically separate. STU is able to offer many amenities other smaller schools cannot, in large part to its UNB partnership. The two universities enjoy a good-natured rivalry.
[15]
Now sharing a campus with the
University of New Brunswick
(pictured), STU relocated to Fredericton from
Chatham, New Brunswick
in 1964
[12]
Academics
[
edit
]
STU offers the following programs:
Bachelor of Arts
,
Bachelor of Applied Arts
,
Bachelor of Education
,
Bachelor of Social Work
.
[16]
Athletics
[
edit
]
STU offers athletic programs for men's and women's basketball, cross-country, soccer, and volleyball, as well as women's rugby and hockey.
Collectively, the Tommies have won 41 ACAA titles and 3 AUS titles. Student-athletes have achieved 404
CCAA
National Scholar and 417
U Sports
Academic All-Canadian awards.
[17]
STU participated in
AUS
men's hockey until 2016 (winning the championships in 1961 and 2001),
[18]
and men's and women's track and field from 2011-2022.
Campus life
[
edit
]
Brian Mulroney
Hall
There are six academic buildings on campus housing classrooms and faculty offices: James Dunn Hall, Edmund Casey Hall, George Martin Hall, Brian Mulroney Hall, Holy Cross House, and Margaret Norrie McCain Hall. Additionally, there are three residence buildings at St. Thomas University, all located on campus: Harrington Hall, Vanier Hall, and Holy Cross House.
The university maintains its own campus police force, comprised by students hired annually by the University to maintain security at campus events.
[19]
The student newspaper,
The Aquinian
, is available on campus and throughout the city during the regular academic year.
Graduates may choose to wear the traditional T-ring
Chancellors
[
edit
]
Bishop of Chatham
(1910?1938) after
Bishop of Bathurst
(1938?1959)
- Thomas Francis Barry, 1910?1920
- Patrice Alexandre Chiasson, C.I.M., 1920?1942
- Camille-Andre LeBlanc, 1942?1959
Bishop of Saint John
(1959?2019)
lay
Chancellors (2020?Present)
Presidents and Vice Chancellors
[
edit
]
- Nicholas Roche, C.S.B., 1910?1911
- William J. Roach, C.S.B., 1911?1919
- Frederick Meader, C.S.B., 1920?1923
- Raymond Hawkes, 1923?1927
- James M. Hill, D.D., 1928?1945
- Charles V. O'Hanley, 1945?1948
- A.L. McFadden, 1948?1961
- Donald C. Duffie, 1961?1975
- George W. Martin, 1975?1990
- Daniel W. O'Brien, 1990?2006
- Michael W. Higgins
, 2006?2009
- Dennis Cochrane
, C.M., 2010?2011
- Dawn Russell, LL.M., 2011?2022
- Kim Fenwick, Ph.D. (Acting), 2022?2023
- M. Nauman Farooqi, Ph.D., 2023?Present
Notable alumni
[
edit
]
- Guy Arseneault
? Member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick and former member of parliament
[20]
- Lewis C. Ayles
? former justice of the
Court of Appeal of New Brunswick
and former Member of the
Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
[21]
- Daniel Joseph Bohan
? 7th Catholic
Archbishop of Regina
[22]
- Frank Branch
? 56th
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
[23]
- Greg Byrne
? former cabinet minister and
Attorney General
of New Brunswick
- Roger Clinch
? former member of parliament
- Chris Collins
? 67th
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
[24]
- Ivan Court
? 65th
Mayor of Saint John, New Brunswick
- Matt DeCourcey
? Former
member of parliament
- James Doyle
? former Member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
- Sheree Fitch
? author, poet
- Raymond Fraser
? author
- Shawn Graham
? 31st
Premier of New Brunswick
[8]
- Stephen Horsman
? former Deputy Premier of New Brunswick and cabinet minister
- Al Kavanaugh
? former Member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
- J. Fraser Kerr
? former Member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
- Carl Killen
? former New Brunswick MLA
- Kelly Lamrock
? former cabinet minister and
Attorney General
of New Brunswick
- Carolyn Layden-Stevenson
? Justice of the
Federal Court of Appeal (Canada)
[25]
- Claudius Leger
? former judge and Member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
- Paul Lordon
? former MLA
- Sandra Lovelace Nicholas
?
senator
[26]
- George W. Martin ? former President of St. Thomas University
- Joseph R. Martin
? former MLA and Mayor of
Chatham, New Brunswick
- Frederic McGrand
? physician, senator, MLA and 42nd
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
[27]
- J. Killeen McKee
? former judge and Member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
- Michael McKee
? former judge, provincial cabinet minister, and New Brunswick MLA
- Ralph McInerney
? former New Brunswick MLA
- Brian Mulroney
? 18th
Prime Minister of Canada
, (alumnus of St. Thomas College, Chatham)
[28]
- Joseph Leonard O'Brien
? former Member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, 38th
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
, member of parliament, and 21st
Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
[29]
- Candy Palmater
? lawyer, comedian, aboriginal and gay rights activist
- Al Pittman
? poet, playwright
- David Adams Richards
? senator, author, screenwriter
[30]
- Bernard Riordon ? Director Emeritus of the
Beaverbrook Art Gallery
and past director of the
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
[31]
- Carmel Robichaud
? former provincial cabinet minister and New Brunswick MLA
- Anna Silk
? actress
- Jake Stewart
? Member of Parliament and former provincial cabinet minister
- Greg Thompson
? New Brunswick MLA; former federal cabinet minister and member of parliament
- Lyman Ward
? actor
- Doug Young
? former federal and provincial cabinet minister, former
Leader of the Liberal Party of New Brunswick
[32]
Notable faculty and staff
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Psalm 119, Verse 66; also, motto of the
Basilian Fathers
.
- ^
[https:// web. archive.org/web/20141028093255/
http://w3.stu.ca/stu/about/mission/default.aspx
"Mission statement"].
stu.ca
. St. Thomas University. 2014. Archived from
the original
on 28 October 2014
. Retrieved
28 October
2014
.
- ^
"President"
.
- ^
Founding Member, Board of Governors,
https://www.stu.ca/bog/
- ^
"2022?2023 Full-Time plus Part-Time Enrolments"
(PDF)
. Association of Atlantic Universities. 2022-10-01
. Retrieved
2023-10-09
.
- ^
"St Thomas University"
. Archived from
the original
on 2014-08-26.
- ^
"Frank McKenna donates $1M to STU"
. CBC News New Brunswick.
- ^
a
b
"St. Thomas: What it's really like to attend this school"
.
macleans.ca
.
- ^
a
b
c
Church, Politics, and STU: The Relocation of St. Thomas University from Chatham to Fredericton, p. 3-4.
- ^
Church, Politics, and STU: The Relocation of St. Thomas University from Chatham to Fredericton, p.3-4.
- ^
Church, Politics, and STU, 53-55.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"History - St Thomas University"
.
stu.ca
.
- ^
"Commission on Post-Secondary Education in New Brunswick"
.
gnb.ca
.
- ^
Church, Politics, and STU, p.176-177.
- ^
"WWW.VREDSHOCKEY.COM - History - Battle of the Hill"
.
vredshockey.com
.
- ^
St. Thomas University Programmes
Archived
2012-04-05 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"STU Tommies Athletics"
. 8 November 2023.
- ^
"Atlantic University Sport - Men's Hockey Past Champions"
.
- ^
Employment on Campus
- ^
https://nbliberal.ca/team/guy-arseneault/%7CNew
Brunswick Liberal Association, MLA profile
- ^
https://www.martindale.com/attorney/lewis-c-ayles-1308037/%7CMartindale
profile
- ^
"Archdiocese of Regina Archives, Archbishop Bohan"
. January 14, 2010. Archived from
the original
on 2010-01-14.
- ^
"Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick"
.
gnb.ca
.
- ^
"Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick"
.
gnb.ca
.
- ^
"Carolyn Layden-Stevenson Distinguished Alumni Award - St Thomas University"
.
stu.ca
.
- ^
Canada, Senate of (October 13, 2016).
"Senate of Canada - Senator Sandra M. Lovelace Nicholas"
.
Senate of Canada
.
- ^
"Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick"
.
gnb.ca
.
- ^
"CBC Digital Archives: "Looking Back on the Mulroney Years."
"
.
- ^
"Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick"
.
gnb.ca
.
- ^
"David Adams Richards Appointed to the Senate of Canada"
.
stu.ca
. August 30, 2017.
- ^
"2014 - St Thomas University"
.
stu.ca
.
- ^
"Special Announcement at St. Thomas University"
.
stu.ca
. May 16, 2019.
- ^
"STU Tommies Athletics"
.
STU Tommies Athletics
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Fraser, J. A.
"By Force of Circumstance": A History of St. Thomas University
. Fredericton: Miramichi Press, 1970.
- Spray, William and Anthony Rhinelander.
Church, Politics, and STU: The Relocation of St. Thomas University from Chatham to Fredericton
. Fredericton, NB: STU, 2014.
External links
[
edit
]
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