St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) is a

private college Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

Sparkill, New York Sparkill, formerly known as Tappan Sloat, is a suburban hamlet and census-designated place in the Town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Palisades; east of Tappan; south of Piermont and west of the Hudso ...

. The college is named after the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...

. It was founded by the

Dominican Sisters of Sparkill The Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary, better known as the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, is an institute of religious sisters of the Third Order of Saint Dominic based in Sparkill, New York, which was founded in 1876. The congregat ...

, whose headquarters are in the town. The college offers 35 majors across three schools: Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education.

Facilities

Romano Center * Also known as the Romano Student-Alumni Center, or RSAC for short. This building houses the Spartan Grille, a fast food counter restaurant along with dining seating areas located throughout the hall. Romano Center also houses the campus' bookstore, a small stage, a small video game area, a pool table area, and other campus service offices. Maguire Hall * Primarily consists of offices and classrooms. This section of the campus also houses Sullivan Theater, a small performing arts theater. It also features some art studios and a seminar room, known as the Smith Seminar room. Naughton Hall / Marian Gardens * Naugton Hall consists of professors offices. Marian Gardens consists of a walking path and a small rest area. Aquinas Hall * This hall is located at the center of the campus. It consists of Campus Safety & Security, the Mail Room, the Aquinas Hall Gymnasium, The Kraus Fitness Center, and Athletics Offices. Costello Hall * Consists of offices and classrooms related to the division of science education. It has science labs and lecture-like classrooms. The hall also houses the Azarian-McCullough Art Gallery and the Poggi Family Terrace. Spellman Hall * Consists of classrooms, computer labs, and many academic and administrative offices. This hall also consists of the Lougheed Library and the Center for Academic Excellence, a tutoring center for all STAC students. There is also a television/media studio. Borelli Hall * Consists of offices and classrooms related to the majors of business and education. It is also the hall where the Office of the President is housed. Aquinas Village * Consists of residence dorms for upperclassmen and tennis courts where the men's and women's tennis teams play. McNelis Commons * Consists of residence dorms for lowerclassmen and a buffet-styled cafeteria.

Athletics

The St. Thomas Aquinas athletic teams are called the Spartans. The college is a member of the Division II ranks of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA), primarily competing in the

East Coast Conference The East Coast Conference (ECC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located primarily in the state of New York, with a single ...

(ECC) for most of its sports since the 2000–01 academic year; while its sprint football team competes in the

Collegiate Sprint Football League Sprint football is a varsity sport played by United States colleges and universities, under standard American football rules. Since the 2022 season, the sport has been governed by the Collegiate Sprint Football League and the Midwest Sprint Footba ...

(CSFL). The Spartans previously competed in the

Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (or CACC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Its twelve member institutions are located in the northeastern U ...

(CACC) from 1965–66 to 1998–99. St. Thomas Aquinas competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity teams: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, sprint football, tennis, track & field and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, triathlon and volleyball. Men's and women's volleyball were added into its athletics program in the 2023–24 school year. Club sports are also available at the college, including cheer and dance team and volleyball. The Spartans have a cross-campus rivalry with the

Dominican University New York Dominican University New York is a private Catholic university in Orangeburg, New York, United States. It is chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York and accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Ed ...

Chargers since they are geographically a mile away from each other. Their mascot is The Spartan.

Notable alumni

Gordon Chiesa Gordon Chiesa (born ) is an American basketball coach at the collegiate and NBA level, who served as the assistant coach for the Utah Jazz for 16 seasons from 1989–90 to 2004–05. Early life A native of Union City, New Jersey,

, assistant coach for the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

of the NBA *

Barbara Corcoran Barbara Ann Corcoran (born March 10, 1949) is an American businesswoman, investor, syndicated columnist, and television personality. She founded The Corcoran Group, a real estate brokerage in New York City, which she sold to NRT for $66 million ...

, self-made real estate millionaire who sold her company The Corcoran Group for $70 million in 2001. * Gordon M. Johnson, Representative of the 37th legislative district in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

.Assemblyman Johnson's Legislative Website
,

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

. Accessed July 28, 2007. * John Jurasek, aka TheReportOfTheWeek and Reviewbrah, YouTube fast-food reviewer *Sister

Jean M. Marshall Jean M. Marshall (1942-2014, Sister Rita Vincent) was a Dominican Sister of Sparkill, New York. She founded St. Rita's Center for Immigrant and Refugee Services food distribution center, serving Cambodian, Vietnamese, and many other refugees and ...

, who received the

Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award The Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights was established in 1998 by American president Bill Clinton to honor outstanding promoters of rights in the United States. The award was first given on the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration ...

from President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

in 1999. *

Frank Messina Frank Messina (born ) is an American poet, author and performance artist. Among his four published works, Messina is the author of ''Full Count: The Book of Mets Poetry'', a 2009 work that focused on baseball fanaticism. His 2002 book, ''Disorder ...

, poet and author. *

Craig Zucker Craig Jason Zucker (born March 23, 1975) is an American politician who has represented Maryland Legislative District 14, District 14 in the Maryland Senate since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the district in th ...

, Maryland State Senator for the 14th Legislative District, Montgomery County

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Thomas Aquinas College Dominican universities and colleges in the United States Universities and colleges established in 1952 Universities and colleges in Rockland County, New York Catholic universities and colleges in New York (state) 1952 establishments in New York (state)