Thomas College is a small college located in Waterville, Maine, U.S. It was founded in 1894 as a non-sectarian, co-educational college dedicated to career training. 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.

Mission

Thomas College's mission is to prepare students for success in their personal and professional lives, and for leadership and service in their communities. The private, career-oriented College is committed to preparing its undergraduates for careers in business, technology and education. Over 90 percent of Thomas graduates are hired in their field of study within 90 days of graduation. The College guarantees employment in a student's chosen field of study through its Guaranteed Job Placement Program.

Vision and values

The Mission and Vision for Thomas College:

"Those we serve are the foundation of our future"

Thomas College prepares students for success in their personal and professional lives, and for leadership and service in their communities. Thomas provides a supportive learning environment that values the needs and goals of individual students. At Thomas, students discover and fulfill their unique potential. Each program at the College promotes professional excellence, informed by ethics and integrity.

Thomas aspires to be a regional leader in business and liberal arts education. The College is committed to quality teaching and to the application of technology at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Thomas offers broad opportunities for professional development, and promotes economic prosperity through long-term community partnerships.

Academics

Thomas College academic program focuses on career-specific and liberal arts degrees. The most popular majors are: Accounting, Criminal Justice, Elementary Education, Sports Management, Psychology, and Information Technology. The school places a strong focus on small class sizes through a student to faculty ratio of 15:1.

The college offers the following degrees:

• Associate in Science
• Associate in Arts
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Arts
• Master of Business Administration
• Master of Business Administration-Human Resource Management
• Master of Science in Education
• Master of Science-Computer Technology in Education: Technology Integration or IT Administrator track

Athletics

Thomas competes at the NCAA Division III Level. The Terriers compete in 12 intercollegiate sports. They are a member institution in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC).

The Thomas College Athletics Department currently sponsors Baseball, Softball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Field Hockey, Men's Golf, Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Men's and Women's Soccer, Men's Tennis and Women's Volleyball. The school also sponsors Club Sports in Men's Ice Hockey.

The mascot, a terrier, is nicknamed "Tommy" and sometimes appears for sporting events and other public events.

Campus facilities

Harold Alfond Athletic Center Opened in September 2006, this facility includes a multi-sport, three court surface (striped for basketball, tennis and volleyball), an indoor track, lacrosse ball-wall, plyometrics room, locker rooms, fitness center, multipurpose room, and lounge area.

Larry Mahaney Gymnasium The Larry Mahaney Gymnasium is an NCAA regulation size athletics facility.

Laurette Ayotte Auditorium This high tech 300-seat structure was completed in the spring of 2000. It features a beautiful lobby, and two technology-driven classrooms in addition to the auditorium.

Student Center The student center is located in the middle of campus. The building is open for all students to use. It contains the dining center, atrium lounge, ATM, GPH mailboxes, and the T-Bones grill.

Administrative Building The "Admin" building hosts most administrative and faculty offices, the library, bookstore, and most classrooms and computer labs.

Alumni House The Alumni House hosts the College office of Institutional Advancement.

Residence Halls

Grant, Parks and Heath (GPH) Halls are the underclassmen residential hall complex.

The Village hosts apartment-style rooms for upperclassmen.

Bartlett Hall offers suite-style rooms for upperclassmen.

The Townhouses, which were built in 2008 offers more housing for upperclassman.

All on-campus housing is equipped to provide students with wireless internet, wired internet ports and cable television service.

Information technology

Thomas College has continued to aggressively upgrade its technology over the last decade. Nearly 100% of floorspace on campus is covered by an 802.11g wireless network, and many outdoor areas of campus are also covered by this network. Laptop computers are recommended for all incoming students. The college has a special arrangement with Dell Computers laptop purchases. The Services Desk, located in the Library is available for technology assistance for all students, faculty, and staff.

Special features

Unique in colleges across America: Students who graduate from Thomas College with a bachelor’s in arts or sciences are eligible for the Guaranteed Job Placement Program, which guarantees students a job in their field of study.

The Guaranteed Job Placement program (or G-Job) is the only one of its kind in the nation. No other college or university in America offers this type of job placement guarantee. If students don’t secure employment in their field of study within six months after graduation, they can return to Thomas and take more classes or the College will pay the monthly federally subsidized student loans that were incurred while attending Thomas for up to one year or until you get a job. All of this applies if the student achieves goals set by the school, for instance in order to qualify for G-job, the student may not ever incur a grade in any course less than a C. They must also maintain an average GPA of 2.8 or higher. All inquiries about the requirements for G-job can be retrieved through the SFS office located in the front of the administration building.

In addition, if students are employed within six months following graduation, but the position is not within their field of study (for whatever reason), they may take an unlimited number of tuition-free undergraduate courses for up to two years or up to six tuition-free graduate courses at Thomas while working toward an M.B.A. degree.

History

Thomas College was founded in 1894 as a nonsectarian, co-educational college dedicated to career training. In the spring of 1956, the College moved from its downtown location to a large, private estate in the city of Waterville. When the College outgrew this campus in 1966, it purchased more than of land next to the historic Kennebec River and developed a small-college facility. By 1971, the entire college was relocated to the West River Road campus.

Notable alumni

Thomas College graduates are successful in every profession imaginable, including business, education, and technology. They are often leaders and innovators in their fields. Here are just some of the College's prominent alumni:



Brian Bernatchez '88-Golden Pond Wealth Management Inc.

John Brooks Jr. '87-Vice President of Sales at Enesco Inc.

Kenneth Burek '81-CFO, The Foreside Company

Robert Clark '82-Mill Controller, International Paper Company

Ryan Conley '02-Vice President/General Manager Atlantic City Surf Professional Baseball

Paul Cottrell Jr. '77-President, Pine Tree Trading Co.

Kevin Dennehy '80-Vice President of Accounting and Reporting, TNK BP (British Petroleum in Moscow Russia)

Christopher Evans '87-Chief Operating Officer, Sabre Yachts

Michael Fitton '77-Partner, Perry, Fitts, Boulette, & Fitton

Neal Glazier '77-Partner/Vice President, G & E Roofing Company

Dan Gwadosky '82 '94-[200257]Secretary of State, Maine

Scott Harrison '88-Vice President, [200258]Food Lion

David Herlt '90-Mill Manager, International Paper Company

Scott Jacobs '82-Senior Accounting Manager, Staples

Kim Lindlof '91-President, Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce

David Mahan '70-Co-owner Funny Cide's (Kentucky Derby Winner)

Harold Marden '80-President, Marden's

James McCann '75-Owner, McCann Commercial Investments

Peter Merfeld '99-Chief Operating Officer, (COO) at the [200259]Maine Turnpike Authority

Kevin R. Molloy 82-Executive Director, Lancaster County Convention Center Authority, Lancaster Pennsylvania

Jeffrey Nichols '86-Senior Systems Analyst, [200260]Hannaford Bros Co.

Phyllis Paris '71-Director of International Business Development, [200261]Bath Iron Works

Janet Parkhurst '71-President, Oakes Parkhurst Glass Co.

Randy Reynolds '94-Director of Facilities, [200262]LL Bean

Clayton Rollins '85-President, Yankee Title Co.

Kathleen Ryan '81-Vice President of The Boston Company

David Sayers '87-President and CEO, Casco Federal Credit Union

Todd Smith '92-Owner, TSSD, Inc. (company specializing in decommissioning and demolition of nuclear power plants)

James Vachon '91-Manager Finance and Operations, E-Commerce

Billie Vasoll '68-President, Williams Construction Co.

Jeffrey Vaughn '83-Vice President of Sales, Boston Whaler

Dan Veilleux '72-Owner, Harry J. Smith Company

Mike White '01-Marketing Assistant, Chicago Bears

Scott Mullen '04-Supervisor Procurement, Bath Iron Works

Ross T. Plante '02 - Head Interrogation Officer, US Border Patrol, San Diego, CA

Eric Reddy '04-Director of Sales, America East Conference

References

1. http://thomas.edu/grad/majors/MBA.asp
2. http://thomas.edu/grad/majors/MSEd.asp
3. http://thomas.edu/grad/majors/cteTECH.asp
4. http://thomas.edu/grad/majors/cteIT.asp

External links

• The official Thomas College website