Aquinas College (Tennessee)

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Aquinas College

Established:	1961
Type:	Private
Location:	Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Affiliations:	Roman Catholic
Website:	http://www.aquinas-tn.edu

Aquinas College is a Roman Catholic institution of higher learning located in Nashville, Tennessee, named in honor of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Aquinas College was founded by the Dominican Order in 1928 as St. Cecilia Normal School, and was first a school for nuns located at the St. Celcilia Motherhouse. In 1961, the school moved away from the motherhouse, opened to the public, and became Aquinas Junior College. Aquinas College currently offers four year programs as well, notably in nursing and business. It is part of the Dominican Campus, located approximately five miles (8 km) west of downtown Nashville. Also on the same plot of land are Overbrook School, an eight-grade Catholic primary school, and Saint Cecilia Academy, a Catholic girls' high school.

The addition of a third and fourth year collegiate curriculum caused a major change in the school's operation. It had previously been a major power in junior college athletics (notably baseball and basketball). However, the school's administration felt that continuing to play junior college athletics while operating as a four-year college, as was done for a period, misrepresented the school's true nature to the public and that competition at the four-year collegiate level of athletics would prove cost-prohibitive, so the institution currently sponsors no athletic programs.