In celebration of its move to new quarters in January, Aquinas Institute of Theology will award five special scholarships for full-time study for the Spring 2006 semester.
The school will move when the current semester ends and reopen in January in a century-old former factory that has been gutted and restored. It will offer students a chapel, expanded library, more classroom space and a reading/meditation area.
Growth at the Dominican-sponsored seminary and graduate school makes the move necessary. The new space will more than double the school’s square footage.
“These scholarships are offered in celebration of this expansion,” said Ken Homan, Ph.D., dean of enrollment management. “They also are offered as an expression of our commitment to amplifying the need for lay ecclesial ministers. As we move deeper into the 21st century, Aquinas Institute has come to recognize even greater opportunities to serve the Church.”
The school will award five full-time, “Ministry on the Move” scholarships to degree-seeking, first-time students. The awards will be based on applicants’ academic and ministerial potential, spiritual maturity, goals, and character. Scholarships will cover tuition for 12 credits of graduate study. Non-tuition costs such as parking, books and student fees will not be covered.
“The scholarships are an excellent opportunity for someone who has been considering a career in ministry or thinking about studying theology,” said Jared Ainsworth-Bryson, director of admissions. “We hear from so many people who say they feel a certain call, or who hear from others that they are suited for ministry, but they don’t take that first step and apply.”
The deadline to apply for the scholarships is Nov. 15. Aquinas Institute expects to announce the awards in the first days of December. Courses resume in the new building in January.
The new building, at Forest Park Boulevard and Spring Avenue, is a block south of Saint Louis University. Aquinas Institute and SLU are in a cooperative relationship that allows students from each school to register for courses at the other and offers access to AI students to the university library, recreational facility and other services.
To find out more about the scholarships, go to www.ai.edu/scholarships or contact Jared Ainsworth-Bryson at 314.977.3889 or admissions@ai.edu.