St. Thomas University is a small, Catholic institution whose central liberal arts programme is complemented by professional programmes in education and social work. St. Thomas University takes pride in and seeks to nurture its Catholic and humanistic heritage, its concern for social issues, its interaction with the community beyond the campus and its sensitivity to the needs of individual students. A strong sense of community unites its alumni, students, staff, faculty, and friends.

We are a liberal arts institution whose roots are in the faith and tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. We continue under its sponsorship. We provide an atmosphere hospitable to faith, in which the academic study of the Roman Catholic tradition and the experience of Christian life may be pursued with respect and freedom and where non-Catholic faculty and students are recognized and supported as full and equal participants in the university community.

We are a university primarily concerned with people, ideas, and values. We are an institution with a social conscience. We are united in the belief that women and men of divergent backgrounds and abilities should have an opportunity to learn and practice critical thought and to realize their intellectual potential in an academic setting that is both responsive and stimulating.

The liberal arts, and the principles of liberal education, stand at the core of St. Thomas University. Finding new and more effective ways of studying the liberal arts is a priority. We contend that one of the roles of the university is to help people put ideas and values into action. In that belief, we offer professional programmes which reflect the knowledge, methods, and values of the liberal arts disciplines.

We take pride in welcoming students who show potential, as well as those of proven ability; those who pursue a traditional academic career and those who do not; those who study part time as well as those who study full time. We want our students to succeed, to grow in self-esteem, to experience the joy of intellectual accomplishment. We provide an educational environment in which faculty are accessible, flexible, and committed to excellence in teaching. We encourage our faculty to examine teaching and learning in a critical manner. We foster scholarship and research because we recognize their role in the advancement of knowledge, and in sustaining the quality of teaching and the intellectual life of the university.

We believe that learning engages the whole person; we seek to provide an environment conducive to enriching student life. In this regard, pastoral care is of special concern.

Our shared campus with the University of New Brunswick provides our students and faculty with the best of two worlds—the advantages of a small, intimate, academic community and the amenities of a much larger institution. We take full advantage of this arrangement, upholding our obligations under the affiliation agreement we have with our neighbouring institution, and seeking new avenues of cooperation and partnership beneficial to both communities.

We strive to preserve the tradition of academic freedom. We seek to provide a learning and working atmosphere that is free of discrimination, injustice, and violence, and that is responsive, understanding, open, and fair.

We see ourselves as an important community resource. We welcome the opportunity to share our facilities, talents, and expertise with others; to form partnerships with groups and organizations-whether they are next door or around the world-whose mission, goals, and objectives are in harmony with our own; and to provide cultural, religious, artistic, athletic, and social programming that enhances the quality of life of our city and our province.