There’s a new private college in town – one with affordable tuition, accelerated degrees, and classical liberal arts and career-ready majors – and it will be welcoming its inaugural undergraduate students this fall at its new Wake Forest, North Carolina campus.
Thales College, founded by Bob Luddy, who also created the network of affordable private K-12 schools known as Thales Academy, said in an announcement the college’s students “will enjoy personalized mentorship and teaching from top-notch faculty, and they will benefit from our new campus home in Wake Forest, North Carolina, with Raleigh’s vast opportunities and amenities at their fingertips.”
Peter Forrest, PhD, will serve as the school’s Dean of Humanities after having spent five years teaching undergraduates in the Department of Philosophy at Auburn University.
“I am excited to be joining the faculty of Thales College at its inception because I believe that the status quo of American higher education is ineffectual and unsustainable and that the vision of Thales College offers students a better path forward to a life well-lived,” Forrest said in the press statement.
Luddy explained further about the quality of the education college students can expect to obtain at Thales College:
The liberal arts are foundational to all of our degrees at Thales College, and Dr. Forrest will serve as one of our wonderful professors and mentors to our students in this area. All of our students will benefit from one-on-one faculty mentorship, Socratic-style class discussions that encourage the exchange of ideas and the development of critical thinking, as well as professional guidance and experience in their fields of choice, all of which will prepare our graduates to excel in work and life.
According to the press statement, Thales College will provide “an affordable liberal arts and professional education so that students develop the wisdom – intellectual ability, meaningful knowledge, moral character, and professional excellence – needed to thrive in life and work.”
The college currently offers three undergraduate degree options: a B.A. in Entrepreneurial Business, a B.A. in Classical Education and Leadership, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.
“All degrees include a core liberal arts curriculum component, as well as an internship requirement,” the announcement said.
Tuition at Thales College is $4,000 per 15-week term, with eight terms required to earn a degree. A merit-based Founder’s Scholarship is available. The school states it is committed to making a debt-free college education possible.
Thales College is accepting applications “on a rolling basis for its undergraduate program and its Founder’s Scholarship for Fall 2022,” the school noted.
Additionally, applications for the 2022-2023 high school dual enrollment classes – offered free of charge – are being accepted, as are those for a high school business-focused Summer Institute.
Interested students are urged to apply as soon as possible. For more information and to apply for admission online, visit: ThalesCollege.org
“I believe ideas can change the world, that training in wisdom and training in practical skills are not in conflict, and indeed that gaining wisdom is the most practical goal a student can pursue while in college,” said Forrest, who holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oxford.
“I also believe that the artistic and intellectual treasures of our cultural heritage are a great gift to aid us in this pursuit, a gift we must steward and pass on to the next generation,” he added. “I look forward to exploring these treasures together with the bright and pioneering students of Thales College’s inaugural class.”
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Susan Berry, PhD, is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
