Pictured from left to right are Fr. Gerry Sheehan, SOLT, Sr. Anne Marie Walsh, SOLT, Fr. Jim Kelleher, SOLT, Fr. Samuel Medley, SOLT, Fr. James Flanagan, SOLT, Bishop Edmond Carmody, Fr. Dan Estes, SOLT, Dr. Dominic Aquila, (UST), Ken DeDominicis (UST)

A new program of the University of St. Thomas, Houston (UST) is beginning at Our Lady of Corpus Christi (OLCC). The University of St. Thomas will be offering freshmen level accredited courses at OLCC starting in Fall of 2009. Students will be able to enroll full time to take five freshmen level courses for Fall 2009 and for Spring 2010. These courses will be accredited by the University of St. Thomas and will fulfill the core requirements of both UST and OLCC. Offering UST accredited courses at OLCC provides many benefits for students including the ability to apply for and receive federal grants and student loans.

The University of St. Thomas is ranked among the 21 most affordable and faithful Catholic colleges and universities in the United States by The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College. They offer 30 undergraduate degrees and pre-professional programs in medicine, law, and engineering at their Houston campus and have over 60 years experience in the field of Catholic liberal arts education.

Our Lady of Corpus Christi has operated as a Catholic Liberal Arts Undergraduate program since its opening in September of 1998. It was founded by members of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) as an institute of higher education dedicated to Our Lady. Our Lady of Corpus Christi has served both seminarians and traditional students over the past ten years, providing students a foundation in liberal arts and a formation of the whole person. With the new UST program, students will be able to enjoy OLCC's small campus environment and rich spiritual life with the added benefit of UST's experience and reputation for academic excellence.

The president of Our Lady of Corpus Christi, Fr. James Kelleher, SOLT, had this to say about the new program. "Offering University of St. Thomas accredited courses at Our Lady of Corpus Christi is a big step forward for Catholic higher education in Corpus Christi and south Texas. We would like to thank Dr. Robert Ivany, Dr. Dominic Aquila, Ken DeDominicis and the rest of the University of St. Thomas leadership for partnering with us to bring about this program."