NORTHFIELD — The arrival of students at Thomas Aquinas College this fall will be the first change of many as the two organizations on the campus – the college and the Moody Center – grow in the coming years.
For Thomas Aquinas College, the Northfield campus – the original Northfield Mount Hermon campus – is a branch of its main campus in California. The school received approval to grant degrees in Massachusetts in October, allowing it to open this year.
The first students will come at the end of August: a freshman class of about 35 students, and a sophomore class of about the same size flown in from California.
Administrators expect it to take about 10 or 15 years for the school to reach its maximum size in students and faculty, College Dean Tom Kaiser said at an informational meeting at the Northfield Senior Center on Friday.
Staff is “minimal” for now, with only eight faculty members starting this fall. Administrative roles are mostly being carried out by the main campus in California, but as the Northfield branch grows, it will likely become more independent in that regard, Kaiser said.
For the next few months, restorative work is being done on the campus’ buildings, Kaiser said.
At the Moody Center, changes will come more slowly and will be less noticeable at first.
So far, much of the Moody Center’s activity has been in private retreats for ministries and Church Groups, Moody Center General Manager Julia Wiggin said at the meeting on Friday. The facilities will likely open to the public more often in the coming year, Wiggin said.
The Moody Center’s long-term goal is to become a venue for conferences with 300 to 400 attendees, Wiggin said. Infrastructure improvements will likely come along with that, she said. Specifically, she mentioned that a lodge or a hotel on the campus may be necessary, since the closest large-scale lodging is in Greenfield.
That is several years off, though, Wiggin said. Before then, the parking situation at the campus will have to improve, she said. The Moody Center is also looking for volunteers to staff events.
Contact Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261 ex 261.