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The Great Books & a Classical Education
by Wally Caddow
At a Classical school, students actively engage with the ideas of the past and present - not just reading about them, but evaluating them, tracing their development and comparing them to other philosophies and opinions. There's a very practical way to engage in this conversation of ideas: Read, talk about and write about The Great Books.
This Classical goal is a greater understanding of our own civilization, country and place in time, stemming from an understanding of what has come before us. The student who has read Aristotle and Plato on human freedom, Thomas Jefferson on liberty, Frederick Douglass on slavery and Martin Luther King on civil rights will read Toni Morrison's "Beloved" with an understanding denied to the student who comes to the book without any knowledge of its roots.
We must seek what is most worthy in the works of both the past and the present. Henry David Thoreau might have said it best, when he remarked, "Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all."
Wally Caddow is the managing director of Trinity Classical Academy. 296-2601

Discover Trinity Classical Academy on a Personalized Tour
See the Trinity campus, community and culture in action! Fall tour dates are now available online.
trinityclassicalacademy.com

COC's "Intelligent Ways to Search for Extraterrestrials" Event is Free & Fun
Join local students and star lovers on Friday, November 1 from 6pm to 9:30pm for an evening under the stars full of fun and learning at the beautiful College of the Canyons Canyon Country Campus, Upper Plaza, adjacent to the Don Takeda Science Center. Dr. Jason Wright, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, will speak about "Intelligent Ways to Search for Extraterrestrials."
Dr. Wright is a member of the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds and director of the Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center. He works on a variety of problems related to stars, their planets and life in the universe. His work in SETI includes searches for signs of extraterrestrial industry via waste heat, like Dyson Spheres, and the development of curricula in the field. Dr. Wright also studies stars, their atmospheres, their activity and their planets. He is an instrument team project scientist for NEID, a PL of NexSS, a co-PL of MINERVA and a member of Habitable Zone Planet Finder team. He teaches at the University Park campus and has an active group of students and postdocs.
Part of the Science Talks Series, the event will feature telescopes to view the night sky, faculty and student presentations, hands-on science demonstrations and activities and food available for purchase. The event is free and open to the public.
canyons.edu/ccc

TMU Ranked #1 in US for "Character Development" by The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal has released its annual rankings for colleges and universities, and The Master's University once again obtained national recognition. TMU was ranked Number 1 in the nation for "Character Development" in the Journal's 2025 Best Colleges rankings, based on a survey of current students and recent alumni from roughly 2,000 schools.
Dr. Abner Chou, TMU's president, was encouraged that TMU excelled in this category. He said, "The Wall Street Journal rankings demonstrate that our commitment to Christ and Scripture is not just a slogan but the unyielding conviction of our campus."
TMU was also ranked Number 1 for career preparation on the West Coast and Number 9 nationally in the same category.
Here are some other highlights from TMU's rankings among West Coast institutions:
Number 1 for "Learning Environment Score"
Number 2 for "Learning Opportunities"
Number 3 for "Learning Facilities"
Registration for the fall 2025 semester is open, and those who apply before November 1, 2024 are eligible for the $1,000 early admission scholarship.
Learn more and apply today by logging on. masters.edu/apply