Aquinas College, Otago

Aquinas College
University of Otago Residential College
University of Otago
Aquinas College in 2009
Aquinas College Coat of Arms
LocationGladstone Rd
MottoDiscendo Sapientia (Latin)
Motto in EnglishLearning and Wisdom go hand in hand
FounderDominican Order
Established1954
WardenRosemary Tarbotton
Undergraduates158
Websiteotago.ac.nz/aquinas

Aquinas College is one of the Residential Colleges of the University of Otago, named after St. Thomas Aquinas, located in the suburb of Dalmore. Formerly a Roman Catholic institution in the care of the Dominican Order from the 1950s, between the early 1980s and 1988, the college was owned by the Elim Pentecostal Church, where it was used primarily by parishioners, but also by backpackers and students. The college was bought by the university in 1988 and was run for a time under the name Dalmore House, with the original name later restored.

Aquinas College maintains much of the 1950s architecture, but recently there have been major facility upgrades. The college currently houses 152 university students, making it one of the smaller University of Otago residential colleges. Notable among its facilities is its gymnasium, being the only college to have an indoor basketball court.

Aquinas was originally an all-male facility, with nearby Dominican Hall serving as a sister college for female students.