Thomas University is a four-year co-educational university that serves the post-secondary educational needs of south Georgia and north Florida. The university is located in Thomasville, Georgia, a relatively small town of over 20,000 people in rural southwest Georgia. The town is 35 miles north of Tallahassee, Florida, 55 miles south of Albany, Georgia, and 45 miles west of Valdosta, Georgia.
Thomas University provides quality education through a dynamic learning environment. Innovative models for reaching learners by our caring faculty and staff change the lives of students in our local, regional, and global communities. Offering associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees, our highest goal is to provide an educational experience that explores and develops each student’s full potential.
Vision, Mission & Values
Vision
Thomas University will be a national leader in innovative teaching and interactive technology that engages students in creative problem-solving for the Information Age.
Mission
Thomas University is the school of choice for students in undergraduate and graduate programs to prepare for successful careers and responsible leadership in a rapidly changing and complex world. The faculty and staff value students’ individual strengths, capabilities, and will to succeed, providing the means by which they will achieve personal and professional transformation.
Values
Thomas University values…
…dynamic learning environments that engage students in their intellectual and personal development;
…rigorous intellectual studies that require creativity, discipline and personal responsibility;
…diversity and its use as a learning tool to teach that the world is a better place when respect for the individual is central to our relationship with others;
…community involvement, including cultural and artistic experiences, that enriches the lives of our students, as well as their fellow citizens;
…individual attention to all students;
…a lifetime connection with our students.
TU Traditions
Campus
Southwest Georgia including Thomasville and Thomas County is rich in hunting plantations. There are thousands of acres of pristine plantations in this region that are sanctuaries for wildlife, virgin forests and hunting preserves. Thomas University (TU) is a part of that tradition as it resides on the former Birdwood Plantation.
TU’s idyllic setting began its life as Birdwood Plantation, a winter resort for William Cameron Forbes, investment banker, diplomat and son of William Hathaway Forbes, President of the Bell Telephone Company.
Intimate classroom setting
Birdwood College, our inaugural name in 1950 honoring the Birdwood Plantation, was first created to serve 100 students in the liberal arts tradition within a strong Christian context. In the subsequent 20 years, the college graduated 14 students annually.
The institution transitioned from its religious affiliations to a nonsectarian community college in 1979, yet small class size remains a hallmark of a TU education. We average 10 students per class.
Honor council
Birdwood College founder, J. Harley Chapman, envisioned an education that included an environment to foster moral character and integrity. Today, the TU Honor Code embodies the same tenor. The TU Honor Code is a pledge to which all students are bound upon admittance to the university that addresses issues of academic integrity.
The Honor Council is comprised of TU students, has 11 members and a president who review and decide all cases brought before them in regards to honesty and ethics in academic matters.
Thomas University Academic Honor Code: