Thomas Aquinas is a significant presence on the Providence College campus. The first residence hall built was Aquinas Hall, in 1938. The Dominican priory is named after him — St. Thomas Aquinas Priory-Grangnani Dominican Center. A new, marvelous statue of the saint is now in a garden next to the Ruane Center for the Humanities. The statue was sculpted by Sylvia Nicolas, the artist who designed the stained-glass windows in St. Dominic’s chapel. The College’s attention to Aquinas is an important facet of Dominican identity. Friars have been schooled in the theological and philosophical thought of St. Thomas for centuries and it colors the educational mission of Providence.