2 0 1 9 - 2 0 2 0

T H E Y E A R I N R E V I E W

2

Pursuit of Truth | We value intellectual inquiry as a lifelong habit, the unfettered and impartial pursuit of truth in all its forms, the integration of knowledge across disciplines, and the imaginative and creative exploration of new ideas

Academic Excellence | We create a culture among faculty, students and staff that recognizes the power of ideas and rewards rigorous thinking

Faith and Reason | We actively engage Catholic intellectual tradition, which values the fundamental compatibility of faith and reason and fosters meaningful dialogue directed toward the flourishing of human culture

C O N V I C T I O N S | As a community we are committed to:

3

Dignity | We respect the dignity of each person and value the unique contributions that each brings to the greater mosaic of the university community

Diversity | We strive to create a vibrant diverse community in which, together, we work for a more just and inclusive society

Personal Attention | We foster a caring culture that supports the well-being of each member

Gratitude | We celebrate the achievements of all members of our community in goals attained and obstacles overcome, and in all things give praise to God

C O N T E N T S

Colleges and Schools

6 College of Arts and Sciences

10 Dougherty Family College

13 Morrison Family College of Health

17 Opus College of Business

22 School of Education

26 School of Engineering

28 School of Law

31 The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity

Supporting Units

36 Division of Student Affairs

40 Innovation and Technology Services

43 Enrollment Services

44 Academic Affairs

44 Accreditation, Assessment and Curriculum

45 Faculty Advancement

46 Student Achievement

50 University Libraries

52 Global Learning and Strategy

F O R E W O R D F R O M T H E P R O V O S TDear St. Thomas Community,

Few events have shaped our collective experience at St. Thomas more memorably than the past academic year. Thank you – each one of you – for the empathy, creativity and grace you demonstrated while helping us continue to achieve our mission.

Fall 2019 began with the same energy and optimism that traditionally mark every academic year at St. Thomas, and we welcomed 1,412 new Tommies in September. In October, we officially opened the Morrison Family College of Health, with MayKao Hang as its vice president and founding dean. The college initially was comprised of the university’s existing School of Social Work and Graduate School of Professional Psychology, and soon thereafter, the Department of Health and Exercise Science joined the college. Learn more about this newly formed team’s accomplishments on Page 13.

In February 2020, as it became clear that a new virus had sparked a global pandemic, life at St. Thomas began changing at lightning speed. The University Action and Response Team (UART) met every day to track the latest information, plan scenarios and make research-based recommendations. By Feb. 28, we announced the closure of our Bernardi Campus in Italy and helped those students return to the United States. Two weeks later, and with the safety of our community in mind, we made the decision to send all of our students home and begin online course delivery four days later. We are thankful for the Herculean efforts put forth by students, faculty and staff to complete the semester under complicated circumstances heavily influenced by anxiety, isolation, illness and economic insecurity. Thank you for your patience, resilience and focus as our work together continues.

Little more than a week after we closed the academic year with a virtual commencement celebration in May, we witnessed the murder of a Black man, George Floyd, on a south Minneapolis street. In that moment, St. Thomas recommitted to the dismantling of our country’s long history of systemic racism and building a more inclusive, equitable society. To that end, the university established the Racial Justice Initiative, headed by Yohuru Williams. In this externally facing position, Dr. Williams will leverage the work St. Thomas is undertaking to help connect our conversations with those in our local and national communities.

The St. Thomas community may be experiencing a “new normal,” but we remain steadfast in our mission to “educate students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely and work skillfully to advance the common good.” I am so grateful to be part of this community, and I am proud to share this installment of the Year in Review with you. Take care and be well!

Best regards,

Richard G. Plumb, PhD Executive Vice President and Provost Professor, School of Engineering

C O L L E G E S A N D S C H O O L SWhen it comes to academic excellence, the colleges and schools within St. Thomas refuse to compromise. Today, as you read this, we are laying the groundwork for new programs that benefit our students and our community. Highlights of our various accomplishments over the past year are summarized here.

2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20

Undergraduate Students Baccalaureate 6,046 6,035 6,161 6,130 Associate of Arts 107 183 229 Nondegree 65 57 51 43 Total Undergraduates 6,111 6,199 6,395 6,402Graduate Students  Master’s 2,801 2,778 2,751 2,596 Doctoral 216 220 189 190 Juris Doctor 366 387 435 451 Certificate/Licensures 452 259 215 186 Nondegree 37 35 50 46 Total Graduates 3,872 3,679 3,640 3,469Grand Total 9,983 9,878 10,035 9,871

Full-Time Faculty 467 457 457 450Adjunct Faculty 390 405 414 417Staff  988 1,026 1,037 1,107

H E A D C O U N T

C O L L E G E O F A R T S A N D S C I E N C E S

D O U G H E R T Y F A M I L Y C O L L E G E

M O R R I S O N F A M I L Y C O L L E G E O F H E A L T H

O P U S C O L L E G E O F B U S I N E S S

S C H O O L O F E D U C A T I O N

S C H O O L O F E N G I N E E R I N G

S C H O O L O F L A W

T H E S A I N T P A U L S E M I N A R Y S C H O O L O F D I V I N I T Y

6

C O L L E G E O F A R T S A N D S C I E N C E SNew Curriculum, Majors and Minors This was an active year for the development of curriculum in the College of Arts and Sciences. Not only were courses proposed for the new core curriculum that launches in fall 2020, but there were also a number of revisions in majors and minors and associated courses throughout the college. New majors in Arts and Sciences include journalism, strategic communication, digital media arts, film studies and communication studies. A new minor in Latin American and Caribbean studies was also approved.

The biggest changes in the core curriculum will be the implementation of foundation courses in philosophy, theology and art history. The new integrated humanities requirement led to course proposals from 10 different programs; the new global flagged courses saw course proposals from 12 programs, and the DISJ (Diversity, Inclusion, Social Justice) flagged courses from eight programs. All told, over 100 courses in 15 different programs were reviewed and approved. Now, there are five new programs that have a stake in the core, increasing the diversity of the core classes for all students.

New Departments and Faculty In the past 12 months we have seen the establishment of three new types of departments in the college, bringing together multiple disciplinary programs under a single chair to promote curriculum unity and more efficient use of resources. Earth, Environment, and Society brings together programs in environmental science, environmental studies, geography, geology and sustainability under the leadership of Elise Amel. Society and Justice Studies combines programs in criminal justice, justice and peace studies and sociology, along with the graduate program in police leadership under the direction of Tanya Gladney. Finally, the department of Emerging Media houses the new majors of digital media arts, journalism and strategic communication under the leadership of Mark Neuzil. There were five new faculty hires in these departments, and the new positions emphasize the versatility of the faculty to teach in multiple programs.

7

Among the seven other new faculty hired to start in fall 2020 is the first joint appointment in neuroscience and biology, along with positions in biology, psychology, mathematics, music, art history and theology. The 12 new faculty are the most diverse group ever hired by the college, with 67% women and 42% persons of color.

SOLV Initiative The second full year of the SOLV initiative (started by Dean Yohuru Williams) saw a new round of projects led by interdisciplinary teams of faculty and students working with community partners. Three new projects were approved, two of which will have a delayed start due to COVID-19: “Fatigue Assessment and Sleep Patterns in Minneapolis Police and Fire Department Employees” (Tanya Gladney and Roxanne Prichard) and “Continued and Sustainable Water Use in Adaptation to Rapid Climate Change in the Peruvian Andes” (Jeni McDermott, David Kelley and Elise Amel). The project that is already making progress this year is “Cultivating an Educational and Institutional Relationship between Dakota Communities and the University of St. Thomas” (Mike Klein).

A hallmark of the SOLV program is the emphasis on teams adapting creatively to assess evolving circumstances. Of special note is the engagement of the Urban Art project to document the street art created in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. The team leaders, Heather Shirey and Todd Lawrence, received attention about their initiative from MPR and the press.

Since the formation of the SOLV initiative in the 2018-19 academic year, over $314,000 has been committed to the program’s endowment.

Becoming Human and Teach-in Tuesdays The SOLV initiative also provided partial support to Dr. Kim Vrudny and a group of college faculty who put together an online class on systemic racism in our culture called, “Becoming Human: Developing an Anti-Racist Spirituality.” The group provided a series of Lenten reflections working with the Basilica of St. Mary, and will be making the series available more widely next year as a response to events in the Twin Cities regarding the murder of George Floyd.

Launched in 2018-19, the Teach-in Tuesday initiative continued and expanded its scope to include a range of systemic discrimination issues. The suspension of the sessions during the spring semester demonstrated a need for moving this series into a digital format, and for 2020-21 we will have an expanded planning committee set up the recording and posting of each session.

These programs highlight the deeper engagement on critical issues that an interdisciplinary and liberal arts perspective brings. These programs will serve as a foundation for the development of the college’s DEI plan and programming in 2020-21.

College of Arts and Sciences faculty and students participating in the SOLV initiative pose in front of the Braided, a mural that is part of the Midway Murals project, in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul.

8

Asmat Art As part of the SOLV and Catholic Schools initiative, a team of faculty and students has continued to work with St. Peter Claver School in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood to provide an arts curriculum for K-8 students. The Art History department also had the opportunity to put a large exhibition of Asmat art up in Concourse C at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the first time the airport had worked with a museum collection as part of its arts programming. Thousands of individuals saw the exhibition, providing a broader picture of St. Thomas in the process.

Advisory Board After two terms, Ms. Kelly Larmon finished her outstanding service as chair of the Advisory Board of the College of Arts and Sciences and Mr. Ozzie Nelson (1987) and Ms. Sharon Stein were elected as the new chair and vice-chair. Additionally, Mr. John Monahan, Mr. Reuben Moore and Ms. Pahoua Yang Hoffman ’06 MBA joined the Advisory Board, bringing new diversity and experience.

The board was successful in raising $15,000 in scholarships for the Rome Empower program in recognition of Kelly Larmon’s long service as chair of the Advisory Board. Members of the Advisory Board also met with the Strategic Planning Task Force for input on developing the college’s strategic plan in 2020-21. The Advisory Board began to discuss in subcommittees ways to help liberal arts students prepare for the job market and to articulate the value of the Rome Empower semester for alumni of that program, which the college plans to develop next year as part of its mentoring initiatives.

Grants In 2019-20 the college continued to promote research and faculty/student engagement through grant applications and awards. Almost 40% of the grant applications were successful, with a total of about $480,000 in new awards for 2019-20. The proposals submitted this past year for a funding total of nearly $4.7 million is an increase over the previous two years.

Asmat art exhibition at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Photo by Steven Cohen.

9

Major grants such as the STEM Inclusive Excellence program (supported by a five-year $1 million Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant) began to have an impact on campus during 2019-20. The Creating Inclusive Classrooms initiative sponsored two day-long workshops and five lunchtime talks, focused on creating inclusive classrooms and an inclusive STEM environment on campus. The Inclusive Advisor Training initiative trained 12 faculty advisors to mentor 97 underrepresented STEM students (students of color, first generation college students and Pell grant recipients). The Creating a Culture of Inclusion Accountability initiative organized a faculty-led global competency course, two book discussions and 22 course revision DEI-related grants. Such work will provide important experience for the development of the college’s strategic plan and DEI plan in 2020-21.

Teaching in a COVID-19 World and Beyond The move to online instruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic meant nearly 1,000 spring semester sections had to change their mode of delivery within a week, with many faculty teaching fully online for the first time. Previous initiatives to promote online education for summer and January courses helped lay some foundation for this pivot in instruction, which had the coincidental effect of boosting enrollments in summer and January courses to record levels. The uncertainty of in-person instruction in the fall and the need for social distancing in the classroom has led to a greater variety of course modalities being offered in the college, including blended and flex models. These adaptations will allow faculty to move more readily online if that becomes necessary in the fall. This crash course in instructional delivery systems provides an opportunity for faculty to rethink instruction in a post-COVID-19 environment, focusing in-person instruction on high-impact, active learning and collaborative assignments while using online resources for content delivery. The challenge for the next few years will be to build new models of instruction along with new core curriculum and new majors to prepare the College of Arts and Sciences for teaching in the 2020s.

New STEAM Complex Development and Fundraising Fundraising for the proposed Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) complex took a major leap forward in FY2020 with the securing of a naming donor to fund 50% of the $75 million fundraising goal. This generous gift allows us to continue the cross-campus design development phase while also advancing additional fundraising from individual and corporate donors.

$964K raised in

FY20

10

D O U G H E R T Y F A M I L Y C O L L E G ECollege Persistence Dougherty Family College alumni have already started creating a legacy of success in their first year after graduation. In fall 2019, 48 graduates of the inaugural class continued on in their commitment to their post-secondary education, enrolling at Augsburg University, Metropolitan State University and Hunter College. 33 scholars stayed close, enrolling at St. Thomas’ four-year program and continuing studies in everything from social work, chemistry, engineering and business.

DFC students engaged in academics and with campus life, while becoming incredibly close-knit and supportive of each other. Despite a variety of challenges due to COVID-19, students persisted and prospered, transitioning smoothly into online learning this spring. We are endlessly proud of our alumni for all they have accomplished, for their commitment to completing their bachelor’s degrees and everything they’ll accomplish after.

College Transfer One of the biggest goals of Dougherty Family College is to help each of our graduates pursue a four-year degree. During the 2019-20 academic year, students participated in robust transfer programming offerings, designed to prepare and support them with their bachelor’s degree goals. Students attended the annual DFC college fair and UST Day, along with scholarship and transfer application workshops. When the university closed campus due to COVID-19, students continued pursuing transfer goals via Zoom sessions with local colleges and completing college transfer meetings, virtually.

This fall, 2020 Dougherty Family College graduates are prepared to enter into higher education institutions across the Twin Cities – 52 students will transition to the

11

four-year program at St. Thomas. Nineteen of these students received full-tuition DFC Excellence Scholarships through the generous donations of the Ryan/Sterbenz Estate and Gene and Mary Frey. In addition to the existing scholarship pathway partnerships with Augsburg University and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, a new transfer partnership was established with the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota which provides full-tuition scholarships for up to 10 students annually to complete a four-year business degree.

The Constellation Fund The Constellation Fund selected Dougherty Family College in its inaugural round of education grantees with a $125,000 award — this is a huge honor and a prestigious stamp of approval in the funding community. The Constellation Fund, spearheaded by Andrew Dayton, takes a data-driven approach to philanthropy that supports organizations leading the fight against poverty in our community. To do this, they use an outcome-driven approach that prioritizes evidence over anecdote to fund high-impact poverty-fighting interventions. Using economists and researchers, the Constellation Fund carefully measures the poverty-fighting improvements that various nonprofit organizations make in the lives of Twin Cities residents living in poverty. When deciding who to fund, they maximize impact (much like investment decisions are made to maximize profits) by comparing the poverty-fighting impacts of different interventions and allocating their resources to programs with the largest impact.

In their independent investigation of Dougherty Family College outcomes, the Constellation Fund’s economists found that DFC’s wrap-around services generate $5.62 in benefits for every dollar invested. Further, our school’s effectiveness is 19 percentage points higher than the average effect of the highest functioning programs.

$2.0 MILLION

raised in

FY20

12

While we still have much work to do, this report offers a proof point that we can be proud of this lean and reliable incubator for undervalued academic talent in the Twin Cities community. Furthermore, it demonstrates that when students receive adequate support to navigate the barriers to college success, they can complete their degrees.

Internship Program We began the year focusing on broadening the reach of the Professional Internship program. More than half of our sophomore class landed internships in the fall as we welcomed our largest class of freshmen into their professional development course. Leaders from our business, nonprofit, education and local government communities volunteered to help our students with their resumes, interviewing and networking skills, and career exploration. The panel of professionals who shared their stories about workplace culture and diversity were favorites amongst our students. This year, we expanded internship opportunities in education, health care, manufacturing and consumer products. Additionally, we worked with our inaugural class of alumni to connect them to highly competitive summer internship programs with many of our DFC hiring partners.

Throughout the COVID-19 shutdown this spring, many of our partners remained committed to providing paid internships for DFC students. We worked together to create new “best practices” for remote internships and remote supervision. For our students, highlights on the job included meeting CEOs, connecting with St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, obtaining an insurance license and doing real work as a part of a professional team. One DFC freshmen shared, “The environments of both U.S. Bank and St. Thomas have forced me to think outside the box, which pushes me outside my comfort zone. My goal is to become a native web developer with a key focus on accessibility,” he said. “My internship is teaching me what it really means to code for accessibility.”

13

M O R R I S O N F A M I L Y C O L L E G E O F H E A L T HMorrison Family College of Health Created Dr. MayKao Y. Hang, Vice President and Founding Dean, started November 4, 2020 and the Morrison Family College of Health received a $25 million gift, through the generosity of John and Sue Morrison.

Dr. Hang is former President and CEO of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation and brings more than two decades of experience in improving community health and well-being for those most disadvantaged in society. By the end of the fiscal year, three academic units (social work, graduate professional psychology, and health and exercise science) were successfully merged and operating as one team under the supervision of Dr. Hang. An organizational structure was created and approved, positions were filled, and program development for a new nursing program was underway.

Founding Advisory Board Launched The Founding Advisory Board was launched in February with highly talented, capable and well-respected experts from across many disciplines. John Morrison served as Advisory Board Chair. The group was instrumental during a historic time in advising and consulting with St. Thomas about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starr Sage Tenure Dr. Sage started at the University of St. Thomas in the fall of 2015. She was the first public health faculty hired and was tasked with shaping the public health program as well as teaching a variety of courses. Her primary research examines the ways in which social determinants influence health, particularly cancer outcomes in communities of color. She also conducts qualitative research using a sociological lens to consider students’ perceptions of diversity, inclusion and difference in university settings. Dr. Sage has been an integral part of the public health program and will continue to be as the program grows.

Incoming Faculty Senate, Chair-Elect Dr. Paul Mellick will serve as chair-elect of the faculty senate in the upcoming academic year. Dr. Mellick has served on the senate for three years, as division director of Division 3 in the College of Arts and Sciences, and he currently chairs the Department of Health and Exercise Science. He brings campus-wide experience as director of the Exercise is Medicine® initiative and will give the Morrison Family College of Health a strong voice within the university.

Public Health Curriculum approval A revision of the public health curriculum was approved in spring of 2020 and will be implemented this coming academic year. These changes to the public health curriculum fully align program goals and course learning objectives with the competency-based accreditation standards of the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

Top: John and Sue Morrison; bottom: Dr. MayKao Hang

14

Bronze status for Exercise is Medicine® St. Thomas became one of only 166 universities and colleges around the world to be honored by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Exercise is Medicine® initiative for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus. Exercise is Medicine® is a campus-wide initiative that began in October of 2019 with Tommie Training. The St. Thomas Exercise is Medicine® on Campus committee is made up of Paul Mellick (faculty), Brett Bruininks (faculty), Madonna McDermott (Center for Well-Being), Anna Miller (student) and Lauren Wikstrom (student), and was supported by the Center for Well-Being, St. Thomas Athletics, the CAS Dean’s office and the Department of Health and Exercise Science. We have earned a bronze recognition while only being an Exercise is Medicine® campus for six months and facing a pandemic.

CSWE accreditation for SSW After ending the formal collaboration with St. Catherine University, the St. Thomas School of Social Work received new accreditation from the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) for both its BSW and MSW programs.

Dr. Bryana French Awarded Outstanding Early Career Psychologist Award Dr. Bryana French was awarded the Outstanding Early Career Psychologist Award by the Minnesota Psychological Association (MPA). Dr. French makes ongoing contributions to many communities in Minnesota and is frequently invited to present to Minnesota organizations and communities on topics related to sexual violence, racial healing and culturally relevant pedagogy. She has provided diversity consulting with a range of Minnesota institutions including a public school, a community college and multiple nonprofits. She has frequently attended MPA’s Mental Health Day on the Hill and engaged in other advocacy work. In addition, her scholarship is well developed and has currently resulted in 15 journal articles, four book chapters and 42 national and international peer-reviewed presentations. She is an ad hoc reviewer for the Counseling Psychologist and the Journal of Black Psychology. At the national level, Dr. French serves on the American Psychological Association’s Council of Representatives (APA CoR) and on the APA CoR Ethnic Minority Caucus. The St. Thomas community has also benefited greatly from Dr. French’s gifts. Among many other contributions to St. Thomas, she has served as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fellow and on the Institutional Review Board.

Nathaniel Nelson, President of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology Dr. Nathaniel Nelson serves as president of the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN), one of several specialty boards of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), whose mission is to promote quality psychological services through the examination and certification of professional psychologists who provide specialty practices in the United States. In close consultation with the ABCN Executive and Examination Committees, he has worked to maintain the ABCN examination and certification processes amidst the various challenges that have accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic. He will complete his term as ABCN president

Top: Dr. Bryana French; bottom, Dr. Nathaniel Nelson.

15

in February 2021. Dr. Nelson also remains active in neuropsychology research studies that examine the efficacy of aerobic exercise in Alzheimer’s disease. Additional research collaborations examine neuropsychological outcomes associated with blast-related concussion and chronic posttraumatic stress among combat veterans. He and his colleagues are also in the process of summarizing the results of a 2020 survey of U.S. and Canadian clinical neuropsychologists regarding their beliefs, clinical practices and work-life satisfaction in the current dynamic health care landscape.

Ann Marie WinskowskiAnn Marie Winskowski assumed her role as the Director of Psychological Services and Co-Director of the Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services.

School of Social WorkThe School of Social Work welcomes two new faculty members: Dr. Roberto Aspholm and Ms. Shari Johnson. Dr. Aspholm joins us from Southern Illinois University. His research focuses on violence prevention, diversity and social justice, and community and gang violence. He will be teaching in both the MSW and BSW programs. Ms. Johnson joins us from Simmons University in Boston. Her areas of practice and research expertise include diversity, equity and inclusion, faculty development and higher education administration, and community-based learning. She will be teaching in the MSW field program, and she has also agreed to assist us with facilitation and coordination with our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

School of Social Work DSW Program Fifteen students graduated with a practice doctorate in spring 2020. Of the 43 current doctoral students, more than 20 states are represented, and 28% are from diverse backgrounds, including African American, Native American and Latinx students. Two current students are faculty members from a tribal college in South Dakota, and one current student serves on the Council on Social Work Education, the largest professional organization for social work educators. DSW alumni continue to make

16

contributions to the profession as well, including six alumni who serve on committees (e.g. commissions and councils).

School of Social Work BSW Program The Bachelor’s in Social Work (BSW) program added another interdisciplinary major with psychology, bringing the total to four: criminal justice, psychology, public health and sociology. Dr. Corrine Carvalho completed her time as interim dean, and Katharine Hill (previously the BSW program director) transitioned to her new role as director of the School of Social Work. Dr. Ande Nesmith was named as the new BSW program director.

The BSW program continues to develop new curriculum and field placement offerings for students. Dr. Melissa Lundquist developed and offered a new interdisciplinary course co-taught with philosophy: SOWK 291 - Dying in America. This course will be

offered again in summer 2021. Two new international field placement experiences in Mexico and Botswana were also approved.

School of Social Work MSW Program Master of Social Work (MSW) students, faculty and alumni continue to make us proud. Annie Meyers, MSW student and Area of Emphasis in Aging Scholar, received a competitive Gerald Bloedow Scholarship from the Minnesota Gerontological Society. This scholarship award is provided to students furthering their education in the field of gerontology. Tanya Rand, clinical faculty and coordinator of Aging Services, and Stephanie Larson, Area of Emphasis in Aging Scholar, had the opportunity to be present at the Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging’s 2019 Summit to witness Minnesota Governor Tim Walz sign Executive Order 19-38 declaring Minnesota an age-friendly state. Alumna Labibah Burke received the MSW Student Leadership Award from the National Association of Social Workers-Minnesota chapter.

MSW curricula, including all required courses and five elective courses, have been converted to hybrid format. This process began in spring 2018 and launched summer 2019.

The MSW Area of Emphasis in Aging scholars hosted a Careers in Aging CEU event in March and wrote and distributed their third newsletter.

Dr. Ande Nesmith

17

O P U S C O L L E G E O F B U S I N E S SUNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM GHR Fellows Program In fall 2019, the College launched the GHR Fellows program, a highly competitive, transformational undergraduate experience for students seeking careers in business. It is the first preeminent, four-year, endowed scholarship program at the university and is funded through a generous $50 million endowment from the estate of Gerry Rauenhorst and the GHR Foundation. The goal of the program is the development of ethically minded, innovative, community engaged, globally aware business leaders.

Ten outstanding first-year students were selected as the inaugural GHR Fellows cohort. The cohort was academically strong and diverse: an average GPA of 3.97, an average ACT score of 29.4, 40% students of color, 40% out-of-state residents and 20% first in their family to go to college.

GHR Fellows engage in a rich series of co-curricular leadership development activities, including participation in the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship’s Freshman Innovation Immersion, an offsite retreat, monthly seminars led by university faculty and staff and regular cohort outings to visit local businesses and engage in service to the community.

The inaugural GHR Fellows cohort.

18

Poets and Quants “Best Undergraduate Business Schools” Ranking In our third year of participating in the Poets and Quants survey, the Opus College undergraduate program was ranked at #62, moving up from #64 in 2018 and #70 in 2019. The College also ranked as follows:

#2 undergraduate business school in Minnesota (behind only the Carlson School at the University of Minnesota),

#10 overall ranking among Catholic business schools, and

#52 in employment outcomes in the country.

This objective national ranking of undergraduate business schools puts equal emphasis on admissions standards, the total student experience, and job and starting pay outcomes.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS Graduate Program Portfolio Evolution and Enrollment Graduate business enrollments for 2019-20 remained solid despite substantial changes in the market for graduate business education, including a continuing decline in the number of business professionals seeking an MBA degree. We experienced a 4-5% increase in graduate program enrollment in 2018-19 and 2019-20 compared to 2016-17 and 2017-18. This was accomplished by diversifying our portfolio over the last four years, with growth in specialized master’s programs and certificates, particularly business analytics, and in the online MBA program launched last year.

BUSINESS IN A DIGITAL WORLD INITIATIVE Led by the Associate Dean for Graduate Program Innovation and an interdisciplinary task force, the College has developed a vision for a long-term digital transformation initiative, and in fall of 2019 we secured from the GHR Foundation a multi-year grant of $3.4 million to establish the initiative. Our North Star is to develop leaders who understand the enormous power and potential of emerging technologies in business and society, and who can responsibly harness that power for the common good.

After identifying the competencies needed for business in a digital world, we proposed an innovative approach to delivering our vision: The

Commons and the Virtual Interdisciplinary Department. The Commons will be a place to learn, collaborate and play, co-created and co-delivered with strategic partners, focused on digital transformation. The Virtual Department will be the academic arm of the initiative. It will not be a traditional academic department but rather an interdisciplinary team made up of EmTech faculty fellows from across campus, adjuncts, corporate fellows and executives in residence.

SCHULZE SCHOOL OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Global Social Innovation Challenge The school entered into an agreement, funded by a generous grant of $500,000 from Ron Fowler, to serve as partner with the University of San Diego on the Global Social Innovation Challenge, a social venture pitch competition that recognizes, resources and rewards student-led social ventures focused on sustainable change. The challenge

19

was held virtually in June. A team from St. Thomas, BraillEazy, ended up as one of the top five teams in the competition. BraillEazy allows blind people to learn braille from the comfort of their smartphone.

BraillEazy, representing St. Thomas, one of the top five teams in the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge (GSIC) virtual global finals competition.

Gener8tor – gBeta accelerator The Schulze School entered into a partnership with nationally ranked start-up accelerator Gener8tor to bring professional accelerator services to the University of St. Thomas. gBETA is a free seven-week accelerator that helps early-stage St. Thomas-affiliated startups connect with mentors, grow their customer traction and pitch to investors. In 2019, the school completed its first gBeta St. Thomas summer accelerator program for six teams comprised of students and alumni. Funding was provided through a generous grant of $150,000 from the Schulze Family Foundation.

Students deliver business pitches to showcase their group’s product at the Gener8tor’s gALPHA accelerator program.

$4M in new

endowmentfunds

$4.9 MILLION

raised in

FY20

20

Schulze Innovation Scholars The Schulze School welcomed its second cohort of Schulze Innovation Scholars in the fall of 2019. The Schulze Innovation Scholarship program at the University of St. Thomas is a four-year full-tuition scholarship and premier academic program funded by the Schulze Family Foundation. Schulze Scholars receive a one-of-a-kind experience that nurtures them into innovative, entrepreneurial leaders, and helps launch their careers — over 50% of the Schulze Scholars are working on new businesses as they complete their studies.

Princeton Review Ranking The Schulze School was the top-ranked school in Minnesota in the Princeton Review’s rankings of undergraduate entrepreneurship programs. St. Thomas was ranked #35 overall and was one of just five Catholic schools across the country included in the list. The ranking reflects the program’s strengths across many factors, including academics and requirements; students and faculty numbers; alumni entrepreneurship ventures; mentorships; competitions hosted by the school/program; and scholarship and financial aid. Notably, the Schulze School ranked #6 on the “Outside the Classroom” dimension, a factor that considers number of mentors, competitions (types and awards) and scholarships.

PRINCIPLED LEADERSHIP The College recently announced a $3 million gift from The Toro Company and the Hoffman Family Foundation for the Center for Ethics in Practice. The center will be renamed The Melrose & The Toro Company Center for Principled Leadership in honor of Ken Melrose, a former CEO of Toro who recently passed away. A strong supporter of the Center and affiliated with the College as the Holloran Chair, Ken was known for turning around The Toro Company by focusing on customers and the adoption of a servant-leader approach to management. Along with new leadership, the gift will allow the Center to reach the next level of its evolution in business ethics and principled leadership outreach.

BUSINESS OF HEALTH CARE Health Care MBA and United Health Group The College secured a fifth cohort of 32 United Health Group (UHG) students in the Health Care MBA program. The corporate cohort MBA program for UHG involves highly qualified middle and senior level managers from across the country who are working in a diverse set of function areas across the various UHG entities. Over time, we have strengthened our relationship with UHG, including having guest speakers on targeted topics from UHG senior leadership, touring the UHG innovation center during our D.C. residency, planning an international residency in Ireland focusing on Optum, and appointing a health care faculty person into a UHG lead faculty role.

Collaborative Program with CENTRUM Business School The College partnered with CENTRUM Business School in Lima, Peru and hosted its Health Care MBA cohort for a new program on the United States health care system in summer of 2019. After completing all their course work at CENTRUM

#35ENTREPRENEURSHIP

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

NATIONALLY (Princeton Review)

#62 BEST

UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL

NATIONALLY (Poets & Quants)

21

Business School and Cayetano Heredia Medical School in Peru, they traveled to Minnesota for their international residency. The first cohort was comprised of nine students with significant health care professional experience. The 10-day program focused on the business implications of our health care system and included site visits to UnitedHealthcare, Allina Health (Abbott Northwestern Hospital), Mayo Clinic, Coloplast and HealthPartners (Regions Hospital). Because of its success, CENTRUM requested another cohort in 2020 but the course was delayed because of COVID-19.

Minor in the Business of Health Care In collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences, the College developed and secured University approval for an interdisciplinary minor in the business of health care. It is designed to serve students across the University who have a career interest in the profit and nonprofit health care sector by providing them with a basic understanding of the industry and business of health care. Students in the minor can take health care related courses in management, economics, theology and philosophy as part of the minor.

MARKETING In partnership with the Marketing, Insights and Communication (MIC) team, the College launched a branding campaign in the Twin Cities market. With the goal of elevating the perception of Opus, the campaign employed media vehicles that create big impact and align with the campaign’s “Opus Giants” theme. The “giants” depicted in the campaign signified the positive impact made by Opus alumni around the world. Leveraging traditional outdoor media channels (advertising on billboards, buses, light rail and in the skyways), the integrated campaign supported the lead generation efforts via digital channels.

22

S C H O O L O F E D U C A T I O N

Tommie Selected as Finalist for Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year Award School of Education graduate Omar McMillan was named as one of the 10 finalists for the Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award for 2020. Omar received his MA from the School of Education in 2003 and currently teaches fourth grade at Richfield STEM School. Omar was selected as a finalist from more than 135 candidates.

Diverse Teachers Initiative Four undergraduate students from the Dougherty Family College will join the School of Education to pursue bachelor’s degrees in elementary education. All four students worked in schools for their internships at the Dougherty Family College. Thanks to the contributions of Mike and Ann Ciresi and the O’Shaughnessy Foundation, each of these students will receive a scholarship to offset the cost of tuition. We are excited to welcome students from the Dougherty Family College to the School of Education and hope to enhance this pipeline in the future.

NUA Conference For three days in June, 375 educators from across the country participated in a professional development institute offered by the National Urban Alliance (NUA) and the University of St. Thomas School of Education. What was originally planned as an in-person conference shifted to a virtual conference, requiring extensive support from School of Education faculty and staff, as well as assistance from several other units at St. Thomas.

Nationally acclaimed speakers Linda Darling-Hammond, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Yvette Jackson and Eric Cooper were joined by Kathlene Campbell, the Dean of the School of Education at the University of St. Thomas, and Osseo Public Schools Equity Director Rev Hillstrom, in making keynote presentations over the three-day conference. These champions of equity challenged participants to gain the knowledge and skills they need to ensure that every student becomes a high performing learner who will positively impact our community.

In addition, 32 breakout sessions were offered for participants, addressing topics geared toward creating just and inclusive classrooms. Attendees were provided with activities tailored specifically to their teaching levels. Topics of the breakout sessions included strategies to support student voice, creating authentic assessments, how to use mediation to challenge, and how to create powerful learning groups.

Dougherty Family College and School of Education Faculty Retreat For three days in August 2019 and one day in January 2020, faculty from the Dougherty Family College and the St. Thomas School of Education came together to dive deeper into how to make college courses more inclusive. The faculty participated in a discussion of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies by Alim and Paris. In addition, guest speakers presented on the “opportunity myth” and trauma-informed education. As a follow-up to the August retreat, faculty worked in groups to identify readings, resources and activities that are more inclusive of our students’ lived experiences and embedded them in their syllabi. An overarching goal of the retreat was to ensure that

23

diverse and equitable activities and readings are embedded in every course. This is an ongoing annual professional development opportunity that was made possible due to funding from the McKnight Foundation and the Sauer Foundation.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Virtual Garbing Party The Educational Leadership Department hosted its very first virtual garbing party to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2020 graduates earning a Doctor of Education (EdD) degree. With more than 100 faculty and family members in attendance, 17 doctoral graduates were recognized by Dean Campbell and their dissertation chairs.

Pioneers in Co-Flex Course Delivery Model Dr. Jayne Sommers, program director of the Leadership in Student Affairs (LSA) MA program, and Dr. Sarah Noonan, professor emerita and former program director of the Educational Leadership and Learning doctoral program, partnered with STELAR to lead a team of full-time and adjunct faculty to design and deliver the first co-flex programs at St. Thomas. Students were able to choose to join the class sessions in person or via Zoom videoconferencing. The flexibility of this model signals our strong commitment to accommodating student needs and assure high-quality course content. Dr. Aura Wharton-Beck, program director of Educational Specialist (EdS) programs, also spearheaded transitioning the EdS program into a completely online platform. The leading-edge transformation allowed the Educational Leadership program to continue high-quality instruction without disruption during COVID-19.

Learning Technology Leadership and Innovation (LTLI) Certificate Program LTLI, a cutting-edge new certificate program, received approval from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to offer the first competency-based education (CBE) program at St. Thomas. The 12-credit graduate certificate will prepare current and future education leaders to advocate for technology innovation and lead equitable learning initiatives in educational organizations. The competency-based online program identifies specific learning outcomes and enables students to master the core competencies at their own pace with faculty experts.

$853K raised in

FY20

24

DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION Work and Learn The Department of Special Education launched a district-driven “Work and Learn” program partnering with school districts in our state to grow their own teacher workforce. In the 2019-20 academic year, one school district and three intermediate school districts participated in this program.

Hyflex Format During the fall 2019 semester, the Department of Special Education fully launched flexible programming that actively engages learners in the mode in which they choose to participate in a course. The Department of Special Education offers this hyflex format for all conventional on-campus courses for both graduate and undergraduate students. Students can choose from three different methods to engage in course content for each class session: face-to-face, synchronous online or asynchronous online. Because this model was already established prior to the pandemic, Special Education was easily able to shift to fully online instruction when COVID-19 restrictions no longer allowed in-person courses. The department, partnering with STELAR, has been a pioneer on campus introducing this hyflex format.

Office of Special Education Program (OSEP) GrantSpecial Education graduated 12 OSEP scholars who completed the requirements of an initial special education license in autism spectrum disorder. The scholars were 50% male, 80% diverse, and 67% bilingual. Through the OSEP grant, these scholars were able to complete the program tuition-free.

Residency Program Special Education continues to engage in residency programs with St. Paul and Minneapolis Public Schools. Faculty in the Department of Special Education presented a session at the Council for Exceptional Children 2020 Convention and Exposition titled “Integrating CEC high leverage practices within a residency special education preparation program and district teacher evaluation system.”

Black Educators Initiative Grant The Department of Special Education received the National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) Black Educators Initiative grant in the amount of $388,000 to recruit, support and retain Black educators. The program this grant supports, a collaboration across our residency programs with St. Paul and Minneapolis Public Schools, is designed to meet the needs of our local communities. In this project, Black educators and other teachers of color are supported through the entire teacher preparation pipeline from recruitment to preparation, induction and retention. Additionally, in alignment with the spirit and intent of the Black Educator Initiative (BEI) grant and our institutional commitments, the School of Education provided similar benefits and opportunities to additional students through other funding sources. The BEI grant will allow us to address the need to diversify the teaching profession while working to close the opportunity gaps; it will be one component of an overall strategy towards inclusive excellence that benefits all.

25

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION Schulze Teaching Fellows The Schulze Teaching Fellowship program debuted last fall with funding from a $102,000 Schulze Family Foundation grant. Ten junior and sophomore education majors in the School of Education were selected as fellows and were awarded $6,000 scholarships paired with paid internships tutoring in the Literacy Kids! program. Fellows work with children who need literacy support at two Catholic elementary schools – St. Helena in Minneapolis and St. Thomas More in St. Paul – through the free before-and after-school program. Schulze Teaching Fellows tutored small groups of students twice a week during the school year, developing their skills in planning, teaching, small group management and relationship building.

Hubbs Children’s Literature Conference Award-winning children’s authors Nikki Grimes and Minnesotan Bao Phi headlined the 28th annual Hubbs Children’s Literature Conference on Saturday, February 15, 2020. A New York Times bestselling author, Grimes has more than 50 titles to her name, ranging from picture books to young adult stories. She has received numerous accolades and awards, including the 2017 Children’s Literature Legacy Award, the 2016 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award and the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. In 2017, Grimes was presented with the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for her “substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.”

For nearly three decades, the Hubbs conference has drawn teachers, parents, students, librarians, writers and anyone interested in encouraging the use of quality children’s literature in homes, schools and communities. The reformatted conference dramatically increased participation this year, drawing well over 100 people. For the first time, St. Thomas provided scholarships to cover the registration fee for eight “Windows and Mirrors” Fellows from the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. The Windows and Mirrors Fellowship is a program dedicated to mentoring indigenous writers and writers of color to craft picture books, middle grade literature and young adult literature. The name is inspired by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s crucial essay, “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” (1990).

Taiwan Study Abroad Program Drs. Candace Chou and Debbie Monson, along with a team of professors and graduate assistants in Taiwan, created a study abroad course in the Department of Teacher Education. “Learning Design with Technology in International Contexts: Taiwan” provided education students unique opportunities to visit five different K-12 schools in Taiwan, including four Taiwanese schools and one American school. Students delivered classroom instruction and STEM learning station activities and engaged in conversations and cultural exchanges with their counterparts in Taiwan. Student participants reflected on the experiences of developing their cultural competency, designing and delivering STEM lessons, and considered the role of education across multiple contexts as a defining moment in their preservice education. It is anticipated that Teacher Education will be able to offer this opportunity for our students every other year.

Schulze Teaching FellowsFront row (left to right): Laura Martino, Morgan

Metz, Emma Pribyl, Jade Whaley, Molly McGrath,

Sydney Hella. Back row (left to right):

Sam Auman, Anna Wondra, Annalee Kroll,

Abby Bollensen.

Teacher Education Students with Drs. Chou

and Monson, and Taiwan Partners

Author Nikki Grimes and Fifth Graders from

Visitation School

26

S C H O O L O F E N G I N E E R I N GNew Civil Engineering Receives ABET Accreditation The ABET EAC has approved the accreditation of the new Civil Engineering program at St. Thomas. With our first graduates crossing the stage in May 2019, the campus visit portion of the ABET-EAC accreditation review was conducted in October 2019. Now wrapping up its third year, the Civil Engineering program has grown to over 100 students studying in the program and is expected to grow to 200 students in the next few years. This summer, the department welcomed the addition of its fourth full-time faculty member and is working collaboratively with the architects on the design of the new Civil Engineering laboratories slated for the new STEAM building on south campus.

Mechanical Engineering Professor Receives Vaunted 2020 LEGO® Prize The LEGO® Foundation awarded the 2020 LEGO® Prize to Dr. AnnMarie Thomas, founder and director of the Playful Learning Lab and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, “for her work advocating for and catalyzing learning through play.” Since 1985, the LEGO® Prize has been awarded to individuals or organizations that have made an outstanding contribution to the lives of children and are champions of learning through play. The prize is accompanied by a cash award of $100,000 to further research and development within learning-through-play and creativity.

Engineering Design Clinic Engages with Industry Over the past year, the Engineering Senior Design Clinic engaged in 39 projects with industry and other nonprofit organizations. The projects were driven by 132 engineering seniors who worked with their industry sponsors in establishing design requirements, stage-gate design reviews, and building-testing working prototypes. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Engineering Design Clinic Show featuring the projects was cancelled. We are grateful to our industry partners including 3M, Abbott, Mayo Clinic, Target, Polaris, Emerson Process Management, Andersen Windows, Graco, Medtronic, Horton, Pentair, Cummins and Minnesota Services for the Blind.

Top 50 Undergraduate Program Ranking Past Six Years For the sixth year in a row, the University of St. Thomas was ranked in the top 50 undergraduate-focused engineering programs by U.S. News & World Report.

ROTC and Engineering Partnership Continues with National Student Accolades For the second year in a row, an engineering ROTC student at the University of St. Thomas has been named the top cadet in the nation. Mechanical Engineering senior Lucas Manke was presented the award for the top Army-ROTC cadet in the nation in fall 2019. Last spring, Mechanical Engineering junior Savannah Johnson received the top cadet award among all Air Force-ROTC cadets nationally. Historically, about 33% of the Air Force-ROTC Detachment 410 cadets are engineering students. St. Thomas’ Detachment 410 is also consistently ranked as one of the top detachments in the nation.

Professor AnnMarie Thomas awarded the 2020 LEGO Prize in Billund, Denmark.

27

Enterprise Computing Launched while Data Science/Business Analytics Thrive To confront the regional shortage of mainframe-based computing expertise, the Software Engineering faculty launched a new certificate program in Enterprise Computing. In addition to this new program, the Software Engineering faculty continued their collaboration with the Opus College of Business in jointly offering the new MS program in Business Analytics. Paired with the explosive growth of the MS in Data Science, the two programs currently enroll nearly 500 graduate students at the university. Last year, new certificate programs were launched in IoT and Artificial Intelligence.

Entrepreneurial Mindset in Engineering The School of Engineering continues work on a three-year grant from the Kern Family Foundation to extend their work in developing the entrepreneurial mindset in the engineering educational experience. The work is in conjunction with more than 40 other engineering schools from across the nation, including Marquette, Villanova, Arizona State and Georgia Tech, who are collaborating on novel programming inside and outside of the classroom.

Microgrid Research Center to Launch in Fall 2019 Work was finalized on the construction of the $2.1 million renewable energy Microgrid Research Center in the Facilities and Design Center (FDC) and a launch celebration was held in the fall. President Sullivan and members of the Xcel Energy leadership team, including CEO Ben Fowke, were there to “flip the switch.” The facility is a unique research asset for St. Thomas that is attracting collaborations from across the nation including universities, national labs and company partners. The facility was built with grant funding from the Xcel Energy Renewable Development Fund. The microgrid will support faculty-student research in this critical area of the future of global electricity generation and distribution.

Engineering Enrollment by the Numbers This past year, over 1,600 students at the University of St. Thomas studied in the School of Engineering. While total FY20 credits delivered in the School of Engineering were flat, five-year growth in credit count is more than 70%. The largest gains in enrollment were again in our graduate programs, including Data Science, and through our partnership with Opus College of Business – Business Analytics program. There were more than 500 MS and BS degrees granted in the School of Engineering this year, roughly the same as last year but a more than 200% increase from 10 years ago.

New STEAM Complex Development and Fundraising Fundraising for the proposed STEAM complex took a major leap forward in FY20 with the securing of a naming donor to fund 50% of the $75 million fundraising goal. This generous gift allows us to continue the cross-campus design development phase while also advancing additional fundraising from individual and corporate donors.

$936K raised in

FY20

Solar panels for the Center for Microgrid Research stand atop McCarthy Gym on south

campus in St. Paul.

28

S C H O O L O F L A WEnrollment Our JD enrollment continues to flourish, and we continue to separate from regional competitors. When applicants were admitted to both St. Thomas and a competitor school for fall 2019, St. Thomas was the preferred choice over Marquette, Creighton, Drake and Mitchell-Hamline. Our entering class also had higher median LSAT scores and undergrad GPAs than those key regional competitors.

We continue to recruit lawyers from all over the world for our LL.M. in U.S. Law program, and we continue to lead the compliance field in our pathbreaking program in Organizational Ethics and Compliance.

Employment Our whole-building focus on employment continues to pay healthy dividends. In terms of gold standard jobs (full-time, long-term, law-related positions) for our J.D. graduates, our placement rate has improved from 59% for the Class of 2012 to 84% for the Class of 2019 despite only modest growth in the number of legal services jobs nationally.

Innovation Our mission does not change, but our pursuit of the mission must adapt to a rapidly changing market for legal services. For the past five years, we have been ranked as the #2 law school in the country for best practical training. We remain the #1 law school in the country for most externships per student, and we are launching our 14th legal aid clinic in Disability Law.

Wellness A collaborative partnership with Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine and EXOS (a human performance organization) provides the foundation for best practices in wellness and contributes to our ability to educate the whole person. Wellness efforts at the law school focus on mindset/mindfulness, movement, nutrition and recovery/resilience.

$652K raised in

FY20

29

Impact Archbishop Ireland Justice Fellows bring immediate impact and relief to the most vulnerable individuals in need of legal services. Ireland Fellows, funded through a collaborative partnership with nonprofits and government agencies, are St. Thomas Law graduates placed in one-year (license-required) roles to work in the justice gap. The mission-centered program creates opportunities for meaningful employment, enhances the law school’s reputation for leadership on access to justice issues, and attracts strong students to the law school.

Faculty Research St. Thomas Law remains one of the strongest research faculties in legal education. We are currently ranked #4 among all American law schools for new scholarly paper downloads per author – behind only UCLA, Penn and George Mason — and our expertise is especially in demand given the tumult of the past year. We are helping respond to racial injustice with boldness and in alignment with our mission. A few examples of our faculty’s recent contributions advancing racial justice:

President Sullivan announced that Dr. Yohuru Williams, a noted historian of the civil rights movement, will be leading the university’s Racial Justice Initiative and hold a joint appointment at the law school and the history department. Dr. Williams and Dean Vischer will co-teach a class on race and legal history in spring 2021.

Professor Carl Warren, director of our Community Justice Project clinic, has launched a collaborative project to marshal resources and ideas that help address police brutality in the Twin Cities.

Professor Rachel Moran, director of our Criminal and Juvenile Defense clinic, is leading a team of students representing individuals arrested for misdemeanor offenses (mostly curfew violations) during the George Floyd protests. Professor Moran has also been a frequent media commentator – both locally and nationally – on her area of scholarly expertise: the transparency of police misconduct records.

Professor Mark Osler continues to be a national leader in efforts to reform both our state and federal clemency systems, highlighting the impact that mass incarceration of nonviolent drug offenders has on communities of color.

Professor Artika Tyner, director of our Center for Race, Leadership and Social Justice, is writing and speaking on leadership strategies to promote racial justice, and she will lead a research seminar for students in the coming year focusing on economic investment in communities of color.

Professor Greg Sisk is publishing empirical research on bias in judicial decision-making, along with scholarship showing how the weaponizing of court costs restricts the civil rights of prisoners.

Professor Lisa Schiltz is bringing attention to racial disparities in whether individuals with disabilities are steered toward institutional care settings or home care programs.

Dr. Yohuru Williams

30

Professors Neil Hamilton and Jerry Organ are leading a national conversation on how law schools can more effectively train students to develop cross-cultural competence.

Professor Tom Berg is exploring the impact of strict drug-patent enforcement on populations of color in the developing world.

Professor Teresa Collett’s research includes attention to racial disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity and in procured abortions.

Professor Wulf Kaal is researching the potential for blockchain technology, as an anonymous transaction platform, to eliminate bias.

Professor Mariana Hernandez Crespo Gonstead is helping develop dispute resolution resources for marginalized communities.

Our faculty excel on a wide range of issues, of course. In June, for example, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Espinoza v. Montana Dep’t of Revenue that a state program granting tax credits to those who donate to organizations that award private school tuition violated the Free Exercise Clause by prohibiting families from using the scholarships at religious schools. Professor Tom Berg and our Religious Liberty Clinic have been involved in the case from its earliest stages and submitted a brief to the Supreme Court. The brief was referred to during oral argument of the case and appears to have influenced the majority’s analysis. To top it off, Tom’s casebook was cited three times in the majority’s opinion.

We continue to make great progress building a scholarly culture that will help shape the law for generations to come.

31

T H E S A I N T P A U L S E M I N A R Y S C H O O L O F D I V I N I T YThe Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity Looks to the Future with New Mission and Vision After nine months of consultation and planning with key constituencies, the seminary’s board of trustees recently approved new vision and mission statements, as well as five core values, which will serve as guideposts for the seminary into the future. After completing the seminary’s previous five-year strategic plan, with an emphasis on strong priestly and lay formation, the new vision and mission are designed to build and expand upon that foundation.

Vision | The Church on fire with the Holy Spirit, a world transformed in Jesus Christ.

Mission | To provide integrated, Catholic formation for those called to serve as priests, deacons or lay leaders in their local Church.

Also approved are five core values that describe the principles and beliefs that guide the seminary as it carries out its mission of forming joyful, Catholic leaders.

Charity | Faithful to Christ’s new commandment, we seek first the good of the other.

Truth | As the human heart and mind are ordered toward truth, we seek to be honest in both deeds and words.

Fidelity | We joyfully profess the truths of the Catholic faith and embrace her disciplines as authentically interpreted by the Church’s magisterium.

Zeal | We are passionate about our mission and eager to form clergy and lay leaders.

Authentically Human | Grateful for creation and our humanity, we desire the fullness of life and joy.

2020 graduating class of seminarians with the Rector, Fr. Joseph Taphorn

Who We Serve 70 seminarians are in formation, 13 of whom were ordained into the priesthood in May. 66 lay men and women are enrolled in our Master of Arts degree programs. 13 dioceses and religious orders are represented. 800 students are enrolled in Catechetical Institute programs. 10 men were ordained diaconate in December.

32

Formation in Action It all started during daily Mass in St. Mary’s Chapel. Rector Emeritus Monsignor Aloysius Callaghan was preaching on the importance of charity and how “the homeless are the lepers of modern society” when a few seminarians felt called to put Monsignor’s call into action. What began as a simple idea to visit the homeless turned into a fruitful, weekly experience for the past two years. Scott Padrnos, a seminarian from the Diocese of Duluth, says these visits are consistently life-giving. “Honestly, I go out there more for myself than for them. It fills me up.”

With three pots of coffee, a stack of cups and big winter coats, Dan Ruprecht, from the Diocese of St. Cloud, and Padrnos head to the Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Center in downtown St. Paul. No goal is attached to the visits other than simply “being with the people.”

A warm cup of coffee on a cold winter day serves as a nice icebreaker which can blossom into a lively conversation. Padrnos says he starts with a simple question: “How are you doing?” Not just asking halfheartedly, “but really meaning it,” he said. Conversations range from the weather to sports to deep wounds. “They just want to be seen,” Padrnos said. “And to see the faith of many of these people blows me away.”

The charitable work has become a beautiful way of sharing what Padrnos encounters during his formation at the Saint Paul Seminary. “I am filled every day at the seminary, but I need an outlet to pour that out.” And, when a Sunday afternoon nap sounds more enticing than the cold streets, Padrnos relies on the companionship and accountability of his fellow seminarians to get out there. He reminds himself, “I may be tired, but they are homeless.”

Veteran Returns to the Classroom Before Colin Faust deployed to Afghanistan, in 2010 the 21-year Marine received a gift from his Catholic grandmother: a miraculous medal to wear around his neck, especially on dangerous foot patrols. Colin, baptized and raised as a Lutheran, thanked her and promised her he would wear it.

Three months later, when he stepped on an IED landmine, the miraculous medal was the only thing that remained intact. Colin’s body was broken. One leg was immediately amputated and the other was badly mangled. His chance of survival was slim.

Without any connection other than it being a gift from his grandma, the miraculous medal hung around his neck during the next three months of indescribable pain from 40 surgeries, followed by two years of rehabilitation at the VA Hospital in Minneapolis and an Army medical base in San Antonio, Texas.

Seminarian Scott Padrnos

Lay graduate student Colin Faust

33

Colin describes his relationship with God at this time as lukewarm, and he slipped into a dark, confusing period in his life. There was so much for him to process, and he tried to do it on his own. He looks back now and better understands St. Augustine’s words, “The heart is restless until it rests in Thee.”

As he learned to live as an amputee in a wheelchair, Colin slowly came out of his depression. Waiting for him on the other side was Julia, a lifelong Catholic and now his wife of three years.

The blessings began to add up, including what Colin describes as “an explosion of grace.”

“The Blessed Mother of God came to reap what she had sown years earlier on the battlefield in Afghanistan,” he says.

With the same fire and determination that drove the young Marine years earlier, Colin decided that he could no longer remain neutral in his relationship with the Lord. He pursued Christ and the truth with intensity. Colin ultimately read and studied and investigated his way to the Catholic Church, receiving the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil in 2018.

Coinciding with Colin’s entry into the Church was the completion of his undergraduate degree in Business Administration. With a certainty that he had been called by God to serve the Church as a married lay man, he started looking for a graduate degree program that would help him realize this call.

He found that online programs were plentiful and attractive; however, he sought academic rigor and one-on-one interaction with professors and classmates on a campus. The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity was the perfect fit.

Colin dove into two years of reading, writing and research in the Master of Arts in Theology degree program. He found a community of students and professors who were engaged and pushed him to go deeper into his academics and prayer life. And, he forged new friendships built upon a common foundation of faith and intellectual curiosity.

“The greatest impact that the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity had on me is that I grew as a person and as a Catholic,” he says. “And, I have grown in virtue as a result of my time in this community. I am extremely blessed by this experience.”

Colin will spend the next 12 months completing comprehensive exams, a language exam and a written thesis, in order to graduate in May 2021. He envisions God using him as an instrument to teach others one day, perhaps in a parish setting or in a high school.

“No matter how God chooses to use me, I am a living example of God turning a tremendous amount of pain and suffering into a greater good.”

What about the miraculous medal Colin received 10 years ago? It’s old and worn and kept in a safe place at home. It accompanied him through years of pain and suffering, including through all of his surgeries – with special exceptions given each time by his surgeons. He wears a newer one now that never comes off either.

Colin Faust and wife, Julia at their child’s baptism

34

Fr. Tom Margevicius Father Tom Margevicius has been an instructor of Liturgical Theology and Homiletics at the Saint Paul Seminary for the past 15 years. He is also the Director of Worship for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. And, he is an ornithologist, aka a birdwatcher. It’s this latter role that refreshes him in order to better fulfill his first love.

Born and raised in the inner city of Cleveland, Ohio, birdwatching was an unlikely hobby. To escape life on the streets, the young Tom and his older brother, Tony, spent a lot of time in a nearby city park. He built a bird feeder for his backyard and, when he was 12 years old, used his paper route money to buy his first set of binoculars. A lifelong hobby was born.

In ninth grade, Father Tom entered a high school seminary in Cleveland; within a year it closed and he transferred to another Catholic high school, yet never stopped thinking about the priesthood. The love of birds continued too, and he earned his Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management at West Virginia University. Yet, even after “Ranger Tom” took a job as an interpretive naturalist with the Ohio State Parks, the call of the priesthood lingered.

In 1984, he left his park job for missionary work with NET Ministries in Minnesota. “As much as I liked telling people about birds, I would rather tell them about Jesus Christ,” he reasoned. He then served with St. Paul’s Outreach and joined the Companions of Christ, a fraternity of diocesan priests and seminarians in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. These all eventually led him to the Saint Paul Seminary where he re-discerned God’s ultimate call for him.

Ordained in 1999, Father Tom still finds his avocation to be a perfect complement to his vocation, a place where science and theology cooperate to advance God’s plan. Whether he’s accompanying seminarians in the Holy Land or lay students in Costa Rica, Father Tom always has a pair of binoculars nearby.

Today, the walls of his office at the seminary are lined floor to ceiling with books on theology, Church history and Sacred Scripture to guide his work with men in formation. Outside his office window are several well-stocked bird feeders where this faithful priest and avid ornithologist watches over his other flock.

Note: After 15 years of faithful service at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, Father Margevicius was reassigned this summer by Archbishop Bernard Hebda to serve the Church of the Risen Christ in Burnsville. He celebrates weekend Masses in Spanish and American Sign Language and continues part time as Director of the Office of Worship for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

SPSSOD Faculty Fr. Tom Margevicius

35

S U P P O R T I N G U N I T SCollaborative and innovative work across supporting units fostered positive and fulfilling St. Thomas experiences for students and the campus community.

D I V I S I O N O F S T U D E N T A F F A I R S

I N N O V A T I O N A N D T E C H N O L O G Y S E R V I C E S

E N R O L L M E N T S E R V I C E S

A C A D E M I C A F F A I R S

Accreditation, Assessment and Curriculum

Faculty Advancement

Student Achievement

University Libraries

Global Learning and Strategy

36

D I V I S I O N O F S T U D E N T A F F A I R SCenter for Well-Being Opens The Haggerty Family Foundation Facility for the Center for Well-Being dedication and grand opening celebration was held on February 12, 2020. The new center provides a holistic, integrated approach to the health care and well-being of the St. Thomas community in a single, centralized facility and has raised nearly $3 million for both construction and programmatic needs. The $2 million lead gift from the Haggerty Family Foundation made possible the extensive remodel necessary to turn the existing building into a place where the St. Thomas community receives comprehensive care and well-being resources.

With universities and colleges across the nation experiencing a significant increase in demand for mental health services, proactively caring for health and well-being is vital for students to be successful both in and out of the classroom. The enhanced and coordinated integrated care model at the Haggerty Family Foundation Facility for the Center for Well-Being takes a holistic approach to caring for students’ mental, physical, social and spiritual health.

Located at 35 South Finn Street (between St. Paul’s north and south campuses), the new center is home to Health Services; Counseling and Psychological Services; and Health Promotion, Resilience and Violence Prevention (formerly the Wellness Center and Violence Prevention and Awareness). The center is dedicated to enhancing a healthy and inclusive campus culture through collaboration, comprehensive health promotion and compassionate care that promotes lifelong well-being.

37

First-Year Experience Launched The Division of Student Affairs and the Center for Student Achievement collaborated to build a First-Year Experience (FYE) to provide a foundation for students to succeed at St. Thomas. An important part of the new FYE is the one-credit “Foundations for College Success” course. This course is designed to promote the development of our students’ body, mind and spirit. The course addresses important topics such as holistic well-being, diversity and inclusion, career and vocation, and academic success. Content in the course prompts students to reflect on these important topics in relation to their own experience and provides avenues for them to engage on campus and access resources and support.

“ First-Year Experience is without a doubt the most progressive and inclusive classroom setting I’ve encountered ... The course touches on the most important aspects of college life, as well as delves into personal and social well-being both on and beyond campus life.”

first-year student brock munsterteiger

Another important component of the FYE is students’ participation in a learning community. Students have an option of participating in either a Theme-Based Learning Community (see more information on pages 49-50 under the Center for Student Achievement section of this report) or a Living-Learning Community (LLC). Living-Learning Communities provide specialized environments where students connect around similar academic interests, live on the same residence hall floor, and take a course together while building relationships with faculty teaching the course both in the classroom and through co-curricular opportunities. While LLCs are not new at St. Thomas, their inclusion in the core curriculum inspired additional interest and the creation of 13 different LLC options for students in fall 2020.

DIVERSITYEDU The DiversityEdu course rolled out to all first-year undergraduate students in August 2019. Students took the course online and then participated in an in-person facilitated discussion about the content in small groups during Welcome Days. The online course and facilitated discussion are based on social science research and teach skills for understanding the impact of unconscious bias, language and behavior. This course helps participants understand how they can contribute and get the most out of their St. Thomas experience and any diverse community they may choose to live, learn and work in. The goal of the program is to help participants develop, enhance or build upon their personal skills for an inclusive culture.

L.E.A.D.R: Leaders for Equity and Diversity Retreat

Leaders for Equity and Diversity Retreat provided a space for 120 student leaders to explore their identities and those of their peers, and the ways in which working with others from diverse backgrounds impacts leadership style and development. Learning goals for participants in the retreat included:

38

Describe their own social identities

Deepen their understanding of the dynamics of oppression at the individual, group, cultural and systems levels through the lens of race and racism

Gain awareness of the ongoing issues of White privilege, White fragility and racism

Engage in meaningful cross-cultural dialogue

Empower others to engage in critical conversations about diversity

Retention and Student Success

Refinement and administration of the six-week Check-In Survey for FTFY 2019 students to assess the adjustment to St. Thomas. In addition to the Office of Retention and Student Success, key campus stakeholders were engaged in personalized outreach to more than 100 students based on their individual issues or concerns. Academic Counseling, Residence Life and Student Employment were key contributors to this effort.

• Enhanced degree completion efforts aimed at positively impacting equity gaps in graduation. The Office of Retention and Student Success has collaborated with Student Diversity and Inclusion Services for graduation check reviews for rising seniors who participate in signature programming.

• Proud to Be First continued programming primarily focused on first-year first-generation students. The group held a first-generation college celebration on November 8 attended by numerous first-generation students, staff and faculty. This event was featured in the NASPA Center for First-Generation Student Success blog detailing how institutions celebrate this day.

COVID-19 PIVOT

With the advent of COVID-19, student affairs staff provided leadership for the institution and quickly pivoted student co-curricular learning and support online in March 2020.

Safe Transition | Residence Life staff moved 2,500 students out of the residence halls safely and efficiently when the university moved online. The Center for Well-Being remained open as essential personnel providing care for acute illnesses and injuries, keeping community members from having to access higher risk clinics such as urgent care. Mental health visits and many medical care visits pivoted to tele-health and COVID testing was offered to the community, including a drive-by option.

CARES Act and COVID-19 Emergency Grant program | Student Affairs launched a COVID-19 Emergency Grant program for students in March 2020, initially funded by over $90,000 from alumni donors. In May the federal CARES Act provided an additional $2.5 million for emergency grants. As of July 2020, over $2 million in emergency funding was given directly to students.

Student leaders attending the Leaders for Equity and Diversity Retreat.

Proud to Be First event with first-year, first-generation college students.

39

COVID-19 STUDENT EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE 780 grants awarded, $523,403.20 DFC: 82 grants, $55,245.00 UG: 528 grants, $349,742.09 Grad: 170 grants, $118,416.11

CARES ACT EMERGENCY GRANTS (Federally Funded) 2,264 Grants Awarded: $1,599,323.43 DFC: 52 grants, $36,300.00 UG: 1,809 grants, $1,277,029.43 Grad: 403 grants, $285,994.00

High Touch Outreach | Student Affairs led an outreach initiative to make a personal phone call to all of our first-year and transfer students to check in and offer support. Staff collected concerns, questions and reflections from students. Upper-division student outreach was conducted with a text-based check in which resulted in immediate and overwhelmingly positive responses from students. Staff answered questions via text about course scheduling, study space ideas, time management and motivation, referrals to counseling on campus, SDR grading, financial aid and emergency fund. Quotes from student responses:

“Thanks for checking in. I think I am alright at the moment, but it was a nice surprise to know that campus is still checking in.”

“Thank you so much for reaching out. It means a lot. I’m doing well, but if I ever need anything, I’ll make sure to reach out!”

Virtual Care Packages | Student Affairs sent every student a “Virtual Care Package” which included information to connect with online campus services, tips for thriving online, local online resources (Minnesota Institute of Art virtual tours; Minnesota Orchestra at home), book recommendations from Dr. Todd Lawrence (English Faculty), “do it yourself” how-to projects and strategies for supporting personal well-being. In addition, Campus Life pivoted their Weekend Events email to a Connect with St. Thomas Online weekly email (averaging a 50% unique open rate) to provide students information about online events, engagement and resources across campus.

Senior Celebration | The Department of Campus Life, Undergraduate Student Government and the Division of Student Affairs hosted a week-long virtual celebration of Senior Days. Students signed up and were mailed a gift box and kits to participate in various activities including the Cheers to You Toast, Decorate your Cap, Trivia and March Out of the Arches. Graduating seniors also received their Tommies Forever t-shirt and senior class gift of a 2020 St. Thomas sweatshirt.

From May 1 to May 25, the Division of Student Affairs created 85 Instagram and Facebook posts and over 60 Instagram stories to celebrate our graduating seniors of the class of 2020. The video What a fun way to reminisce with the class of 2020 had a reach of 7,000 individuals. Special campaigns included senior shout outs and carousel posts of Now vs. Then, featuring 330 seniors.

40

Engineering Professor Dr. Katherine Acton prepares online learning lessons.

I N N O VAT I O N A N D T E C H N O LO GY S E R V I C E SInstructional Continuity

As COVID-19 caused nationwide shutdowns this spring, the University of St. Thomas committed to delivering its high-quality education online to over 9,550 students. The St. Thomas E-Learning and Research (STELAR) Center was a vital resource and support for faculty, as more than 2,200 classes across the university converted to online formats within a matter of weeks.

STELAR scaled their instructional design and academic technology services at an unprecedented rate to meet the emerging needs of the university. In addition to offering daily trainings and open forums, STELAR’s team launched an Instructional Continuity site; this self-paced online course and resource hub was designed to guide instructors through the necessary steps to modify course activities into virtual experiences. Faculty learned how to efficiently leverage university technology tools for teaching and covered a variety of topics, including the following: how to create video lectures, caption content for accessibility, integrate library resources, discover the best ways to incorporate Zoom for synchronous class sessions, administer exams remotely, and general best practices for ensuring student success online. Beyond learning from academic technology experts, faculty learned from one another. The Instructional Continuity site’s discussion board was heavily utilized by instructors asking questions, offering creative solutions and sharing strategies with one another.

The ITS hardware and classroom AV teams also worked diligently to provide flexible delivery options for faculty. Classrooms continued to serve as a reliable means to present course lectures while students joined virtually. ITS provided instructors with the technology necessary to

enable home-based classroom environments. Laptops, hovercams, webcams and other devices were distributed to faculty in order to ensure they were equipped for remote teaching and virtual office hours.

Virtualized software with Amazon AppStream became an important tool for students who needed remote access to specialized software in their courses. Instead of going to a physical computer lab on campus, students access the software they need directly from their personal device’s web browser without the hassle of installing anything on their computer. In addition to the convenience it provides students, faculty benefit by spending less time troubleshooting technical issues, such as differences between software interfaces on a Mac vs. a PC, and they can scale access to several course sections at a time. This spring, 35 courses utilized AppStream’s features to ensure remote students stayed on track with their assignments from home.

St. Thomas recognized the effects of the pandemic would last beyond spring semester and promptly began planning for the summer and beyond. Over 460 courses were offered fully online during the summer term, a 14% enrollment increase from the previous summer of 2019. We’re thankful for the partnership with academic deans and the adaptability of our faculty to make these transitions happen.

41

CAPE Courses Launch

Continuing and Professional Education (CAPE) launched in 2019 to enhance the university’s commitment to education through enriched nonacademic, noncredit offerings that develop practical workforce skills and create opportunities for personal growth. A variety of courses are now available in asynchronous and synchronous online formats. CAPE integrates the renowned Executive Education and Selim Center offerings with new courses developed in partnership with ITS’ team of instructional designers and the university’s colleges and schools. The first course CAPE launched, in collaboration with the School of Education, was Cultural Competency for K-12 Educators. The course provides Minnesota teachers with training they need to meet their licensure renewal requirements.

Additionally, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, CAPE responded quickly to the community with affordable resources for the public on topics such as how to teach live online, lead effective online meetings, manage remote teams and care for the mental health of remote workers. Learn more at cape.stthomas.edu.

Tommie Tech Connects Students to Campus Resources

Last year, ITS members put together an orientation site for students who were preparing to take their first online course. Based on positive student feedback, the site was expanded into a resource for all undergraduate and graduate students now called Tommie Tech. The Tommie Tech site teaches students about the technology tools they can use for class assignments and how to find resources that support their academic success. Students also share tips with one another in the discussion board. One student shared, “the best thing was learning about the cool websites St. Thomas uses for their students...I didn’t know [OneStThomas] gave you access to literally every program you will use as a student on campus.” Another praised the multitude of support options available through the Tech Desk and Canvas experts by commenting, “there is help available 24/7; it makes me more confident that if any tech problems arise, I’ll have help to solve them.” We love hearing students feel empowered to find the resources and help they need to be successful in college.

Student Experience Workshops

ITS worked with St. Thomas students and key department stakeholders to evaluate and improve the student experience of paying for college — a topic that was identified as a priority by previous workshop participants. ITS recruited a group of students who were thoughtful, bright and engaged throughout each workshop. They dedicated hours outside the meetings to research, brainstorm ideas and tackle this complex topic. The workshops themselves use design thinking principles to move from a discovery phase of “what is” to a solution phase of “what could be” in just five weeks. Students worked with department leaders to affirm areas that already work efficiently and to identify areas for improvement. Topics included: applying for FAFSA, receiving family support, applying for financial aid, paying your actual tuition bill, student employment during college, loan literacy and financial expectations following graduation. Many ideas from the workshops have already been implemented, including better visibility into a student’s current tuition balances when they log into our OneStThomas intranet to easily find and schedule an appointment with their financial aid advisor.

CAPE Course listings

42

ITS took their feedback and began a partnership with Enrollment team members and the Center for Student Achievement to make centralized, dynamic Outlook calendars available to students that contain all important university dates; these calendars empower students to have more control over their academic and financial journey at St. Thomas by ensuring they receive reminders and meet all deadlines. It was a fantastic experience to witness the collaborative efforts between students and staff. Without a doubt, the workshops led to deeper understanding, newfound insights and creative ideas to address both immediate student needs and to prepare them for lifelong success.

New St. Thomas Mobile App

Designed by Tommies for Tommies, the new St. Thomas mobile app works as a personal assistant for students by enabling them to quickly and easily access important information. Input from past student experience workshops and subsequent focus groups prioritized the app’s features — like, practical tools and the information they want and need every day. Tommies are now able to use the app to reserve a study room on campus, find a lab with open computers, view a dining menu that dynamically adjusts to the time of day, receive university news and events, get directions across campus, stay involved with club activities and events and so much more. The app is available on both iOS and Android.

Cloud-First File Storage and Infrastructure

ITS completed the final phase of our file storage migration project. This project was vital to business continuity when the stay-at-home order went into effect. Cloud storage provides a secure way of accessing files through any web browser without extra steps to remote into a workstation, map a shared drive or go through the VPN. University members can easily create, share and collaborate on personal and department shared documents within SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive despite being in separate locations. The migration project resulted in our online file storage growing from 250,000 files to over 7 million and it also provided the university with a significant financial savings as ITS was able to decommission an expensive hardware device in the data center.

E-Transcripts Available

St. Thomas partnered with Parchment to offer e-transcripts through a new online portal. This streamlines the request process and offers more convenience for university alumni. Official transcripts can now be ordered in either paper or digital copies in addition to being released directly to the requestor or mailed to another institution on their behalf for a minimal processing fee.

43

E N R O L L M E N T S E R V I C E SSt. Thomas welcomed the most diverse incoming first year class in its history with over 20% of the class identifying as something other than Caucasian. This was particularly gratifying as the challenges faced on campus and in the community continued to demand that the university align strongly behind our shared values and our calling to strive for the common good.

Our focus on supporting students who have to overcome significant financial hurdles was also emphasized as St. Thomas moved beyond “need-blind” admissions to annually increasing the percentage of financial “need met” for those students with the highest need.

Taken together, our convictions and actions found a receptive audience as high school and transfer students increasingly view St. Thomas as focused and dedicated to living and educating toward real change in our community and in the world.

STUDENT PROFILE fall 2017 fall 2018 fall 2019New freshmen 1,391 1,640 1,412

Domestic 1,361 1,615 1,383International students 30 25 29

States represented 28 31 28 High schools represented 400 442 392

Avg. GPA (freshmen) 3.6 3.6 3.63ACT middle 50% (freshmen) 24-29 24-29 24-29 Percent female 47.7 47 48.9 Percent male 52.3 53 51.1 Percent students of color 16.5 16 20.11

OVER

$11M in new

scholarship funds committed in

FY20

$80.5M in new endowment

commitments since the Priority One scholarship

initiative launched in 2017.

44

A C A D E M I C A F F A I R SThe Office of Academic Affairs partners with the provost’s office, the university’s eight colleges and schools and other key stakeholders across campus to support the academic mission of the university.

Vice Provost’s Office

Increased communication from all areas of Academic Affairs was a key focus for the 2019-20 academic year. In addition to creating new resources on OneStThomas, Academic Affairs began sending a weekly “Need-To-Know” email – designed to get key information in one place – to all faculty and administrators.

Intentional efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion continued in 2019-20. In addition to ongoing work on faculty hiring (see the Faculty Advancement section), the vice provost’s office sponsored 14 diversity curriculum grants that involved 27 faculty members. In partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences and the SOLV initiative, the vice provost’s office also helped support “Becoming Human,” a six-part series designed to help participants learn more about the history of systemic racism in the United States and then become active agents in dismantling that racism. In July, 158 St. Thomas community members participated in the course.

The second half of 2019-20 involved all areas of Academic Affairs in responding to COVID-19. Together with the vice president for student affairs and a cross-functional team, the vice provost helped coordinate early efforts to bring study abroad students home from locations around the world,

followed by the decision to move campus online in spring 2020, and then plans for reopening campus in fall 2020. A list of Academic Affairs activities in response to COVID-19 is regularly updated.

A C C R E D I T A T I O N , A S S E S S M E N T A N D C U R R I C U L U MImplementing the New Undergraduate Curriculum

In 2018-19, St. Thomas approved a new undergraduate curriculum, and this past year faculty and staff prepared for and implemented the new curriculum. Implementation work often focused on the curriculum’s novel features, such as the First-Year Experience; Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice and Global Perspectives flagged-course requirements; Integrated in the Humanities courses; and Signature-Work courses. Faculty and staff worked on a variety of curricular and logistical implementation issues to initiate the new curriculum. Notably, faculty created, revised and approved over 150 courses conveying the new features of the curriculum.

45

F A C U L T Y A D V A N C E M E N TCenter for Faculty Development

A major focus for Center for Faculty Development this year was launching the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Faculty Fellows program, by selecting Drs. Bryana French and Nakeisha Lewis and working with them to develop relevant programming for faculty to further the University of St. Thomas’s DEI goals. Fellows designed and delivered a number of key programs for faculty, both online and in person. A second major focus was supporting faculty as they pivoted to virtual teaching during spring semester as well as prepared for summer and fall classes. This support included organizing near weekly lunchtime sessions around key topics (e.g., ensuring student engagement, considering diversity, equity and inclusion, communication) as well as delivering the online teaching certificate program for faculty.

The center continues to support faculty scholarship and teaching with a variety of grants; this year 50 full-time faculty and 17 adjunct faculty used grant funding for research, creative work, teaching enhancement, travel to conferences and support of sabbatical work. In order to accomplish all of this, the Center, led by Dr. Liz Welsh, collaborated with numerous groups including STELAR, the STEM Inclusive Excellence program and the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Office of Sponsored Programs

The Office of Sponsored Programs continued its work this year to promote faculty success in submitting and securing external grants. The office processed 101 faculty proposals, requesting a total of $23.5 million from sponsors, a significant increase compared to 2018-19. We initiated a collaboration with McAllister & Quinn consultants this year and they assisted faculty on five of those proposals. We will continue that collaboration in the coming year.

The Selim Center for Lifelong Learning

This year the Selim Center completed its 46th year of service to the university and to lifelong learners, continuing its mission of providing high quality educational experiences that help adult learners grow in mind, body and spirit. Together with the rest of the university, we made the move to online learning this spring in response to COVID-19. Our students, most of whom are in their 60s, 70s and 80s, responded with great enthusiasm. Eager to keep learning, they were hungry for opportunities to focus on something other than the pandemic. We invested considerable time in redesigning our courses for online delivery, producing satisfaction ratings between 96% and 100%. Further, the new online format allowed us to expand our audience from this region to the entire country with students joining us from both coasts this spring.

With all its success, we will continue to use this platform.

We have been grateful to partner with UDAR this year (University Development and Alumni Relations), facilitating expansion of alumni participation, and the CAPE (Continuing and Professional Education) initiative, which has allowed us to reach new audiences. Since its founding in 1973, the Selim Center has served more than 98,300 learners.

46

Ongoing Special Programs sponsored by the Office of Faculty Advancement

Hiring and retaining diverse faculty: This year the Office of Faculty Advancement continued its program of required implicit bias training for faculty search committees and worked with departments to identify strategies for attracting diverse candidates. This year we hired 20 full-time faculty — 35% are diverse or international faculty and 55% identify as women. We also continued work with department chairs to promote equitable faculty evaluation practices and create inclusive department cultures.

Preparing our new faculty: Each year we provide an in-depth, week-long orientation experience for all new full-time faculty, immersing them in our mission and culture and introducing them to key campus leaders. Monthly lunch meetings throughout the academic year provided further support and information. In addition, Faculty Advancement delivered both in-person and online orientation support for new adjunct faculty throughout the year.

Faculty leadership fellows program: This year, four mid-career faculty members were selected to engage in a year-long program of workshops and meetings with key St. Thomas administrators to build leadership skills and explore opportunities for professional growth. Our Faculty Fellows for 2019-20 were: Dr. Lesley Scibora (Health and Exercise Science), Dr. Katherina Pattit (Ethics and Business Law), Dr. Chip Small (Biology) and Dr. Muffet Trout (Teacher Education). Graduates of this program continue to advance into administrative roles; three former fellows were named associate deans in their units this year and a fourth was selected to co-lead a university-wide strategic planning effort.

S T U D E N T A C H I E V E M E N TUndergraduate Studies Becomes Student Achievement

The Office of Undergraduate Studies was restructured into the Office for Student Achievement, welcoming Dr. Sheneeta White – previously faculty director for undergraduate programs in the Opus College of Business – as the new Associate Vice

Provost for Student Achievement. Part of this restructuring included a program review, which integrated the Career Development Center with University

Development and Alumni Relations (UDAR) under the new division name University Advancement.

Excel! Research Scholars Success

The Excel! Research Scholars program, led by Cynthia Fraction, highlighted the success of its students.

Since 2008, 100% of students served by the program have completed their degrees (or are currently in pursuit and on track for graduation), and 87% have gone on to pursue advanced degrees.

This year, McNair Scholar Sahr Brima, Esq. (St. Thomas Class of 2011), was named one of the National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40.

PRE-HEALTH CONNECTIONS

Pre-Health Advising programs launched Pre-Health Tommies, a Canvas community

with detailed content, announcements,

and monthly newsletters.

47

Recent Dougherty Family College graduates who are now pursuing baccalaureate degrees at St. Thomas are finding success in the program.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Expand

Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP) expanded its opportunities this year.

The new Ignite Research Scholars program launched in summer 2020, successfully matching 13 undergraduates as paid research assistants on faculty projects. 77% of this first cohort are students of color.

Over 80 faculty mentors participated in UROP programs as mentors and sponsors during the 2019-2020 academic year.

UROP partnered with Student Affairs and Campus Life to offer the 2019 Sidewalk Symposium, in which students publicly presented their research results outside the Anderson Student Center in the form of chalk art during Homecoming/Family Weekend.

St. Thomas senior Julia Wickham was selected as a 2020-21 U.S. Fulbright Student to Namibia.

During the 2019-2020 academic year, UROP awarded 96 individual semester and summer grants, 32 of which were part-time summer grants (an option offered for the first time in summer 2019). This is the largest number of awards in a single year since consistent data collection began in 2011.

Retention and Student Success

The Office of Retention and Student Success collaborated with departments on degree completion campaigns that resulted in a 68% four-year graduation rate for Fall 2015 first-time students and an improved 70% four-year graduation rate for Fall 2014 first-time students. The office also facilitated the Tommie Check In Survey in October 2019, which provided insights into the primary concerns of first-year students six weeks into their first semester; this led to a more concerted effort to enhance support for undergraduate students through University Advancement, Financial Aid, and COVID-19 grants.

Academic Counseling

The Academic Counseling staff provided continuous support for students navigating their degree requirements and registration options.

Academic Counseling partnered with Innovation & Technology Services (ITS) to systematically release open seats in courses, allowing for an equitable enrollment process for the incoming Fall 2019 class.

Staff continued to develop and implement the Tommie Advantage curricular approach – a division-wide initiative in Student Affairs – to specific student

All images are from the preparatory workshop (October 2, 2019) and Sidewalk Symposium

event (October 4, 2019)

48

appointment types, including degree planning appointments, former returning student appointments, academic probation appointments, transfer registration appointments and graduation checks.

Academic Counseling hosted a Private College Advising Network event in February 2020, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Drew Puroway, Associate Director of Academic Counseling, who presented and facilitated a discussion entitled, “Ethics in Academic Advising: A grounded theory of ethical practice.”

Disability Resources

Aquinas Scholars Honors Program

The Aquinas Scholars Honors Program continued supporting its mission “to enrich the educational experience of the school’s most talented and dedicated students by creating a community of scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the ideals of a liberal arts education.” The program exceeded its enrollment goals this year, with over 70 new first-year Scholars currently registered for Fall 2020.

The Aquinas Scholars Student Board continued to support the university’s Action Plan to Combat Racism, making addressing bias and hate a priority in their planning processes. Among the virtual academic events the board organized in spring 2020 was “Mapping Prejudice,” where members participated in a University of Minnesota project of mapping historical prejudice in Minnesota land deeds.

Five Scholars were nominated for Tommie Awards, with Keanu Daley receiving the honor and also speaking at commencement. Two Scholars received Goldwater Scholarships.

First-Year Experience

The Center for Student Achievement and the Division of Student Affairs collaborated to build and implement a First-Year Experience (FYE) to provide an equitable foundation for all students to succeed at St. Thomas and beyond. The building phase for this program involved a pilot during January and Spring terms for current first-year students interested in transitioning to the new core curriculum slated to begin in fall 2020. This pilot encompassed teaching 24 sections of the newly developed “Foundations for College Success” course to over 480 students (to learn more about

1,974 examinations for

students with accommodation

needs 654

students registered with Disability

Resources

1,326appointments with students, faculty,

and parents

2019-2020 NUMBERS

49

the “Foundations for College Success” course, see page 37 under the Student Affairs section of this report).

Another important component of the FYE is students’ participation in a learning community. Students have an option of participating in either a Living Learning Community (see more information on page 37 under the Student Affairs section of this report) or a Theme-Based Learning Community (TBLC). TBLCs provide students an interdisciplinary experience with a mission-based theme, by taking two courses from different disciplinary lenses and engaging on co-curricular activities related to the theme. Themes for fall 2020 include:

Changemaking for the Common Good

Cultural and Social Transformation for the Common Good

Environmental Sustainability for the Common Good

Human Well-Being [Flourishing] for the Common Good

Social Justice for the Common Good

As part of the FYE pilot, students engaged with the Changemaking theme for both coursework and co-curricular opportunities during January and Spring terms. Nineteen sections of the newly developed “Changemaking for the Common Good” TBLC course were taught to 350 students.

“The most important idea that has stood out to me is the fact that it does not matter how small your problem is or how small the impact of your solution. If you believe in fighting for a cause, taking actions from even a personal standpoint makes you a changemaker.”

first-year student brennan sheridan

Pivoting with COVID-19

The programs within the Center for Student Achievement successfully leveraged various technologies with no interruption of student support services during the COVID-19 pivot to online learning.

FROM MARCH 16 TO JUNE 30 Appointments

Academic Counseling 648

Disability Counseling 90

Math Placement Tutor 61

Pre-Health Professions Advising 55

CHECK-IN TEXT OUTREACH CAMPAIGN

Retention & Student Success texted more than

4,500 students during COVID-19 and recorded an additional 500 follow-up interactions based on students’ issues

or concerns.

50

U N I V E R S I T Y L I B R A R I E SSupport for online learning: The Libraries offered all services in an online environment beginning March 23, including reference and research support, library instruction, book ordering and cataloging and access to electronic books and journals. Library staff supported faculty as they integrated library resources into Canvas courses. Our Library Help integration was included by default in all Canvas courses, and Resource Lists was enabled in many courses, delivering students savings of over $1 million in textbook and copyright fees.

Access to physical collections: The Libraries maintained access to print collections during various phases of COVID-19 shutdown. Staff continued to fill book chapter and article digitization requests from on campus as needed; the rate of requests quadrupled in the second half of spring semester to 274, up from 65 in the first half. All libraries began “curbside pickup” of print books on May 11 and circulated 60 books in the first two days of offering the service.

Support for spring campus projects: Library staff worked with the Strategic Planning Steering Committee to code hundreds of comments on the campus-wide strategic planning survey. The library also served as the pickup location for the Geology Department’s distribution of kits for their GEO 111 class. Library staff taught Spring First-Year Experience courses. Collaborating with the Center for Faculty Development, librarians led workshops on diversifying curriculum. Staff also trained ITS course building volunteers on our various Canvas integrations.

51

Library consortium developments: The University Libraries began a migration to a larger consortium (MnPALS, the library collaboration that includes the Minnesota State University system libraries as well as a number of private colleges). The move to MnPALS will give our libraries a relationship with more and larger libraries (in addition to our current library partners), and increased system support. The migration should be complete by June 2021.

Podcast studio: In collaboration with STELAR, the Libraries developed a student podcasting studio which became immediately popular with students who were recording podcasts at least twice a day during the fall semester.

New Asset Management system: Collaborating with ITS staff, the Libraries began to develop a system to facilitate the discovery, storage and archival preservation of the university’s digital audiovisual and image assets.

52

G L O B A L L E A R N I N G A N D S T R A T E G YGlobal Learning and Strategy (GLAS) supports the university mission by increasing intercultural understanding, supporting diversity initiatives and enhancing global connections. We do this through recruitment of undergraduates from around the world; supporting international students, faculty and staff through programming, immigration advising and advocacy; and facilitating off-campus study experiences for students and faculty. We support faculty in on-campus courses and partnerships

while reducing international risk for the university and facilitating students in applications for prestigious international scholarships.

All of the accomplishments this year are overshadowed by two situations that challenged us in ways we never could have foreseen. Last summer, new federal restrictions on international students created an increasingly challenging legal and functional environment affecting our current and prospective students. Then came the pandemic. Our first inklings of what came to be commonly known as COVID-19 began in late January 2020 with two faculty-led programs and several individual students coming to campus after being abroad in affected areas, and a couple of students being unable to return to the United States. Not a day passed after that without some international COVID-related news or decisions to be made. We

moved from simple questions of quarantine to the incredibly complex process of canceling St. Thomas overseas programs in Italy and returning those students to the St. Paul campus. Simultaneously we were supporting 100 students in other programs abroad as their situations deteriorated and eventually caused them to have to return to the United States. Also new for us was the planning and logistics associated with canceling the next round of summer and fall off-campus courses while working out alternatives for students. All areas of GLAS had to relearn, refocus and adapt to a world completely unlike the one with which we began the year.

While the global pandemic caused a more complex and uncertain regulatory environment as well as global health challenges, GLAS pushed forward and had a successful year with efforts to help faculty, staff and students internationalize campus.

Supported over 700 international students on St. Thomas-issued immigration documents, including over 500 currently enrolled international students from over 70 countries

University of St. Thomas again ranked in the top 20 for comprehensive universities like ours for the number of students studying abroad

Had 753 students study in 36 countries

Sponsored 37 faculty in 20 St. Thomas-led programs abroad, including semester programs in Italy and the United Kingdom and summer in Peru, and Jordan

53

Recruited a largest-ever class of 60 international first year, transfer and exchange students from 20 countries for 2019-20, and recruited nearly 60 first year students from nearly 30 countries for fall 2020

Worked closely with the faculty in implementation of the new Global Perspectives core curriculum requirement

Worked with deans in partnerships in India, China, Chile and Czechia

Negotiated 40 international contracts with partner institutions, collaborating with faculty and programs, and third-party service providers

Increased GLAS social media and other online internal and external web presence

In collaboration with the University Action Response Team, managed a novel international health emergency involving numerous programs and 150 students in 15 countries

Coordinated faculty and university responses to federal regulatory changes adversely affecting international students throughout the year

Sponsored two successful student Fulbright and Boren scholarship winners

Ran our first International Year One pathway program known as IY1 and received approval to receive Saudi students funded through the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission for this program

Recruited students in person with St. Thomas faculty and staff in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Norway, China, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Korea, Colombia, Japan, Brazil, Taiwan and India, and partnered with ELS on international student recruitment abroad

Pivoted to online programming and activities for international students, attended from around the world, including virtual lobby hours for drop-ins and several online game nights

Initiated online training materials for study abroad program directors

Worked with Accounting faculty to provide an enhanced VITA site to provide tax services for international students and smoothly transition to Zoom advising sessions during COVID-19

54

Moved graduate orientation online for incoming international graduate students in fall 2019

Hosted the first-ever International Alumni dinner with over 50 attendees, and the second alumni abroad dinner in London

With the Campus Ministry, SDIS and Student Affairs, hosted World of Celebrations with over 200 visitors

Organized a series of language events celebrating the different languages spoken in our international student population

Ran programs on and off campus, including hosting a lunch for international faculty and a reception for international faculty and staff, study abroad fairs, global dinner discussions, international student dinners, global Tommies excursion and international student ambassador retreats, and co-sponsored lectures and international activities on campus and abroad

All of our work requires close collaborations and partnerships across campus because internationalization is a collective process. We are grateful for all the faculty, staff and academic leaders from virtually every office on campus who work with us in our global connections.

MISSION INSPIRED BY CATHOLIC INTELLECTUAL

TRADITION, THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS EDUCATES STUDENTS TO BE MORALLY RESPONSIBLE LEADERS WHO THINK CRITICALLY, ACT WISELY AND WORK SKILLFULLY TO ADVANCE

THE COMMON GOOD.

MISSION INSPIRED BY CATHOLIC INTELLECTUAL

TRADITION, THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS EDUCATES STUDENTS TO BE MORALLY RESPONSIBLE LEADERS WHO THINK CRITICALLY, ACT WISELY AND WORK SKILLFULLY TO ADVANCE

THE COMMON GOOD.