The University of St. Thomas launched Be Brilliant. Be Bold. The Campaign for St. Thomas, a $1 billion comprehensive campaign focused on expanding access and opportunities for students. With nearly $800 million already raised, the campaign will prioritize scholarships while investing in faculty, student experiences and the university’s Catholic mission.
From Minnesota Star Tribune:
“We’re on a journey from being a relatively small, excellent Catholic ... liberal arts college, to becoming a large, comprehensive, excellent Catholic university with national visibility and global impact,” said Rob Vischer, St. Thomas’ president. “This is the time we need to push us forward on lots of different initiatives.”
Vischer said the school, which began competing in NCAA Division I athletics in 2021, hopes to exceed the $1 billion goal.
The campaign aims to invest in faculty, promote learning experiences like internships and deepen St. Thomas’ Catholic identity and academic reputation, officials said. But its biggest priority is scholarships; so far, $350 million, the largest chunk, is dedicated to students’ education expenses.
From Twin Cities Business:
So far, St. Thomas donors have contributed or pledged about $350 million for scholarships.
The Ciresi-Walburn contribution is targeted to students who need scholarships to attend St. Thomas. Part of the historic gift will be directed to the Ciresi Walburn Center for First-Generation College Students.
“This is where the real synergy comes between the St. Thomas mission and Mike Ciresi and his wife Ann and Roberta’s mission,” Vischer said. The three of them are firm believers in the power of a St. Thomas education. The $82 million gift “boosts our progress” in making a St. Thomas education widely accessible, he said.
“We certainly want to be a school that’s attractive to families who have financial capacity, but we also want to be an option for families without that financial capacity,” Vischer said. “We want to reflect the diversity of the communities we aspire to serve, and that’s been very important to Mike Ciresi for many years. He is all about access. It’s the impetus for this broader gift. It is trying to drive access and support for lower-income students and for first-generation students at St. Thomas.”
From St. Paul Pioneer Press:
Vischer said that as a Catholic university, St. Thomas takes each student’s eventual vocation seriously.
“It’s not enough that we help them develop job skills. We have to help them find their core purpose,” Vischer said. “And for many that will be some dimension of leadership, whether it’s community or business leadership or just being an engaged citizen, finding their voice, but it’s really using their gifts for the benefit of the broader community and that is a big theme.”
That means being intentional about programming and educational initiatives on campus while also making sure students have a pathway to campus, he said.
“We already have a strong foundation for scholarship aid, and we want it to get even deeper and broader and stronger over these next years as the campaign picks up momentum,” Vischer said.
Inside Higher Ed:
Lily Asrat, director of the fellows program, said that when students are relieved of financial stress, it allows them to focus on academics, get involved on campus and pursue internships. The scholarship money, paired with mentorship and peer support, “is really there to make sure they thrive,” she said.
“So many issues around retention with first-gen students and students of high financial need [are because] they don’t have all the safety nets and social supports that many other students have,” Asrat said. The fellowship program gives the students “people and support that will catch them when they fall.”
KARE 11:
University officials said the money will expand scholarship opportunities, invest in faculty and academic programs, and fund learning experiences for students.
"Across industries and sectors, we hear a consistent message from leaders: The world needs the type of graduates St. Thomas produces," university President Rob Vischer said in a statement. "They need people who are prepared not only with knowledge and skill, but with the judgment, purpose and moral responsibility to use their gifts to serve others. This campaign is about answering that call."
WCCO-AM:
Tom Hauser:. ..$1 billion, and I understand you've already got about $800 million committed. Where will this money go? How is this going to further the mission of the university and help, most importantly, students at the University of St. Thomas?
Rob Vischer: So the number one priority in this campaign is student scholarships. We do a really good job at educating students at St. Thomas. Five years after graduation, our graduates have the highest average salaries of graduates of any college or university in Minnesota. We're very proud of that, but we also know this generation of college students incoming has greater financial need than in past generations, so that means we have to manage expenses on our side.
But we also, if we want to keep a world-class education, we've got to raise a lot of money to strengthen those pathways. So that's the number one priority.
We're also investing in faculty to make sure we have got the best faculty in the classroom who are invested in the well-being of their students and building relationships. We keep our small class sizes, and we want to invest in transformative student experiences. We think that involves student internships, student organizations, a robust and vibrant athletics culture as a Division One university.
So everything we want to do in this campaign is fueling the well-being of students. That's our goal.
Bring me the News:
The $82 million donation from the Ciresi Walburn Foundation will expand the Ciresi Walburn Leadership Fellows, a four-year scholarship program for low-income Minnesota high school graduates who have demonstrated a commitment to leadership, service, and furtherance of social justice and the common good.
It will also establish the Ciresi Walburn Center for Leadership and the Ciresi Walburn Center for First-Generation College Students at St. Thomas.
“We created the foundation to serve children and young adults, and over time we learned that education was where we could have the greatest impact,” Ciresi said in a statement. “This gift to St. Thomas ensures that work will continue in perpetuity. St. Thomas lives its mission to serve the common good, and that mission is our mission.”
