Michael Derus, Author at St. Thomas Newsroom

The glowing clock tower of Terrence Murphy Hall is seen against the Minneapolis skyline the night of October 5, 2015.

School of Education Awarded $2.5M for Innovative Charter School Residency Program

November 17, 2020

Academic News, Front Page, News, Our Community, School of Education

The School of Education was recently awarded a $2.5 million multiyear grant to remove barriers for aspiring charter school teachers who reflect the communities they serve.

Journalism Professor Mark Neuzil, left, works with Scout Mason, right, in the TommieMedia studio in O'Shaughnessy Education Center on October 29, 2020, in St. Paul.

Tommie Experts: Emerging Media Keeps Students Ahead of the Curve

Amy Carlson Gustafson

November 5, 2020

Academic News, College of Arts and Sciences, Emerging Media, News, Our Community, Tommie Experts, Top News

The Newsroom talked with Professor and Department of Emerging Media Chair Mark Neuzil about the program, including his thoughts on the future of journalism, skills needed to succeed in the profession today and how students have changed over the years.

The School of Law building on a beautiful fall day on October 24, 2019, in Minneapolis.

School of Law Symposium Addresses Racial Injustice, Protests and Reform

Carrie Hilger

November 5, 2020

Academic News, News, Our Community, School of Law, School of Law News Feed, Top News

In late October, the University of St. Thomas Law Journal held Protests and Reform, a day-long symposium examining how lawmakers and the legal profession have responded to demands for change in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

The sign and facade of Schulze Hall in Minneapolis on October 4, 2017.

Tommie Entrepreneurs Recognized for Innovation

Amy Carlson Gustafson

September 3, 2020

News, Opus College of Business, Our Community, Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, Top News

It has been a busy summer for Tommie entrepreneurs.

Why Staying Home Sick Is … Perfectly Fine and Acceptable

Amy Carlson Gustafson

August 31, 2020

COVID-19 Response, Morrison Family College of Health, News, Our Community, Top News

One of the biggest changes outlined in St. Thomas’ Campus Preparedness Plan – which is guiding the gradual reopening of campus as the university prepares to welcome back students for the fall – calls for a major behavioral change from students and employees alike. Namely – if you’re sick, stay home.

Chemistry major Cassandra Martin works on a summer research project in Owens Science Hall on June 29, 2020, in St. Paul.

Highlights of Undergraduate Summer Research

Amy Carlson Gustafson

August 19, 2020

Academic News, Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, English, News, Opus College of Business, School of Engineering, Top News

More than 70 St. Thomas undergraduate students spent their summer doing research on a diverse range of subjects through St. Thomas' Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.

Tommie Corps Students Fill Volunteer Needs Throughout the Community

Amy Carlson Gustafson

August 12, 2020

Anti-Racism Efforts, Center for the Common Good, Common Good, COVID-19 Response, Current Students, Homepage, News, Our Community, Top News

As part of Tommie Corps, a new program from the Center for the Common Good, students receive a $4,000 scholarship in recognition of 150 volunteer hours fulfilled over the course of July and August.

Playful Learning Lab students created the PLAYground, a virtual educational camp curriculum in boxes for students at the Metro Deaf School. Photos taken in the Facilities and Design Center on July 30, 2020, in St. Paul.

Lab Keeps Students Engaged (and Paid) During a Summer of Pandemic

Amy Carlson Gustafson

August 5, 2020

Academic News, College of Arts and Sciences, Communication and Journalism, COVID-19 Response, Current Students, Homepage, News, Our Community, School of Education, School of Engineering, St. Thomas Responds, Top News

The PLAYground is a virtual summer camp from Playful Learning Lab for K-8 students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Schulze Innovation Scholar Dylan Dierking founded Foodski, a jet ski food delivery business based in White Bear Lake. Dierking takes orders for deliveries from customers ordering food from area restaurants and delivers them to homes and boats around the lake on his jet ski. Photos taken on July 22, 2020, in White Bear Lake. Dylan Dierking poses for a portrait on his Jet Ski.

Schulze Innovation Scholar Makes a Splash with Food Delivery

Amy Carlson Gustafson

July 28, 2020

Academic News, News, Opus College of Business, Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, Top News

Junior Dylan Dierking is an entrepreneur helping feed hungry boaters through his new business venture Foodski.

Tommie Experts: College of Arts and Sciences’ Tanya Gladney on Police Reform

Amy Carlson Gustafson

July 15, 2020

Academic News, Anti-Racism Efforts, College of Arts and Sciences, Faculty, Front Page, News, Sociology and Criminal Justice, Tommie Experts

Sociology and Criminal Justice Associate Professor and Department Chair Tanya Gladney discusses her new POST role, police reform and the death of George Floyd in this Q&A.

St. Thomas Team Places in Top Five at Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge Finals

Amy Carlson Gustafson

June 23, 2020

Academic News, Homepage, News, Opus College of Business, Our Community, Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, Social Innovation, Top News

St. Thomas’ BraillEazy ended up as one of the top five teams in the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge.

St. Thomas Documents George Floyd and Anti-Racist Street Art from Across the Globe

Amy Carlson Gustafson

June 23, 2020

Academic News, Anti-Racism Efforts, Art History, College of Arts and Sciences, Homepage, News, Our Community, Research, Top News

The Urban Art Mapping Research Project operates a George Floyd and Anti-Racist Street Art database, which documents examples of street art from around the world that have emerged since Floyd’s killing as part of an ongoing movement demanding social justice and equality.

Terrence Murphy Hall in Minneapolis on August 9, 2018.

National Urban Alliance and St. Thomas Hold Virtual Summer Institute

Amy Carlson Gustafson

June 17, 2020

Academic News, Alumni, Current Students, Faculty, Front Page, News, Our Community, School of Education

The National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA) and the University of St. Thomas are teaming up for a three-day Summer Institute focused on training K-12 educators to help every child reach their potential.

Q&A with Morrison Family College of Health’s MayKao Hang

Amy Carlson Gustafson

May 27, 2020

Academic News, Homepage, Morrison Family College of Health, News, Our Community, St. Thomas Responds, Top News, Uncategorized

COVID-19 has put the health care system in the spotlight. Dr. MayKao Hang, vice president and founding dean of the Morrison Family College of Health, has been following the pandemic closely as she brings her vision for the college to life.

Photos of Tommie the Mascot wearing a commencement cap and gown and celebrating with confetti streamers in O’Shaughnessy Stadium on Palmer Field in St. Paul on May 20, 2020.

Dougherty Family College Celebrates 2020 Graduates

Amy Carlson Gustafson

May 24, 2020

Academic News, Alumni, Current Students, Dougherty Family College, Homepage, News, Our Community, Tommie Traditions, Top News, Uncategorized

Dougherty Family College (DFC) honored its second class of graduates and its 79 students Sunday with a virtual celebration.

Tommie Award Nominees Reflect, Share Advice to Incoming Students

Amy Carlson Gustafson

May 13, 2020

Current Students, Homepage, Our Community, Top News

With the end of the school year right around the corner, the Newsroom asked some Tommie Award finalists to reflect on their time at St. Thomas and share advice for incoming students.

main photo for the online version of a St. Thomas magazine story about U.S. Bank and DFC internships.

U.S. Bank Supports Dougherty Family College Student Internships

Amy Carlson Gustafson

May 6, 2020

Academic News, Current Students, Dougherty Family College, News, Our Community, Top News

Several businesses offer paid internships to DFC students as part of the school's Professional Internship Program. U.S. Bank was an original supporter and sponsors the most students, 14, of any business.

Two St. Thomas Teams Chosen for Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge Finals

Amy Carlson Gustafson

April 22, 2020

Academic News, Front Page, News, Opus College of Business, Our Community, Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, Top News

On Friday, seven teams virtually presented their social venture ideas to a panel of judges in the St. Thomas finals of the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge (GSIC).

Dr. Kathlene Holmes Campbell, dean of the School of Education, speaks in the O'Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium on March 19, 2019.

School of Education Dean Campbell Advocates For Student Teachers Amidst COVID-19 Changes

Amy Carlson Gustafson

April 15, 2020

Academic News, COVID-19 Response, Faculty, News, Our Community, School of Education, St. Thomas Responds, Top News

School of Education Dean Kathlene Holmes Campbell has been working tirelessly over the past six weeks advocating for her students on everything from the number of “face-to-face" weeks of student teaching required to the way teacher performance assessments are conducted.

Teacher Education Student Teachers Support K-12 Teachers in Shift to Distance Learning

Amy Carlson Gustafson

April 3, 2020

Academic News, Education, Homepage, News, School of Education, Teacher Education, Top News

The School of Education's teacher education student teachers have been tapped to help with the transition to distance learning during COVID-19.

The University of St. Thomas sign in front of the Anderson Student Center. Mark Brown/University of St. Thomas

USG Votes to Bolster Student Emergency Fund

Amy Carlson Gustafson

March 31, 2020

COVID-19 Response, Current Students, Homepage, News, Our Community, St. Thomas Responds, Top News

2

A Student Emergency Financial Assistance Program for COVID-19-related financial hardships has been launched with funds from the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), Student Affairs and recent donations.

The wedding of Anthony (Tony) Eicher and Annie Dupslaff (both St. Thomas graduates) at the chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas in St. Paul on March 17, 2020. The couple chose to get married at St. Thomas with only Annie’s parents in attendance after their original plans were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Love Prevails for Tony Eicher ’12 and Annie Dupslaff ’10

Amy Carlson Gustafson

March 19, 2020

Alumni, Homepage, News, Our Community, Top News

Anthony (Tony) Eicher ’12 and Annie Dupslaff ’10 planned to share one of the happiest days of their lives with 160 friends and family on Saturday, March 21. Amidst the social distancing of the new coronavirus, they canceled their original plans – but not the wedding.

Humans of St. Thomas: Stephen ‘Chip’ Spadafora

Amy Carlson Gustafson

March 4, 2020

Academic News, Commentary, Humans of St. Thomas, News, School of Engineering, Top News

Meet Stephen 'Chip' Spadafora, mechanical engineering major, founder of Tommie Outdoors and VISION participant.

Winners Announced in St. Thomas Business Plan Competition

Amy Carlson Gustafson

February 24, 2020

Academic News, Events, News, Opus College of Business, Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, Top News

Schulze Hall was overflowing with innovative ideas on Friday during the annual St. Thomas Business Plan Competition, where $38,000 was awarded to budding entrepreneurs.

Laura Medina Coste poses for a photo in her classroom in Paul and Shiela Wellstone Elementary in St. Paul on February 3, 2020. Coste is a graduate of the School of Education’s Grow Your Own program.

Key Partnerships Help School of Education Diversify Minnesota’s Teaching Workforce

Amy Carlson Gustafson

February 18, 2020

Education, Homepage, News, Our Community, School of Education, Special Education, Teacher Education, Top News

St. Thomas’ School of Education is constantly working to help increase the number of teachers of color in the classroom through various partnerships, including two with state-funded teaching preparation programs – Collaborative Urban and Greater Minnesota Educators of Color, and Grow Your Own.

Humans of St. Thomas: Jacob DeMille

Humans of St. Thomas: Haley Sonneman

Humans of St. Thomas: Patrick Roche

Humans of St. Thomas: Stephen ‘Chip’ Spadafora

Humans of St. Thomas: Reggie Wright

Humans of St. Thomas: Hayley Dunning

Humans of St. Thomas: Emma Smith

Rallying Behind Our Students: St. Thomas Responds to COVID-19

When (Not) in Rome: An Oral History of the Decision to Close Bernardi Campus

Zooming into Online Learning

Gertrud von le Fort’s Churchly Imagination

School of Education Awarded $2.5M for Innovative Charter School Residency Program

Tommie Experts: Emerging Media Keeps Students Ahead of the Curve

Tommie Entrepreneurs Recognized for Innovation

Why Staying Home Sick Is … Perfectly Fine and Acceptable

Highlights of Undergraduate Summer Research

Tommie Corps Students Fill Volunteer Needs Throughout the Community

Lab Keeps Students Engaged (and Paid) During a Summer of Pandemic

Schulze Innovation Scholar Makes a Splash with Food Delivery

Tommie Experts: College of Arts and Sciences’ Tanya Gladney on Police Reform

St. Thomas Team Places in Top Five at Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge Finals

National Urban Alliance and St. Thomas Hold Virtual Summer Institute

Q&A with Morrison Family College of Health’s MayKao Hang

Dougherty Family College Celebrates 2020 Graduates

Tommie Award Nominees Reflect, Share Advice to Incoming Students

U.S. Bank Supports Dougherty Family College Student Internships

Two St. Thomas Teams Chosen for Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge Finals

School of Education Dean Campbell Advocates For Student Teachers Amidst COVID-19 Changes

Teacher Education Student Teachers Support K-12 Teachers in Shift to Distance Learning

USG Votes to Bolster Student Emergency Fund

Love Prevails for Tony Eicher ’12 and Annie Dupslaff ’10

Humans of St. Thomas: Stephen ‘Chip’ Spadafora

Winners Announced in St. Thomas Business Plan Competition

Key Partnerships Help School of Education Diversify Minnesota’s Teaching Workforce

Author Michael Derus