COVID-19 Response

The below news stories and communications relate to St. Thomas’ response to the coronavirus pandemic. These stories appear in chronological order, from newest to oldest.

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A chemistry student analyzes data on a computer screen August 1, 2016 in Owens Science Hall.

Equity, Inclusion Remains Focus During Online Learning

Jordan Osterman '11
Academic News, COVID-19 Response, Current Students, Faculty, News, Our Community, St. Thomas Responds, Top News
With such a massive amount of work to move St. Thomas’ curriculum online in the past several weeks, some priorities for faculty could have gotten lost in the shuffle. Faculty engagement and recent seminars from Faculty Development Center (FDC) and STELAR are signs that equity and inclusion in online learning will not be one of those things.
A sign reading "All for the Common Good" hangs from a lamp post on the John P. Monahan Plaza January 29, 2016. The Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex is in the background.

Virtual Postgraduation Fair to Focus on Meaningful Work for Class of 2020

Casey Gordon, Program Manager for Center for the Common Good
Center for the Common Good, Changemaking for the Common Good, Common Good, COVID-19 Response, Current Students, Front Page, News, Our Community, St. Thomas Responds
Meaningful work and how graduates might take this opportunity to find work that advances the common good is the focus of the May 7 virtual postgraduation fair, co-hosted by the Center for the Common Good and the Career Development Center.
Students rush past and into the Anderson Student Center on a sunny autumn day on October 7, 2016.

Support Through Challenges: Undergraduate Students Share Experiences of Shifts Amidst COVID-19

Jordan Osterman '11
Academic News, COVID-19 Response, Current Students, News, Our Community, St. Thomas Responds, Top News
Dozens of undergraduate students responded to a request to provide some insight into how the adjustments to a new normal of all online classes and social distancing has gone, answering questions about how they’ve made those adjustments, what some of the biggest challenges they’ve faced are, and what has been most helpful for them throughout this process. Below are some of their many responses.
School of Engineering students took the initiative to use 3D Printers to create PPE - personal protective equipment - to donate to local hospitals to help keep medical professionals safe during the coronavirus pandemic. The students worked on the project in the Facilities of Design Center on April 15, 2020, in St. Paul. Collin Goldbach (Mechanical Engineering) works on a 3D printer.

School of Engineering Students Producing PPE For Local Hospitals

Jordan Osterman '11
Academic News, Changemaking for the Common Good, Common Good, COVID-19 Response, Current Students, News, Our Community, School of Engineering, St. Thomas Responds, Top News
2
The St. Thomas campuses have largely shut down in response to the coronavirus, but thanks to the efforts of more than a dozen St. Thomas engineering, education and chemistry students, the university’s 3D printers are not sitting idle: They’re turning out personal protective equipment (PPE) to support the Twin Cities medical community.
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
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.   
Graduation

Update on Commencement Ceremonies

President Julie Sullivan
Academic News, College of Arts and Sciences, COVID-19 Response, Dougherty Family College, For Faculty/Staff, For Students, News, Notices, Opus College of Business, Our Community, President's Office, School of Education, School of Engineering, School of Law, School of Social Work, Top News
St. Thomas will not be able to hold this year’s undergraduate, graduate, School of Law and Dougherty Family College (DFC) commencement ceremonies in May as scheduled.
Meals are served recently at Catholic Charities' Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul.

Advancing the Common Good Amidst the Coronavirus

Jordan Osterman '11
Center for the Common Good, Changemaking for the Common Good, Common Good, COVID-19 Response, News, Our Community, St. Thomas Responds, Top News
Like many others, St. Thomas community members are working to figure out other safe and appropriate ways they can make an impact. The Center for the Common Good – which coordinates with hundreds of community partners to connect Tommies with volunteering and donation opportunities – has helped create guidelines and ways for St. Thomas community members to remain engaged.
Thanos Zyngas, director of the University of St. Thomas’ campus in Rome, Italy, stands for a portrait outside of the Bernardi campus building on October 17, 2019.

‘Who Do You Want to Be?’: A Q&A with Rome Bernardi Campus Director Thanos Zyngas

Jordan Osterman '11
Academic News, College of Arts and Sciences, COVID-19 Response, News, Our Community, St. Thomas Responds, Top News
1
We spoke with Rome Bernardi Campus Director Thanos Zyngas on March 24 about what it feels like to live in Rome right now, what lessons have been learned about the response to the outbreak, and the competing emotions of optimism and sadness during the ongoing situation.

Stop the Spread of Racism: The Coronavirus Stigma

Kha Yang, Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence
Anti-Racism Efforts, COVID-19 Response, For Faculty/Staff, For Students, Front Page, News, Notices, Our Community, St. Thomas Responds
Amid uncertainty and fear are times when characters are tested. These last several weeks have made many fearful, anxious and angry, among a slew of other emotions. No matter how you might feel during this time, spreading racism is not the answer.