Archbishop John Ireland had two goals when he opened the doors of the College of St. Thomas in 1885:
- To provide an education to lower- and middle-class students that will prepare them for any positions they may covet.
- To have the most successful faculty and staff campaign in Minnesota.
He accomplished goal one on the first day of classes. It took a little longer to achieve the second.
The recordkeeping for things such as faculty and staff participation is a little sketchy dating back to 1885. We’ll go back to 1998 when the St. Thomas Faculty and Staff Campaign reported a participation rate of 12 percent and ranked at the bottom of the list of Minnesota private colleges and universities. Fifteen years later St. Thomas achieved a 61 percent participation rate, which is not only the top percentage among Minnesota’s private institutions but is also tops among the state’s public universities! This is a remarkable accomplishment that should be celebrated by those members of the St. Thomas community who have participated in this campaign over the years.
Several divisions and departments helped in this record-setting effort by achieving 50 percent participation or higher:
- Academic Affairs
- Business Affairs
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Human Resources
- Opus College of Business
- President’s Staff
- School of Law
Three areas of the university had 100 percent participation last year. Special thanks go to:
- Enrollment Services
- Institutional Advancement
- Student Affairs
The significance of the increased participation goes well beyond our ranking with our peers, which does have its benefits when it comes to applying for grants from foundations. Having more donors means more support for our community. The faculty and staff campaign has provided significant support for student scholarships, departmental priorities, student emergency funds, student activities and the Annual Fund.
The 2014 St. Thomas Faculty and Staff Campaign will kick off in March. You will receive campaign materials through intercampus mail. Gifts can be made via cash, check, credit card or payroll deduction. Our campaign has never focused on how much people give, only that they participate! You also have the ability to designate where your gift will go. The campaign will run through June 30.
If you have questions about making a gift or the status of a current payroll deduction, please feel free to contact John Bannigan, (651) 962-6982.
It took 129 years to accomplish Archbishop Ireland’s second goal for St. Thomas. We owe it to him to hold onto the top spot for at least that many years … or for sure this year.
Archbishop John Ireland had two goals when he opened the doors of the College of St. Thomas in 1885:
1) To provide an education to lower- and middle-class students that will prepare them for any positions they may covet.
2) To have the most successful faculty and staff campaign in Minnesota.
He accomplished goal one on the first day of classes. It took a little longer to achieve the second.
By John Bannigan ’85
Archbishop John Ireland had two goals when he opened the doors of the College of St. Thomas in 1885:
1) To provide an education to lower- and middle-class students that will prepare them for any positions they may covet.
2) To have the most successful faculty and staff campaign in Minnesota.
He accomplished goal one on the first day of classes. It took a little longer to achieve the second.
The recordkeeping for things like faculty and staff participation is a little sketchy dating back to 1885. We’ll go back to 1998 when the St. Thomas Faculty and Staff Campaign reported a participation rate of 12 percent and ranked at the bottom of the list of Minnesota private colleges and universities. Fifteen years later St. Thomas achieved a 61 percent participation rate, which is not only the top percentage among Minnesota’s private institutions but is also tops among the state’s public universities! This is a remarkable accomplishment that should be celebrated by those members of the St. Thomas community who have participated in this campaign over the years.
