University of St. Thomas President Rob Vischer joined Vineeta Sawkar on WCCO Radio live at the Minnesota State Fair to discuss a variety of topics including: the balance between maintaining an open campus and ensuring safety; the role of faith and community support in overcoming grief; the success of the university’s philanthropy efforts; the value of a St. Thomas education; the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena; and more.
From the interview:
Sawkar: I just want to get your perspective on the Annunciation School shooting yesterday and how our hearts are just feeling heavy this morning.
Vischer: It’s great to be with you. Yesterday was a very emotional day on our campus too. We had a prayer service. There are so many connections between the St. Thomas and the Annunciation communities. The pastor of the parish is our alum. We have several alumni who teach at Annunciation, and we have several families who are members of both the Annunciation and St. Thomas community. So you just you feel it. It’s very real, and we share in that grief.
Sawkar: I look at the St. Thomas campus – I used to work at the University of St. Thomas for four years – how open it is walking through ... that’s part of the charm of it. How do you balance that as a president at a university, with keeping students safe?
Vischer: It’s a challenging balance. You do not want to spend your college years living in fear, but you also have to take precautions. So we have a very strong public safety operation and public safety team. We work very closely with St. Paul police and with Minneapolis police for both of our campuses. We have a very effective emergency notification system that goes out to all members of the St. Thomas community in the case of an emergency. ...
Sawkar: Strong faith gets people through tough times, and I think leaning on these prayer services and things, how much of a role will that play as we move forward?
Vischer: There was a juxtaposition yesterday, because we had this very emotional prayer service, a very mournful time, but it was also a day when parents were dropping their kids off for college, and you saw the joy in their eyes and the hopefulness. We have to be able to hold on to both at the same time, both the grief at the fact that we live in a broken world and the pain is all around us, but we can’t give up fighting for joy and holding fast to the hope that sustains us.
Sawkar: I had the opportunity with other members of the media to tour the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena on campus. And wow, wow. I worked at the university when this was just a dream, and you all made it happen. The thing is beautiful.
Vischer: It is spectacular. We are really proud of how it turned out, and we are excited to welcome the whole Twin Cities community into the arena with hockey opening Oct. 24 and basketball opening Nov. 8. It’s going to be rocking in the Lee & Penny Anderson arena.
Sawkar: How did you make it happen? Certain neighbors were very concerned about this. There were stoppages, but somehow it was able to move through. And what do you think that was? How did you get it to move forward?
Vischer: It starts with philanthropy. St. Thomas has always had a very loyal base of benefactors who believe in our mission and want to help us power that mission to a broader platform. We do work with neighbors closely. Obviously, there are some neighbors who are not big fans of the arena, but we did it in a way where it’s in the center of campus and we didn’t even ask for any zoning variances. We have a very well-thought-out parking plan for game days, and we’ve been working and collaborating very closely with neighbors, not just on the arena, but on every project we have. ...
Sawkar: Let’s talk about that philanthropy. It seems like every few months I’m seeing a new news conference with tens of millions of dollars being donated. How do you guys do it?
Vischer: One key is to lean into mission and build relationships. Donors are motivated by supporting something that’s distinctive, that’s making a difference. So it’s the same message that I give to our students when our new students come in. I’m always telling them to lift their gaze. College should not simply be about equipping yourself with job skills. So that’s part of it. Also, our alumni make more on average postgraduation than the graduates of any other college or university in Minnesota, public or private, large or small. We take that very seriously. ...
Sawkar: The four-year degree is getting some pushback from people. Is it worth the price tag the debt that students go into to get this degree?
Vischer: The numbers say yes, it is. One of the things that’s a little bit sideways about the higher ed market is the price tag is not actually the price, and that has to do a lot with the competitive dynamics. So our average student debt for those who take out loans is quite low compared to average earnings. I’m always happy to go over numbers with folks to show that a St. Thomas education is absolutely a strong return on investment.
