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Welcome to St. Thomas Magazine Fall 2026
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Dear St. Thomas community,
In this issue of St. Thomas Magazine, we explore the people, opportunities and investments that make a St. Thomas education possible — and meaningful.
From scholarships and faculty mentorship to hands-on learning, innovation and spaces for reflection, these stories show what can happen when students have the support they need to pursue their potential.
We invite you to explore The Power of Possibility in this digital edition of St. Thomas Magzine.
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The Power of Possibility: Investing in a St. Thomas Education
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Gozel Rahymjanova achieved something few women do in the area where she grew up. She traveled more than 6,000 miles from her small village in Turkmenistan, a country bordering Iran and Afghanistan, to pursue a higher education in the United States. "I don't know anyone in the area I grew up in who studied in…
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St. Thomas Microgrid Expansion Advances Energy Resilience
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As the nation's electric grid faces aging infrastructure, cybersecurity threats and growing power demands, the University of St. Thomas has expanded its Center for Microgrid Research (CMR) to study how communities, military installations and businesses can keep electricity flowing when the larger grid is strained or disrupted. "If the grid goes down, or something really…
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More Than Microgrids: Dr. Mahmoud Kabalan Gives Students a Space to Flourish
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Dr. Mahmoud Kabalan grew up in Lebanon, where power outages were a regular part of his childhood. Today, he's the Bright.Green Director of the University of St. Thomas Center for Microgrid Research, whose systems have enough capacity to power an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 homes. Under Kabalan's leadership, the center has grown significantly; recently celebrating…
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Landmark Case Leaves Lasting Legacy
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Mike Ciresi '68 and Roberta Walburn turn a historic tobacco settlement into opportunities for generations of St. Thomas students. By 1994, the tobacco industry had spent decades defeating or outlasting smoking lawsuits without paying a dollar in damages. Lawyers Mike Ciresi '68 and Roberta Walburn chose to confront the industry anyway. They met in the…
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The Art of Leading Through Influence
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Ernest Owens on people and project management. The new chair of the University of St. Thomas' faculty has spent more than three decades teaching students at the Opus College of Business to lead – even when they aren't necessarily in charge. "It's mainly about influence," said Associate Professor Ernest Owens. "How do I influence people…
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The Grotto: A Sacred Space Restored
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A winding path now forms a loop through the Grotto on the University of St. Thomas south campus, passing new Stations of the Cross, native plantings and stone steps beneath a canopy of trees. This fall, St. Thomas and The Saint Paul Seminary completed a major restoration of the historic space, repairing an aging landscape…
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The Power of the Tommie Network
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Generosity, connection and shared purpose are creating opportunities, changing lives and helping our students achieve brilliant and bold futures. Consider making a gift to an area of campus that is meaningful to you during Tommie Give Day, from now through Nov. 10. Learn more. |
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Stay Connected to St. Thomas in Meaningful Ways
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In the Tommie Network, there are many opportunities to be an engaged alum, and every connection matters. For some, engagement means mentoring a student. For others, it's sharing professional expertise in a classroom panel, making a gift, telling your St. Thomas story or bringing together two people who should know each other. And sometimes, it…
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More Articles: In Case You Missed It
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DFC at 10: Access Is Only the Beginning
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As higher education confronts demographic and economic challenges, Dougherty Family College's first decade shows what it takes to turn college access into opportunity. Renee Sandy took a chance in 2017 on a college that had never had a graduating class. She was part of the inaugural cohort at Dougherty Family College, the University of St.…
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Candace Chou: Teaching Humanity in a Digital Age
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When people talk about artificial intelligence (AI), they often have the same concerns: Will technology replace human interaction? Will students stop thinking for themselves? What happens when machines become smarter than we are? Those questions are familiar to Dr. Chientzu Candace Chou. As a learning technology expert and professor in the School of Education at…
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Mike Klein's 'Littorally' Exhibit Explores Relationship With Water
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When University of St. Thomas Professor Mike Klein '90, '98 MA, '09 EdD lost his father to cancer in 2001, he turned to building a cedar-strip canoe to process his grief. But when the unfinished canoe cracked during storage, Klein abandoned his plans to take it onto the water. Nearly 25 years later, the canoe…
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Jesuit Slaveholding Exhibit Sets Stage for Nov. 2 Finding Forward on "Facing History: Memory, Reconciliation"
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A new immersive exhibition that centers descendants of 314 Black men, women and children sold by the Jesuits in 1838 made its national debut at the University of St. Thomas. The exhibition sets the stage for a Nov. 2 Finding Forward speaker series event titled "Facing History: Memory, Reconciliation, and the Common Good" with Monique Trusclair Maddox, president and CEO of the Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation and Yohuru Williams, distinguished university chair, professor of history and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at St. Thomas.
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Do You Know Any Incredible Tommies?
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There are many incredible Tommies at St. Thomas. Whether they are current faculty, staff, students or alumni, if you know an Incredible Tommie we should feature in a future edition, use this form to recommend them. We especially are interested in individuals who have significantly transformed communities and the world at large.
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Know of anything or anyone interesting around the university that would make for a good Newsroom feature story? Let us know at news@stthomas.edu.
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