Archive Posts
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Better Than Best: How Dick Schulze’s Pursuit of Excellence Fuels Entrepreneurship for All
Having celebrated his 84th birthday this year, Best Buy founder Richard “Dick” Schulze is living his best life. The former retail CEO and now chairman emeritus spends about a week each month at his 380-acre Caribbean resort on the island of Anguilla. But he is not there to vacation with white sugar sand between his…
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Transforming Uganda: Tommie Alumni Lead Change in Home Country
AlumniAt first glance, the Tafari interlocking block looks a lot like a giant Lego brick. Inventor Brian Osende ’10, ’11 MS designed the block with studs on top and tubes on the inside – just like the insanely popular Danish toy. But this modern variation is hardly child’s play. Instead, the pioneering building block could… -
A Home in Rome: Celebrating 25 Years of the Bernardi Campus
AlumniNestled along the banks of the Tiber River in the heart of Rome sits the Bernardi Campus of the University of St. Thomas. Acquired by the Minnesota university in November 1999, the campus was named in honor of Antonio and Cecilia Bernardi, parents and grandparents of St. Thomas alumni, including Luigi Bernardi ’85, ’89 MBA.… -
Standing in Her Power: Trustee Anne Sempowski Ward
People & CultureAnne Sempowski Ward has never stayed in one lane. A mechanical engineer by training, she pivoted into brand strategy, turned around legacy businesses, broke barriers in corporate boardrooms and even became a minority owner of a WNBA team. She did all this while holding true to her personal mantra: Take a leap. “I always say,… -
Reflections on Black History: St. Thomas Community Speaks
Faith and MissionBlack History Month is an opportunity to recognize the legacy of Black leaders, honor the past, and reflect on the progress still to be made. However, it’s not just a month – it’s an ongoing commitment to education, reflection and action. Recently, members of the University of St. Thomas community reflected on three questions: what… -
Watch: Iconic Minnesota Stone Quarried for Lee & Penny Anderson Arena
AthleticsFive floors from the ground – and in the middle of winter – a small army of stonemasons are hard at work on the exterior of the under-construction Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. Affectionately known as “brickies,” these skilled workers are giving the rising University of St. Thomas landmark its signature look. On this particular… -
Pioneering the Future: Federal, State Support Fuels Expansion at Center for Microgrid Research
ResearchWhen Ophelia Loree ’25 MS came to the University of St. Thomas to pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering, she was betting on a hands-on, practical education. Loree had no idea that within a year, she would help design a brand-new microgrid, and that she would do so in collaboration with the U.S. Army… -
Engineering Peace: Fulbright-Hays Scholar Inspires Next Generation of Tommie Engineers
Social JusticeIt was an ambitious project for a budding oil engineer in Nigeria. Obasesam Okoi – just weeks out of college then – had been tasked with performing a topographical land survey of an oil mining site. His technical training in civil engineering had provided ample schooling for the assignment, but this new grad quickly realized… -
Renewing the Culture Through Catholic Education
Faith and MissionSomething significant is happening in Catholic education today. In their 2023–24 annual report, the National Catholic Education Association shares that “amidst societal upheaval and educational instability, Catholic schools have emerged as beacons of stability, reversing years of enrollment decline.” Yet tucked inside the positive news, Catholic schools increasingly face the challenge Jesus gave the apostles:… -
Love Thy Students
Faith and MissionExcerpt from Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture 27, no. 4 (Fall 2024) I once asked a colleague whether he loved his students. “I love them like I love my enemies,” he replied. That was meant as a joke, of course, but there was also something sincere about his reply. For Christians really…