Archive Posts
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In the News: DFC Receives $10M Gift
St. Thomas 2025 - Expand Pathways through the Dougherty Family CollegeDougherty Family College Dean Buff Smith spoke with the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press about the anonymous $10 million gift the two-year college received so that it can continue its work closing the educational achievement gap for underserved students. From the Star Tribune: "Every conversation that I've had with community leaders,…
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Dougherty Family College Receives $10M Anonymous Gift
St. Thomas 2025 - Close Financial Gaps For StudentsMatching challenge seeks $20M total to fund student education in perpetuity An anonymous $10 million gift to the University of St. Thomas will help students who attend its Dougherty Family College (DFC) in Minneapolis obtain their associate degree. The gift, tied for the largest in the five-year-old school’s history, is expected to drive further gifts… -
Corporate Partner 3M Opens Doors to Dougherty Family College Students
St. Thomas 2025 - Expand Pathways through the Dougherty Family CollegeWhen the University of St. Thomas conceived of a two-year college to provide an alternate path to a four-year degree, 3M stepped up as an early corporate partner to help launch Dougherty Family College (DFC). Now, the Minnesota-based science and innovation giant is increasing its support with a new initiative, the STEM Preparation Pathway program,… -
Dean Buffy Smith and DFC's Strategic Priorities
St. Thomas 2025When the incoming class of Dougherty Family College students arrived Aug. 22 on the Minneapolis campus of the University of St. Thomas for the Summer Enrichment Program, they were greeted by DFC Dean Buffy Smith. Although Smith has been with the college since its founding in 2017, this is the start of her first year… -
DFC Appoints Dr. Janine Sanders Jones as Associate Dean
Professional NotesDr. Janine Sanders Jones has accepted the role of associate dean of academics at the Dougherty Family College after serving as interim associate dean since October 2020. Sanders Jones became a part of the St. Thomas community in 2007 because of her involvement in the Twin Cities chapter of the National Black MBA Association, which… -
U.S. Bank Renews DFC Sponsorship for Five Years
St. Thomas 2025 - Expand Pathways through the Dougherty Family CollegeWhen DeAmonte Block ’22 began his very first job after graduation this summer, he walked in feeling particularly prepared. The newest staff auditor at U.S. Bank in downtown Minneapolis, Block was hardly a new face to many of his coworkers. A recent University of St. Thomas graduate and Dougherty Family College (DFC) alumnus, Block spent… -
Louis Porter II: Telling the Stories You Don't Usually Hear
People & CultureLouis Porter II, a University of St. Thomas English professor in Dougherty Family College, wants to help tell the stories you don’t otherwise hear. It’s a passion that started earlier in his career at the St. Paul Pioneer Press reporting on the working poor. “These are people who were working every day but still had… -
Comics Are More Than Just Stories for St. Thomas Senior
Arts & HumanitiesVerdis Webb IV was a soon-to-be first-year student at Dougherty Family College when he started his first day of orientation in 2018. His excitement soon turned to dread as he began to feel like he was back in elementary school, eating lunch alone and not fitting in. He channeled those emotions into his favorite outlet,… -
Remarkable and Unstoppable: Dougherty Family College 2022 Commencement
University NewsDougherty Family College (DFC) honored its fourth class of graduates during commencement Sunday, May 22, 2022, at the O’Shaughnessy Stadium on the St. Paul campus of the University of St. Thomas. In her address, Dr. Buffy Smith said, "We should always remember that our graduates are remarkable and unstoppable." She said, "Our graduates did not… -
In the News: University of St. Thomas Names Dean for Two-Year College
In the NewsThe St. Paul Pioneer Press reported on the appointment of Dr. Buffy Smith as dean of Dougherty Family College. The story also highlighted the mission of the college. From the article: The Dougherty college – one of two private two-year colleges in the country – opened in downtown Minneapolis in 2017, offering intensive support to…