Archive Posts
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First-Year Students Embrace Entrepreneurship at Innovation Immersion
People & CultureA week before classes began at the University of St. Thomas, nearly 150 first-year students filled with entrepreneurial spirit participated in Freshman Innovation Immersion, an exciting day of business ideation and creation. Now in its 11th year, the daylong Schulze School of Entrepreneurship event, which is open to first-year students from all disciplines, challenges them…
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Why a First-Gen Veteran Chose Entrepreneurship at St. Thomas
People & CultureDarcy Nguyen '26 arrived at the University of St. Thomas with a clear vision: study business at the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship so she can one day reopen her family’s restaurant, Pho Saigon. The West Side spot, which her parents ran for a decade, closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Nguyen's dream of sharing authentic… -
Largest First-Year Class in St. Thomas History Marches Through the Arches
People & CultureThe skies over St. Paul had a steady drizzle on the morning of the University of St. Thomas’ annual March Through the Arches as first-year students gathered at the edge of the lower quad, adjusting purple shirts and snapping photos with family. Then, a few minutes before the ceremony began, sunlight broke through. It was… -
South Africa to St. Thomas: Why This Fashion Entrepreneur Pursues an MBA
Business & LawBorn in Botswana and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Jessica Khupe ‘26 MBA has family ties to the University of St. Thomas dating back to the early 1990s. Her uncle, Dr. Keith Bothongo ’92, earned both his MBA and master’s in international management degrees at St. Thomas before founding Bothongo Group in Sandton, South Africa,… -
From the Gutter Up: How A Young Entrepreneur Grew His Business
Business & LawMichael Fafinski ’25 is an enterprising young man. The University of St. Thomas alumnus who majored in entrepreneurship, launched a landscaping company at age 16. Now, at age 23, he owns a gutter installation business with plans to grow through acquisitions. “I am going to sell this business in a decade or so and leverage… -
Students Turn Ideas Into Action at Fowler Global Social Innovation Finals
Business & LawUniversity of St. Thomas hosts international student competition focused on solutions to the world’s toughest social and environmental challenges. Seeing discarded clothing clog up rivers in Ghana inspired Natalie Larson ’26 and Noah MacDonald ’26 to create change. That change led to these social entrepreneur students becoming finalists in the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge… -
How New Product Tech Venture Program at St. Thomas Builds Innovative Leaders
St. Thomas 2025 - Promote and Leverage Our Comprehensive Academic ExcellenceEvelyn Truong ’23, ’24 MS grew up in Vietnam, witnessing firsthand the stark health care disparities faced by marginalized communities due to inadequate resources and technology. While the University of St. Thomas alumna aspires to bridge the gap in health care disparities, by one day creating solutions to make quality health care affordable and attainable,… -
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… -
Celebrating Innovation: Winners of the St. Thomas Business Plan Competition and Fowler GSIC
The Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business awarded over $30,000 this semester to students competing in the annual St. Thomas Business Plan Competition. The competition featured three categories: Business Plan (Undergraduate), Business Plan (Graduate), and the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge, which supports social ventures. Participants… -
U.S. Bank Idea Jam Prepares St. Thomas Students for Career Success
Business & LawNow in its second year, the annual U.S. Bank Idea Jam, a collaboration between one of the biggest banking institutions in the U.S. and the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, showcases how partnerships between academia and industry can equip students with the skills they need to succeed in…