The upper quad was filled with excitement Sept. 19 as the University of St. Thomas revealed a monumental scholarship gift that will open the door to higher education for generations of future Tommies.
At a special event on the St. Paul campus, President Rob Vischer and the Board of Trustees announced Minnesota’s largest-ever university scholarship gift from the Schoeneckers Foundation. The historic donation will create scholarship funding for 250 undergraduate students each year, beginning in 2025 and continuing in perpetuity.
The special gift announcement also doubled as a dedication ceremony. In honor of the Schoenecker family’s generous gift and longstanding commitment to St. Thomas, Tommie North was renamed Guy ’49 and Barbara Schoenecker Residence Hall North.
“Guy Schoenecker believed in the life-changing power of education because St. Thomas changed his life. His children believe in the life-changing power of education, too, and they continue to place their hope in the students who are here today and who will be here tomorrow,” St. Thomas President Rob Vischer said. “We thank the Schoenecker family and the foundation for being such faithful stewards of their dad’s legacy and making this remarkable new scholarship fund possible.”
The Schoenecker name is a familiar one to visitors on campus, from libraries and athletics facilities to the university’s new state-of-the-art STEAM complex. Schoenecker family members were on hand to witness the unveiling of the residence hall’s new signage bearing the family name and participate in a blessing.
“My dad would be very happy to know that very soon more students will be able to access a St. Thomas education and begin their young lives with a sense of purpose and optimism that this education provides,” Lisa Anderson ’83 MA said, daughter of Guy Schoenecker and member of the St. Thomas Board of Trustees. “St. Thomas is a place of hope and a place of joy. We can always use more of that.”
The scholarship endowment in honor of the memory of her father and stepmother, will award aid to thousands of students with financial need across the university’s schools and colleges for years to come.
Undergraduate business student Jennifer Mata ’26 thanked the Schoenecker family for their transformative gift. Mata shared how donor-funded scholarships, including the support she’s received at St. Thomas, can have a multiplier effect on communities.
“The impact that I will have on St. Thomas and the future impact I will have on society will be the outcome of everyone that has invested in my growth,” Mata said. “This is the astounding beauty a scholarship can have on an individual just like me.”
Scholarships are a top priority for St. Thomas as it works to increase access to higher education and the life-changing experiences found at Minnesota’s largest private university. Leaders are hopeful that the Schoeneckers’ historic gift will inspire future donors to support Tommie students.
“It is my hope that people with the means to change the trajectory of a young person’s life with scholarship will answer with donations of their own,” Amy Goldman said, CEO of GHR Foundation and member of the St. Thomas Board of Trustees. “It’s never too early to begin your own multiplier effect.”
