In 2025, the University of St. Thomas continued to build on its mission as a Catholic university committed to academic excellence, access, innovation, and community engagement. From stories on record enrollment to expanded scholarship opportunities and national recognitions, here’s a look at some of the top stories that shaped 2025 at St. Thomas.
St. Thomas Welcomes Largest-Ever First-Year Class
This past fall, the university welcomed its largest-ever incoming class of first-year students, a milestone that reflects growing demand for a St. Thomas education. Read the story.
Philanthropy in Action
New Gift From John and Susan Morrison to Expand Health Care Education. In May, benefactors John and Susan Morrison expanded their commitment to the Morrison Family College of Health with a new gift. Read the story.
St. Thomas Celebrates $25.5 Million Gift to Benefit the Liberal Arts and Athletics. St. Thomas announced in June the anonymous gift helps advance interdisciplinary and intercultural education, as well as the future of athletics. Read the story.
From Rondo Classrooms to Entrepreneurs, New Gift Expands St. Thomas’ Impact. Twin Cities philanthropists Gary and Pat Sauer made a gift that allows St. Thomas to expand its efforts to support the local community. Read the story.
The Year in Athletics: St. Thomas Completes Transition to Division I
It was a historic year for Tommie athletics. In June, it received final confirmation as a Division I program, being fully eligible to compete in postseason play, including NCAA tournaments and championships. Read the story.
The highly anticipated Lee & Penny Anderson Arena officially opened in October with electric energy as men’s and women’s hockey teams hosted their first games in the new facility. Read the story “Sights and Sounds: Lee & Penny Anderson Arena Opens With Inaugural Games.”
St. Thomas also celebrated multiple conference championships, including a Summit League title in baseball and softball, and the university’s first NCAA Division I berth for volleyball. Read the story.
As the year drew to a close, Phil Esten, vice president and director of athletics, was named the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Sportsperson of the Year in recognition of his leadership during the university’s transition to Division I athletics and its growing impact. Read story.
St. Thomas Climbs to No. 11 in Entrepreneurship Rankings
In the latest Princeton Review rankings of undergraduate entrepreneurship programs, the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship ranked No. 11 internationally, up eight spots from last year, and No. 10 in the U.S., and No. 5 in the Midwest. Read the story.
Carnegie Gives St. Thomas High Marks for Student Success
Under the “Student Access and Earnings” category from Carnegie Classifications, St. Thomas received high marks for providing access and preparing students for success. Read story.
Vischer Honored as Twin Cities Business Person of the Year
Twin Cities Business named University of St. Thomas President Rob Vischer as its 2025 Person of the Year, highlighting his leadership in expanding academic programs, growing enrollment and elevating the university’s national presence. Read the article.
Dougherty Family College Reaches Scholarship Milestone
Dougherty Family College has seen 100 of its scholars receive its DFC Excellence Scholarship with a full ride to continue studies for a bachelor’s degree on the St. Paul campus. Read story.
St. Thomas Community Reacts to Selection of Pope Leo XIV
When Pope Leo XIV was officially introduced to the thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, the seminarians were watching it live. Read the story.
Academic Excellence Highlights
St. Thomas was well represented in the prestigious Fulbright Program. In January, School of Law Professor Rachel Moran shared her reflections after spending four months as a Fulbright Scholar researching protests and policing in Chile. Read the story.
Then, in June, Ernest Owens – associate professor of management at Opus College of Business – was selected to consult and lead education or training activities abroad through the Fulbright Specialist Program. Owens traveled to Lagos, Nigeria, in the fall to lead a six-week project, “Internationalization of Pan-Atlantic University.” Read the story.
A team of St. Thomas undergraduates earned top honors at the International Business Ethics Case Competition (IBECC) for tackling one of today's most pressing business issues: how femtech companies handle sensitive user data. These Tommies delivered the strongest performance by a St. Thomas team in the competition’s history. Read the story.
In the fall, the Minnesota Technology Association (MnTech) named Dr. Manjeet Rege, professor and chair of the Department of Software Engineering and Data Science, its Tech Educator of the Year. Read the story.
(l-r): Joel Crandall, Manjeet Rege, Tony Peleska. (MnTech)
