The University of St. Thomas will turn to a triple Tommie to serve as its next Vice President for Mission.
Father Daniel Griffith, a St. Thomas School of Law faculty member who currently serves as pastor and rector of the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, will begin his new role July 1. Griffith will succeed Father Christopher Collins ’93, SJ, who will depart this summer for a new pastoral assignment in Belize City, Belize.
As VP for Mission, Griffith will lead the Office for Mission and help advance the university's Catholic identity across campus. He will collaborate with faculty and campus leaders to strengthen the integration of faith and reason, support the formation of moral and ethical leaders and deepen St. Thomas’ commitment to the common good.
Griffith has a deep and longstanding connection to St. Thomas. He earned a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Theology from St. Thomas, along with a Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law. At St. Thomas’ law school, Griffith is the Wenger Family Faculty Fellow and founding director of the Initiative on Restorative Justice and Healing.
"A St. Thomas education is distinct because we don’t just simply teach students, we walk alongside them in their individual journeys to discovering their purpose. Father Griffith is a wonderful fit for our mission because he embodies that ministry of accompaniment, especially in his restorative justice work, and he will be a strong contributor to our mission and community,” said President Rob Vischer.
Reflecting on his upcoming appointment, Griffith noted the formative role the university has played in his life and vocation.
“I remember vividly entering through the Arches when I was a young man, not knowing the path that God would put before me,” he said. “I have enjoyed serving as a faculty member of the St. Thomas School of Law since 2011 and have been blessed to be involved in the important work of restorative justice, never more needed than now.”
