Archive Posts
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Opus Alumni Businesses Support Locals in Need
AlumniWhen East Day Cafe co-founder Stephanie Ayala set out a small storage bin inside her South Minneapolis coffee shop for customers to donate a few items for families in need, she wasn't expecting much response. But a few hours later, dozens of food items and toiletries filled the front of the cafe. "It blew up,"…
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In the News: David Deeds on Startup Pivot Strategy
In the NewsDavid Deeds, an entrepreneurship professor at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business, spoke with the Minnesota Star Tribune about a Minnesota startup pivoting its business model to stay afloat. Deeds explained that the company’s shift to a new product and its strategic partnerships highlight the importance of adaptability, noting that the ability… -
In the News: David Deeds on Access to Private Investment Markets
In the NewsDavid Deeds, Schulze Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business, spoke with the Minnesota Star Tribune examining congressional investment practices. Deeds noted that access to high-level private investment opportunities is often limited to individuals with established networks and significant financial resources. From the article:Minnesota congresswoman Kelly Morrison is… -
Schulze School of Entrepreneurship Receives USASBE Model Program Award
Professional NotesThe University of St. Thomas’s Schulze School of Entrepreneurship has been named the 2026 USASBE Model Program Award winner for Large Institutions, the highest honor presented by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The award recognizes universities that demonstrate sustained excellence in entrepreneurship education while providing students meaningful opportunities to develop entrepreneurial… -
A New Kind of Coffee on Campus, and the Student Behind It
People & CultureGeorge Dannecker '28 didn't come to the University of St. Thomas looking for a business opportunity. He had already found one at the finish line of a trail race on the east coast. Now, the sophomore marketing and entrepreneurship major is bringing that discovery to campus, proving that entrepreneurial thinking can thrive anywhere, even 1,500… -
Tommie Takeback: Students Reduce, Reuse, Refurbish Furniture
Sustainability & EnvironmentWhen Abigail Paulino arrived as a first-year student at the University of St. Thomas, she felt the same mix of emotions felt by thousands of newly enrolled students across college campuses each fall. But unlike most, she had traveled more than 6,000 miles from her home in Guam to begin her college career in Minnesota.… -
Tommie Innovators Spark Big Ideas at the Fowler Business Concept Challenge
Student LifeWhen Xinsheng Tang ’26 MS looks at a municipal wastewater outfall pipe, he doesn’t see an endpoint; he sees possibility. Standing before a packed room of 63 judges, visitors and peers at the 17th annual Fowler Business Concept Challenge, he explained how cities could turn a constant, gravity-fed stream of wastewater into clean electricity. “Cities… -
St. Thomas Climbs to No. 11 in Entrepreneurship Rankings
Business & LawTeaching entrepreneurial skills at the University of St. Thomas goes far beyond a class or academic major; entrepreneurship is truly a mindset across the entire institution. And that approach is driving more national recognition for the university’s Schulze School of Entrepreneurship. In the latest Princeton Review rankings of undergraduate entrepreneurship programs, the Schulze School is… -
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… -
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…