Archive Posts
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A $6.8M SEED Grant Funds St. Thomas Education Students
St. Thomas 2025 - Expand Pathways through the Dougherty Family CollegeThe School of Education has received a $6.8 million federal SEED grant to recruit and train over 300 special education and elementary teachers in Minnesota. St. Thomas is a leader in "grow your own" pathways to teaching, as evident by receiving several federal and foundation grants to reduce barriers to teaching and to support teacher…
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Dougherty Family College Interns Placed With Investment Firm Castlelake
St. Thomas 2025 - Expand Pathways through the Dougherty Family CollegeThree Dougherty Family College scholars this summer will get hands-on experience evaluating and managing investment opportunities and financial data for Castlelake, a global private investment firm. The opportunity is a part of an internship program through the two-year college. “This is a learning opportunity for our scholars to gain a deeper understanding about the world… -
VIDEO: Supporting DFC Scholars on Their Road to a Bachelor's Degree
St. Thomas 2025 - Expand Pathways through the Dougherty Family CollegeDougherty Family College aims for its scholars, who graduate from the two-year college with an associate degree, to continue their academic journey for a bachelor's degree at a four-year institution, such as the main campus of the University of St. Thomas. With 95% of the scholars identifying as a person of color, many of them… -
In the News: Dougherty Family College Works to Close Educational Attainment Gap
University NewsInside Higher Education spoke with Dougherty Family College Dean Buffy Smith about how the two-year college is the University of St. Thomas’ solution to closing the achievement gap. She also discussed how its scholars are placed in paid internships, supported by a professional development curriculum within the first-year experience course. “If the educational attainment gap… -
Sights and Sounds: 2023 Dougherty Family College Commencement
University NewsWhen 2023 Dougherty Family College commencement speaker Ayoko Agbobly took the stage to address attendees, she had an air of confidence. Koko, as she is known to her friends, had come a long way from “the quiet kid in the front of the class who had so much to say but was too shy to… -
In the News: Dougherty Family College’s Investment in Student Success Pays Off
DFC NewsBuffy Smith, dean of Dougherty Family College (DFC) at the University of St. Thomas, recently spoke with Diverse: Issues in Higher Education about DFC’s unique educational model, the importance of removing barriers and providing culturally-sustaining curriculum for scholars from underrepresented communities. From the story: DFC’s approach is in line with recent research showing that student success requires a… -
In the News: Buffy Smith on 300 DFC Scholars Graduating Debt-Free
DFC NewsBuffy Smith, dean of Dougherty Family College (DFC) at the University of St. Thomas, recently spoke with WCCO about this year’s graduating class during a block party hosted by DFC. From the story: DFC offers a two-year associate degree program, enrolling predominantly minority and first-generation college students. By the time the students graduate, the goal… -
Unlocking Opportunity: 13 Dougherty Family College Students Awarded Full-Tuition Scholarships to St. Thomas
St. Thomas 2025 - Expand Pathways through the Dougherty Family CollegeLayla Siferllah-Griffin knows that someday she wants to open her own business. Full of ideas and perseverance, she has the dream and drive, but finding a path to achieve that reality has not always been so clear. As she prepares to graduate with an associate degree from Dougherty Family College at the University of St.… -
In the News: Dougherty Family College Makes Higher Education Possible for Underserved Students
In the NewsDougherty Family College scholars and their dean, Buffy Smith, recently spoke with KARE 11 for a story about the unique cohort model at DFC – a two-year college at the University of St. Thomas in downtown Minneapolis – and the importance of removing barriers for students from underserved communities to help them succeed in their… -
Cultivating STEM With DFC Scholars
St. Thomas 2025 - Expand Pathways through the Dougherty Family CollegeYou could almost see the light bulbs flashing. The day’s task for scholars at the brand-new Dougherty Family College STEM Club was to create an LED light, completely from scratch. That meant picking out their own blinking bulbs, prepping battery packs and melting metal joints together with a soldering iron at a temperature of more…