Archive Posts
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Landmark Case Leaves Lasting Legacy
Philanthropy in ActionMike Ciresi ’68 and Roberta Walburn turn a historic tobacco settlement into opportunities for generations of St. Thomas students. By 1994, the tobacco industry had spent decades defeating or outlasting smoking lawsuits without paying a dollar in damages. Lawyers Mike Ciresi ’68 and Roberta Walburn chose to confront the industry anyway. They met in the…
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St. Thomas Enrollment Remains Steady, Strong
University NewsThe University of St. Thomas reached its highest undergraduate enrollment in a decade this fall, welcoming 6,784 students as demand for a St. Thomas education remains strong. Total undergraduate enrollment, which includes 6,579 students seeking four-year degrees in addition to the 205 students pursuing two-year degrees at Dougherty Family College (DFC), increased slightly from 6,750… -
The Power of Possibility: Investing in a St. Thomas Education
St. Thomas 2030Gozel Rahymjanova achieved something few women do in the area where she grew up. She traveled more than 6,000 miles from her small village in Turkmenistan, a country bordering Iran and Afghanistan, to pursue a higher education in the United States. “I don’t know anyone in the area I grew up in who studied in… -
St. Thomas Microgrid Expansion Advances Energy Resilience
University NewsAs the nation’s electric grid faces aging infrastructure, cybersecurity threats and growing power demands, the University of St. Thomas has expanded its Center for Microgrid Research (CMR) to study how communities, military installations and businesses can keep electricity flowing when the larger grid is strained or disrupted. “If the grid goes down, or something really… -
More Than Microgrids: Dr. Mahmoud Kabalan Gives Students a Space to Flourish
St. Thomas 2030Dr. Mahmoud Kabalan grew up in Lebanon, where power outages were a regular part of his childhood. Today, he's the Bright.Green Director of the University of St. Thomas Center for Microgrid Research, whose systems have enough capacity to power an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 homes. Under Kabalan’s leadership, the center has grown significantly; recently celebrating… -
The Grotto: A Sacred Space Restored
University NewsA winding path now forms a loop through the Grotto on the University of St. Thomas south campus, passing new Stations of the Cross, native plantings and stone steps beneath a canopy of trees. This fall, St. Thomas and The Saint Paul Seminary completed a major restoration of the historic space, repairing an aging landscape… -
Mike Klein’s ‘Littorally’ Exhibit Explores Relationship With Water
Arts & HumanitiesWhen University of St. Thomas Professor Mike Klein ’90, ’98 MA, ’09 EdD lost his father to cancer in 2001, he turned to building a cedar-strip canoe to process his grief. But when the unfinished canoe cracked during storage, Klein abandoned his plans to take it onto the water. Nearly 25 years later, the canoe… -
University of St. Thomas Launches Master of Science in Emergency and Disaster Management
University NewsThe University of St. Thomas College of Arts and Sciences has launched a Master of Science in Emergency and Disaster Management program designed to prepare current and future emergency management professionals to lead through a rapidly changing risk landscape. The program welcomed its first cohort in fall 2026 and prepares students to anticipate and respond… -
President Rob Vischer Speaks on Student Flourishing at North Star Summit
Professional NotesUniversity of St. Thomas President Robert K. Vischer says higher education should prepare students for more than their first job. Colleges should help students develop the skills, relationships and sense of purpose they need to flourish throughout their lives. “We are always telling students to lift their gaze in terms of your time at St.… -
Jesuit Slaveholding Exhibit Makes National Debut at St. Thomas
Racial Justice InitiativeA new immersive exhibition centering descendants of 314 Black men, women and children sold by the Jesuits in 1838 is making its national debut at the University of St. Thomas. “What We Inherit: Truth, Repair, and a Promise to the Future” explores the history of Jesuit slaveholding and how that history was lost, rediscovered and…