Archive Posts
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Father Chris Collins on the Joy and Message of Easter
Faith and MissionEaster is one of the most treasured holidays on the Christian calendar. In commemorating the resurrection of Jesus, Easter celebrates the defeat of death and the hope of salvation. It is a time of reflection, joy and shared fellowship. The events of Holy Week offer a renewed hope to face the challenges of our world…
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Campus Ministry Discusses the Origins of Passover
Faith and MissionAs many Christians prepare to observe the end of Holy Week and Easter, Jewish people are readying to celebrate the festival of Passover. Passover commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Beginning at sunset on Friday, April 15, and ending at nightfall on Saturday, April 23, the holiday is often celebrated with family… -
Tommie Experts: Associate Chaplain Dr. Sadaf Shier Discusses Ramadan
Faith and MissionDuring the month of Ramadan, which begins this year on the evening of April 2, Muslims begin 30 days of fasting from sunrise to sundown. However, fasting during Ramadan is much more than just not eating and not drinking for 14 to 15 hours each day, said University of St. Thomas Associate Chaplain Sadaf Shier,… -
Tommie Experts: What Led to Russia’s Invasion?
St. Thomas 2025A St. Thomas political science alumna was working on the ground in Ukraine in the weeks before Russia attacked. Stationed in Ukraine until the February 2022 invasion, Colleen Ryan ’14 operated as a monitoring officer with the world’s second largest regional security organization after the United Nations. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe… -
Are New Technologies Keeping Us Stuck in Old Biases?
Diversity, Equity and InclusionTo help assess whether job applicants should be interviewed or not, Amazon generated an algorithm that picked out resumes most similar to the company’s most successful job applicants. Amelia McNamara, PhD, a computer and information science professor at the University of St. Thomas, said this seemingly benign innovation for hiring wasn’t as forward-thinking as it… -
Tommie Experts: On Trials, Vigilantes and Citizen's Arrests
Business & LawDr. Yohuru Williams, founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas, discussed recent court trials in a panel discussion he moderated between two of the university’s School of Law professors, Rachel Moran and Mark Osler, both former prosecutors. They examined what was at the root of the killings of George… -
Tommie Experts: Saving Catholic Schools
Faith and MissionResearch shows that a higher percentage of Catholic high school students go on to graduate from an institute of higher education than do public school students. During a November 2021 panel discussion, the Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) of Minnesota pointed to U.S. Department of Education data to show the value in saving K-12 Catholic schools.… -
Tommie Experts: Using AI to Fight Human Bias at Work
Business & LawEditor's note: This piece originally ran on Medium and has been republished with permission. Liz Melton is a Stanford alumna interested in AI, product-led growth and corporate social responsibility. Grant Riewe is on faculty at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business. Artificial intelligence has emerged as the focus of most new technological… -
Truth Telling and Indian Boarding Schools
St. Thomas 2025 - Foster Belonging and Dismantle RacismThe remains of 215 First Nation children were found just months ago in unmarked graves at the Catholic-run Indian Residential School in British Columbia. The discovery is evidence of the trauma and suffering perpetrated there, said Jacob Jurss, PhD, St. Thomas adjunct history professor and a Native American history scholar. Jurss spoke as part of… -
Rosh Hashanah - The New Jewish Year Celebrates the Beginning of Humanity
Faith and MissionFather Chris Collins, St. Thomas’ new vice president for mission, sat down with Rabbi Avi Olitzky to discuss the meaning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year 5782. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated in 2021 starting at sundown Monday, Sept. 6, and ending at sundown Wednesday, Sept. 8, coinciding with the start of the new academic…