Emily Carlson's St. Thomas page

Anonymous donor contributes $50 million - Emily Carlson

2008-01-25T08:59:00.000-08:00

Money to Opus College of Business

An anonymous donor has given $50 million – one of the three largest gifts to higher education in Minnesota history – to the University of St. Thomas' Opus College of Business.

The gift to St. Thomas' "Opening Doors" capital campaign will be used to increase the college's endowment. For generations to come, interest income from the endowment will be used for academic programs and scholarships.

"For a dean, a gift like this is a dream come true," said Dr. Christopher Puto, dean of the Opus College of Business. "Earlier gifts have provided us with new academic facilities that are the finest available. The $50 million opens the door to exciting new opportunities for our students as well as faculty."

For students, the gift will support scholarships at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It also will provide a whole new level of support for student activities outside the classroom, including research and participation in national conferences and competitions.

For faculty, the gift will make possible several new professional development programs, especially in the area of business research.

"Support for research and professional-development is essential to retaining and attracting the best possible faculty," Puto said. "We recently have attracted prized business faculty members from Northwestern, California-Berkeley, Stanford, Duke, Michigan State and the University of Minnesota. The kind of support this $50 million makes possible is a huge asset as we continue to develop our respected faculty."

The $50 million anonymous gift announced today equals the one made to St. Thomas in 2000 by Best Buy founder and chairman Richard Schulze and his late wife, Sandra. The largest gift, $60 million, was given to St. Thomas last fall by Lee and Penny Anderson. He is owner and chairman of the St. Paul-based APi Group Inc.

Opening Doors is an eight-year, $500 million campaign that was announced by St. Thomas in October. To date it has raised $317 million in gifts and pledges, an amount that includes the $50 million gift from the anonymous donor.

With the exception of contributions earmarked for construction projects, most of the campaign funds will build endowment for scholarships, endowed faculty positions and educational programs.

"This extraordinary gift will serve as a cornerstone of a capital fundraising effort that will afford St. Thomas students a whole new level of access and excellence," said the Rev. Dennis Dease, president of St. Thomas. "The impact of a gift like this is enormous for St. Thomas and the entire region. We are deeply grateful not only for the size of this contribution, but for the donor's quiet but powerful commitment to the kind of education offered by our Opus College of Business … an education grounded in the liberal arts, in values and in ethics."

With 2,142 graduate students and 2,427 undergraduates, the Opus College of Business enrolls just over 40 percent of the university's 10,984 students. It offers undergraduate majors in 12 fields and master's degrees in eight, including day and evening MBA programs. The college's Center for Business Excellence enrolls another 7,800 participants annually in its continuing executive-education classes, and provides custom programs for 150 businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Classes are offered on the university's main campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as in Owatonna, Rochester, Bloomington, Maple Grove and Eagan.

The Opus College of Business also is home to nine centers and research institutes in the fields of health policy and medical affairs, ethical business cultures, entrepreneurship and small business, family business, nonprofit management and real estate.

Classroom facilities for the Opus College of Business include two recently opened buildings: the $22 million Schulze Hall that opened in Minneapolis in 2005, and the $25 million McNeely Hall that opened in St. Paul in 2006.

Men's Hoops gets Steve Fritz win No. 500 - Emily Carlson

2008-01-22T11:40:00.000-08:00

Tommie Sports - Men's Basketball

W, 71-58
St. John's (M), January 21, 2008

Coach Steve Fritz could relax after a 71-58 win over St. John's gave him his 500th career victory. Sophomore guard Joe Scott scored nine consecutive points to fuel a 20-2 second-half run and lead the first-place Tommies (12-3 overall, 8-2 MIAC) to a 71-58 win over the visiting Johnnies (9-6, 6-4) and secure coaching victory No. 500 for St. Thomas head coach Steve Fritz.

The Tommies, who ran their MIAC home win streak to 27, remain tied for the conference lead with Gustavus at the halfway point of the 20-game conference race.

Fritz' teams are 500-236 in 28th years, all at St. Thomas, with only one losing season and 12 MIAC championships. He's just the 12th active Division III men's coach to reach the 500-win milestone.

Scott finished with a team-high 18 points, Al McCoy came off the bench to contribute 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and B.J. Viau had 10 points and eight rebounds. UST has won 11 of its last 12 games with Viau in the lineup.

The Toms had a 28-12 advantage in bench scoring, shot 51% from the field to SJU's 39%, and had a 34-30 rebounding edge.

Brady Brink had 21 points, 11 rebounds and three assists for the Johnnies, who had a three-game win streak snapped. Ryan Lieser added 11 points.

The Toms made only 1-of-9 from 3-point range in the first half and led just 33-32 at halftime. Scott scored nine points on three possessions to start a 20-2 run that built a 55-37 lead with 12:53 left. St. John's never pulled closer than 13 thereafter.

Playing it forward - Emily Carlson

2008-01-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

Head coach Clifford Barthé of St. Augustine in New Orleans talks to his players, including senior guard Lamar Nicholas, left, during a timeout at The Catholic Spirit Christmas Basketball Tournament Dec. 27 at the University of St. Thomas. A former St. Augustine player, Karnell James, helped arrange the trip to Minnesota to play in the tournament. Photo by Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

By Maria Wiering, The Catholic Spirit

Basketball wasn't the only thing that drew a team from St. Augustine High School in New Orleans to the University of St. Thomas for the annual Catholic Spirit Christmas basketball Tournament.

It was also a combination of a short-lived but regrettably broken St. Augustine tradition, a network of generous St. Thomas alumni, and one man's pay-it-forward dream spawned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

That man is Karnell James, 32, who played basketball for both St. Augustine and St. Thomas in the 1990s.

James went to St. Thomas in 1993 because he wanted to do something different, and he heard good things about the college from St. Augustine alumni attending the school, he said.

He went on to play basketball and make the university's Hall of Fame. He also was named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference MVP twice before graduating in 1997.

He was living in Houston, Texas, when Katrina pounded the Gulf Coast in 2005. Twelve of his family members fled New Orleans and moved in with him.

They stayed for about six months, he said, and he shared a bed with his 8-year-old nephew for some of that time.

His former St. Thomas teammate, John Tauer, heard about James' situation, and "in no time at all" collected $7,500 in donations from St. Thomas men's and women's basketball alumni and their families, James said.

"When I received that, I was like, 'Unbelievable.' I had been gone so long from campus, and a lot of these people didn't know me," he said. "I felt honored that someone would think that much of me and my family to help us out. It was certainly a humbling experience."

The money helped tremendously, he said. It paid for new clothes for his family members, who had left New Orleans with almost nothing. He bought extra beds, more food and rented an apartment for a few months.

James' family is back in New Orleans now, he said.

Paying it forward

The experience was an eye-opener, James said. He realized it was time to start doing the things he had always dreamed about.

Now James is hoping to re-establish the bond his high school and university shared 10 years ago. And he's using basketball as the glue.

"I felt fortunate to be able to help my family at that time . . . and that was because of St. Thomas," he said.

James credits his St. Thomas education with helping him secure a job as an information technology administrator. His career allowed him to have the things in place, such as a house, when his family needed him, he said.

He wanted today's students of St. Augustine to have the same opportunity to experience St. Thomas, and that's when he dreamed up his pay-it-forward plan: He and his fiancée, Melinda Lawyer, paid for the team to fly to St. Paul for the tournament.

Despite the costs involved for their upcoming January wedding, Lawyer also thought it was important to contribute to St. Augustine, James said.

"She's so unselfish," he said. "She understands that there's more important things than just ourselves."

But the generosity didn't end there. Other St. Thomas alumni helped to pay for the team's hotel rooms. One took the players out for a steak dinner.

Basketball was a great way to get St. Augustine students to visit St. Thomas, James said. "You have to start with something they love, and everything will follow from there," he said.

Tournament travel

There are two good reasons for St. Augustine's Purple Knights to be in St. Paul: to play in the tournament and to consider attending St. Thomas for college, said the team's coach, Clifford Barthé.

St. Augustine's was established in the early 1950s as the result of racial segregation, Barthé said. Today, the school is still Catholic, all-male and all African-American. Founded by the Josephite Fathers and Brothers, the school has a reputation for quality education and wants to help its students any way it can, he said.

The Purple Knights went into The Catholic Spirit tournament Dec. 27 to 29 with a 13-3 record. The school won two of the three games it played and finished in third place.

Many St. Augustine alumni in the early 1990s, including James, attended St. Thomas thanks to Tom Holley, a former Josephite brother who worked at the school and who also attended St. Thomas.

Barthé coached or taught all of the 20 or so St. Augustine men that went to St. Thomas in the 1990s.

"The guys seem to have done well for themselves," he said.

The team met Dec. 26 with about nine St. Augustine graduates who still live in the Twin Cities area and who spoke to the Purple Knights about their experiences at St. Thomas.

When Holley left St. Augustine, St. Thomas lost its biggest booster and graduates stopped coming to Minnesota. But Barthé hopes that will change.

"[St. Thomas] sees the need for broadening their experience, and seems to be very interested in the guys who have come up here," he said.

The goodness of gratitude

St. Augustine, like many other schools in New Orleans, suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina. For six months, it joined with two other predominantly African-American Catholic girls schools - St. Mary's Academy and Xavier University Preparatory - to combine resources and weather the disaster.

All three schools have since reopened and maintained their student bodies.

James' generosity is typical of St. Augustine alumni and of James himself, Barthé said. The high school tries to impress upon its students the importance of sharing what one has, he said.

"We try to get into them that sense of family and . . . reaching back and helping the guys behind," Barthé said.
There are a few Purple Knights who plan on applying to St. Thomas, he said.

St. Augustine senior Lamar Nicholas, 18, said he's applying to St. Thomas because he liked the people he met. "It kind of reminds me of home," he said.

"[I hope] the experience of them coming here broadens their horizons and broadens their base of their knowledge - those are the reasons why we came," Barthé said.

Who will lead the purple and gray? - Emily Carlson

2008-01-17T10:52:00.000-08:00

Former St. Thomas Football coach Don Roney, who resigned last November. Now you have the change to pick/meet the new head coach!

Students, faculty and staff invited to meet football coach finalists

University of St. Thomas students, faculty and staff are invited to meet the four finalists for the head football coaching job.

The candidates will each be on campus one day this week, starting Tuesday, Jan. 15, and continuing Jan. 16, 17 and 18. Open sessions will be held each day from 11 to 11:50 a.m. in Koch Commons.

Meet the candidates sessions

Tuesday, Jan. 15
Gordy Shaw, former University of Minnesota offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator

Wednesday, Jan. 16
Jim Zebrowski, offensive coordinator at Wisconsin-Whitewater (2007 NCAA champions) and former head coach, Lakeland (Wis.) College

Thursday, Jan. 17
Steve Ryan, head coach at Morningside (Iowa) College

Friday, Jan. 18
Glenn Caruso, head coach at Macalester College

For more information call Gene McGivern in the Sports Information Office, (651) 962-5903.

First Friday Speaker Series - Emily Carlson

2008-01-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

Event Details
Friday February 1, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Event Name: February First Friday

Description: Ellen Breyer
Chief Executive Officer, Hazelden Foundation

Since its 1949 founding in a lakeside farmhouse in Center City, Minn., the Hazelden Foundation has grown into one of the world's largest, most-respected, and best-known private alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers in the world. Thousands of people from all 50 states and 42 foreign countries have turned to Hazelden to find expertise and quality care.

In 2002, Ellen Breyer was named chief executive officer of the Hazelden Foundation. At the time, the nonprofit had a negative operating budget. Breyer led the organization through a refocusing that has included additional efforts with outreach, expansion into new markets and a comprehensive rebranding effort. The organization has realized an operating surplus the last two years which is allowing the organization to focus on new forms of treatment.

Luncheons begin at noon and the cost is $25. No refunds will be made and no tickets will be sent. Seating is open, so please allow enough time if you are meeting someone at the luncheon. Pre-registration is required.

Location: The Depot, 225 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis

Directions:
From south: Take I-35W north to “Downtown Exits” on left. Take Fifth Ave. exit. Go straight on Fifth Ave. nine blocks to Washington Ave.

From north: Take I-35W south to Highway 280 South. Follow Highway 280 south to 94 west. Take 94 west to the 5th Street exit. At the bottom of the exit, veer to the left and proceed around the Metrodome. Take a right onto 5th Ave. and proceed to Washington Ave.

From west (via I-94): Take I-94 east to the 4th St. exit. Follow 4th St. to 5th Ave. S. and turn left. Follow to Washington Ave.

From west (via I-394): Take I-394 east to Washington Ave. Turn right on Washington Ave. to 5th Ave. S. and turn left.

From east: Take I-94 west to the 5th St. exit. At the bottom of the exit, veer to the left and proceed around the Metrodome. Take a right onto 5th Ave. and proceed to Washington Ave.

Contact: Register online with a credit card by clicking the following link. Registration deadline is January 25th.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the First Friday Series please contact UST Alumni Association, (651) 962-6430 or ustalumni@stthomas.edu.

Northern Ireland: Hope and Love in the Wake of the Troubles - Emily Carlson

2008-01-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

by Doug Hennes '77 : Photo by Mike Ekern

The students at Edenbrooke Primary School are exuberant as they scamper around the courtyard on a mild January morning, playing tag and dodge ball,
and their laughter makes one smile. Recess is one of education’s great inventions, giving youth a chance to burn off excess energy before returning to their classroom regimen.

Two sides of the courtyard are bordered by high brick wall stopped with barbed wire – no real surprise because barbed and razor wire are everywhere you walk in this city, a painful reminder of a history of segregation, sectarianism, distrust and hatred.

Every now and then, a child stops in front of a section of brick wall and pauses to look at a freshly painted mural. It is an underwater scene, with brightly colored fish and other sea creatures. The child points at something in the mural, laughs and runs off to join his friends. The mural is no real surprise, either, because murals depicting that painful past are everywhere you walk in this city, where citizens are forging a better future and want to live not just in peace but also in harmony.

There is something different about the sea mural, however. It was painted not by nationalists or unionists but by students from the University of St. Thomas. As the school bell rings and the courtyard empties, the mural stands alone – a testimony of American artistry and affection.

The 10 St. Thomas students who painted the mural did so as one of many tasks during their three-week VISION trip to Northern Ireland. They spent most of their time in Belfast, carrying out service projects such as painting in schools and youth centers, serving breakfast at two schools, meeting with teenagers and visiting organizations as varied as the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland and Women in politics. They also spent a weekend in Derry (or Londonderry, depending on your political persuasion) and walked the Bloody Sunday route where 13 people were killed in 1972.

Late at night, often after 12- to 15-hour days, the students crowded into a living room in their New Life Community Center flat just a block off Shankill Road, the long-time hub of Protestant activism. There the students would reflect on what they learned that day before turning in for a few hours of sleep and another day of discovery.

VISION trips typically involve a lot of manual labor, but the Northern Ireland venture focused more on intensive learning about the Troubles – the struggle between Catholics who want a united Ireland and Protestants who favor loyalty to Great Britain. Jacob Cunningham ’99, who spent two years as a volunteer with Youth Initiatives (YI) in Belfast before returning to St. Thomas in 2002 to run VISION, believed a January Term trip would be rich with potential.

“I have a lot of respect for YI and its work,” he said. “My experience as a volunteer changed my life in terms of relationships and the impact that Belfast kids had on me, and I knew it would be a good program for St. Thomas students, too.”

Seniors Sarah Quinn and Maureen Degnan were the student leaders. They were VISION veterans, each with six January Term or spring break trips, and Cunningham implicitly trusted them. Quinn brought the benefit of having studied in Northern Ireland during spring semester 2006, and she returned to Belfast last month to work as a YI volunteer for a year.

“It’s fun and it’s challenging,” Quinn said of her leadership role. “It takes a lot more energy than I thought it would. It’s constantly thinking, ‘Are we all getting along? Is everybody happy?’, and still having a good time myself.”

"There is a lot of pressure,” said Degnan, who cut her trip short by 10 days because of her grandfather’s death. “I love being able to implement what we have talked about as being most important, as well as just step back and be a participant with everybody else.”

The group began preparations last fall on campus and met several times to learn more about each other and the Troubles. All but two students – Mariah Wescott and Sara Hillesheim – had been on VISION trips, and all were women except Jon Barnes. “That’s OK,” he said. “I grew up with sisters. Waiting for the bathroom? I’m used to it.”

Despite the preparations, most of the students were surprised, after spending time in Belfast, how much they had misunderstood the Troubles.

“I knew there was all this stuff going on between Protestants and Catholics,” said Katy Hanson. “But I didn’t realize how deep it was and that it really wasn’t about religion – it was about politics.”

Kristen Lynn agreed and compared the conditions to living in a war zone. “Looking around, there is razor wire everywhere and murals everywhere. I definitely was not expecting it to be as evident and visible.” The extent of segregation surprised her, too: “It’s just a part of life. It’s acceptable, almost.”

Casie Reiss encountered poverty in both of her VISION trips – Belfast, and along the Texas-Mexico border at El Paso and Juarez in 2006. “You could touch it there,” she said. “Here, it’s not necessarily something you can see. The biggest thing is ideas – and you can’t use weapons to fight ideas.”

The conflict is most apparent on Falls Road, a longtime Catholic area where murals and graffiti pop up everywhere. One block-long stretch has 15 murals, and the targets aren’t just Protestants – one mural castigates President George Bush as “American’s greatest failure” and others comment on Iraq, Palestine and Cuba. The side yard of a home is dotted with plaques that commemorate martyrs, prisoners of war and innocent civilians who lost their lives during the Troubles.

While touring Falls Road, the contingent stops at Milltown Cemetery and finds a row of graves of “volunteers” who died during the Troubles, including hunger striker Bobby Sands in 1981.

The tour has a sobering impression on the students, and none more so than Julia Rogers. Her grandmother immigrated to the United States but two brothers remained in Northern Ireland and were members of the Irish Republican Army.

“I have a lot of family history in the conflict,” Rogers said. “I wanted to come here to look at it from a different perspective.” Her conclusion: “Both sides have definitely done a lot wrong. I can understand why if you were that oppressed by a government, you would resort to violence,” but at the same time she found some of the IRA’s tactics “brutal” and “excessive.”

Rogers recalled her emotions in walking the Bloody Sunday route in Derry, and how “I was really angry. I had to stop and pray for a little bit of forgiveness and help in letting go of that,” she said, “because hate doesn’t get you anywhere.”

The opportunity to work on positive projects at Edenbrooke – painting the mural, serving breakfast and participating in a forgiveness curriculum – became a balm for students.

“I loved interacting with kids,” Mandi Campeau said of serving 8 a.m. breakfast at Malvern School. “They’re all so cute. They brighten my day. I’m not a morning person at all. I don’t like getting up that early. But every time I leave there, I’m a happier person.”

One morning at Edenbrooke, several St. Thomas students sat with six and seven-year-old youths and talked about forgiveness.

Johnny Clark, who directs Youth With A Mission in Belfast, led the discussion and asked one girl to define forgiveness. “It means if you are mean to somebody, you say you’re sorry.”

He nodded and said, “Wouldn’t it be great if everyone in Belfast was nice to each other?”

The girl replied, “Yeah, and if it wasn’t so rainy.”

Students used Play-Doh to mold impressions of forgiveness – a heart, a dog and a man helping someone who had fallen down. One boy molded Play-Doh into brains and a heart – the first, he said, was to know you were wrong and the second was to feel it.

Whereas the Edenbrooke students were Protestants – most schools in Belfast remain segregated – the St. Thomas group witnessed a “cross community” experience earlier in the week with 10- and 11-year-old children who later spent five summer weeks in Minnesota as part of the Children’s Program of Northern Ireland (CPNI). The program was established in the 1970s to give children a break from the Troubles and to see how people from different religions can coexist peacefully.

The purpose of the January CPNI meeting at Brooklands School in Belfast was to bring together for the first time about 25 of the 75 students who would travel to Minnesota. The group was mixed – Protestants and Catholics alike – and for two hours they engaged in communication exercises. The students would reconvene three more times before departing for Minnesota in late June.

The St. Thomas students became so enamored with the cross community spirit that they told Cunningham they wanted to host the Belfast-area children during the summer. They spent July 12 at St. Thomas, engaging in activities that demonstrated that religion, race and ethnicity should make no difference in people’s ability to get along.

The VISION trip allowed Cunningham to renew friendships formed during his two years as a volunteer with YI, which helps teenagers and young adults learn life skills and develop personal values and beliefs. St. Thomas students spent many hours at the YI Project Center in west Belfast, cleaning, painting and meeting with Belfast teens.

Tony Silcock, 29, was one of those teens when he joined YI in 1994. He later spent two years in Detroit with Youth Works, another youth agency, before returning to Belfast in 2000 and now works with 15 to 20-year-olds in YI’s Lifeline program.

Dozens of Lifeline participants participate in seven six week modules a year, with two weeks on faith and God, two weeks on life skills and two weeks on relationships. Boys meet three evenings a week and girls, two. It’s a significant time commitment, Silcock admitted.

“Many of these kids won’t finish high school,” he said. “They need direction. A lot of them come from working class families, probably with single parents, and have low selfesteem.”

Peter Desmarais worked as a YI volunteer for a year after graduating from Trinity High School in Bloomington. His father, Gordon, a 1984 St. Thomas alumnus, is the founder of St. Paul’s Outreach, a lay ministry that works with college students and young adults.

“It’s all about relationships,” said Desmarais, a freshman at St. Thomas, when asked about the value of his YI work. “It means a lot when they see someone their age who has come from halfway across the world to help out.”

One evening, the St. Thomas contingent met with YI members, the women meeting in one building and the men in the center. The men divided into teams and played a series of games meant to enhance trust and communication.

In one game, a youth had to fall backwards into the arms of his team, trusting that he would be caught. The atmosphere was raucous, with table pounding and hooting when a youth peeked to see if he would be caught or if he buckled his knees. During charades and a riddles game, the youths were good-naturedly merciless in teasing whoever was in the spotlight.

“Three months ago, these guys wouldn’t have sat at the same table,” Silcock said afterward. “It’s a gradual process. They learn the importance of teamwork – that without it, nothing will be achieved, and that they need to communicate with each other and respect each other.

“A lot of friendships formed here will last a lifetime. We have an atmosphere where we don’t judge people. We just love them.”

Love: It was a word spoken often during the trip, and in different environments and contexts – at YI by battle-tested youth workers like Silcock, at the New Life Community Center when St. Thomas students convened for late-evening reflections, and at Edenbrooke during a forgiveness discussion.

“What kinds of things go with forgiveness?” Clark asked the little kids, and hands shot up. “I’m sorry,” said one. “Thank you,” said another. “I love you,” said a third.

Quinn saw that love in Belfast and Derry, just as she saw it during her five other VISION trips.

“There are amazing and beautiful people out there, and they have the biggest hearts,” she said. “Through the worst and best situations, they do nothing but love and care in any way that they can. You can just see the love in their eyes.”

And in a mural painted by visitors who wanted to make their own mark and to say thanks.

Freshman’s family motivates MS fight - Emily Carlson

2008-01-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

By Mary Kenkel, The Aquin

Freshman Erin Weber lives an active life. She is an intercollegiate swimmer for St. Thomas who comes from a tight-knit family in South St. Paul, and loves the life she lives. But after her father was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1991, her life has been anything but easy.
“I was three years old, and he was in his early 30s,” Weber said. “It was hard for my family to deal with, at first especially.”
It was difficult for the whole Weber family to adjust to the sudden changes caused by the disease, but it was even tougher on the parents because of two young children in the house, a 3-year-old and a 7-year-old.
“It was hard for my dad to deal with it and try to figure out what he was going to do,” Weber said. “You don’t really know how it’s going to affect you, because it affects different people in different ways.
But once he got used to the idea of it, and he explained it to me and my sister, it got a little easier.
“We just had to help out around the house and help my parents a lot more since my dad had trouble doing things around the house, like the dishes, because he would get really tired,” she said.
Then in 1999, the Webers found out a cousin Shannon also had MS. Shannon was in her late 20 when she was diagnosed. Her dad’s and her cousin’s disease led Weber to greater things. She began volunteering with the MS Society, an organization that helps families affected by MS.
“When someone gets diagnosed, the doctors usually give them information on who to contact if they need help, such as the MS Society,” Weber said. “My family signed up with the society, and they sent us information every month, like news on program connections. That’s how I learned about it.”
Weber started helping out in little ways, such as with the MS Read-AThon. In eighth grade, she went to youth camp.
“[The youth camp] got me a lot more interested in helping out with the MS Society,
so I started volunteering with the Minnesota Teen Council,” she said.
The Teen Council is a group of teens affected by MS who work with other teens in the society. Weber has been the chairwoman of the council for the past two years. The Teen Council works to spread awareness of MS in schools around the area. It organized a team for the Christopher and Banks MS Walk that raised more than $7,700, according to the MS Society Web site. Along with the Christopher and Banks MS Walk, Weber has participated the past three years in the Challenge Walk, a 50-mile walk in three days. Weber organizes an annual dinner fundraiser, her father Mike said. They
serve grilled chicken, charge $5 a plate and always have a good turnout.
“She always raises a lot of money at the dinner,” Mike Weber said. “And all of the money goes back to the society.”
Because of her volunteer work with the MS Society, Weber was awarded the Leadership Volunteer All-Star Award in November. She was the youngest of three recipients this year.
“My award was mainly for my work with the teen council and also with the
challenge walk,” Weber said.
The Minnesota Teen Council also won the Youth Volunteer All-Star Award. Volunteering means more to Weber than just helping out around the neighborhood. Because of the taxing effects MS has on her dad, Weber feels a strong personal connection with the volunteer work she does.
“It makes me feel really good knowing that I’m doing something to help people with MS, like my dad and my cousin, because it’s hard for them and their families to function like normal families if there wasn’t the MS Society,” Weber said. “And, over the years, I’ve made a lot of friends that I couldn’t really live without now. I just keep going back because I love helping out.”
Along with the friends she’s made through the Teen Council, Weber has her tight-knit family to offer encouragement and support whenever she needs it.
“My family is always really supportive of me and the work I do,” Weber said. “They help me out with fundraising and any other support that I would need.”
Weber’s parents are very proud of her and happy to offer all the help they can.
“I’m extremely proud of her,” Weber’s father said. “She’s very passionate about the work she does with the MS society. When she takes on a challenge, she takes it and runs with it. She can do whatever she wants because she’s not a quitter.”
By volunteering, Weber hopes to accomplish the big goals she has set for her
future and for the future of the council.
“By volunteering, I hope that I can engage other kids and young adults to join the fight against this disease that affects not only my family and friends, but the
family and friends of so many others,” Weber said. “I hope that by volunteering, I can make a difference in the world and give back to the MS Society for all that they have done for me and my family. And also, that in my help to raise money, some day they can find a cure for MS.”

Men's Hoops wins by 10, back in MIAC lead - Emily Carlson

2008-01-08T23:23:00.000-08:00

I remember the men's basketball team went to Nationals when I was at St. Thomas. It was pretty exciting for a Divison 3 school. Hey, not everyone can go to a huge school. I liked being small!

From the St. Thomas bulletin today:
W, 81-71
Carleton (M), January 05, 2008

Al McCoy (52) had 16 points off the bench to spark the Toms' victory. Junior center Al McCoy scored a season-high 16 points off the bench to lead the host Tommie men's basketball team to Saturday's 81-71 victory over Carleton in MIAC play at UST's Schoenecker Arena.

The No. 24-ranked Tommies (8-2 overall, 4-1 MIAC), who rallied from a nine-point first half deficit, moved into a share of the MIAC lead with Hamline at 4-1, one-half game ahead of Gustavus and Macalester. The Scots lost Saturday by 12 at Concordia to fall out of the MIAC lead.

The Toms have won 21 consecutive home games vs. conference foes dating back to Jan. 2006.

McCoy made all seven shots he took and both free throws and helped St. Thomas post a 36-15 advantage in bench points. He sparked a 20-2 late first-half run that built a 35-28 halftime lead.

The Toms used an 11-2 run to build a 57-39 lead, but Carleton countered with an 11-0 run to pull within 57-50 with 11:50 left. UST answered with a 19-4 run to ice the game.

Bryan Rosett had a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds for Carleton (8-2, 3-2), which shot 52% from the field but had 24 turnovers. Carleton played all second half without starting point guard Jeremy Sutherland, who suffered an injured shooting hand. They also played long stretches without Tommy Drake, who played just 25 minutes in foul trouble yet netted 17 points. Zach Johnson also left briefly with an injury just before halftime. Johnson had six points in the first three minutes but closed the game with seven points, well under his 21 ppg season average.

UST's Joe Scott had 17 points and B.J. Viau added 10 points and four steals for UST. The Toms shot 52% from the field and had only 14 turnovers.

Click here to view box score.

A year of friction, growth at St. Thomas

2008-01-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

The Rev. Dennis Dease, president of the University of St. Thomas, saw success in 2007with the school's rising profile and fundraising. But he also faced heavy debate over not inviting Archbishop Desmond Tutu to speak on campus.

The university's president faced criticism from several quarters, but fundraising has never been brisker.

By JEFF SHELMAN, Star Tribune

In 16 years, the University of St. Thomas has grown from a local liberal arts college to a nationally recognized institution. This year, a record number of undergraduates enrolled, and there are more applications from would-be Tommies than ever before.

In October, the largest private school in Minnesota announced a $500 million fundraising drive, kicked off with the largest single gift to a college or university in state history.

The successes are a testament to the ambition and fundraising prowess of the Catholic priest who oversaw it all, the Rev. Dennis Dease, the university's president. Yet for Dease, holiday break couldn't come soon enough.

Dease was panned by many for stifling free speech on campus when he made what he later admitted was a wrongheaded decision not to invite Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu to speak. Then came a series of racist threats against three black undergraduates that dredged up memories of past racial incidents at St. Thomas, and criticism that the school was betraying its Catholic heritage by eliminating an automatic trustee position for the local archbishop.

"If you fly, you know you're going to hit some turbulence," Dease said in a recent interview. "You just hope it's not going to be pure turbulence. There was a period this fall when you wondered when we were going to reach the smooth altitude."

Some of the scrutiny is an inevitable byproduct of the university's rising profile. But some say it goes deeper, to Dease's struggle to navigate the often conflicting demands of big-money donors, Catholics eager to preserve St. Thomas' religious identity, and faculty members espousing tolerance and openness to a wide range of views.

Some say Dease's missteps on the Tutu situation, which he said were a result of not listening to opposing views, were symptomatic of a closed-door leadership style.

"I think it would be wrong to suggest that St. Thomas is having these issues only because it's a Catholic school," said David Landry, a theology professor. "We have them more than most other schools have them. Most other Catholic schools wouldn't have balked at having Tutu on campus. It was uniquely a St. Thomas issue."

Dease's accomplishments

The College of St. Thomas was founded in St. Paul in 1885 as a seminary and soon shifted its focus to liberal arts education for young men. Since then, it has grown to offer graduate degrees in business, law and liberal arts, become a co-ed university and added a campus in Minneapolis.

In 1991, Dease, a professor at St. Thomas who was rector at the Basilica of St. Mary, took over with an ambition to create "a truly great urban university," such as Harvard or Boston College. Under his leadership, St. Thomas has greatly expanded its academic offerings into new areas, such as engineering and entrepreneurship.

This year, Dease has turned his attention to fixing the school's biggest weakness: its bank account. St. Thomas' endowment amounted to just more than $300 million in mid-2006, $200 million less than the endowments at two smaller colleges, Carleton and Macalester, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

While the "Opening Doors" campaign will build a new student center, much of the half-billion dollars will be invested, with the interest used to pay for new programs, hire top-notch faculty members and administrators, and provide student financial aid.

"I want to ensure that no student that has the ability is turned away from St. Thomas for financial reasons," Dease said.

When St. Thomas kicked off the fundraising drive in October, it had already raised $310 million -- including an anonymous gift of $50 million and a staggering $60 million from Lee and Penny Anderson.

Bruce Flessner, a fundraising consultant for St. Thomas, said the university's transformation and success in fundraising have been remarkable.
"They're very good at telling a dream and being able to deliver on it," Flessner said. "They've been very good at establishing a club of donors who push each other."

St. Thomas is backed by heavy hitters in the business community. Included on the school's 43-member board of trustees are Target Corp. chairman and CEO Robert Ulrich, Best Buy chairman Richard Schulze, broadcasting magnate Stanley Hubbard, KPMG International chairman Timothy Flynn, lawyer and U.S. Senate candidate Michael Ciresi, and 3M chairman and CEO George Buckley.

"The board is extremely strong. If we've had a secret weapon, that would be in the running," Dease said. "They're very seasoned, talented and they've helped us see a little further down the road than we would normally be able to."

Faculty concerns

Even as the university's reputation and finances have grown, faculty members have watched with concern as Dease's administration focused on raising money and reassuring Catholics that St. Thomas isn't becoming secular.

Leigh Lawton is a business professor who was involved in a 2005 dispute with the university about whether unmarried couples should be allowed to travel together with students.

"We're not Catholic enough for some people," Lawton said. "But if you become less tolerant and adhere more tightly to some of the tenets of the church, you're moving away from what some people see as the role of an academic institution."

There is a natural tension between the faculty and administration, but many current and former St. Thomas faculty members said what had been a working relationship has deteriorated in the past few years.

The school is in the midst of a "climate study," and Landry expects faculty morale will be at an all-time low.

"We have tremendous problems here," Landry said. "That's not to say that everything is bad; there are a lot of good things about St. Thomas, but there are a lot of people here who are demoralized.

"There have been a bunch of decisions where the faculty was opposed, the staff was opposed and the students were opposed to and it seemed the donors were in favor," he said, which has led to worries that St. Thomas is being steered by donors.

In 2005, a campus visit from conservative lightning rod Ann Coulter resulted in debate on campus that Dease said "tested the limits of civility." This fall, Dease thought he could avoid a similar controversy by opting against hosting the PeaceJam event that will feature Tutu. Dease worried that the South African Anglican archbishop's comments on Israel might offend Jews.

The outcry over Dease's decision made him think twice.

"The Archbishop Tutu experience was humbling. It's a little embarrassing," Dease said. "There was a good cross-section of people that I respected who were all saying, 'Dease, you're wrong.' That gets your attention."

Less than a month after Dease changed course on Tutu, three black women living in the John Paul II dorm were subjected to a series of racial slurs and threatening words that resulted in a security guard being posted outside their door.

Dease's initial reaction was a combination of sadness, disgust and, "Oh, not again."

The last was the result of several race-bias incidents in recent years at St. Thomas, including two others this year.

Administrators say the incidents are not evidence that the campus is an intolerant place.

Said Mark Dienhart, St. Thomas' chief administrative officer: "When you have 11,000-plus students and 1,800 employees, unfortunately you're going to have some knuckleheads in the group. ... We don't create folks like that."

U.S. News picks St. Thomas as one of best colleges

2007-12-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

U.S. News and World report includes St. Thomas as one of it's best colleges for 2008, located in the report's 3rd tier. Princeton, Harvard, and Yale are the top three.

University of St. Thomas
At a glance
Address
2115 Summit Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105-1096

Website
http://www.stthomas.edu

Admissions E-mail
admissions@stthomas.edu

General Information
Private institution

Year founded:1885
Religious affiliation:Roman Catholic
Academic calendar:4-1-4
Undergraduate student body:5,807
Setting:Urban
Endowment:$300,404,000

Fall 2008 Admissions
Application deadline:Rolling
Application fee:N/A
Selectivity:More selective

U.S. News Ranking
U.S. News ranking:National Universities, third tier

Expenses
Tuition and fees:$26,274
Room/board:$7,312 N/A means not available.

To see the report, go here.

St. Thomas strengthens its policy on hate speech

2007-12-26T13:14:00.000-08:00

The university, where three women received hateful notes last month, is addressing how it will handle such incidents.

By Jeff Shelman, Star Tribune

Following several cases this year of racial slurs scrawled on posters and threatening notes, the University of St. Thomas has adopted more explicit procedures to handle behavior considered hate crimes, harassment and other bias-related conduct.

The policies, which will work in conjunction with the school's existing offensive-behavior statement, address actions already considered criminal and "bias-motivated incidents" that could include conduct, speech or an act of intolerance against people for their race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religion or disability.

In a message to students, faculty and staff, St. Thomas president Rev. Dennis Dease said the crafting of the policies began more than a year ago. Karen Lange, St. Thomas' dean of students, said the process was influenced by two incidents earlier this year in which racial slurs were written on posters hung in an academic building.

"The goal was to get diverse voices to the table to discuss the policy and to have a protocol that's consistent at the university," Lange said. "If something happens, no matter where it happens at the university, we have sort of one central policy and protocol that would respond."

Last month, three women at the St. Paul university had racial slurs and threatening words written on a dry-erase board on the outside of their residence hall door. Several racially charged notes were left on the trio's door in the next two days.

Security officers have been posted outside the women's room since late October, according to school spokesman Jim Winterer. The incidents are being investigated by St. Paul police with help from the FBI.

While speech deemed as "bias-motivated" is forbidden by the policies, Lange said that it is not meant to stop the free flow of ideas and viewpoints in the classroom. Nationally, speech codes have been criticized in part because what one person considers hateful language can be deemed free speech by another.

"You can have topics come up in the classroom that can challenge your belief system and that doesn't mean it's a hate crime or a bias crime," Lange said. "It can be something that's difficult to talk about but you do it in an environment where you have a faculty member as an expert and a moderator.

"There are going to be times in a classroom where things are going to come up and it's going to be a legitimate classroom discussion and that's really not at all what this is addressing."

Jeff Shelman • jshelman@startribune.com

Study-abroad participation remains strong at St. Thomas

2007-12-23T15:07:00.000-08:00

I studied abroad when I was at St. Thomas. Twice. It was the best time of my college years! What a great program.

From the Daily Bulletin

The Institute of International Education’s “Open Doors Report 2007” recently released its annual report about U.S. students who study abroad during college. It shows that the University of St. Thomas remains among the leading American institutions for undergraduate students who study abroad.

The Open Doors Report 2007 analyzes data from the 2005-2006 academic year, in which St. Thomas’ participation rate, 60.5 percent, was fifth nationally among doctoral institutions. The rate is based on the number of undergraduate students who participated in study-abroad programs (659) and the number of undergraduate degrees conferred (1,089).

These rankings mark the fourth year that St. Thomas has been ranked as a “doctoral/research” institution, a category that typically includes much larger schools. Ranked first in this category was Yeshiva University (New York), followed by the University of Denver, Dartmouth University and Wake Forest University. Just behind St. Thomas were the University of Notre Dame, Georgetown University, American University and Duke University.

These numbers show a slight decrease from St. Thomas’ previous academic year’s rankings in 2004-2005, in which St. Thomas ranked third, with 786 students who studied abroad (714 undergraduate); however, Ann Hubbard, associate director of the International Education Center, is not worried about the minor drop. “St. Thomas has consistently placed among the top institutions for the percentage of its undergraduates who study abroad. The university encourages and supports students to take advantage of the international opportunities which they came here to pursue.”

Study-abroad participation rates also were strong at other Minnesota colleges and universities. Top-20 master’s institutions included Hamline University, third (73 percent); Bethel University, 16th (43.4 percent); and Augsburg College, 29th (33.9 percent). Earning top participation rates at colleges awarding bachelor’s degrees were: St. Olaf College, sixth (88.4 percent); Concordia College-Moorhead, 19th (78.4 percent); Macalester College, 28th (69.5 percent); Gustavus Adolphus College, 29th (69.1 percent); Carleton College, 30th (67.2 percent); and the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University, 40th (60.9 percent).

In 2005-2006, Minnesota sent 8,614 students outside of its borders, up from 8,182 in 2004-2005. Nationally, study-abroad participation was up 8.5 percent, with 223,534 studying internationally in 2005-2006.

Top destinations
Open Doors Report 2007 listed the top 20 most popular destinations for study abroad: United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, Australia, Mexico, China, Germany, Costa Rica, Ireland, Japan, Greece, Argentina, Czech Republic, Austria, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil and Equador. Non-English-speaking countries experienced the largest increases in participation. Argentina had the steepest spike (42.3 percent), followed by China (38.2 percent), Greece (32 percent) and Equador (26.9 percent).

St. Thomas students’ choices in destinations appear to mirror those of students nationwide, with the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain topping the list in 2005-2006. They also demonstrated a healthy interest in nontraditional destinations, with off-the beaten-path countries like Samoa and Tanzania represented.

The International Education Center works hard to keep students interested in both popular and lesser-known opportunities. Hubbard explains, “We have a supportive faculty and a strong program that helps students prepare for all aspects of the study-abroad experience. UST students have continually broadened their destination choices; in the past year they visited countries such as India, Vietnam, Uganda and Korea.”

The London Business Semester, sponsored by the Opus College of Business, enrolls about 50 students each fall and helps keep the United Kingdom at the top of St. Thomas’ list. Students in this program attend classes in the heart of London at the University of London Union. They visit sites such as the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange, Lloyd's of London and the Houses of Parliament. In addition, they may take “Friday Excursions,” academic field trips that have included Stonehenge, Bath and Oxford.

The other large St. Thomas faculty-led semester program is the Catholic Studies Program in Rome, in which students take Italian language and Catholic studies courses at the Dominican Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas and live at St. Thomas’ Bernardi Campus.

Foreign student enrollment holds steady
Since 1949 the Institute of International Education also has conducted an annual statistical survey of international students in the United States, and with the support of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since the early 1970s.

Open Doors Report 2007 reports more recent results for rankings of international students studying in the United States. With 9,048 international students studying in Minnesota in the 2006-2007 academic year, Minnesota ranked 19th in the nation, same as last year, for its total number of foreign students. This indicates a 3.9 percent increase over the previous academic year, when 8,709 international students chose to study in Minnesota. In comparison, the international student rate increased 3.2 percent nationally, with 582,984 foreign students studying in the U.S.

Nationally, 3.9 percent of all students studying in the U.S. come from outside the 50 states.

Although St. Thomas does not rank on Open Doors’ national lists for international student enrollment, it ranks fourth in Minnesota and was the top private institution, based on number of students, with 331 students in 2006-2007. The University of Minnesota ranked first (3,701), followed by St. Cloud State University (1,084) and Minnesota State University– Mankato (535).

The total number of international students at St. Thomas appears to have remained steady (345 in fall 2005, 334 in fall 2006 and 353 in fall 2007); however, The Office of International Admissions at St. Thomas reports a small but significant increase in undergraduate international students over the past three academic years. In fall 2005, 45 international students enrolled as undergraduates at St. Thomas; in 2006, 56 students enrolled; and in fall 2007, the number jumped to 83 students, a 32 percent increase. The top countries of origin for all international students at St. Thomas in fall 2006 and fall 2007 were, in order, India, Nepal and China.

More about the Open Doors report
To learn more about the Open Doors Report 2007 and its data, go here, or order the full report for $59.95 from IIE Books.

Christmas Break Mass schedule listed

2007-12-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Break Mass schedule is as follows:

Sundays – Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas
Sunday Masses will not be held:

Dec. 23 and 30
Daily Mass – Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas
and Florance Chapel

Daily Mass will not be held:

7 a.m.: Dec. 25 and Jan. 1
12:05 p.m.: Dec. 24, 25, 31; and Jan. 1
Weekdays – Chapel of St. Thomas More (Minneapolis)
Daily Mass will not be held:

Dec. 7-Jan. 14
Sacrament of Reconciliation
The Sacrament of Reconciliation will not be available at St. Thomas from Dec. 22 to Jan. 27. Reconciliation will be available at local parishes:

Nativity of Our Lord
1900 Wellesley Ave.

Monday-Friday, 7:45 a.m.
Monday-Friday, 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
St. Mark's Catholic Church
2001 Dayton Ave.

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
For more information, call Campus Ministry, (651) 962-6560,
or the Mass Line, (651) 962-6565, or go to the Campus Ministry Web site.

Commencement Information

2007-12-16T15:22:00.000-08:00

Undergraduate:
Friday, December 21
3 p.m. - Coughlan Field House, St. Paul Campus

Graduate:

Friday, December 21
7 p.m. - Coughlan Field House, St. Paul Campus

Commencement Mass :
Friday, December 21
Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas,
St. Paul Campus
1:30 p.m.

Site plan determined for Anderson Student Center

2007-12-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

St. Thomas has determined the site plan for the new Anderson Student Center, which will be constructed in 2010-2011 on parking lot H on the northeast corner of Summit and Cretin avenues.

The center will be an L-shaped building, as envisioned in initial drawings, with wings facing Summit and Cretin and primary entrances on Summit and the southwestern edge of an expanded lower quadrangle.

Construction of the anticipated 200,000 square-foot, four-story center is expected to begin in the spring of 2010, and it will open in time for the 2011-2012 academic year. Opus Northwest and Opus Architects and Engineers are the contractor and architect.

“The Anderson Student Center will become our new living room,” said Jane Canney, vice president for student affairs. “It will be a place where students, faculty and staff can gather for many activities, and will allow us to build a stronger sense of community and pride in the university.”

The $75 million center, the largest building project in St. Thomas history, will be named for Lee and Penny Anderson, who have made a $60 million gift to support construction of the center, improved athletic and recreational facilities and a parking ramp. Lee Anderson is a member of the St. Thomas Board of Trustees and owner and chairman of APi Group Inc., a St. Paul-based holding corporation of construction, manufacturing and fire protection companies.

The center will be home for many programs and facilities now located in Murray-Herrick Campus Center, including dining areas, a ballroom, offices for the Division of Student Affairs and student organizations, meeting rooms, lounges and a permanent art gallery.

In addition, there will be a number of new recreational activities for students in an effort to create “a true destination location,” Canney said. Table tennis, pool tables, a dance floor, a stage, a sound booth, electronic games and even bowling lanes all are under consideration for the project.

One level of underground parking also will be part of the project. Opus projects up to 150 parking spaces will be constructed under the building, with access only from Cretin. The existing Lot H entrance from Summit will be eliminated.

St. Thomas has studied options for a new student center for several years. Murray Hall opened in 1960 to serve an undergraduate student population of nearly 1,900, and enrollment had grown to more than 4,300 when the Herrick Hall addition opened in 1989. Undergraduate enrollment today exceeds 6,000, and there are also are 1,300 graduate students on the St. Paul campus.

Growth has put particular pressure on dining facilities in Murray-Herrick, especially food preparation areas and the seating capacity of the second-floor cafeteria. There also has been an increase in the number of university and alumni functions for which catering services are needed.

New student centers are opening at a growing pace around Minnesota. In the last decade alone, St. Olaf College, Macalester College and the College of St. Catherine have constructed new centers.

Primary features of the Anderson Student Center will include:

-Dining options ranging from a dining room for resident students to retail dining areas and a convenience store.
-A ballroom that will provide better space for major events and programs. The ballroom will be a flexible, expandable space designed for guest lectures, large and small dinners, concerts and dances.
-Special meeting spaces for student leaders, clubs and organizations, allowing students to meet, plan programs, and otherwise collaborate and strengthen relationships.
-Recreational opportunities for students, providing new attractions.
-A permanent art gallery, which will house the recently acquired American Museum of Asmat Art as well as student and other exhibits.

Once the Anderson Student Center opens, St. Thomas will renovate Murray-Herrick. No decisions have been made on who might move into a renovated Murray-Herrick.

The decision to raze O’Shaughnessy Hall, which opened in 1939, creates several opportunities and challenges for the university.

Opus presented several design and site options for the student center. The planning committee chose an L-shaped configuration to allow for an expansion of the quadrangle and construction of a plaza that will be a natural location for outdoor activities and informal gatherings and provide easy access to the center.

The L-shaped design also will allow St. Thomas to construct a Summit wing that will be consistent with the architecture of Aquinas Hall and the John R. Roach Center for the Liberal Arts. Most of the Summit wing will be in the Summit Avenue historic district, and plans for the center will need approval from the St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission.

The demolition of O’Shaughnessy Hall will require the replacement of existing athletic facilities, including the swimming pool, gymnasium, weight room, fitness center, locker rooms, and Athletic Department and faculty offices.

Current plans call for construction of a new basketball court next summer on the north end of McCarthy Gymnasium on the south campus. The swimming pool will be replaced either in a renovated McCarthy (on the site of the existing recreational pool) or near the new student center (possibly in a renovated Schoenecker Arena-Coughlan Field House complex). Other O’Shaughnessy facilities will get new homes either in the Anderson Student Center or in renovations or additions to Schoenecker and Coughlan.

The new projects will result in the loss of 400 surface parking spaces in Lot H and many, if not all, of the 70 spaces in Lot E on the east side of the football field. St. Thomas will more than make up for those lost spaces with the spaces under the new student center and in a 700-car ramp that will be constructed beginning next summer on the tennis courts near the southwest corner of Cretin and Grand. The ramp is expected to open in the spring of 2009.

To see the plans, click here.

Vigil honors missing veterans

2007-12-06T19:17:00.000-08:00

By Zack Thielke
Senior staff writer, The Aquin

Veterans Day is the United States’ observation of the Armistice, commemorating the end of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918. Though the horrible slaughter of that conflict is distant history for many, the holiday recognizes all who have taken up arms in defense of the United States on battlefields from Passchendaele to Fallujah.
For the cadets of Air Force ROTC Detachment 410, the annual Veterans Day POW-MIA Vigil, hosted by the detachment’s Arnold Air Society service organization, is an opportunity to pay tribute to all the American soldiers who have been separated from their comrades, captured and held as prisoners of war or missing in action with an unknown location and status.
Maintaining a 24-hour slow march under the lower quad’s flagpole, cadets from St. Thomas braved the cold and darkness on Nov. 12 and 13, showing solidarity with the silhouetted serviceman on the black Prisoners of War and Missing In Action flag.
“You are not forgotten,” it proclaims, a forlorn head in profile drooping amidst the barbed wire and guard tower of an enemy internment camp.
Organized in 15-minute shifts, pairs of cadets paced the asphalt connecting the arches with John Ireland’s statue in a solemn cadence.
Alone with their thoughts and protected from a reckless student’s interruption by traffic barriers, the event is a matter of respect for the cadets, all of whom are seeking commission upon graduation as an officer in the armed forces.
“Veterans Day is a fantastic opportunity to honor those who have served before us, and every year we do that with this vigil,” said junior Michael Kieffaber, commander of Detachment 410’s Arnold Air Society.
Beginning at 5 p.m. Monday with the posting of the POWMIA flag immediately below the American flag, the vigil’s opening ceremony featured speeches by the Rev. Dennis Dease, university president, and Detachment 410 commander Lt. Col. Sylvia Taylor.
“I am especially proud of each cadet who stands before me here today,” Taylor said. “Our veterans from every era motivate us to create leaders [like these cadets].”
The opening ceremony continued in the John Roach Center auditorium with a presentation by Mary Danielson-Gates, whose husband’s plane was shot down in December 1969 during a mission over Laos.
“Six times the first day, the helicopter lowered a lifeline, but had to pull back due to heavy fire,” Danielson-Gates said.
Though his navigator was eventually recovered nearby, the intensity of hostile fire prevented the Americans from reaching Danielson in time, and he was almost certainly discovered and shot, Danielson-Gates said.
Remorse from not getting to Danielson in time haunted rescue aircrews for the rest of their lives.
Subject to the U.S. military’s largest search and rescue operation, the remains of Capt. Ben Danielson were finally returned to America in the summer of 2007 and received a proper burial.
“Our country had honored its commitment to our vets. We brought him home; it just took a little longer,” Danielson-Gates said.
Initially concerned that there wouldn’t be enough attendance to justify a funeral, the family received a cascade of support from the veterans and sympathizers who flocked to Kenyon, Minn. to show their support.
“People started coming out of the woodwork with their [own] stories and MIA bracelets,” Danielson- Gates said.
“It’s very good to be among you. I fully believe after our miracle this last summer that it’s people like you who brought my husband back home. All veterans sacrificed, whether it was time away from home or their lives.”
The “duty, honor, country” ethic reverberates in the words of St. Thomas cadets, a number of whom come from families with a strong military tradition.
“Being a military child, you really get to know the family aspect, and hearing [Danielson-Gates’] story, it definitely touches a chord,” sophomore Danielle Shipman said.
Freshman Timothy Bettis comes from a similar background.
“I come from a big military family,” Bettis said. “[Veterans Day is] a chance for me to remember those who have given everything for us, and those who will serve in the future.”
This was also the first year St. Thomas students representing other service branches participated, with Army cadets and Navy midshipmen signing up for shifts as well.
“They volunteered out of the blue for that and we’re honored to have them march with us,” Kieffaber said.
Senior Brian Leitzke, commander of the cadet wing, sees the vigil as a powerful experience for the younger class of cadets, as he prepares for his years serving on active duty in the Air Force.
“When I first came here, the thing that really centered me on why I was here was the vigil,” he said. “I believe [this vigil] takes all that we learn and provides a foundation for why we signed up in the first place.
“It’s really humbling to hear Ms. Danielson-Gates and try to live up to that history of service and sacrifice that she and her husband represent. This entire vigil inspires a service commitment, and that leadership career has to be humbled by the history it follows.”

Women's Hoops opens MIAC play with win

2007-12-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

W, 78-62St. Mary's (W), November 28, 2007
Carrie Embree had a strong MIAC debut in Wednesday's victory.
Senior center Carrie Embree scored 15 points in her MIAC basketball debut to lead the host Tommies (3-1 overall, 1-0 MIAC) to a 78-62 victory over St. Mary's (0-3, 0-1) in conference women's basketball play Wednesday night at UST's Schoenecker Arena.
Sophomore guard Sheena Porter-Wrzos had 14 points and four steals for the Tommies.
Senior forward Jessica Weisbrod scored a game-high 21 points for the Cardinals.
Embree helped the Tommie softball team to a 98-2 record against MIAC foes in her four-year, All-America career. The fifth-year senior is playing basketball for the first time since 2002-03, her prep senior year in Waukee, Iowa.
The Tommie pressure helped force 27 SMU turnovers. Jessica Katch scored three baskets to fuel a 15-0 run that built a Tommie 20-8 lead. UST pushed the margin to 36-17 at halftime and saw its lead peak at 66-34 with 10:58 left.
St. Mary's answered with a 20-2 run and later pulled within 11 points with 1:08 to go. The Cards hit 5-of-13 from 3-point range in the second half after going 0-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.
The Tommies play Monday night at Hamline.

UST Music Department lists December concerts

2007-12-01T18:25:00.000-08:00

The University of St. Thomas Music Department welcomes the public to the music performances listed below.

4 and 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis: St. Thomas’ annual Christmas Concert, “Noel! Sing We Noel!” features seven of the university's vocal and instrumental ensembles in a program of carols and traditional and contemporary music for the Advent and Christmas seasons. Performing ensembles will include the Chamber Singers, Concert Choir, Liturgical Choir, Women's Choir, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Brass Choir and Handbell Choir. All concert proceeds will benefit St. Thomas music ensembles’ international performance tours.
Tickets for these concerts must be purchased through the Orchestra Hall Box Office. They are available for online purchase here or by phone order at (612) 371-5656 or 1 (800) 292-4141. All seats are $15 plus a nominal Orchestra Hall transaction fee.

The following performances, most on St. Thomas’ St. Paul campus, are free and open to the public:
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, in Brady Educational Center auditorium on the St. Thomas campus in St. Paul: The university’s African Music Ensemble, directed by Sowah Mensah, presents a concert.
3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, in Brady Educational Center auditorium: UST student Marissa Evans gives a flute recital.
4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9, in Brady Educational Center auditorium: UST students Ryan Irey, voice, and Roman Wolfe, violin, give a recital.
8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10, in Brady Educational Center auditorium: The UST Saxophone Ensemble gives a recital.
8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, in Brady Educational Center auditorium: St. Thomas’ Instrumental Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Singers give a concert.
8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12, in Brady Educational Center auditorium: The UST Guitar Ensemble gives a concert.
2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, in 3M Auditorium at the Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul: The UST Bands give a concert. The Symphonic Band is conducted by Dr. Douglas Orzolek, and the Symphonic Wind Ensemble is conducted by Dr. Matthew George. Band selections include works by Sousa, Whitacre, Reed and Williams ; the Wind Ensemble's will present music by Brazilian composer Ricardo Silva as well as "Infernal Ride" by Kenneth Hesketh, which was commissioned by St. Thomas.

Lakeville couple's $250,000 gift to seminary establishes scholarship in memory of Bishop Paul Dudley

2007-11-29T17:27:00.000-08:00

On the one-year anniversary of the death of Bishop Paul Dudley, Bernard and Delores Hofschulte have donated $250,000 to the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity of the University of St. Thomas to endow scholarships in the bishop's memory.
Longtime friends of Dudley, the Lakeville couple made the endowment gift "to honor his exemplary priesthood and his love of the priestly vocation."
Bishop Paul Dudley
"Bishop Dudley was the epitome of who a priest should be," they said. "We want to do our part to ensure that men who are called by God to priesthood have the resources needed to answer that call."
Their gift was made to the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity's "I Will Give You Shepherds" endowment campaign, which is being conducted to address needs that were identified in the seminary's long-range plan. One emphasis of the plan responds to the late Pope John Paul II's call for a more comprehensive formation of priests. The largest priority of the $23 million campaign is $12 million for seminarian scholarships.
The annual cost to educate and house a seminarian is $50,000. Tuition and fees cover half the cost, leaving $25,000 to come from charitable giving.
"How beautiful it is to see more men answering God's call to the priesthood. In turn, increased resources are needed to support their formation," said its rector, Monsignor Aloysius Callaghan. He noted that the seminary can accommodate 96 seminarians, and that 62 are enrolled this year. The scholarship assistance helps bishops from around the country send their seminarians to the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity without placing undue financial burdens on their dioceses.
"Bishop Dudley inspired many vocations to the priesthood and religious life," Callaghan said. "What a fitting tribute, then, that in his name those called to the priesthood can have access to excellent formation and, in turn, serve God's people as holy priests."
To mark this gift, a room in the seminary building will be named after Dudley and a commissioned portrait of him will hang in this room.
Dudley graduated from the Saint Paul Seminary in 1951 and in 2006 received its Distinguished Alumni Award. Following his ordination he was associate pastor at Annunciation Parish in Minneapolis and St. Patrick Parish in St. Paul. In 1967 he was founding pastor of St. Edward in Bloomington and later was pastor of Our Lady of the Lake in Mound before his ordination as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1977. The following year he was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, where he served until 1995 when he returned to his family home in Northfield. Dudley died Nov. 20, 2006, at the age of 79.
For more information about the scholarship program for seminarians, call Tom Ryan at (651) 962-5056.
The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity's "I Will Give You Shepherds" campaign was announced last December and is separate from the University of St. Thomas' "Opening Doors" $500 million campaign that was announced last month.

Chapel Renovation

2007-11-27T19:39:00.000-08:00

A significant interior renovation to the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas – its first since a post-Vatican II renovation in 1978 – will begin at the University of St. Thomas in early January.
The chapel renovation designers, Alexander Tylevich and Father James Notebaart, will present the plans for the renovation at an information session at 12:45 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, at the chapel. Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend.
The project, which will focus on the 89-year old chapel's sanctuary, was sparked in part by a gift from members of the university's Class of 2004 and made possible by a $1 million gift from 1954 graduate William Reiling and his wife, Joanne. An additional contribution was made by two brothers, 1968 graduate James and 1971 graduate William Hidding.
The renovation will take about two months to complete and is the first of a host of construction and renovation projects made possible by the "Opening Doors" capital campaign announced last month.

The designs of Tylevich and Notebaart will feature elements that are in harmony with the original designs of the chapel's architect, Emmanuel Masqueray. Masqueray also designed the Cathedral of St. Paul, the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis and St. Thomas' own Ireland Hall.
Tyelvich, an internationally known artist and sculptor, and Notebaart, a noted liturgical designer from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, designed the St. Thomas More Chapel at the School of Law building on the university's Minneapolis campus in 2005. That chapel won four national awards, including Faith & Form Magazine's 2006 Religious Architecture Award for liturgical interior design and its 2006 Religious Art Award for the artistic design of a set of internal bronze doors. Profiles of Tylevich and Notebaart will appear in tomorrow's Bulletin Today.
The renovation plans will feature:
An 11-foot-tall crucifix will be suspended above the altar in the domed section of the chapel. The cross will be made with polished bronze and will reflect light from the stained-glass windows. The body of Christ also will be made of bronze but will have a patina.
The marble screen that now stands between the altar and the Gabriel Kney organ will be removed. It will be replaced by a 7-foot-tall, curved, movable screen. At the center of this bronze screen, immediately behind the altar and beneath the crucifix, will stand two taller, bronze features, symbolic of gates or doors. Embedded in the doors will be sculptures in bronze high relief of the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Bronze text by St. Thomas will be inlaid in the travertine floor surrounding the altar and at the back of the screen.
The existing altar and lectern will be removed and donated to area churches. A new altar will be made of bronze and wood, two of Masqueray's signature materials. Both the altar and a new lectern will be portable.
Other improvements will include handicap access to the sanctuary and a new sound system. Also planned, but not immediately, are central air-conditioning and some water-damage repairs to the chapel's ceiling and basement.
Many new features of the project will represent dual imagery: the outstretched arms of the body of Christ will evoke a sense of embrace; the suspended crucifix represents the Crucifixion and the Resurrection; and the wiring used to suspend the crucifix will be arranged in the shape of a crown. Twisted elements, shaped like a wreath, will be intertwined with the wiring as a metaphor of the crown of thorns. Special reflective, gold glass shards developed by NASA will be embedded in the wreath.
To address the lack of visual representation of St. Thomas Aquinas, the designers will add text from two of St. Thomas' compositions –"Adoro Te Devote" and "Verbum Supernum Prodiens" – to the sanctuary floor and the rear sides of the bronze screens. Notebaart observed that "this is the Chapel of St. Thomas, and other than a small statue … there is not much to represent Thomas here."
A goal of Tylevich's and Notebaart's renovation is to transform the way a worshipper's attention is guided through the chapel's space. They determined that the building would benefit from "a sense of entry … a processional movement toward something," according to Notebaart.
The designers wanted worshippers' attentions to focus on the sanctuary and its liturgical elements. Helping to accomplish this will be the bronze door-like structures behind the altar. Notebaart describes them as a "metaphoric gate," or "an entry into the next realm." Tylevich calls the doors, with their impressive size, "a very symbolic entrance.
"Architecturally, [the screen] will open the area behind the altar much better than they do now. And they will engage the organ, the altar and the entire space quite differently than they do now. We hope they will work much better," says Tylevich.
Because the new altar, lectern and screen can be moved, the chapel will be able to accommodate a wider variety of sacred arts uses. Dr. Gene Scapanski, vice president for mission and chair of the Chapel Renovation Committee, said that "choirs and musical ensembles have a difficult time using the chapel currently because of its inflexibility." He expects that "more sacred concerts and other sacred arts programs will be held there once the renovation takes place."
Because the chapel initially was not completed according to Masqueray's drawings, Tylevich emphasized that the renovations are not historic restoration. "We are trying to be, to some degree, creative and respectful," he said. "It's better to be consistent and bring some understanding [to the project] based on respect."
Consistency with Masqueray's style was as important to their plans as making the space more user-friendly. In addition to working heavily with bronze and wood, the pair decided to incorporate the Tree of Life into the altar. Notebaart believes this is something Masqueray would have done because he recognized deeply that the altar is "a symbol of the source of life." In the Book of Genesis, the Tree of Life is a tree in the Garden of Eden that gives immortality. A similar design was done on the altar at the former Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary in Arden Hills built about the same time as the St. Thomas chapel.
"The individual pieces from the [1978 renovations] are good in themselves, but they are not consistent with the building," Tylevich said. "And what we want to do is make a consistent understanding. Even if it's not exactly the same form as Masqueray, it's with the same intent, the same approach, the same materials, the same color palette. All of those things will make the building more integral. So for us, we want to make the building fit together."
In their extensive research of Masqueray, Tylevich and Notebaart unearthed one significant detail: All of Masqueray's churches were designed with an altar crucifix. At St. Thomas, the altar crucifix was removed in the 1978 renovation. While the church allows two forms of crucifixes – an altar crucifix and a processional crucifix – the designers and committee decided it was time to have a more symbolic crucifix for the chapel over the altar.
Coincidentally, in the earliest stages of the renovation planning, members of the Class of 2004 suggested the university install a crucifix in the chapel and raised $5,000 for one.
According to Notebaart, the crucifix was important to Masqueray because it is "the physical image of the crucified that you make memorial in Eucharist." Likewise, the addition of the crucifix resonates with the university's desire for the chapel to "express more clearly Catholic theology and spirituality in a style consonant with Masqueray."
Anna Otto, Campus Ministry liturgy director, noted, "The chapel renovation will attend to some of the structural needs of the heart … but it will also allow the heart of the campus to be a greater place for the beauty of the arts. Historically, churches have been a place where the Christian tradition has been articulated in music and song. It is my hope that the chapel will take on this fuller role."
These renovations will be the fifth significant development in the history of the chapel. The first was its formal dedication in 1919. The second was the 1944 completion of its interior, led by Father Walter Lebeau who based his master plan on a pre-Vatican II church design. In 1978 the chapel received its first remodel, which included a new altar and a marble screen modeled after the one in the Sistine Chapel. And in 1987 the Gabriel Kney organ was installed, along with seating on permanent risers for the choir.

Tree Lighting

2007-11-25T17:09:00.000-08:00

Annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony is Nov. 28
Join the University of St. Thomas community for its 11th annual Christmas tree- and crèche-lighting ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 28.
The ceremony also will feature music and readings to herald the holiday season. The outdoor ceremony begins at 4:30 p.m. near the St. Paul campus’ landmark Summit Avenue arches, and a reception follows with hot chocolate and holiday treats for all.
Thousands of outdoor Christmas lights again will brighten the St. Paul campus this year. The Nativity scene atop the university’s Summit Avenue arches has a history spanning more than 50 years. The present scene with lighted statues is a relatively recent acquisition compared to the tradition of a Christmas crèche on campus.
As long ago as 1948, campus clubs erected an outdoor Nativity scene for public enjoyment. About that time, Dr. Hugo Reny, a Vienna-born assistant professor of psychology, fashioned flat, hand-painted, plywood figures that were once displayed on the quad.
In 1950, a log-wall stage some eight feet high and five feet wide was constructed for the scene, which then was displayed on the veranda of Aquinas Hall. That display has since been replaced with more elaborate and lighted statues, and the Physical Plant staff erects the crèche where the entire community can see and enjoy it: on top of the landmark arches.

Young Alumni get together

2007-11-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

TOMORROW EVENING!!

AHA Young Alumni Social and Networking Event

Enjoy a night on the town with fellow Holy Angels alumni. Start your Thanksgiving weekend by celebrating with friends, old and new.

When: Wednesday, Nov. 21
5:00 -- 8:00pm

Where: The Local – Irish Pub
Room reserved upstairs with pool tables, TVs and couches. Appetizers will be provided.
931 Nicollet MallMinneapolis, MN 55402(612) 904-1000

http://www.the-local.com/

Brought to you by the Young Alumni Committee and Alumni Council of AHA.
Sarah Lahr Kuenle '98 Debbie May Olson '98, Melissa Landgren '99, Heather Burns '99, Chris Lahr '03

2007-11-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

Here is St. Thomas' mission statement, from their website:

Pursuit of truth: We value intellectual inquiry as a life-long habit, the unfettered and impartial pursuit of truth in all its forms, the integration of knowledge across disciplines, and the imaginative and creative exploration of new ideas.

Academic excellence: We create a culture among faculty, students and staff that recognizes the power of ideas and rewards rigorous thinking.
Faith and reasonWe actively engage Catholic intellectual tradition, which values the fundamental compatibility of faith and reason and fosters meaningful dialogue directed toward the flourishing of human culture.

Dignity: We respect the dignity of each person and value the unique contributions that each brings to the greater mosaic of the university community.
DiversityWe strive to create a vibrant diverse community in which, together, we work for a more just and inclusive society.

Personal attention: We foster a caring culture that supports the well-being of each member.

Gratitude: We celebrate the achievements of all members of our community in goals attained and obstacles overcome, and in all things give praise to God.

2007-11-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

Some random St. Thomas facts, according to the St. Thomas website:

Bill "the Barber" Weston has given approximately 305,236 haircuts since becoming the campus barber in 1971.
Steve "Greenhouse Steve" Trost, the university's greenhouse manager, grows between 12,000 and 15,000 annuals in campus greenhouses each year. The plants are used in more than 30 garden spots on the St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses.
The Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas is the site of more than 100 student and alumni weddings a year. Two weddings are held in the chapel each Saturday, and a Friday evening wedding is held during the summer months.

History

2007-11-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

St. Thomas is Emily Carlson's alma matter. Here's some history from Wikipedia:

The University of Saint Thomas (also known as UST or simply St. Thomas Now a university, it currently enrolls more than 11,000 students, making it Minnesota's largest independent college or university.) is a coeducational Catholic institution of higher learning based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1885 as a Catholic seminary, it is named after St. Thomas Aquinas, a medieval Catholic theologian and philosopher who is the patron saint of learners in the Roman Catholic Church. St. Thomas' recently revised mission statement is as follows:

Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good.

Father Dennis Dease became the 14th president of the University of St. Thomas on July 1, 1991.