From the story:
Mark Osler, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas, wrote in an email that “the pardon would seem to cover Fauci’s previous congressional testimony prior to January 19, 2025. Thus, he can’t assert the 5th based on the fact that he may be asked questions that reveal his prior testimony as false (or at least subject to such a charge).”

But Osler said Fauci could argue his pardon has some holes that could be exploited – such as conduct that occurred before 2014 or that didn’t relate to his government service.

Hastings was an associate pastor at St. Michael Catholic Church when Archbishop Bernard Hebda selected him to serve at St. Thomas.

"It was definitely a surprise, but I'm excited to be with the students," Hastings said. "Whether they're someone trying to figure out how to practice their faith more seriously or someone who has some challenges with what the church teaches, I want to meet people where they're at."

Hastings, who prefers to be called Father Nathan, will be one of several campus chaplains and will report to Father Daniel Griffith '93, '02 MDiv, '05 MA, the new vice president for Mission. St. Thomas chaplains are members of the clergy and religious scholars trained to provide spiritual care to people of all traditions, religious backgrounds or those who don't identify with any faith.

"Father Nathan Hastings will be able to provide a unique insight to students who are looking to answer those important questions," said Sam Gard '27, a liturgical assistant for Campus Ministry who is majoring in pipe organ performance. "Many students come to college needing guidance along their journey, finding out what their spiritual life means to them, or even what their vocation is."

Hastings grew up as the youngest sibling of a Catholic family and served with NET Ministries (National Evangelization Teams) before attending Saint Paul Seminary. After ordination, he served at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Edina under Father Kevin Finnegan '83, '96 MDiv, and then at two other churches, building his experience with diverse communities.

"I love being able to build relationships with all sorts of people," he said. "That's what I'm most excited for."

From the conversation:
Nina Moini: Could you tell us more, professor, about how these changes are effective or how they actually lead to more affordable housing? Because I’ve seen some duplexes and triplexes built that are not the most affordable, and they might as well be in a single-family home. How does that actually lead to affordability? 

Russ: That’s an important point because when we’re talking about affordability, what’s important to distinguish is between impact on an individual home or unit of housing and impact more in the aggregate or looking at it as a whole. So one for one, it’s usually true. If you do replace a single-family home with a new one or even, in some cases, with duplexes or even a small apartment building, because that is a brand-new building likely with new amenities, likely with new materials that may be more expensive, that home in and of itself may not be less expensive than the home it replaced. 

At the same time, we know when we add more density, when we add more housing in the aggregate and over time, that eases pressure on the housing market and allows overall affordability to increase. That does not mean that every resident will be able to afford an individual home, and there will always be residents, because of low income, who may not qualify without assistance, without government subsidies for any housing in that area, which is why it’s important that cities and states take a holistic and multipronged approach. This is just one element of that. 

One other point for cities that I think has just recently become more important is the issue of their tax base. More dense housing is going to be more productive from a tax base standpoint. And I was on your program a couple of weeks ago. We were talking about the declining commercial tax base and how that burden may start to shift onto single-family homeowners. Well, this is one way to broaden that tax base to use that land more efficiently for purposes of property tax revenue.

From the conversation:
No matter how rough the economy gets, younger people have what economists call the long-term hedge.

“Some of that optimism can also come from, ‘I'm young, I can build up these skills, I can succeed in this economy.’ And you can get optimism in that sense,” said Tyler Schipper, who teaches data analytics and economics at the University of St. Thomas.

If the economy is bad, a 20-year-old has time to adapt to major market disruptions. Today, that includes the introduction of artificial intelligence, for example.

“They also feel more likely that their employers are going to invest in them,” Schipper said.

Rege spoke to senior executives at the Kraus-Anderson AI Symposium, where he addressed the question: As AI takes on more responsibility in our enterprises, who is designing the architecture for how decisions get made?

“We are in a moment where AI is not just automating tasks, it is reshaping who holds decision-making authority inside organizations,” Rege said. “And in most cases, that shift is happening without anyone explicitly authorizing it. Not because the technology went rogue. Because nobody thought to ask the question.”

Rege and Zangs spoke at two Gartner Leadership Summits this summer. At the first one, they spoke to leadership teams and the second to chief data and AI officers. They asked Minnesota leaders about their definitions of an “AI-ready” team member. Both Rege and Zangs stressed the importance of redesigning roles and teams to address the human talent needed to manage and work with AI.

“One in three Minnesota workers are in jobs with high exposure to generative AI. Minnesota ranks 10th in the nation and first in the Midwest,” Rege explained. “Exposure is not replacement. Most highly exposed roles will be augmented or transformed, not eliminated. How leaders frame this internally shapes whether their workforce leans in or pulls back.”

Mueller brings deep experience in enrollment strategy, with a focus on expanding student access, using data to guide decisions, and strengthening the connection between institutional strategy and student success.

He has spent his career in a range of enrollment leadership roles at Notre Dame while also teaching courses in public policy and civics. Most recently, he served as senior director of Pre-College Programs and director of enrollment strategy and analytics. Throughout his time there, Mueller has led initiatives designed to open doors for students while helping the university plan for the future. His approach blends careful analysis with a strong belief in the transformative power of education.

“Paul is a nationally respected leader in enrollment strategy whose work reflects both analytical rigor and a deep commitment to student access and success,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Eddy Rojas. “He has a remarkable ability to turn data into meaningful action, create new pathways for students and connect enrollment strategy to mission. We are excited to welcome him to St. Thomas and confident he will help advance our St. Thomas 2030 goals.”

At Notre Dame, Mueller led a significant expansion of Pre-College Programs, doubling enrollment and creating new opportunities for high school students to experience college-level learning. The program’s growth also generated additional resources to support broader enrollment efforts.

“Returning to the region and joining a mission-driven institution that views enrollment as a primary tool to advance the common good is a profound honor,” Mueller said. “I am eager to help St. Thomas build upon its momentum as it redefines what it means to be a national Catholic university.”

In addition to his leadership work, Mueller has developed tools to support admissions and financial aid decisions, improved operational processes, and helped guide Notre Dame’s transition to test-optional admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier in his career, Mueller worked as a consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton.

He holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in political science from Notre Dame, along with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Gustavus Adolphus College.

In recognizing the project, Finance & Commerce wrote:
“The Lee & Penny Anderson Arena marks the University of St. Thomas’s bold entry into Division I athletics. Its transforming main floor converts from a 4,000-seat hockey rink to a 5,300-seat basketball court in under a day, uniting seven athletic programs. Built in 17 months on a tight urban site, the facility blends Collegiate Gothic heritage with cutting-edge innovation and community purpose.

The project team includes contractor Ryan Companies, architect and interior designer Ryan A+E, Inc., and engineers Ryan A+E, Inc. and Meyer Borgman Johnson.”

Opened in 2025, the 167,000-square-foot Lee & Penny Anderson Arena is home to Tommie men's and women's hockey and basketball and serves as a hub for campus and community events. The facility earned LEED Silver certification for its sustainable design and construction and has become a centerpiece of the university's Division I athletics transition.

From the conversation:
Kyra Miles: Audra, I’ll start with you first. Sometimes we look at our 30s like the time we have to have stuff figured out, but where does that idea come from? Why does it seem to have such a hold on us?

Nuru: So many of us are carrying around these deadlines for our lives, right? Like somehow we know exactly where we think we should be by 30, even when we’ve never stopped to ask where those deadlines come from.

And I don’t think we invent those expectations on our own. I think, by being here, we learn them so early that they stop feeling like these cultural scripts and just start feeling like reality.

There’s actually a term for this. Bernice Neugarten called it a “social clock,” and that’s just this idea that every culture develops expectations about when major life events are supposed to happen. Without even realizing it, we begin measuring ourselves against that timeline.

But like you said in the intro, times have changed. Even though census data shows us that people today are marrying much later than they did 50 years ago, we’re becoming parents later, and our work lives are much less linear than they used to be, those scripts remain the same.

So the milestones move, but many of the expectations didn’t. And I think that gap between where life actually is and where we think it should be is where so much of that pressure lives.

From the article:
University of St. Thomas (Minn.) School of Law professor Mark Osler, who also runs a clemency clinic, told The Post that the going rate for services that amount to the promise to use connections to get a person’s name and case in front of Trump is “shocking.”

Top lawyers in Washington, D.C., charge an average of $600 to over $1,000 per hour.

Partners at top firms can charge up to $1,500 per hour for specialized services, according to Clio, a legal management service. ...

“The majority of the people paying big bucks are not getting what they want. A lot of them are scammers being scammed,” Osler warned.

“They say don’t play a player. A lot of them seem to be getting played right now.”

From the article:
Today’s AI glasses are far more discreet, resembling conventional eyewear while offering features such as real-time translation, hands-free photography and AI-powered assistance, said Seth Ketron, an associate marketing professor at the University of St. Thomas who studies retail technology and consumer behavior. 

All of Meta’s smart glasses include built-in cameras with an LED light that illuminates while recording to alert people nearby. ...

Privacy advocates say such technology could expand surveillance and raises questions about consent. Meta has said it is still exploring the feature and has not decided whether to release it.

In many cases, “recording people without their consent is unethical,” Ketron said, “even more so in situations where privacy is paramount, like medical settings.”

Because the technology is built into a pair of glasses, it may also be more difficult to restrict than smartphones or computers, Ketron said. He added the devices could pose academic integrity concerns if students use them to cheat on exams.