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2018-2019 THE YEAR in REVIEW FOREWORD FROM THE PROVOST Dear St. Thomas Community, The 2018-19 academic year closed on a celebratory note, with the energy and excitement of St. Thomas’ commencement celebrations. Father Larry Snyder reminded graduates they have the opportunity to build up a society that respects the dignity of CONTENTS all people and build up the kingdom of justice and peace. I took Colleges and Schools this commencement invocation to heart, and I feel optimistic 4 College of Arts for our future, knowing our graduates carry these convictions and Sciences with them. Your support in all we do can be seen in the power 6 Dougherty Family of these new alumni. Thank you! College For me, one of the highlights of the year was welcoming the Rev. Gregory Boyle, S. J., founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries, as our baccalaureate 8 Opus College of commencement speaker. His inspiring message included these words: Business “What Martin Luther King says about church could well be 11 School of Education said of your time here at St. Thomas. It’s not the place you’ve 14 School of Engineering come to; it’s the place you go from. You go from here to imagine a circle of compassion, and then imagine nobody 16 School of Law standing outside that circle. You go from St. Thomas to 18 School of Social Work dismantle the barriers that exclude, and that lands you at the margins. Because that’s the only way they’ll ever get 21 Graduate School of erased. You do not go to the margins to make a difference; Professional Psychology you go to the margins so that the widow, orphan and 23 The Saint Paul Seminary stranger make you different.” School of Divinity St. Thomas celebrated another milestone in May 2019, graduating its inaugural Supporting Units Dougherty Family College (DFC) cohort. Two years ago, our students had faith in DFC faculty and staff to provide an excellent learning experience in a brand-new college. Now, 28 Division of Student Affairs they will continue work toward their bachelor’s degrees, and we are delighted that more 31 Innovation and than 30 DFC graduates have chosen St. Thomas! Thank you, DFC leadership, faculty, staff Technology Services and others who have supported what was just a dream a few short years ago. 33 Enrollment Management Though pleased with our many successes over the past year, I acknowledge the challenges we faced together. The racial incident on campus last fall caused anger and pain in our 34 Academic Affairs community. But we lived our convictions. Students, faculty and staff came together to 34 Faculty Advancement share feelings, ideas and information. President Julie Sullivan announced an Action Plan to Combat Racism, which includes many short-term and long-term actions. Together, we 36 University Libraries are moving forward, daily renewing our commitment to the dignity of each and every 37 Undergraduate Studies person in our community. 40 Global Learning Again, thank you for the important role you play as we live our mission to “educate and Strategy students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely and work skillfully to advance the common good.” I hope you enjoy reading this installment of the Year in Review. I think you’ll agree there is much good happening at St. Thomas. Sincerely, Richard G. Plumb, PhD Executive Vice President and Provost Professor, School of Engineering COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS St. Thomas’ colleges and schools remain uncompromising in academic excellence, and we continue to lay the groundwork for new programs that benefit our students and our community. Highlights of our accomplishments over the past year are summarized here. COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES DOUGHERTY FAMILY COLLEGE OPUS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS SCHOOL OF EDUCATION SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING SCHOOL OF LAW SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY THE SAINT PAUL SEMINARY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY HEAD COUNT 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 Undergraduate Students Baccalaureate 6,173 6,046 6,035 6,161 Associate of Arts 107 183 Nondegree 67 65 57 51 Total Undergraduates 6,240 6,111 6,199 6,395 Graduate Students Master’s 3,022 2,801 2,778 2,751 Doctoral 197 216 220 189 Juris Doctor 344 366 387 435 Certificate/Licensures 410 452 259 215 Nondegree 32 37 35 50 Total Graduates 4,005 3,872 3,679 3,640 Grand Total 10,245 9,983 9,878 10,035 Full-Time Faculty 485 467 457 457 Adjunct Faculty 369 390 405 414 Staff 1,067 988 1,026 1,037 COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES SOLV Initiative The dean launched the SOLV Initiative in fall 2018. This program supports interdisciplinary and collaborative faculty study and research projects that address critical issues with community partners and propose real-world solutions. There are three areas of focus: Arts and Humanities in the Public Interest; Health, Wellness and Sustainability; and Civility and Public Discourse. Four pilot projects included: • Mindful Movement: An Evidence-Based Resistance Fall-Prevention Program for Older Adults (partner: YWCA St. Paul) • Bringing Asmat to the Classroom and Beyond: Educating with the Collection of the American Museum of Asmat Art (partners: St. Peter Claver Catholic School, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport) • Investigating the Impact of Innovative Pedagogies on Sustainability Literacy (partners: Metro Transit and St. Paul artist Sarah Nelson) • Urban Art, Landscape and St. Paul Community Stories (partner: Midway Murals) These projects will continue into 2019-20 and a new round of projects will be launched in fall 2020. West St. Paul and Ready to Run The College of Arts and Sciences organized a panel discussion about how sexism and harassment started a movement in West St. Paul. The panel consisted of Jenny Halverson, former mayor of West St. Paul; Wendy Berry, councilmember in West St. Paul; and Katie Dohman, co-founder of Women of West St. Paul (WoW). This led to a SOLV partnership in 2019-20 with Ready to Run, a nonpartisan organization that provides training programs to help elect more women to public office. SOLV Global The fall Rome Empower semester at the Bernardi Campus successfully included organic chemistry in its curriculum and had a record 35 students in residence, including 15 taking chemistry. The reflection program focused on the global refugee situation. On their return, an Awakenings Program developed by Rome alumna Maggie Martin saw 25 students volunteer in local organizations providing services and support for refugees. The college is planning to expand the Empower-Awakenings Program to Ireland and Chile. Teach-In Tuesday In response to incidents on campus, the college launched Teach-in Tuesdays. Spearheaded by the Psychology Department, the sessions explored issues of prejudice and inequality. Attendance was robust throughout the year and included faculty, staff and students who engaged in thoughtful discussion on pressing social issues. Lower Graduate Tuition The college lowered graduate tuition rates by 27% beginning with the summer session 2019. The move was to make graduate education in the liberal arts more affordable 4 and accessible, and a new Dean’s Scholarship provided additional assistance to underrepresented applicants. For summer 2019, CAS saw a 15.5% rise in enrollment. Convening the College The college held its inaugural Convening the College event on Sept. 10, featuring a keynote address from College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board member Peter Leyden. Leyden addressed how the chaos and disruption of the 21st century will yield a more digital, global and sustainable world and outlined the mega trends shaping America and the world, including the fading of the baby boomers and rise of the millennial generation. The program also introduced new faculty to the college and hosted a reception for students with the dean. Making a Permanent Investment in College Leadership The college held an investiture ceremony honoring Dean Yohuru Williams, who holds the Alvin and Mary Agnes McQuinn Distinguished Chair in Arts and Sciences. The McQuinns are longtime benefactors of the college and the annual St. Thomas Christmas Concert. Reorganization/Academic Program Review Building upon the results of the academic program review that concluded this year, consultations between the dean and faculty began on several proposals for reorganization that would improve student outcomes, curricular synergies and organizational efficiency. Majors in urban studies, social studies and liturgical music were eliminated, as were minors in Japanese and Greek. Majors in classical languages, classical civilizations and Latin are being reconstituted to eliminate redundancies while still allowing students an option to specialize in one of three areas. The Renaissance Program minor is being reimagined in collaboration with Opus College of Business. The international business major offered by our language department is being eliminated while seeking an opportunity to collaborate with the Opus College of Business to infuse more language learning into their international business major. Task forces are discussing the creation of new interdisciplinary programs such as Latin American studies, Irish studies and film studies. Faculty have submitted proposals for new majors in journalism and digital media arts and are developing new curricula for strategic communication and communication studies. Sociology, criminal justice, and justice and peace studies will look for new program development while sharing a single department chair, and a proposal for aligning geology, geography, environmental sciences and environmental studies is on the table. Other potential realignments that emphasize program support within larger administrative units will be discussed in 2019-20. Titan Series On April 23, the college held its inaugural CAS Titan Series Talk with Advisory Board member Jennifer Kinkead ’88. Kinkead discussed with art history and economics students her journey as a successful entrepreneur, forming in 2011 JELLA World Artist Collections, in which she creates opportunities for artists in developing countries and at home enhances an appreciation of other cultures by describing the meanings and the stories behind the art.