2 0 1 7 - 1 8

A YEAR i n REVIEW

MAJOR STEPS TOWARD LONG-TERM GOALS

CONTENTS

Colleges and Schools

4 College of Arts and Sciences

6 College of Education, Leadership and Counseling

8 Dougherty Family College

9 Opus College of Business

12 School of Engineering

14 School of Law

15 School of Social Work

17 St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity

Supporting Units

20 Division of Student Affairs

24 Information Technology Services

26 Enrollment Management

27 Academic Affairs

27 Faculty Advancement

29 University Libraries

30 Undergraduate Studies

33 Global Learning and Strategy

Dear St. Thomas Community,

The 2017-2018 academic year culminated with commencement, when we welcomed more than 2,400 graduates into the St. Thomas alumni family. What a wonderful opportunity for faculty, staff, students, community members, family and friends to come together to celebrate our graduates’ achievements and wish them well! Together, we witnessed the fullness of the St. Thomas mission.

Often, we catch the tiniest glimpses of the mission in action. It is impossible to recognize all of the ongoing work and improvements that we embark on every day for the greater good at St. Thomas. For that reason, I want to share a few of the accomplishments during the 2017-2018 academic year that encourage me and fortify my pride in working with you.

• We are more than halfway through our current five-year strategic plan, and we’ve made considerable progress toward our goals again this year. Every sign of progress toward fulfilling our strategic plan reaffirms our identity as a Catholic, comprehensive, urban university.

• Last fall, the Dougherty Family College (DFC) welcomed its inaugural cohort of 107 students. Now, this cohort is halfway toward an Associate of Arts in liberal arts degree, and a second, larger cohort begins studies in just a few weeks. DFC faculty and staff maintain strong collaborative relationships across the university to deliver exceptional class experiences, seamless processes and effective guidance for students.

• Furthering our online learning and teaching with technology gave us another excellent opportunity for collaboration and innovation. Together, we made great strides over the past year and celebrate a tenfold increase in enrollment in undergraduate online courses! This success capitalizes on strong partnerships among many support units, including the St. Thomas E-Learning and Research (STELAR) center in ITS, Academic Affairs, Marketing, Insights and Communications (MIC), Faculty Development and the University Libraries, along with the colleges and schools.

• Thanks to support from many areas, the Veterans Resource Center opened in November 2017. Student veterans now have a dedicated gathering space, and they receive one-stop access to services such as financial aid, personal counseling and other tools to help them make the transition to student life.

St. Thomas remains grounded in its mission to “educate students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely and work skillfully to advance the common good,” and we evolve to meet our students’ changing needs. I hope you enjoy reading this installment of the Year in Review and perhaps you will read something that inspires you.

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.

C O L L E G E O F A R T S A N D S C I E N C E S

C O L L E G E O F E D U C A T I O N , L E A D E R S H I P A N D C O U N S E L I N G

D O U G H E R T Y F A M I L Y C O L L E G E

O P U S C O L L E G E O F B U S I N E S S

S C H O O L O F E N G I N E E R I N G

S C H O O L O F L A W

S C H O O L O F S O C I A L W O R K

T H E S A I N T P A U L S E M I N A R Y S C H O O L O F D I V I N I T Y

2015-16 2016-17 2017-2018

Undergraduate Students 6,240 6,111 6,199

Graduate Students  4,005 3,872 3,679

Full-Time Faculty 485 467 457

Adjunct Faculty 369 390 405

Staff  1,067 988 1,026

H E A D C O U N T

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COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

New Undergraduate Programs• Data Analytics Major: An interdisciplinary program combining core course

work in computer science and applied statistics with domains based on disciplines such as biology, chemistry, sociology, political science, economics and others. We anticipate future domain offerings (specialized applications of data analytics) in business and engineering.

• Peace Engineering Program: Joint offering between School of Engineering and Department of Justice and Peace Studies.

New Graduate Programs• Graduate Certificate in Spanish approved for teaching college-level

Spanish in high school.

• Creative Writing and Publishing MA program launched.

• New two- and six-course graduate certificates in Catholic Studies, with the two-course certificate focused on professional development for teachers in Catholic schools.

• Fully online version of the Catholic Studies MA program launched.

Accomplishments • Relaunched fall program at Bernardi Campus as the Rome Empower Program,

which includes offering organic chemistry in cooperation with La Sapienza University in Rome. Ours is the only study abroad program in Rome that offers chemistry and has a full house of 35 arts and sciences students.

• Endowed Chair in Social Sciences restructured to promote interdisciplinary programing and support for major and minor in family studies.

• $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for developing STEM education awarded to collaborative team of Roxanne Prichard (Psychology Department), Melissa Loe (Mathematics Department), Jayna Ditty (Biology Department), Kris Wammer (Chemistry Department) and Tonia Jones Peterson (Office of Retention and Student Success).

• Summer credits. Increase in summer school credits for 2018, and online credits now account for 46 percent of summer enrollment.

• Required a STELAR course for all CAS department chairs, program directors and new faculty in fall 2018 to promote more development of blended and online courses.

• Partnership with Student Affairs. Exchange of embedded leaders from Student Affairs and the CAS Dean’s Office to promote coordination and collaboration in programs.

• Added four new members to the advisory board for the college.

• Pilot outreach project for Catholic schools. Worked with principals at Ascension and St. Peter Claver to define programming to support their curriculum. Hosted St. Peter Claver for its Field Day on the St. Thomas campus and sent CAS faculty to present career opportunities to Ascension students in its SLAM program.

$1 MILLION

grant awarded to develop

STEM education

5

• Department of Art History constructed new exhibition gallery in O’Shaughnessy Educational Center lobby and launched the Voorsanger Architects Digital Archive.

• Christmas Concert was broadcast on Twin Cities Public Television and distributed nationally on public television.

6

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP AND COUNSELING (CELC)

Student Scholars• Deeqaifrah Hussein is currently enrolled in the School of Education’s Educational

Leadership and Learning EdD program. Prior to pursuing her doctorate, Deeqaifrah was a master’s degree student in our special education program. Initially, Deeqaifrah became interested in special education after one of her seven children was diagnosed with autism. This is when she discovered firsthand the critical need for licensed special educators in Minnesota. Deeqaifrah is the first licensed autism spectrum disorder teacher in Minnesota from the Somali community. She considers herself an education and community activist committed to helping families learn about and support children with autism.

• Jenna Laleman presented two papers at the 2018 American Society for Engineering Education Conference. She was the lead author among three presenters for her study, “Encouraging Efficacy, Learning, Growth and Fun Through a One-Day Dive into Engineering for Middle School Girls.” In addition, Jenna collaborated with four others to present “Developing and Assessing a Music Technology and Coding Workshop for Young Women.”

• 21 Leadership in Student Affairs MA students presented their capstone research projects at a poster session on the St. Paul campus May 4. The event was co-sponsored with the St. Thomas Division of Student Affairs, and we invited student affairs educators from local institutions to visit.

Events• The 26th Annual Children’s Literature Conference was sponsored by the

Department of Teacher Education in February. The featured speakers were New York Times best-selling, Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña and accomplished children’s book author and illustrator Nancy Carlson.

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Graduate School of Professional Psychology

• North Memorial Health-University of St. Thomas Joint Doctoral Psychology Internship Program Achieves Accreditation by the American Psychological Association The North Memorial Health-University of St. Thomas Joint Doctoral Psychology Internship Program is co-sponsored by North Memorial Health (NMH) and the University of St. Thomas Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services (IPC). The Internship Program provides a wide range of training experiences that allow for working with demographically diverse populations within multiple service locations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Moreover, interns gain the valuable experience of serving clients across the continuum of care, from acute hospital-based services to outpatient community mental health. This internship is exclusive to our students in our APA-accredited doctoral program and represents the only pre-doctoral internship that offers exclusive training to a single doctoral program in the region.

• The Master’s Level Concentration in Co-Occurring Disorders Now Fully Developed The newly created Co-Occurring Disorders (mental health and substance disorder counseling) program has added sites for practicum training as students continue to move through the program. The program offers training in evidence-based, contemporary substance disorder treatment practices and enables graduates to become dually-licensed as professional mental health and drug and alcohol counselors.

• Dr. Salina Renninger Receives Director of Training of the Year Award Doctoral programs in counseling psychology across the nation require a position of director of training to provide program leadership. Dr. Renninger was this year’s award recipient from the American Psychological Association’s Society of Counseling Psychology. The society represents the 75 currently accredited doctoral programs in counseling psychology in the United States.

• Community Partnerships Over 150 agencies partner with the Graduate School of Professional Psychology to provide professional practice training for GSPP students. The majority are nonprofit, community agencies. The total service hours provided by students represent a substantial contribution to the community. Our programs continue to enjoy a strong reputation with a 100 percent placement rate for clinical practicum training.

30 companies offer DFC internships

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DOUGHERTY FAMILY COLLEGEStarting in fall 2017, Dougherty Family College began offering students an Associate of Arts degree in liberal arts, with courses that meet Minnesota Transfer Curriculum guidelines, which will allow graduates to have a seamless transition to four-year institutions in Minnesota. The college admitted 107 students in its inaugural college class and eventually will grow to have a student body of 300. Below is an academic and demographic profile of our first-year students:

• 62 percent female, 38 percent male

• Average GPA of 2.84

• 74 percent received a Pell Grant

• 41 high schools were represented in the Twin Cities area

• 87 percent were students of color, including 39 percent African-American, 31 percent Latinx, 10 percent Asian and 6 percent two or more races.

Prior to the first incoming class last year, the Dougherty Family College hired six clinical faculty members. Additionally, several support staff were hired, including a writing specialist, a math specialist, a social worker and a career and academic success coach. To gear up for DFC’s second class, the college hired a financial aid counselor, an additional six clinical faculty members, as well as a college transfer counselor to help students navigate their way to four-year programs upon completion of the two-year Dougherty Family College program.

A core element of the Dougherty Family College experience is the Professional Internship Program (PIP). PIP was launched at the beginning of the academic year under the direction of Kris Donnelly. First-year Dougherty Family College students attend classes four days a week and have one day each week free to participate in training or work in an internship. During the fall semester, students spent time developing workforce readiness skills through training sessions, mock interviews, networking and other activities. Students began their internships in January. Dougherty students have been placed in internships in approximately 30 different companies and nonprofits, including 3M, Delta Air Lines, Dougherty Financial, Hubbard Radio, Ryan Companies, SPS Commerce, U.S. Bank, the YMCA and many others.

Beyond the statistics, perhaps our biggest successes are the individual students who are having life-changing experiences by attending Dougherty Family College. All students have their unique stories and DFC is helping them to reach their full potential. As these experiences and these students demonstrate, an opportunity for a college degree is a game-changer. It can break cycles of generational poverty in families. Dougherty Family College is providing not only a strong academic setting for these students, but also the support to be successful, building confidence and skills to eventually graduate with a four-year degree.

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OPUS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS (OCB)UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMGHR Fellows Program In November, the university announced the GHR Fellows Program, a highly competitive, transformational, undergraduate experience for students seeking careers in business. It is the first pre-eminent, four-year, endowed scholarship program at the university. GHR Fellows receive full-tuition scholarships to St. Thomas. The GHR Foundation collaborated with St. Thomas in consideration of a shared commitment to the same goal: the development of ethically minded, innovative, community engaged, globally aware business leaders.

The GHR Foundation gift kicked off a broader university campaign directed at infusing $200 million into the general scholarship endowment pool for Tommies. The GHR lead gift of $50 million, the largest endowed scholarship gift ever received by St. Thomas or any other college or university in Minnesota, will support the GHR Fellows program.

Poets and Quants “Best Undergraduate Business Schools 2017”In our first year of participating in the website Poets and Quants’ comprehensive survey of undergraduate business programs, the Opus College of Business ranked:

• No. 2 undergraduate business school in Minnesota

• No. 2 employment outcomes ranking in the Upper Midwest (#39 in the country)

• No. 3 overall ranking in the Upper Midwest

This national ranking of undergraduate business schools puts equal emphasis on admission standards, the total student experience, and job and starting pay outcomes.

Undergraduate Curriculum Review From January 2017 through February 2018, the Vision 2030 Task Force developed an exciting new undergraduate business curriculum proposal for Opus students entering in fall 2019. The business curriculum includes new courses for first-year students: Business for the Common Good, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation; an accelerated business core offered at the sophomore level that will facilitate an integrated exposure to the core and early internships; and space for students to explore other business disciplines through advanced electives to add a minor or possibly a double major.

GRADUATE PROGRAMSEnrollment Trends New student enrollment across the graduate program portfolio grew 12 percent between AY16-17 and AY17-18. The business analytics portfolio (both the MS and graduate certificate offerings) represent a significant part of this growth as well as strong numbers in our Executive and Health Care MBA programs and our expanding graduate certificate portfolio.

Program Innovation The college has created an online MBA as well as increased the number of fully online courses in Business Analytics. The online team is preparing to welcome its first students during the 2018-19 academic year.

$50 MILLION

was gifted to endow

scholarships

12% growth in graduate

enrollment

10

College faculty developed and obtained approval for a new Master of Science in Health Care Innovation to launch in fall 2018. The focus is on business model innovation, the customer experience and lean implementation. This one-year program targets mid-level employees in health care (clinical and non-clinical), as well as professionals who wish to transition into health care.

HEALTH CARE STRATEGYIn March, the college recognized the legacy of former Sen. David Durenberger by permanently naming the annual Washington, D.C., health policy seminar in his name. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., personally made the announcement during this year’s event. The seminar serves as an annual signature learning experience for Health Care MBA students and alumni who spend time on Capitol Hill learning directly from members of congress and health care policy experts.

SCHULZE SCHOOL OF ENTREPRENEURSHIPSchulze Innovation ScholarsThe school launched the Schulze Innovation Scholarship, a four-year, full-tuition scholarship program for incoming entrepreneurship majors. Twenty-one finalists came to campus for a day of interactive exercises, presentations by current students and one-on-one interviews with faculty. Ten students were selected for the inaugural cohort starting this fall and will have access to specialized programming to build on their passion for entrepreneurship and innovation.

e-Fest® 2018The Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge capped off e-Fest® 2018, an undergraduate entrepreneurship competition that attracted 149 top teams from 110 schools of business and entrepreneurship across North America. The top 64 students, comprising 25 total teams, were invited to Minneapolis (all expenses paid) for the Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge April 12-14 at the Schulze School. This year’s winning team – St. Thomas undergraduates Meghan Sharkus and Jackie Page – created ExpressionMed patches for insulin pumps and Dexcom tapes for medical devices, with a focus on design, comfort, savings and peace of mind. The ExpressionMed team received the top prize of $75,000 from the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation.

High School Innovation DayThe Schulze School developed a new Innovation Day event for high school students to coincide with the Fowler New Business Concept Challenge in November. The event included a hands-on workshop on design thinking in the morning, a campus tour, and the opportunity to attend the finalist presentations for the competition at the end of the day. One hundred nine students from 16 schools and 22 teachers came to campus for the event.

Create[space]The university relaunched the Anderson Student Center maker space as Create[space], offering a broader range of programming intended to attract students from across the university in activities focused on creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

149teams competed

in e-Fest®

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STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPSIn September, the Opus College of Business partnered with U.S. Bank and IBM Watson to host the U.S. Bank Make-a-thon in the Anderson Student Center’s Create[space]. Teams of Tommies, U.S. Bank and IBM employees worked together over two days to create ways to apply the technology of IBM’s TJBot – an open-source project that connects Watson services – to the challenges of finance management for college students.

SELECT FACULTY AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONSDawn Elm, Koch Distinguished Professor of Business Ethics and Leadership, received the 2017 Sumner Marcus Award from the Social Issues in Management Division of the Academy of Management. This lifetime achievement award is presented for outstanding contributions to service and scholarship in the field of business and society.

Erica Diehn, assistant professor of management, and her co-authors received the 2017 Academy of Management International HRM Scholarly Research Award for “Ups and Downs of the Expatriate Experience? Understanding Work Adjustment Trajectories and Career Outcomes,” published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. The award is presented to authors of the most significant articles in international human resource management.

Avinash Malshe, professor of marketing, won the Marvin Jolson Award for Best Contribution to Selling and Sales Management Practice in 2016 by the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management for his article, “Mixed Interpretations of Sales Proposal Signals.”

Chelley Vician, associate professor of management, received the 2017 Rudolph J. Joenk Jr. Award for Best Paper in the 2016 IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication at the 2017 ProComm conference in Madison, Wisconsin.

Mary Maloney, associate professor of management, won Best Paper at the Academy of Management conference, International Management Division, for the article, “How Language Diversity Affects Knowledge Processing in Multinational Teams.”

12

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERINGSuccessful Civil Engineering LaunchStarting with the freshman Surveying course, the new Civil Engineering program launched in fall 2017. Its first graduates are expected in May 2019. Incoming freshman interest in the new program is energizing, with nearly 50 civil engineering students scheduled to start this fall!

Industry Collaboration ContinuesThe Engineering Senior Design Clinic engaged in 35 projects with industry. The projects were driven by 139 engineering seniors who worked with their industry sponsors in establishing design requirements, stage-gate design reviews and building-testing working prototypes. More than 750 people attended the Engineering Design Clinic Show on May 4, 2018, to see the projects. We are grateful to our industry partners including: 3M, Abbott/St. Jude Medical, Target, Horton, Pentair, Polaris, Emerson Process Management, Boston Scientific, Andersen Corp., HB Fuller, Cardiovascular Systems, Nonin Medical, Graco, Medtronic, Park Industries, Cummins and Minnesota State Services for the Blind.

Engineering Growth by the NumbersThis past year, more than one in six students at the University of St. Thomas studied in the School of Engineering. Total FY18 credits delivered in the School of Engineering increased by 4.3 percent over the previous year. Five-year growth in credit count is more than 50 percent. The largest gains in enrollment were again in our graduate programs including data science, as well as mechanical and electrical engineering. Degrees granted in the School of Engineering this year eclipsed more than 500, over 16 percent higher than last year and an over 300 percent increase from 10 years ago.

New Graduate Programs in Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and Business AnalyticsThe software engineering faculty have developed new certificate programs in artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things that will launch in fall 2018. In addition to these new programs, the software engineering faculty are also collaborating with the Opus College of Business faculty in offering the new MS program in business analytics. Paired with the explosive growth in the MS in data science, the MS-Business Analytics program has grown rapidly in the past year to over 150 students.

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Top 50 Undergraduate Program Ranking for Past Five Years For the fifth consecutive year, the University of St. Thomas was ranked among the top 50 undergraduate-focused engineering programs by U.S. News and World Report. This year, St. Thomas was ranked No. 29.

Entrepreneurship in EngineeringThrough a grant from the Kern Family Foundation, the School of Engineering faculty continued its work in developing the entrepreneurial mindset in the engineering educational experience at St. Thomas. The work is in conjunction with 32 other engineering schools from across the nation, including Marquette, Villanova, Santa Clara and Georgia Tech, which are collaborating on novel programming inside and outside of the classroom.

Renewable Energy Research CenterConstruction of the $2.1 million renewable energy microgrid research center began this year in the new Facilities and Design Center and on the roof of the McCarthy Gymnasium. With grant funding from the Xcel Energy Renewable Development Fund, the microgrid will support faculty-student research in this critical area of the future of global electricity generation and distribution. The new facility will support power systems research and industry collaborations with researchers from across the nation and the world.

16% more engineering

degrees were granted last year

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SCHOOL OF LAWThe School of Law, through an innovative curriculum that emphasizes professional formation and the education of the whole person, strives to help each student develop professional and ethical values vital to long-term success in the legal profession.

Growing Stronger in a Challenging Market After several years carefully navigating a significant downturn in law school applications nationally, the law school has emerged with a much stronger market position. For fall 2017, national applications were flat, while our applications increased by 14 percent. For fall 2018, national applications were up nearly 10 percent, and ours were up nearly 30 percent. After enrolling 103 first-year J.D. students in fall 2015, we were back up to our traditional size of 150 first-year J.D. students in fall 2017, and we expect to stay there.

We also have launched five new degree programs:

• An on-campus LL.M. in U.S. Law draws lawyers from all over the world for a one-year introduction to American law and legal practice.

• An on-campus M.S.L. degree in organizational ethics and compliance is tailored to students who hold an undergraduate degree and seek a career in ethics and compliance; an on-campus LL.M. degree in organizational ethics and compliance is offered to attorneys who already hold a J.D. degree.

• Fully online versions of both the M.S.L. and LL.M. degrees in organizational ethics and compliance are being launched in 2018.

Leading on Employment The percentage of our graduates hired into “gold standard” jobs – i.e., full-time, long-term positions for which a J.D. is required or provides an advantage – has improved from 59 percent for the Class of 2012 to 82 percent for the Class of 2017. (By comparison, the University of Wisconsin Law School – a top 30 law school nationally – also had a gold standard employment rate of 82 percent.). This increase has dramatically outpaced the modest improvements that law schools have seen in employment outcomes nationally. We have focused our efforts on increasing coordination of school-wide employment preparation efforts, providing more coaching and mentoring to students beginning in the first year, and building stronger relationships with non-legal employers at the intersection of law and business.

Leveraging Our Mission St. Thomas Law was created as a mission-centered school – dedicated “to the integration of faith and reason in the search for truth through a focus on morality and social justice” – and that mission, in turn, drives our strong commitment to faculty scholarship. We have leveraged both of these distinctions by: 1) becoming a recognized national leader in professional formation by demonstrating how effective legal education will connect to students’ core values, priorities and understanding of law as a calling; and 2) bringing students into more active participation as members of our scholarly community, which stands among the top 25 faculties in the nation based on scholarly citations to our research. By working closely with faculty on research and advocacy projects outside class, students are able to see the impact that lawyers can have in the world.

TOP FIVE LAW SCHOOLS FOR BEST PRACTICAL

TRAINING (2018):

1. Northeastern

2. St. Thomas

3. New Hampshire

4. UC Irvine

5. Yale

#1 in nation for externships

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SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORKProgram Development and Community Engagement • Sixth Annual Field Practice Institute Summit on Emerging Issues in Social Work

Practice focused on the theme Creating Pathways to a Diverse Workforce. The August 2017 summit highlighted the diversity gap in the mental health workforce, both in Minnesota and nationally. Although one-third of Twin Cities working-age adults will be people of color by 2020, 92 percent of social workers in Minnesota are white. Additionally, 86 percent of graduate-prepared licensed social workers practice in metropolitan areas, creating a large gap in rural communities. Summit participants explored the levers and potential pathways to help diversify our mental health workforce.

• Hybrid MSW program launched in June 2018. The hybrid MSW replaces our weekend cohort distance learning option, providing even greater access for working professionals and those living outside the Twin Cities metro area to pursue clinical social work education. The hybrid program is delivered primarily online with three Saturday on-campus sessions each term. It is designed to help address the mental health workforce gap by providing exceptional preparation for clinical social work practice and licensure for those who can’t make it to campus for “traditional” weekday/evening courses.

• Mapping Social Justice Project helps students bring a macro perspective into their clinical practice. Assistant Professor Lisa Kiesel received grant funding to develop the student-led Mapping Social Justice initiative, which is gaining national attention. The project uses a survey to identify student and alumni policy and practice interests, which are then used to create targeted action alerts specific to these interests. The list of possible areas of interest is comprehensive, including children, women, LGBTQ+ community, military, criminal offenders, people with disabilities and victims of domestic violence, among many others. These on-target alerts (directed emails and social media posts) increase the likelihood that the recipient will take action related to the given policy or advocacy initiative.

• Prenatal to Three Policy Forums. The School of Social Work, under the leadership of Dr. Katharine Hill, is partnering with Elders for Infants, Rep. Dave Pinto, D-Minn., and Sen. Jerry Relph, R-Minn., to host quarterly, nonpartisan conversations at the University of St. Thomas to advance state policies in support of early childhood from prenatal through age 3.

• Student scholars provide community thought leadership• Two BSW and two MSW Healthcare Education and

Leadership Scholars (HEALS) students traveled to Washington, D.C., last spring for a national health policy summit, and co-hosted the Aug. 7, 2018 Field Practice Institute Summit, Healthy Communities: Broadening the Lens of Healthcare, Equity, and Policy.

• The MSW Area of Emphasis in Practice with Immigrants and Refugees scholars hosted Immigrants and Refugees 101: A Roadmap for Effective Helping, sharing new ideas and resources for how we can better navigate the service delivery system for immigrants living in our communities.

16

• Two scholars in the Area of Emphasis in Military Practice were accepted to present their research at the 2018 Military Social Work Conference being held in September 2018 in Austin, Texas.

• Four MSW students, three of whom were Area of Emphasis in Aging scholars, were accepted to present their research at the 2018 Minnesota Gerontological Society spring conference in April 2018.

• Over a dozen doctorate in social work students presented papers at national social work conferences during the 2017-18 academic year.

Faculty Recognition and Grant Highlights

• Ande Nesmith, associate professor, received a Fulbright grant to study in the Czech Republic in fall 2018. She will be studying older youth exiting their foster care system and how they fare living independently as young adults. This is a continuation of the research Nesmith conducts in the U.S., which has included working with over a half dozen BSW students in research related to foster care and to text-based counseling.

• Catherine Marrs Fuchsel, associate professor and DSW program director, published Si, Yo Puedo, an empowerment program for immigrant Latinas designed to provide education, promote self-esteem, prevent domestic violence and help readers understand healthy relationships within a cultural framework.

• Theresa McPartlin, professor emerita and field supervisor at the St. Thomas Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services (IPC), received national recognition as the 2017 recipient of the Heart of Social Work Award from the North American Network of Field Educators and Directors.

• Lisa Richardson, associate professor and director of MSW Field Education, and Lisa Kiesel, assistant professor, received a Health Professionals Clinical Training Expansion Grant. The three-year initiative, funded by the Minnesota Department of Health, provides $122,080 in funding to the MSW program for its new Clinical Social Work Expansion Project. The grant will support expansion of field placement sites into agencies that are serving targeted underserved populations, including veterans, immigrants and refugees, and rural settings. Over the three years of the project, 16 students will receive $5,000 stipends, licensure exam preparation support and post-graduate supervision.

Catherine Marrs Fuchsel

17

THE SAINT PAUL SEMINARY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity (SPSSOD) is the graduate school of theology and ministry at the University of St. Thomas. It is a single institution with a dual mission: to prepare men for ordination to the ministerial priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church, and to prepare laity and religious for leadership and service in the church and in the world.

Academic Programs that Serve the Local, Regional and Universal Church During the 2017-2018 academic year at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity:

• Seventy-nine seminarians from 16 dioceses and one religious order were in formation for the ministerial priesthood.

• 2018 graduates from the Master of Divinity degree program were ordained as priests for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis; and the Dioceses of Des Moines, Iowa; Madison, Wisconsin; Rockford, Illinois; and Navrongo-Bolgatanga, Ghana.

• Year III seminarians were ordained as transitional deacons for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and Anchorage, Alaska; as well as the dioceses of Crookston, Minnesota; Fargo, North Dakota; Madison, Wisconsin; Rapid City, South Dakota; Rockford, Illinois; St. Cloud, Minnesota; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

• Sixty-three lay men, women and religious were enrolled in SPSSOD’s three lay degree programs (Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry, Religious Education and Theology); an additional 15 non-degree students enrolled in courses for these degree programs as a possible prelude to formal matriculation.

• Seven percent of SPSSOD’s degree-seeking students were born outside of the United States. Their countries of origin include Colombia, El Salvador, Ghana, Ireland, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru and Uganda.

• Slow but steady growth: 2017-2018 marked the fourth straight year of growing matriculations into the seminary’s Master of Divinity degree program and the third straight year of a similar growth trend in SPSSOD’s lay degree programs. Projections for the 2018-2019 academic year anticipate continued increases in enrollment.

Non-degree Initiatives that Serve Formation and Pastoral Needs • In December 2017, 10 men completed their formation and training with

SPSSOD’s Institute for Diaconate Formation (IDF) and were ordained as permanent deacons for the local archdiocese. Another 19 candidates are currently enrolled in formation. IDF staff also assist other dioceses of the region with the preparation of permanent deacon candidates.

• The Institute for Ongoing Clergy Formation (IOCF) provides resources for the continuing education of priests and permanent deacons, most especially, but not exclusively, in the early years after ordination. Through a variety of events, the IOCF helps clergy balance ministry and work, develop a personal wellness regimen, and learn management and evangelization skills for more effective ministry. The IOCF has offered 21 programs for archdiocesan priests and permanent deacons with over

4th consecutive year master of divinity

matriculations have grown

18

800 total attendances in the past year. These events have included: clergy study days, pastor leadership and management training seminars, retreats, Catholic Leadership 360 reviews, and formation events for new or recently ordained clergy.

• Since its inception in 2008, the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute has provided over 2,000 Catholic adults with the ongoing faith formation they need to be more active volunteers in their parish communities. In the past year, 655 individuals participated in Catechetical Institute programs at two locations in the local archdiocese, and in satellite locations in the dioceses of St. Cloud, Minnesota, and Des Moines, Iowa.

Faculty Accomplishments Three SPSSOD faculty members achieved significant academic milestones in the 2017-2018 academic year:

• Dr. William Stevenson was granted tenure and promoted to the rank of associate professor in February 2018. Stevenson is a regular participant in the National Catholic-Evangelical Dialogue and a frequent participant in collaborations with the local Islamic community. His recent scholarly publications include contributions to the ecumenical dialogue with evangelicals, an article in the New Blackfriars journal, and an English language edition of Al-Siraj: The Lantern on the Path to Allah Almighty, a book on Shi’a ethics by Shaikh Husain ibn Ali ibn Sadiq al Bahrani.

• Dr. Christopher Thompson was promoted to the rank of professor in May 2018. Over the past year, Thompson has traveled throughout the United States and Canada speaking on the topics of integral ecology and the theological and environmental concerns raised in Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’. He also completed the first in a series of volumes on these topics, titled, The Joyful Mystery: Field Notes Toward a Green Thomism (Emmaus Publishing, 2017). As director of SPSSOD’s Center for Theological Formation, Thompson coordinated two highly significant conferences held at the University of St. Thomas: Rethinking the Resources of the Christian Theological Tradition (with Dr. Paul Gavrilyuk from the St. Thomas Theology Department) in July 2017, and The Vocation of the Agricultural Leader (co-sponsored by Catholic Rural Life) in March 2018.

• Dr. Christian Washburn was promoted to the rank of professor in December 2017. He is involved extensively in ecumenical dialogues as an appointed member of the International Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity, the National Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue, the National Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue and the Archdiocesan Commission for Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs. Over the past year, Washburn has participated in numerous commemorations of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation through public lectures and published contributions in the proceedings of the aforementioned dialogues.

• Monsignor Aloysius Callaghan completed his 13th and final year as rector and vice president of The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity in June 2018. Under his leadership, the school experienced increased enrollments, the expansion and improvement of its academic programs, extensive outreach in support of the local church and significant fundraising to continue its mission. In a joint statement, St. Thomas President Julie Sullivan and Archbishop Bernard Hebda honored Callaghan for his extraordinary contributions and distinguished service with the conferral of the title, rector and vice president emeritus.

Monsignor Aloysius Callaghan

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SUPPORTING UNITSCollaborative and innovative work across supporting units fostered positive and fulfilling St. Thomas experiences for students and the campus community.

D I V I S I O N O F S T U D E N T A F F A I R S

I N F O R M A T I O N T E C H N O L O G Y S E R V I C E S

E N R O L L M E N T M A N A G E M E N T

A C A D E M I C A F F A I R S

Faculty Advancement

University Libraries

Undergraduate Studies

G L O B A L L E A R N I N G A N D S T R A T E G Y

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DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRSEstablished Veterans Resource CenterOn Nov. 10, 2017, St. Thomas officially opened the new Veterans Resource Center, located in the lower level of Murray-Herrick Campus Center.

Accomplishments:• Hired a director of Veteran Services, Norman Ferguson, a staff member in

Counseling and Psychological Services devoted to serving veteran students half-time, and a veterans admissions and academic adviser.

• Offered Green Zone trainings, an educational program informing faculty and staff on student veterans, their contributions and what they may be going through while attending St. Thomas. More than 65 faculty and staff participated.

• Funded Student Veterans Emergency Loan program, a no-interest loan for student veterans to address immediate, critical needs.

• Established Veterans Advisory Committee, a group consisting of key faculty and staff who meet to advise the director and work for the betterment of student veterans.

• Designated a Military Friendly campus. The University of St. Thomas is designated a Military Friendly campus for the 2018-2019 year.

In support of the Ashoka Changemaker Campus designation, the Division of Student Affairs launched a rebranded and comprehensive creative space in

partnership with the Opus College of Business to support a campuswide culture of social innovation and service.

• Usage of create[space] has increased by 61 percent compared to 2017

9/4/2016-4/8/2017 | 37,648 visitors

9/4/2017-4/8/2018 | 60,474 visitors

• Over 160 workshops and collaborations hosted in create[space]. Continued collaboration with faculty and alumni to host events that are both engaging and interesting to our students across all majors.

66 faculty and staff attended green zone trainings

create [space]

Student Attendance at create[space]

Non-Declared

0 50 100 150 200 250

School of Engineering

Opus College of Business

College of Arts and Sciences

Students

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On-Campus Housing Master Plan Mackey Mitchell Architects and Wachalski Advisory were hired to conduct an on-campus housing strategic planning process in collaboration with the University Master Planning/Land Usage process. A 10-year on-campus housing plan has been developed; it includes building new residence halls and renovating current structures.

Increased Resources for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Student Affairs identified opportunities to expand counseling to the graduate and Dougherty Family College students on the Minneapolis campus and to strengthen the focus on diverse and underserved student populations (veterans, first generation, students of color). St. Thomas also supported this commitment by launching a partnership with Learn to Live, an online confidential program for students who struggle with stress, social anxiety and depression.

• Partnered with Learn to Live to provide online therapy to students – 1,300 participants from 12/1/16 to 12/31/17.

• In March 2018, hired a psychologist to serve as liaison to the Veterans Resource Center and provide specialist services to veteran students.

• Identified funding in FY19 for a counselor to work with graduate and Dougherty Family College students on the Minneapolis campus.

16-17 17-18

Racial/Ethnic Diversity 18.2% 22.1%

International Students 3.3% 6.6%

LGBTQ 8.7% 11.1%

First Generation 13.6% 15.6%

CAPS Services to Diverse and Historically Underserved Populations

Students Who Utilized Learn to Live

4%High school

student taking college courses

15%Senior

23%Graduate

Student 19%Junior

12%Sophomore

27%Freshman

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Strengthened Focus on Employer Relationships The Career Development Center increased its focus on developing employer relationships with a specific emphasis on achieving a national brand presence with employers in key markets.

Developing strategic partnerships in health care and engineering. Inroads were made for our pre-health majors with new employers participating in our on-campus interview program.

Partnered with Alumni Relations to identify and target key markets, including San Francisco, Chicago and New York City, to utilize alumni to help establish connections with employers.

425 students participated in on-campus interviewing, a 22 percent increase over last year.

30 percent increase in number of employers interviewing for full-time jobs.

I am more likely to go to class on time

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

I am more likely to participate in class

I am more likely to ask for help I need or classes

I am more able to make presentations in class

I am more likely to complete assignments

I have been able to avoid academic probation

I am less at risk of dropping a course

I am less likely to drop out of college/university*

I am less likely to transfer away from this college/university*

31%

62%

54%

23%

38%

31%

31%

27%

27%

*Direct impact on institution costs

Survey of Students Who Utilized Learn to Live

Major Employers

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Center for Student Achievement The Division of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs launched the next phase of the Center for Student Achievement. Collaborative programming initiatives targeted increased retention of first-year students, students of color, first-generation college students and commuter students.

• Tommie Timelines are valuable assets to St. Thomas students, according to focus group data and feedback.

• Access to tutoring online has been centralized for the first time.

• Proud to Be First: Committee was established to provide programming and support for first-generation students at St. Thomas. Monthly community-building and informational events were held throughout this pilot year.

• Demystifying the First-Generation College Student Experience workshop was hosted by Dr. Patricia Maddox (First-Gen Committee member) and colleague, Dr. Jennifer Trost, through Faculty Development.

• Math Placement Tutoring and English Language Consulting are two new services aimed at supporting our students to degree completion.

• Tommie TRANSFERmations: Transfer student attendance doubled from last year in this program.

TOMMIE TIMELINE

CONNECT WITH THECENTER FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

ON WHERE YOU ARE WITHYOUR TOMMIE TIMELINE!

UPDATE, SCHEDULE,PARTICIPATE AND PREPARE

COMPLETE STEPS PRIOR TOSTART OF FALL SEMESTER

LEARN, DEVELOP,IDENTIFY AND ATTEND

REFLECT, ENGAGE, IDENTIFY AND CONSULT

RESEARCH, REVIEW,CONNECT AND CONSULT

FIRSTYEAR

SECONDYEAR

THIRDYEAR

FOURTHYEAR

FIRSTYEAR

Prior to

Best College for Employment in Each StateRecognized by Zippia.com as the best college in Minnesota for getting a job.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICESNew Directions for Student Data In spring 2017, Provost Richard Plumb created a task force charged with researching and recommending a new approach for campus data and data governance at St. Thomas. After six months of intensive research, the task force made a bold recommendation: that all units on campus who share similar responsibilities for entering, managing and reporting data would merge into a new, centralized unit within IT Services so that technology systems and their data could be managed holistically. This resulted in the creation of the Student Data and Compliance Office and its two distinct sub-units: the Student Data, Analytics and Reporting Office and the Student Data and Registrar Office.

The new student data model yielded the following benefits:

• Complete oversight of student data and its placement in university systems

• Cleaner and more accurate financial reporting

• Clear responsibility and accountability for the integrity of student data and reporting functions

• The creation of a university data stewards group and an accompanying data governance committee

• A new universitywide collaboration across university leadership on the development of key performance indicators for data and reporting systems.

In spring 2018, President Sullivan bestowed the inaugural University of St. Thomas Common Good Award to the task force members for their collaboration and innovation in creating this new vision. The work of this dynamic team opened up a wide range of new opportunities with our campus partners.

Security Enhancements for St. Thomas Accounts The ITS Information Security team implemented multi-factor authentication for the entire campus, which blocks hundreds of password attacks each month. More than 16,000 accounts are now signed up for the service among faculty, staff and students.

St. Thomas will be one of the first universities in the nation to have 100 percent of its accounts protected by multi-factor authentication when the project is completed this summer. In addition, the implementation of Microsoft’s Advanced Threat Protection blocked over 23 million malicious web links and network attacks in the past year as part of the ongoing initiative to keep the campus IT environment secure.

Improving the Student Experience with Salesforce Our work on Salesforce is quickly becoming a national model, thanks to our strong partnership with Enrollment Services and its amazing team of St. Thomas ambassadors. Salesforce now gives prospective students one centralized portal to complete their application and submit deposits.

Prospective students now can:

• See which tasks and additional documents are required for their application

• Learn about scholarship opportunities early

• Receive timely messages tailored to each stage of the application process

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When students have questions, counselors provide fast responses from their dashboard view that visually brings together the student’s information from several databases. What used to take minutes now takes seconds. This system gave new insights to campus decision makers and removed hours of manual work for university staff.

Summer Online Offerings Increase Tenfold in Two Years St. Thomas summer online programs and offerings increased substantially over the past two years. There were more than 10 times as many course enrollments for the 2018 summer term compared to 2016. Students articulated a need for more flexible learning options in pursuit of their degree. The collaboration and strong partnerships between university programs and faculty working with the St. Thomas E-Learning and Research (STELAR) Center contributed to this overwhelming success.

Banner Leads the Way Toward a Cloud-First Infrastructure ITS successfully migrated Banner, the university’s enterprise resource planning system and system of record, to Amazon Web Services in the cloud. Banner connects the university’s data to more than 100 systems on campus, which allows the community to easily access the information they need to be successful in their professional and academic work at St. Thomas. This migration allows us to scale our existing infrastructure environment, create a positive customer experience, gain new business continuity capabilities, improve our disaster recovery plan and prepare the foundation for future upgrades to the latest self-service version of the Banner software (Banner 9). This migration was no small feat and involved more than 50 staff members from across 15 departments who came together to execute hundreds of individual tasks. The hard work of this collaborative group made the three-day outage required to complete the migration a seamless experience for the community. An additional benefit of migrating data and services to the cloud is the 65 percent reduction in our data center footprint.

Accessing Banner is faster now in the cloud than it was when it was hosted just a few floors below me in the Aquinas Hall data center!

-ITS staff members

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ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENTA combination of campus collaboration and popular external interest in St. Thomas resulted in an extremely robust year for undergraduate enrollment. Highlights included the establishment of Salesforce as the prospective student interaction platform, and deep partnerships with the teams from Marketing, Insights and Communications; ITS; the Student Data, Analytics and Reporting Office and the Student Data and Registrar Office; and Human Resources.

STUDENT PROFILE

fall 2015 fall 2016 fall 2017

New freshmen 1,421 1,349 1,391Domestic 1,391 1,324 1,361International students 30 25 30

States represented 31 24 28 High schools represented 441 389 400

Avg. GPA (freshmen) 3.6 3.6 3.6Avg. ACT (freshmen) 26 27 27 Percent female 50 47.9 47.7 Percent male 50 52.1 52.3 Percent students of color 14.0 13.5 16.5

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ACADEMIC AFFAIRSThe Office of Academic Affairs supports the educational mission of the university by providing services to faculty, staff and students that promote success in learning and scholarship. Units such as Academic Advising and Counseling, Libraries, Faculty Development, and Accreditation and Assessment, among others, work either directly with students or with faculty in their work with them. Several initiatives elevate these efforts; many of these are collaborative in nature, such as STELAR (working with ITS) or the Center for Student Achievement (working with Student Affairs).

FACULTY ADVANCEMENTNew Director for Center for Faculty DevelopmentThe reorganization in Academic Affairs last year resulted in the hiring of a new director for the Center for Faculty Development, Dr. Kristine Wammer, who oversees our faculty grants programs, various consultation services for faculty, and programs to support professional growth in teaching and scholarship. The Center completed its second year of delivering the Inclusive Classroom Institute, through which faculty can earn certification in creating inclusive classrooms and meeting the needs of diverse learners. We also offered the first in a planned series of training events to promote Universal Design for Learning (UDL) across campus. This year the Center took on a new grant program to support graduate faculty team research with students, and the director administered a survey of the faculty to aid in future planning.

New Director for the Office of Sponsored ResearchOur new director of sponsored research, Dr. Michael Warnock, achieved strategic goals for enhancing organization this year and also consolidated processes for proposal development and processing, streamlining and simplifying the process for faculty. This year we saw success with several key external funding initiatives, benefiting faculty and students in areas such as Biology, Special Education, and Social Work.

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Enhancing Support for Adjunct Faculty We continued our efforts to build support for adjunct faculty by adding twice-yearly orientation sessions for new faculty and strengthening access with online training opportunities. Ann Johnson, associate vice provost for faculty advancement, collaborated with leadership of the Adjunct Faculty Council to ensure a successful orientation experience and also worked with departments to solidify department-level adjunct integration efforts. Our Adjunct Professional Development Grant continues to grow with 24 faculty members receiving grants this year.

Selim Center for Lifelong Learning Launches Two New Programs In partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences, the Selim Center for Lifelong Learning organized the first Salon at St. Thomas™ this year. Held in April, 45 people, ranging in age from 21 to their upper 80s, attended. The inaugural salon addressed the intersection of history and music in the context of the American Civil Rights Movement and featured several faculty members as speakers and performers who involved the audience in discussion. The next Salon will be held in October. In addition, The Selim Center sponsored its first-ever international study trip this May, led by center director Bob Shoemake and faculty member Loren Langan. Thirteen students, aged 54 to 80, traveled across Ireland, meeting with historians, economists, farmers, pub owners, musicians, educators, students and mental health workers to explore what it means to be Irish in the early decades of the 21st century. Participants were enthusiastic and we are developing plans for another international study trip in the coming year.

Ensuring our New Faculty Have a Strong Start We continued our yearlong New Faculty Orientation program for new full-time faculty this year, expanding our weeklong series to include a focus on creating inclusive classrooms. We continue our collaboration with the Office for Mission on offering twice-yearly “mission retreats” for new faculty; these two-day retreats are designed to facilitate meaningful integration of the mission into the work faculty do in the classroom and in their scholarship.

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Ongoing Special Projects • Faculty Leadership Fellows program: Five faculty members engaged in regular

meetings with key administrators and enhanced their leadership skills through this yearlong program to identify and train future academic leaders. Our Faculty Fellows for 2017-18 were: AnnMarie Thomas (Engineering and OCB), Janine Sanders-Jones (OCB), Kundan Nepal (Engineering), Katharine Hill (Social Work), and Amy Smith (Education).

• Department chair training and support: We completed our first yearlong program of providing support and resources to new and returning department chairs to assist them in gaining strategic knowledge and skill in managing academic departments.

• Hiring and supporting diverse faculty: Collaborating with a variety of offices both on and off campus, Faculty Advancement organized a variety of events and programs to address the needs of our faculty of color, international faculty and women faculty. This included establishing a Twin Cities network for faculty of color and organizing two related events for that group. We also worked with departments to develop anti-bias training for department hiring committees.

• Integrating the mission in our teaching: Continuing the emphasis on integrating the St. Thomas mission into teaching beyond faculty in their first year, Faculty Advancement partnered with the Office for Mission to offer a spring workshop to provide faculty with resources for developing plans to infuse mission-based projects into their courses.

UNIVERSITY LIBRARIESImplemented Canvas Integration for Course MaterialsThe University Libraries, in partnership with STELAR, implemented a software integration between the libraries’ system and Canvas, which allows instructors to utilize existing library content and services when delivering course materials in Canvas. This integration has resulted in increased affordability for students, seamless delivery in Canvas at the point of need, streamlined management of course materials requests, better collaboration with the libraries in course design and delivery, and increased ROI on library investments. In a limited pilot during spring 2018, 15 faculty in 19 courses reached 289 students with 579 total citations. Students in the pilot saved $22,260, or an average of $77 per student per course.

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Information Literacy Instruction and Research SupportThe libraries’ staff participated in the Faculty Learning Community on Information Literacy and shared ideas with faculty on research literacy and faculty/librarian collaborations. The libraries’ instructional goals were represented in the proposed curriculum – the first time that those instructional objectives have been formally described in the St. Thomas curriculum. Instructional librarians conducted 363 classes in library research for nearly 9,000 students during the year as well as consulting individually with more than 1,000 students to help them with their scholarly projects.

Professional Collaborations Library staff have worked with campus colleagues and others on projects, including:

• Partnering with Student Affairs and Undergraduate Studies on the Center for Student Achievement

• Promoting and celebrating faculty scholarship, and providing a workshop on Universal Design with Faculty Development

• Joint projects with STELAR, including working on a reference “chatbot” and integrating library functionality in Canvas

• Consulting and sharing information with librarians from many other institutions, including the University of Minnesota.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDIESVideos for Faculty Provide Weekly UpdatesHelping ensure that faculty get information they need to know when they need to know it is the goal of Associate Vice Provost Wendy Wyatt’s weekly video updates. During the 2017-18 academic year, Undergraduate Studies sent 30 brief videos – between 26 and 108 seconds long – to faculty and select staff from Academic and Student Affairs. Topics ranged from academic deadlines to advice about advising special student populations. All videos were captioned and included a transcript, so faculty could choose to get the information by watching, listening or reading.

Responses to the videos were overwhelmingly positive, and the updates will continue in fall 2018. For reference, all videos are also archived on the Academic Affairs website.

Award Honors Outstanding Academic AdvisingAcademic advising is one of the most important – and underrecognized – roles that a faculty member has. Every day, students’ experiences at St. Thomas are positively and substantively shaped by their academic advisers. This year, Undergraduate Studies developed two new annual faculty awards that recognize outstanding academic advising. In May 2018, Dr. Cara Anthony, Theology, was honored for her excellence as an

31

advisor to first-year students, and Dr. Adam Green, Physics, was honored for excellence in advising majors in his department. Both winners were recognized at the end-of-year faculty meeting and received an award stipend.

Academic Counseling Partners with Student Data and Registrar to Refine and Improve Policies and Processes With the arrival of a new unit on campus – Student Data and Registrar (SDR) – came an opportunity for collaboration aimed at better serving students and faculty. Throughout the year, teams from Academic Counseling and SDR worked together to refine and improve processes around academic standing, repeat course enrollments, transcript evaluations, withdrawals and summer enrollment. Additionally, a new associate deans’ council, convened by AVP Wendy Wyatt, includes partners from Academic Counseling and SDR. The council addresses cross-campus issues that relate to academic policy and processes.

Undergraduate Studies Supports Dougherty Family College’s First Year In DFC’s first year, its leaders, working with staff and administrators from Undergraduate Studies, adopted, adapted and developed policy and curricula that help support the DFC mission. From integrating DFC into the undergraduate catalog to developing a transition plan for DFC students who will move to the four-year campus upon graduation, each week brought a new question to resolve. Disability Resources, Academic Counseling, Retention and Student Success, and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program all lent a hand in providing support during DFC’s inaugural year. Of particular note, DFC first-year student Xavier Abdullahi has joined the Excel! Research Scholars program as an Excel! fellow for summer 2018 under the direction of faculty mentor Dr. Miguel Fernandes.

Retention and Student Success Initiative Raises the Bar on Graduation RatesIn an effort to support students in degree completion, Tonia Jones Peterson, director of Retention and Student Success, reached out to students who had participated in commencement but had not earned their degrees. This is the first universitywide initiative of its kind and resulted in nearly a full percentage point increase (62.4 to 63.1 percent) in the four-year graduation rate for the first-year class that entered St. Thomas in 2013.

Center for Student Achievement Continues to DevelopAs of fall 2018, the “Blue Lagoon” will cease to exist; in its place, students will find a brand-new student-centered hub for the Center for Student Achievement (CSA). This long-awaited physical space will support the mission of the CSA by integrating resources that help students to navigate academic and professional goals. More details on the CSA are included in the Student Affairs section of this year’s Provost’s Report.

Xavier Abdullahi

Faculty Mentor Dr. Miguel Fernandes, Dougherty Family College Department of Biology

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108 students have been

Excel! Research Scholars over the

past decade

Excel! Research Scholars Program Celebrates its 10th YearIn spring 2018, the Excel! program bid farewell to seven graduates who were part of the program’s 10th cohort and welcomed its 11th class, the largest to date. This year’s graduating class included commencement speaker Divine Zheng, who is on her way to the University of Oregon School of Law. In its 10-year history, Excel! has served 108 students and is proud to report a 98 percent graduation rate.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Expands Programming and Increases Visibility In addition to sponsoring three proposal writing workshops for prospective student researchers during 2017-18, our Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program also participated in National Undergraduate Research Week through a slate of events and displays around campus. In summer 2018, the UROP office will move to Murray-Herrick Campus Center to join other partners in the Center for Student Achievement. This move, resulting in much-increased visibility for the office, will help better connect students with research opportunities.

Numbers of Note: Undergraduate StudiesDuring 2017-18:• Academic counselors held 5,062 appointments with students across campus and

managed 1,187 academic alerts submitted by faculty.

• Disability Resources professionals worked with 731 students who were officially registered with their office.

• Darcy Brommer, pre-health advising program manager, provided individual and group advising to more than 550 students.

• The campus Flag team, co-chaired by Susan Anderson, Academic Counseling, and Sister Sharon Howell, Dean of Students Office, responded to 413 Flag cases. The Flag team is an interdepartmental team that monitors and engages with students who are experiencing difficulties navigating their academic, physical, emotional and personal experience on campus.

• The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program supported 76 student awardees, who were funded through $212,100 in stipends to complete 20,200 hours of paid research with 57 faculty mentors.

• The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee considered 77 curricula and policy proposals, including the Educating for the Future proposal for a revised undergraduate curriculum.

• The Committee on Studies considered 260 student petitions for exceptions or substitutions to academic policy.

• In May 2018, 46 Aquinas Scholars graduated from the honors program; the Aquinas Scholars will welcome 78 new students and a new faculty director, Dr. Eric Fort of Chemistry, in fall 2018.

• As of June 2018, 413 faculty and staff members had completed Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) training. During the 2017-18 academic year, 754 WAC sections were offered.

• St. Thomas students received three national awards from Delta Epsilon Sigma.

• The Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies facilitated a yearlong faculty learning community on information literacy that involved 12 faculty and staff members from across campus.

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GLOBAL LEARNING AND STRATEGYThe St. Thomas Strategic Plan calls for comprehensive internationalization on campus, a refocus reflecting our increasingly globalized world. Accomplishing this will keep our students relevant in the interconnected international environment.

Global Learning and Strategy (GLAS) includes the Office of Study Abroad (OSA), the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS), undergraduate International Admissions, as well as support for other international travel, international contracts, international student scholarships, international partnerships and international risk assessment. Within higher education, comprehensive internationalization falls into six areas:

Articulated Institutional CommitmentSt. Thomas faculty, administrators, staff and students demonstrate strong commitment to internationalization in part through the strategic priorities included in the strategic plan, “St. Thomas 2020.”

Faculty Policies and PracticesGLAS assists with hiring international faculty and staff, including H-1B work visas and green cards for five faculty and staff this year. We broadened the scope of the International Risk Assessment Committee to facilitate safer international travel for student groups, faculty and staff. GLAS instruction for intercultural learning and training reached 243 community members through workshops, classes and certificate training. OSA staff presented results of that work at the annual NAFSA conference this year in Philadelphia.

Administrative Leadership, Structure and Staffing We hired a faculty member, Dr. Judith Dorin, to the part-time role of director of prestigious international scholarships. This year we had three Fulbright Fellowship student finalists with one winner. We combined International Admissions with the Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS), giving our international students better support from admissions through graduation.

Curricular, Co-Curricular and Learning OutcomesGLAS supported faculty in program development and training for approximately 20 off-campus international, credit-bearing courses involving approximately 40 faculty and staff. GLAS funded five Global Engagement grants for international work. In addition, GLAS collaborated with seven academic departments on setting up an international course database resulting in 700 course approvals.

Student MobilityThis area covers both international admissions with the support of international students and study abroad. Students studying abroad increased 4 percent this year to 999, placing St. Thomas sixth in the nation for participation in study abroad in our classification. We collaborated with Athletics, VISION, St. John Vianney Seminary, Music and the Selim Center on their international programs. We partnered with Dining Services to improve international meals on campus. International recruiting of students proved very successful this year. We incorporated current international students in the recruiting effort. That, along with process streamlining, led to a 49 percent increase in international applications and a 5 percent increase in confirmed students from 27 countries. OISS collaborated on 10 intercultural programs on campus and out of state.

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Collaboration and PartnershipsGLAS supports strategic and school international partnerships including program development, such as the School of Engineering’s new program in Jordan and the Opus College of Business’ new program in Shanghai. We also support existing programs such as the College of Arts and Sciences’ Rome Empower and Opus College of Business’ London Business Semester. We negotiated over 50 faculty international program contracts.

Other partnerships include:

• Worked with ELS Educational Services, Inc. in its ongoing English Language Services program hosted on the St. Thomas campus.

• Initiated an International Pathway Program for attracting and retaining international students through the broad network of ELS recruiters.

• Partnered with Information Technology Services and the university’s General Counsel to meet the new European Union General Data and Privacy Regulations.

• Collaborated with St. Thomas Alumni Relations to support new international alumni activities, including hosting Thanksgiving for alumni in London.

#6 St. Thomas rose to

sixth in study abroad participation

MISSION 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.

MISSION 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.