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Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Living Our Mission for a Just and Equitable Society

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is rooted in our Catholic identity at St. Thomas. Archbishop John Ireland founded the Â鶹´«Ã½ for immigrants who weren't welcomed elsewhere. Our convictions call us to protect and enhance the dignity of every human and to work for a more just and equitable society. We strive to be a university characterized by radical hospitality and are steadfast in our commitment to embedding a shared sense of belonging where all feel welcomed.

The university's internal work on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is coordinated through the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI). ODEI ensures that our work within the university to make St. Thomas more inclusive happens at all levels and includes everyone. By using data and stories to measure progress and experiences, and by transparently communicating across the university, ODEI helps campus culture continuously become more diverse and welcoming. In addition, Student Diversity and Inclusion Services (SDIS) directly supports students by offering programming that promotes diversity and social justice awareness and working to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students.

At the same time, St. Thomas is working outside of our walls to achieve social justice and dismantle inequities in the broader community through the Racial Justice Initiative. Through a distinctive focus on historical recovery, the Initiative creates opportunities in partnership with local leaders and groups for critical conversations and actions around racial justice.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are indispensable to academic excellence and the holistic development of our students. Our university community includes and welcomes people of diverse races, ethnicities, geographic origins, gender identities, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientations, religions, work experiences, physical and intellectual abilities, financial means, and all other characteristics as protected by applicable laws.

Â鶹´«Ã½ Land Acknowledgment

Resources and Support for:

• All Faiths
• Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)
• First-Generation College Students
• International Initiatives
• LGBTQIA+ Community
• Students with Disabilities
• Undocumented Students
• Veterans
• Women

Highlighted Priorities

Dougherty Family College

Opened in 2017, Dougherty Family College offers an associate degree designed to propel students towards success and provide a smooth transition to a four-year college. This two-year college program is for inspired students who want to obtain a four-year college degree and face financial or social obstacles on the way to their goal.

Student Diversity and Inclusion Services (SDIS)

SDIS promotes diversity and social justice awareness for all students through personal interactions, leadership and training opportunities, and various sponsored and co-sponsored educational programs. We aim to ensure the retention and graduation rates of students of color are equitable, and to maintain an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.

Student Diversity and Inclusion Services

Committee to Establish Principles on Renaming

In May 2021, the Committee finalized its Report on Principles for Renaming, which provides a coherent set of principles to use when considering the renaming of a building, program, or other asset at the University.

Committee to Establish Principles on Renaming

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News from St. Thomas

October 31, 2024

Pastor Tony Lowden, who also served in the Trump administration, talked about faith, helping others, and rising above partisanship at a Â鶹´«Ã½ Finding Forward event. To help people of all political persuasions find common ground, Pastor Tony Lowden, who has served both Democrats and Republicans, including with the Trump administration, offered a… The post Finding Forward: Amid Political Division, President Carter’s Pastor Offers Hope appeared first on Newsroom | Â鶹´«Ã½.

• August 6, 2024

  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently appointed Dr. Tanya Gladney, an associate professor and law enforcement program coordinator in the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department at Â鶹´«Ã½, to a second term on the Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training. The four-year term, effective as of July, will expire in January 2028. The… The post Walz Reappoints Tanya Gladney to Minnesota Peace Officer Board appeared first on Newsroom | Â鶹´«Ã½.

• June 25, 2024

  U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith of Minnesota, as well as Congresswoman Betty McCollum from the state’s Fourth District, announced in June that they helped secure more than $1.1 million in federal funding for the School of Education and Dougherty Family College at the Â鶹´«Ã½ and the South St. Paul School… The post St. Thomas Receives $1.1M in Funding to Support Educating Diverse K-12 STEM Teachers appeared first on Newsroom | Â鶹´«Ã½.

• June 3, 2024

  When first-year student Nadia Khumbah received an email to apply to the Linkages Mentor Program, she knew she wanted to right away. As an international student from Cameroon, Khumbah was nervous about feeling a sense of belonging and finding community so far from home. Since the program is designed for students typically underrepresented at the… The post Linkages Mentor Program Provides Support to First-Year Students appeared first on Newsroom | Â鶹´«Ã½.

• May 23, 2024

  How to pay for tuition toward a bachelor’s degree is top of mind for many students. For Isabel Inga Dutan, a first-generation college student graduating with her associate degree from the Dougherty Family College in Minneapolis, she doesn’t have to stress. She’s one of 15 scholars from DFC’s 2024 class who is receiving a full-tuition… The post DFC Excellence Scholarship Sets 15 Recipients on Path Toward Bachelor’s Degrees appeared first on Newsroom | Â鶹´«Ã½.