University of St. Thomas

St. Thomas seeks to become the school of choice for undergraduate and graduate students desiring to develop the knowledge, skills, dispositions, experience, and relationships to make change for the common good. By empowering all members of the university community to be changemakers, we are fulfilling our mission to educate “students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good”. We are building upon our long history of Catholic social teaching and service to create an educational environment in which all can collaborate to create a more equitable and sustainable world. Our urban setting, rich in optimism and passion for progressive action but hindered by one of the country’s widest opportunity gaps, provides an ideal proving ground for the power of changemaking in higher education. We are using the language and concepts of changemaking to help our campus members develop and apply their empathy and understanding to form vibrant partnerships for addressing social challenges. We are focusing on action, where curricular and co-curricular programs work with communities to bring about positive change both locally and globally. More broadly, we are providing leadership in higher education by illustrating how social innovation can draw from and contribute to our commitments to diverse interdisciplinary collaborations, interfaith dialogue, mindfulness, meaningful work, and the blending of inclusion programs with leadership training. These efforts are providing reciprocal benefits, enriching the educational experience for our students while simultaneously advancing the common good.