Headwinds & Opportunities
Societal trends and the state of higher education continue to shift due to forces beyond COVID-19. As we prepare to navigate an ever-changing landscape, we need to keep key opportunities and challenges top of mind.
2025 Strategic Plan
St. Thomas 2025 is an ambitious yet focused five-year effort designed to propel the university toward a new level of impact. It is a guide to help us reach higher in serving our students, our community and the world.
The next five years present an unparalleled opportunity to promote our strengths and leverage key opportunities.
Not only will this five-year plan help us strengthen what we do best; it will encourage us to leverage new opportunities, gain stature and continue to thrive in an increasingly challenging and competitive landscape for higher education.
Expanding our Impact
St. Thomas is at a distinct point in our history – and we are poised to expand our reach across the country and to build a national reputation. Its position as the largest private university in Minnesota, nimble yet comprehensive, gives St. Thomas a unique advantage. With keen focus on strategic opportunities, we will not just survive the headwinds, but thrive and grow.
Our 10-year Aspiration
The University of St. Thomas will advance to the level of excellence, impact and reputation that distinguishes the top 10 national Catholic universities.
Our 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.
Our Convictions
- Pursuit of Truth
- Academic Excellence
- Faith and Reason
- Dignity
- Diversity
- Personal Attention
- Gratitude
Guiding Themes
As our community came together through the strategic planning process to develop goals for the next five years, the following themes emerged. These will guide our work, helping us remain true to what makes St. Thomas unique while empowering us to focus on key ongoing and emerging priorities that will help us thrive.
Ever Press Forward through Innovation
We will innovate, grow and excel in ways that align with our educational mission and vision to provide relevant and continuous learning for Tommie leaders of today and tomorrow.
Build Belonging and Promote Equity
We will become a university characterized by radical hospitality and a shared sense of belonging where all are welcomed as we work to achieve social justice and dismantle inequities of all forms.
Ensure Access, Achievement, and Outcomes for All
We will broaden access to a St. Thomas education, ensure all students have equal opportunities to take advantage of the full St. Thomas experience and the academic excellence we provide, and connect all students to career opportunities that leverage our powerful Tommie Network.
More about the theme Ensure Access, Achievement, and Outcomes for All
Lean In to Our Catholic Mission
We will bring the visions of our founder and namesake, our unique charism, and Catholic social teaching fully to life as we encounter the grand challenges of the day, develop principled leaders and contribute to a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable world.
Widen the Circle of Impact
We will make our mark and widen our impact locally, regionally, nationally and globally by becoming a partner of choice and extending an invitation to students, faculty, and staff from near and far to become part of our vision and our work.
Strengthen Culture As We Embrace Change
As we respond to uncertainty and change in the societal and higher education landscapes, we will strengthen our university culture by expressing the values of respect, honesty and transparency, by engaging in open dialogue, and by committing to continued personal and professional growth.
More about the theme Strengthen Culture As We Embrace Change
Strategic Priorities
Through these strategic priorities, St. Thomas will build upon its strengths, invest where we have unprecedented opportunity and make bold progress. We will expand our impact with new and emerging priorities and continue to accentuate our differentiating strengths through priorities that are ongoing.
Factors That Shaped the 2025 Strategic Plan
Community Input
The faculty and staff of St. Thomas shared their thoughts, contributed ideas, and engaged in community conversations around the successes and obstacles of initial draft themes. In addition, feedback was gathered from students and other members of the broader community.
Success of the 2020 Strategic Plan
St. Thomas 2020 guided the work of the university since 2015 and led to many important accomplishments; many initiatives that began in the 2020 plan will continue into St. Thomas 2025.
Introducing the 2025 Strategic Plan
Building on the vision of our founder to "never stop improving," the 2025 strategic plan is a five-year guide to help St. Thomas make a bolder impact. Listen to this high-level overview with President Sullivan's call to the community to create and embrace a thriving future for the university.
2025 Strategic Plan News
July 27, 2021
Donors Keep DFC Going
For almost five years, Dougherty Family College has been aiming to break the cycles of intergenerational poverty through education.
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July 20, 2021
New Unit Connects Current Tommies with Alumni and Employers
When St. Thomas students return to campus this fall, they’ll notice the first floor of Murray-Herrick Campus Center looks quite different. But the change is more than cosmetic – it represents a new approach to helping students prepare for successful careers, and a more engaged role that alumni and corporate partners can play in that process.
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July 14, 2021
Serving Survivors Left in a Virus’s Wake
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Thomas biology students took a semester-long deep dive into a different virus.
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July 13, 2021
Equity in Action: Discussing White Identity
Assistant Dean of Students Jesse Langer, PhD, discussed white identity, racism and work with students and colleagues in an Equity in Action breakout session.
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June 24, 2021
St. Thomas Names Kathy Arnold VP and CHRO
President Julie Sullivan announced the appointment of Kathy Arnold as the University of St. Thomas' first vice president and chief human resources officer (CHRO). (June 24, 2021)