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Lead in STEAM Education

St. Thomas will provide exceptional and interdisciplinary Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) programming. With consultation from employers, we will co-create relevant cross-disciplinary curricula that inspire creative problem solving among our students and enable collaboration. 

As we grow these opportunities, we will intentionally beckon diverse students and faculty toward our inclusive programs and spaces. The new STEAM Complex on south campus will provide world-class space to accommodate intentional enrollment and diversity growth in engineering, health and digital media fields, in close collaboration with arts and sciences programs.

The exemplary offerings, along with the physical complex, will attract top students and faculty from around the country and globe who seek premier STEAM experiences and degrees.

Related Themes

2025 Strategic Plan Ever Press Forward through Innovation Build Belonging and Promote Equity Widen the Circle
of Impact
Lead in STEAM* Education Priority Priority Priority
*Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics

See how the Themes and Priorities of the 2025 Strategic Plan interweave.

Measuring Progress

  • Success Metrics
  • Progress Update
  • Key Leaders

    • Success Metrics

    1. Finish program planning and begin building for the STEAM complex, incorporating inclusive design in the process. Break ground Spring 2022 and open the building January 2024.
    2. Before construction begins, secure an additional $34.9 million in funding for the STEAM complex, for a total of $75 million raised at project’s end.
    3. Ensure that all students in STEAM programs participate in at least one high-impact practice per year by 2025. These practices include:
      • Faculty-led undergrad research
      • STEAM-based learning communities
      • Community-based learning
      • Internships
      • Senior design clinic (ENGR students)
    4. Establish and track cross-disciplinary collaborations in STEAM fields that inspire creative problem solving. Once baseline is established, determine targets for increasing collaborations of faculty and number of students engaged with cross-disciplinary collaborations and learning experiences each year.
    5. Increase federal grant funding, especially in sciences, education, and engineering and for programs that help us serve underrepresented students. Make annual progress toward achieving funding levels comparable to top 20 national Catholic universities ($8 million - currently at $4.9 million).

    Progress Update, February 2024

    The St. Thomas 2025 Strategic Plan debuted in February 2021. We continually track and report on our progress; here are key developments from the past year, as of February 2024:

    On February 5, we officially opened the doors to the Schoenecker Center, thereby achieving a major milestone towards our goal of leading in STEAM Education. The Schoenecker Center features marquee learning spaces for STEM and arts education, including an engineering high bay, a 150-seat music performance hall, science laboratories, emerging media studios and an art gallery.

    Classes on the first day showcased the exciting connections among STEAM fields. Nursing students took their first chemistry lab. Physics and engineering majors began experimenting in Electromagnetic Fields. Science and communication majors sat side-by-side in the interdisciplinary course, "Science, Media and Social Impact."

    The five-level, 130,000-square-foot complex is poised to help St. Thomas become a national model for interdisciplinary learning and has received a significant amount of both earned and owned media.

    U.S. Representative Betty McCollum visited the Schoenecker Center in January to see how federal partnerships that improve sustainable energy sources and fill important workforce skills gaps are coming to life. McCollum, who served as the chair of the U.S. House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee from 2021-23 and is now the ranking member, is championing several St. Thomas initiatives and is helping to secure significant federal investments. Her support, along with our targeted efforts to increase our federal grant activity, have increased federal funding to St. Thomas significantly in the last four years. St. Thomas will have received a total of $36 million in Congressional appropriations once the current appropriations bill is signed into law. In addition, we have increased grant activity by about $2 million annually and are working to further that activity.

    Key Leaders

    • Eddy Rojas, Executive Vice President and Provost
    • Deans of College of Arts of Sciences, Engineering, Morrison Family College of Health
    • Mark Vangsgard, Vice President of Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer
    • Erik Thurman, Vice President of University Advancement

    Success Metrics

    Success Metrics

    1. Finish program planning and begin building for the STEAM complex, incorporating inclusive design in the process. Break ground Spring 2022 and open the building January 2024.
    2. Before construction begins, secure an additional $34.9 million in funding for the STEAM complex, for a total of $75 million raised at project’s end.
    3. Ensure that all students in STEAM programs participate in at least one high-impact practice per year by 2025. These practices include:
      • Faculty-led undergrad research
      • STEAM-based learning communities
      • Community-based learning
      • Internships
      • Senior design clinic (ENGR students)
    4. Establish and track cross-disciplinary collaborations in STEAM fields that inspire creative problem solving. Once baseline is established, determine targets for increasing collaborations of faculty and number of students engaged with cross-disciplinary collaborations and learning experiences each year.
    5. Increase federal grant funding, especially in sciences, education, and engineering and for programs that help us serve underrepresented students. Make annual progress toward achieving funding levels comparable to top 20 national Catholic universities ($8 million - currently at $4.9 million).

    Progress Update

    Progress Update, February 2024

    The St. Thomas 2025 Strategic Plan debuted in February 2021. We continually track and report on our progress; here are key developments from the past year, as of February 2024:

    On February 5, we officially opened the doors to the Schoenecker Center, thereby achieving a major milestone towards our goal of leading in STEAM Education. The Schoenecker Center features marquee learning spaces for STEM and arts education, including an engineering high bay, a 150-seat music performance hall, science laboratories, emerging media studios and an art gallery.

    Classes on the first day showcased the exciting connections among STEAM fields. Nursing students took their first chemistry lab. Physics and engineering majors began experimenting in Electromagnetic Fields. Science and communication majors sat side-by-side in the interdisciplinary course, "Science, Media and Social Impact."

    The five-level, 130,000-square-foot complex is poised to help St. Thomas become a national model for interdisciplinary learning and has received a significant amount of both earned and owned media.

    U.S. Representative Betty McCollum visited the Schoenecker Center in January to see how federal partnerships that improve sustainable energy sources and fill important workforce skills gaps are coming to life. McCollum, who served as the chair of the U.S. House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee from 2021-23 and is now the ranking member, is championing several St. Thomas initiatives and is helping to secure significant federal investments. Her support, along with our targeted efforts to increase our federal grant activity, have increased federal funding to St. Thomas significantly in the last four years. St. Thomas will have received a total of $36 million in Congressional appropriations once the current appropriations bill is signed into law. In addition, we have increased grant activity by about $2 million annually and are working to further that activity.

    Key Leaders

    Key Leaders

    • Eddy Rojas, Executive Vice President and Provost
    • Deans of College of Arts of Sciences, Engineering, Morrison Family College of Health
    • Mark Vangsgard, Vice President of Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer
    • Erik Thurman, Vice President of University Advancement

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