St. Thomas will be a leader among peers in closing the affordability gap for students with financial need. Through robust scholarships and need-based aid, we will remove financial barriers to attending and succeeding at St. Thomas. This includes adjusting our financial aid model to meet more need, providing more donor-funded hardship scholarships for incoming and current students, and developing creative tuition and aid models that respond to increasing financial needs of students.
We also will address other financial barriers to holistic experiences such as study abroad, research and internship opportunities that otherwise might be unaffordable.
| 2025 Strategic Plan | Build Belonging and Promote Equity | Ensure Access, Achievement, and Outcomes for All | Lean In to Our Catholic Mission | Widen the Circle of Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close Financial Gaps for Students | Priority | Priority | Priority | Priority |
See how the Themes and Priorities of the 2025 Strategic Plan interweave.
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:
We have a renewed focus on the importance of retention. Our goals are to: (1) improve the overall first to second year (fall-to-fall) overall retention rate from 87 percent to 90 percent by 2025; and (2) continually work to reduce the gap in retention rates for students of color, first-generation, out-of-state, low-income and commuter students through targeted intervention and by ensuring the participation of all students in high-impact retention practices.
We experienced a nearly 1 percentage point increase in overall fall-fall retention rates for the Fall 2022 cohort compared to the Fall 2021 cohort. Given the cohort's size, this resulted in nearly 150 more students being retained than the previous one. (Fall 2021 Cohort Fall-Fall Retention: 85.6%; Fall 2022 Cohort Fall-Fall Retention: 86.4%)
As we continue to work to identify ways to better support our St. Thomas students, it is critical that we understand who our students are. St. Thomas is currently completing its final year of the Student Success Academy through the Higher Learning Commission in which we have spent three years engaging in institutional inventories to understand our students and where our areas of opportunity are in terms of improving support. Our data inventory has revealed the upward trend of enrollment of first-generation, BIPOC and low-income students and the retention and graduation gaps that exist.
In January of 2023, a mapping exercise was conducted to determine the number of first-gen students served by existing programs, initiatives and resources. Efforts were implemented to increase the number of first-gen students served through our existing programs. In fall of 2023, 72% of our first-gen students were served with an existing program or high impact practice. This has resulted in a nearly 40 percentage point increase of intentionally supported first-gen students for the Fall 2023 cohort compared to the Fall 2022 cohort.
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:
We have a renewed focus on the importance of retention. Our goals are to: (1) improve the overall first to second year (fall-to-fall) overall retention rate from 87 percent to 90 percent by 2025; and (2) continually work to reduce the gap in retention rates for students of color, first-generation, out-of-state, low-income and commuter students through targeted intervention and by ensuring the participation of all students in high-impact retention practices.
We experienced a nearly 1 percentage point increase in overall fall-fall retention rates for the Fall 2022 cohort compared to the Fall 2021 cohort. Given the cohort's size, this resulted in nearly 150 more students being retained than the previous one. (Fall 2021 Cohort Fall-Fall Retention: 85.6%; Fall 2022 Cohort Fall-Fall Retention: 86.4%)
As we continue to work to identify ways to better support our St. Thomas students, it is critical that we understand who our students are. St. Thomas is currently completing its final year of the Student Success Academy through the Higher Learning Commission in which we have spent three years engaging in institutional inventories to understand our students and where our areas of opportunity are in terms of improving support. Our data inventory has revealed the upward trend of enrollment of first-generation, BIPOC and low-income students and the retention and graduation gaps that exist.
In January of 2023, a mapping exercise was conducted to determine the number of first-gen students served by existing programs, initiatives and resources. Efforts were implemented to increase the number of first-gen students served through our existing programs. In fall of 2023, 72% of our first-gen students were served with an existing program or high impact practice. This has resulted in a nearly 40 percentage point increase of intentionally supported first-gen students for the Fall 2023 cohort compared to the Fall 2022 cohort.
Tommie Give Day on Nov. 12 was historic in multiple ways. It was the 10th anniversary of the university’s day of giving, and support from 3,167 donors across the nation raised $3,985,555, a new record that crushed last year’s record of $3.3 million. Alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends united to support scholarships and… The post 10th Annual Tommie Give Day 2024 Crushes Previous Records appeared first on Newsroom | ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ.
As the sixth of seven children, Nancy Lewer ’10 was unsure if ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ would be a part of her future. “I remember when I received the scholarship letter from St. Thomas. I told my mom, and she couldn’t believe it. She thought for sure we were going to have to come up with a different… The post Paying It Forward: How Scholarships Transform Tommie Lives appeared first on Newsroom | ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ.
A cheerleader and high school valedictorian walk into a bar. It sounds like the start of a joke, but it’s a description of acclaimed venture capitalist Ann Winblad ’75. It’s part of a story she told a crowd at a TED Talk decades ago when TED was just getting started. “The title of my talk… The post Ann Winblad ’75: A ‘Superstar’ Risk-Taker and Ultimate Cheerleader appeared first on Newsroom | ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ.
When you see purple-frosted doughnuts on campus and the John Ireland statue decked out in Tommie-branded socks and T-shirt, you know one day is near: Tommie Give Day. The annual day of giving at the ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ is about Tommies supporting Tommies. It’s about giving from the heart to support students who are… The post Tommie Give Day: Celebrating a Decade of Generosity appeared first on Newsroom | ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ.
On Sept. 19, the ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ announced the largest-ever scholarship gift in the history of Minnesota. Numerous media outlets covered the news. From the Pioneer Press: The St. Paul-based Catholic university says a gift from the Schoeneckers Foundation will fund scholarships for 250 undergraduate students every year based on need. They expect the… The post In the News: ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ Receives Minnesota’s Largest-Ever Monetary Gift for Scholarships appeared first on Newsroom | ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ.