University of St. Thomas Magazine COVID-19 Special Edition

editor's note

Community and Resilience During COVID-19

Archbishop John Ireland, founder of St. Thomas, was known for his energy, optimism and warmth. He didn't back down from the many challenging problems he faced. Which is why he is the perfect image for the cover of this issue. Today we’re facing a new challenge: a global pandemic that has changed the way the world operates. At St. Thomas, resident students moved off campus, classes migrated to online and the campus emptied of all but essential employees and a few students. St. Thomas is a community that was split apart physically but not spiritually. To reflect on this historic time, we decided to forgo our originally-planned spring issue of the St. Thomas magazine and produce a special edition that focuses on the pandemic and how it has influenced our students, faculty, staff and alumni.

We want to celebrate how people rallied, how they stepped up, how they reached out, how they continued to support one another.

In the last several months, our lives have been changed significantly. As our magazine was going to press, events were unfolding related to the killing of George Floyd by four Minneapolis police officers. Protests about racial injustices occurred in the Twin Cities, across Minnesota and around the world. These are both rapidly evolving situations, and we don’t know what the future holds, but the St. Thomas mission will continue to guide the university’s response to fight against racism and protect the community during the pandemic. And, as followers in Archbishop Ireland’s legacy, we will work to make “the present better than the past and the future to be better than the present.” Here’s our university’s story.

Patty Petersen Editor

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