Fifty years of growth These buildings are just the latest additions to St. Thomas since its founding by Archbishop John Ireland in 1885. Looking solely at the past 50 years of physical growth, the campus has undergone a dramatic transformation starting with the construction of the O'Shaughnessy Educational Center in 1970. With 27 new buildings and 38 property acquisitions over half a century, St. Thomas shows no signs of slowing down. The university has passed the halfway point in fundraising toward the construction of a state-of-the-art Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM)
of trustees, campus leaders and industry partners. Once fundraising goals are achieved, St. Thomas anticipates breaking ground on the new complex in spring 2022 with an opening target date of fall 2024. To ensure that a St. Thomas education is relevant for future workplaces, leaders from Target led a virtual co-design session to generate ideas for the complex last summer. “Our goal for this complex is to prepare our students for the jobs of today – and tomorrow – by providing experiences that employers value,” said President Julie Sullivan. “The best way to do that is by
A wide view of the St. Paul campus featuring the Tommie East Residence Hall, Murray-Herrick Campus Center, Murray Residence Hall, O’Shaughnessy Educational Center, O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library, John R. Roach Center for the Liberal Arts and the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex. Photo by Liam James Doyle.
breaking down silos, focusing on collaborative, interdisciplinary education and incorporating diverse viewpoints. In doing this, we’re aiming to attract top-talent students and faculty with a state- of-the-art learning facility and engage in improving diversity by supporting women and people of color in STEAM fields.”
complex planned for south campus. The new complex aims to increase collaboration between students from multiple disciplines across the university – everything from arts and sciences to engineering fields – to focus on human, digital and technical literacy. The university has hired a programming and design team (BWBR and RAMSA), a construction firm (McGough) and established a steering committee
It’s exciting to imagine what the next 50 years will bring. n
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