commentary
Commentary
The Weigh-In: Beyond Grief at Sandy Hook
17 Dec 2012 by Bruce Kramer, Ph.D. / 4 Comments
After the killing of so many children and their teachers, our human journey is at a crossroads where our intentions – beautiful and transcendent, compassionate and caring, loving and forgiving, intelligent and thoughtful – continue to retreat in confusion and horror from the enormous evil we can and will inflict upon one another. For Bruce Kramer, Sandy Hook is personal.
The Scroll: O, The Weather Outside is Frightful!
12 Dec 2012 by Lisa Weier / No Comments
Nothing busts up a negative attitude like a little snow. Or, this week, a lot of snow! So says Lisa Weier today in The Scroll, and she offers 10 reasons why she – and perhaps you – should appreciate all that snow.
Depth of Field: O Christmas Tree
10 Dec 2012 by Mike Ekern '02 / 4 Comments
I’m going to make this simple, folks. When someone tells you they’re constructing a 34-foot Christmas tree over three to five days, you shoot a time lapse of it. Read on to find out how we did it.
Defending the First Amendment Right of Diverse Religious Groups
09 Dec 2012 by Thomas Berg / No Comments
Religious liberty, my chief research interest, often has been a subject of controversy, but never more so than in recent months.
Alumni Reflections: The Catholic Studies Leadership Intern Program
08 Dec 2012 by St. Thomas Newsroom / No Comments
Directed by Father Michael Keating, the Leadership Intern program seeks to equip and train future Catholic leaders through seminars, hands-on leadership experience, interaction with civic and Church leaders, and intensive formation using a unique methodology that integrates academics, practical experience and philosophy.
Through the Eyes of Logan Crotty: The Leadership Interns’ Spring Institute
08 Dec 2012 by Logan Crotty / No Comments
The sun is shining brightly as I peer through the windows of Sitzmann Hall, still wiping the sleep from my eyes. As I take slow sips of a much-needed cup of joe, I begin to ponder the mysteries of the week to come. Charity, our year’s theme, is essential to the mission of Christ in the City, the program we will be participating in during this institute.
The Scroll: Happy Birthday, Title IX!
07 Dec 2012 by Susan Alexander / No Comments
In this 40th year of Title IX, the federal regulation that mandates equity for women in collegiate sports programs, Susan Alexander salutes the St. Thomas team that won the national volleyball championship last month. She writes today in The Scroll that she couldn’t be prouder of our women student-athletes and how they balance sports and academics.
The Weigh-In: Tommies and Johnnies – Artistic Associates
05 Dec 2012 by Victoria Young, Ph.D. / 1 Comment
We all know about the competitiveness we have with Saint John’s in sports. What you might not think about when you hear UST and SJU in the same sentence however, are the ties that bind us together. Both schools are anchored in the Catholic intellectual tradition and have a shared belief in the importance of the arts in a humanities-based education.
Christopher Toner Asks, ‘Why?’
28 Nov 2012 by Christopher Toner / 1 Comment
Philosophy is the pursuit of wisdom, asking “why” in a serial and dogged fashion. Growing up in a household at once Catholic and academic I think I was groomed to ask “why” in such a way.
The Scroll: Cornbread and Calculus
27 Nov 2012 by Carol Bruess / 2 Comments
A student wondered what it would be like to be a kid at Carol Bruess’ dinner table, so the communication and journalism professor teamed up with her paired-course partner, Jeff McLean of the Mathematics Department, and invited the class over. Bruess tells you what happened – and what they ate – today in The Scroll.
The Weigh-In: A Tale of Two Cities (Celebrating Christmas)
27 Nov 2012 by Dave Brennan, Ph.D. / No Comments
Holiday and retail traditions once differed greatly in London and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Those differences are now less pronounced.
From the Dean: New Hires Essential to Continuing the College’s Mission
24 Nov 2012 by Terence Langan / No Comments
One of my favorite activities as dean is greeting new faculty as they join the University of St. Thomas and the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Scroll: “I Give You Thanks, For All You’ve Done”
16 Nov 2012 by Dave Nimmer / 1 Comment
Dave Nimmer says he is not a “big fan” of holidays, but he likes Thanksgiving because it gives him the opportunity to reflect on blessings in life and to thank people for the difference they have made. He offers some special thanks today in The Scroll.
The Scroll: Christmas in the North (Campus)
14 Nov 2012 by Susan Alexander / No Comments
Susan Alexander is beginning to think a lot about Christmas, now that lights and other seasonal decorations are making their appearances. Her advice today in The Scroll is for you to follow her lead and string your own lights before too much snow flies.
Harvard and Stanford: Thank You for the Credibility
13 Nov 2012 by Christopher Puto, Ph.D., dean of the Opus College of Business / No Comments
MBA programs have come under fire from many directions in recent times. Depending on the source, MBA students are alleged to be overly analytical “lone wolves” who do not work well in teams, lacking in the so-called soft skills that build interpersonal relationships, and willing to compromise on shady ethical principles to sustain profits and market dominance.
The Scroll: Ten Things I ‘Hate’ About St. Thomas
07 Nov 2012 by Susan Alexander / No Comments
Susan Alexander says one complaint she hears about The Scroll is that “it is too upbeat and pleased with everything purple.” In an effort to provide a little balance, she came up with a list of 10 things she doesn’t care for at St. Thomas. You can read them today in The Scroll.
The Scroll: Being Present
05 Nov 2012 by Lisa Weier / 1 Comment
A sentimental Lisa Weier is discovering the increasing importance of the need to be present to people here and now. She explains why today in The Scroll.
The Weigh-In: On Being Open-Minded
31 Oct 2012 by Steve Laumakis, Ph.D. / 8 Comments
Another election cycle is coming to end. After being in inundated with lawn signs, bumper stickers and advertising, is there any evidence that we truly can be open-minded about the choices we make?
The Scroll: A Man’s Work Becomes ‘Stuff of the Soul’
30 Oct 2012 by Dave Nimmer / 3 Comments
Will Wallace attended St. Thomas more than a decade ago and never completed his degree, but Dave Nimmer couldn’t be prouder of the former gang member. Wallace took what he learned in his two years at St. Thomas, turned his life around and became “a mentor, father figure and spiritual confessor” to troubled young men, Nimmer writes today in The Scroll.
The Scroll: Talk About the Llama
26 Oct 2012 by Jordan Zahrte / No Comments
Jordan Zahrte likes to hear all “the chatter” around campus about politics these days. She wants to hear more, she writes today in The Scroll, and she hopes that students will continue to engage in rich conversations and walk away knowing more about other perspectives as well as their own.
Depth of Field: A Gainey Gasp of Summer
25 Oct 2012 by Mike Ekern '02 / No Comments
As the weather turns cold and the skies darken, it’s worth giving summer one last look. Fortunately Depth of Field has just the thing – photos from the Daniel C. Gainey Conference Center in Owatonna.
The Scroll: First Homecoming as an Alumna
23 Oct 2012 by Krissy Schoenfelder '09 / 1 Comment
Krissy Schoenfelder, a 2009 alumna and Young Alumni communications chair, put on her reporter’s hat and interviewed a classmate back for her first Homecoming since graduation. You can read their Q-and-A in The Scroll.
The Politics of Purple: School of Law Faculty Debate, Dialogue and Model How to Disagree
23 Oct 2012 by Hank Long / 1 Comment
One year ago, law professors Mark Osler and Teresa Collett wrote corresponding opinion pieces on Minnesota’s marriage amendment, which were published in the Minneapolis-based “Star Tribune.” In this election year they have continued to discuss the topic with each other quite regularly in a “purple” sort of way.
The Weigh-In: The Good Wife?
22 Oct 2012 by John Martens, Ph.D. / 1 Comment
There are many questions surrounding a recently discovered fragment that suggests Jesus may have been married.
Thank You, for Opening Doors
16 Oct 2012 by Father Dennis Dease / No Comments
Five years ago, as St. Thomas announced its Opening Doors campaign, I reflected in a column about how my dad became the first person in his family to attend college. He had the misfortune of enrolling at St. Thomas in 1929, the first year of the Great Depression, and he could scrape together enough funds to stay for only two years.