Farewell reception for Mark Ahrens will be held Oct. 5
From Dr. Gene Scapanski
Vice President for Mission
You are invited to attend a farewell reception for Mark Ahrens, director of outreach programs and the National Youth Sports Program at St. Thomas since 1991. The reception will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, in the Office for Mission, Room 104, Aquinas Hall.
Ahrens has accepted a tenure-track position to teach mathematics at Normandale Community College as of this September. He also will continue to teach as an adjunct in the College of Business at St. Thomas.
Ahrens has directed or supervised a number of outreach programs during his time at St. Thomas, including "Believe and Achieve," a pre-college preparation program for inner city youth; the "Bridge for Success," a program to prepare people for higher education; and the NYSP program, recently featured in the St. Thomas Magazine (fall 2006).
Through his leadership, the NYSP program has earned several national awards and has become a model for other programs around the country. The St. Thomas program has served an average of 350 mainly low-income youth, ages 10-17, from the Twin Cities metropolitan area each year in a five-week summer mix of academic and athletic coaching.
Please join me in thanking Mark for his years of leadership and service at St. Thomas.
