Jayna L. Ditty
Associate Dean Jayna Ditty manages faculty affairs, enrollment management, course scheduling and registration.
A look at our leaders and philosophy
Leadership and Vision
Educating the Whole Person
Believing in the fundamental compatibility of faith and reason, the Leadership Team for the College of Arts and Sciences is committed to educating the whole person, giving life to our liberal arts mission through the Core Curriculum and programs in the Arts, Humanities, and Social and Natural Sciences.
Fostering the pursuit of truth and knowledge within and across disciplines, we emphasize critical thinking, artistic expression, communication skills, and the value of life-long learning.
Signature Programs that emerged from this vision include:
- Empower Program which builds on Study Abroad
- Ready to Run
- Community Partnerships
- Teach-in Tuesdays
- A focus on research within all disciplines
Get to know the Dean
Dr. William “Bill” Tolman is the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas. A widely respected chemistry researcher and scholar with a passion for interdisciplinary education, Tolman spent just under three decades at the University of Minnesota’s chemistry department and was most recently Vice Dean of Research and Entrepreneurship in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.
Tolman holds a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University, and a doctorate in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Among many other honors, he is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Chemical Society and has published more than 235 peer-reviewed articles that have been cited more than 25,000 times. He served as editor-in-chief of Inorganic Chemistry from 2012-2022.
Associate Deans for the College of Arts and Sciences
Jayna Ditty
Kimberly Vrudny
Associate Dean Kim Vrudny's duties include oversight of DEI, graduate programs, curriculum, assessment and program review.
Kristine Wammer
As Associate Dean, Kris Wammer oversees college budgets, research, external grants and study abroad programs.
Tommie leaders in action
Student Ambassadors
The College of Arts and Sciences Student Ambassadors are student leaders, serving as a bridge between students and administration in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Board of Advisors
The Board of Advisors for the College of Arts and Sciences is a group of leaders in the Twin Cities and beyond guiding the initiatives and vision of the college in partnership with the Dean. The board of advisors is comprised of:
Lisa Anderson
Ann Folkman
Chris Heim
Peter Leyden
Brian McEnaney
Reuben Moore
Jim Nikolai
Harold Slawik
Sharon Stein
Kelley Thomes Ries
Pahoua Yang Hoffman