Headwinds & Opportunities
Societal trends and the state of higher education continue to shift due to forces beyond COVID-19. As we prepare to navigate an ever-changing landscape, we need to keep key opportunities and challenges top of mind.
2025 Strategic Plan
St. Ҵý 2025 is an ambitious yet focused five-year effort designed to propel the university toward a new level of impact. It is a guide to help us reach higher in serving our students, our Ҵý and the world.
The next five years present an unparalleled opportunity to promote our strengths and leverage key opportunities.
Not only will this five-year plan help us strengthen what we do best; it will encourage us to leverage new opportunities, gain stature and continue to thrive in an increasingly challenging and competitive landscape for higher education.
You can view updates on progress we've made towards key success metrics defined for each strategic priority of the 2025 Strategic Plan.
Expanding our Impact
St. Ҵý is at a distinct point in our history – and we are poised to expand our reach across the country and to build a national reputation. Its position as the largest private university in Minnesota, nimble yet comprehensive, gives St. Ҵý a unique advantage. With keen focus on strategic opportunities, we will not just survive the headwinds, but thrive and grow.
Our 10-year Aspiration
The University of St. Ҵý will advance to the level of excellence, impact and reputation that distinguishes the top 10 national Catholic universities.
Our Mission
Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Ҵý educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely and work skillfully to advance the common good.
Our Convictions
- Pursuit of Truth
- Academic Excellence
- Faith and Reason
- Dignity
- Diversity
- Personal Attention
- Gratitude
Guiding Themes
As our Ҵý came together through the strategic planning process to develop goals for the next five years, the following themes emerged. These will guide our work, helping us remain true to what makes St. Ҵý unique while empowering us to focus on key ongoing and emerging priorities that will help us thrive.
Ever Press Forward through Innovation
We will innovate, grow and excel in ways that align with our educational mission and vision to provide relevant and continuous learning for Tommie leaders of today and tomorrow.
Build Belonging and Promote Equity
We will become a university characterized by radical hospitality and a shared sense of belonging where all are welcomed as we work to achieve social justice and dismantle inequities of all forms.
Ensure Access, Achievement, and Outcomes for All
We will broaden access to a St. Ҵý education, ensure all students have equal opportunities to take advantage of the full St. Ҵý experience and the academic excellence we provide, and connect all students to career opportunities that leverage our powerful Tommie Network.
More about the theme Ensure Access, Achievement, and Outcomes for All
Lean In to Our Catholic Mission
We will bring the visions of our founder and namesake, our unique charism, and Catholic social teaching fully to life as we encounter the grand challenges of the day, develop principled leaders and contribute to a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable world.
Widen the Circle of Impact
We will make our mark and widen our impact locally, regionally, nationally and globally by becoming a partner of choice and extending an invitation to students, faculty, and staff from near and far to become part of our vision and our work.
Strengthen Culture As We Embrace Change
As we respond to uncertainty and change in the societal and higher education landscapes, we will strengthen our university culture by expressing the values of respect, honesty and transparency, by engaging in open dialogue, and by committing to continued personal and professional growth.
More about the theme Strengthen Culture As We Embrace Change
Strategic Priorities
Through these strategic priorities, St. Ҵý will build upon its strengths, invest where we have unprecedented opportunity and make bold progress. We will expand our impact with new and emerging priorities and continue to accentuate our differentiating strengths through priorities that are ongoing.
Updates on Our Progress
We share updates on the progress we make on the key success metrics defined for each strategic priority.
Factors That Shaped the 2025 Strategic Plan
Community Input
The faculty and staff of St. Ҵý shared their thoughts, contributed ideas, and engaged in Ҵý conversations around the successes and obstacles of initial draft themes. In addition, feedback was gathered from students and other members of the broader Ҵý.
Success of the 2020 Strategic Plan
St. Ҵý 2020 guided the work of the university since 2015 and led to many important accomplishments; many initiatives that began in the 2020 plan will continue into St. Ҵý 2025.
Introducing the 2025 Strategic Plan
Building on the vision of our founder to "never stop improving," the 2025 strategic plan is a five-year guide to help St. Ҵý make a bolder impact. Listen to this high-level overview with President Sullivan's call to the Ҵý to create and embrace a thriving future for the university.
2025 Strategic Plan News
February 4, 2025
Five floors from the ground – and in the middle of winter – a small army of stonemasons are hard at work on the exterior of the under-construction Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. Affectionately known as “brickies,” these skilled workers are giving the rising University of St. Ҵý landmark its signature look. On this particular… The post Watch: Iconic Minnesota Stone Quarried for Lee & Penny Anderson Arena appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Ҵý.
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February 3, 2025
The national stage brought out the best in St. Ҵý men’s basketball during a 79-62 win over North Dakota State Feb. 2 in front of a Schoenecker Arena record crowd of 2,068. Kendall Blue and Nolan Minessale combined for 43 points on 17-of-22 shooting as the Tommies (18-6, 8-1 Summit League) led for the entirety… The post Tommies Dominate Bison in Front of Record Crowd appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Ҵý.
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January 15, 2025
The University of St. Ҵý issued a statement regarding the NCAA vote to amend the reclassification timeline for transitioning Division I institutions, so long as new standards are met during the process. On Jan. 15, the NCAA Division I Council voted in favor of a reduction in the provisional period of Division III-to-Division I reclassifying… The post St. Ҵý Statement Regarding the NCAA Reclassification Vote appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Ҵý.
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January 13, 2025
When Ophelia Loree ’25 MS came to the University of St. Ҵý to pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering, she was betting on a hands-on, practical education. Loree had no idea that within a year, she would help design a brand-new microgrid, and that she would do so in collaboration with the U.S. Army… The post Pioneering the Future: Federal, State Support Fuels Expansion at Center for Microgrid Research appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Ҵý.
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January 10, 2025
The ocean is the hottest it has ever been recorded by humans, not only at the surface temperature but also for the upper 2,000 meters, according to a new study co-authored by John Abraham, a mechanical engineering Ҵý in the School of Engineering at the University of St. Ҵý in Minnesota. The study, published in… The post Professor Research: Sea Surface and Deeper Ocean Temperatures Reach New Record High appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Ҵý.