As the St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ came together on May 8 to dedicate the Schoenecker Center, the university’s new home for STEAM education, faculty, staff and students made it clear: Bold, interdisciplinary learning is already alive and thriving within its walls. University leaders, the Board of Trustees and the building’s many benefactors attended the Schoenecker Center’s… The post Schoenecker Center Ushers in New Era of STEAM Education appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½.
Lead in STEAM Education
St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ will provide exceptional and interdisciplinary Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) programming. With consultation from employers, we will co-create relevant cross-disciplinary curricula that inspire creative problem solving among our students and enable collaboration.Â
As we grow these opportunities, we will intentionally beckon diverse students and faculty toward our inclusive programs and spaces. The new STEAM Complex on south campus will provide world-class space to accommodate intentional enrollment and diversity growth in engineering, health and digital media fields, in close collaboration with arts and sciences programs.
The exemplary offerings, along with the physical complex, will attract top students and faculty from around the country and globe who seek premier STEAM experiences and degrees.
Related Themes
2025 Strategic Plan | Ever Press Forward through Innovation | Build Belonging and Promote Equity | Widen the Circle of Impact |
---|---|---|---|
Lead in STEAM* Education | Priority | Priority | Priority |
See how the Themes and Priorities of the 2025 Strategic Plan interweave.
Measuring Progress
Success Metrics
- Finish program planning and begin building for the STEAM complex, incorporating inclusive design in the process. Break ground Spring 2022 and open the building January 2024.
- Before construction begins, secure an additional $34.9 million in funding for the STEAM complex, for a total of $75 million raised at project’s end.
- Ensure that all students in STEAM programs participate in at least one high-impact practice per year by 2025. These practices include:
- Faculty-led undergrad research
- STEAM-based learning communities
- Community-based learning
- Internships
- Senior design clinic (ENGR students)
- Establish and track cross-disciplinary collaborations in STEAM fields that inspire creative problem solving. Once baseline is established, determine targets for increasing collaborations of faculty and number of students engaged with cross-disciplinary collaborations and learning experiences each year.
- Increase federal grant funding, especially in sciences, education, and engineering and for programs that help us serve underrepresented students. Make annual progress toward achieving funding levels comparable to top 20 national Catholic universities ($8 million - currently at $4.9 million).
Progress Update, February 2024
The St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ 2025 Strategic Plan debuted in February 2021. We continually track and report on our progress; here are key developments from the past year, as of February 2024:
On February 5, we officially opened the doors to the Schoenecker Center, thereby achieving a major milestone towards our goal of leading in STEAM Education. The Schoenecker Center features marquee learning spaces for STEM and arts education, including an engineering high bay, a 150-seat music performance hall, science laboratories, emerging media studios and an art gallery.
Classes on the first day showcased the exciting connections among STEAM fields. Nursing students took their first chemistry lab. Physics and engineering majors began experimenting in Electromagnetic Fields. Science and communication majors sat side-by-side in the interdisciplinary course, "Science, Media and Social Impact."
The five-level, 130,000-square-foot complex is poised to help St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ become a national model for interdisciplinary learning and has received a significant amount of both earned and owned media.
U.S. Representative Betty McCollum visited the Schoenecker Center in January to see how federal partnerships that improve sustainable energy sources and fill important workforce skills gaps are coming to life. McCollum, who served as the chair of the U.S. House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee from 2021-23 and is now the ranking member, is championing several St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ initiatives and is helping to secure significant federal investments. Her support, along with our targeted efforts to increase our federal grant activity, have increased federal funding to St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ significantly in the last four years. St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ will have received a total of $36 million in Congressional appropriations once the current appropriations bill is signed into law. In addition, we have increased grant activity by about $2 million annually and are working to further that activity.
Key Leaders
- Eddy Rojas, Executive Vice President and Provost
- Deans of College of Arts of Sciences, Engineering, Morrison Family College of Health
- Mark Vangsgard, Vice President of Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer
- Erik Thurman, Vice President of University Advancement
Success Metrics
Success Metrics
- Finish program planning and begin building for the STEAM complex, incorporating inclusive design in the process. Break ground Spring 2022 and open the building January 2024.
- Before construction begins, secure an additional $34.9 million in funding for the STEAM complex, for a total of $75 million raised at project’s end.
- Ensure that all students in STEAM programs participate in at least one high-impact practice per year by 2025. These practices include:
- Faculty-led undergrad research
- STEAM-based learning communities
- Community-based learning
- Internships
- Senior design clinic (ENGR students)
- Establish and track cross-disciplinary collaborations in STEAM fields that inspire creative problem solving. Once baseline is established, determine targets for increasing collaborations of faculty and number of students engaged with cross-disciplinary collaborations and learning experiences each year.
- Increase federal grant funding, especially in sciences, education, and engineering and for programs that help us serve underrepresented students. Make annual progress toward achieving funding levels comparable to top 20 national Catholic universities ($8 million - currently at $4.9 million).
Progress Update
Progress Update, February 2024
The St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ 2025 Strategic Plan debuted in February 2021. We continually track and report on our progress; here are key developments from the past year, as of February 2024:
On February 5, we officially opened the doors to the Schoenecker Center, thereby achieving a major milestone towards our goal of leading in STEAM Education. The Schoenecker Center features marquee learning spaces for STEM and arts education, including an engineering high bay, a 150-seat music performance hall, science laboratories, emerging media studios and an art gallery.
Classes on the first day showcased the exciting connections among STEAM fields. Nursing students took their first chemistry lab. Physics and engineering majors began experimenting in Electromagnetic Fields. Science and communication majors sat side-by-side in the interdisciplinary course, "Science, Media and Social Impact."
The five-level, 130,000-square-foot complex is poised to help St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ become a national model for interdisciplinary learning and has received a significant amount of both earned and owned media.
U.S. Representative Betty McCollum visited the Schoenecker Center in January to see how federal partnerships that improve sustainable energy sources and fill important workforce skills gaps are coming to life. McCollum, who served as the chair of the U.S. House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee from 2021-23 and is now the ranking member, is championing several St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ initiatives and is helping to secure significant federal investments. Her support, along with our targeted efforts to increase our federal grant activity, have increased federal funding to St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ significantly in the last four years. St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ will have received a total of $36 million in Congressional appropriations once the current appropriations bill is signed into law. In addition, we have increased grant activity by about $2 million annually and are working to further that activity.
Key Leaders
Key Leaders
- Eddy Rojas, Executive Vice President and Provost
- Deans of College of Arts of Sciences, Engineering, Morrison Family College of Health
- Mark Vangsgard, Vice President of Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer
- Erik Thurman, Vice President of University Advancement
Related Stories from the Newsroom
-
May 7, 2024
Biology major Shaylee Beckfield ’25 believes bacteria can get a bad reputation. This spring she’s helping correct any misconceptions – one colorful petri dish at a time. As part of a series of Agar Art workshops inside the brand-new Schoenecker Center at the University of St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ in Minnesota, Beckfield has passed out dozens and… The post Art History and Microbiology Collaborate in New Project appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½.
-
May 6, 2024
Jote Taddese, vice president of software engineering at Optum, has been named the chair of the University of St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ School of Engineering’s Software Engineering and Data Science Department’s Strategic Advisory Board. The school thanks Mike Thyken, the outgoing Department of Software Engineering and Data Science Strategic Advisory Board chair, for his 17 years of… The post School of Engineering’s Software Engineering and Data Science Department Welcomes Jote Taddese as Strategic Advisory Board Chair appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½.
-
April 30, 2024
Xcel Energy President (MN, ND, SD) Ryan Long discussed energy challenges and innovation at the University of St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Finding Forward event on April 10. The electricity used in every home and business is the same. But how that electricity is generated has stirred impassioned divisions for generations. Nuclear power, fossil fuels and renewable energy… The post The Balance of Power: Future-Proofing the Electric Grid While Seeking Carbon Cuts appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½.
-
April 30, 2024
The rapidly emerging field of artificial intelligence is accessible to a wide variety of individuals thanks to a new Master of Science degree offered by the University of St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ School of Engineering. The Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence, developed in consultation with Twin Cities software and tech leaders, will equip students with a… The post University of St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Answers Industry Desire for Innovation appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½.