The Scroll

I don’t know how the other five Catholic universities that hosted the Opus Prize Foundation awards did, but I can’t imagine that any one pulled it off with more spirit, sensitivity and sentiment than the University of St. Thomas Wednesday evening.

St. Thomas hosted the 6th annual awards ceremony to honor the work of three social entrepreneurs around the world – unsung heroes who are working to solve society’s most vexing and persistent problems. The winner, Aicha Ech Channa of Morocco, received $1 million and the other two, Sister Valeriana Garcia-Martin of Columbia and Father Hans Stapel of Brazil, each received $100,000.

The crowd at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis was large and enthusiastic; people got to their feet for a half-dozen standing ovations.

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Posted by Dave Nimmer at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I was in Bogotá, Colombia, for the Opus Prize due diligence visit last May, members of our group would often express our fascination with the ambient, saintly presence of Sister Valeriana García-Martín. As she graciously led us through her facilities, we simply lost count of all the times her loving character and powerful aura left us stunned.

In short, she is an extremely remarkable woman, and I will be absolutely honored to see her again at the Opus Prize event on Wednesday evening. I also look forward to meeting the other two finalists for the $1 million Opus Prize: Aïcha Ech Channa of Casablanca, Morocco, and Father Hans Stapel of Guaratinguetá, Brazil.

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Posted by Brady Narloch at 08:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Every now and then I get an email message, a note or a phone call from a stranger about a good deed or thoughtful act done by someone at St. Thomas, and I think to myself, “That’s one of the reasons I love working at this university.”

The latest example came out of the blue last week from Jean Stack of St. Cloud, who, with her children, had a chance encounter on Oct. 17 with four St. Thomas students at the China Star Buffet in St. Cloud. She didn’t know who they were, but believed they had been at the St. Thomas-St. John’s football game that afternoon in nearby Collegeville. They were wearing St. Thomas t-shirts.

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Posted by Fr. Dennis Dease at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

In less than two weeks, St. Thomas will play host to a very big deal: the Opus Prize Foundation and the awarding of $1.2 million to three social entrepreneurs from Brazil, Colombia and Morocco. The winner will get $1 million in a ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 4, at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

Other schools that have hosted the foundation include Marquette, the University of San Francisco, Notre Dame and Catholic University. So it’s an honor for St. Thomas to be chosen by Opus as a partner in recognizing unsung heroes who deal with society’s most persistent social problems.

What I don’t want you to forget is a campus organization that also is dealing with a persistent social problem: the lack of people of color working in newsrooms, public relations and ad agencies across the country. Trying to raise those numbers is the goal of ThreeSixty, the fledgling non-profit that’s been at St. Thomas since 2001. Its annual fundraiser comes two days after the Opus event – Friday evening, Nov. 6, in Binz Refectory.

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Posted by Dave Nimmer at 08:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It took only one step inside the lobby doors of OEC and I could literally sense the goodness. Was it the seven-dozen cookies, 10-dozen donuts, countless slices of banana bread or puffy muffins neatly lined up on large tables welcoming Tommie Days visitors? Was it the delightful bouquets of purple flowers on the tables, a sunny sight on a dark and rainy fall morning? Was it the warm aroma of fresh coffee and juice greeting the gaggle of guests?

“Tommie Days” unfolded right outside my office on the first floor of OEC last Thursday and Friday. The sounds of our helpful Admissions counselors answering similar if not identical questions over and over again, each time with an authentic smile in their voice, filled the halls. As I eavesdropped in between meeting current students and – I’ll admit – snacking on a cookie or two, I experienced a real source of sweetness on our campus. Yes, define the term “sweet” however you will: “awesome,” “delightful,” “pleasing to the senses” or “gratifying.” I think the work of our Admissions staff is all that, and more.

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Posted by Carol Bruess at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)