New Year’s Day reflection from President McDonald

Now in its 113th year, The College of St. Scholastica remains an integral part of the Twin Ports as we continue to advance our region’s economic health and prosperity. We embrace our foundational Catholic Benedictine values, heritage and commitment to educate and shape the professionals and leaders needed to build a strong and prosperous future for all we serve. We cherish our community roots and are excited to see them grow.

This year, we will launch St. Scholastica’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan as our guide for building that vibrant future. We are thrilled to add doctoral degrees in Medical Science and Occupational Therapy and a new certificate in Artificial Intelligence this coming fall. The new Center for Professional Training and Lifelong Learning, launching in the spring of 2025, will support working professionals through short courses, certificates and programming in key areas such as data analytics, equity and inclusion, education and more.

To address the critical healthcare shortages in the state, we work closely with our regional health partners such as Essentia Health, Aspirus St. Luke’s and many additional partners in greater Minnesota to ensure a robust healthcare workforce. Last year, St. Scholastica graduated 288 nursing students, with the majority staying local. We are thankful for the clinical, fieldwork and internship opportunities our partners provide so that students can gain mastery in their chosen fields.

We continue to focus on offering a foundational liberal arts education, providing rich experiences in humanities, arts and sciences, research and fine arts that shape our talented students and provide life-long skills for success. It is a joy to share that hard work and talent with the broader community, like the 1,200 attendees who enjoyed our students’ musical talent at the O Holy Night performances in early December!

This fall we opened our new Student Center, a state-of-the-art building that has become a central place of student belonging and engagement. In this space, we installed a permanent photo collection gifted from the Dick Bancroft family that chronicles moments of the American Indian Movement. This exhibit honors our Native students, the Anishinaabe community and the impact of this pivotal period of history in Minnesota and beyond.

Given the immense challenges we face in communities near and far, we are inspired to continue our work with learning, hope, joy and the knowledge that over 33,000 of our alumni are truly changing the world in positive ways.