A presidential reflection: Building the future together in 2026

Now in our 114th year, The College of St. Scholastica remains an integral part of the Twin Ports community. We uphold our foundational Catholic Benedictine values, heritage, and commitment to educating and shaping the professionals and leaders necessary to build a strong and prosperous future for all we serve. We cherish our deep roots in the region and are excited to see them grow. 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. I would like to share a few of our initiatives that we are especially inspired by as we look ahead to 2026.

As members of the Twin Ports community, we continue to advance the region’s economic health and prosperity. While this impact can be challenging to measure, the College completed an economic impact study this year to better understand the real value St. Scholastica contributes to the local and regional economy. The results revealed a direct and indirect impact of over $227 million, of which we are extremely proud.

In May 2025, St. Scholastica’s Board of Trustees approved our Strategic Plan 2030: Innovating Today for a Dynamic Tomorrow. The plan includes four major pillars of focus: institutional sustainability, student success, academic programming and lifelong learning, and our Catholic Benedictine legacy. One new addition to our offerings is the Center for Professional Training and Lifelong Learning. Launched in January 2025, the center offers professionals opportunities to advance their careers through short courses, certificates, and programming in key areas, including artificial intelligence, healthcare, and more.

Last spring, we graduated over 1,100 students, many of whom serve at regional health partners, including Essentia Health, Aspirus St. Luke’s, and partners in greater Minnesota, to ensure a robust healthcare workforce. To increase our capacity to train these professionals, plans are underway for a 2027 renovation of the Duluth main campus Science Center to establish a state-of-the-art Advanced Practice Suite, which will deliver integrated educational opportunities and training for our physician assistant and nursing programs.

We are proud to offer a foundational liberal arts education, providing rich experiences in humanities, arts and sciences, research, and fine arts that shape our talented students and provide lifelong skills for success. Students participate in significant undergraduate research programs, such as the Innovation Scholars Program. In this vein of innovation, we have embraced a simple yet effective tagline to describe our effort: Building the Future. This focus ensures the continued development of a strong pathway to success for our students and the communities we serve.

One final initiative includes our current national search for the College’s next president. This past summer, I announced my retirement from St. Scholastica. After seven years of service at St. Scholastica and over 35 years in education, I will step down on July 3, 2026. While it may be a bittersweet change, I trust and firmly believe that the work our community has done together this season is setting the course for a smooth transition and a successful future, not only for our Saints community, but for the Twin Ports and greater Minnesota. I am excited to see how we continue to build the future together in 2026 and beyond for the people who call this incredible region home.