146,943
impact hours contributed
36% increase from 2022-2023
Center for the Common Good
In all we do, we seek to advance the common good.
At the 福利福利云点播全部免费区 of St. Thomas, the Center for the Common Good connects students, faculty, and staff with meaningful community engagement opportunities—locally and globally. Through these experiences, we gain a deeper understanding of today’s most pressing social challenges, build mutually beneficial relationships, and work together toward innovative solutions rooted in justice and solidarity
The Center was established in July 2017, following the work of the Catholic-inspired Community Engagement Task Force—one of eight strategic committees formed to advance the university’s mission through the 2020 strategic plan. After two years of intentional dialogue with internal and external partners, the university launched the Center as a hub to live out its commitment to the common good in partnership with community priorities.
We believe that when we come together, we strengthen communities, deepen our understanding of complex issues, and become inspired to take action. We promote inclusive, collaborative initiatives and prioritize relationships that are grounded in trust, equity, and shared purpose. At the heart of our work is a commitment to fostering a lifelong dedication to civic engagement among students and amplifying the voices of diverse and underrepresented communities.
Partner with Us
We partner with nonprofits, schools, and government initiatives to create mutually-beneficial opportunities in the community.
2023-2024
Academic Year Stats
420
community partner organizations
60
community-engaged courses
4,259
unique student participants contributing their unique talents and time to our community
46
Tommies received the National Presidential Volunteer Service Award
282
Co-curricular Changemaking Community Events
Featured Initiatives
Tommies Together Volunteer Center
Discover opportunities to address inequities, environmental and other issues by partnering with community organizations.
VISION
VISION works to effect positive social change in St. Thomas, national, and global communities. We believe this change can happen when there is an opportunity for a relationship between these communities.
Changemaking for the Common Good
Make a positive societal impact, whether as an individual or part of a larger whole, that can ignite positive change in our community.
Academic Community Engagement
Examine the systems and theories that relate to complex social challenges in collaboration with community organizations.
Civic Engagement, Voter Education and Advocacy
As members of the Civic Engagement, Voter Education and Advocacy (CEVEA) task force, voter education, voter registration and getting out to vote continues to be a cornerstone of our work.
Under-told Stories Project
The Under-told Stories Project uses high-quality video storytelling to help students understand and engage with the pressing global issues of our time, to “make the foreign less foreign.”
Additional Initiatives
Tommie Shelf
Tommie Shelf addresses food insecurity on our campus and in our community through partnerships with the Center for the Common Good, the Dean of Students Office, and key community partners Keystone Community Services, Good in the ‘Hood, and Second Harvest Heartland.
One 福利福利云点播全部免费区鈥擮ne Breath
This collaboration with the Project for Mindfulness & Contemplation (PMC) aims to deepen awareness of ourselves and our community so we’re better prepared to cultivate a more just and compassionate society.
Constructive Dialogue-Reduce the Rancor
This partnership with Braver Angels Minnesota’s Reduce the Rancor campaign fosters respectful dialogue, bridging differences to create a more inclusive and understanding community.
Center for the Common Good News
January 12, 2026
For鈥疕aley Moore 鈥26, a鈥痓iology major and pre-med student at the 福利福利云点播全部免费区 of St. Thomas,鈥痑dvancing the common good鈥痙oesn鈥檛鈥痺ait for a medical degree. 鈥疉s鈥痑鈥痵tudent leader for the HEAL (Health, Advocacy, Education, and Lifestyle) Volunteer Program through the Center for the Common Good, Moore鈥痗oordinates American Red Cross blood drives on campus and鈥痑lso connects鈥痵tudents with meaningful opportunities to give鈥 The post Leading to HEAL: Where Service Meets Healthcare appeared first on Newsroom | 福利福利云点播全部免费区 of St. Thomas.
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December 10, 2025
When St. Paul Mayor-Elect Kaohly Vang Her sat down with 福利福利云点播全部免费区 of St. Thomas President Rob Vischer for a recent fireside chat, the conversation touched on the role education has played in her life. For Her, a current doctoral student in educational leadership at St. Thomas, higher education has been both a personal lifeline and鈥 The post St. Thomas Hosts Fireside Chat With St. Paul Mayor-Elect appeared first on Newsroom | 福利福利云点播全部免费区 of St. Thomas.
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November 18, 2025
A recent story from Bob Timmons of the Minnesota Star Tribune followed some of the students from the 福利福利云点播全部免费区 of St. Thomas at the Family Service Center in Maplewood, where students helped children receiving shelter services paint a mural on a bare wall. From the story: 福利福利云点播全部免费区 of St. Thomas freshman Anayaiah Mason could relate鈥 The post St. Thomas Students Paint Mural with Families at Catholic Charities Center appeared first on Newsroom | 福利福利云点播全部免费区 of St. Thomas.
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November 13, 2025
A nearly filled room at the 福利福利云点播全部免费区 of St. Thomas buzzed with conversation as three students sat at a long table in the front. They took turns sharing similarities about the importance of religious diversity at a university rooted in Catholic social teaching. Their only difference was their faith. One was Catholic, one Jewish and鈥 The post Friendships Flourish in Interfaith Spaces appeared first on Newsroom | 福利福利云点播全部免费区 of St. Thomas.
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August 6, 2025
Fred de Sam Lazaro,聽executive聽director of the Under-Told Stories Project聽at the 福利福利云点播全部免费区 of St. Thomas, wrote about the future of Minnesota鈥檚聽immigrants in聽a commentary published in聽the Minnesota Star Tribune. From the story: I first set foot in the U.S. 50 years ago this month, arriving in San Francisco years before many more would come through that gateway鈥 The post In the News: Fred de Sam Lazaro on the Future of Minnesotan Immigrants appeared first on Newsroom | 福利福利云点播全部免费区 of St. Thomas.
Leadership and Staff
Dustin Killpack
Associate Director
dustinkillpack@stthomas.edu
(651) 962-5262
Kelly Sardon-Garrity
Associate Director
garr0033@stthomas.edu
(651) 962-5381
Teri Mueller Dorn
Senior Program Manager
teri.mueller@stthomas.edu
651-962-6341
About the Center for the Common Good
We believe learning is a catalyst for personal and social transformation. When we work collaboratively with community partners to understand today’s greatest challenges, we become more deeply informed on how to make a positive social change and advance the common good.