University of St. Thomas (Texas)

University of St. Thomas

Educating Leaders of Faith and Character
Motto	Crescamus in Christo (Latin)
Motto in English	May we grow in Christ
Type	Private Catholic coeducational higher education institution
Established	1947; 74 years ago (1947)
Founder	Congregation of St. Basil
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic (Basilian Fathers)
Academic affiliations	ACCU NAICU CIC ICUSTA
Endowment	$78.36 million[1]
President	Dr. Richard L. Ludwick
Academic staff	158, Fall 2013
Students	3,237 (2017)
Undergraduates	1,864 (2017)[2]
Postgraduates	1,373 (2017)[2]
Location	Houston , Texas , United States 29°44′12″N 95°23′36″W / 29.7367°N 95.3932°W / 29.7367; -95.3932Coordinates: 29°44′12″N 95°23′36″W / 29.7367°N 95.3932°W / 29.7367; -95.3932
Campus	Urban, 19 blocks
Colors	Red and gold
Nickname	Celts
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division III – SCAC
Website	www.stthom.edu

The University of St. Thomas also referred to by its acronym UST or St. Thomas is a private Catholic coeducational higher education institution run by the Congregation of St. Basil in Greater Houston, Texas. It was founded by the Basilian Fathers in 1947 and is the only Catholic university in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Its main campus is in Montrose, Houston.

History[]

On June 24, 1944, the bishop of the Diocese of Galveston, Christopher E. Byrne,^[3][4] entered into an agreement with the Houston-based members of the Congregation of St. Basil to found a co-educational Roman Catholic university in Houston "as soon as practicable after the War, if possible by 1947."^[5] The Basilian Fathers had previously started several other secondary schools, as well as institutions of higher learning, throughout Texas in the early 20th century, including St. Thomas High School, also located in Houston.^[6] The first classes at UST began on September 22, 1947, with 57 freshmen and 8 faculty members.^[7] UST graduated its first class on May 31, 1951.^[5] In addition to the Basilian Fathers on staff, there were for some time also several Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist who reside in the convent on campus. The order no longer has a presence there, but the Houston Vietnamese Dominican Sisters and the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist serve in some teaching capacities.

The university is named after St. Thomas Aquinas. Originally consisting solely of the Link–Lee House on the corner of Montrose and West Alabama, the university has expanded towards the South and West over the last 60 years, establishing itself as a notable landmark in Houston with over 20,000 graduates. The current expansion plan includes the acquisition and development of the majority of the land comprising 25 city blocks.

Former university president J. Michael Miller, C.S.B. was appointed on November 25, 2003, by the pope to preside as secretary of the Congregation of Catholic Education. By virtue of this office, Miller was elevated to archbishop by Pope John Paul II on January 12, 2004.^[8]

Campuses[]

Main[]

The University of St. Thomas's main campus is located in the Montrose neighborhood of Neartown. The campus borders Houston's Museum District and is adjacent to the Menil Collection and the Rothko Chapel.

Many of the university's offices are in houses built in 1930s that are scattered throughout campus. Some of the buildings are historic including the Link–Lee House. This was once the largest home in Houston.^{[citation needed]} It contains the university's executive office. The Theology department is located in the childhood home of Howard Hughes.^{[citation needed]} The campus is arranged in a square format, with the main focus of buildings on the north side of the campus which is called the Academic Mall. Composed of rectangular buildings, the Academic Mall is the symbolic architecture of Philip Johnson.^{[citation needed]} On the south end of the Academic Mall is the Doherty Library. The Chapel of St. Basil is located at the opposite end. Four structures flank these two buildings on each side in a rectangular formation surrounding a courtyard. The setup is designed to display the methods of human knowledge (faith, represented by the chapel, and reason, represented by the library) in dialogue regarding the various subject matters.^{[citation needed]}

The Chapel of St. Basil is the main location of Catholic worship on campus. The Chapel of St. Basil is a unique work of art that has won many awards for its architecture.^[9] Basil was a fourth-century bishop who was a proponent of both education and the monastic life. The Chapel sits at the north end of the Academic Mall, representing faith in the Academic Mall's artistic depiction of faith and reason balanced in dialogue.^{[citation needed]}

There is no artificial light inside the main section of the building during the daytime. There is sufficient sunlight to fully light the worship space, as a combination of smooth textures and reflective surfaces maximize all light shone in the building. At night, the lights from outside combined with candles inside the chapel are more than enough to illuminate the worship area.^{[citation needed]}

The entry to the outdoor narthex of the chapel is created with a tent-like flap extending over the entry, creating an enclosed space that is still outdoors. The architecture also shifts the focus the building: the entrances to the Chapel face away from the center of the building and towards the tabernacle to remind all who enter that the central point of the chapel is not the altar or the crucifix, but the location of the Eucharist.^{[citation needed]}

During the 2005–2006 school year, the Gueymard Meditation Garden was built on the west side of the chapel. The garden features three fountains, representing the persons of the Trinity, and benches for reflection. It also includes a replica of the labyrinth in the Cathedral of Chartres in France. Seen from above, the four arms of the pattern stand out as a clear image of the cross of Jesus Christ.^{[citation needed]}

Completed in September 1972, The Robert Pace and Ada Mary Doherty Library (located at the southern end of the Academic Mall) is one of the premier research libraries in Houston. It houses over 250,000 books, 80,000 periodicals, and 150 databases.^[10][11]

In 2019 the university unveiled a mural created by Mario Figueroa Jr. (Gonzo247), the first such mural on this campus.^[12]

St. Mary's Seminary[]

The school of theology is in St. Mary's Seminary.^[13]

Conroe[]

The first phase of the Conroe campus is to open in fall 2020, with the Old Conroe Police building as a temporary site for up to three years. The permanent campus is proposed to be at Deison Technology Park. Class of 1952 alumnus Vincent D’Amico offered the university 50 acres (20 ha) of land in east Montgomery County for the project.^[14]

Students and alumni[]

The university currently maintains a population of 1,609 traditional undergraduate students and 1,973 graduate students. Adding to this number are non-traditional, off-campus, study-abroad, special program, and seminary students that bring the grand total to 3,582 students.

UST enrolls a diverse group of students with 61% of the total number of students African-American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, or American Indian. UST also maintains a student body that is at least 25% Hispanic. The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities rates UST as an Hispanic-serving institution;^[15] it is the only private institution of higher education in Houston to earn this rating. 58% of the total enrollment is Catholic. University students come from 40 states throughout the U.S. as well as 54 countries around the world.

Special programs[]

UST offers several special programs within its curriculum, consisting of undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and special preparation programs.

Center For Thomistic Studies[]

The Philosophy Department of the University of St. Thomas offers masters and doctoral degrees in philosophy, specializing in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas and his commentators. In addition, professors in the department publish works on Thomist philosophy in conjunction with the University of Notre Dame Press.

Pre-health professional programs[]

The university offers a strong pre-health undergraduate program with a liberal-arts foundation. Graduates experience high interview and acceptance rates at medical and dental schools. Advisers are very involved, from the First Year Experience to preparing for the MCAT or DAT. UST offers pre-dental, pre-medical, pre-optometry, pre-pharmacy, pre-physical therapy, pre-physician assistant and pre-veterinary medicine.

Engineering cooperative program[]

In engineering, the university has cooperative agreements with Texas A&M University, the University of Houston, and the University of Notre Dame. Students earn a BA degree in mathematics from UST and a BS degree in engineering at the cooperative institution. During the three years at UST, students complete an individualized plan of study that combines a broad liberal-arts background with the prerequisites for the program at the chosen school. The UST cooperative engineering program has a 100% acceptance rate.

Pre-law program[]

Much like the pre-health professional programs, the pre-law program is not a major in itself, but an additional program which can be combined with any major. Pre-law students enroll in required pre-law courses that help prepare for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), Socratic examination, and case briefing. To support UST students in applying to law school, the university participates in a cooperative admission program with South Texas College of Law.

Cameron School of Business[]

The Cameron School of Business is home to about 240 undergraduate and about 387 graduate students. Its programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Programs include:

• a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with majors in Accounting, Economics, Finance, General Business and Marketing
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Master of Science in Accounting (MSA)
• Master of Science in Finance (MSF)
• a five-year BBA/MBA
• Master in International Business (MIB)

Center for Business Ethics[]

Established in 1998, the Center for Business Ethics strives to educate students and the community on making good choices that benefit their businesses and the community at large. Through education and collaboration with the Houston community at large, the center promotes "ethics in all things." The center has amassed a community of students—undergraduate and graduate, faculty, alumni, and community members—to support an ethical business society. The center offers:

• ethical leadership education and symposia
• conferences on business ethics
• public lectures
• co-hosting of the Ethical Leadership in Action Award
• participation with the Greater Houston Business Ethics Roundtable

The CBE also hosts the Women in Business Forum and the Business Ethics Society; it is the signature program of the Amom Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by a Cameron School of Business MBA alumnus; and it participates in the annual President's Day of Service.

School of Education[]

At the undergraduate level, the School of Education offers programs in general education (from pre-K through high school), bilingual education, and exceptionality.

In addition to its undergraduate programs, the School of Education offers several masters level programs. One such program is directed towards Catholic educators. Following their undergraduate career, students enter into a two-year rotation in a masters program in conjunction with the university's Gulf Regional Academy of Catholic Educators (GRACE) program. Over the two years, students live in community as they learn skills needed in the classroom. All students are given a two-year teaching job for practical experience, which can become a permanent job during the school term following their completion of the program.

UST also offers programs for teacher certification. Transition to Teaching allows students with a bachelor's degree to complete a few graduate classes to teach in Catholic or public schools. All Transition to Teaching classes can be used as part of a graduate degree upon completion of formal graduate admission.

Glassell School of Art[]

The UST Department of Fine and Performing Arts and the Glassell School of Art at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts collaborate in offering BA and BFA majors, a minor, and elective courses in Studio Art. This joint effort gives UST students access to the resources of the Glassell School and to instruction offered by the artists on its faculty while receiving credit at the university towards a degree.^[16]

Mendenhall Achievement Center[]

The Mendenhall Achievement Center, established in 2008, provides a professional support team to assist students in achieving their goals while enrolled at UST. Services include advising, mentoring, tutoring, and counseling. Additionally, the Mendenhall Summer Institute is a five-week program that allows incoming freshmen to complete six credit hours before their freshman year.^[17]

Study abroad[]

The Institute for International Education Exchange has consistently ranked UST as one of the top 20 master's schools in the United States for study abroad participation by undergraduate students.^[18]

Approximately 8% of its undergraduates choose to study abroad for a semester, compared to the national average of 2%.^{[citation needed]}

School of Theology[]

The School of Theology is located at St. Mary's Seminary on Memorial Drive. Seminarians from various dioceses in Texas as well as the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter study here. The School of Theology also offers degrees for lay students.^[19]

Athletics[]

UST athletic teams are known as the Celts. The university is a provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III, having joined the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) in the 2019–20 academic year. The university was previously competed at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) level as a member of the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). Men's sports are baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, and track and field; women's sports are basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball; cheer competes as a co-ed sport.^[20]

Student life[]

Residential housing[]

The university has two types of campus housing, both under the direction of Residence Life.

Guinan Residence Hall is a three-story, 306-bed facility with private double-occupancy rooms. It is located near the Moran Parking Center and Crooker Center and provides a residential experience focused on community living.

Young Hall, located on the south side of campus, offers apartments to upper-class students and graduate or adult students who want to benefit from a Residence Life community.

Neewollah[]

An annual tradition dating back more than 50 years is the "Neewollah" Party (Halloween spelled backwards), held every year in October. Hundreds of students dress up in costume and party on campus as various local bands and DJs provide music. Students compete for prizes in costume and dance contests. The event draws about 600 people and is held on Crooker Patio, a large area in front of the university's dining hall.

Other campus events[]

• Cinco de Mayo Celebration
• Houston Italian Festival
• International Festival
• Spring Formal
• Salsa Night
• Texas Independence Day Celebration

Student organizations[]

The Student Organizations Committee is a collective of student leaders from five major organizations that oversee many areas of student life. There is no presiding officer of the SOC. All SOC members have an administrative or faculty adviser. SOC members are allowed to petition for operating budgets before other organizations and/or clubs can request funds for the following school year.

Members of the SOC[]

• The Student Government Association is the legislative student body at UST. The senate body consists of up to four representatives from each class (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate) who are elected into office. An executive board led by an elected president and an elected vice president oversee the SGA. The SGA president can appoint a secretary, treasurer, historian, parliamentarian, and webmaster. The SGA's main function is to allocate funds collected by the Student Activity Fee. It holds regular meetings every Tuesday in the Council of Clubs meeting room in Crooker Center.
• The Student Activities Board is the main programming organization at UST. SAB is led by an elected president and an elected vice president. It is responsible for planning traditional events like Neewollah and Spring Formal, as well as occasional open mic and monthly bingo nights.
• The Council of Clubs is an umbrella organization that represents clubs on campus. It is led by an elected chair and an appointed vice chair. The COC provides funding for various clubs at UST. Interested clubs may request membership into the COC and may be approved with a simple majority vote by eligible clubs, called the board of directors.
• The Sport Clubs Associations is responsible for the sport clubs on campus. It is led by an elected president. Like the COC, it is an umbrella organization that funds athletic-oriented clubs and teams at UST.
• The Graduate Student Association is responsible for representing and catering to the graduate students of UST, which make up about 55% of the student body. In addition to helping integrate graduate students with the campus, it provides independent programming open to both graduates and undergraduates.

Non-SOC Organizations[]

The university acknowledges 82 student organizations, most of which fall within SOC jurisdiction, but other organizations are overseen by other departments of the university. Honor Societies and Academic Clubs are often overseen by their departments, but some seek SOC approval for financial purposes. Other organizations are under the directorship of administrative offices such as Campus Ministry.^[21] Others include the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court of St. Macrina, Legion of Mary, and over 20 department-run honor societies. In 2009, the UST Knights of Columbus were rated among the top 3% of college councils in the United States.^[22]

Publications[]

• The Summa, founded in September 2008, is the newspaper serving the UST community.^[23] The Summa is led by a student editor-in-chief as well as various section editors and staff members. The staff is responsible for producing the paper, which is published on the first and third Thursdays of every month during the fall and spring semesters.
• Laurels literary magazine publishes poems, short fiction, and other creative writing submitted by enrolled students. It is led by three appointed editors. During the fall, the three editors are responsible for the administration and editing of the issue. However, a curriculum-approved Literary magazine class, in cooperation with the editors, is responsible for the spring issue.
• Thoroughfare magazine is the newest publication on campus. Modeled after The New Yorker as a "features" magazine, it highlights students, organizations, events, places, and local occurrences in Houston. It is led by an appointed student editor-in-chief with the help of a student staff.

Notables[]

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Alumni[]

• Mayo Thompson c. 1969 – musician, visual artist, founder of art-rock band Red Krayola^{[citation needed]}
• Sean Patrick Flanery c. 1985 – actor (The Boondock Saints, Powder, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles), instructor of  Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and author
• The Undertaker c. 1984 - professional wrestler

Faculty[]

• Marshall Applewhite, chair of the music department from 1965 to 1970, founder of the Heaven's Gate cult.

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to University of St. Thomas (Texas).

• Official website
• Official athletics website