University of St . Thomas ( Minnesota ) The University of St . Thomas ( also known as UST or simply St . Thomas ) is a private , Catholic , liberal arts , and archdiocesan university located in St . Paul and Minneapolis , Minnesota , United States . Founded in 1885 as a Catholic seminary , it is named after Thomas Aquinas , the medieval Catholic theologian and philosopher who was the patron saint of students in the Roman Catholic Church . UST currently enrolls more than 10 , 000 students , making it Minnesota ' s largest private college or university . Father Dennis Dease became the 14th president in the history of the University in 1991 , and was succeeded by Dr . Julie Sullivan in 2013 . History . Founded in 1885 by John Ireland , archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis , St . Thomas began as an all - male , Catholic seminary . In 1894 , St . Thomas Aquinas Seminary became a liberal arts college through a gift from local railroad tycoon James J . Hill , who provided funds to establish the St . Paul Seminary apart from the college . In 1903 , the College of St . Thomas established a military program on campus , and it was officially termed a military school by the U . S . War Department in 1906 . Initially , the school gave out two - year diplomas in commercial and classical programs before awarding its first academic degrees in 1915 . In 1922 , military training became optional . From the late 1920s through the mid - 1930s , the Holy Cross Fathers , who run the University of Notre Dame , controlled the college ' s administration . The diocese called those priests in to help with the school ' s financial problems ; those priests were known as a crisis intervention team of sorts for parochial schools of that time . During World War II , St . Thomas served as a training base for naval officers , which kept the school open when men who would have attended college were fighting in the war . After the war , in 1948 , the college established " Tom Town " on the eastern end of the lower quadrant , which is currently the site to the O ' Shaughnessey - Frey Library and O ' Shaughnessey Education Center . Tom Town , made of 20 double - dwelling huts , consisted of white , barrack - like housing units for faculty , students and their families . The units helped to meet housing demand after WWII . In the latter half of the 20th century , St . Thomas started two of its most notable graduate programs : Education in 1950 and Business Administration in 1974 . The school became co - educational in 1977 and although women were not allowed to enroll until then , female students from St . Catherine University ( then the College of St . Catherine ) often took classes at St . Thomas . Women were also present as instructors and administrators on campus but the staff , faculty , and administration has seen a vast increase in female employment since the move to co - education . In 1990 , the College of St . Thomas became the University of St . Thomas and the following year , the university opened the Minneapolis campus . In 2001 , UST reinstated its School of Law at its Minneapolis Campus ; it had been shut down during the Great Depression . U . S . Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was the speaker at the Grand Opening . Campuses . Saint Paul . The St . Paul campus is home to most undergraduate students . The main campus , built on a farm site once considered " far removed from town " , is located where St . Paul ' s Summit Avenue meets the Mississippi River . The site was farmed by ex - Fort Snelling soldier William Finn , who received the property as a pension settlement after he accidentally shot himself in the hand while on guard duty . The western edge of the campus borders the Mississippi Gorge Regional Park . Summit Avenue , which runs through the middle of the campus , is the country ' s longest span of Victorian homes . This tree - lined avenue includes the Governor ' s Mansion , F . Scott Fitzgerald ' s townhome , and James J . Hill ' s mansion . In 2005 , a new apartment - style residence hall was built on an existing parking lot . McNeely Hall was also built the following year . It is a large classroom building for business that replaced the smaller building of the same name . A new residential village , more parking ramp s , and general planning all have been negotiated successfully with the surrounding neighborhood . These developments are expected to begin within the next five years . In early 2012 , UST completed the final stage of its three building expansion on the St . Paul campus . The two main additions that were completed are the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Center ( AARC ) and the Anderson Student Center . These projects were completed in the Summer of 2010 and January 2012 , respectively . The Anderson Athletic and Recreation Center has a field house , basketball arena , weight room , and swimming pool . The track in the field house is home to the most dominant track team in the MIAC conference . Other St . Thomas sports that use the AARC ' s facilities have also endured recent success , including a playoff run for the football team , and a National Championship for the Men ' s Basketball team . The new Anderson Student Center is home to new food venues as well as entertainment options including a game room and a bowling alley , and a coffee shop . There is also an art gallery on the second floor , which is home to the American Museum of Asmat Art . Minneapolis . In fall 1992 , the university opened a permanent , campus at 1000 LaSalle Ave . in Minneapolis . The first building , named Terrence Murphy Hall in May 2000 , is headquarters to the university ' s Opus College of Business . Artist Mark Balma created one of the largest fresco es in the United States on the arched ceiling of its atrium . The seven - panel , fresco was completed in the summer of 1994 and portrays the seven virtues discussed in the writings of St . Thomas Aquinas . The Minneapolis campus also holds St . Thomas ' School of Education , the School of Law , and Schulze School of Entrepreneurship . Daniel C . Gainey Conference Center ( Owatonna ) . On May 15 2014 , it was announced that the Daniel C . Gainey Conference Center was sold to Meridian Behavioral Health , LLC with a plan to convert it to a treatment facility for addiction and behavioral disorders . The deal closed in August 2014 . The deal included the entire 180 acre property and all the buildings except for the Winston Guest House , which was designed by architect Frank Gehry . St . Thomas is still exploring options for the house which will remain on the Gainey property for up to two years . Terms were not disclosed . Bernardi ( Rome ) . The University of St . Thomas Bernardi Campus is located on the west bank of the Tiber River on Lungotevere delle Armi in Rome , Italy . Purchased by St . Thomas in November 1999 , the Bernardi Campus houses St . Thomas students participating in academic programs abroad , most notably the Catholic Studies Semester in Rome program for Catholic Studies majors , minors , and graduate students offered through the Catholic Studies Department . The University of St . Thomas is the only university in the United States to have a formal affiliation with the Pontifical University of St . Thomas Aquinas ( Angelicum ) . Academics . Each year the university awards almost 2 , 500 degrees including five different bachelor ' s degree s ( B . A . , B . M . , B . S . , B . S . M . E . and B . S . E . E . ) . There are 88 major fields at the undergraduate level , with 59 minor fields of study and seven pre - professional programs . At the graduate and professional level , the university offers 41 master ' s degrees , two education specialist , one juris doctor and five doctorates . Schools and colleges . The university offers its degree programs through nine divisions . The College of Arts and Sciences includes undergraduate departments in the arts , humanities , natural sciences , and social sciences , plus a number of interdisciplinary programs . The Opus College of Business has seven departments offering graduate and undergraduate curricula including Executive Education and Professional Development at University of St . Thomas , and is one of six AACSB accredited business schools in Minnesota . St . Thomas also houses the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity , which offers master ' s - and doctoral - level degrees oriented to theological study and the practice of ministry . St . John Vianney Seminary , a minor college seminary , is also at St . Thomas . Other schools include the School of Education , the School of Engineering , and the School of Social Work . The Master of Social Work is offered as a joint degree program with the College of St . Catherine . Schools housed on the Minneapolis campus include the Graduate School of Professional Psychology , Undergraduate and Graduate Schools of Education , Graduate Programs in Software Engineering , and the School of Law , which was re - opened in 1999 after a 66 - year hiatus . The University of St . Thomas is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities ( ACTC ) , a consortium of five private liberal arts colleges . This program allows students to take classes at one of the associated colleges for no additional cost . Other schools include Hamline University , St . Catherine University , Macalester College , and Augsburg College . Athletics . St . Thomas ' s school colors are purple and gray , and the athletic teams are called the Tommies . The mascot for these teams is " Tommie " the tomcat . The name Tommy was changed to Tommie with an ' ie ' when girls were accepted as full - time students to be more inclusive of the women . UST is a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ( MIAC ) , which performs at the NCAA Division III level . Since 1885 athletics have been present on St . Thomas ' campus . The first sports teams that became popular were intramural . The top intramural baseball teams in the 1890s were the " Blues " and " Grays " , which is where the Tommies ' school colors come from . Varsity sports did not begin until 1904 . UST celebrated its 100th year of varsity athletics in 2003 – 2004 . UST ' s longtime archrival is Saint John ' s University from Collegeville , Minnesota . Recent national titles include men ' s basketball in 2011 ; men ' s baseball in 2009 and 2001 ; women ' s softball in 2005 and 2004 ; men ' s lacrosse ( MCLA Division II ) in 2013 , 2012 , 2010 and 2009 ; women ' s volleyball in 2012 ; and dance team in 2013 , 2012 , 2011 , 2010 , 2008 and 2006 . St . Thomas also won national championships with women ' s basketball in 1991 ; men ' s cross country in 1986 and 1984 ; men ' s indoor track in 1985 ; and women ' s cross country in 1987 , 1986 , 1984 and 1982 . In 2012 , St . Thomas played for the first time in the Stagg Bowl in Salem , Virginia , which is the Division III Football National Championship game , against the University of Mount Union , losing 28 - 10 . WCCO broadcasts radio coverage of Tommies football games . Student life . Student housing . Undergraduate housing is found on the St . Paul Campus . Approximately 2 , 400 residents live in 10 traditional halls and apartments . Additionally , St . John Vianney College Seminary holds approximately 140 students . All traditional halls are single - sex , while apartment residences are co - ed by floor . Residence halls on campus are named after Archbishops of Minneapolis - St . Paul , such as William O . Brady , Austin Dowling , and John Ireland . The all - female traditional hall of John Paul II is named after the former Pope . Built in 1894 , Cretin Hall is the oldest hall on campus and was designed ( along with Loras and Grace halls ) by Cass Gilbert . Recently the department of residence life has purchased additional buildings on what they are calling ' mid - campus ' in the area between Grand and Summit Avenues . These buildings house men and women transfer students in one of two buildings , separated by gender . There is an apartment complex that is specifically designed for sophomores . Also , they house students in the residence above the Child Development Center , which is a day - care facility on campus . The University of St . Thomas offers special interest floors , or floors that are intended to house specific residents with similar interests or class standing . Almost one - third of all floors are First Year Experience floors , which consist of only freshmen . This practice attempts to create a cohesive community by placing students together that will have a similar experience . UST has also had a Catholic Women ' s floor , Catholic Men ' s floor , which are designed to help young men and women grow in their faith . the Changing Faces of Minnesota floors , the Women in Math & Science floor , Substance Free floors , and opened their first Sophomore Experience floors in the fall of 2008 . Housing Policies The campus is not dry : students over 21 years of age are allowed alcohol in the upper - class apartments . Undergraduate Student Government . The on - campus student association is the Undergraduate Student Government ( USG ) , formerly known as the ACC . The student government is made up of an executive board and general council . Each executive board member receives a stipend . The executive board consists of the president of the student body , executive vice president , vice president of financial affairs , vice president of academic affairs , vice president of administrative affairs and vice president of public relations . The general council consists of class presidents , class senators and representatives from various university organizations . The student government oversees funding to all clubs on campus , approves new club requests , appoints students to various university committees and represents the student body to the administration . USG has its own offices located in the student center . Elections are held in the fall and spring every academic year . Controversy . Desmond Tutu . In 2007 , the president of the University of St . Thomas , Father Dennis Dease , cancelled a planned speech by Nobel Peace Prize laureate and anti - apartheid figure , Desmond Tutu , on the grounds that his presence might offend some members of the local Jewish community . Many faculty members of Voice for Peace led an email campaign calling on St . Thomas to reconsider its decision , which the president did and invited Tutu to campus . Tutu declined the re - invitation , speaking instead at the Minneapolis Convention Center at an event hosted by Metropolitan State University . However , Tutu later addressed the issue two days later while making his final appearance at Metro State .