Discover More: Finding a welcome home at STM
Each morning, as the University of Saskatchewan (Usask) campus comes to life, more than 25,000 busy students, faculty and staff crowd the hallways and classrooms – almost five times the population of Brooke Tolofson’s entire hometown of Melfort.
But amid all the hustle and bustle of big-city university life, this first-year Arts and Science student has found a home away from home. Tolofson is a St. Thomas More College (STM) student. That means that she is part of a friendly college community within the greater Usask campus, with access to resources like STM academic advisors, who know her by name; she can apply for the more than $180,000 in scholarships and bursaries that STM gives out each year; and enjoys a choice of quiet study spaces throughout the college, along with healthy food options in the college cafeteria. There are plenty of friendly familiar faces, and Brooke can choose to participate in several STM student clubs – an opportunity she eagerly seized upon with the Newman Players drama club.
“I knew that Newman Players club was part of the college, and I knew STM scholarships and bursaries would be available to me,” said Tolofson, an aspiring drama student. When she was researching her step from high school to university, she arranged a tour of STM, and noticed the atmosphere was immediately very comfortable to her. “It doesn’t seem as intimidating as some of the big colleges on campus. I like the smaller class sizes,” she said. The roadmap she laid out for her post-secondary education is coming together nicely. In February, Tolofson received an entering student bursary, and she is a cast member in the upcoming production of The Doctor in Wonderland, rehearsing twice a week with her new friends.
“It has been a perfect fit,” Tolofson said.
When St. Thomas More College was established in 1936 by the Basilian Fathers, as a Catholic Liberal Arts College on the Usask campus, it was only a simple, two-story, white wooden house at the corner of College Drive and Bottomley Avenue. Its faculty of four taught only 39 students that first year. But just like Saskatoon, oh, how it’s grown. Today, STM has expanded to include 110 faculty and staff, with more than 5,000 students registered in the 250 courses offered in 18 subject areas. Registration in STM classes is open to any Usask student, with STM course credit is counted toward the requirements of Arts and Science degrees, and in many cases, satisfies the elective requirements in other Usask degree programs.
Along with the increase in student and faculty numbers at STM, came a need for more space and upgraded facilities. In 2014 over 20,000 sq. ft. of additional student and research space was added on the College Drive portion of the building, and in 2017 a stunning, curving project on the north side included major additions and renewal, most notably, added space and enhancements to the Shannon Library as well as additional student-centered space featuring a student lounge and student services hub. Both of these renovations were recognized with civic heritage awards for the attention to maintaining the historical while updating and planning for the future.
Keeping student needs a priority, technological and physical amenities were integrated in the college upgrades. New study rooms include audio-visual systems and laptops are easily connected to the internet. Students can alternatively find a comfy corner to study, in the brightly lit atrium, or in the library’s oversized sofa chairs, looking out over the campus.
Increased enrolment numbers and upgraded facilities don’t tell the complete story of STM. It remains a college focused on promoting academic excellence while challenging its students to think creatively and critically about social issues; to communicate effectively and discover their potential as a whole person.
“After more than 80 years on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan, STM continues to pursue the same mission that inspired its creation,” said Dr. Carl Still, the college’s interim president. “We seek to provide a transformative education, in the Catholic intellectual tradition, for young people who will become agents of change in the world.”
STM students have the chance to focus on social justice issues through their courses, engage in community service-learning options and participate in study and travel abroad. They can also fulfill their social and spiritual needs with support and initiatives from the college campus ministry team, the Newman Club or the Development & Peace, Just Youth club.
It was an interest in social justice issues that brought Deena Kapacila to study political science at STM. She is now in her fifth year at Usask and is looking forward to moving on to her master’s degree, with a focus on labour law and worker safety. “Every professor that I’ve had at STM has gone out of their way to extend an offer of help,” she said. “The smaller class sizes have proved impactful. The engagement and expectations support our success.”
So, whether you simply dine at STM’S popular Choices cafeteria, hang out in the library, are registered in some of the many course offerings, or have additionally opted to self-declare for more benefits, you are sure to find STM a welcome home!
- Paul Sinkewicz is director of communications, Marketing & Student Recruitment, with St. Thomas More College.