News & Events

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Stay up to date on the latest news and events at Dougherty Family College and browse upcoming events to learn more about what we have to offer our students.

Flexible Paths to Earn Degrees: Two-Year Programs are the Answer

Featured Story

Featured in US World News and Report, Dean Buffy Smith reflects on how the two-year "embedded college" model helps more students in higher education, graduate and thrive.

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Newsletter from Dougherty Family College

Check out the Spring 2026 Dougherty Family College Newsletter. Read about the following: 

• Dean's Corner
• The Power of Internships: Maxfield
• DFC Career Expo
• Major Exploration Fair
• Interviews with Graduating Seniors

Spring 2026 Newsletter

We are better and stronger when we work to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to flourish in our society.

Dr. Buffy Smith, Dean

Advancing Equity in Higher Education: A Conversation with Dr. Buffy Smith

In this episode of The Professor Podcast in the Library with a Microphone, Dr. Buffy Smith, Dean of Dougherty Family College, discusses how her scholarly work and lived experience inform her research on access, equity, and student success in higher education. The conversation highlights her nationally recognized expertise in mentoring and supporting first-generation students and those from under-resourced communities.

Listen to the episode

Dougherty Family College News

April 15, 2026

DFC Faculty Profile: A Mission Toward Social Justice

Portraits displayed on the walls of Dr. Tanden Brekke’s office show his family and civil rights activists, including Dolores Huerta, Ella Baker, Gandhi, Fannie Lou Hamer, Howard Thurman, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. “They’re all people who did really, really powerful things, believed in themselves, believed in the people around them, understood the world from the way it was. They believed in… The post DFC Faculty Profile: A Mission Toward Social Justice appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.

• March 13, 2026

  In the News: Heather Isernhagen on STEM at Dougherty Family College

  Heather Isernhagen, math specialist at Dougherty Family College, a two-year college at the University of St. Thomas, was recently interviewed for an article on the WCCO Radio website. Isernhagen highlighted how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are implemented into courses at DFC, expanding beyond the liberal arts degree pathway. From the article: For several years,… The post In the News: Heather Isernhagen on STEM at Dougherty Family College appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.

• March 12, 2026

  Rethinking Resilience: Insights from St. Thomas’ Health Equity Series

  Before finishing her dissertation for her Doctor of Education at the University of St. Thomas, Katia Colon-LaCroix used the “control find” feature to search and delete the word “resilience” entirely from her research paper, which examines the measures of success for and by first-generation college students of color. “I didn't do that because I don't… The post Rethinking Resilience: Insights from St. Thomas’ Health Equity Series appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.

• December 19, 2025

  In the News: Mike Klein on Bringing Creativity Into Community Care

  Mike Klein, a professor of peace studies and social justice in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas, was featured by FOX 9 for his work with Catholic Charities families ahead of the Giving Tree event at the Mall of America. Klein and students from CAS and Dougherty Family College partnered… The post In the News: Mike Klein on Bringing Creativity Into Community Care appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.

• December 12, 2025

  In the News: Buffy Smith on Responding to Food Insecurity During the SNAP Uncertainty

  Dougherty Family College Dean Buffy Smith spoke with Sheletta Brundidge on WCCO Radio about the college’s swift response to the recent federal government shutdown and its potential disruption of SNAP benefits. Smith detailed how DFC mobilized resources to ensure students had reliable access to food, reflecting the college’s mission to support scholars facing financial and… The post In the News: Buffy Smith on Responding to Food Insecurity During the SNAP Uncertainty appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.

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Constellation Fund Spotlights DFC

The Constellation Fund produced a video about Dougherty Family College, a grantee partner, highlighting the school's academics, community and culturally sustaining teaching methods.

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