Mission, Vision & Values
Our Mission
Dougherty Family College at the University of St. Thomas offers a two-year liberal arts (associate) degree program combining rigorous academics with comprehensive and culturally sustaining supports that prepare scholars to navigate and overcome social and financial barriers on their path to a four-year (bachelor's) degree.
Our Vision
Dougherty Family College sets the standard for preparing historically underrepresented scholars to earn a future four-year degree, get on the path to a meaningful professional career and step into their role as transformative community leaders.
Who We Are
Our Values
We actively work to uncover the patterns of oppression built into traditional systems of higher education and are intentional about dismantling these norms in our college.
We are a collaborative community that practices mutual respect, transparency and compassion.
Our curriculum, programming and team are representative and affirming of our scholars’ identities.
We help scholars explore their own power and strengthen their ability to make change.
We eliminate barriers to our scholars' success by supporting them holistically, inside and outside the classroom.
We spur excellence by pairing unwavering high standards with academic support, intensive mentoring and self-advocacy skills.
The best interest and human dignity of our scholars are at the center of all we do.
University of St. Thomas Land Acknowledgment
The University of St. Thomas recognizes that it occupies the ancestral and current homelands of the Dakota people, "Mni Sota Makoce". We also recognize the territory of the Ojibwe and Ho-Chunk whose lands are occupied by the State of Minnesota.