146,943
impact hours contributed
36% increase from 2022-2023
Center for the Common Good
In all we do, we seek to advance the common good.
At the Center for the Common Good, we connect University of St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ students, faculty, and staff with ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ engagement opportunities so we can understand today’s most pressing social challenges, build mutually-beneficial relationships, and work toward innovative solutions-all for the common good.
When we put our efforts together, we gain a deeper understanding of complex issues, create stronger communities, and become inspired to take action.
Partner with Us
We partner with nonprofits, schools, and government initiatives to create mutually-beneficial opportunities in the ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ.
2023-2024
Academic Year Stats
420
ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ partner organizations
60
ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ-engaged courses
4,259
unique student participants contributing their unique talents and time to our ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ
46
Tommies received the National Presidential Volunteer Service Award
282
Co-curricular Changemaking Community Events
Featured Initiatives
Tommies Together Volunteer Center
Discover opportunities to address inequities, environmental and other issues by partnering with ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ organizations.
VISION
VISION works to effect positive social change in St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ, national, and global communities. We believe this change can happen when there is an opportunity for a relationship between these communities.
Changemaking for the Common Good
Make a positive societal impact, whether as an individual or part of a larger whole, that can ignite positive change in our ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ.
Academic Community Engagement
Examine the systems and theories that relate to complex social challenges in collaboration with ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ organizations.
Civic Engagement, Voter Education and Advocacy
As members of the Civic Engagement, Voter Education and Advocacy (CEVEA) task force, voter education, voter registration and getting out to vote continues to be a cornerstone of our work.
Under-told Stories Project
The Under-told Stories Project uses high-quality video storytelling to help students understand and engage with the pressing global issues of our time, to “make the foreign less foreign.”
Additional Initiatives
Tommie Shelf
Tommie Shelf addresses food insecurity on our campus and in our ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ through partnerships with the Center for the Common Good, the Dean of Students Office, and key ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ partners Keystone Community Services, Good in the ‘Hood, and Second Harvest Heartland.
One University—One Breath
This collaboration with the Project for Mindfulness & Contemplation (PMC) aims to deepen awareness of ourselves and our ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ so we’re better prepared to cultivate a more just and compassionate society.
Constructive Dialogue-Reduce the Rancor
This partnership with Braver Angels Minnesota’s Reduce the Rancor campaign fosters respectful dialogue, bridging differences to create a more inclusive and understanding ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ.
Center for the Common Good News
May 2, 2025
More than a dozen University of St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ students spent Saturday, April 26, volunteering with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity on a home build that is part of The Heights development in Maplewood. Organized through the Shelter Crew program and supported by the Center for the Common Good, this hands-on experience allowed students to take… The post Tommies Build Community With Habitat for Humanity in Maplewood appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ.
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April 14, 2025
Twice a month, a group of students gather at the Center for the Common Good, peeking in to ask if they can pet the dogs. Around the same time, the joyful sounds of two playful corgis can be heard echoing throughout the space. These two adorable corgis are the fur babies of Manuela Hill-Muñoz, the… The post Rooted in Community, Leading with Purpose: Manuela Hill-Muñoz and the Tommie Journey appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ.
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March 28, 2025
The University of St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ has been recognized as a Voter Friendly Campus by Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. This designation places St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ among 272 campuses across 39 states and the District of Columbia that have demonstrated a commitment to promoting democratic engagement among… The post St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ Earns Voter Friendly Campus Designation appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ.
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March 26, 2025
Tommies enrolled in MUSC 230: Music of the United States, taught by Professor Sarah Schmalenberger, had the unique opportunity fall semester to engage in an intergenerational collaboration with residents at Episcopal Homes, a senior living ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ in St. Paul. This experiential learning partnership, part of the Academic Community Engagement (ACE) initiative at the University of… The post St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ Music Course Reaches Through the Generations appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ.
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March 21, 2025
Nestled along the banks of the Tiber River in the heart of Rome sits the Bernardi Campus of the University of St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ. Acquired by the Minnesota university in November 1999, the campus was named in honor of Antonio and Cecilia Bernardi, parents and grandparents of St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ alumni, including Luigi Bernardi ’85, ’89 MBA.… The post A Home in Rome: Celebrating 25 Years of the Bernardi Campus appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ.
Leadership and Staff
Dustin Killpack
Associate Director
dustinkillpack@stthomas.edu
(651) 962-5262
Kelly Sardon-Garrity
Associate Director
garr0033@stthomas.edu
(651) 962-5381
Manuela Hill-Muñoz
Director of Innovation and Changemaking
muno0009@stthomas.edu
(651) 962-6149
Teri Mueller Dorn
Senior Program Manager
teri.mueller@stthomas.edu
651-962-6341
About the Center for the Common Good
We believe learning is a catalyst for personal and social transformation. When we work collaboratively with ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ partners to understand today’s greatest challenges, we become more deeply informed on how to make a positive social change and advance the common good.