University of St. Thomas President Rob Vischer announced the donation of $20 million to the university to support art education at a ceremony on Thursday in the Schoenecker Center. The gift comes from John P. Monahan, a ‘73 St. Thomas graduate, retired healthcare entrepreneur and patron of the arts.
“I’ve always loved the arts and I think that St. Thomas needs to elevate the arts because they are so important. I wanted to help them achieve that,” Monahan said.
The name Monahan can be seen around campus in places such as the John P. Monahan Plaza outside of the Anderson Student Center or the John P. Monahan Gallery in the newly-constructed Schoenecker Center. This gift, however, will directly impact arts education and programming.
“At St. Thomas, we have to be committed to the formation of the whole person, and if we take that seriously, we have to take the arts seriously, so this $20 million commitment is going to empower us to take the arts seriously for generations to come,” Vischer said. “Now, at a time when other colleges and universities across the country are pulling back from the arts, we are doubling down.”
The gift will impact the university over multiple years, and the College of Arts and Sciences “will be deciding how to deploy the resources as they come in,” Vischer said.
The announcement took place in the Schoenecker Center Grand Atrium, where Monahan joined students, faculty and members of the public to celebrate. The trumpet section of the St. Thomas Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the Chamber Singers performed alongside words of gratitude from an array of speakers.
Speakers included Art History professor Heather Shirey, Vischer and two students involved in the arts, juniors Abby Elfner and Rachel Clement.
Clement, who is a Music Business major, said she was proud to represent the blossoming arts community. She said that this gift will give students in all areas of study the opportunity to feel confident in pursuing their artistic passions.
“Coming to St. Thomas and being an art major and also being so heavily involved in the arts, I have seen St. Thomas not uplifting the arts as much as other areas,” Clement said. “I feel like this $20 million announcement will definitely bring more people to the arts with a sense of security.”
Dean Bill Tolman of the College of Arts and Sciences was also in attendance.
“Our goal is to transform students’ lives not just through teaching them how to be good at their career and their vocation, but how to live lives of purpose and meaning, and the arts are absolutely critical for every student’s experience of the world,” Tolman said. “We are uniquely dedicated to those values, so growing the arts just seems like a natural thing for us to do.”
Tolman said he is excited that the gift will be used to support the recruitment and retention of arts faculty, as well as to offer new scholarships and arts program aid.
“St. Thomas is deserving of this gift because they are St. Thomas. It’s a superior university where I got a wonderful education, and I attribute much of my formation to St. Thomas. It’s truly a very wonderful university,” Monahan said. “Come and look at the Schoenecker Center, come and look at the art gallery, come and look at the Anthony James sculpture, and be involved in the arts.”
Anna Brennan can be reached at bren7501@stthomas.edu.