Opus College of Business

08/28/2026

A recent trip to Seoul and Tokyo became a live case study for a group of St. Thomas MBA students, who spent eight days studying technology and innovation in real-time through a business lens.

Students visited companies, startups and universities to see how it's changing the way people shop, work and live. At a South Korean brewery, they learned how AI is being used to preserve recipes and techniques passed down by aging master brewers. At a Uniqlo store in Tokyo, they watched an entire basket of clothing get scanned within seconds.

Professor Lisa Abendroth developed the course with Meghan Kober, senior vice president of Ventures & Strategic Partnerships at U.S. Bank. “My goal was to give students an accelerated path into ideas that had taken me years to encounter across different roles, industries and experiences,” said Kober.

Learn more how experiential learning at St. Thomas turns business into a live case study!

https://news.stthomas.edu/what-seoul-and-tokyo-taught-mba-students-about-digital-transformation-2026/

University of St. Thomas offers a course through Opus College of Business that introduces students to the digital transformation in Asia.

08/10/2026

When St. Thomas MBA students were asked on the first day of class if they considered themselves innovators, roughly 40% said they were somewhat innovative. Many saw themselves as professionals doing their jobs, not as people leading change inside their organizations.

Over the four-week Innovation and Corporate Entrepreneurship course, taught by Ryan Backer ’99 and Danielle C. Ailts Campeau, D.B.A., students reconsidered what innovation can look like at work, from developing a new product to finding a better way to do something within a department or process.

Part-time Flex MBA student Samantha Harris came into the course thinking innovation meant product development. “A huge takeaway from the class for me was that it can be much broader than this. Innovation is any type of solution.”

Sam Larson ’27 MBA started with an ambitious idea for using AI in construction. He changed direction midway through the course, and the artificial intelligence application he developed for his final project is now being explored by his employer, ARCO/Murray, a commercial construction and real estate firm.

“We’re equipping the MBA candidates to create something they can take to their bosses,” said Backer, who has spent more than two decades working in corporate innovation, including at General Mills, Nestlé and Medica.

See how St. Thomas MBA students are learning to turn an idea into a pitch they can take to their employer. https://ow.ly/J1UW50Zy9w2

07/21/2026

Already using AI but not getting the results you want? Join us for a free, one-hour session to learn practical prompting techniques that help you get more from the AI tools you already use. After the session, stay for a networking reception to connect with other professionals and hear how they're using AI in their work.

Location: St. Thomas Minneapolis campus - Schulze Hall
Date: Wednesday, August 5
Time: 6-7 p.m., followed by a networking hour

Invite your colleagues and reserve your spot for this free event today! https://ow.ly/oS4y50ZqNyA

07/16/2026

If someone in your network has been talking about graduate school, now is a great time to connect them with Opus College.

Students applying to the Part-time Flex MBA or STEM MBA this fall may be eligible for our merit-based Dean's Scholarship of up to $15,000.

If you submit a referral before they begin their application and they're accepted to the program, they'll also receive a $1,000 Alumni Referral Scholarship toward their first year.

Link to online referral form: https://ow.ly/8WQN50ZovH2

07/11/2026

Eric Kessel '23 MSBA didn't start his career in business analytics. When he enrolled in the St. Thomas MS in Business Analytics program, he'd never written a SQL statement or worked in Tableau, SAS, or Power BI. It had been years since he'd taken a statistics class.

Today, Eric is a senior analyst at Allina Health, where he uses a combination of SQL, Power BI and data storytelling in his everyday work.

"You might be nervous because your undergraduate degree or current job hasn't required you to work with those tools, or you're worried it will move too fast. The classes moved at a pace that allowed me to learn those topics without feeling overwhelmed."

Read Eric's story, from lab scientist to senior analyst. https://ow.ly/sM1c50ZmzM3

06/30/2026

For our MBA students, the Innovation Scholars program offers the chance to lead interdisciplinary teams working on emerging technologies for organizations such as Mayo Clinic, NASA and Minnesota medtech companies.

Every team is made up of undergraduate students with different backgrounds, from biology and computer science to economics. The MBA team leader helps the group connect those perspectives into recommendations for the sponsoring organization.

The University of St. Thomas is one of three universities that provides MBA team leaders for the Innnovation Scholars program.

See what leadership looks like inside the program. https://ow.ly/oHhF50ZiKOT

06/25/2026

Before Allison Erickson '26 MBA, enrolled in the Executive MBA program at Opus College, she spent months talking through the decision with her husband and researching her options. She wanted to earn her MBA, but wondered whether it could fit alongside a full-time job and raising three kids.

"I was nervous going into the program, thinking I'd never have free time."

Allison expected she'd be spending much of her time trying to fit school into an already packed schedule. Instead, she was relieved to find her peers understood exactly what that looked like.

"The majority of the Executive MBA cohort had children around the same age as me, or they were juggling work and family, too. It was a sigh of relief. I was with people who got it. I didn't have to justify or explain to them that after the kids' bedtime is the only time I can meet."

By the second month, Allison found a rhythm and settled into a routine that worked for her. She began making the most of the small pockets of time that were already part of her week, like reading during football practice or catching up on coursework while waiting at her daughter's piano lessons.

"I still allowed myself Friday nights and Saturday nights to do what I wanted. It's just as good for me to unplug as it is to plug back in."

06/19/2026

A proud moment for Executive MBA grad John Pogatschnik became even more meaningful when he got to share this milestone with his youngest. “Completing my MBA degree from Opus College is an accomplishment, but watching my kids grow and learn as their father is even greater.”

One experience provided a broader perspective of the world. The other created a safe space to be creative and explore. "Or maybe," as John puts it, "it's not mutually exclusive at all."

Happy Father's Day weekend to all the dads growing alongside their kids.

06/18/2026

Looking to get more value from the AI tools you're already using?

On August 5, faculty Mark Price and Katie Berry will lead the first session of our new AI Speaker Series. They'll walk through practical examples, show what separates a useful prompt from one that falls flat, and introduce a framework for AI prompting that you can start using right away.

The event is free and open to all St. Thomas alumni and students. Stay for networking and refreshments following the session!

Learn more: https://ow.ly/FuMA50Zenpc

06/16/2026

Between late-night discussions, caffeine, academic survival, and having a handful of sneakerheads in the mix, Health Care MBA Cohort 32 wanted to leave a mark.

"Our class was filled with some of the brightest minds I’ve ever been exposed to - and nobody showed up with an ego," said Laura Holthaus '26 HCMBA. "Surgeons, high achievers, ridiculously smart people… and yet somehow we were all just a bunch of goofballs together."

So naturally, they made sneakers. "We wanted something we’d keep forever."

The shoes became a symbol of the culture they built together in the Health Care MBA program: ambitious, supportive, smart, competitive, hilarious, and human.

"To everyone else they may just look like shoes," said Holthaus. "But for us, they became something that tied us together even more. Years from now we’ll look back and instantly remember the people, the laughter, the growth, and this season of life we shared."