Campaign Pillar: Faculty & Academic Excellence

Faculty and academic excellence and the student experience are two distinct priorities of Be Brilliant. Be Bold. The Campaign for St. Thomas, but they are deeply connected. Faculty are the primary contributors to the academic experience at the heart of a St. Thomas education. Through their teaching, scholarship and mentorship, they help students question assumptions, test ideas, connect knowledge across disciplines and understand how their gifts might serve others. Their influence shapes not only what students learn, but who they become.

That influence is why faculty and academic excellence is a priority of Be Brilliant. Be Bold. The Campaign for St. Thomas. Through faculty endowed chairs and professorships and fellowships, the campaign will support outstanding teaching, scholarship and innovation. These investments help St. Thomas attract and retain excellent faculty while giving them the resources to develop new ideas, pursue meaningful research and create richer learning experiences for students.

Dr. Lisa Abendroth demonstrates how those investments reach the classroom. In 2026, the longtime marketing professor became the inaugural holder of the Hoffman Melrose Toro Endowed Professorship in Marketing Innovation. Abendroth is known for experiential teaching that challenges students to think critically, creatively and ethically. She brings emerging technology, interdisciplinary perspectives and industry relationships into her courses so students gain practical skills for a rapidly changing business environment.

“At St. Thomas, great faculty are at the center of everything we do,” said Laura Dunham, dean of the Opus College of Business, at Abendroth’s investiture ceremony. Associate Dean Janine Sanders Jones described the endowed position as a celebration of “the faculty who teach, mentor and inspire our students every day.” The professorship gives Abendroth additional capacity to experiment, collaborate and advance innovative approaches to marketing education – work that will benefit students and other faculty for years to come.

Faculty excellence also creates opportunities for students to contribute to research with implications far beyond campus. Mahmoud Kabalan, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, directs the Center for Microgrid Research, one of the nation’s leading student-driven facilities of its kind. There, students work alongside faculty to study how solar, wind, natural gas and other energy sources can be coordinated to create more resilient energy delivery systems.

Kabalan has mentored 31 undergraduate and 26 graduate students in cutting-edge research on microgrids (small scale power grids). Many of his more than 35 published papers and conference appearances include students as collaborators. Those experiences allow students to apply what they learn, develop confidence as researchers and help address 21^st century energy challenges.