Viterbo University seniors Emily McCurdy and Ben Lisek have talked much over the past few years about planting a pollinator garden on campus as members of the student Sustainability Club. On a recent drizzly Saturday morning, about a dozen Viterbo students, faculty, and staff members gathered to turn that talk into reality.

Viterbo University has established strong connections with the Casa Hogar orphanage in Peru, sending students there on service learning missions and giving graduates of Casa Hogar the opportunity to further their education at Viterbo.

Students in Viterbo University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program undertake projects or research focused on improving patient and population health outcomes. In the case of DNP student Zuri Cevallos, unexpected results from her research on one aspect of health care led to health improvement projects unrelated to her original research.

Students in one of Viterbo University’s core curriculum classes for undergraduates taught by Cameron Kiersch are on an ambitious mission this year: demonstrate to the institution’s leadership the need for a long-term climate action plan.

The roots of the nativity scene tradition go back 800 years to 1223, when St. Francis of Assisi delivered Mass in a cave chapel in Greccio, Italy. This holiday season Viterbo University joins forces with the FSPA, Franciscan Spirituality Center, and Mayo Clinic Health System to celebrate the octocentenary milestone.

The recent recipient of a new hip joint that makes him feel like a “rock star,” 74-year-old Fr. Conrad Targonski is still going strong as Viterbo University chaplain. A member of the Franciscan Friars of the Assumption, Iraq War veteran, and conversant speaker of four languages, Fr. Conrad was recently honored with the prestigious Iverson Freking Ecumenical Recognition Award.

In his 40 years at Viterbo University, Tom Thibodeau has become an integral part of the institution, a walking reminder of Viterbo's mission and the Franciscan values on which it was founded. Since joining Viterbo’s religious studies department as a full-time faculty member in 1984, he has earned a well-deserved reputation as a master teacher, gifted storyteller, inspirational speaker, and tireless advocate for servant leadership.

A tradition of staff, student, veteran, and alumni pilgrimages to Assisi, Italy, strengthen Viterbo University's connections to St. Francis and St. Clare.

Denise Runge worked in traditional nursing roles for 15 years before a new calling came. Bringing her nursing background and training to a new ministry, she gave physical and spiritual comfort to people in Kenya living (and dying) with HIV and AIDS.

Since her untimely death on March 30, 1990, at least 16 institutions have taken the name of Sister Thea Bowman, from schools and academies to spirituality centers. In March 2022, Viterbo University was added to the list of institutions honoring her with the creation of the Sister Thea Bowman Center.