Marginalized discover Saint Paul University

For nearly a decade, Saint Paul University professor Dr. Richard Feist has watched students grow in confidence from tailored, university-level discussions through Discovery University, a unique offering demonstrating how access to education can foster both academics and a sense of belonging.

A two-decade-plus partnership between the Ottawa Mission and Saint Paul and Carleton University, Discovery University provides adults experiencing homelessness, struggling with substance use or dealing with health challenges non-credit university-level courses. Offered twice a year, the 10-week courses are taught by university professors and focus largely on the humanities and social sciences, with readings, lectures and classroom discussions.

Feist, an associate professor in Saint Paul’s School of Ethics and Public Affairs and a member of the program’s board of directors, spoke to how he’s seen the program make substantial impacts over the years. 

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“I’ve seen students at the end of the course tell me that they were nervous to even enroll, nervous to even sit in a classroom with a university professor on campus. Students who hadn’t learned anything, whose family didn’t have connections like that, the experience was something outside of their wheelhouse. Then, they tell me that they’re comfortable being in the room, to engage with other students, ask the professor questions, argue and have a fun time,” he said. 

“I know it sounds cliché, but there really are some cases where people come out of a shell.” 

The current fall cohort has 20 students of varied backgrounds and ages, but all of which, Feist affirms, are progressing through regular university classes, complete with readings and lectures, only without the typical assignments, essays or final grades.

All tuition and application fees, as well as course materials, are completely free for participants across the 10 weeks, which focus heavily on the humanities and social sciences. This term,  Feist is co-teaching a course on women philosophers with Dr. Monique Lanoix, a professor in the School of Ethics and Public Affairs.

The Discovery University program also presents opportunities for personal growth and fellowship, an important aspect for many, as Feist reflected on his time delivering it at Saint Paul University. 

“ One guy a few years ago came into class and told me he was a professional engineer with a master's in engineering. He was married, had a family, the house in the suburbs, the whole thing. Mental illness struck and wiped everything out,” he explained. 

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“Sometimes there is someone like that who had everything going on, then I've had other people that come from a lifetime of struggle, poverty and substance abuse issues. Those are sort of the extremes, with most people in the program somewhere in the middle.”

Emma Pratt, a Discovery University coordinator who has been working for the Ottawa Mission for nearly 10 years, spoke to how a sense of ownership and belonging towards and from the program has shown up in each of these students.

“Many of our students, for various reasons, have experienced deep isolation and the impacts of this on other areas of their lives. Discovery University offers a space for students to be engaged, to belong to a community and to be authentically themselves,” she said. “Our students are the life force of the program, and seeing them recognize and believe this is the magic of this, in my eyes.”

For Saint Paul University, their partnership with the Ottawa Mission further acts as a tangible expression of its Catholic mission, emphasizing human dignity, social justice and putting education at the service of the poor. Opening its classrooms to people who may face barriers to traditional Catholic higher education, the university has extended that mission beyond its usual student community and created a space where education and personal growth are accessible to all. 

"What I've seen in my career of teaching in general and in Discovery University is that this gets people not only out of having difficulties relating to people, but it also gives them a chance to test their ideas and interact in a fairly peaceful way. When you start talking about what the value of life is, how we should behave and treat each other, these are things that benefit everyone to talk about in a fairly neutral fashion,” Feist said. 

Pratt and the rest of the Ottawa Mission team are indebted to Saint Paul University’s support of the important program. 

“When we were faced with a challenge this year of needing to find a new location to hold our classes, Saint Paul University was so quick to rise to this challenge and ensure that we had a home for our classes,” she said. 

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“Discovery University wouldn’t be what it is without our students or without our community partners. Saint Paul University and Rector Leroux were alerted to DU's need for space for our classes and wasted no time letting us know they would provide classrooms for us to use. (Saint Paul’s) values have a through line of empowering people through education, which at its core is also among the goals of Discovery University, and our alignment has always been present — their warm welcome to our program and our students has amplified this alignment immeasurably.” 

This year’s fall session will end with a graduation ceremony on Dec. 4, where students will be recognized for both their 10 weeks of study and for their courage in participating. 

A version of this article appeared in the November 01, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "Marginalized discover Saint Paul University".