Saint Leo Has Graduated

By JO-ANN JOHNSTON The Tampa Tribune

Published: Sep 1, 2007

ST. LEO - When school started at Saint Leo University on Tuesday, some students strolled to classes from their new lakeside apartments, along walkways shaded by oaks and palms, past the student center under construction.

Others stayed at home or work or on military bases across the country and took online classes in everything from literature to marketing.

Just 10 years ago, the school didn't have money to fix broken air conditioning in some buildings, let alone cash to build plush student quarters or wide-ranging computer networks.

"The faculty didn't even have computers supplied by the institution," said Arthur F. Kirk Jr., the school's president since 1997.

The small private school was relegated to quaint but struggling status, little known outside Catholic circles or rural east Pasco County. Enrollment faltered.

Today, Saint Leo has reversed that decline. Among traditional students, the university gets eight applications for each seat in its freshman class, according to university admissions officials. The school attracts international students, racial minorities, Catholics and non-Catholics, Floridians and Northerners - and not just because of the Florida sunshine.

At last count, enrollment was about 14,700, more than double the 7,000 enrolled in 1997. More than 1 in 3 of those students is enrolled online, either in graduate or undergraduate classes. Others are attending classes through 16 satellite centers, typically at military bases and community colleges.

The population at the main campus is only about 3,100 students.

Those demographics reflect Saint Leo's turnaround, too, and a central part of its mission under Kirk: to make it possible for a broad population to get an education anytime, anywhere.

In the eyes of Kenneth Gonzalez, director of Saint Leo's satellite campus at MacDill Air Force Base, the school's academic and financial turnaround is making the Catholic university "the institution it should have been all along."

Founded by Catholic priests and nuns, Saint Leo dates to 1889. It gradually matured from a preparatory school to a junior college to a four-year institution. By the mid-1990s, it was offering master's degrees in education and business and had a rich history of educating military personnel.

When Kirk arrived at Saint Leo, he saw the school's military ties as something to build on. He invested early in online courses so troops deployed around the world could enroll at Saint Leo.

Sound Military Strategy

Catering to the military during a time of transition was a sound strategic move, said Rita Bornstein, the retired president of Rollins College in Orlando. That provided Saint Leo a steady revenue stream to pay for the things that can help a school out of a decline and lay a foundation for the future.

The fruit of Kirk's strategy is evident today. Saint Leo offers more academic scholarships, every student attending the university campus has a laptop computer from the school, and the school is set to open its new student center in October.

While the turnaround was just beginning, the soft-spoken but determined Kirk persuaded faculty members, staff and trustees to promote and strengthen Saint Leo's academic specialties. In 1999, the school changed its name from Saint Leo College to Saint Leo University. The change reflected the fact that the institution was offering master's degrees but also hinted that a broader range of academic offerings was coming.

New programs gradually emerged, such as a sports management program for undergraduates in the business school and a master's degree program in pastoral studies. So did enhancements of the criminal justice program, allowing working law enforcement officers to earn bachelor's and master's degrees.

University officials also reaffirmed a focus on teaching. They increased the number of full-time teachers, from 69 in 1997 to 122 last fall. Some teachers came with new programs; others were hired to keep class sizes small. At Saint Leo, there is a teacher for every 16 students, with some classes having as few as six students.

"You actually get a lot more individual attention," said Andrew Terpin, a junior in the criminal justice program.

In one class, the professor gave oral quizzes, which forced students to come prepared. "He came in with index cards and asked each student a question individually," Terpin said.

Large classes, by Saint Leo standards, are 25 to 30 students. Even then, professors find ways to keep students involved, students say.

"You always felt there was time to ask questions," said Vicki Hawkins, who completed her master's degree in pastoral studies this year while directing the religious education program at Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon.

Flexible, Functional

Like Hawkins, Michele Baker didn't have to put her career on hold to get her master's degree. The 2001 graduate, who was promoted to Pasco County's chief assistant county administrator this year, enrolled in an MBA program that meets on weekends and, in many ways, mirrors the business world. Students worked in teams, for example, put together PowerPoint presentations and mastered practical skills, she said.

The emphasis on teaching will continue as the university explores new learning methods such as videoconferencing, Gonzalez said. The challenge of keeping 15 students engaged in a class is heightened, for instance, when they are split among three or four military bases. Professors teaching by videoconference have to remember to stay within range of the camera so the students can see them and to call on students by name and location.

Adapting traditional coursework to online studies is another challenge key to attracting adult learners, whether they are service members or civilians who can't make it to campus, Kirk said.

Ultimately, the Tampa area should realize some of the benefits from the maturation of Saint Leo University, Gonzalez said.

Better-educated police should lead to more effective law enforcement, for instance. More teachers and counselors will receive advanced training. Laypeople working and teaching in the religious world will be better equipped to take on needed work in their congregations. Such influences on a community are subtly felt, but they also can be profound, Kirk said.

That is not to say the small Catholic university, set in the scenic hills of east Pasco, ever expects to wield the same influence as the state's public university system. Florida, after all, has 11 institutions that can offer lower tuition costs and, consequently, attract armies of students and alumni.

Still, Kirk said he sees additional noteworthy developments coming from Saint Leo:

"It's very much about striving to achieve maximum potential … which I see as enormous and still beyond our comprehension."

THE UNIVERSITY

Campus: State Road 52, about four miles east of Interstate 75 and about an hour from downtown Tampa.

Roots: Saint Leo was founded by Benedictine nuns and priests. Today's students can come from any faith.

Diversity: Thirty percent of students at the main campus are racial minorities. The university has a long tradition of attracting college-age students from the Caribbean.

Costs: More than $25,000 a year for undergraduates living on campus. About 90 percent of students receive financial aid.

Sports: Student athletes compete in the NCAA Division II and the Sunshine State Conference. The school offers basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, soccer and swimming for men and women; baseball and lacrosse for men; and softball and volleyball for women.

Aspirations: The school wants to grow its $15 million endowment. Income from the endowment pays for ongoing maintenance and scholarships.

Reporter Jo-Ann Johnston can be reached at (352) 521-3062 or jfjohnston@tampatrib.com.