St. Thomas University (Florida)

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St. Thomas University
STU Logo Main.png
Former names
Biscayne College (1961–1984)
Motto"Leaders for Life"
Type Private university
Established1961;64 years ago (1961)
Religious affiliation
 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami
Academic affiliations
Endowment $34.4 million (2022) [2]
President David A. Armstrong
Students5,922
Undergraduates 1,797
Postgraduates 1,498
Other students
2,626
Location
Miami Gardens, Florida
,
United States
Colors Burgundy & Dark Blue
   
Nickname Bobcats
Sporting affiliations
 NAIA – The Sun
Website www.stu.edu

St. Thomas University (STU) is a private Catholic university in Miami Gardens, Florida. The university offers 61 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and post-graduate certificate programs on-campus and online. As of 2021, the university enrolled 5,922 students, which included 1,797 undergraduate students, 1,498 graduate students, 780 law students, 62 non-degree students, and 1,784 dual enrollment (high school) students. [3]

Contents

The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. [4]

History

St. Thomas University's history can be traced back to 1946 Havana, Cuba, where it was founded as the Universidad Católica de Santo Tomás de Villanueva, named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. In 1961, Fidel Castro's militia confiscated the school's land and expelled the faculty and priests. In turn, the Augustinians fled to Miami and opened a new Catholic men's college – Biscayne College. In 1984, with the establishment of the School of Law and other graduate degree programs, the college, by then co-educational, again became St. Thomas University. The university came under the sponsorship of the Archdiocese of Miami in 1988, conferring upon St. Thomas the distinction of being the only Catholic Archdiocesan sponsored university in the state of Florida.

From 1970 until 1993, St. Thomas University was the training camp home [5] of the Miami Dolphins NFL team. It was also the spring training home of the Baltimore Orioles.

The university was located in the Opa-locka North census-designated place, in an unincorporated area, [6] [7] until Miami Gardens incorporated as a city on May 13, 2003. [8]

In 2019, St. Thomas University formally installed David A. Armstrong as the university's tenth president. [9]

Presidents

PresidentTenure
Edward J. McCarthy1962-1968
Ralph V. Shuhler1968-1969
John H. McDonnell1969-1975
John J. Farrell1975-1980
Patrick H. O'Neill1980-1986
Pasquale di Pasquale1987-1988
Richard E. Greene1989-1993
Edward J. McCarthy1993-1994
Franklyn M. Casale1994-2018
David A. Armstrong2018-present

Academics

St. Thomas University offers 23 undergraduate majors, 24 graduate majors, four doctoral programs, and one professional law program through its four colleges and schools: [10]

St. Thomas University is a member of the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities, [15] the Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, [16] and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. [17]

Undergraduate admissions

In 2024, St. Thomas University accepted 65.1% of undergraduate applicants, was considered to have "Extremely Easy Admission Standards" with those enrolled having an average 3.24 high school GPA and with standardized test scores of an average 860-1060 SAT score, or an average 16-21 ACT score. [18]

Rankings

U.S. News & World Report ranked St. Thomas University tied for No.331 out of 331 in the National Universities category in their 2022-23 Best Colleges ranking. [19]

Study Abroad

Study abroad opportunities offer students study abroad experiences in Croatia, India, Israel, Italy, and Spain. [20]

Student demographics

St. Thomas University demographics [21]
Ethnic Enrollment, Fall 2018Students
Hispanic48.4%
Black17.1%
White16%
International8%
Two or more races3.4%
Asian1.4%
American Indian/Alaska Native0.4%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.1%
Unknown5.3%

Campus

150-acre campus is located in Miami Gardens, Florida; minutes away from Miami's beaches, Wynwood Art District, the MiMo District, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami Downtown. The University Library also contains the Archbishop John C. Favalora Archive and Museum. [22] The museum opened in 2008.

Residential life

St. Thomas has five residence halls: Villanova Hall, Cascia Hall, Sullivan Hall, University Inn, Murphy Family Hall, and New Hall. [23]

Athletics

The St. Thomas athletic teams are called the Bobcats. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), [24] primarily competing in the Sun Conference (formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) until after the 2007–08 school year) since the 1990–91 academic year. [25] The Bobcats previously competed in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) of the NCAA Division II ranks from 1975–76 to 1986–87.

St. Thomas competes in 28 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, rugby, soccer, swimming & diving (2020), tennis, track & field and wrestling (2020); while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, bowling, cross country, flag football (2020), golf, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, softball, swimming & diving (2020), tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading, competitive dance and eSports.

Honors

Last year, 12 of its 14 athletic teams received NAIA Scholar Team honors while five of the teams competed in national tournaments. Moreover, athletes annually maintain a 3.0 overall GPA. St. Thomas University prides itself on being "Champions of Character" and has annually been sighted as a Five Star Champions of Character Institution by the NAIA. [26]

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the university include:

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Al Avila 1986Professional baseball manager [27]
Jose Baez 2001 (Law School)Attorney and author [28]
Miguel Díaz 1988Ambassador [29]
Mike Fitzpatrick 1985Politician [30]
David Gettleman 1986Professional baseball manager [31]
Dom Irrera 1972Actor and comedian [32]
Ana Navarro 1997 (Law School)Attorney and political commentator [33]
Alex Penelas 1981Politician [34]
Kiko Calero 1994-1996Professional baseball player
Vinnie Chulk 2001Professional baseball player
Nathan D.B. Connolly 1999Historian and author
Manny Díaz Jr. 1994Politician
Enrique Esteban Delgado 2015Catholic bishop
Andy Elisburg 1989Professional basketball manager
Michael Kelly 1994College athletic director
Laurent Lamothe 1999Politician
Paul Mainieri 1982College baseball coach
Pamela Silva Conde 2012Journalist and television anchor
Connie Sue Yori 1990College basketball coach
William Levy 1999-2000Actor and model
Kenny Anderson 2010Professional basketball player
Helen Lasichanh 1999-2002Fashion designer and model
Vicente Dopico Lerner 1974 & 1976Painter
Alejandra Gutierrez Oraa 2014Journalist and television anchor
Robin Harmony 2009College basketball coach
Shirley Gibson 1981 & 2003Politican

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Thomas Bobcats</span> Athletic teams representing St. Thomas University

The St. Thomas Bobcats are the athletic teams that represent St. Thomas University, located in Miami Gardens, Florida, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Sun Conference since the 1990–91 academic year. The Bobcats previously competed in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) of the NCAA Division II ranks from 1975–76 to 1986–87.

References

  1. ↑ ACCU Member Institutions Archived March 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ As of June 30, 2022. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY21 to FY22 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  3. ↑ "About STU". St Thomas University. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Accreditation". St Thomas University. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Miami Dolphins Training Camp Locations | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Census 2000 Block Map: Opa-locka North CDP" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. - Pages 1 and 2 - Compare to the university's maps and addresses.
  7. ↑ "Campus Map". St. Thomas University. Retrieved May 12, 2020. 16401 NW 37th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33054
  8. ↑ "City of Miami Gardens: Demographics". 2009. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Inauguration". St Thomas University. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  10. ↑ "St. Thomas University > Academics". Stu.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  11. ↑ "St. Thomas University > School of Law". Stu.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  12. ↑ "St. Thomas University > Biscayne College". Stu.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  13. ↑ "St. Thomas University > Gus Machado School of Business". Stu.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  14. ↑ "St. Thomas University > School of Science, Technology and Engineering Management". Stu.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Florida Association of Colleges and Universities - Board of Directors". facuflorida.org. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  16. ↑ "NAICU Member Directory".
  17. ↑ "Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities - HACU". hacu.net. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  18. ↑ "St. Thomas University Admission Standards". collegesimply.com. CollegeSimply | U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  19. ↑ "U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges St. Thomas University". U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges. September 12, 2022.
  20. ↑ "St. Thomas University - Biscayne College - Study Abriad". stu.edu. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  21. ↑ "STU 2018-2019 Quick Facts".
  22. ↑ "Saint Thomas University: Archbishop John C. Favalora Archive & Museum". Library.stu.edu. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  23. ↑ "St. Thomas University - Students > Housing". stu.edu. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Schools". NAIA.ORG. NAIA. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Members". Thesunconference.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  26. ↑ "NAIA Scorecard Winners". NAIA.org. September 7, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  27. ↑ "South Florida's Al Avila becomes first Cuban-born GM in baseball". miamiherald. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Jose Baez: Hernandez acquittal burnishes lawyer's reputation". ABC News. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Miguel Diaz: Vatican Ambassador Background". America Magazine. May 27, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  30. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Michael G. "Michael G. Fitzpatrick". congress.gov. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Giants Hire Dave Gettleman as General Manager" . Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  32. ↑ "South Philly's big cheese: Dom Irrera "steaks" his claim in Tampa Bay". Creative Loafing: Tampa Bay. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  33. ↑ Horowitz, Jason (May 12, 2015). "Jeb Bush, Ana Navarro and the Question That May Have Been Misheard". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Life After Politics for Former Miami Mayor". Florida Trend. Retrieved May 3, 2017.

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