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Saint Leo University is a private, non-profit, Roman Catholic University located in Saint Leo, Florida , near San Antonio, Florida , which is north of Tampa . Dr. Arthur F. Kirk, Jr. has been the president of the university since January 1997 . It is associated with the Holy Name Monastery ( Benedictine Sisters ; formerly known as Holy Name Priory), and Saint Leo Abbey ( Benedictine Monk s). Saint Leo's main campus is in a rural setting, but is not far from large cities such as Tampa , St. Petersburg and Orlando . It offers small class sizes taught by full-time faculty members: it employs no teaching assistants. HISTORY Saint Leo University is a Catholic, coeducational liberal arts university offering programs leading to the associate's and baccalaureate degrees and the Master of Business Administration, Master of Education and Master of Criminal Justice degrees. Chartered on June 4, 1889, Saint Leo originated when the Florida legislature authorized the Order of St. Benedict of Florida to "have and possess the right and power of conferring the usual academic and other degrees granted by any college in this State." As the first Catholic college in Florida, Saint Leo opened its doors with the dedication of its main building on September 14, 1890. In this pioneer year, Saint Leo enrolled 32 students for classes. These students engaged in the study of the basic curriculum, which included a mix of liberal arts and commercial courses leading to the Master of Accounts degree. In addition to the basic curriculum, the College periodically went though a military phase, with uniforms and required drilling, to instill discipline and order. On June 20, 1893, Saint Leo conferred the Master of Accounts degree on its first graduating class of five students. In 1920, the College was phased out as the faculty decided to focus on becoming what one longtime Benedictine called "a serious English-style prep school." A year later, in 1921, Saint Leo became accredited by the Southern Educational Association. After several name changes, the institution settled on Saint Leo College Preparatory School in 1929. It lasted until 1964. Reaching for a larger mission, Saint Leo opened again as a college in 1959. During this time, Saint Leo received a great deal of assistance from the Benedictine sisters at Holy Name Monastery, its neighboring community. Operating first on the associate's level, the College moved quickly to a four-year program and conferred its first bachelor's degree on April 23, 1967, on 51 men and 13 women. It was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools on November 29, 1967, retroactive to include the charter bachelor of arts class. In 1969, the College was reorganized when the Order of Saint Benedict of Florida transferred title and control to an independent board of trustees. Shortly after this reconstruction, Saint Leo began to broaden its purpose, which echoed its military history. In 1973, the College responded to requests from the armed services to offer degree programs on military bases. Now, Saint Leo University is one of the largest providers of higher education to military-related personnel in the United States. In December 1994, the college was granted Membership at Level III to offer the Master of Business Administration. Membership was granted retroactive to January 1, 1994. On August 24, 1999, Saint Leo's growth was once again validated with its ascension to university status. Saint Leo University now has a total enrollment of more than 12,500; 2,100 on its main campus, more than 7,600 on military bases and community colleges in five states, and more than 3,300 students in the Center for Online Learning. Among the students who have attended Saint Leo University or one of its antecedents are actors Desi Arnaz and Lee Marvin, singer Stephen Stills, major league pitchers Red Barrett, Bob Tewksbury and Jim Corsi as well as current Blue Jays General Manager JP Ricciardi, and Nicaraguan president Anastasio Somoza Debayle. |
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