St. Thomas University (Florida)
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St. Thomas University is a Roman Catholic University in Miami Gardens, Florida.
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[edit] History
As a college, it was founded in 1961 as Biscayne College by the order of the Augustinian Friars. The college was accepted as a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and first accredited by the Commission on Colleges in 1968. Through continued growth and development, Biscayne College earned university status in 1984 after the addition of 10 Master degree programs and the opening of the School of Law. 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.
When University status was attained, the name of the institution was changed to St. Thomas University to reflect its Cuban heritage. The University traces its roots to the Universidad de Santo Tomas de Villanueva, founded in 1946 in Havana, Cuba, by American Augustinians with assistance from European Augustinians. When the Castro government expelled the Augustinians from Cuba in 1961, several of the American Augustinians came to Miami where they founded Biscayne College. Given their experience in Cuba, the University’s founders, and specifically its first president, who was vice rector of Villanueva, were intimately familiar with teaching students from different backgrounds.
[edit] Modern status
The St. Thomas University School of Law is one of only two accredited Catholic law schools south of Georgetown University’s School of Law in Washington, DC. The School of Law at St. Thomas was fully accredited by the American Bar Association in February 1995, and offers the Juris Doctor degree (J.D.) as well as the Masters of Law (LL.M).
St. Thomas has given its graduates the confidence and skills necessary for success in a variety of fields. Among notable graduates are: Alex Penelas, the former Mayor of Miami-Dade County; Andy Elisburg, Vice President of Operations for the Miami Heat; Christina Fernandez, Chief Marshall for the Southern Region U.S. Marshals Service; and John Dooner, CEO of Interpublic Group of Companies.
St. Thomas has an enrollment of 2,520 students - 1,171 in the traditional undergraduate program, 731 in its graduate program and 618 in the law school. Students come to St. Thomas from 42 states and nearly 50 foreign countries.
St. Thomas' Sports Administration programs was one of the first in the country. The program has produced many of the leaders in the world of sports.
[edit] Academic Structure
BISCAYNE COLLEGE +Institute for World Languages
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS +Institute for Global Entrepreneurship +Institute for Sports Administration and Hospitality/Tourism Management
SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP STUDIES +Institute for Communication, Entertainment, and Media +Institute for STU-China Executive Forum for Leadership Development
SCHOOL OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT +Institute for Applied Computer Applications and Engineering Management
SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY +Institute for Pastoral Ministries (established since 1980)
SCHOOL OF LAW (established since 1984)
St. Thomas University offers B.A., M.A., M.S., M.B.A., M.Acc., Ed.D., and Ph.d. programs through its college and various schools.
The university offers several joint degree programs and an accelerated B.A./J.D. as well.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Kiko Calero - Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics [1]
- Ivette Corredero - Runner up in Big Brother 6 hit CBS TV series. While attending, she was awarded the Susan E. Sachs Scholarship by the Atlantic-Florida Chapter of The Association for Women in Communications. The award is given to top communications students, and Corredero was its first recipient. [2]
- Mike Fitzpatrick - Former US Congressman from Pennsylvania
- Stan Van Gundy, Former Miami Heat Head Coach and head of the committee to start a college basketball program at the University
- Dom Irrera - Actor and stand-up comic
- Paul Mainieri - Head baseball coach of the LSU Tigers baseball team.
- Alex Penelas - Former mayor of Miami-Dade County, Florida. [3]
- John Zarrella - CNN Reporter
