St. Thomas University (Florida)


St. Thomas University is a private Catholic university in Opa-locka North, Miami Gardens, Florida. The university offers 23 undergraduate majors, 24 graduate majors, 4 doctoral programs, and 1 professional law program. As of 2018, the university enrolls 4,223 students, which includes 982 undergraduate students; 977 graduate students; 571 law students; and 1,693 dual enrollment students. Over the years, the University's students have represented several states across the nation, and more than 70 countries.
St. Thomas University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities. The school of law is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing and master's degree program in nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

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 of the Miami Dolphins NFL team.
Biscayne College, now known as St. Thomas University, was also the former spring training home of the Baltimore Orioles.
It was in the Opa-locka North census-designated place, in an unincorporated area, until Miami Gardens incorporated as a city on May 13, 2003.
On Wednesday, March 20, 2019, St. Thomas University formally installed David A. Armstrong, J.D. as the University's 10th president.

Presidents

Academics

STU offers 23 undergraduate majors, 24 graduate majors, 4 doctoral programs, and 1 professional law program.
St. Thomas University is a member of the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities, the Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

Study Abroad

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

Student demographics

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. The museum opened in 2008 and is open to visitors free of charge during the week and by appointment on Saturdays

Residential life

St. Thomas has four residence halls: Villanova Hall, Cascia Hall, University Inn, and Donnellon Hall.

Athletics

St. Thomas University offers athletics programs through the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and is a member of The Sun Conference. Men's teams compete in baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track & field, and wrestling ; women's teams compete in basketball, beach volleyball, cross-country, flag football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. The University also sponsors three co-ed varsity sports, co-ed competitive cheerleading, competitive dance, and eSports. 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.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the university include:
NameClass YearNotabilityReferences
Al Avila1986General Manager of the Detroit Tigers
Jose Baez2001Prominent defense attorney, and New York Times best selling author
Miguel Díaz1988Former Ambassador of the United States to the Holy See nominated by President Barack Obama
Mike Fitzpatrick1985Former U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district
David Gettleman1986General Manager of the New York Giants
Dom Irrera1972Actor and Comedian
Ana Navarro1997Lawyer, Republican strategist and political commentator for various news outlets
Alex Penelas1981Former mayor of Miami-Dade County
Rev. John T. Butler1986Vice President of mission & ministry at Boston College
Kiki Calero1994-1996Former Major League Baseball relief pitcher
Vinnie Chulk2001Former Major League Baseball relief pitcher
Nathan D.B. Connolly1999American historian, author and professor at Johns Hopkins University
Manny Diaz Jr.1994Member of the Florida Senate from the 36th district
1970Chairman Emeritus of McCann Worldgroup
Bishop Enrique Delgado2015Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Miami
1989Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations/General Manager at Miami HEAT
Laurent Lamothe1999Former Prime Minister of Haiti
Paul Mainieri1982Head Coach of the LSU Tigers baseball team
Pamela Silva Conde2012Journalist and co-anchor of Univision Network's show “Primer Impacto”
1997CEO & Founder of TouchSuite
Connie Sue Yori1990Former Head Coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers women's basketball team at the University of Nebraska
William Levy1999-2000Actor and Model
Kenny Anderson2010Retired American basketball player
Helen Lasichanh1999-2002Fashion Designer and Model
Vicente Dopico Lerner1974 & 1976Award-winning Cuban painter
Alejandra Gutierrez Oraa2014Journalist and television anchor for CNN en Español
2006Vice-President, Basketball Operations & Player Development at Toronto Raptors
Robin Harmony2009Head Coach of the College of Charleston Cougars women's basketball team
1991Immigration Judge, Houston Immigration Court, U.S. Department of Justice
1981 & 2003 of the City of Miami Gardens