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St. Thomas University

Former names	Biscayne College (1961–1984)
Motto	"Leaders for Life"
Type	Private university
Established	1961; 63 years ago (1961)
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami
Academic affiliations	ACCU NAICU CIC ICUF
Endowment	$34.4 million (2022)
President	David A. Armstrong
Students	5,922
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. Over the years, the university's students have represented 45 states across the nation, and more than 70 countries.

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

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. 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, until Miami Gardens incorporated as a city on May 13, 2003.

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

Presidents

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:

• Benjamin L. Crump College of Law
• Biscayne College of Social and Human Sciences
• Gus Machado School of Business
• School of Science, Technology and Health

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.

Rankings

U.S. News & World Report ranked St. Thomas University tied for 331 out of 331 in the National Universities category in their 2022-23 Best Colleges ranking.

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 five residence halls: Villanova Hall, Cascia Hall, Sullivan Hall, University Inn, Murphy Family Hall, and New Hall.

Athletics

The St. Thomas athletic teams are called the Bobcats. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), 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. 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.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the university include:

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 - Biscayne College - Study Abriad". stu.edu. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
19. "U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges St. Thomas University". U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges. September 12, 2022.
20. "STU 2018-2019 Quick Facts".
21. "Saint Thomas University: Archbishop John C. Favalora Archive & Museum". Library.stu.edu. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
22. "St. Thomas University - Students > Housing". stu.edu. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
23. "Schools". NAIA.ORG. NAIA. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
24. "Members". Thesunconference.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
25. "NAIA Scorecard Winners". NAIA.org. September 7, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
26. "South Florida's Al Avila becomes first Cuban-born GM in baseball". miamiherald. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
27. "Jose Baez: Hernandez acquittal burnishes lawyer's reputation". ABC News. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
28. "Miguel Diaz: Vatican Ambassador Background". America Magazine. May 27, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
29. Fitzpatrick, Michael G. "Michael G. Fitzpatrick". congress.gov. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
30. "Giants Hire Dave Gettleman as General Manager". Retrieved May 3, 2017.
31. "South Philly's big cheese: Dom Irrera "steaks" his claim in Tampa Bay". Creative Loafing: Tampa Bay. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
32. 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.
33. "Life After Politics for Former Miami Mayor". Florida Trend. Retrieved May 3, 2017.

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website

v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishops	Coleman Carroll Edward Anthony McCarthy John Favalora Thomas Wenski
Auxiliary bishops	Norbert Dorsey Felipe Estévez Gilberto Fernandez John Fitzpatrick René Gracida John Nevins John Noonan Agustin Roman Thomas Wenski Peter Baldacchino Enrique Esteban Delgado
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of Saint Mary, Miami Parishes Church of the Little Flower, Coral Gables Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea, Key West St. Dominic Church, Miami Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Miami St. Patrick Catholic Church, Miami Beach Saint Edward Catholic Church, Pembroke Pines
Education	Higher education Barry University St. Thomas University Seminary St. John Vianney College Seminary High schools Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High School, The Hammocks Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School, Southwest Ranches Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Miami Cardinal Gibbons High School, Fort Lauderdale Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Miami Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School, Hollywood Christopher Columbus High School, Westchester Immaculata-LaSalle High School, Miami Monsignor Edward Pace High School, Miami Gardens Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, Miami-Dade County St. Brendan High School, Westchester St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Fort Lauderdale Closed Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School, Miami Grade schools St. Anthony School, Fort Lauderdale St. Theresa School, Coral Gables Saint Mary's Cathedral School, Miami St. Patrick Catholic School, Miami Beach
Priests	Ambrose Battista De Paoli Fernando Isern Robert Nugent Lynch
Miscellany	Academy of the Assumption Catholic Health Services Florida Catholic
Florida portal Catholicism portal

25°55′12″N 80°15′21″W / 25.9199°N 80.2559°W / 25.9199; -80.2559

• St. Thomas University (Florida)
• 1961 establishments in Florida
• Universities and colleges established in 1961
• Miami Gardens, Florida
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami
• Catholic universities and colleges in Florida
• Universities and colleges in Miami-Dade County, Florida