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Saint Leo University faculty are transforming the lives of students and making significant contributions to their fields of study. Take a look at some of the most recent accomplishments from our faculty.

Dr. Daniel DuBois, assistant professor of history, is serving as the 2022-2023 president of the Florida Conference of Historians. The organization is dedicated to promoting scholarship and collegiality among historians teaching history in Florida’s colleges and universities. In February, Saint Leo University hosted the group’s 2022 annual meeting at University Campus. The conference featured panel and individual presentations on a wide variety of topics from state, national, and international history. Additionally, DuBois was recently selected as one of only 20 participants from hundreds who applied nationally for a weeklong summer workshop on teaching American Civil War history, led by Dr. Gary W. Gallagher, author and professor emeritus at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Kathryn Duncan, professor of English, is the author of Jane Austen and the Buddha: Teachers of Enlightenment, a work of literary criticism recently released by McFarland Books. Duncan was inspired by a realization that the popular English novelist Jane Austen and the religious teacher and thinker had ideas in common about human nature and happiness. Duncan became a faculty member in the English Department in 2001.

Dr. Phillip Neely Jr., director of the Doctor of Criminal Justice program, recently published a book entitled, When the Watcher Becomes the Watched: The New Policing. Released by Paramount Publisher, the book delves into how technology, such as the cameras worn by police officers, has fared at law enforcement agencies and examines if its use has been effective. Prior to becoming a faculty member at Saint Leo, Neely worked in law enforcement for 21 years, serving in progressively responsible leadership and field positions at local agencies.

Dr. Matthew Tapie, associate professor of theology and director of the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies, is co-editing a new series at The Catholic University of America Press, entitled Judaism and Catholic Theology. The Judaism and Catholic Theology series aims to further Catholic theological reflection on Judaism and the Jewish people for scholars, the lay faithful, and interreligious leaders. The first of several books in the new series was published in February 2022. Additionally, Tapie is co-editing a collection of 14 essays on the challenges of theological dialogue for the Catholic University of America Press. The essays were originally presented at the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies’ online symposium in 2021.

Gianna Russo, assistant professor of English and creative writing, recently published a new book of poetry entitled, All I See is Your Glinting: 90 Days in the Pandemic. The book features poems and photographs that document each day of the last quarter of 2020 during the pandemic, capturing the small and meaningful moments of daily life. The book is available through Madville Publishing. Russo, who was named the inaugural Wordsmith of the city of Tampa in 2020, will wrap up her work in the role at the end of 2022.

Dr. Moneque Walker-Pickett, professor of criminal justice, was selected as one of 38 American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows for the 2020-2021 class. The ACE program is the longest-running leadership development program in the United States and offers participants interactive learning opportunities and visits to campuses and other higher education-related organizations. Walker-Pickett joins other ACE fellows from institutions such as Georgetown University, Purdue University, Ohio State University, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and more.

In November, Saint Leo University served as a sponsor of Social Venture Partners (SVP) Tampa Bay’s Fast Pitch competition. At the event, leaders from eight Tampa Bay area nonprofit organizations told their organization’s story in three minutes before a panel of judges, including Dr. Mark Gesner, Saint Leo vice president of Community Engagement & Innovation, and an audience of SVP mentors and community members.

Saint Leo sponsored the People’s Choice Award, won by Florida 1.27, an organization that supports churches committed to addressing the foster care crisis among children. Saint Leo also sponsored an in-kind award that went to the Florida Holocaust Museum, which received consulting services and complementary courses from the university’s Center for Alternative Pathway Programs (CAPP).

Saint Leo University welcomed Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany Andreas Siegel to University Campus in February. The visit was part of a trip organized by the Pasco Economic Development Council to introduce the consul general to the area and explore opportunities for partnerships.

While at the university, the consul general received a tour of the campus and enjoyed
a lunch and panel discussion with Saint Leo faculty, staff, and students from Germany.

Saint Leo University and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office Florida Forensic Institute for Research, Security, and Tactics (F1RST) have joined forces to fight human trafficking regionally, with a concentration on three counties near University Campus.

The two organizations have helped form the Mel Greene Institute to Combat Human Trafficking, which is named for the late Spring Hill, FL, resident and philanthropist Melvin T. “Mel” Greene. Greene passed away in 2020 at the age of 92 after a life spent helping others in his adopted state of Florida, and beyond. Friends and associates decided that directing some grant resources to this new venture would be a fitting way to carry on his legacy.

Dr. Karin May, assistant professor of criminal justice, is directing the university’s involvement and public-facing programs. “Human trafficking has continued to be a horrible crime that is present within Florida, as well as within national and international borders,” May said.

“But those of us in criminal justice and public safety administration have seen that concentrated attention does help raise awareness of the dangers involved and the means that criminals use to trap children and adults,” May added. “It makes sense for us to focus regionally on Hernando, Citrus, and Pasco counties to heighten and maintain that level of awareness among the public. We are also delivering new learning to college students who are interested in public safety careers and to current law enforcement practitioners who want and need updated material about detection and prosecution of criminals.”

Saint Leo University’s Social Justice Committee hosted its first Saint Leo Run Toward Justice 5K on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 17), with the goal of benefiting local organizations that promote social justice initiatives throughout the community. This year, the proceeds from registration fees went to the Migrant Education Program (MEP), which provides services to migrant students and their families through Hillsborough County (FL) Public Schools.

Saint Leo staff member Toni Winn participates by walking Hardy Trail in Dade City, FL.

Because of COVID-19 safety protocols, the event was virtual this year, but the Social Justice Committee hopes to make this an annual event. In addition, the Social Justice Committee held a supply drive in the fall to benefit the Migrant Education Program. School and cleaning supplies and personal care items were collected at the university to be donated to the MEP.

Participants were able to complete the 5K any day between January 1, and January 21, 2022, and they could run, walk, or use any mobility assistance device to complete 3.1 miles. The first Saint Leo Run Toward Justice 5K had 80 participants and raised $2,480 for the MEP.

“We are very excited to be able to support the Migrant Education Program with a monetary donation as well as all the supplies we collected during November and December,” said Heather Johnson, assistant director of program approval for the College of Education and Social Services, who also was one of the event organizers.

Saint Leo’s Social Justice Committee is comprised of students, faculty, and staff who
are working to explore issues of racism and move the university forward with honest conversations and initiatives.


Social Justice Matters at Saint Leo

To learn more, visit www.saintleo.edu/social-justice-matters.

Saint Leo hosted a kickoff event in January at University Campus for Homes For Our Troops (HFOT), a nonprofit organization dedicated to “building houses and rebuilding lives” for the country’s severely injured post-9/11 veterans.

HFOT builds single-level homes that are equipped with more than 40 special adaptations to assist injured veterans. These include widened doorways, lowered countertops, roll-under cooktops and sinks, and roll-in showers, all designed for wheelchair accessibility. The organization builds homes and provides assistance after delivery of the home to help rebuild the person’s life.

The organization is building a home in San Antonio, FL, for Michael Monthervil, a retired U.S. Army specialist who was wounded in 2014 in a training exercise while deployed
in Afghanistan.

In the coming months, the Saint Leo University community will have more opportunities to support Monthervil as his home is built.

Saint Leo’s sporting clays team and coaches.

Saint Leo’s Sporting Clays Team competed in the ACUI Collegiate National Championships March 19-26, at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, Texas. The ACUI Clay Targets program was established in 1968 and is the oldest collegiate shotgun sports program. The team is coached by Mike D’Ambrosio with Richard Bon
as the assistant coach.

Daniel Konesky, a criminal justice-homeland security major, is nationally ranked, and in 2021, he placed fifth in the high school division of the American Trap Team National Championship.

Elizabeth Harper takes aim during a practice session at Tampa Bay Sporting Clays.

Recent graduate Scott Schludt also is one of the team’s top shooters, having been named to the All-American Kreigoff team, the Junior Olympic team, and earning first in class in the FITASC 12-guage contest at the National Sporting Clays Association national championship in 2021. He is majoring in marketing.

Rounding out the team are Kacyn Hartley, an education major, who placed first on February 16 in the Fourth Annual BAMA Clay Shoot for Veteran’s Education; Nicholas Fiore, a criminal justice major; Elizabeth Harper, a marketing major; Isaac Standridge, a communications major; and Rylee Standridge, a criminal justice major.

Tampa Education Center Director Rod Kirkwood presents the stuffed animals to members of the Tampa Police Department.
Nearly 250 stuffed animals were collected.

Some cuddly teddy bears and other stuffed animals will join the Tampa Police Department (TPD) thanks to Saint Leo University. On December 16, at the university’s Tampa Education Center, Interim TPD Chief Ruben Delgado, Assistant Chief Lee Bercaw ’21, members of the department’s new Behavioral Health Unit, and other TPD members, received nearly 250 stuffed animals.

Spearheaded by the university’s Tampa Education Center and supported by the Student Government Union and East Pasco Education Center, Teddy Bears for TPD collected the stuffed animals from November 9 through December 13 at the university’s Tampa location and at its residential campus in Pasco County.

Kirkwood sends off the stuffed animals with Tampa Police Department Assistant Chief Lee Bercaw and Interim Chief Ruben Delgado.

The new Behavioral Health Unit, along with the Major Crimes, Sex Crimes,
and Domestic Violence units, will now have teddy bears and stuffed animals in their vehicles that they can give to provide comfort to children in stressful situations, Bercaw said.

Law enforcement officers often encounter children on the scene of a crime, accident, or other situation. “When police arrive on scene, they’re the first people to see children in a traumatic situation,” Delgado said. “Giving them a teddy bear or a stuffed animal helps calm them. It really makes a difference.”

The university earned honors in five categories for providing the best online bachelor’s and master’s programs in the United States, according to the 2022 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Programs edition, released in January.

The university received honors in the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs in Psychology (36th); Best Online Bachelor’s Programs (tied for 101st); Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans (ranked 84th); and Best Online Bachelor’s Programs in Business (tied for 98th) categories. In addition, Saint Leo was named one of the Best Online Master’s in Computer Information Technology Programs (tied for the 65th-85th rankings).

“We are proud of how Saint Leo University ranked this year, especially the first-time recognition of our undergraduate psychology program and our master’s in computer information technology program,” said Dr. Mary Spoto, vice president of Academic Affairs.

As part of its strategic plan, Saint Leo University focused on assisting adult learners through a “first-term experience” pilot program and in fall 2020, created the Iota chapter of Omega Nu Lambda, the national honor society for online students, which provided students with more opportunities to connect and network.

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Saint Leo University faculty and staff demonstrated a commitment to our community in a variety of ways—from facilitating free educational webinars to help small business owners and first responders to offering complimentary, on-demand courses designed to help individuals relieve stress.

When news about the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine surfaced, Saint Leo University stepped up in another way by offering to serve as a vaccine distribution site for the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County. Since January, more than 25,000 members of the public have passed through University Campus to receive the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine.

In April, the university was fortunate to offer its own vaccine clinic event for members of the university community. Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and their household members were able to come to University Campus and receive a vaccine through a drive-thru event.

Jessica Van Guilder ’12, ’15 was among the alumni who received a vaccine at University Campus. She lives in close-by Land O’ Lakes, FL, and still keeps in touch with fellow alumni and staff at the university.

“I decided it was one of the best chances for me to get the vaccine early,” she said.

Elissa Noblitt, who graduated from the university in 2020, also came to University Campus from Orlando to get a vaccine. “I drove down because I trusted Saint Leo, and I knew that the university would run the operation well,” Noblitt said.

With more than one-third of its student population being affiliated with the military, Saint Leo University claimed top honors among private, not-for-profit universities as well as No. 1 in the Southeast in Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges 2021, which was released in June. Among the 300 participating universities, Saint Leo ranked 11th in the nation in the Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges 2021.

In August, U.S. Veterans Magazine (USVM) named Saint Leo University as one of the nation’s Best of the Best 2021 Top Veteran-Friendly Schools. Saint Leo was included in the fall issue of U.S. Veterans Magazine.

These rankings recognize the university’s commitment to educating military personnel, veterans, and their families wherever they may be—even if they are deployed.

 “At Saint Leo, I found an environment that was encouraging and motivating,” said Stephen Koehn, ’20. “They [faculty and staff] understood the importance of my transition from soldier to student. My academic success was their No. 1 priority.”

Saint Leo University unveiled its newest amenity, a 12-station Esports Arena, in March, in Apartment Building 5 at University Campus. The arena serves as the home to the university’s new esports team, and when not in use by the team, other students may use the state-of-the-art gaming stations.

Esports is one of the most rapidly growing sports and is on track to surpass $1 billion in revenue this year, according to Business Insider’s Esports Ecosystem Report 2021.

Saint Leo’s esports team is a school-sponsored and funded club sport that fields competitive teams in League of Legends, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate games. People worldwide can access the Lions’ play via Twitch while others can watch via TVs in Building 5’s lobby.


Esports at Saint Leo

To learn more about Saint Leo’s esports team and the Esport Arena, visit saintleo.edu/esports

The oldest Catholic university in Florida is now calling a historic West Tampa cigar factory home for its Tampa operations. Saint Leo University in October 2020 relocated its Tampa Education Center to the building formerly known as the Berriman-Morgan Cigar Factory. 

Built in 1903, the fully renovated building is iconic to West Tampa and is conveniently located off Interstate 275. Saint Leo University’s Tampa location offers 32,000 square feet across four floors. The basement and first floor are home to the Tampa Education Center; the second floor houses the Center for Online Learning Student Advising, Student Financial Services, and executive offices; and the third floor is home to the Center for Online Learning enrollment team.

Look for the Saint Leo University water tower, which you can see from I-275!

Hungry Lion Food Truck

Montserrat Molina ’21 samples food at the “soft opening” of the Hungry Lion in February.

Saint Leo University is taking Dining Services on the road. The university officially opened its food truck, The Hungry Lion, in February at University Campus.

The Hungry Lion will provide fresh, delicious food “on the go’” in a variety of locations, both on- and off-campus. Simultaneously, the pictures displayed on the 34-foot truck give community members a peek at the campus.

Items on The Hungry Lion’s menu include steak, turkey, or black bean burgers; pizzas; melts; grinders; hand-cut chips dusted with cheese; and rosemary garlic butter Tuscan fries. The menu changes seasonally said Dining Services Director and Executive Chef Justin Bush.

The truck is busy serving those on campus, and it will travel in the future for community and university events.

Saint Leo University is a world champion! The Odyssey of the Mind team, in its first year of competition, claimed first place and was Division 4 champion in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals. Coached by the Tapia College of Business’ Dr. Sheri Bias, the team competed virtually April 30-May 29. 

Many people are familiar with the Odyssey of the Mind competition at the grade- and high-school levels. But Odyssey of the Mind also features Division IV – Collegiate & Military. The “world’s greatest problem-solving program” was established in 1978, and allows students to participate in projects that require teamwork and imaginative problem-solving.

Saint Leo’s world champion team included six then-students from Virginia: Justin Bias, Colby Baker, Zach Register, Ingrid Steinhau, Jim Bias, and Lori Steinhau, and coach Sheri Bias.

Saint Leo competed against teams from around the world, including China, Poland, and Russia in addition to the United States. 

The Guilamo family including dad Harold, new student Katelyn, mom Gloria, and brother Joshua, of Bradenton, FL, take a break during move-in day at Saint Leo on August 28.

The university welcomed its largest number of new students for the Fall 2021 Semester at Saint Leo’s residential campus in Pasco County, FL. 

This year, more than 1,100 new campus students joined the Saint Leo community, a number that surpasses the size of the Fall 2019 and Fall 2020 classes, previously the largest and second-largest in the institution’s 132-year history. The number of new students (undergraduate and graduate combined) at University Campus has steadily increased, with a drop in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new Lions were selected from 11,977 applicants, the largest application pool in Saint Leo’s history. This year’s applications rose 81 percent over the previous year and can be attributed to new academic programs, the D2R Program, the Tuition Advantage Program as well as the Catholic Promise Scholarship and other new financial aid programs. 

And there is a lot of international flavor on campus this year, as Saint Leo welcomed its largest international class with new students from 50 countries. 

Of the new students at University Campus, 59 percent are from Florida; 16 percent are from out of state; and 25 percent are from international countries. 

“I’m excited for new experiences, beginning my education, and working toward my goals,” said Katelyn Guilamo as she moved in to her residence hall on August 28. A freshman, Guilamo is majoring in early childhood education. She chose Saint Leo University because, “I like the environment and the smaller classes. You get more one-on-one attention.”

Her mother, Gloria Guilamo said she was feeling a little anxious about Katelyn moving away. “But she’s got the wings, and I’m letting her fly,” Gloria Guilamo said. “This is for her education
and for her future.”

Saint Leo reaches 100,000 alumni

In spring 2021, Saint Leo University hit an important milestone—the university is now officially home to more than 100,000 living alumni. While Saint Leo has changed over the years—from its days as Saint Leo College Preparatory School and Holy Name Academy, followed by Saint Leo College—its commitment to providing students from all walks of life with a quality values-based education remains.

To commemorate this milestone, more than 400 Saint Leo University alumni contributed photographs to be part of this mosaic image, representing our growing network of alumni. The image features a Benedictine cross found on the exterior of Saint Francis Hall at University Campus.

Largest Graduating Classes

  • Class of 2009
  • Class of 2013
  • Class of 2014

Smallest Graduating Classes

  • Class of 1926
  • Class of 1930
  • Class of 1933

Top States of Residence for Alumni

  • Florida
  • Virginia
  • Georgia
  • Texas
  • North Carolina
  • South Carolina
  • California
  • Maryland
  • New York
  • New Jersey

Alumni by Age

  • 18-24: 1,333
  • 25-34: 12,088
  • 35-44: 20,175
  • 45-54: 23,247
  • 55-64: 22,697
  • 65 and older: 18,551
  • Undetermined: 2,676

Alumni Degrees 

  • Undergraduate: 87,881
  • Graduate: 17,009