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.
At the start of the new academic year, Saint Leo University re-imagined its three major academic units, and each is now a college rather than a school: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Social Services, and the Donald R. Tapia College of Business. This subtle, but strategic move was made to reflect the plurality of subject areas taught within each of Saint Leo’s academic divisions, as well as the current prominence of graduate degree programs among the mix. It also positions the university for future growth. Additional colleges will be added in the coming years to reflect Saint Leo’s focus on academic excellence in teaching and learning and to make explicit particular groupings of programs and new program areas.
In May, the new Doctor of Education: School Leadership and Doctor of Criminal Justice (specializations offered in homeland security and education) degree programs were approved by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The programs quickly met enrollment goals for their first classes.
During the summer, Saint Leo University Athletics announced it will add acrobatics and tumbling to its intercollegiate athletics program in 2020. Acrobatics and tumbling, a discipline of USA Gymnastics, is the evolution of different forms of gymnastics and involves tumbling, tosses, and acrobatic lifts and pyramids. Teams participate in head-to-head competition and are scored in six events.
The Saint Leo University College of Education and Social Services recently launched the Educator Preparation Institute, a program that provides an alternate route to teacher certification for mid-career professionals and college graduates who were not education majors. After passing the general knowledge and one subject area competence exam and securing a letter of eligibility from the state, individuals can enroll in the program to prepare to take the Florida Teacher Certification Exam. The Educator Preparation Institute program is available at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. For more information, visit 
Political science major Jeanine Ramirez ’20 and social work major/American politics minor MacKenzie Jones ’19, spent two months this summer in Washington, DC, in a selective internship program. It is called the Congressional Fellows Program and admits only 35 undergraduates for the eight-week summer program. The fellows work three days a week in the offices of members of Congress. Time is also spent each week on community service and leadership development. This fellowship placement is a first among Saint Leo students.