# St. Thomas University (Florida)

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.
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

| President | Tenure |
| Edward J. McCarthy | 1962-1968 |
| Ralph V. Shuhler | 1968-1969 |
| John H. McDonnell | 1969-1975 |
| John J. Farrell | 1975-1980 |
| Patrick H. O'Neill | 1980-1986 |
| Pasquale di Pasquale | 1987-1988 |
| Richard E. Greene | 1989-1993 |
| Edward J. McCarthy | 1993-1994 |
| Franklyn M. Casale | 1994-2018 |
| David A. Armstrong | 2018–present |

## 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.

### Undergraduate admissions

In 2024, St. Thomas University accepted 65.1% of undergraduate applicants, was considered to have "Extremely Easy Admission Standards" with those enrolled having an average 3.24 high school GPA and with standardized test scores of an average 860-1060 SAT score, or an average 16-21 ACT score.

### Rankings

U.S. News & World Report ranked St. Thomas University tied for No.331 out of 331 in the National Universities category in their 2022-23 Best Colleges ranking.

### Study Abroad

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

### Student demographics

St. Thomas University demographics :
| Ethnic Enrollment, Fall 2018 | Students |
| Hispanic | 48.4% |
| Black | 17.1% |
| White | 16% |
| International | 8% |
| Two or more races | 3.4% |
| Asian | 1.4% |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.1% |
| Unknown | 5.3% |

## Campus

The 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.

### Residential life

St. Thomas has six 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 spring 2008) since the 1990–91 academic year; while its men's wrestling team competes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) and its eSports team competes in the Mid-South Conference (MSC). 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:
| Name | Class year | Notability |
| Al Avila | 1986 | Professional baseball manager |
| Jose Baez | 2001 (Law School) | Attorney and author |
| Miguel Díaz | 1988 | Ambassador |
| Mike Fitzpatrick | 1985 | Politician |
| David Gettleman | 1986 | Professional baseball manager |
| Dom Irrera | 1972 | Actor and comedian |
| Ana Navarro | 1997 (Law School) | Attorney and political commentator |
| Alex Penelas | 1981 | Politician |
| Kiko Calero | 1994-1996 | Professional baseball player |
| Vinnie Chulk | 2001 | Professional baseball player |
| Nathan D.B. Connolly | 1999 | Historian and author |
| Manny Díaz Jr. | 1994 | Politician |
| Enrique Esteban Delgado | 2015 | Catholic bishop |
| Andy Elisburg | 1989 | Professional basketball manager |
| Michael Kelly | 1994 | College athletic director |
| Laurent Lamothe | 1999 | Politician |
| Paul Mainieri | 1982 | College baseball coach |
| Pamela Silva Conde | 2012 | Journalist and television anchor |
| Connie Sue Yori | 1990 | College basketball coach |
| William Levy | 1999-2000 | Actor and model |
| Kenny Anderson | 2010 | Professional basketball player |
| Helen Lasichanh | 1999-2002 | Fashion designer and model |
| Vicente Dopico Lerner | 1974 & 1976 | Painter |
| Alejandra Gutierrez Oraa | 2014 | Journalist and television anchor |
| Robin Harmony | 2009 | College basketball coach |
| Shirley Gibson | 1981 & 2003 | Politician |