Saint Leo University’s President Arthur F. Kirk, Jr.

The half-hour interview, held last August, focused on Saint Leo University’s financial turnaround, today’s economy, and the business aspects of the higher education industry. Viewers also learned about Dr. Kirk’s turnaround successes at his two previous institutions.

Dr. Kirk brought a portfolio of 18 years of experience to Saint Leo University. He led colleges in the past through transformational change and has done the same for Saint Leo University for the past 11 years. He’s worked diligently towards achieving the vision of Saint Leo University as a leading Catholic teaching university of international merit. Through his expertise, Saint Leo University’s enrollment has more than doubled.

To get an idea about the extent of Dr. Kirk’s involvement in Saint Leo University’s substantial growth, just look at MSN’s article “College students screaming for stress relief.” The article discussed how Dr. Kirk participated in the “midnight breakfast” attended by hundreds of Saint Leo University students, just one of many events hosted to bolster the student body. “The president putting eggs on your plate is very different than what they expect me to be doing,” he said in the article. In many ways like this, Dr. Kirk lays the foundation of educational success at Saint Leo University. He has a genuine love for the students and the university.

If you missed the television program, it is still available to watch online.

Saint Leo University proudly supports U.S. military veterans and active-duty members of our nation’s armed forces.

Around this time every year, new Saint Leo University graduates celebrate their academic achievements and the rewarding educational experiences they enjoyed at Saint Leo.  Learn more about Saint Leo University program in this video.

Graduates of Saint Leo University praise the M.B.A. program for:

• Flexibility.  Students can choose to attend class on campus, online, or through a hybrid learning experience that combines the two.
• Convenience.  Students who travel due to their profession, are overseas on duty, or are not able to attend classes at a campus can complete their degree from any location.
• Responsiveness.  If a student has a question, no matter what time or topic, it is answered within several hours.
• Acceleration.  If a student wants to pursue his or her M.B.A. degree more quickly than in a typical campus-based program, he or she can participate in accelerated learning and potentially complete the M.B.A. degree requirements within a year.

“In the military, we’re like soldiers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When mission calls, our primary focus is to take care of the mission—and so, having the opportunity to do college online was definitely a benefit for me.” – Cedric Jackson, Master of Business Administration, Information Security Management

As You Were: To War and Back with the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard

A new non-fiction book by a Washington Post military affairs reporter prominently features one of our alumni, Ray Johnson, a retired chief warrant officer and pilot with the Virginia Army National Guard. The book, As You Were: To War and Back with the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard, was written by Christian Davenport, who was embedded with the unit. According to Ray, the book covers the story of five soldiers who were or are still in the National Guard and how their lives are disrupted when they are called up to serve, time and again, and then try and return to their families and civilian jobs.” In this case, the regiment was called in 2006 for a year-long tour of duty in Iraq. Ray, a Vietnam Vet, was 58 when the call came for the Iraq deployment. Both Ray (‘80) and his wife praise the book, and were glad to hear the responses of friends who read it: “a lot of my friends and co-workers said the book is great, and they did not realize the sacrifices our citizen soldiers have to make, even if it is for a short time.”

ABC News also reported on the book, the author, Ray, and some of the other guard members in a segment produced for Memorial Day. It is still available for viewing by clicking here.

Homecoming 2009

The threat of rain didn’t dampen the spirits of alumni and friends who traveled to the main campus for the Homecoming 2009 celebration at the end of March. Alumni came from across the country to socialize, network, and show their support for the Alumni Association Award recipients. A record number of alumni were nominated and selected to receive these awards.

Homecoming highlights included a student production of Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love, a luncheon hosted by our international students, the Friday night tailgate party and baseball game, special reunion lunches on Saturday afternoon, and the Alumni Dinner Dance and Awards Ceremony on Saturday evening. Alumni reunited to play volleyball, soccer, and softball. Kappa Alpha Sigma fraternity dedicated a new plaque honoring brothers who have passed, and Delta Phi Delta enjoyed their freshly painted park bench.

Plans are already under way for next year’s Homecoming event, so if your class year ends in a 0 or a 5 you can start making plans for your milestone reunion in 2010.