Alumni Gift Assists Biology Students

It was like Christmas in the biology laboratory of the main campus at the end of the first week of classes, even though it was still August.

Michael Kersch, a 1960 graduate of one of the university’s predecessor institutions, Saint Leo Preparatory School, brought the holiday feel along when he arrived at Lewis Hall bearing a new, medical-school grade Leica microscope as a gift for current Saint Leo science students. The undergraduate lab assistants on hand, along with the science faculty at the event, beamed as if it was indeed Christmas, with Kersch acting as a slim Santa in a baseball cap as he unpacked the equipment and explained its background... Read More

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Call for Alumni Association Award Nominations

Each year, the Saint Leo University Alumni Association honors alumni for their outstanding achievements. A record number of alumni were nominated for awards in 2009. We invite you to nominate an outstanding alumnus/alumna for recognition in 2010.

The Awards and Recognition Committee seeks nominations for each of the following award categories... Read More

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Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies Names New Director

The Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies has named Linda Taggart as its new director. Taggart is a former board member of the center, a former member of the university’s Board of Trustees, and a continuing adjunct professor of theology and religion at the university.

Taggart reports to Father Anthony Kissel, Ph.D., who serves as associate professor of theology and religion, and chair of the department. She also works closely with the governing board of CCJS, which is legally established as a non-profit organization. This arrangement reflects the special relationship CCJS enjoys with Saint Leo. The university not only physically hosts the center with faculty office space in deChantal Hall, SLU helped launch the center as a collaborative project with the American Jewish Committee in 1998. The mission of the center is to build "mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation among Jews, Catholics and all people of good will by providing opportunities for interfaith education and dialogue."

Taggart will continue to teach and will also develop new courses reflecting the center’s mission. She noted the center also has books, films, maps, and other materials now available to faculty and staff who visit the office in deChantal Hall.

For additional information contact Jane Bracken, CCJS coordinator, at (352) 588-8597 or jane.bracken@saintleo.edu.

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Activist Speaks Out Against Modern Day Slavery

The university’s 2009-2010 Distinguished Speaker Series welcomed Nola Theiss, executive director of Human Trafficking Awarness Partnerships, Inc., on September 16. Theiss shared how her organization works to stop human trafficking, a 21st century form of human slavery, by educating members of communities to look for signs of the crime in their own neighborhoods. The lecture was well attended by students, faculty, and friends of the university.
Read more about this lecture in a recent feature story from the Tampa Tribune.

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Saint Leo Swim Coach Earns Gold Medal in Japan

Saint Leo University swimming coach Paul Mangen, in his first year in charge of the Lions, has already spread SLU Swimming across the globe as he competed in the Sanyo International Lifesaving Cup on the south coast of Japan, taking home Gold, Silver and Bronze in his three events.

The Lions’ head coach placed at the top of the medal stand in the Rescue Swim, followed by a second-place finish in the Surf Swim and concluded his competition with a Bronze in the Ocean Ironman Relay... Read More

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Students and Future Attorneys Invited to See a Law School that Helps Veterans

A "Mobile Law Office" operated by the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law visited the main campus for several hours on September 10, to build awareness of the need for legal outreach services for some of our nation’s veterans, and to demonstrate to campus students the possibilities of a legal career.

The Mobile Law Office, or Project Salute, is operated as a service project of UDM, another Catholic institution. Peter Wubbenhorst, associate professor of criminal justice and pre-law advisor to our main campus students, asked the UDM team to visit Saint Leo after encountering Project Salute at a conference... Read More

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Preview a Lasting Tribute to Our Armed Forces


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In recognition of Saint Leo University’s more than 35 years of service providing higher education opportunities to our country’s armed forces, the university asked an artist to create a sculpture that would commemorate this partnership for decades to come. Hear the sculptor, Dexter Benedict of Penn Yan, N.Y., describe the masterful piece he is bringing to completion...
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Constitution Day: Faculty Panel Discusses Health Care Reform

About 75 people, including students and community residents alike, turned out for the Constitution Day 2009 program at the main campus. The forum was devoted to the complexities of health care reform and was titled "Is Universal Health Care Constitutional?"

Several Saint Leo faculty members gave presentations drawn from their own expertise, and, in some cases, countries of origin. Hudson Reynolds, associate professor of political science, recapped 50 years of American health care reform efforts by various politicians... Read More

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Fifty alumni and friends cheered on the Chicago White Sox as they played against the Kansas City Royals September 18. The White Sox lost the game but the alumni reception was a big win for all who attended.

Prep and Holy Name Reunion
Alumni Board Meeting
Main Campus
SLU vs. University of Florida
Men's Basketball Game and Reception
Gainesville, Florida
SLU vs. University of Central Florida
Men's Basketball Game and Reception
Orlando, Florida
15th Anniversary Celebration
SLU and Santa Fe CC
Gainesville, Florida
SLU vs. American International
Men's Basketball Game and Reception
Boston, Massachusetts
Homecoming Celebration 2010
Alumni Board Meeting
Main Campus
Alumni Event
Ocala, Florida
For more information, visit the Saint Leo Alumni Page, send an e-mail to Alumni Relations, or call the Alumni Relations Office at (352) 588-8667.

Somber Reflections and Prayers
for 9/11 Victims

Saint Leo University held a memorial at the main campus to honor the lives that were lost and altered by the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Omega Delta Sigma Veterans Fraternity Beta Chapter raised and lowered the American flag at 6:30 a.m. in accordance with military protocol. Then, at four points in the morning, "Taps" was played, as is the custom with military funerals, in honor of the lives lost in the four airplane attacks. A salute was sounded marking the times of each of the plane crashes.

At the end of the day, University Ministry held an outdoor prayer service in memory of those lost. Those who attended the service were given the opportunity to read a name aloud in remembrance of a person who died on September 11 or a member of the armed forces who died in the ensuing war on terror. A Mass followed later that evening at the Saint Jude Chapel.


MBA Lunch and Learn Series: The Status of Health Care Reform, October 17

The MBA Lunch and Learn Series continues Saturday, October 17, with a panel discussion on "The Status of Health Care Reform," from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in Selby Auditorium at the main campus. Panelists will include medical doctors, health care attorneys, and members of the university’s health care program advisory board. The event is open to the public. Admission is free and lunch will be served.

For more information, contact Dr. Peter Simmons at (352) 588-7869 or peter.simmons@saintleo.edu.


Save the Date: Homecoming is April 8-11, 2010

Join fellow alumni, students, faculty, and staff for a full slate of activities during Homecoming 2010 Weekend.

We’ve planned a great fun-for-all weekend with great food, lively entertainment, sports, and––most important––your fellow classmates and friends at University Campus in Saint Leo, Florida, from April 8 through 11, 2010.

Graduates from the classes of ’05, ’00, ’95, ’90, ’85, ’80, ’75, ’70, ’65 and ’60: This is your special reunion year, so we hope you’ll join your classmates on campus.

For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (352) 588-8667 or send an e-mail to alumni@saintleo.edu.


Alumni Spotlight: Andrew Carrabis

Andrew Carrabis ’02 (pictured, right) has co-written "The Art of the Law School Transfer: A Guide to Transferring Law Schools" with Seth Haimovitch. Andrew ranked third out of 137 students on completion of his first year at Florida A&M University College of Law. He also served as an intern clerk for the Honorable Paul G. Hyman, Chief Judge with the United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Florida. He subsequently transferred to the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he served as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Technology Law & Policy, executive research editor for the Florida Journal of International Law, and executive articles editor for the Entertainment Law Review.

"The transfer process is full of quirks that a novice—any novice—will not see coming. With this book you will be prepared," Carrabis says. "It points out the difficulties and potential traps, and walks students through the transfer process."