Alumni Awards 2011-2012   Monks Remember Fr. Marion Bowman and a special tree   Save the Date: Alumni Weekend 2012   Gainesville Community Service Leads to Internship Opportunities   Two Tampa Events a Big Hit   Gainesville Center Expands   Alumni Spotlight: Meet Your Alumni - Mike Stanfield '87   Upcoming Saint Leo Events in Virginia   Get a Discount and Support the Alumni Association   Get Your Lions Gear   New Mascot Bursts onto the Scene   Get Your Saint Leo Florida License Plate   Share Your Success Stories with Us!   Update Your Information       Alumni Awards 2011-2012 Each year, the Saint Leo University Alumni Association honors graduates for their outstanding achievements. You have the opportunity to identify qualified candidates from among the thousands of alumni of Saint Leo University, Saint Leo College, Saint Leo College Preparatory School, and Holy Name Academy. Nominations for 2012 award winners are being accepted through October 10, 2011. For brief explanations of each award category and the online nomination form visit www.saintleo.edu/AlumniAwards. » Back to Top «     Monks Remember Fr. Marion Bowman and a special tree Recently, two Benedictine monks from the Order of Saint Benedict at Saint Leo Abbey recalled the history of a slash pine tree that was felled to make room for the new building housing the Donald R. Tapia School of Business at the main campus. Keeping in mind SLU's core value of responsible stewardship, the tree was milled and integrated into the new building's lobby ceiling and used for a baptismal font for the Saint Jude Chapel on the main campus. Watch a short video featuring Fathers James Hoge and Damian DuQuesnay remembering the pine tree and Fr. Marion Bowman who is believed to have planted the tree as a young man nearly 90 years ago. » Back to Top «     Save The Date: Alumni Weekend 2012 Make plans to return to University Campus and celebrate Alumni Weekend 2012 on March 1-4, 2012. The event will coincide with our on-campus Spring Fling, and there will be activities and events for the whole family. Alumni from Saint Leo's main campus, regional education centers, and the Center for Online Learning are invited to gather at the main campus for all of the weekend's festivities, which will open with Thursday night's Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The first week of March is a busy time of season for local hotels, so be sure to book your accommodations early! A list of preferred hotels is available at www.saintleo.edu/alumniweekend2012. If you have a special reunion group and want to plan something on campus, please let the Office of Alumni Relations know. Call (352) 588-8667 or send an e-mail to alumni.relations@saintleo.edu. » Back to Top «     Gainesville Community Service Leads to Internship Opportunities The Saint Leo University Gainesville Center recently participated in a “Back to School Drive” in partnership with Children’s Home Society.  Staff at the center worked to gather needed supplies in August so that the children would have them prior to the start of school. The team gathered 100 backpacks including various supplies for children in need in the local community. As a result of Saint Leo’s donation, the Children’s Home Society was able to reach their goal of collecting 400 backpacks! Working with the Children’s Home Society opened the door for the Gainesville Center to establish internship opportunities for Saint Leo students in various programs including Human Services and Social Work:  three in adoption services, four in the society’s family visitation center, and one in the development office. » Back to Top «     Alumni Spotlight: Meet Your Alumni – Mike Stanfield '87 Mike Stanfield ’87 is in his twelfth season with the New Orleans Saints as the vice president of ticket and suite sales. The journey to becoming an integral part of the Super Bowl Champion Saints began in Warren, New Jersey. Mike has always been involved in sports—in every aspect from participating as a player to promoting the games. Around the age of 7, Mike remembers going with his dad to the first of many games at Yankee Stadium. At that young age Mike recalls the awe of the game, the players, and the atmosphere surrounding Major League Baseball. Playing ball combined with a drive to earn money in the sports business started early with Mike.  Read more. » Back to Top «     Get a Discount and Support the Alumni Association Did you know you can save money on insurance and support the Saint Leo Alumni Association through our affinity partnership with GEICO? Saint Leo alumni have the opportunity to receive exclusive savings, in addition to GEICO's already great rates! Alumni in many states are eligible for a discount on their car insurance when they insure with GEICO. Make sure to mention your group affiliation when you call GEICO at (800) 368-2734 for your free rate quote, or, visit GEICO Online. More affinity partnerships will be available soon so that you may support the Saint Leo Alumni Association while receiving great benefits from our partners. » Back to Top «     New Mascot Bursts onto the Scene The Student Services Division and Student Government Union orchestrated the debut of an updated university mascot Wednesday, August 24, outside the Student Activities Building. Fritz emerged from a wooden delivery crate to greet a lunchtime crowd, including President Arthur F. Kirk, Jr. For video footage of the event and more on the story behind the name Fritz, visit www.saintleo.edu/Fritz. » Back to Top «     Share Your Success Stories with Us! The value of a Saint Leo degree continues to grow as alumni support one another. The Office of Alumni Relations wants to hear your success stories of making connections, networking with individuals in your field, and being more successful in your career. Share your experience mentoring a student or hiring a fellow alumnus/a. If you were hired by a fellow Saint Leo alumnus/a let us know today! Please send your success stories to the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni.relations@saintleo.edu so we can highlight the connections available to all Saint Leo alumni and show the value of a Saint Leo degree in the job market. » Back to Top « Students at the main campus remembered the victims of the 9-11 terror attacks at a peer-minister led prayer service with songs, a reading, the distribution of yellow ribbons, and the creation of a homemade American flag with handprints on construction paper. Volleyball Alumni Weekend Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, FL Julia Haslett Documentary Filmmaker Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, FL Criminal Justice Seminar Virginia Beach, VA Community Open House School of Business Building Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, FL Dade City First Thursday Alumni, student, faculty, & staff event Dade City, FL Strategic HR Seminar Hampton, VA A Night at the Aquarium Alumni, student, faculty, & staff event Virginia Aquarium, Virginia Beach, VA Alumni Board Meeting School of Business Dedication Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, FL Lions Fore Lions Golf Outing Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club Saint Leo, FL Fall Family Weekend Alumni, student, & parent event Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, FL Prep & Holy Name Reunion October 28 - 30 weekend Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, FL Janisse Ray Author and Environmentalist Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, FL Alumni Weekend 2012 Alumni, student, faculty, & staff event Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, FL Addiction and Sobriety with Sherry Gaba Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, FL For more information, visit the Saint Leo Alumni Events Page, send an e-mail to Alumni Relations, or call the Alumni Relations Office at (352) 588-8667. Connect with Alumni on Social Networks   Two Tampa Events a Big Hit The Saint Leo University Alumni Association held a pair of events in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area during the last two weeks of August, drawing over 150 alumni and friends of the university for each event. Read the full story.   Gainesville Center Expands Saint Leo University has expanded the university's presence in Gainesville, FL, with an additional teaching location, the acquisition of new technology for education majors and other disciplines, and the introduction of coursework locally for the Bachelor of Social Work degree. All the improvements were put into place for the semester beginning at the end of August. Read the full story   Upcoming Saint Leo Events in Virginia Saint Leo University is offering a number of great events for our Virginia alumni, students, faculty, and staff in the coming weeks, culminating with the second annual community event at the Virginia Aquarium on Saturday, October 8. Read more.   Get Your Lions Gear The Saint Leo University Bookstore offers a wide variety of items, including Lions' apparel, gifts, accessories and more. Visit the bookstore online today. Your Saint Leo University Bookstore manager is Maureen Tarpey. Phone:  (352) 588-8344 Phone:  (352) 588-8341 Fax: (352) 588-8996 E-mail: saintleo@bkstr.com   Get Your Saint Leo Florida License Plate Attention Saint Leo alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends in Florida! Support the Saint Leo Alumni Association and ride with Pride with your FREE Saint Leo University license plate. The Lions' Pride license plate program is open to all Florida residents and allows you to replace your current Florida license plate with the specialty Saint Leo plate for free. For more information or to print the required forms, visit www.saintleo.edu/licenseplate.   Update Your Information Please be sure to contact us if you have moved, changed your e-mail address, received a promotion, or changed jobs. We want to keep you up-to-date on the latest news, and to make sure you continue to receive Spirit magazine and other alumni benefits. E-mail your updated information to alumni.relations@saintleo.edu or call us at (352) 588-8667. We love to hear from you!