University Chronicles
LION’S ROAR
Exciting things are happening at Saint Leo University. Here’s a top-fi ve list of recent developments you may be
interested to know:
At the start of the new academic year, Saint Leo University reimagined 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 refl ect 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 refl ect Saint Leo’s focus on academic excellence
in teaching and learning and to make explicit particular groupings of programs and new program areas.
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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 certifi cation 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 Certifi cation
Exam. The Educator Preparation Institute
program is available at both the undergraduate
and graduate levels. For more information, visit
saintleo.edu/educator-preparation-institute.
28 FALL 18 Spirit Magazine
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 diff erent 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.
In May, the new Doctor of Education: School Leadership
and Doctor of Criminal Justice (specializations
off ered 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 fi rst classes.
Political science major Jeanine Ramirez ’20
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 offi ces of
members of Congress. Time is also spent
each week on community service and leadership
development. This fellowship placement
is a fi rst among Saint Leo students.
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/educator-preparation-institute