Stu the Bobcat Shows Off Athletic Prowess During Miami’s Mascot Madness Race

Stu grandstanding during pre-race introductions

April is Miami Sports & Wellness Month, so if you’ve been thinking of getting active this is the month to do it! To help kick off the Greater Miami Convention & Visitor’s Bureau (GMCVB) 3rd Annual Miami Sports & Wellness Month, St. Thomas University mascot Stu participated in its Miami Mascot Madness Kick Off Race.

Stu was among several of South Florida’s professional and collegiate sports mascots racing to the finish line – Billy the Marlin of the Miami Marlins; Bucky the Buccaneer of Barry University; Roary the Panther of Florida International University; Sebastian the Ibis of the University of Miami; TD of the Miami Dolphins; The Florida Memorial University Lion; Burnie of the Miami Heat; and Obie of the Orange Bowl.

The mascots began their 100-yard dash, bright and early at Museum Park under the relentless Miami sun. This wasn’t your conventional running race: Obie took a head start, Sebastian tried to tackle Stu, Stu lost one of his shoes, they were cartwheeling, tumbling, pirouetting, skipping, and of course running to the finish line.

Stu taking down Sebastian

In the end, everyone finished strong. The top three finishers won a donation to their team’s favorite charity. First place went to TD, who raced on behalf of the Miami Dolphins Foundation. Second place went to Obie, who was representing the Orange Bowl Youth Leadership Academy. And third place went to Sebastian, who raced on behalf of the United Way of Miami-Dade. Stu came in fifth with a finish time of 39 seconds.

Additionally, the GMCVB hosted a press conference to announce new and exciting running trails located throughout Miami.

Frankie Ruiz, chief running officer and co-founder of the Miami Marathon, invited everyone to get active this month.

“Miami has become a running destination with routes for everyone – walkers, runners, rollerbladers – everyone,” Ruiz said. “Being active, and participating in sporting events give our community personality and it connects you to your neighborhood and city. I invite you to get out there and walk, run, hop!”

Throughout the month of April locals and visitors can enjoy special discounts to great recreational activities including golf, tennis, bicycling, running, water sports and more throughout greater miami and the beaches.

Visit www.MiamiSportsMonth.com and you'll find 30 days of special sports and wellness deals.

For more photos of Stu and the other mascots, click here.

STU Provost Earns SFHCC Education Leadership Award

Dr. Irma Becerra

St. Thomas University Provost Dr. Irma Becerra, was honored today for her service and dedication to the field of higher education presented by the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SFHCC).

Becerra, who was honored with the Leadership in Education Award, was among several influential Hispanic South Florida leaders being honored in different categories during SFHCC’s Hispanic Leadership Awards.

“Dr. Becerra has a long track record of creating opportunities for Hispanic students, helping them to thrive and excel,” said Msgr. Franklyn Casale, president of STU. The STU community is very proud to have her.”

Becerra, a national leader in higher education, took the academic helm at STU in October 2014, as Provost and Chief Academic Officer. Since arriving at STU, she has worked on strengthening the university’s position as the leading Catholic university in the Southeast, and identifying opportunities for growth in burgeoning academic fields. She has a broad educational background that spans the fields of engineering, information technology and business, is a role model for women in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields.

Prior to her employment in academia, she was an engineer at Florida Power and Light.

STU Ranked Top 50 Most Affordable Small Catholic Colleges 2015

 

St. Thomas University was identified as one of the most affordable small Catholic colleges in a ranking by CollegeValuesOnline.com. STU was ranked number 49, with comparison criteria that included maximum enrollment numbers, Roman Catholic religious affiliation and average net price.*

For the complete list, click here.

CollegeValuesOnline is an interactive website that seeks to provide assistance for students in selecting the best college for each individual situation by offering rankings of schools and various degree programs.

*Average net price was based on 2012-2013 data as listed by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Science College Navigator. For more information, click here.

STU Turning Out Ethical, Strong Community-Based Leaders

We were recently featured in an article, St. Thomas University Turning Out Ethical, Strong, Community-Based Leaders.

Expand your horizons, study abroad

Business students in Israel

With locations in different countries, St. Thomas University’s study abroad programs are dedicated to expanding students’ horizons. We offer study aboard programs in Spain, Italy India, and Israel – all of which support students’ journeys to global citizenship.

In February, Dr. Hagai Gringarten and Associate Dean Lloyd Mitchell accompanied STU students during the study abroad visit to India. Students met with a leading mall management company, as well as local manufacturing and export companies, and they experienced firsthand the amazing Dabbawala distribution system. Mumbai's Dabbawala provides an amazing low-cost, ecofriendly delivery system without the using of IT or cell phones. It is responsible for delivering 260,000 lunchboxes in six hours every day with one mistake per a million transactions.

 

 

The students were also guests of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), where they attended a briefing about financial markets and the investment climate in India. The Bombay Stock Exchange is Asia's first and fastest stock exchange and the world's top exchange in terms of listed members. Mitchell and Gringarten also met with BSE top management and discussed potential cooperation between BSE and STU.

STU in Italy

This past summer, Dr. Elizabetta Ferrero and her students travelled to Fiuggi, Italy, to engage in an Italian language and cultural immersion. The study abroad in Italy builds on the extensive and successful study abroad experience of Saint Thomas University in Assisi, Italy. Students spend their mornings in the classroom studying Italian literature, and the afternoons in organized excursions to nearby places where they have the chance to discover the roots of some of the most colorful and culturally-rich areas in Italy including Pompeii, Florence and Vatican City. For more on studying aboard in Italy, visit www.stu.edu/Italy.

Law students also have the opportunity to study aboard. STU Law recently held its 20th annual Summer in Spain Program, in El Escorial, Spain, located 45 minutes northwest of Madrid in the beautiful foothills of the Guadarrama Mountains. Last year’s month-long program had a total enrollment of 105 students, including law students from partner universities. The program prepares students to practice law in the globalized atmosphere of the 21st century by broadening their understanding of international criminal, civil and maritime law. Students have the opportunity to develop international legal and cultural perspectives while earning six credits toward their law  degree. For more information on this program, click here.

STU students in Spain

Law students aren’t the only ones who study abroad in Spain – Biscayne College offers another study aboard in Spain program for undergraduate and graduate students. Concentrating on language and literature, this program, now in its 33rd year, awards students a minor in Spanish studies. Students who finish this summer semester will have the tools to be completely and fluently bilingual. Classes are held on the campus of the Universidad Maria Cristina, an affiliate of the University of Madrid Complutense, the most prestigious university in Spain. The university is located in San Lorenzo de El Escorial which is a 45-minute bus ride from Madrid. This major European capital gives students access to some of the greatest museums in the world, as well as easy and inexpensive access to the other major capitals of Europe via air and rail . For more information on this program, visit www.stu.edu/spain.

As part of the School of Business’ effort to integrate international experiences into business students’

Israel

respective academic curricula, the School of Business’ 2015 Summer Study Abroad Program took students to Israel for an academically rich and intensive 13-day program. Business Professor, Dr. Hagai Gringarten, organized a dynamic program that included meetings with diplomats, chief executive officers and chief operating officers of major Israel-based companies, and leaders in technology and food manufacturing. In addition to visits to tourist and religious sites, and “walking the bible,” students also visited – among others – the Weizmann Institute, a globally respected research center, and attended lectures by a former Israeli representative to the European Union, a vice president of a global dairy company, and vice president of a successful local hospitality chain. For more information on these study abroad programs, contact Professor Gringarten at hgringarten@stu.edu.

In addition to study aboard programs, STU also offers an exchange program in Croatia. Two STU students recently shared their experience during the exchange program in Croatia – learn about the program and their country-hopping adventures here.

Ask any student at STU who has been through the study abroad experience, and they'll all say the same thing: "Just do it! It's an experience of a lifetime."

School of Business Dean to Speak at Anti-Money Laundering Conference

Dr. Somnath Bhattacharya, dean of the Gus Machado School of Business at St. Thomas University (STU) will address business leaders and heads of regulatory agencies during the 2016 Annual Caribbean Anti-Money Laundering & Financial Crimes Conference in Miami.

The conference, taking place March 10 -11, will cover the latest advances in the fight against financial crimes, cybercrimes, human trafficking, and other issues surrounding anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT). On March 10, Bhattacharya will discuss the importance of compliance certification in tackling financial crimes, a certification currently offered at STU.

“There is currently a shortage of qualified certified anti-money laundering labor in the United States and abroad,” said Bhattacharya, who is also chairperson of the Money Laundering & Financial Crimes (MLFC) Institute. “With our foreign university partners, we’ve launched the first international academic certification inspired by Financial Action Task Force recommendations. This certification aims at developing individuals able to work for any regulated industry or regulatory agencies.”

The event will also feature tailored general sessions where attendees can obtain AML/CFT information and news relevant to banks, credit unions, insurance companies, and private companies across 30 regulated industries.

Other speakers include: the Minister of Education of Antigua and Barbuda, Dr. Michael Browne; the Executive Director of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, Calvin Wilson; the Chairperson of Caribbean Association of Banks, Joanna Charles; the Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit in Curacao, Anne Marie Ch. Kemna; the Executive Director of the Financial Services Commission in Jamaica, Janice P. Holness; the Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Services Commission in Barbados, Randy Graham; and the Executive Director of the Securities Commission of the Bahamas, Christina R. Rolle.

The conference will be held at the Conrad Miami in downtown Miami. For the full conference schedule and registration information, visit: ComplianceAid.pro.