Saint Leo University Blog

The rate at which individuals are earning graduate degrees is growing quickly, raising the question, is a master's degree worth the investment?

Almost 420 candidates received master’s degrees at the recent commencement at Saint Leo’s University Campus, many earning their graduate degrees online. Over 330 more candidates will receive graduate degrees at numerous commencement ceremonies at Saint Leo centers across the country in coming weeks.

Cheers and tears were exchanged via conference call when Center for Online Learning representatives in Tampa presented Yvonne Smith in Seattle with this year’s Rogich student award.

Yvonne Smith’s story has touched the hearts of people throughout the Saint Leo University community, inspiring those who know her or read about her on the Saint Leo Blog.

Now officially a Saint Leo University alumna, 74-year old Yvonne Smith – mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother – started her journey to earn a college degree seven years ago.

Saint Leo participates in a wide range of programs that benefit active servicemembers and veterans.

U.S. News & World Report has launched its first rankings of the Best Online Programs for Veterans, and Saint Leo University’s online bachelor’s degree programs placed 19 among the 153 undergraduate programs included in the new list.

According to U.S. News, Saint Leo is among the top programs nationwide that “have taken steps to improve the higher education experience for veterans.”

An“A” paper was never created on the first draft. Here are some editing tips for kicking your next paper up a notch.

By Colleen Shanahan

Let’s face it. After spending a ton of time researching and writing a paper, no one wants to take another look at it.  You’ve had it up to here with those tiny black streaks on a bright white screen and the continuously blinking cursor that mocks your lack of literary elegance.

Experienced business professionals looking to achieve the highest degree in the management field – and differentiate themselves from other MBAs – have a new option: a values-based DBA degree program at Saint Leo.

Asking why a business professional might want to pursue a doctorate of business administration degree is like asking why a mountain climber might want to scale Mount Everest.

Apprehensive about studying online? After teaching theology online for five years, Randall Woodard became an online student, himself – and experienced the power of online learning from a new perspective.

By Dr. Randall Woodard,
assistant professor of theology/religion

I have to admit that when I first started teaching online, I was apprehensive about online education.

I’m one of those students who really appreciated and got a lot out of my classroom experiences as an undergrad and grad student. I earned my bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees all in traditional face to face formats.

When Kaye Grandstaff started an online business degree program, it had been 17 years since she had attended school. Little did she dream that she would share her story as the Center for Online Learning commencement speaker.

As a young girl growing up in the Philippines, Adelia Grandstaff – known as Kaye – always thought of the United States as “a land of reinvention – a place where you could go and become whatever you wanted to be.”

While today could very well be the first day of the rest of your life, as the saying goes, it is also the first day of the Summer I term!

Remember back to the days when the first day of school meant new shoes, a fresh box of crayons, and the excitement of reconnecting with friends you hadn’t seen all summer?

Elementary school or college, there’s something powerful about that first day. It’s a fresh start. A clean slate. An opportunity to re-invent yourself.

It’s the best time of year at Saint Leo University – commencement. Here a few of Saint Leo’s adult learners, including online degree program graduates, share their thoughts upon completing their degrees.

It’s the smallest of gestures -- the simple movement of a tassel from the right side of a mortar board to the left. Yet, it symbolizes one of life’s most significant accomplishments – the conferral of baccalaureate degree.

A strong letter of recommendation provides information and insight on your resume and gives you an advantage over other applicants. Saint Leo’s Director of Career Planning Rob Liddell answers some of the most frequently asked questions about getting references that help you get in the door.

“What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist or the dusky dusk?" "What makes the muskrat guard his musk?”