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EBONY WINDOMThe small school ranks first in business administration, with 334 African-Americans graduating last year.
ST. LEO - Talk about the tortoise beating the hare. More African-Americans graduated with degrees in business administration from Saint Leo University than any other in the United States last year.
With 334 African-Americans earning bachelor's degrees, the small private university beat out much larger public schools, including Florida A&M University, Florida State University and the University of South Florida, as published in Black Issues in Higher Education.
That's encouraging news for Joe Stubbs, a Saint Leo sophomore majoring in business administration.
Like Stubbs, who is from the Bahamas, many Saint Leo students come from the Caribbean and other countries. Some say diversity on campus makes for a better learning experience.
"I learn a lot from different cultures," Stubbs, 19, said. "I met a lot of different people here from Nigeria, Korea, Japan and the Virgin Islands. The classes are very diverse."
Aside from the 35 percent of minorities at Saint Leo University's main campus, the university draws African-American students to the 16 regional centers and the centers for online learning, too.
"We got into the online business, and it just exploded," said Michael Moorman, chairman for the department of business administration. "We have a significant population from the islands. We've got tons of online students."
Martin Smith, director of admissions, agrees. "We're experiencing a tremendous growth at all of our levels," he said. "We don't specifically recruit any one (race) for the business program per se. It's more of a reflection of the quality of programs we offer."
The business administration program offers specializations including marketing, hospitality and tourism, and international business.
Some African-American alumni have gone on to pursue careers in restaurant management and computer programming.
Stubbs, who is pursuing a business degree in sports management, said he is really impressed with Saint Leo's program.
"They have a lot to offer you in terms of internships and getting you started," Stubbs said. He said he hopes to get his start managing a professional sports team and make his family proud.
"I'm actually the first person in my family to go to college," he said.
Stubbs said the university's top ranking will breed more success.
"We're number one; that alone will attract more minorities," he said.