A Closer Look at Saint Leo's Adult Education Center on Campus

For decades, Saint Leo University has proudly offered a variety of formats in which students of all backgrounds can attain a high-quality higher education. One such option is through its more than 30 Education Centers around the country.

In addition to locations away from University Campus, Saint Leo also has an Adult Education Center directly on its campus north of Tampa, FL. We recently spoke with Derek Saunier, the director of this location, to learn about everything it offers.

Q: Where is Saint Leo's East Pasco Adult Education Center located?

A: The address for our center is:

33701 County Road 52

Saint Leo, FL 33574

We are located within St. Edwards Hall on the first floor between Student Financial Services and the registrar's office. When entering through the main university entrance, you would take the second right turn at the roundabout and continue straight through the first stop sign. Our building will be just past the School of Business building on your right.

Parking is available in several locations throughout University Campus.

We opened this center here at University Campus in 1992.

Q: How large is this location?

A: Although our center is located within St. Edwards Hall, we hold classes in various locations around campus, including Kirk Hall, the Tapia School of Business building, and the Cannon Memorial Library.

In addition to the classes offered at university campus, classes are also offered at Pasco-Hernando State College's Spring Hill and New Port Richey campuses.

Certified law enforcement officers are also able to take our classes offered at the Pasco County Detention Center in Land O'Lakes.

All services and resources available at University Campus are accessible to our students. Several of our classrooms have SMART Boards and VTT capability.

Q: What is your connection to Pasco-Hernando State College?

A: We have had a partnership with Pasco-Hernando State College for over 20 years. We have offices and hold Saint Leo classes at the Spring Hill, Brooksville, and New Port Richey campuses of PHSC. We currently offer a Bachelor of Social Work program at the New Port Richey and Spring Hill locations.

Q: Which academic programs are offered at the Adult Education Center?

A: We offer the following degree programs:

Associate of Arts

Business Administration

Criminal Justice

Information Technology

Liberal Arts

Bachelor of Arts

Accounting

Business Administration (Management, Marketing, Technology Management)

Criminal Justice: Criminalistics, Homeland Security

Educational Studies (Education & Children, Education & Adolescents – English, Social Science)

Elementary Education (also offered at the PHSC Spring Hill location)

Human Resource Management

Middle Grades Education – English, Social Science

Psychology (Clinical/Counseling, Developmental, Experimental, General)

Religion

Bachelor of Science

Computer Information Systems

Cybersecurity

Health Care Administration

Bachelor of Social Work

Social Work (also offered at the PHSC Spring Hill and New Port Richey campuses)

Master of Science

Criminal Justice (Behavioral Studies, Corrections, Criminal Investigations, Critical Incident Management, Forensic Science, Legal Studies)

Q: When are classes offered at the East Pasco Adult Education Center?

A: At the University Campus location, we offer classes in the evening during the week that start between 5 and 7:45 p.m. and end between 10 and 10:30 p.m. We also offer classes on Saturdays that start between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Our center is open at 8 a.m. every weekday. We also offer late nights until 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Students are welcome to come by and speak to an advisor for registration matters or general guidance.

Q: What are the students like at this location?

A: We have a nice mix of demographics and ages, but I'd say we mostly have students in their mid-20s and older. Many of our students are active duty, veterans, or law enforcement officers. Additionally, we work with lots of transfer students. The majority of the students are going back to school to finish their degrees, pursue a new field, or for advancement opportunities within their current fields.

Q: What are the faculty like?

A: We currently have over 20 faculty members. Each of our faculty members have many years of experience within their respective fields and offer a unique perspective based upon that experience. Many are highly respected and credentialed within their fields.

Q: Who are the staff members?

A: In addition to our great faculty, our staff offers a combined 40 years of experience in higher education. Shana Founds is our assistant director. Teresa Morris is our assistant director of admissions.

We have two student advisors, Savannah Proctor (covering last names A-J) and Susan Splain (last names K-Z). Our staff coordinator is Christina "Nicole" Blair.

Q: What else does the East Pasco Education Center offer?

A: We offer a uniquely hybridized Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program at University Campus to meet the demands of working professionals. This program is provided in an interactive and dynamic format. While it's very flexible, it provides hands-on experience through field placement. Our instructors have many years of experience in social work in a range of clinical and counseling settings.

We work closely with school districts in our area to offer an exclusive Para-to-Pro program for currently employed paraprofessionals to earn their BA in Elementary Education and pursue teaching opportunities. Our instructors include district personnel to ensure a built-in mentor relationship occurs throughout participation in the program. Our students that are in the evening cohort at University Campus enjoy the innovative avatar technology, giving students the ability to simulate real-world classroom scenarios that the student may encounter once in the workforce.

Being at University Campus, our students are able to take advantage of both the Lion's Lair and Benedict's Coffeehouse. The Lion's Lair is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on weekends from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Benedict's Coffeehouse just opened in January and proudly serves Starbucks coffee. In addition, many sandwich and salad options are available. Benedict's is open daily from 7 a.m. to midnight.

Q: What types of events does the center have throughout the year?

A: We hold a variety of events throughout the year, including program orientations, open houses, lunch & learn sessions, and advising days.

We partner with a variety of Saint Leo groups and programs on a range of community initiatives which include Relay for Life, Business Development Week, Hernando County's Women in Leadership Summit, YMCA of the Suncoast, NAMI Hernando, and Pasco-Hernando Early Learning Coalition.

Q: How can prospective students find out more about this center?

A: You can call our center at 352-588-8879 or email us at eastpasco@saintleo.edu.

 

Also, check out our center webpage and Facebook page.

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