By Sophia Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief
The past year has been anything but easy for Saint Leo University. With cuts to staff, faculty, and athletic teams resulting in lowered morale, the atmosphere around campus had taken a hit. Here’s the good news: Saint Leo is, and has been, on the up and up.
Meet the man behind the operation: Dr. Ed Dadez, the current president of Saint Leo. Although he has worked for the university for 24 years, Dadez began his presidency in July of 2022 and has since worked relentlessly to get the university back to where it needs to be, financially, morally, and otherwise.
One thing that has notably improved in the past couple of years is the retention rate among students. Through the Radical Registration Process, new scholarships, and reaching out to donors, the retention rate has increased by 3 percent from the fall of 2022 to the fall of 2023.
“Being a tuition driven institution, [our]revenue comes from enrollments,” Dadez said. He said we need to continue to not only attract students to Saint Leo, but also retain them.
Dadez acknowledged how difficult paying tuition can be for students, something he has experienced personally as the first of his six siblings who went to college.
Even though he understands students’ challenges, higher education has also had its challenges since COVID-19, and Saint Leo is no different.
“At times during college, I worked three jobs to be able to have money to go back the next term,” said Dadez. He is no stranger to this stressful burden that so often plagues college students, and has made it a priority to help those in those situations.
Two years ago, the university suffered multiple cuts to academics, athletics, and staffing due to budgetary concerns. Rumors swirled, people panicked, and emotions were high. Dadez was faced with difficult decisions among his colleagues and friends in order to get the university back on track. Many of those faculty and staff caught in the reduction in force were friends.
“I have had mentors and colleagues who have told me that it would be best if I didn’t have relationships and friendships with people,” said Dadez. “However, I really believe that relationships are also what makes this university special, and I can’t change me.”
Dadez wholeheartedly believes those relationships helped Saint Leo rally following the hardships of 2022.
However, Dadez acknowledges the general apprehension for the future of the university, but notes that morale seems to be increasing university-wide, for faculty, staff, and students alike.
“I know what it looked like 10 years ago and we’re not there, but we’re finally getting back to there. I hope that we can do even more and redefine the campus,” said Dadez. The roadways around campus have been paved and dorm rooms have been cleaned and painted.
With the uptake in morale comes new improvements in the university’s infrastructure. This fall will see the grand opening of Benedictine Hall for the nursing students to utilize. For those living in dorms, Dadez notes that maintenance aims to be quicker in getting to help tickets.
Not only has the feeling on campus improved, but so has the university’s financial standing.
“We are in better financial shape than we’ve been over the past five years,” said Dadez. “In the past five years, we had a deficit of about $26 million, and we’re nowhere near that. We’re in striking distance to be at a surplus.”
Saint Leo ended the fiscal year with a six-figure surplus.
As a way to compile all of his goals for the university, Dadez uses a concept he calls the “sixR’s.” This includes reducing expenses, revenue generation, recruitment, retention, radical hospitality, and reimagining the university.
Among all the uncertainty, rumors of Saint Leo closing its doors have run rampant within the community. However, Dadez made it abundantly clear that the university has no intention of closing, and students will be welcome on campus for years to come.
“As long as I’m here, we’re not closing,” assured Dadez.
With this, it is clear that Dadez is invested in the future of Saint Leo.
For this future, Dadez explained his main goals to improve the university.
“Our goal within the vision statement is to be the No. 1 Catholic university in the Southeastern United States by 2033,” said Dadez. “And I still think that we’re this secret in the Tampa Bay area, that people don’t know where we are. I think we’ve just got to get out there more and more to let people know we’re that close.”
On a smaller, more immediate scale, Dadez has goals to have all buildings on campus officially named, to continue to maintain a budget surplus, and in addition to enrollment, have other revenue generative initiatives prosper.
In an ever-changing and competitive secondary educational scene, Saint Leo will continue to stand out as a special place for students and educators to gather.
And, the overarching reason is simple: living our core values.
“I think that if we not [only] know what our core values are, but live our core values, [it] would make a big difference,” said Dadez.
Dadez’s belief in Saint Leo’s core values is seen in his passion for making “radical hospitality” a priority for the Saint Leo community and campus.
“I truly believe that radical hospitality has to be our value proposition. This is a very special place, and we all need to put into practice welcoming everyone on campus, not just guests who come on campus, but welcoming each other,” said Dadez. “That faculty, staff, students, and alumni all work together to talk about why this is such a special place to be.”
At the end of the day, Dadez recognizes the charm and importance of Saint Leo, and is dedicated to not only preserving it, but also promoting it.
“I’ve given 100 percent of my time, effort, and energy, and sometimes I wonder if it’s still enough. I am very passionate about this institution, and want to see it get back on its feet and continue to grow,” said Dadez.
Let this reassure students, staff, faculty, and alumni alike: Saint Leo is alive and well and growing beautifully. With Pasco County being one of the fastest growing areas in Florida, and Saint Leo achieving its fall enrollment goal, the future is bright.
“This is not a place that can close,” promised Dadez. “We serve too many students who need Saint Leo University because of that radical hospitality, because of those core values, and … it just makes me feel even more [that]there’s even more importance to making sure we get this done.”
