The Board of Trustees of St. Thomas University (STU) announced May 24 the appointment of David A. Armstrong, JD, as its next university president. Armstrong will assume official duties on Aug. 1, replacing outgoing president Monsignor Franklyn M. Casale who announced his retirement in 2017.
“I cannot think of anyone more qualified, experienced and committed than David A. Armstrong,” said John Dooner, the chairman of STU’s board of trustees. “He will take Msgr. Casale’s legacy to the next level.”
Msgr. Casale reiterated Dooner’s sentiments about Armstrong saying, “I am confident that he will be an outstanding president at St. Thomas University.”
Armstrong comes to STU from Thomas More College (TMC), a Catholic liberal arts college of the Diocese of Covington in Crestview Hills, KY, where he has been president since 2013 after a decade in various leadership roles at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, OH. During his tenure at TMC, he was instrumental in increasing enrollment, introducing new academic programs, and forging various community partnerships for the college.
Armstrong was one of four finalists who visited STU in April and met with members of its board of trustees, students, faculty and staff. He said it is an honor and a privilege to be STU’s next president, and looks forward to taking the helm of what is to become the leading Catholic university in the Southeast.
“I am honored to have been given the opportunity to lead this university to the next level of success and excellence,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong holds a Juris Doctor from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Accounting from Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA.
The only Catholic Archdiocesan-sponsored University in Florida, St. Thomas University (www.stu.edu) places an institutional emphasis on social justice and ethical behavior, and provides its globally diverse student body with low student/teacher ratios.
The private, non-profit university offers more than 45 undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees at its 144-acre campus in Miami Gardens., and through distance learning, including one of the oldest (and highly ranked) undergraduate programs in Sports Administration in the country.
