David Armstrong, President, St. Thomas University

Invest: spoke with David Armstrong, president of St. Thomas University, about how the university is preparing students for an AI-driven future, expanding capacity, and aligning academic programs with workforce needs. “We don’t tell our students what to think. We teach them how to think”, Armstrong said.

What changes over the past year have most impacted St. Thomas University, and how have those changes influenced your team’s strategy?

AI has been the biggest shift. It is already part of daily life in ways many people do not fully realize, and it will continue to reshape education and business. A few years ago, when AI started coming to the forefront, I told our team that even though we did not yet have engineering or AI production programs, we still needed to lead in this space.

Because we are a Catholic university with a values-based education, we approached AI through ethics. We developed the “Seven Standards for the Ethical Use of AI,” and those standards really come down to two ideas. First, all technology should lead to human flourishing. Second, there should be a human check on everything we do with AI.

Additionally, employers are increasingly looking for graduates who understand AI. That means we have to prepare students not only to use artificial intelligence, but to use it ethically. Our strategy is to infuse AI literacy into every course and every program while keeping human judgment and values at the center.

You previously mentioned enrollment growth and expanding student housing. How has that evolved, and what new capacity challenges or opportunities are emerging?

Right now, our biggest challenge is capacity. We have grown so much over the last several years that we are essentially full on campus. The new dorm we built, with 545 beds, filled quickly, and that is a good problem to have. My job is to create good problems, whether that is no beds, no parking, or no classroom space. Now we have to solve them.

That means we need to build. We are looking at how to use classroom space more efficiently, but we also know we need additional facilities and that future construction will have to go vertical. Most of our buildings are one or two stories, but if we are going to keep growing, we have to build upward.

We are also expanding through STU Global, our online entity. That allows us to grow beyond the physical limits of the campus and serve not only traditional students, but also working adults who started degrees and never finished them. There is a large audience for flexible, high-quality online education, and we see STU Global as a major opportunity moving forward.

How are you aligning the university’s academic programs with the evolving needs of employers and the regional workforce?

If we are not serving the needs of the regional economy by providing an educated, hardworking, excellent workforce, then we are failing in our mission. We believe deeply in higher education, intellectual growth, and the development of the whole person, but we also have to make sure our students are prepared for careers and that employers can count on them.

One of the most important ways we do that is through experiential learning. We are the only school in Florida that requires experiential learning for graduation, and that requirement appears on the student transcript. Every undergraduate student must complete it in order to graduate.

That means our students are getting out into the real world, working in their fields, building skills, and developing experience before they earn their degrees. In many cases, the organizations where they complete those experiences become future employers. By the time students go into an interview, they can say they have already done the work and are ready to contribute right away.

What are the most important skills and capabilities students need today to be ready for the workforce of today and tomorrow?

Especially with AI, I think we are going back to some timeless fundamentals. Students need a strong liberal arts foundation. They need to read well, write well, think critically, think analytically, and make ethical judgments with integrity.

Technology matters, and AI literacy matters, but it is not enough to know how to use a tool. You have to know how to think. That has always been important, and it is even more important now. We don’t tell our students what to think. We teach them how to think.

That is why the combination matters so much. Students need technological literacy, they need to understand data, and they need human literacy. They need to know how to communicate, how to evaluate information, and how to apply judgment. If AI is doing more of the processing, then human beings need to be even stronger in discernment, analysis, and ethics.

What investments will be most important over the next decade in facilities, technology, program development, or beyond?

Learning is changing quickly, so one of the most important investments is in delivery models. The old model of the professor at the front of the room and students just taking notes is no longer enough. Education today has to be flexible. It has to meet students where they are.

That means investing in hybrid education, online learning, synchronous and asynchronous delivery, and the technology that supports all of it. We do not want to lose the face-to-face experience or the value of a physical campus, but the strongest educational model is increasingly a hybrid one.

We also have to stay closely connected to what the economy needs. Florida continues to attract people and companies, and that growth creates demand for talent. Our responsibility is to understand those workforce needs and respond with the right programs, the right partnerships, and the right learning experiences.

What strategic priorities are guiding the university right now?

We have launched a new nine-year strategic vision centered on pursuing excellence. That vision will be carried out through three separate three-year strategic plans. The first phase focuses on building excellence in intellectual discovery, student experience, strategic partnerships, and operations.

Our long-term goals are clear. We want to become one of the top 25 Catholic universities in the country, and we want to become the great Catholic university of the South. A major part of that includes becoming a leading Catholic online university through STU Global.

Everything we are doing is connected to that vision. We want to provide a values-based education infused with theology, philosophy, ethics, and ethical leadership. We want our students to leave here prepared for careers, but also prepared to live meaningful, responsible lives.

Are there other developments at St. Thomas University you would like to highlight?

There is a lot of momentum across the institution right now. Our College of Law has become the largest full-time JD program in Florida, and we have achieved our highest bar exam results. Our mock trial teams have won state and national championships. Our nursing program is one of the largest in the state, and our students continue to perform well.

We are also launching new programs, including marine environmental science and industrial-organizational psychology, while continuing to expand our nursing offerings. Beyond academics, we continue to grow athletically as well, and we are adding new sports, including ice hockey, through a partnership with the Florida Panthers.

At the center of all of this is a simple expectation. We want every student who comes to St. Thomas University to Be Giant! in their personal life, professional life, and spiritual life. Our role is to give them the tools, the education, and the support to make that happen.

How do you see the university’s future growth unfolding, particularly through STU Global?

We believe there is also an opportunity to help smaller faith-based institutions that are struggling. Many of those schools have strong missions and histories, but they need a viable path forward. We are exploring ways to help preserve those institutions while also expanding our reach.

That approach also supports STU Global. Online students want affordability, convenience, transfer flexibility, and speed to completion, but many also want to be connected to a real institution with a physical presence. Expanding our footprint can help us better serve that market while preserving mission-driven education in other communities.

Ultimately, our vision is about reach and relevance. We want to continue growing in ways that are sustainable, mission-aligned, and responsive to the world students are entering.