Америка Құрама Штаттарындағы Католик Университеті - Ave Maria

Catholic university in Ave Maria, Florida, US

Ave Maria University (AMU) is a private Roman Catholic university in Ave Maria, Florida. It shares its history with the former Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Michigan, which was founded in 1998 and moved its campus to Florida in 2007. The two schools were founded by philanthropist and entrepreneur, Tom Monaghan. In 2021, the enrollment was 1,245 students. In 2016 its student body was 80% Catholic.

Ave Maria College was founded by Catholic philanthropist and former Domino's Pizza owner and founder Tom Monaghan on March 19, 1998, occupying two former elementary school buildings in Ypsilanti, Michigan, near the campus of Eastern Michigan University. Monaghan's goal was to create a Roman Catholic university faithful to the magisterium of the Catholic Church, providing a liberal arts education in a Catholic environment. He originally intended to construct a full college campus on his property in nearby Ann Arbor, known as Domino's Farms. In August 2003, the university opened an interim campus in The Vineyards in Naples, Florida, enrolling some 100 undergraduate students, 75 of whom were freshmen.

In a May 2004 speech, Monaghan expressed his wish to have the new town and university campus be free from pre marital sex, contraceptives and pornography. This elicited sharply critical statements from the international press, who saw such proposed restrictions as violations of civil liberties. Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union branch in Florida, challenged the legality of the restriction of sales of contraceptives. He said, "This is not just about the sale of contraceptives in the local pharmacy, it is about whether in an incorporated town there will be a fusion of religion and government." An opinion column in The Wall Street Journal quoted an Ave Maria faculty member who called it a "Catholic Jonestown". In response, Monaghan announced a milder form of civic planning in which the town could mostly grow on its own, except that it would not have sex shops or strip clubs, and store owners would be asked rather than ordered not to sell contraceptives or porn. Contraception and porn would still be banned from the university.

Ave Maria University currently offers 33 undergraduate and three graduate degrees. Graduate programs include M. A. and Ph. D. studies in theology and a Master of Theological Studies for non traditional students. Undergraduate students must complete a core curriculum of 14 required courses in philosophy, theology, composition, science, math, history, political science, and a foreign language. The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi installed Ave Maria University as its 358th chapter on October 17, 2023. In 2023 U. S. News & World Report reported that the university enrolled 1,021 undergraduate students paying an average of $28,224 for the school year 2022 2023. Faculty student ratio was 18:1.

In June 2010, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) declared that Ave Maria had obtained "accredited membership" status. This allows the university to award bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees accredited by the SACS. The university had previously received full accreditation from the American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE) in June 2008. On October 7, 2011, the local ordinary, Bishop Frank Joseph Dewane, formally recognized the institution as a Catholic university pursuant to the code of canon law. In December 2015, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools reaffirmed Ave Maria University's accreditation.

The Catholic Theology Show, a faculty podcast, began on October 22, 2022, hosted by Dr. Michael Dauphinais, chair of the Theology Department and professor of theology. The Catholic Theology Show was launched on the feast day of Saint Pope John Paul II. The pope’s apostolic constitution, Ex Corde Ecclesiae (From the Heart of the Church), set the foundations for the academic and spiritual standards for Ave Maria University. Since its inception there have been fifty seven podcasts listened to by 31,100 listeners in 86 countries. The Catholic Theology Show is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Ave Maria University offered study abroad programs in Gaming, Austria, and in San Marcos, Nicaragua. Instruction was conducted in English. The Austrian program required an additional $1,750 beyond regular tuition, along with the added expense of airfare and ground transportation, while the Nicaraguan program required no additional tuition. Ave Maria's Nicaraguan program was discontinued in mid 2013, with the site transferred to Keiser University to become Keiser University Latin American Campus.

Ave Maria University was ranked #156 201 in National Liberal Arts Colleges by U. S. News & World Report in 2022 23.

The new campus is located in the town of Ave Maria, Florida, 17 mile (27 km) east of Naples in rural Collier County. The town site occupies about , of which nearly 20 percent are designated for the campus. The $24 million Oratory won the 2008 TCA Achievement Award as well as an award from the American Institute of Steel Construction.

The Canizaro Library holds over 215,000 volumes and over 100 online journals. The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections houses over 10,000 volumes which includes Catholic Americana, leaves from Bibles from the 12th through the 20th century, the Oxford Movement and manuscript letters by John Henry Newman, the Michael Novak collection, and the Terri Schiavo case. The second floor of the Canizaro Library houses the University Archives and the Canizaro Exhibit Gallery.

Ave Maria University is home to a museum about the life and legacy of Mother Teresa, honored in 1979 with the Nobel Peace Prize. Artifacts include a piece of her sari, her crucifix and rosary, and letters from her and former Ave Maria University president, James Towey. The Mother Teresa Museum contains an array of items on loan from the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. The Missionaries of Charity also provided storyboards – in Spanish and English – that include rare photographs of Mother Teresa and tell the story of her life.

Dormitories are organized into same sex communities. There are six dorms on campus: Sebastian, Maria Goretti, St. Joseph, Xavier, and the Mega dorm, a building which contains both John Paul II and Mother Teresa dormitories. Not all dormitories are always used to house undergraduates; for example, Xavier has been used as a conference center and guest house. However, it currently serves as a girls dormitory. Opposite sex visitors are permitted in residential common areas during the day, and in individual dorm rooms on specified evenings.

Mass is celebrated on campus in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel and off campus in the Ave Maria Parish Church. The parish serves both the town and the university. Originally owned by the university and called the Oratory, the building was purchased in January 2017 by the Diocese of Venice, and its status was raised to parish church. Chapels are located in each of the six dorms, each containing a tabernacle housing the Eucharist, and each but the Mega dorm containing an altar for Mass. Members of the clergy, who live on campus, assist in maintaining spiritual life. A perpetual adoration chapel was added to the Library in 2009. Mass on campus is offered in both the Ordinary Form as well as the Extraordinary Form.

Until 2022, the official news publication of Ave Maria's student body was The Daily Bulletin. Recently, the Marketing department has started sending bi weekly event reminders to students. Campus organizations include the student activities board, student government, and more than 40 other clubs and organizations. The university also offers intramural and club primarily competing in the Sun Conference (formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) until after the 2007–08 school year) since the 2009–10 academic year. They are also a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). The Gyrenes previously competed as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) during the 2008–09 school year (when the school joined the NAIA). Ave Maria competes in 24 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and ultimate frisbee; basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, dance, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball. Former sports included men's & women's rugby.

In 2011, Ave Maria became the first college in southwestern Florida to field a football team. In the spring of 2016, the Gyrenes football team joined the Mid South Conference (MSC) as an affiliate member.

The women's lacrosse team competed in the National Women's Lacrosse League (NWLL) in their first varsity season in the spring of 2015.

In 2023 Ave Maria University launched a series of free online video courses titled, "The Pursuit of Wisdom." Topics include: "Stewarding the Environment," "The Genius of J. R. R. Tolkien,” “The Wisdom of C. S. Lewis," and "The Philosophy of Motherhood."