Heritage Tourism and Saint Leo University:

A Feasibility Study

Jack Coffey
Honors Senior Research Project
4/10/2015

Throughout all of human history, people have travelled to distant lands to visit sites of
historical importance. Ancient peoples made pilgrimages to the temples of their gods, privileged
youth of the renaissance went on grand tours to learn the culture of Europe, and modern families
from around the world travel to museums, famous religious sites, battlefields, and memorials.
This type of visitor in contemporary vernacular is known as a heritage tourist, and attractions
centered on appealing to them form a vast segment of the tourism industry. Heritage tourism, by
its definition, is travel for the purpose of visiting sites of cultural or historical value. Under this
umbrella lies a wide spectrum of more specialized reasons for travel, including pilgrimages,
museum visits, and the discovery of ancestry. Heritage tourism is unique in the industry as the
supply of attractions almost always exceeds the demand in any location; there will always be
areas or structures in a city or town that carry historical or cultural significance, but travelers
must be convinced through marketing that visiting them is worth their time and money. By
opening up a historic location to tourists, the site as a whole can expect a multitude of benefits
such as an influx of funds for preservation, restoration, and improvement as well as an increased
public awareness and appreciation for the site. However, serious risk is also involved for an
attraction that surpasses its carrying capacity (the maximum amount of guests an attraction can
support), which can lead to infrastructural problems, commodification of the location, a loss of
authenticity, and even site degradation. Generally, however, tourism yields more rewards than it
does drawbacks if properly managed and marketed. Indeed, many colleges and universities have
recognized the appeal of the often rich and unique histories their campuses hold and have taken
measures to capitalize on then through the construction of museums, heritage centers, and statues
and other memorials. This holds especially true for older schools with international prestige,
such as Harvard, Oxford, or Cambridge. However, smaller institutions have also recognized the
importance of their campuss heritage, including local private institutions such as the University
of Tampa and Florida Southern College. Bizarrely, Saint Leo University, the oldest Catholic
university in Florida with over one hundred twenty five years of history, has taken few steps to
capitalize on this heritage. Thus, this paper is a feasibility study into whether or not Saint Leo
should take similar measures and begin promoting itself as a heritage tourism attraction. The
goal of the study is to analyze the various methods the school could take towards achieving such
a goal as well as the costs and benefits of moving forward with a dedicated tourism plan. At the
end, judgment shall be rendered based on the facts gathered of whether or not such a plan is
advisable and should be seriously considered.
According to Jon Buono in his journal article, Modern Architecture and the U.S. Campus
Heritage Movement, colleges have been preserving historic buildings for years, although their
motives for doing so were never fully pure; finances or practicality kept historic buildings open,
rather than a desire to preserve history. Only recently has historic preservation become more
broadly understood as an act of institutional stewardship (Buono 88). Calvert W. Audrain, in his
article which directly deals with this concept, further notes that the preservation of historical and
culturally-significant buildings and sites often unites all of the members of a campuss
community, including faculty, staff, students, and especially alumni (Audrain 18). Indeed, a
study performed by Professor Joan Poor and Jeannette Snowball concerning a connection
between student heritage pride and knowledge of said heritage found that despite only a
diminutive minority bearing any knowledge of the school's past, a majority expressed pride in
the schools history and a willingness to pay towards preservation (Poor and Snowball, 145-153).
Embracing this form of stewardship will undoubtedly come with costs, such as the maintenance
and preservation of said sites. Audrain humorously remarks that merely mentioning the word
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preservation is enough to make college administrators go rigid with fear. Preservation is

often costly depending on the age of the building in question as well as the materials used in its
construction. Additionally, conflict from different parties within the college will likely spring
forth due to frustrations concerning the size of the structures interior as well as any valuable
land plots that the building may be occupying (Audrain 19). In order to effectively evaluate the
sheer amount of preservation funds that should go into the site, .Dale McGirr and Ronald Kull
establish four factors which can be used to gauge a buildings importance to any college:
tradition, brand, legacy, and image/sense of place. They summarize the economics of managing a
campus heritage plan as an economic impact model with a long time horizon that allows both
the maturation of the Return on Investment and a seamless blending of different funds and
intangible assets. Many of these intangible assets are extremely tempting benefits for any
college, including boosts to enrollment, Alumni Engagement, Fundraising, Faculty recruitment,
and extended planning into the general community (McGirr and Kull, 191-200).
Heritage tourism is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with on College Campuses.
The University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, the oldest university in the English-speaking
world, has fully embraced its status as a heritage tourism destination. The institution capitalizes
on its vast tourism visitor base by charging admission to and holding group tours throughout all
of its thirty nine colleges and private halls. Additionally, the university operates no less than
seven different museums (University of Oxford). As a result, Oxford is currently the seventh
most visited destination in the United Kingdom, with over nine million annual visitors and an
estimated citywide gross of about 770 million in tourism revenue (Oxford City Council). Here
in the United States, Harvard University offers free history tours and maintains a number of
museums on campus for visitors (Harvard University). Locally, Saint Leo seems relatively alone
among its peers in its lack of any sort of museum. Within the Tampa Bay Area, two of Saint
Leos largest competitors in the private school market, the University of Tampa and Florida
Southern College, both operate successful heritage programs on campus. The primary
administrative building on the University of Tampas campus was formally the Tampa Bay
Hotel. Built by railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant in 1891, the hotel was the crown jewel of Plants
Florida railroad network and was extremely luxurious. After Plant passed away in 1899, his
family sold the property to the City of Tampa. The city opened a museum dedicated to the
history of the city and the hotel specifically in 1933. When the building itself came under
possession of the University that same year, the museum continued to operate. Today, it has
evolved into the Henry B. Plant Museum, which attracts over fifty thousand visitors yearly
(Henry B. Plant Museum). Florida Southern College, located in Lakeland, has gained
international regard as the site of the single largest collection of buildings designed by influential
American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The college recently constructed a visitors center on
campus, complete with a full-size replica of an unbuilt house Wright has designed for the
president of the college. Tourists can be led on tours of the campuss seven Wright-designed
buildings, including the famous Annie Pfeiffer Chapel, with packages ranging in price from
seven to fifty five dollars per person (Florida Southern College). Currently, the college attracts
more than thirty thousand tourists every year (Chamberlain). Many other universities in the state
operate a museum on campus, including the University of Florida, the University of South
Florida, the University of Central Florida, Rollins College, Stetson University, and Florida State
University, but Saint Leo is notably absent from this group.

Saint Leo University has a comparatively rich and complex history compared with many
of the other colleges throughout the state of Florida, making it a ripe candidate to be explored via
some form of heritage interpretation. The universitys creation owes itself directly to Judge
Edmund Dunne, who in 1881 purchased the land that Saint Leo and San Antonio currently
occupy with the purpose of establishing a Catholic enclave. Saint Leo was chartered shortly
afterwards in 1889 by a group of Benedictine monks as the states first and, at the time, only
Roman Catholic college. From its inception, the college maintained a policy of hospitality and
acceptance, insisting that all would be welcome to attend regardless of creed, while establishing
a standard of high-quality education at a relatively small price. The institutions first president,
and true namesake, was Abbot Leo Haid of North Carolina and its total enrollment for its
inaugural semester was a total of thirty two students. During the course of its first year, Saint Leo
changed its name and designated itself a Military College, not with the intention of training
soldiers but, as James J. Horgan states in Pioneer College, with the purpose of instilling a few of
the same values as military training such as discipline, order, pride in appearance, and respect
for authority (Horgan 115). Students received military ranks, were required to wear military
uniforms, and drilled with wooden rifles. However, by 1920 these practices had been done away
with in favor of a return to a more traditional form of education. The community around Saint
Leo grew quickly, and by 1902 the monks priory had been elevated to the status of abbey.
Additionally, the Holy Name Convent was founded in San Antonio in 1892, although its fortunes
were significantly poorer than the monks in the abbey due to economic hardship, all but a few
sisters had transferred to other convents north by 1903. The school continued to prosper
throughout the first decade of the twentieth century despite prejudicial attacks from the
community. Saint Leos stance on race drew animosity as well the college became the first
institution of higher learning in the state to fully integrate, accepting its first African American
student in 1898. From 1917 to 1929, Saint Leo experienced something of an identity crisis;
instead of advancing its curriculum to compete with other institutions, the college decided to
downgrade into a prep school. As such it changed names no less than five times within that
twelve year period before finally settling on Saint Leo College Preparatory School, which is
the name it would keep until 1964. In 1948, the modern abbey church was constructed to
celebrate Saint Leos fiftieth anniversary. The preparatory school, alongside its sister school
Holy Names Academy, flourished. However, everything would change in 1954 with the election
of Marion Bowman as abbot. A graduate of Saint Leo himself, Fr. Bowman would reestablish
Saint Leo as an institution of higher learning. In 1959, the school began offering junior college
classes. In 1963, it was announced that the prep school would be closing. By the following year,
Holy Name Academy also closed and the institution was rechristened Saint Leo College and
became fully coeducational. By 1967, the college had quickly set up a bachelors degree
program. Saint Leo began to grow rapidly, creating a military education program in 1973 that
has since evolved into one of the largest educational programs available to active-duty
servicemen. Today, Saint Leo University continues to rapidly grow while still holding true to its
founding Benedictine principle: to make higher education available and affordable to everyone.
Saint Leo University currently possesses a humble collection of structures and landmarks
suitable for tourism. Unfortunately, many of the original school buildings have been lost to fires
over the years, with the only two buildings to possess great historical value outside of the Abbey
being Saint Francis Hall and Saint Edward Hall. Likewise, both of these buildings have little to
offer tourists, as they are almost entirely comprised of offices. The abbey is extremely appealing
to all heritage tourists due to its age and architectural beauty, saying nothing of the value it holds
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for Catholics. However, it is doubtful, all things considered, that the monks would approve of an
influx of sightseers to the abbey, let alone if it was school-sponsored in any aspect. This factor,
combined with the lack of historical structures, makes any heritage-centered tour of the campus
ineffective. Currently, the most culturally attractive aspect of the university (outside of the
Abbey) is, interestingly, the aesthetics of the campus itself. According to Saint Leo Universitys
current president, Dr. Arthur J. Kirk, Saint Leo has been designed to reflect the Spanish
missionary architectural style, which in turn provides a unifying theme that connects structures
both old and new. Through this, the entire campus becomes a heritage attraction in an indirect
way as the aesthetics of the campuss more modern additions pay homage to its roots, reminding
students and visitors alike of the schools history. Additionally, Dr. Kirk feels that Saint Leos
various outdoor statues and sculptures are becoming somewhat well-known, particularly the
statue of lady liberty supported by the members of the armed forces. Dr. Kirk hopes that in the
future Saint Leo will continue to add to this collection, with his ultimate vision being a campus
renowned for its collection of statuary both classical and modern. With a statue of Abbot Marion
Bowman currently commissioned, this concept may become a reality over time.
Interestingly, Saint Leo already has many structures and campus additions planned which
could lead to a greater influx of visitors over time. A conversation with Dr. Kirk yielded
information on three such projects: an amphitheater in the bowl, a lakeside pathway, and an
official history museum located in Benedictine Hall. The amphitheater, overlooking Lake Jovita,
would be integrated seamlessly into the field currently occupying the space, allowing for outdoor
events to continue to be conducted there. However, a massive concrete slab would be hidden
underneath the grass forming a stage and supplying full electrical support to any student
productions using it. Steps and simple seating would form a half-ring around the stage,
completing the amphitheater. Dr. Kirk astutely suggested that, while designed with students in
mind, the productions staged at the amphitheater would attract locals and enhance the campus
culture as a whole. The lakeside pathway would begin near Student Apartments 1 through 4 and
follow Lake Jovitas shore past the library and the abbey, ending near the Marmion and Snyder
Residence Halls. The path would be composed of a springy rubber composite, making it ideal for
jogging. Along the path would lie twelve different rest points, containing a few benches and
presumably a small sculpture representing one of the Stations of the Cross. While, much like the
amphitheater, the primary purpose of the path would be to benefit the students and augment the
campus culture, Dr. Kirk also acknowledged that the religious nature of the path, combined with
the scenic setting, would likely make it extremely popular with visitors as well. Lastly, with the
somewhat recent acquisition of Benedictine Hall, the former Holy Names Monastery, the
University has plans to build a quaint museum within dedicated to preserving and displaying
artifacts from Saint Leos Prep School era. While initially quite modest in size, Dr. Kirk stressed
that there would be plenty of opportunities to further expand the museum over time to
encompass the entire story of Saint Leo from its inception to its status today. As a whole, a fully
developed and well maintained history museum would form the crux of any heritage tourism to
Saint Leo University outside of the abbey. Interestingly, both Dr. Heather Parker, Chair of Saint
Leos Social Sciences Department, and Dr. Judy Holcomb, Chair of the Department of Sports
Business, International Tourism, and Hospitality Management, affirmed that a museum of any
kind would be almost certainly operating at a constant, if very small, deficit. Plus, the need to
hire designers and consultants would also add significantly to the initial cost of the attraction.
Yet, both of them, as well as Dr. Kirk and Ed Caum, Pasco Countys Tourism Manager, all
arrived at the same conclusion concerning the benefits of such a venue: the museum would serve
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to augment the Universitys profile. Dr. Kirk stated that longevity and tradition are essential to
any Universitys brand by conveying strength and stability. A museum dedicated to the schools
history would emphasize these attributes. Dr. Parker also remarked that a museum would benefit
the universitys somewhat poor name recognition (at least in local spheres) and would provide a
much appreciated asset to the Social Sciences department to utilize for research and internships.
This profile enhancement would, in turn, likely result in a significant increase in alumni
endowments and recruitment numbers.
The key cost that would accompany any endeavors to increase tourism to Saint Leo
would be marketing. The lack of significant local knowledge concerning Saint Leos location
would stand as a massive hurdle for any tourism initiative to overcome. Much of the local
ignorance concerning the school hails from its history. While the relationship between the school
and the surrounding communities was open and mostly positive during the institutions early
years, the school began to become more closed off to the local communities as time went on. Dr.
Kirk explained that this is inherently tied into the schools stance concerning the education of
minorities, as its decidedly liberal views on the matter grew increasingly at odds with the Jim
Crow mindset of the surrounding towns. Fewer locals began to attend, but students from the
northeast United States filled the void. This has created a unique situation in which Saint Leo is
often more recognized and respected outside of the state than within. The universitys geographic
location is also a somewhat obvious contributor to Saint Leos isolation problems. The colleges
location was selected due to its proximity to the then-newly-founded Catholic community of San
Antonio as well as for its natural beauty, but over the long-term the choice has left the school
almost separated from any truly urban or suburban location, with the exception of Dade City.
This certainly leaves Saint Leo with a competitive disadvantage, as most of its main competitors
in the Tampa Bay area lie within a major urban center and/or are connected by a major road.
With Pasco County currently planning to reroute Highway 52, this will serve only to further
isolate the school from the regional community. However, Mr. Caum believes that this can, in
turn, be overcome via a multifaceted marketing campaign specifically tied into recruitment and
endowments. The history, culture, architecture, and natural beauty of the college, coupled with
the religious draw of the abbey and areas strong German roots can make it a destination of
international appeal with the right marketing.
Any costs or drawbacks to an increased tourist presence on campus are either negligible
or mitigatable. Aside from parking concerns, the schools infrastructure is strong and therefore is
of no issue. Likewise, while traffic along Route 52 is strong, the upcoming reroute of the road
will rectify this ironically. The apparently tenuous relationship between the university and the
abbey is certainly a concern (Dr. Kirk interestingly made note of the conflict between the idea of
a monastic community and the concept of a museum), one that may be handled through
continued communication between both parties and ensuring that the abbey remains to play a
vital role in decision making processes. Additionally, tourists will not be allowed regular access
to Lake Jovita, minimalizing any environmental impacts and simultaneously negating any
potential liability.
It is a fact that modern universities are increasingly embracing their respective heritages
and inviting visitors from both the local community and beyond to join in celebrating them. Dr.
Kirk remarked that the strength of tradition is the central factor to why this is so, and claimed
that the truly great institutions recognize this. Thusly, could Saint Leo successfully adopt an
initiative to do the same? From every expert whom was interviewed, the resounding answer was
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yes. Mr. Caum felt that the long-term benefits would outweigh the short term costs, especially if
tied into recruitment and endowments. He felt that if success was found in those two markets,
opening up to the public would also be successful. Dr. Parker felt similarly, with emphasis that
Saint Leos unique and complex multifaceted history would appeal to many segments of the
population. To her, the low operating deficit would be offset by the benefits provided to the
profile of the institution. Dr. Holcomb reiterated this notion, adding that it could only work if
marketed correctly. Dr. Kirk, however, gave the most interesting answer: Our motivation is
whats best for the students. [They] are the central constituents of the university community.
Thus, to him any tourism initiative would only be successful in the secondary way in which we
focus the benefits on the students [and only afterwards] make it hospitable for tourists. Taking
these expert opinions and all other research into account, this study concludes that Saint Leo
should begin marketing itself to heritage tourists. However, such action should not be immediate
but rather resigned to the near future after the museum, lakeside path, amphitheater, and any
other similar projects have been constructed. At this current juncture the campuss only true
tourism draws are the Abbey and the architecture and natural beauty of the campus. That being
specified, the costs of emphasizing tourism like this is nearly insignificant compared to what can
be gained. Saint Leo University is in desperate need of exposure within its local and regional
sphere of influence. By building various venues such as the amphitheater, the school can begin to
reach out to the community through small-scale marketing, showcasing the wide degree of
historical and cultural value present while also clustering it with other tourism sites in the Dade
City and San Antonio area. Due to Pasco Countys high seasonality, extra tourism marketing
should take place during the winter months so as to capitalize on the influx of tourists from up
north. This will spread awareness throughout the county as well as the Tampa Bay area. In
addition, these structures will also enhance the schools profile as well as the campus culture. In
conclusion, through the construction of venues which innately benefit the student body but could
also be extended to visitors for use, Saint Leo will receive publicity and exposure in the local
area as well as a boost to enrollment and alumni endowments.

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