Ave Maria University, aiming to be a Catholic school with an array of liberal arts and scientific offerings at the undergraduate level and beyond, would be the first new one of its kind in at least four decades in the entire nation. Ave Maria is bound to make a positive mark on the Southwest Florida job market, which yearns for quality diversification. Though it will be a school with an international enrollment, it will nonetheless represent another local higher-education option and opportunity. Ave Maria adds sizzle to its substance by placing an ambitious sports program right up front. There is a hint of swagger as well in talk of competing within a few years with America's top collegiate
( www.naples.avemaria.edu )