- July 19, 2025
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Tampa tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Arnie Bellini has donated $1.5 million to St. Leo University in Pasco County that will go toward the school's first dedicated cybersecurity scholarship.
The gift comes three months after Bellini, founder of ConnectWise, and his wife Lauren Bellini, donated $40 million to the University of South Florida to go toward the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing at that Tampa school. A private equity firm acquired ConnectWise in 2019 for about $1.5 billion.
The St. Leo gift, according to a statement, is for $1 million on top of an initial $500,000 contribution made in 2024. The donation, the release adds, will establish The Bellini Family Endowed Scholarship and “significantly expand the university’s reach in cybersecurity education, fueling initiatives designed to close workforce gaps and prepare students for high-demand careers.”
The scholarship will also advance several strategic initiatives, including St. Leo’s first partnership with industry experts to create a new model for comprehensive, innovative cybersecurity training, with programming planned to begin in 2025.
“The cybersecurity threat is real, constant, and growing, and CyberBay is already a magnet for talent and innovation to address the need,” Bellini says in the statement. “Right here in the Tampa Bay region, the demand for skilled cyber professionals is immediate and urgent — and the jobs are high-paying and high-impact. St. Leo has proven itself as a powerhouse in cyber education, and this investment will amplify their impact and accelerate the pipeline of talent.”
According to industry research, the global cybersecurity workforce gap surpassed 4 million jobs in 2023, including more than 500,000 vacancies in the United States. Florida ranks among the top five states in demand for cybersecurity professionals, the release states.
“Arnie Bellini’s generosity accelerates our mission to educate ethical tech leaders and bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application,” St. Leo Chief Information Officer Steve Carroll says. “This gift will impact Tampa Bay’s workforce for generations to come.”
St. Leo established the College of Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Data Science in 2023. More than 500 students are currently pursuing cybersecurity degrees at St. Leo.