CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (May 12, 2022) — At the 2022 spring commencement ceremony, the Thomas More University Board of Trustees will award an honorary doctoral degree in medicine, confirmed by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), to Garren Colvin ’86, president and chief executive officer of St. Elizabeth Healthcare.

“Being the first traditional commencement since 2019, we have the perfect opportunity to honor a long-standing member of the Thomas More community, Mr. Garren Colvin,” says Thomas More University President Joseph L. Chillo, LP.D. “Mr. Colvin gained a strong educational foundation at Thomas More University and went on to become a driving force for positive change in our community. His career and community involvement illustrates to our new graduates some of the endless possibilities available to them after earning their degree from Thomas More.”

Thomas More’s 94^th commencement ceremony takes place on Saturday, May 14, 2022, in the Connor Convocation Center at the University’s Crestview Hills campus. Approximately 340 students will walk across the stage to receive their degrees in two ceremonies. Mr. Colvin is to be recognized during the 10:30 a.m. ceremony which includes conferral of degrees to graduates in the College of Natural & Health Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences.

“I could never have imagined in 1986, when I earned my Bachelor of Arts in accounting and business administration from this same university, that I would now be presented with such a prestigious honor in medicine,” says Colvin. “When I began at St. Elizabeth in 1983 as a co-op student from Thomas More, I had no idea this decision would go on to shape my entire life, both personally and professionally. I had a financial background, but I quickly learned that healthcare is where I wanted to be. It has been so much more than a job. It is a calling that brings purpose, joy and meaning to my life.”

Colvin graduated from Thomas More in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts in accountancy. He later went on to serve on the Thomas More Board of Trustees and was elected to the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2017, Colvin and his wife Susan (Kelsch) Colvin, also a Thomas More graduate hailing from the class of ’89, were the recipients of the Bishop Hughes Award in recognition of the outstanding support they have demonstrated to Catholic higher education and to Thomas More University specifically.

Colvin has served as president and chief executive officer of St. Elizabeth Healthcare since June 2015 and was active in transitioning several Kentucky offices of Oncology Hematology Care (OHC) to part of the St. Elizabeth network, establishing Northern Kentucky’s first-ever comprehensive cancer center. He is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and serves on the boards of Kentucky Hospital Association, Foundation for Healthy Kentucky, Kentucky State Chamber, Northern Kentucky Chamber, Kentucky Health Collaborative, Prichard Committee, Balanced Health KY, The Health Collaborative, OneNKY Regional Alliance, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, St. Elizabeth Physicians, St. Elizabeth Provider Network, Healthcare Solutions Network, and Healthcare Advocates of Northern Kentucky.

For more information about Thomas More University, visit www.thomasmore.edu.

For more information about St. Elizabeth Healthcare, visit www.stelizabeth.com.

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About Thomas More University

For 100 years, Thomas More has created a university for the student who wants to Be More, Do More, Seek More, Win More, Achieve More, and Create More. Since its founding in 1921, Thomas More has provided a mission-driven, liberal arts education that is based in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. Students learn to harness the power of human reason to solve problems and discover truth, which allows them to begin the journey to become the person they were created to be. Entering into the second century, it’s time for More. Serving more than 2,000 students, Thomas More aspires to be the premier Catholic university in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region, to build up the excellent ranking for ROI in Kentucky (#1 – 2021 MSN Money, #2 2022 Georgetown University study), and share with this generation the transformative power of the Thomas More experience. To find out more, visitthomasmore.edu.

About St. Elizabeth Healthcare

St. Elizabeth Healthcare operates six facilities and more than 172 primary care and specialty practices throughout the Northern Kentucky, Southeastern Indiana and Greater Cincinnati region. Sponsored by the Diocese of Covington and a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, St. Elizabeth is a mission-based organization committed to improving the health of the communities it serves, providing more than $108 million in uncompensated care and benefit to the community each year.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lyna Kelley, director of communications and PR, [email protected], 859.344.3309