CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (Dec. 16, 2021) — The month of December has brought astounding progress at Thomas More University as the Second Century Campaign: It’s Time for More hit the $20 million mark toward its goal of raising $30 million over the next five years to support student success and academic innovation. Community members and alumni stepped up to support the new strategic plan, Lighting the Way, implemented by Thomas More, to ensure the University’s goal to expand its footprint and continue its impact on the region.

“The support we are seeing for our Second Century Campaign is nothing short of extraordinary,” says Thomas More University President Joseph L. Chillo, LP.D. “Alumni and friends of the University want to pay it forward and see future students benefiting from a high-quality, Catholic liberal arts education. They know with certainty that current and future graduates of Thomas More will emerge as civic leaders and responsible stewards, well-equipped to affect positive change in the community. Surpassing the halfway mark of a five-year capital campaign goal in just a few months after its launch, testifies to the strength of our strategic plan, Lighting the Way, and the faith that our community has in the ability of Thomas More to provide students with an innovative and transformative educational experience.”

Thomas More launched the public phase of the capital campaign in fall of 2021, setting benchmarks that positioned the effort as the most ambitious fundraising campaign in University history. This campaign seeks to support the goals of the five-year strategic plan with a focus to accelerate campus investments, solidify new financial partnerships, and institute innovative academic opportunities with the ultimate vision of elevating Thomas More University’s visibility and stature in the global community as the region’s premier Catholic university.

The recent success of GivingTuesday, an international movement with the goal of uniting the whole world through a celebration of generosity, saw an outpouring of community support for Thomas More with 111 patrons donating a total of $117,645 to the University. The Thomas More University Board of Trustees graciously agreed to match dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000 in donations received in support of GivingTuesday. This brought the total raised to an astonishing $217,645.

Funds raised as part of the Second Century Campaign are already having a major impact at the University. Wilbert L. and Ellen Hackman Ziegler made possible the University’s first endowed chair, currently held by Reverend Monsignor Gerald E. Twaddell, Ph.D. Gifts have enabled the creation of 19 new endowed scholarships, such as the one from Board of Trustee’s Chair Judith A. Marlowe ’69, Ph.D., establishing the Leadership & Service Award, and Evelyn’s Opportunity Scholarship, in honor of her late mother.

For more information about Thomas More University’s Second Century Campaign, visit www.thomasmore100.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 upon the #1 ranking for long term gain in Kentucky (2019 Georgetown study) and share with this generation the transformative power of the Thomas More experience. To find out more, visit thomasmore.edu.

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