College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

Shane Campbell, Ph.D., assistant professor for the School of Education, successfully defended his dissertation — Empowering Future Educators: Exploring Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Self Efficacy with Integrated STEM Experiences in a Science Methods Course — earning his Doctor of Philosophy in STEM Education. Congratulations, Dr. Campbell!

Fr. Ray Enzweiler, Ph.D., dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and John D. (Jack) Rudnick Jr., Ed.D., professor and director of the MBA program, presented their paper, “Reclaim Humanism: AI and Catholic Studies for 21st Century Andragogy,” and, along with assistant professor of theology Caitlin Dwyer, represented Thomas More University at the National Meeting for Catholic Studies at Providence College in Providence, RI.

Maria C. Garriga, Ph.D., professor of foreign languages, spoke to the Northern Kentucky Tribune about her professional journey as a certified health and wellness coordinator. “Conflicting health advice and misinformation leave many people confused about what actions will truly improve their well-being; and research shows that 80 percent of people who attempt lifestyle changes without support revert to old habits within months,” Dr. Garriga told the online paper. Read the full story here.

Malcolm Robinson, Ph.D., professor of economics, was featured as a subject matter expert in two recent articles published by WalletHub, a personal finance company dedicated to empowering consumers to lead financially healthy lives. Dr. Robinson weighed in on two topics, including “Points on Driver’s License,” and “Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards.”

Robert W. Plaster College of Business

Michael Carr, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, was featured as a subject matter expert in Wallethub’s recent article, “Best Things to Buy on Black Friday.”

John D. (Jack) Rudnick Jr., Ed.D., professor and director of the MBA program, served as a content peer reviewer for three scholarly publications: New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst, which focuses on innovations in care delivery, International Journal of Leadership Studies, published by the University of Richmond Jepson School of Leadership Studies, and the Academia Global and Public Health Journal, focusing on the promotion of health, disease prevention, and outcomes across various populations and regions.

In October 2025, Dr. Rudnick joined colleagues from Georgia (USA) and Croatia at the 27th International Leadership Association (ILA) conference in Prague, Czech Republic to present a scholarly paper titled “Context and Decision-Making Drive AI Companionship as a Crisis Consultation Tool.”

In November 2025, he represented Thomas More as a delegate to the Vatican Builders AI Builders Forum in Rome, Italy. This intensive, two-day forum examined the urgent need for guidance and ethical guardrails amid the rapid global expansion of artificial intelligence across industries. The gathering focused on how AI can be responsibly synthesized in ways that reflect the Church’s values, mission, identity and enduring commitment to human dignity. Additionally, Dr. Rudnick supported a seven-hour global hackathon in Rome. Involving 25 participants, this activity included priests, deacons, software developers, information technology students, and higher-education faculty — addressing challenges related to AI in higher education, healthcare, and evangelization.

St. Elizabeth College of Natural and Health Sciences

Austin Hinkel, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics & physics and director of the Thomas More Observatory, recently had an article accepted for publication in The Physics Teacher, a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the American Association of Physics Teachers. The article shares an assignment Hinkel developed to engage students by integrating NASA’s Planetary Defense concepts into astronomy lessons using a Kaggle-based Python simulation. The interactive activity allows students to model asteroid orbits, detect potential Earth collisions, and visualize Kepler’s laws via animations from the simulation, fostering both conceptual understanding and ethical reflection on real-world applications.

Chris Lorentz, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences and director of the Biology Field Station, served as moderator for a panel discussion at the 49th annual Governor’s Conference on Energy and Environment. Dr. Lorentz, who is chair of the Ohio River Basin Alliance (ORBA), led a discussion about the restoration and protection plan for the Ohio River Basin. Dr. Lorentz and the ORBA board are working with Congressional representatives from Kentucky and Indiana on a multi-year, multimillion-dollar initiative to bring federal investments to the region to ensure healthy waters, economies, and communities for generations to come.

Lisa Spangler, RN, Ph.D., department chair of the School of Nursing, was recognized as a finalist for the 2025 Lifetime Achievement in Nursing Award by Mount St. Joseph University. Dr. Spangler and colleagues celebrated her nomination at the Leadership in Nursing awards, held on October 22nd, honoring exceptional nurse leaders who inspire through compassion, innovation, and dedication.

Harold J. Smith, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the department of mathematics and physics, and Kyler L. Beaumont, a junior at Thomas More majoring in mathematics and physics, recently published an article entitled “Exploding Dice Combinatorics.” The article appears in the December 2025 issue of Parabola Magazine, an online mathematical magazine published by the University of New South Wales (Australia) for high school students and others interested in mathematics. The article can be found online here.

Dinesh Thapa, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics, had his article, “Lattice Engineering Novel 2D Monolayer in Zinc Pnictides,” published in the American Chemical Society (ACS) Omega Journal. Soon after the discovery of electronically promising two-dimensional (2D) graphene monolayer from the mechanical exfoliation of graphite, many theoretical and experimental researchers are fascinated to exfoliate and synthesize novel 2D materials because of their unprecedented electronic applications. Dr. Thapa attempted to provide the synthesis route to the experimentalists, predicting stability of novel 2D form of zinc pnictide materials via computational modeling. This article can be accessed online at this link.

Additionally, his article “Singlet and triplet excitations in chemically functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes” was published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, Royal Society of Chemistry, in collaboration with theoretical researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and North Dakota State University (NDSU). Readers can find the full article online here.

Staff & Administration

James Catchen, MPA, director of dual credit and transfer pathways, and Teri Daniel, director of global education and designated school official (DSO) were selected to participate in the 2025-26 Leadership exChange Program by the Kentucky Student Success Collaborative. The Leadership exChange is a year-long program that provides comprehensive skills and tools to help faculty and staff lead strategic change initiatives, foster innovation and drive continuous improvement on campus. Throughout the program, participants learn and use student-centered approaches to design solutions that improve student success outcomes.

Joseph Chillo, LP.D., President and CEO, has been appointed to the Prinicple Review Committee convened by the Executive Council of the Southern Association of Colleges and Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Members of the Committee, representing each state and every type of institution in the SACSCOC membership, will review and make recommendations for improvement to the Principles of Accreditation.

In October 2025, the publishers of Cincinnati Magazine named President Chillo as one of the region’s 300 most powerful business leaders. For a sixth consecutive year, Chillo was recognized in the annual publication entitled Cincinnati 300, which recognizes leaders from Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky’s largest and most successful companies, nonprofits, government entities, and professional services agencies. President Chillo has been included on the list each year since the beginning of his tenure at Thomas More.

Additionally, the National Association of Independent Colleges & Universities (NAICU) invited President Chillo to speak at its Annual Meeting & Advocacy Day in February 2026, as the organization convenes in Washington, D.C. in February to mark its 50th year of impact in independent higher education. President Chillo will serve as a panelist to discuss institutional strategies for government relations and working effectively with government stakeholders in an evolving political landscape. He will share his perspective following the establishment of the Office of Community & Government Relations at Thomas More, with a presence for this office established in the OneNKY Center in Covington.

Amy Malventano, Ph.D., university archivist, presented “Bridging Minds and Memory” at the Kentucky Council on Archives fall meeting at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center in Maysville. Her presentation highlighted an interdisciplinary Thomas More University course that connected psychology and archival studies, showing how archival engagement fosters critical thinking and research skills. She also joined a roundtable on online engagement and the impact of AI.