Thomas More University

The Benedictine Sisters of Covington, Kentucky , founded Villa Madonna College in 1921 to train Catholic school teachers and to provide college education for young women. The college was chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1923. Villa Madonna graduated its first students in 1929 and became the official college of the Diocese of Covington that same year. Three religious orders operated Villa Madonna in its early years: the Sisters of Notre Dame , the Congregation of Divine Providence , and the local Benedictine Sisters. Through the 1930s and early 1940s, the college grew slowly. The school year 1942–1943 closed with commencement exercises on June 4 with ten graduates. The number of graduates of the college including the 1943 class was 152. [ 2 ] Although Villa Madonna was founded as an institution for women, men attended many of the same classes through the affiliated St. Thomas More College, a college-level program of Covington Latin School . In 1945, Villa Madonna was designated a co-educational college, and St. Thomas More College was abolished. [ 3 ] In that year the Diocese of Covington purchased the college. At the opening of classes in September 1945, Villa Madonna College enrolled 28 Sisters, 56 laywomen, and 28 men for a total of 112 students. As the college began to grow, facilities and classrooms were stretched to their limits. Several buildings owned by the Diocese of Covington were quickly secured for additional classrooms and offices. Over the next two decades, as enrollment and curriculum steadily grew, any available space was acquired and adapted for the college's use. Eventually, all available space was exhausted, and it was clear that a more spacious campus was needed. [ 4 ] Campus buildings of Villa Madonna College include St. Joseph's Hall, St. Thomas More Hall, [ 5 ] Cabrini Hall, [ 5 ] St. Pius Hall, Talbott Hall, Cafeteria Annex, Columbus Hall (library), St. Jude Hall, Aquinas Hall, [ 5 ] Bernard Hall, [ 5 ] and St.

Luke Hall (art department). [ 6 ] In 1964, the school's chancellor, Bishop Richard Henry Ackerman , announced a building program. A growing co-educational institution, an expanding campus and the opportunity to serve a wider area made the move the natural choice. In 1968, the college was moved from downtown Covington to what is now Crestview Hills . In this same year, Ackerman announced that Villa Madonna College would be renamed " Thomas More College". Although the college was opened in January 1968, dedication ceremonies were held on September 28 with President Lyndon B. Johnson in attendance. The college serves 2,000 full- and part-time students. The same year another Thomas More College opened – a woman's college of Jesuit Fordham University in New York which later merged with Fordham College as a co-educational college and dropped the Thomas More name. [ 7 ] Although primarily from Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky , students from roughly 20 states and several countries attend Thomas More. Kentucky's Council on Postsecondary Education formally granted Thomas More university status in July 2018. On October 1, 2018, Thomas More College was officially renamed to Thomas More University and assumed university status, with full implementation of the name change taking place during the 2018–19 academic year. [ 8 ] Thomas More also began transitioning to a new organizational structure of three colleges: [ 9 ] College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences College of Business College of Natural and Health Sciences Presidents Mary Domitilla Thuener (1921–1928) [ 10 ] [ 11 ] Michael Leick (1928–1943) [ 10 ] Edmund Corby (1943–1944) [ 10 ] Thomas A. McCarty (1945–1949) [ 10 ] Joseph Z. Aud (1949–1951) [ 10 ] John F. Murphy (1951–1971) [ 10 ] Richard A. DeGraff (1971–1978) [ 10 ] Robert J. Giroux (1978–1982) [ 10 ] Thomas A. Coffey (1982–1985) [ 10 ] Charles J. Bensman (1986–1992) [ 10 ] William F. Cleves (1992–2001) [ 10 ] E.

Joseph Lee II (2001–2004) [ 10 ] Margaret Stallmeyer (2005–2013) [ 10 ] David A. Armstrong (2013–2018) [ 12 ] Joseph L. Chillo (2019–present) [ 13 ]

The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). [ 14 ] The institution is a member of the Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE). [ 15 ]