CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (May 17, 2014) – President David A. Armstrong, J.D. announced Saturday at commencement an anonymous benefactor has made the largest gift in the Thomas More College‘s history. The $4 million gift, which thecollege has been challenged to match within a 4-year period, is principally focused on the creation of the Thomas More Success Center. This center will make a significant impact on students’ academic success: retention, graduation and career placement.
The Thomas More Success Center will have three major components.
• One division will include tutoring, academic counseling and persistence counseling, which includes intensive monitoring of at-risk students.
• The second division will include a Federal Level II academic support program for students with documented learning differences. This program includes professional tutoring, individual mentoring/coaching, study skills support, quiet test taking areas and adaptive equipment.
• The third division will consist of career advising and graduate school advising. This will include professional skills development and relationship building with employers and graduate schools. Assistance in application services, recommendations portfolio management and placement tests will also be provided. Experiential learning, which will become a requirement for all Thomas More College students, will be a part of this center.
“This ambitious concept will undoubtedly transform the lives of students so that they can go out and transform the world,” said President David A. Armstrong, J.D., who has been with Thomas More College since July 2013 and is leading the college into its next Strategic Plan. “This is the hallmark of a Thomas More College education, and I am thrilled that someone has invested so much in our endeavor to support our students.”
Academic support, advising, tutoring and career services are important areas that directly impact retention, graduation and career/graduate school placement rates, school officials said. Students choosing Thomas More College (along with their parents) want to be confident that they will succeed in school, graduate and be able to get a job or attend graduate school, Armstrong said. The Success Center initiative will ensure Thomas More College is a leader in accomplishing students’ educational goals.
Overall, the gift will impact as many as 1,600 undergraduate students every year, plus recent graduates. About 300 students graduate from Thomas More annually, and about 80 percent of them stay in the Greater Cincinnati area.
“This gift allows us to invest in our students, our campus, and our future. It confirms to our region that Thomas More College is an investment worth making,” Armstrong said. “This benefactor, who wishes to remain anonymous, has made a tremendous investment in our college and believes in a Thomas More College education, and believes in the direction that the college is moving.”
The school expects accomplishing its goal of creating a success center will be important.
“An initiative like this has an immediate positive impact on the lives of students and the bottom line of this institution,” Armstrong said. “We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of this benefactor and we are eager to see how this stimulates additional giving.”
For more information about the Thomas More Success Center, please visit www.thomasmore.edu.
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