Laura Keener
Editor
Thomas More University announces an affiliation with Covington Latin School following a unanimous vote of its board of trustees on March 6, that gives final approval for Covington Latin School to become a part of the university.
“This is a transformative step forward for Catholic education in Northern Kentucky,” said Thomas More University President Joseph Chillo. “The affiliation unites the academic rigor and Catholic classical education Covington Latin School is known for with the resources of Thomas More University to enrich the mission and academic programs of Covington Latin and secure a thriving future for generations of students.”
The announcement follows a comprehensive, year-long assessment to define the benefits and processes of affiliation. The assessment was conducted by a team that includes members of the diocesan Curia and university leadership. Through townhall-style forums, surveys of alumni, parents, teachers and staff and one-on-one meetings with stakeholders, the team has utilized feedback from the Covington Latin School community to create a strategic vision for the school as part of the university.
“True to its mission as a classical Catholic school for gifted learners, for over 100 years Covington Latin School has formed students to engage with the world thoughtfully and critically, fostering a sense of responsibility to contribute positively to society and the Church,” says Bishop John Iffert of the Diocese of Covington. “I am truly grateful to the Thomas More University Board of Trustees for its support of the affiliation and to Dr. Chillo and his team for continuing the Covington Latin School legacy of teaching ‘Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge.’ I am confident that Covington Latin School’s affiliation with Thomas More University will enhance its rigorous academic standards by providing access to advanced resources, faculty expertise and a broader academic community, while maintaining a deep commitment to the values of the Catholic faith.”
While plans for curriculum are still being fully formed, under the affiliation Covington Latin School students will be able to access Thomas More University courses as part of defined pathway programs and dual credit. This integrated approach will allow Covington Latin students to begin their college journey early and explore their academic interests.
“Knowing the success of university-affiliated schools in the United States, it is exciting for Thomas More to be the first instance of a private, nonprofit university in the Commonwealth to undertake this model,” President Chillo says. “It is yet another demonstration of the innovative mindset that is shaping the future of Thomas More University as the regional leader in Catholic higher education.”
In an interview following the announcement, Dr. Kevin Reynolds, senior vice president, Mission and University Advancement, Thomas More University, who has been leading the affiliation process, said that the Board’s approval sets in motion several key steps, the first of which is hiring a permanent Head of School for Covington Latin. For the last year, Dr. Racheal Noll has been leading Covington Latin on an interim basis.
“From the very beginning of the process, we’ve said that our goal was to do a full search for that next leader,” Dr. Reynolds said.
To aid in that search, a committee has been formed made up of TMU representatives, and CLS faculty, alumni and current and prospective parents, he said.
Additionally, the TMU/CLS affiliation team will, next week, begin meeting with CLS faculty and staff to discuss things like compensation and employee benefits.
“For a lot of the current faculty, they’re excited about the opportunity for tuition remission at Thomas More University, which is something that we’re going to be offering to them,” Dr. Reynolds said.
While details of the curriculum have yet to be finalized, the school will still be dedicated to a classical, Catholic liberal arts curriculum. “It fits very well in alignment with Thomas More University’s mission as a Catholic liberal arts college, as a curriculum founded in the Catholic intellectual tradition. Certainly, those things are highly synonymous and work well together,” Dr. Reynolds said.
Some enhancements that will be new and unique to Covington Latin School that the affiliation will bring is access to college resources.
“We intend on operating Covington Latin out of its current building in Covington, that doesn’t change. Certainly, our (TMU) facilities, our labs, our faculty, our expertise, can be brought in to advance and supplement that educational experience,” said Dr. Reynolds.
As examples, Dr. Reynolds said that already this year the CLS Christian Awakening Retreat was held on TMU’s campus, the schools upcoming Spring musical, “Shrek,” will be performed at TMU’s theater. TMU is home to an LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified biology field station, a state-of-the-art observatory and anatomy lab. “These are resources that the faculty at Covington Latin will now have access to use for their students to assist in their educational experience,” said Dr. Reynolds.
With the affiliation, student enhancements will also continue outside of the classroom. “Our intent is to grow the co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities within the school,” said Dr. Reynolds. “Certainly, athletics is a big part of that. There’s something to be said about how young people grow in the athletic experience. Even if you’re not winning state championships, it’s the competition that takes place on the field, on the court, in the practice. The personal growth that happens learning how to work as a team, overcoming adversity, perseverance — these are all things that students today need. Athletics is a big way of providing that opportunity, and so we’re going to invest there.”
Dr. Reynolds said that TMU/CLS’s first investment will be in its faculty. “The best thing we can do for students is to make sure they have the best possible teachers. So, we’re going to be investing in the teachers. We’re going to be providing continuous education opportunities for teachers to get advanced degrees, and provide the opportunity to, if they’re not yet certified, to get certified, and then just continuing that pedagogy. Professional Development is going to be really important for us to make sure that our teachers are the most prepared to serve the region’s most gifted learners and leaders. That’s the biggest thing for us right now, investing in the teachers.”
In an interview about the affiliation, Bishop Iffert said that what he believes will be a benefit with CLS/TMU is a “collegial” approach to education. An approach that is foundational to CLS.
“When I look back on the strength of Covington Latin School, one thing that was very clear to me is that the strength of the school, for years, was the priests who were teaching there and some of the lay people, too,” said Bishiop Iffert. Noting that at one time in CLS’s history over 30 priests were involved with the school, as faculty members or administrators. “When priests work together like that, they function as a college. That’s one of the things that people often miss about priests, and that priests sometimes we forget, is that we are not lone rangers, we are not working independently, but we function properly as a college. That strength was so important for establishing the strong reputation that this school has.”
To capitalize on that foundational strength of CLS, Bishop Iffert said he began to search for a current resource that functioned similarly. “We have a college with its administrative team, with its faculty, who are experienced
in working with gifted young people, and people who are preparing for both college and graduate study, who can bring their expertise and their wisdom to bear on helping gifted young people who are developing those kinds of study and career tracks,” Bishop Iffert said. “It seemed to me like the application of that collegial approach was likely to bear the best fruit for Covington Latin School.”
“Covington Latin School continues to be a school with a program that is strong,” Bishop Iffert said. “We are committed to trying to strengthen that program. We hope to capture again that commitment to a classical, Catholic curriculum so that students can be distinguished as being students who are well educated, well-rounded students going into their college years. Many of the faculty who have brought so much excellence and joy to Covington Latin School in the past several years will continue there, under the leadership of Thomas More University.”
A list of responses to frequently asked questions for Covington Latin families is available online at https://more.thomasmore.edu/wp-content/uploads/CLS-and-TMU_-Frequently-Asked-Questions.pdf.
