Msgr. William F. Cleves, Thomas More’s scholar president, part II. See part 1 of Fr. Cleves’ presidency
By David E. Schroeder
Special to NKyTribune
Part 36 of our series, “Retrospect and Vista II”: Thomas More College/University, 1971-2021
Father William (Bill) Cleves was named the eleventh President of Thomas More College on September 25, 1992, after serving four months as interim. The official inauguration took place on September 17, 1993, at the Connor Convocation Center on campus.
The first large grant received during the Cleves’ era was a $600,000 award from the James Graham Brown Foundation of Louisville in 1993. The funds were used to upgrade the student dorms which had received little attention since their construction more than 20 years earlier.
New Saints logo of Thomas More College, chosen during the administration of Fr. William Cleves.
In 1994, Father Cleves made the decision to select a new mascot for the college. For decades, Thomas More athletic teams competed under the title of “Rebels.” Sometimes the official mascot appeared as a confederate soldier and waved a confederate flag. Father Cleves found this association distasteful and approached the Board of Trustees concerning the issue. Students were given the opportunity to submit names for a new mascot. This list was narrowed down to six possibilities. Students, faculty, staff and alumni were all given the chance to vote on the new mascot. On May 11, 1994, Father Cleves announced that “Saints” had been selected and would become the official moniker of the college.
One of Father Cleves’ major goals was to establish a more diverse student body. Working closely with Dr. Paul Tenkotte and Mary Campbell, an International Studies program blossomed at the college. One of the first steps was to broker an agreement with Gifu City Women’s College in Japan in 1993. Father Cleves and Dr. Tenkotte were both present in Japan for the official ceremonies. For many years, students from Gifu City attended three-week summer sessions at Thomas More studying English. Additional agreements were later signed with St. Andrew’s College, Bearsden, Scotland; Katholische Universität Eichstätt (Catholic University of Eichstätt), Eichstätt, Germany; Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland; and Universidad del Sagrado Corazón (Sacred Heart University), San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Fr. William Cleves, pictured here with the president of Gifu City Women’s College, in Gifu, Japan, Summer 1993, at the formal signing of an articulation agreement between the two colleges.
Father Cleves also saw the need for more advanced adult education in the region. In 1993, the Thomas More Accelerated Program (TAP) was established in cooperation with the Institute for Professional Development. The Institute provided marketing, accounting and curriculum support, while Thomas More provided the faculty, instruction and advising components. The TAP program was based on small cohorts of students taking five-week courses. Initially, TAP offered students the ability to complete their bachelor’s degrees in business administration. Over time, an associate degree and MBA in Business Administration were added. The MBA was the first graduate-level program offered by Thomas More College. Dr. Vicki Berling, a former Director of the TAP program, stated, “Father Cleves understood the need to provide innovative educational opportunities for adults. He was very forward-thinking in developing the TAP program at Thomas More and was on the forefront of the accelerated degree movement in our region” (Kentucky Post, March 30, 1993, p. 2K).
See also: Our Rich History: The Thomas More Accelerated Program — TAP — becomes a reality
AND Our Rich History: Growth of TAP and master’s in business administration degree at Thomas More
By the mid-1990s, Father Cleves was working with local developer Bill Butler on what would become Forward Quest (under the umbrella of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED). The goal was to develop a regional plan for the Northern Kentucky community. Utilizing hundreds of volunteers and the work of dozens of community groups and committees, Forward Quest became a national model for planning. Ultimately, the work resulted in a plan consisting of six areas of concentration – governance, education, growth and development, human services, regional and metropolitan initiatives, and culture, entertainment and recreation. Local attorney and community leader Michael Hammons was appointed Director and a board of directors was established. The forward Quest plan proved very fruitful. Some of the accomplishments included the creation of Legacy (to encourage young leaders), the Urban Learning Center (at which Thomas More faculty took a lead role), Southbank Partners, The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky, and one-stop career centers in Covington and Florence (Kentucky Post, February 15, 2005, p. A10).
Helen McNeeve Theissen, Fr. William Cleves, and Rosemary McNeeve (left to right). Theissen and McNeeve were among the many friends of Fr. Cleves, as well as contributors to Thomas More College. (Photo by Paul A. Tenkotte)
Enhancing the campus proved to be one of Father Cleves’ most lasting achievements. Prior to his presidency, a football program was started at the college in 1990. The program was successful from the beginning and became an important part of campus life. However, no stadium for the team existed on campus. Following years of fundraising by college officials, the athletic department and alumni, the first Thomas More football stadium opened to the public in September 1999. Prior to this time, home games were played at Dixie Heights High School, Beechwood High School, Lockland High School in Ohio, Nippert Stadium on the University of Cincinnati campus, Galbreath Field in Ohio and Bellevue High School (Kentucky Post, August 3, 1998, p. 5K, and July 2, 1999, p. 5K).
At the time Father Cleves was appointed president of the college, he voiced the need for a true student center on campus. Following a successful capital campaign, Father’s dream became a reality. Ground for what would become the Saints Center was broken in 1998. The facility was located between Seiler Commons and the student dorms. The new building focused on student recreation and activities. When completed in September 1999, the Saints Center housed the college bookstore and Saints Shop, a game room, conference rooms, small meeting spaces, offices for student organizations, the Interlude Café, Steigerwald Hall and a student computer lab (Kentucky Post, March 19, 1998, p. 3K, and September 11, 1999, p. 3K).
One of Father Cleves’ goals was to make the college better known in the region. As a result, he served on multiple boards and commissions, including as trustee at the Covington Latin School (his alma mater), St. Ursula Villa in Cincinnati, Summit Country Day School, and Villa Madonna Academy. Cleves also served on the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, the Education Alliance of Northern Kentucky, the American Red Cross, the Kentucky Independent College Foundation, the Metropolitan Club, the Cathedral Foundation Advisory Board, the Council of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities, Chair of the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities, Vice-Chair of the of the Greater Cincinnati Summit on Racism, the Kentucky Human Rights Commission, and a Director of the Kentucky Center for Public Issues. These additional responsibilities resulted in the appointment of Gary Bockelman, Vice President for Administration and Finances, with the additional duties of Chief Operating Officer.
Dave Schroeder, author of this article, standing beside the Tommy Mo mascot. (Courtesy of David E. Schroeder)
In early 1998, Father Cleves and the administration began work on the reaccreditation process for the college by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Reaccreditation was achieved. As a result of the self-study, several administrative changes were made. The Administrative Committee was dissolved and replaced by a President’s Council, with Father Cleves as Chairperson. The council also included Dr. Ray Hebert, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College; Gary Bockelman Vice President of for Administration and Chief Operating Officer; and Craig Rice, Vice President of Institutional Advancement.
Additional changes occurred in 2000 with the establishment of a new academic structure. The new structure grouped the traditional academic departments into seven new departments: Communications and Fine Arts; Humanities; Natural Sciences; Social and Behavior Sciences; Accountancy and Business Administration; Education and Nursing; and Quantitative and information Science. A chair was named for each department, with each chair reporting to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College.
On June 14, 2000, Father William Cleves announced his resignation as President of Thomas More College after the completion of the 2000-2001 academic year. He had faithfully served the college for more than eighteen years and elevated its status in the region. Currently, Msgr. William Cleves is Pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Newport, Kentucky.
David E. Schroeder is director of the Kenton County Public Library. He is the author of Life Along the Ohio: A Sesquicentennial History of Ludlow, Kentucky (2014), coeditor of Gateway City: Covington, Kentucky, 1815-2015 (2015), and co-author of Lost Northern Kentucky (2018).
We want to learn more about the history of your business, church, school, or organization in our region (Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and along the Ohio River). If you would like to share your rich history with others, please contact the editor of “Our Rich History,” Paul A. Tenkotte, at tenkottep@nku.edu. Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD is Professor of History and Gender Studies at Northern Kentucky University and the author of many books and articles.
