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Ave Maria University
A New Catholic University
In November 2002, Domino’s Pizza founder,
Thomas Monaghan and his Ave Maria Foundation, announced plans to
create a conservative Catholic university outside of Naples, Fla.
A public relations program was produced to introduce the school
and the new town that would be built to support it.
The Ave Maria University PR program was designed to obtain positive,
national and local media coverage for the announcement of the school
– it was also important that it was positioned as a “premier”
school, with excellent academics, a high-quality campus, and extensive
supporting town center.
To announce its creation, a multi-faceted PR campaign, including
a press conference that was held in Naples, generated more than
25 million impressions. Coverage was received in USA Today, The
New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, and The
Washington Post, among many other publications. Extensive media
kits were also created and distributed.
Subsequently, the university opened an interim campus with more
than 100 students in the Fall of 2003, and has continued to garner
positive media attention. In March 2004, university officials unveiled
detailed architectural plans for the largest Catholic Church in
the U.S, as well as final designs for major campus buildings. Once
again, extensive national media coverage was garnered, totaling
more than 16 million impressions.
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