New Name, New Look, New Life

The scenic beauty of Southeast Ohio has inspired generations of artists, while the unique environment of Ohio University has offered them a creative haven for self-expression. Now, and for generations to come, OHIO’s redesigned College of Fine Arts will become a space where creativity and education collide to reimagine the student, faculty and community arts experience in Appalachian Ohio.

This evolution is made possible thanks to alumni support—including a gift from Jeffery Chaddock, BSC ’88, and Mark Morrow, who have committed a transformational $25 million to what will now be known as the Jeffery D. Chaddock and Mark A. Morrow College of Fine Arts.

“Ohio University is proud and honored to have the support of alumni and friends like Jeff and Mark,” says University President Lori Stewart Gonzalez. “Their gift is not only a testament to the tremendous impact of OHIO and the arts, but an assurance that the University will continue to provide access and opportunity in Southeast Ohio and beyond. Jeff has demonstrated over and over his love of the Appalachian region and Ohio University. Our communities have been well served by the generosity of Jeff and Mark, and we remain forever grateful.”

The couple’s momentous gift to the college will include programmatic and facility endowments for the Kennedy Museum of Art and the Performing Arts & Concert Series , as well as a fellowship for the college and a gift to its capital and renovation fund, all with the aim of enhancing the student and regional arts experience. Additional gifts totaling $20 million will support the Ohio University Press , the University’s Pride Center and scholarships.

“Jeff and Mark have such wonderful, giving hearts,” says Kelli Kotowski , assistant vice president of gift planning for University Advancement. “They support their passions and invest in people and community. Jeff especially appreciates the joy and value that the arts bring to our lives, and this naming perfectly honors his commitment to elevate the arts at Ohio University and in our community.”

Chaddock was adopted as a child and came from humble means. He grew up in Belpre, Ohio, where various creative endeavors in his childhood provided a starting point for his success later in life.

“If it wasn’t for creativity in my life, I do not believe that I would be one-tenth of the person I am today,” he says. Chaddock is the CEO of Envisage Wealth , a Central Ohio-based wealth advisory firm that he founded more than 35 years ago. He is married to Morrow, docent for the 9/11 Museum in New York City. Together, the couple makes a point of supporting meaningful, arts-focused programs. With such programs disappearing from schools and other funding sources drying up, Chaddock and Morrow are drawn to offer their support; approximately 75% of their giving goes to creative spaces.

The couple was inspired to such giving at OHIO when they were introduced to the Performing Arts & Concert Series and other College of Fine Arts programs in 1984.

“What if we could elevate that experience for the Appalachian community—both the geographic community and the higher education community?” Chaddock recalls wondering. “It has been my 30-year vision to become stronger with that program.”

In that time, such efforts have expanded to include involvement with the Kennedy Museum of Art and funding for a recent, arts-focused renovation: the Chaddock Morrow Lounge in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium . So it’s no surprise that the couple was excited to hear about the College of Fine Arts Capital Project when it was announced last year and quickly stepped up to support the effort.

At the core of the college’s $94 million renewal strategy is the new Patton Center for Arts Education , named for a monumental, $50 million gift from the late Violet Patton, BSED ’38, LHD ’11. The center will house a 400-seat theater and an indoor-outdoor performance venue, and it will anchor the new Arts + Education Green near Seigfred, Glidden and Putnam halls. When construction wraps in fall 2026, the new green will bring together the University’s fine arts programs with state-of-the art teaching and collaboration spaces designed to serve the specific needs of each discipline.

“As artists, we’re constantly trying to imagine how to create something new or include something that we’ve never done within our discipline,” says Merri Biechler , MFA ’07, associate professor and director of the School of Theater . “I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for all of us to experiment.”

In the past seven years, the College of Fine Arts has grown significantly, adding more than a dozen new degree options—a number expected to continue growing, driven by new opportunities for collaboration. “Once we see what can happen with these intersections and collisions, I think there’ll be a completely new design of curriculum to better support that,” says Julie Dummermuth , associate professor in the School of Art + Design .

Like a pebble dropped in water, the ripple effect of Patton’s support encouraged Chaddock and Morrow to give—and they hope those ripples will continue outward, through them and into the wider Athens community. With OHIO serving as the largest arts provider in the region, that idea of community is essential to the couple.

“The rural areas of Appalachia are served enormously well by the University and its gravitational pull,” Chaddock says. “It certainly provides for a deeper conviction for giving. The College of Fine Arts particularly has a broader net, a broader impact to the geographic area.” He notes that OHIO’s presence as an arts provider sets it apart from peer institutions. Also different, adds Morrow, is the fact that the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts will bear both their names.

“There aren’t that many same-sex married couples that I can find online that have schools named after them,” Morrow notes. “In fact, I can’t find one.” He and Chaddock hope their gift will inspire others in the LGBTQ+ community in turn and remind them that their future is bright.

“Everybody, from Lori down, is so embracing at OHIO,” Morrow adds. “You just want to make sure that all young gay people realize that it doesn’t matter [if you’re gay]; you can make a difference. I think that’s another reason that Jeff and I felt this was important.”

And by making their commitment at this stage in their lives—Chaddock and Morrow are only 58 and 67, respectively—the couple hopes to encourage others to give early and see the effects of their contributions.

“Jeff was the one who taught me the importance of philanthropy, as well as the reward that comes along with it,” Morrow says. “It really is an amazing feeling to be able to be philanthropic at this level.”

“Our goal is to ensure folks think of the arts as a major percentage of their giving, today and in the future,” Chaddock says. “My motive to be public about the giving we’ve done, it’s always been in the vein of inspiring and giving permission to others to give today and in their ultimate planning gifts.”

Feature photo: A rendering of the new Patton Center for Arts Education, courtesy Perkins—Eastman