Campaign News

September 2007

Dream. Inspire. Achieve. Reaches $141.3 million

$1.1 million gift establishes the Hornbeak Scholars in Health Care

From left, Trinity president John Brazil; Dudley Harral, chair of Methodist Healthcare System; George “Mac” Williams Jr., chair of Methodist Healthcare Ministries; John E. Hornbeak; Mary Stefl, chair of Trinity’s Health Care Administration; and Marc Raney, vice president for Advancement.

A $1.1 million gift from Methodist Healthcare Ministries to The Campaign for Trinity University will have a big impact on future health care graduate students – and pushes the amount of gifts and pledges raised toward the campaign to $141.3 million. With a Campaign goal of $200 million, the majority of funds will be directed toward scholarships and financial aid. “This strategic gift will advance the Ministries’ commitment to promoting leadership in health care by providing financial assistance to deserving students,” said Trinity president John R. Brazil.

The Methodist Healthcare Ministries endowment gift was made in honor of John E. Hornbeak, the recently retired president and CEO of Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio. Hornbeak, a distant relative of Trinity’s ninth president Samuel Hornbeak (1907 to 1921), is considered a “health-care giant.” During his two-decade tenure with Methodist Healthcare, John Hornbeak provided distinguished leadership and service to health care, civic and community organizations, and philanthropic endeavors.  His vision led Methodist Hospital through a successful alliance that merged the not-for-profit with the for-profit world of health care, creating the Methodist Healthcare System and the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.  Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ mission is to provide charitable medical care and other health-related human services to the underserved population of South Texas.

Recipients of the Methodist Healthcare Ministries Scholarship fund will be named John E. Hornbeak Scholars and may also receive consideration for an administrative residency at the Methodist Healthcare System.  “It is always encouraging to hear our community health leaders endorse and affirm the important role our program plays in health care in San Antonio and throughout the nation,” said Mary Stefl, professor and chair of the department. Stefl says the fund will allow the program to give a full scholarship to health care graduate students who demonstrate academic merit and leadership potential. Trinity’s health care administration program benefits from a strong national and regional reputation due in large part to the number of alumni who now hold leadership positions in health management in Texas and throughout the United States. The program operates Trinity’s Center for Leadership Development in Health Management, which strives to enhance efforts to recruit highly qualified students, cultivate residency placements, and provide continuing professional development opportunities for students, alumni, and friends.

Dream. Inspire. Achieve. The Campaign for Trinity University is the most ambitious and challenging advancement initiative in Trinity’s history. With its $200 million goal, the campaign will allow Trinity to continue to recruit the best and brightest students, regardless of their financial circumstances. In addition to scholarships, the Campaign also will support innovative new academic programs that capitalize on Trinity’s strengths and meet the demands of the global society in which students must thrive. The Campaign will also create additional faculty positions and provide current faculty with opportunities for research and scholarship. Campaign gifts will also finance enhancements to Trinity’s technology infrastructure, laboratories, athletic and recreation programs and facilities, residence halls.

The Campaign for Trinity’s Health Care Administration program, an initiative within the Campaign for Trinity, will support the goals of the Center for Leadership Development in Health Management and enhance Trinity’s efforts to develop exceptional managers and innovative leaders in the health management field.