FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Susie P. Gonzalez
susie.gonzalez@trinity.edu

Aug. 26, 2009

Trinity University Thanks San Antonio for Contributions to Help Surpass $200 Million Capital Campaign Goal  

Additional Information

Campaign Highlights Trinity University and San Antonio Dream. Inspire. Achieve. The Campaign for Trinity University Web site

SAN ANTONIO – Trinity University’s unprecedented goal of raising $200 million to enhance programs and invest in students and faculty has not only been reached but exceeded. The comprehensive campaign – Dream. Inspire. Achieve. The Campaign for Trinity University – is entering its final month with an Aug. 26 celebration that features an all-campus picnic and welcoming ceremonies for the Class of 2013. A final campaign total will be announced Sept. 24 at the President’s Dinner, a gala honoring major benefactors and friends of the University.

Of the $203.6 million raised to date, an estimated 43 percent – roughly $87 million – has come from residents of San Antonio. Trinity officials expressed heartfelt thanks to San Antonians who have shown their support and demonstrated their belief in Trinity’s value to the community.

“Trinity University is very proud of the support San Antonio has given to the campaign,” said Trinity president John R. Brazil. “The investment reveals an understanding of the critical contribution Trinity makes to the long term educational, economic, and cultural health of the community.”

The national reputation that Trinity enjoys – as endorsed by favorable rankings from The Princeton Review, the Fiske Guide to Colleges, and the U.S. News & World Report – adds to San Antonio’s stature, President Brazil said.

Gifts and pledges came from Trinity University trustees, alumni, parents of students, staff and faculty, foundations, corporations, estates, and trusts. The sum raised was unprecedented. It was unprecedented for Trinity and was the largest campaign from private sources in this region. The success of the campaign was made even more remarkable against the backdrop of the extraordinary economic recession.

The campaign was bookended by external circumstances that ranged from the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, prompting the campaign to be postponed, to the dramatic drop in the stock market in the fall of 2008 and early 2009. The regional economy was delivered an accompanying blow when Hurricane Ike struck Houston in September 2008, crippling the geographic area where thousands of Trinity alumni live and work.

Marc Raney, vice president for University Advancement, said reaching and exceeding the campaign goal has been a vote of confidence by supporters and friends of Trinity. “The real importance of the campaign is the positive impact it will have on students now and for generations to come,” he said.

Campaign contributions already are having an impact on the Trinity campus. More than 60 new endowments have been created for new scholarships and professorships, enhancements to the University’s technology learning resources, and improvements to and the addition of new facilities.

Several new, innovative academic initiatives financed by the campaign are being implemented. Among them are:

• East Asian Studies at Trinity (EAST Program,) which showcases the expertise of professors in Asian culture, language, politics, religion, and business administration;
  
  
• Mexico, the Americas, and Spain (MAS Program,) which offers study, research, and internship opportunities along with study abroad programs that take advantage of the University’s proximity to the border – a mere 150 miles southward.
  
  
• Interdisciplinary Science, which seeks ways for scientists to collaborate as they seek multidisciplinary solutions for scientific research. Trinity has provided seed money to leverage external grants for science programs from a range of foundations and science research institutes.    
  
  
• Entrepreneurship, which taps into the critical thinking skills of students who work, live, and study together as they develop new products to take to the market. The initiative blends the strengths of liberal arts and sciences with professional programs.    
  
  
• Urban Studies, which connects Trinity with San Antonio as a learning laboratory that incorporates elements of economics, business, engineering, history, political science and psychology needed for successful city planning and urban administration.

In addition to the new scholarships, high-achieving students are beneficiaries of a new Distinguished Scholars program that recognizes outstanding academic accomplishment.  

One of the largest campaign gifts was a $5 million grant from AT&T that is being used to enhance campus technology at the Coates Library and in classrooms across campus as well as at the campus radio station, KRTU 91.7–FM, which now broadcasts in high definition. 

The campaign was launched Sept. 22, 2005 as the most ambitious and challenging advancement initiative in Trinity’s history. With a goal of $200 million, the campaign is allowing Trinity to continue to recruit the best and brightest students, regardless of their financial circumstances. In addition to scholarships, the Campaign supports innovative new academic programs that capitalize on Trinity’s strengths and meets the demands of the global society in which students must thrive.

In celebration of the campaign milestone, Trinity students, faculty, and staff gathered on campus for a picnic under a banner proclaiming, “Dream. Inspire. Achieved! Thank you for your support!” along with two large-screen televisions rolling with names of campus donors. The event also served as a welcome for the 650 first-year students attending a week-long slate of New Student Orientation events.

Trinity University is a nationally recognized liberal arts and sciences institution noted for its exceptional faculty and commitment to the comprehensive preparation of its talented student body. It is a learning community that has charted its course with a steadfast commitment to excellence since it was founded in 1869.

-- 30 --