Trinity University Launches Historic Comprehensive Campaign and Strategic Plan to Shape Our Future

Trinity University and its Board of Trustees have publicly launched Our Time: The Campaign for Trinity University, a $300 million campaign that will define the institution’s future by providing access to a Trinity education and advancing excellence on our campus for generations to come. Through our most ambitious comprehensive campaign yet, Trinity will attract exceptional students, enrich the campus community, spotlight our faculty, and position our institution for national recognition centered on student success.

This historic effort is guided by Ready. Set. Rise., Trinity’s new strategic plan, which provides a roadmap for strengthening student-focused education in an interconnected world. While Our Time: The Campaign for Trinity University invites our alumni and friends to support our students and engage with our campus, Ready. Set. Rise. lays out actionable steps the University will take to keep students at the center of our mission, cultivate leaders, integrate academic and residential life, and become an anchor institution for San Antonio and the region.

A Bold Vision, A Strong Start

Trinity has already secured more than $240 million, 80% of its $300 million goal, thanks to the generosity of early donors who have invested in key priorities. Philanthropic support has already fueled initiatives such as the naming of the Michael Neidorff School of Business and the D. R. Semmes School of Science, the construction and renovations of Dicke Hall and the Chapman-Halsell Complex, the construction of Beneski Parkway, renovations of Parker Chapel’s formation wing, and generous support for scholarships. 

These bold commitments, complemented by the thousands of individual annual gifts that alumni have shared in the last nearly seven years, demonstrate the lasting impact of philanthropy on Trinity’s students and faculty. These gifts also enable Trinity to emerge as a rising force in the national higher education landscape.

“As we launch Our Time: The Campaign for Trinity University, we celebrate both our history and our future,” says Vanessa B. Beasley, Ph.D., Trinity University president. “This campaign ensures that the nation’s brightest students can have access to a Trinity education, itself increasingly recognized as one of the best in the United States, while we also build on the excellence and innovation that have long been associated with our University.”

Engaging the Trinity Community

Beyond its financial goals, the campaign seeks to rally Trinity’s alumni and supporters. With a target of 33% alumni participation and 65% alumni engagement, measured cumulatively over the course of the campaign, Our Time: The Campaign for Trinity University emphasizes that every member of the Trinity community has a role to play.

“Trinity’s success has always been built on the strength of its people, its students, faculty, alumni, supporters, and friends,” says Ted Beneski P’11, P’14, chair of Trinity’s Board of Trustees. “It is our time to come together as a community to secure a bright future for the University we care for so deeply.”

Participation and engagement goals reflect the many ways our community contributes—whether through time, talent, or philanthropic support. Increasing giving participation signals strong community backing, attracting philanthropists, enhancing institutional prestige, and strengthening Trinity’s long-term success. Engaged alumni are more likely to stay involved, volunteer, give, advocate, and amplify Trinity’s impact. These goals strengthen Trinity’s national brand and bolster the support for our students, faculty, and alumni.

Rising to the Challenge

The launch of this historic campaign marks a turning point, shifting focus from early fundraising momentum to broader community involvement. As the campaign progresses, Trinity invites all alumni, supporters, and friends to join in shaping the University’s next chapter.

“It is our time to rise to the challenge,” says Michael Bacon ’89, vice president for Alumni Relations and Development. “Every gift, every connection, every act of support strengthens Trinity’s ability to transform lives through education.”

With Our Time: The Campaign for Trinity University fueling the vision and Ready. Set. Rise. guiding the way, Trinity stands at a pivotal moment—one defined by ambition, opportunity, and the collective power of its community.

Our Time: The Campaign for Trinity University

Ready. Set. Rise. Strategic Plan