President's Messages

James Hill getting ready to start the annual Turkey Trot.

The Coates University Center was recently renamed to Coates Student Center to reflect its student-centered renovations.

Life is a series of arrivals and departures, and it is normal to feel both excitement for a new beginning and sadness for the inevitable goodbyes. Just a few months ago, we welcomed the Class of 2018 to our alumni community while saying goodbye to their presence on campus. Similarly, the Class of 2022 moved in this past Friday, closing a chapter of their lives while opening a new one here.

As I walk across campus each day this summer, I am thankful for the canopy of shade offered by Trinity's towering oak trees. I can't help but think of that May day in 1952 when students, faculty, and community members moved Trinity to its new Skyline campus. These grand oaks would have been no more than seedlings, with the barest promise of shade.

I am proud to announce that Trinity University is now on the National Register of Historic Places. As I recall our journey from Tehuacana, to Waxahachie, and then to San Antonio, I stand in awe of those who came before us. Their founding intention led to a campus that is now nationally recognized as a mid-century architectural treasure.

Commencement is a word with multiple definitions. Commencement means the beginning of something, or it could be a synonym for a ceremony in which degrees are conferred to graduating students. At Trinity University, we held commencement for 502 students on Saturday, May 12. Joyous smiles and, in many cases, tears of happiness marked this special day. And just a few days later, on Thursday, May 17, we held a special Commencement for three graduating seniors who had been away competing in national tennis tournaments. The commencements created moments that embraced both definitions as each graduate opened doors to new beginnings and a journey filled with promise.

Trinity University is making great strides in building a campus culture in which students in all degree programs are challenged to bridge the gap between theory and practice–or, more precisely, between academic inquiry and real-world decision-making.

Trinity places great emphasis on supporting academic student success. The transition from high school to college is not always seamless. Mary Stuart Hunter, a national expert on first-year experience and student transitions, noted that "The first college year is not grade 13. For new students, college presents a foreign set of norms, traditions, and rituals, and a new language and environment."