President's Messages

This Saturday is Founders' Day, a day that honors the pioneering spirit of a group of Cumberland Presbyterian ministers who sought to establish "a University of the highest order." On April 20, 1869, they selected Tehuacana, Texas, as the site of a school that would train students in body, mind, and spirit: Trinity University.

The spring semester is in full swing, and the energy on campus is palpable. On Feb. 1, Trinity kicked off its 150th anniversary with a day of service and celebration. It was remarkable to see hundreds of members of the great Trinity community come together in celebration and fellowship.

Most of us welcome January as a time of new beginnings, as an opportunity to resolve to live, think, or behave differently. Winter—even in Texas—reinforces our sense that we can be stripped to our bare branches, only to bloom anew. It is an act of supreme optimism, this belief that a fresh start lies just ahead. As a new semester begins, I hope each of us will embrace this renewed sense of the possible. What will you do to make this year and this semester better than the last?

I am excited to welcome you to 2019 and the beginning of Trinity University's 150th anniversary. This year promises to be a time of celebration and reflection for the many accomplishments and momentous occasions that have defined our past.

This year, campus will be transformed with signage designed to take you through Trinity's 150-year history. And, we will share special events and memories chronicling our University's rich culture and enterprising faculty, staff, and alumni, that are now synonymous as one of the nation's premier universities.

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.