Igniting What’s Next: Texas Lutheran University Launches Capital Campaign

For more than 130 years, Texas Lutheran University has been equipping its students to make a difference in the world. And over those years, the university has evolved-from the day it opened its doors to 21 students in Brenham, Texas, through its move to its campus in Seguin, to today's thriving community of over 1400 students on three campuses, with over 30 majors to choose from as well as master's and doctoral programs.

In order to ensure that the university continues to advance and live into its vision of developing graduates who think critically, lead ethically, and contribute meaningfully to the world around them, TLU began work on a capital campaign with the goal of raising just over $80 million back in 2019. That campaign, Ignite What's Next, officially entered its public phase with a celebration on May 14, 2026, and is expected to run through 2028.

"As these kinds of campaigns typically go, we were intentionally working hard but quietly on campaign fundraising, looking to reach some milestones before making a public launch," TLU President Dr. Debbie Cottrell said in her speech at the celebration. She said that there have been bumps in the road along the way, including, of course, a global pandemic-"but we never departed from the larger effort and can celebrate several significant gifts and accomplishments in this quiet phase."

Funds raised will be utilized in alignment with the university's strategic plan, Boldy Forward, with key areas of emphasis being financial sustainability, commitment to students, campus vibrancy, and community connections. Specific goals include updating classrooms, growing the endowment to generate a healthy annual income, and creating more scholarships for future generations of Bulldogs.

At the dinner, President Cottrell announced a few lead gifts that have already created campaign momentum. Those include the $5.4 million raised for the now-opened Lundquist Student Athletic Center; a recent mid-seven-figure estate gift to support endowed professorships, scholarships, and science facilities; a $1 million grant from the Douglass Foundation for an endowed chair; an endowed professorship in biology; a new endowment to support study abroad and study away programs; and a gift to create a new ticket booth and plaza entrance to Bulldog Stadium, which will be open for the first football game in September.

Bob Oliver, who chairs the campaign committee, said he agreed to serve in that role because he believes so strongly in the mission and importance of the university. "Over the 14 years I have been closely involved at TLU, I have seen how students first step foot on this campus and how they are changed when they graduate . . . fully prepared to move on to the exciting lives ahead of them." He went on to say that TLU fills a niche among the alternatives available in higher education. "We attract students that thrive in a smaller faith-based campus community and thrive on close mentoring from a faculty focused on students. We hear back from employers raving about how prepared TLU graduates are."

During his speech at the campaign launch celebration, Oliver went on to say, "You all know how important TLU's mission is. If we can get this right with your help, we will not only Ignite What's Next for TLU, but we will Ignite What's Next for every TLU student who steps on this campus."

With work toward the monetary goal already well underway, and with two years still to go in the campaign, the future is looking bright for TLU.

To learn more about supporting the university, click here: https://www.tlu.edu/ignite.