Trinity University (Texas)

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Trinity University is an independent, primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences university in San Antonio, Texas.

Note: For other institutions of higher education using the name Trinity, see Trinity College, Trinity International University, or Trinity University (Washington, DC)

Contents

1 Campus 1.1 Major buildings 2 Organization 3 Faculty and students 4 Sports, clubs, and traditions 5 History 6 Noted alumni 7 Noted faculty

Campus

Trinity overlooks downtown San Antonio, adjacent to the Monte Vista Historic District and just south of the suburb of Olmos Park. The campus is noted for its distinctive architecture and well-maintained grounds.

Major buildings

• Murchison Tower is the most visible landmark on campus.
• Laurie Auditorium seats 2,865 and hosts both campus and community events.
• Margarite B. Parker Chapel houses a pipe organ [1] (http://www.geocities.com/rkimpeljr/organ/organ.html) comprising 5 divisions, 90 stops, 106 ranks, and 5724 pipes.
• New Northrup Hall (2004), designed by Robert A. M. Stern

Organization

The university offers 36 majors and 11 interdisciplinary minors in the traditional liberal arts and sciences, fine arts, and select professional programs in business administration, communications, education, and engineering. Across all disciplines, Trinity stresses close interaction between students and faculty members. Undergraduate research is particularly emphasized.

Radio station KRTU 91.7FM broadcasts from the campus, the only all-day jazz station in San Antonio. At night, the station broadcasts indie and college rock.

Faculty and students

As of 2004, the university enrolled 2,481 undergraduate and 226 graduate students. 67% of the first-year students come from the state of Texas, while 2% came from outside the United States. The median composite SAT score of incoming students was 1300. The full-time faculty numbers 228, 99% of whom hold a terminal degree in their field.

Sports, clubs, and traditions

Trinity is a member of the NCAA Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. It has historically had a strong tennis program. In recent years, Trinity has reached the national Division III playoffs or championships in several sports, including football, women's basketball, and men's soccer. The school mascot is the tiger.

Trinity hosts several local, but no national, social fraternities and sororities. However, the school hosts chapters of several academic honor organizations, including Blue Key, Mortar Board, and Phi Beta Kappa. The national co-ed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega is also represented.

History

Trinity was founded in 1869 by Cumberland Presbyterians in Tehuacana, Texas. The school was formed from the remnants of three small Cumberland Presbyterian colleges that had failed during the American Civil War. Feeling that the school needed the support of a larger community, the university moved in 1902 to Waxahachie, Texas. In 1906, the university, along with many Cumberland Presbyterian churches, affiliated with the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.

In 1942, the Methodist-related University of San Antonio was failing. Trinity was solicited by community leaders in San Antonio who wished to maintain a Protestant-related college in the city. The university left Waxahachie and took over the campus and alumni of the University of San Antonio. The old Waxahachie campus is currently home to Southwestern Assemblies of God University. In 1945, the school obtained a former limestone quarry for a new campus. Texas architect O'Neil Ford was hired to design a master plan and many of the buildings. Construction began in 1950, and the current campus opened in 1952. Since 1969, Trinity has been governed by an independent board of trustees and has maintained a covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Church USA.

The academic reputation of Trinity began to rise in the 1970s. Trinity is now regularly found at the top of its category in the annual college and university rankings published by U.S. News and World Report magazine.

Noted alumni

• John Cornyn (B.A., 1973, Print Journalism) - U.S. Senator from Texas
• Gibby Haynes (B.S., 1981, Business Administration) and Paul Leary (B.A., 1980, Art) of The Butthole Surfers. The two met and formed the band at Trinity.
• Michael McCaul (B.S., 1984) - Representative for Texas U.S. House District 10.
• Chuck McKinley (B.S., 1964, Mathematics) - professional tennis player, Men's Wimbledon Singles Champion in 1963, ranked No. 1 tennis player in 1963.
• Anne Smith (B.A., 1993, psychology) - professional tennis player, numerous tennis Grand Slam doubles titles.
• Dick Stockton (B.A., 1972, sociology) - professional tennis player, ranked as high as No. 8 tennis player in the 70's.
• Alice Walton - daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton

Noted faculty

• Norman Sherry - Official biographer of novelist Graham Greene

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