The University of Texas at San Antonio has launched the public phase of its capital campaign, Be Bold: A Campaign for Our Future, seeking $500 million to fund growth and innovation.
Until Thursday, the half-billion-dollar campaign had been in a quiet phase, during which leadership laid out the foundation and resources to put together a successful campaign. The public phase of the campaign will continue for the next five years.
“Institutions like UTSA are the cornerstone of world-class cities. They drive social mobility and economic prosperity, educate the leaders of tomorrow, and discover new knowledge to address society’s greatest challenges,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy in a statement.
“This comprehensive campaign, the largest in the history of the university, will create new opportunities, expand strategic partnerships, and improve our campus infrastructure to benefit all our students and faculty. Simply put, this campaign will change lives by building a university of the future right here in San Antonio.”
UTSA Provost and Chief Academic Officer Kimberly Andrews Espy said the capital campaign is built around the university’s strategic plan, which has three prongs: to be a model for student success, to be a great public research university and to be an exemplar for strategic growth and innovation.
“This campaign is really about our supporters and our community investing in and having confidence in where the university is headed and really contributing to the success of our students,” she said.
The campaign was conceived in 2017; during its quiet phase, UTSA raised more than $311 million from almost 40,000 donors across 19 countries and all 50 states, university officials said.
This is the second capital campaign in the university’s 53-year history. The inaugural campaign launched in 2009 and was completed in 2016. UTSA received $202 million in gifts and pledges from nearly 33,000 donors.
UTSA is important to the community for many reasons, a major workforce producer in San Antonio and the region, Andrews Espy said. It is a major skilled workforce supplier, a Hispanic-serving institution and a Tier One research university. In February, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education designated UTSA as an R1 institution, putting it among the top 4% of research universities in the nation.
“We’re so lucky to have so many generous supporters and they’re interested in helping that success along because it helps our community right, and everybody that can thrive,” Andrews Espy said.
Donors can contribute online, and donors can make designations to a specific college, university area or giving society. Because the campaign is comprehensive, all giving can be counted toward the campaign, said Karl Miller-Lugo, UTSA vice president for
advancement and alumni engagement.
“You can give to academics, athletics, student programs, research, you name it,” Miller-Lugo said. “Whether it’s somebody that’s giving $5 to an area that is important to them, to the folks that are making transformational gifts of eight figures.”
According to UTSA, 116,000 gifts and pledges of all sizes have been pledged during the quiet phase. In 2021 alone, the university received three transformational gifts:
- A $20 million gift from Carlos and Malú Alvarez to the UTSA College of Business is supporting the creation of endowed faculty positions, graduate research fellowships and undergraduate research programs. The gift led to the naming of the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, the first business college in the UT System to be named after a Latino.
- Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott made a $40 million contribution to support UTSA students in need. In 2019, UTSA created the Bold Promise program with those funds, which covers middle and low-income families’ tuition and fees for up to four years. The program has served 2,368 students so far.
- UTSA also received $20 million from former Valero CEO and Chairman of the Board Bill Klesse and his wife Margie. That funding has created pathways for women and students of color to enter science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields.
The university has also received gifts and pledges from Graham Weston, co-chair of the Be Bold Campaign Leadership Council, who donated $15 million toward the creation of the School of Data Science in downtown San Antonio; the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which awarded a $5 million grant to support UTSA researchers in strengthening community partnerships and advancing racial justice; and Harvey E. Najim, who committed $5 million to establish the Harvey E. Najim Innovation and Career Advancement Center.
UTSA public health major Erica McFarland has already benefited from the Najim Center.
“It has made a difference with my college experience just within this year alone,” McFarland said.
At the center, students gain real-world and paid experience in the workforce through the Najim Strategist program. Students work with organizations across San Antonio, like The Pearl, to make them competitive candidates for the job market.
Students have worked with the Pearl’s hospitality division, researching effective employee recruitment methods and worker incentive strategies.
“They [The Najim Center staff] focus on fostering growth through meaningful experiences, which is essential for increased community intelligence, knowledge, wisdom, as well as community well-being,” said McFarland.
“We’re just so excited about the campaign,” Andrews Espy said, “and its potential to really accelerate our progress towards our strategic plan, and really accelerating our progress to continuing to serve our community.”
