Trinity University (TU, ) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

In 1869, a group of members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church formed a small college in Tehuacana, Texas. The school was formed by merging three even smaller colleges that were all suffering greatly after the American Civil War. The small community of Tehuacana was not enough to support the new school, and the entire system moved to Waxahachie, Texas. Shortly, thereafter, the Cumberland Presbyterian church members and the college formed an affiliation with the United Presbyterian Church.

Nearby, in San Antonio, a Methodist-based university was struggling to survive. The community of San Antonio desperately wanted to keep a Protestant college in the city, and they requested that Trinity move to San Antonio and absorb the failing school. Trinity did so and became known as Trinity University. Over the next several decades, endowments and donations were made to the school and the university expanded into what is now its current campus.

The school lies on the perimeter of San Antonio overlooking the downtown area of this beautiful Texan city. Today, the college is thriving both economically and ecologically. The college has recently completed a “green phase” in its history, attempting to make the facilities and products used on campus as environmentally friendly as possible. The students have also been very vocal about the Fair Trade movement, and today all the coffee used and sold by the university is fair trade certified.

Information Summary

Ranks 2nd in Texas and 63rd overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	96.3
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$58,840
Admission Success rate	N/A
ACT / SAT 75%ile scores	32 / 1430
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	10 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	91% / N/A
Enrollment Total (all students)	2,637

Academics

Trinity University is primarily an undergraduate school emphasizing in the educational field of study known as the Liberal Arts. However, Trinity University does offer some graduate-level programs to its students.

The undergraduate program of study offers students the chance to pursue bachelor’s degrees in nearly forty different majors from art to science to engineering. Students are also encouraged to pursue a minor to complement their intended major. The school also offers several double major programs where students can graduate with two bachelor’s degrees in the same amount of time as other students pursuing only one. These double major degrees are specifically designed to pair two degrees with several core classes in common.

Students who graduate from Trinity University with a bachelor’s degree often decide to apply for the graduate programs offered by the university. At Trinity, students can enroll in graduate-level programs of study that include school administration, healthcare administration, education, accounting, and school counseling. These programs can often be completed in as little as two years and result in the student being awarded a master’s degree.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Students

The student population at Trinity University comes from nearly every state in the United States of America and well over fifty different countries across the globe. The students comprise a wide variety of ethnicities as well as an array of varying social and economic backgrounds. Each year, about fifty percent of the total applicants to the university are accepted, and of that fifty percent, over three quarters receives some form of financial aid.

The students are actively involved in the many on-campus activities offered at Trinity University. The school is home to several locally organized Greek fraternities and sororities. These Greek clubs are not affiliated with the national Greek organizations. However, one Greek club, Pi Kappa Alpha, is a nationally recognized Greek society. The inclusion of this club in on-campus activities caused some initial controversy.

Students are also actively involved in the many academic, recreational, social and athletic clubs available on campus. There are many academic honors clubs that students can participate in if they meet the club qualifications.

Service is a large part of the Trinity student body’s way of life. Several different organizations exist on campus to offer service to fellow students and community members. The largest of these organizations serves the entire San Antonio community in many different ways including volunteering at shelters, soup kitchens and clothing and food drives. This organization is known as the Trinity University Voluntary Action Committee.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

The Trinity Tigers are revered across all of Central Texas. Texans are known for their love of college athletics, and the Trinity University varsity athletes know this better than anyone. Thousands of spectators turn out for Trinity University home football games. Students can compete in Trinity Tiger sports such as baseball, basketball, football, volleyball, or soccer.

Traditions

With such a rich history, students are not surprised to learn that there are hundreds of student and faculty traditions at Trinity University. One of the most discussed traditions is the climbing of Murchison Tower. Historically, students have climbed the tower twice throughout their college experience: once when they first arrive on campus and again when they graduate from the university.

The students are also fond of their golf cart parade, a huge celebration involving hundreds of golf carts that occurs before every home football game. Students come together each year before the winter break to celebrate the holiday season at Christmas Vespers. This large, candlelit Christmas concert is favorite among many Trinity University alumni.

One of the more questionable traditions is the tradition of the Calvert ghosts. Calvert Hall is a residence facility on campus that, at one point, contained a large collection of rather rowdy freshman males. These males decided to take the campus by storm. They covered themselves in nothing but flour, and went on a campus wide streaking rampage. The men were collectively known as the “Calvert ghosts.” The tradition continues, much to the chagrin of the university administration, to this day.

Local Community

With close proximity to San Antonio, students are ideally located to take in all the city has to offer. San Antonio is a historically and culturally rich center in the United States. Famed for its historical church The Alamo, the site of an historic battle for Texan independence, tourists flock from across the country to stroll the quaint streets of San Antonio.

Students are exposed to elaborate shopping centers and malls, art galleries, movie theaters, live theaters, concert venues, and all the Tex-Mex restaurants a hungry student could desire. The school is also very close to a large amusement park. Six Flags offers discounted ticket prices to full-time college students, and many students take advantage of a long weekend by visiting the theme park.

Bibliography

Briggs, Jerry. “Football: Trinity.” San Antonio News, Weather, Sports, Spurs, Breaking | Express-News | MySA.com – San Antonio Express-News. Web. 20 May 2011. <http://mysanantonio.com>.

Texas College Guide. Austin, TX: Texas Monthly, 2006. Print.

Trinity University | Welcome. Trinity U, 2011. Web. 20 May 2011. <http://www.trinity.edu>.

Trinity University