image: Students and faculty gather at the Sombrilla Plaza on UTSA’s Main Campus to celebrate the Be Bold campaign.
Credit: The University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) announced today that it has exceeded the university’s goal of raising more than $500 million through its largest fundraising effort in university history, Be Bold: A Campaign for Our Future.
The ambitious campaign aimed to accelerate student success, advance research excellence and expand the university’s community impact. First conceived in 2017 and set to run for 10 years alongside the university’s strategic plan, the Be Bold campaign garnered support from more than 60,000 donors who contributed over 200,000 gifts and pledges, enabling the campaign to not only meet its fundraising goal but also exceed it within eight years.
The announcement comes one month before the historic merger of UTSA and UT Health San Antonio on September 1, 2025. This merged university, UT San Antonio, will become the third-largest research university in Texas.
“This is a truly remarkable achievement for our institution and our community, and I am so grateful for the immense generosity of our donors, philanthropists and advocates for all that they’ve done to realize the success of this incredible campaign that will positively impact so many of our students, faculty, staff and programs,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy, who is also serving as interim president of UT Health San Antonio. “I’m especially excited about the fact that in just eight years, we were able to accomplish more than we ever envisioned. This success speaks volumes to the desire to support a university that is grounded in a clear mission, vision and shared purpose. To that end, the momentum of this campaign affirms that our future as a new institution is bright.”
Throughout the capital campaign, UTSA achieved some of its most transformative aspirations including becoming a Carnegie R1 institution, joining The American, establishing the UTSA Southwest Campus to increase its arts offerings, and expanding its student support, research excellence and cutting-edge spaces through 31 capital improvement projects.
“What this campaign has shown is that with the right leadership and commitment, anything is possible,” said Sam Dawson, chair of the UTSA Campaign Leadership Council (CLC). “People came together, saw the need and stepped up. That collective effort is what has moved UTSA into this new era.”
Driving Groundbreaking Research
More extensively, the Be Bold campaign raised over $225 million for groundbreaking research, including $40.5 million for faculty support that established 20 new endowed faculty positions. Gifts toward research initiatives directly impacted the university’s trajectory toward becoming a Tier One research institution.
Philanthropists like James Truchard, who established the esteemed Oskar Fischer Prize, helped elevate UTSA’s global reputation in brain health research. The competition issued a unique challenge by engaging the world’s brightest researchers to propose new ways of understanding Alzheimer’s disease. Other philanthropic partners including the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund and the Semmes Foundation provided faculty support to advance stem cell and neuroscience research.
“In order to maintain R1 designation, we have to be able to continue to recruit outstanding faculty at all levels,” said Jenny Hsieh, PhD, the Semmes Foundation Distinguished Chair in Cell Biology, chair of the Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology department, and director of the UTSA Brain Health Consortium. “Endowed chairs help us attract and retain the best at UTSA.”
At a pivotal moment in the campaign, the Malú and Carlos Alvarez Family and Margie and Bill Klesse established UTSA’s first two named colleges: the Carlos Alvarez College of Business and the Margie and Bill Klesse College for Engineering and Integrated Design. Their combined $40 million commitments support student success initiatives as well as undergraduate, graduate and faculty-led research efforts.
“Education is one of the most important investments you can make in a community,” said CLC member Bill Klesse. “UTSA serves students who might not have the option to leave San Antonio for college, and we believe providing opportunities in science and engineering can change lives for generations. Supporting these colleges is about giving young people the tools they need to succeed and, in turn, strengthen the future of this city.”
Advancing Student Success
In the area of student success, donor support generated 139 newly endowed scholarships and fellowships, fostering an environment where students focus on academics, research and experiential learning opportunities without the burden of financial stress.
“Donors are instrumental for UTSA students, especially for first-generation students like me,” said Anna Almaraz ’23, M.B.A. ’25. “During my undergraduate degree, I received a major scholarship from [philanthropist] Harvey Najim that fully funded my graduate studies. That gift was more than tuition assistance. It opened the door for me to explore my career path, and Mr. Najim even took me under his wing and offered me a position at his foundation. Donors like him give students opportunities they might never have had otherwise, and at the heart of it all that opportunity is education.”
Local philanthropist Harvey E. Najim has been a strong advocate of UTSA’s classroom-to-career initiative through The Najim Center for Innovation and Career Advancement, and he prominently supports basic student needs through the UTSA Roadrunner Pantry. His over $15 million in charitable giving across these areas has provided critical support and drives positive student experiences.
At the graduate level, CLC co-chair Nancy Kudla ’87 exemplified the power of alumni engagement when she and her husband Frank ‘85 committed $700,000 to double the impact of their existing fellowship, the Nancy and Frank Kudla Endowed Fellowship in Cybersecurity. They amplified their gift through a matching gift challenge established by fellow CLC co-chair Carlos Alvarez, who died in 2024. The Alvarez Research Challenge matched funds dollar-for-dollar, increasing the Kudlas’ endowment to support graduate student research and education in cybersecurity.
Expanding UTSA's Downtown Footprint
UTSA’s presence in the heart of downtown San Antonio expanded through the construction of San Pedro I and San Pedro II for new programs and colleges like the College of AI, Cyber and Computing. Early support from businessman and CLC co-chair Graham Weston helped cultivate a notable standard of philanthropy with his $15 million investment at the start of the Be Bold campaign toward the UTSA School of Data Science, which opened in January 2023.
Venture capitalist Timothy Draper and his wife Melissa established the Draper Data Science Business Plan Competition to further prepare students for careers in high-demand industries, teaching them to be disruptors and leaders in their fields. And corporate support from partners like H-E-B and USAA also helped position UTSA as a leader across AI, cyber and data acience.
“With more than 30 research labs, five centers within Matrix, and 500 undergraduate and graduate students, we are building a vibrant community at the heart of San Antonio,” said Dhireesha Kudithipudi, founding director of the MATRIX AI Consortium. “Here, research is translated into real societal impact as we train the next generation of AI leaders and develop tools that make a difference in the world. We are also fostering an ecosystem of collaboration between academia, industry and government because breakthrough innovation happens when the best minds come together.”
Beyond AI and data science, the university also integrated with the former Southwest School of Art to create the UTSA Southwest Campus and increase its arts programming. A partnership with the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation allowed UTSA to enhance its community arts initiatives by expanding the Young Artist Programs, which provide high-quality visual arts education to children and teens in San Antonio. In total, arts advocates raised over $38 million in support of the arts.
Bold Champions: The Campaign for UTSA Athletics
In 2021, UTSA Athletics launched the Bold Champions campaign to support student-athlete scholarships, academic support services, nutrition and well-being programs and state-of-the-art training facilities that give Roadrunners a competitive edge. Donors have raised more than $56 million toward the campaign’s $70 million goal, helping UTSA attract top-tier talent from across the world and creating a foundation for more than 400 student-athletes to excel on and off the field.
With notable support from philanthropists like James and DeAnna Bodenstedt and the Dawson Family, the campaign brought new cutting-edge facilities to fruition including the Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence, the Park West Fieldhouse and the Basketball and Volleyball Training Facility.
Beyond bricks and mortar, Bold Champions has enhanced fan engagement and garnered major community support, strengthening the UTSA Athletics brand. Donors like April Ancira and Harvey Najim have rallied behind the program, funding thousands of tickets for students and community members to attend Roadrunners Football games at no cost.
“Athletics is often the first introduction people have to UTSA, so if we rely on our sports programs to represent the university, we have to support the student-athletes who make that possible,” said Gene Dawson, former president of the Roadrunner Athletic Foundation. “When you see these young men and women balancing academics with early mornings and daily training, you realize how important it is to provide them with the facilities they need to succeed. Their success brings visibility to the university and creates a cycle of momentum that benefits all of UTSA.”
The Bold Champions campaign has driven transformative philanthropic support and engagement, positioning San Antonio as a destination for the nation’s most competitive Division I student-athletes.
UTSA Athletics will continue raising funds through the Bold Champions campaign into the future.
Closing a Historic Campaign Through Alumni Engagement and Philanthropy
One of the most defining aspects of the Be Bold campaign was the strength of alumni engagement. More than 110,000 alumni engaged with UTSA through charitable giving, volunteerism, event attendance, digital engagement and more. Additionally, of the campaign's more than 60,000 donors, over 33,000 were alumni.
Many alumni gave through UTSA Giving Day, which has raised a cumulative total of more than $3.3 million since its inception in 2021. Others made an impact through legacy giving by naming UTSA in their will or establishing other avenues of support through estate and gift planning, which generated more than $26 million during the campaign.
“The Be Bold campaign has shed a light on the most invaluable facet of philanthropy, and that is the power of community engagement,” said Karl Miller Lugo, UTSA vice president for Advancement and Alumni Engagement. “This campaign has served as a spectacular demonstration of what is possible when a university community rallies behind a shared vision,” Lugo added. “I am immensely grateful to our alumni, donors, volunteer leaders and many partners who made this campaign possible. What has resulted is nothing short of profound, and the effects are already being seen in the inspiring ways our students, faculty and broader community are choosing to be bold in education, research and the multitude of industries where our alumni are leading and making an impact across the world.”
University leaders prioritized fundraising areas that supported UTSA’s bold vision, including student scholarships, graduate fellowships, endowed academic positions, special programs and capital projects across the university’s network of campuses. As a result, the Be Bold campaign catapulted UTSA into its most successful era of expansion and growth.
The Be Bold campaign officially closes on August 31, 2025, allowing the university to continue accounting for philanthropic support through the end of the fiscal year. President Taylor Eighmy will announce the final total amount raised at a special event in October and celebrate the donors who made a transformative impact through their support and helped shaped the bold future ahead for UTSA.