Debbie Cottrell

As TLU’s president, it is my pleasure to welcome you to our university. The essence of TLU is serving students and preparing them “to learn boldly and live to inspire.” This means that on our campus academic excellence, a sense of service, and a spirit of community are intertwined, as students, faculty, and staff work together every day.

Our heritage is tied both to the German Lutherans who founded our institution, as well as to the richly diverse region in which we are located. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution as well as one with a faith-based identity, we take pride in the diversity of our community and the many opportunities that provides us to model inclusion and advance the learning that comes through differing perspectives. As our mission statement says, we are a community of learning and a community of faith, and we believe that both of those “can strengthen, clarify and enrich the other”.

With a student population of 1,400 students, most of whom live on campus, we take full advantage of our size to maximize the learning that occurs in small classrooms and laboratories, the opportunities for undergraduate research, and the reinforcement of classroom learning with a wide array of experiential opportunities. Service learning, study abroad, annual academic symposia, internships, athletics, and leadership opportunities abound at TLU, and enrich the experience of all of our community members.

TLU is proud to serve traditional undergraduate students, transfer students, and a small group of graduate students in four different programs. We are also proud of the physical expanse of our 184-acre campus, reflecting the beauty of South Central Texas in unique and authentic ways. I welcome you to visit our campus, to learn more about us, and to join us in pursuit of academic excellence, service, and community.