WORKING AT TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY

First and foremost, Texas Lutheran University faculty and staff work with students to ensure they receive an exceptional education embedded with new challenges and personal connections that prepare them to go out and serve the world with meaning and purpose. When we hear from our alumni, they tell us over and over again how much of a difference a professor made in their lives and gave them confidence at critical times during their college experience. This is what we mean by Learn Boldly and Live to Inspire.

What is Important to us:

We are inclusive. Our diversity is our strength

We serve a diverse student body – 40% Hispanic, 10% African-American, and nearly 40% first-generation college students – with a wide range of political and social views. Our diverse and inclusive campus is the perfect environment to prepare students for the world they will work in.

We are deeply committed to serving our community

We partner and connect students with local organizations and employers so we can develop ongoing and meaningful interactions that allow us to serve and be served by our community in the fullest sense.

We prepare students for roles they haven’t yet envisioned

We know today’s students will change jobs, even careers, many times throughout their lives and many of the jobs they will hold do not yet exist. For this reason, we teach our students to be adaptable and make sure they understand how to transfer and apply what they learn in their math class to their psychology or history class as well.

We offer a holistic education of mind, body, and spirit

As a community of learning and faith, we instill in our students a sense of what it means to be part of a diverse, faith-based university. Our Lutheran heritage connects us to tenets of academic freedom, critical inquiry, inclusivity, joy, and a holistic education of mind, body, and spirit.

We believe all students should be able to afford a small, private college experience.

Generous academic and need-based aid coupled with a high value experience are vital components of an education that is worth the investment and is therefore affordable for students and families. We reward students for their academic achievements through The TLU Promise and also support students who have financial need through millions of dollars awarded in institutional grants each year.

The TLU Academic Experience

We offer 27 majors, 37 minors, more than 60 specializations, four graduate programs, and 12 pre-professional programs. Our most popular majors are Business, Accounting (5-year master’s program), Education, Kinesiology, Athletic Training (5-year master’s program), Biology, Physics and Applied Physics (Pre-Engineering), Chemistry, Biochemistry, Nursing, Psychology, Sociology, Math, Computer Science, Music, and Dramatic Media (Theatre & Film).

We have a proven track record in preparing students for health-related graduate programs and careers. Our health-related pre-professional programs include Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Physician Assistant, Dentistry, Optometry, Veterinary Science, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy.

With classes averaging 19 students, our professors challenge, mentor, and form personal connections with their students.

Undergraduate research opportunities are readily available for students – even as early as freshman year – who want to pursue research with a professor and present at professional conferences or our annual Student Academic Symposium in the spring.

Our general education curriculum, Compass, provides an important foundation for students to explore different disciplines and majors. At TLU, students apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to outside activities while also focusing on competencies that employers look for in college graduates – Creative Thinking, Effective Communication, Engaged Citizenship and Ethics.

Serving our community is a core value for us. We place special emphasis on service learning and civic engagement, and the Jon and Sandra Moline Center for Servant Leadership coordinates a wide variety of activities to allow students to serve the larger community.

TLU Facts and Accolades

• Private, four-year, liberal arts and sciences university
• Located in the heart of South Central Texas just 35 miles from San Antonio and 50 miles from Austin
• 27 majors, 37 minors, 4 graduate programs, and 12 pre-professional programs
• Approximately 1,400 students
• Hispanic-Serving Institution with a Latinx student population of nearly 40%
• 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio with average class size of 19
• Over 90% of full-time faculty have a Ph.D. or terminal degree
• Over 95% of students receive financial aid
• Over 40% of freshmen are first generation
• One-third of students participate in athletics
• 18 men’s and women’s Division III sports teams
• 2020 U.S. News & World Report ranking as No. 2 “Best Value” for Colleges in the Western region
• The Princeton Review: 2019 Best Western College
• Great Colleges to Work For® by The Chronicle of Higher Education every year since

As a Lutheran institution of higher learning which serves a diverse community, our heritage grounds us in a belief that all people are beloved and fallible, that our lives are for the common good, and that we are called to be part of the unfolding justice and mercy of God. We are Committed To:

• Equality - We promote a culture of mutual respect and strive to create opportunities for all.
• Inclusion - We are committed to fostering a welcoming atmosphere that respects and celebrates contributions made by our diverse community members and their cultures.
• Social Justice - We are called to work alongside people on the margins to empower them and to improve their quality of life.
• Freedom - We value dialogue, difference, and debate in pursuit of knowledge and understanding that encourages growth and discovery.
• Leadership Through Service - We value opportunities for growth as global citizens and leaders through service learning and civic engagement.

President’s Action Plan for Racial Justice

The President’s Cabinet is committed to initiating and leading meaningful change and tangible actions to address racial justice on our campus. Like the national movement taking place before our very eyes, TLU’s Action Plan for Racial Justice requires ongoing commitment and attention, beginning immediately. It will be revised and expanded as needed. It will intersect with TLU’s Strategic Plan for 2020-25 and the TLU Diversity Committee’s Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Driven by a moral rather than political imperative, our work will be organized in three main categories:

1. Community Engagement and Conversation
2. Changes in Institutional Structure and Leadership
3. Focused Education and Programming