Georgetown Edition | September 2025

BY GRACIE WARHURST

Also of note

Campus improvements

Renovations: 1 Mood-Bridwell Hall 2 A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library Center Additions:

With infrastructure also being a priority of the tactical plan, the university has worked to modernize its physical campus through capital improvements. “Part of the beauty of our campus is that it’s very, very old,” Trombley said. “That is exactly the challenge.” One key renovation was of Mood-Bridwell Hall, originally built in 1908. Upgrades include new classrooms, community spaces and a cafe, and it was the first major capital improvement com- pleted, Vice President for Facilities Management Amanda Barber said. The university is also constructing two new residence halls, as well as a welcome center with an art gallery and theater, leveraging fundraising dollars and an $80 million bond. “[The residence hall] is making a fundamental improvement in our ability to house students on campus,” Barber said.

3 Second-year residence hall 4 First-year residence hall

5 Dorothy Perry White Welcome Center

6 Multipurpose sports complex

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Laura Trombley

Southwestern University

COURTESY SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Q&A with President Laura Trombley

Who inspires your leadership and vision for the university? I think a really impactful role model when I was growing up was my mother because she started as an elementary school teacher and wound up as one of the first woman principals in Los Angeles at the time. And, she was a professional at a time when that was very unusual because it was very male-dominated. What would you say is your biggest accomplishment since you started in 2020, personal or professional? I always teach first-semester, first-year students, and it’s just a real joy to watch them develop during their time. This past commencement, a pretty good number of my students were graduating, and you just feel as though that you’re really part of something bigger than yourself that’s contributing to the greater good. How does SU dier from when it was rst founded? Southwestern is an old university, … and we are dramatically different in terms of really our entire community than when we were first founded. Then, we were really a tiny institution, and we were really focused on educating white men to become teachers and Meth- odist missionaries. And so, as time has passed, we now much more closely resemble our population in Texas. And I think I’m evidence of that openness to change in that I’m the first woman president.

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In other news

Looking ahead

Southwestern University is also undertaking an initiative to develop 560 acres east of campus. Integrating housing, industry, retail, arts and green space, SU 560 will “provide opportunities and ame- nities that aren’t currently offered,” Trombley said. The first phase will cover about 67 acres. Although still in the early planning stages, the first buildings could open as soon as 2027, according to the development’s website. While the university owns the land, it is working with Arterra Development to actualize its vision. “The university had 500 acres of land smack dab in the middle of Georgetown … and said, ‘How can we not do something mission-driven from the university, something great for the community of Georgetown, and help generate revenue for the university all at the same time?’” Arterra Develop- ment CEO Greg Weaver said.

The university will begin construction soon on its completely donor-funded $9.2 million multipurpose sports complex. Located on the current football practice field, it will feature grandstands, synthetic turf, modern locker rooms and an arena. This project will bring football back to campus for the first time since 1950, supporting sports and major university events like commencement. With the completion of the tactical plan nearing, Trombley said the strategic team will begin working on the next tactical plan, to be adopted at the end of this academic year. The university will also look at an academic strategic plan to add new majors like mechanical engineering, Trombley said. Bednar said he expects the next five- year plan to be a lot shorter because of the work accomplished from the first plan. “Given that we’ve addressed some of the details, I think there’s an opportunity to work at a different level that’s kind of in between the details that have been taken care of and the larger goals,” Bednar said.

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SU 560 Phase 1A

Southwestern University

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GEORGETOWN EDITION