From the football team vying for another national championship to the 100,000th living graduate crossing the stage, 2023 has been no less than magical as we mark the 150th year of our beloved University.

Through the ups and downs of the last century and a half, Texas Christian University has thrived because of camaraderie and connection, a purple thread running throughout this sesquicentennial issue of TCU Magazine.

Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr.

This special issue kicks off with a look back at the University’s humble start. Visionary brothers Addison and Randolph Clark bucked tradition by founding a coeducational college in 1873 and were extremely purposeful at the outset in every detail of the new college. They understood, as we still do today, that people are the secret sauce to enduring success in higher education.

TCU’s next chapter began when the brothers donated their nascent college to the Disciples of Christ. Learn how this pioneering denomination, founded in the 19th century, embraced faith, science, reason, inclusivity and interfaith dialogue along with an unwavering dedication to unity.

While our values have remained steadfast over the years, our physical campus has experienced dynamic change. The building boom during the previous two decades included the Campus Commons, the beating heart of our community with Frog Fountain as its aesthetic centerpiece. Learn more about this iconic landmark, made possible by an initial gift from Houghton and Winnie Phillips in 1969. Generous community leaders and donors, including the family of Jean ’66 and John V. Roach ’61 (MBA ’65), have ensured the updated fountain will continue to flow for generations to come.

No one better exemplifies ethical leadership than Dr. James Cash ’69, the first Black student-athlete at TCU. Cash broke barriers — as well as records — on the basketball court and has continued to thrive, becoming the first Black faculty member to receive tenure at Harvard’s business school.

With his wife, Clemmie, at his side in 2022, James Cash ’69 unveils the statue in his honor that stands outside Schollmaier Arena. Photo by James Anger

Cash has since endowed a College of Education scholarship in honor of his mother, Juanita Cash ’65 MEd, who spent a career educating Fort Worth students. While TCU students have long worked and served in local classrooms, an innovative new program, funded by an anonymous donor, today enables our counseling students to meet the urgent needs of local schoolchildren by providing no-cost counseling to vulnerable students, yet another reminder of the University’s commitment to both our hometown and the greater good.

A new generation of doctors, many of whom will remain in the region for additional training, continues to bolster the partnership between the University and Fort Worth. In May, the first class of graduates from the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU earned their MD degrees. In June, we celebrated the Burnett School of Medicine’s full accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which affirms that the school meets the highest standards in the training of future physicians. Read here about the medical school’s emphasis on cutting-edge technology including artificial intelligence, genomics, biowearables and more.

Finally, who wouldn’t want to cheer TCU’s spectacular student-athletes on and off the playing field? Don’t miss the inside look at what steps the University and a passionate group of alumni have taken to support the more than 500 students every year who compete as Horned Frogs. NIL changed the game, and TCU Athletics and enthusiastic boosters have more than met the challenge.

As we return to the classroom and gear up for another season of football, there’s no better time to celebrate Texas Christian University’s past, present and most importantly, a long future of educating the next generation of leaders.

What a community. What a place. What a year!