The landscape of higher education is ever-changing, and its fundraising landscape
is no exception. With the philosophy of being stronger together, university advancement
professionals from 10 states and 16 colleges converged on the TCU campus at the Big
12 Development Conference. TCU University Advancement hosted the 2025 event, Where
Tradition Meets Transformation, featuring Commissioner Brett Yormark and others.
“As leading higher education institutions, we all face many of the same challenges
and opportunities related to the ever-evolving landscape in which we serve our students,”
Don Whelan, vice chancellor for university advancement, said. “By sharing best practices
and learning from one another, we can better serve our students, our donors and our
communities.”
University advancement leaders play a key role in amplifying the message of higher
education’s power, he added.
“By working together and sharing valuable insights we can continue to strengthen higher
education’s transformational story and make a positive impact on our students and
communities,” Whelan said.
Some 280 registrants connected with their peers, participating in conversations designed
to spark ideas and partnerships, and heard from experts.
Yormark shared his latest thoughts on the state of intercollegiate athletics, the
Big 12 Conference and what the future might hold for student-athletes, university
administrators, media, fans and universities overall. Mary Uhl-Bien, BNSF Railway
Endowed Professor of Leadership in the TCU Neeley School of Business, spoke on embracing
complexity in leadership to drive organizational resilience, and Nathan Chappell,
public speaker, author and chief AI officer at Virtuous Software, discussed artificial
intelligence and the future of generosity.
Eighty-eight TCU Advancement staffers volunteered their time to make the three-day
conference a success. Advancement teams from Big 12 universities alternate hosting the annual conference.
Prior to this year’s spring event, TCU last hosted in 2015. The next conference is
scheduled for May 18-20, 2026, at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
