Reflecting on a Remarkable Year at St. Edward’s University
Highlights from the 2023–2024 School Year
Our dedication to fostering a thriving academic environment and self-fulfillment for all students, faculty and staff has led to another prosperous year at St. Edward’s University. From celebrating first-ever national accolades to uniting with blue and gold pride at historic sporting events or campus traditions, we invite you to take a look back at some of the extraordinary moments that define the success and spirit of a Hilltopper.
Kicking Off the Year with (Hill)top-Tier Recognition
St. Edward’s advanced to 6th place in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Regional Universities in the West category. In addition to its ascension to the overall 6th place ranking, St. Edward’s also moved up from #17 to #7 as a top performing university for Social Mobility.
St. Edward’s was honored with the national Seal of Excelencia for its academic success, retention and graduation rates for Latino students. St. Edward’s is the only Catholic university, first private university in Texas and second private university in the U.S. to earn this distinguished three-year certification.
The Texas House of Representatives adopted a resolution (HR 23) recognizing St. Edward’s for earning the national Seal of Excelencia. In early November, university leaders, faculty, staff and students joined lawmakers of the 88th Texas Legislature at the Texas State Capitol for the resolution reading and celebration for the achievement.
St. Edward’s was again named a Fulbright HSI Leader for a third year by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The university was among only 8% of institutions to receive this designation for 2023 out of nearly 600 Hispanic-Serving Institutions overall.
Fight to the Finish: SEU vs UT
In October, the St. Edward’s Men’s Basketball team traveled to the Moody Center to face off against the University of Texas Longhorns in a historic exhibition game. Hundreds of Hilltoppers filled the arena to show support for our team as they played a competitive game against UT. Despite a 84-63 loss against the Division 1 Longhorns, St. Edward’s was a powerhouse of incomparable school spirit to the end!
Harvesting Happiness at Homecoming
It was pumpkin spice and everything nice at Fall Homecoming at St. Edward’s. Students, alumni and their families celebrated this beloved campus tradition with a parade, music, casino night and costumes during Halloween weekend.
Farewell to Our Fall Graduates
December Commencement 2023 brought students, families and friends together to honor the years of dedication and academic achievements of our graduating seniors receiving their well-earned degrees.
Spring Into Success
St. Edward’s was named a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Students for the 2023-2024 academic year — ranking as one of the top three universities in the Master's institutions list. This is the 13th time that the ECA has recognized St. Edward’s as one of the universities with the highest number of students selected for the prestigious Fulbright awards.
For the ninth year in a row, St. Edward’s was awarded Tree Campus USA recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment toward environmental stewardship, sustainability and community engagement.
We Are Family
Students joined their parents and relatives for a fun-filled 2024 Family Weekend and made long-lasting memories at Hillfest, cheered on the nominees of the Leadership Excellence Awards, showed off their Topper pride at the Battle of the Saints tailgate and commemorated graduating seniors at the coveted Ring Ceremony.
Historic Eclipse Shines a Light on Experiential Learning
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse illuminated a path toward advanced experiential learning opportunities for St. Edward’s students.
Students enrolled in the Topics in Graphic Design: Risograph Workshop created eclipse-themed calendars, magazines, glasses and much more to celebrate the once-in-a-lifetime event. Their designs were featured on KXAN and eventually auctioned off to raise proceeds for the Graphic Design student organization.
On eclipse day, a university public viewing party was held on Andre Lawn. The festivities kicked off with a weather balloon launch followed by visitors getting an up-close view of the eclipse through a large telescope.
Giving Back and Going Green
Hundreds of students, faculty and staff united on campus for the biggest day of service at St. Edward’s: The Big Event. They teamed up to tackle beautification projects that continue to make our community even more eco-friendly.
In addition to The Big Event, Hilltoppers came together to celebrate sustainability during Earth Week 2024. From a colorful kite exhibition in the Munday Library to a meaningful traveling mural on Andre Lawn, the campus community engaged with prominent artists promoting environmental awareness through their transformative work — efforts that were featured in the news.
Commemorating Our Spring Graduates
Our exceptional academic year at St. Edward’s University concluded with the community honoring the graduating class of May 2024 at Spring Commencement. Hilltoppers celebrated more than 600 students at two separate ceremonies who received their invaluable bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees — among them are this year's 10 Presidential Award winners. Congratulations to the class of 2023–2024 and may success continue to follow as you take on your world!
