How Chancellor Victor Boschini transformed TCU into a university that thinks big
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Boschini led TCU through remarkable growth, raising its endowment to $2.6B.
- TCU has evolved from regional school to national institution under Boschini's vision.
- Boschini prioritized community and student connections, his colleagues say.
As Victor Boschini Jr. walked across the TCU campus one morning in early May, a group of five freshmen who had just finished their last exams stopped him.
They were thrilled to have bumped into the chancellor. Though he had places to be — Boschini attends about 10 events a day during graduation season — he chatted with the students, asking about their majors and exams, then posed for a photo with them before heading off.
But as he walked down the steps of the Brown-Lupton University Union, he was stopped again for a photo, this time by students decked out in full graduation regalia, their commencement ceremony imminent. Earlier that day, an ROTC graduate gave him a hand-written card on his way out of the cadets’ commissioning ceremony.
“It’s always the best weekend of the year,” Boschini joked, “because it’s the one time where everybody is happy, no matter who you run into.”
This graduation season was particularly poignant for the chancellor, who has been at the helm of TCU longer than most undergraduates have been alive. After 22 years, Boschini is stepping down June 1.
It’s easy to see why Boschini is so popular with students. The energetic 69-year-old greets everyone he passes on campus, from students and their families to staff and fellow administrators. Armed with purple notecards from his office staff, he goes from one event to another, constantly shifting gears. Though his meticulously scheduled days move at a breakneck speed, he takes the time to acknowledge the people who make TCU what it is.
And he hand-signs every diploma the university awards.
Boschini’s dedication to his work has been a defining tenet of his chancellorship. During his first convocation as chancellor in September 2003, he spoke for about 40 minutes— despite battling a case of walking pneumonia.
“Victor leads with humility,” said Kit Moncrief, chair of the TCU board of trustees, “which stems from his deep faith and love of his family. Being centered on values and family drives those genuine connections with students, faculty and staff, which has defined TCU as a place where people thrive.
“I’ve had the privilege to work with many leaders in my lifetime, but none so humble and genuine as Victor,” Moncrief said.
Decades of change
In his over two decades as chancellor, Boschini has guided the university through a period of unprecedented growth. TCU evolved from a regional university to a nationally competitive institution under his leadership. He oversaw the founding of the university’s Burnett School of Medicine and led TCU through the COVID-19 pandemic, a challenge for institutions across the country.
When he started as chancellor, Boschini described TCU as “a parking lot surrounded by a campus.” During his tenure, a former parking lot was transformed into today’s campus commons, a gathering space at the center of campus bordered by student housing. Boschini’s favorite spot is a small park between Reed Hall and Scharbauer Hall near the commons.
The campus continues to evolve. TCU is turning a number of parking lots into new student housing, and one is being converted into a parking garage. The university could add up to 25 new buildings if the entirety of its campus master plan, an outline for future facilities, comes to fruition.
Monumental projects have always worked for TCU, Boschini said. Some doubted the campus commons project would happen, or that a regional university would be able to gain national cachet, but the university’s success has proven them wrong.
“Just in general since I’ve been here, anytime we wanted to do something kind of monumental, people go, ‘Oh that’s not gonna work.’ It always did.”
Boschini said though TCU has grown over the years, the important things have stayed the same.
“The one thing that never changed is the sense of community here, and I’m really proud of that. People here feel connected in a way at every level, more than any school I’ve ever worked at, and I think that’s incredible, that says a lot about the students, the faculty and the staff that are TCU.”
Boschini said when he first visited TCU from Illinois while interviewing for the role of chancellor, he and his wife were surprised by how friendly everyone was on campus. A few days into their visit, they realized it was genuine, not just an effort to impress candidates.
“We were used to the Midwest, where everybody is friendly there too, but not like Texas. It’s like a hospitality that you just can’t explain until you experience it,” Boschini said.
Born and raised in Cleveland, Boschini got his first job when he was 14 years old. He and his 15-year old cousin were fired from a car wash on their first day, which Boschini chalks up to their less-than-stellar attitudes.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Mount Union College, a small liberal-arts institution in Alliance, Ohio, and went on to receive a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University. He holds a PhD in higher education administration from Indiana University. Before becoming TCU’s chancellor, he spent about four years as president of Illinois State University.
Putting people first
Presidents of institutions of higher education spent less than six years in the role on average, according to a study by the American Council on Education. At 22 years, Boschini’s tenure is almost quadruple that.
Though he leads TCU, Boschini considers the board of trustees and each student his bosses.
“I think our most significant accomplishments are the 1,700 people who graduated last year. Our most significant accomplishments this year are the 1,700 people who graduate this year,” Boschini told the Star-Telegram in 2010. “The moment we stop thinking that, that’s the first moment that we lose sight of our mission.”
Boschini’s large, purple-decorated office is peppered with photos and knickknacks he’s collected over the years, including an old brick and a stirrup gifted to him by a student. The pictures show his predecessors, his children, him with students, and TCU classes he taught. His favorite is a shot of the university’s Christmas tree from the annual lighting ceremony.
Kathryn Cavins-Tull, the vice chancellor for student affairs, said Boschini has built a special culture at TCU, one that prioritizes people.
“His energy is so great. You can walk across campus with him, and he seems to know everybody, or everybody knows him,” Cavins-Tull said. “And honestly, everybody from parents to students to alums, say, ‘I’m really close with Chancellor Boschini.’ They really believe that, because they feel that with him. I love that.”
Cavins-Tull has worked with Boschini since she joined TCU in 2011. They met when she was getting her doctorate at Illinois State University, where Boschini was president.
She believes TCU stacks up against any university in the country today because of Boschini’s leadership.
“He’s trained us to care for our culture, care for our campus, care for our students in ways that make a difference,” she said.
That caring extends to the smallest details. While walking around campus, Boschini stops to pick up trash he sees on the ground, from chunks of moving supplies to half of a Kit-Kat wrapper caught in the grass.
Boschini often wears a TCU baseball cap and purple-lensed sunglasses while walking around campus. Attendees of “BoschiniFest,” an event held in early May to commemorate his chancellorship, received similar baseball caps and sunglasses emblazoned with the words “Be kind, pass it on,” a phrase Boschini has long included in his email signature.
TCU’s new chancellor will be its current president, Daniel Pullin. The former dean of the Neely School of Business, Pullin joined TCU in 2019. Boschini said he is looking forward to Pullin’s tenure.
“I think he’ll be terrific, and I’m excited to see what he does,” Boschini said.
Despite stepping down, Boschini isn’t planning to relax anytime soon. He’ll continue to support TCU as a working chancellor emeritus starting June 1. In his new fundraising-focused role, he’ll travel the country to meet with donors. He said his longstanding relationships with alumni make the role a natural fit for him.
Boschini’s talent for fundraising was one of the primary reasons he was appointed chancellor over two decades ago. He said when he was hired in 2003, the trustees wanted TCU to gain a strong national reputation and improve fundraising.
Boschini has almost certainly exceeded the board’s fundraising goals. When he started in 2003, TCU’s endowment was around $829 million. Last year, it topped $2.6 billion.
On the day of the Star-Telegram’s visit, he was working on a thank you note for a donor who had given $200,000 for a scholarship (handwritten in purple ink, of course).
It isn’t hard for Boschini to decide what to say to such generous donors — he believes scholarship funding is the greatest gift anyone can give an institution, a contribution that will last well beyond their lifetime and benefit dozens of students.
As the price of tuition at institutions across the country grows, questions about the true value of a college education abound in higher education. TCU, one of the most expensive universities in Texas, regularly navigates the debate.
Boschini believes a TCU education is a comprehensive experience that has a lasting impact on students.
“We won’t just teach you how to earn a living, we’ll teach you how to make a better life, and I think that’s really important,” Boschini said.
TCU’s tuition has gone up by almost 225% since 2003, or about 95% when adjusted for inflation. Tuition for full-time undergraduate students for the 2025-26 academic year is expected to cost $63,500. Almost 80% of students receive a form of financial aid.
Boschini said the university’s 94% retention rate shows students are getting what they want from TCU. He also sees TCU’s application pool as a bellwether for tuition prices; when the number of applicants starts to decline, it will be a sign the university is charging too much. The volume of applications TCU receives each year has increased significantly during Boschini’s tenure. TCU received roughly 20,500 in 2023, up from about 7,650 in 2003.
The university plans to continue increasing tuition annually and growing enrollment as part of its strategic plan.
‘I’m a Horned Frog’
Moncrief, the chair of TCU’s board of trustees, said Boschini is a leader who stands out.
“Victor’s responsible leadership set the stage for unapologetic thinking about how TCU can continue to thrive and grow with even larger impact, under Chancellor-elect Pullin’s leadership,” Moncrief said.
U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, a TCU alum who sits on the board of trustees, said Boschini saw what the university could be, and his vision transformed TCU from a regional university to a national powerhouse. Williams said Boschini got more people invested in the campus community, from donors to Fort Worth locals.
“He got people involved. He got people committed to where they wanted to be part of TCU, where they wanted to tell people, ‘I’m a Horned Frog,’” Williams said.
When asked to reflect on his chancellorship, Boschini didn’t spend much time ruminating on his legacy. He said his advice to his younger self would be to slow down and enjoy the moment.
“I always wanted to get the next thing done, and sometimes you just need to sit back and enjoy the moment, because there’s a lot of cool moments on campus,” Boschini said.
So, what’s next for Boschini? He’ll be teaching two classes in the fall, one on business and another about education. Though he also taught while chancellor, he’s looking forward to having more time to spend with students.
In the meantime, he doesn’t have plans to celebrate, or even go on an arguably well-deserved vacation.
“I’m not that kind of person, I’m boring,” Boschini said.
This story was originally published May 30, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
