Trinity University Announces the Carlos Alvarez School of Arts and Humanities with $25 Million Gift

Trinity University is strengthening its legacy with a transformational $25 million gift from the Malú and Carlos Alvarez Family to name the Carlos Alvarez School of Arts and Humanities. This landmark investment ensures that the arts and humanities, the cornerstone of a liberal arts education, will continue to thrive, shaping generations of students who are prepared to think critically, create boldly, and lead lives of purpose and influence.

This Alvarez gift, among the largest in Trinity’s history and a lead gift to Our Time: The Campaign for Trinity University, builds on the University’s recent investments in the humanities, including the construction of Dicke Hall. Opened in 2022, Dicke Hall gave the humanities a physical home at the heart of the campus, designed for collaboration, creativity, and community engagement. Recognizing this momentum, the Alvarez family chose to amplify it by turning infrastructure into enduring opportunity. By naming the School of Arts and Humanities, the family supports the disciplines at the core of the liberal arts, ensuring that humanistic inquiry remains a vital force on campus, in the San Antonio community, and beyond.  

“The Alvarez family’s extraordinary generosity affirms the timeless value of the arts and humanities at the heart of a Trinity education,” said Trinity President Vanessa B. Beasley, Ph.D. “This transformational gift ensures that generations of Trinity students will continue to be inspired by disciplines that center culture, creativity, and the human experience to expand our understanding of the world and our place in it. We are deeply grateful to Malú and Carlos Alvarez and their family for their vision and their faith in Trinity University. We are committed to their belief that education in the arts and humanities is essential to preparing thoughtful leaders for the future.”

“Carlos Alvarez’s vision and generosity have left an indelible mark on Trinity University,” said Rubén Dupertuis, Ph.D., founding dean of the Carlos Alvarez School of Arts and Humanities. “With this extraordinary gift from the Alvarez family, we not only honor Carlos’s legacy but also strengthen the foundation of the arts and humanities for generations to come.”

Carlos Alvarez delighted in the breadth of learning opportunities afforded by a liberal arts education. He firmly believed that the arts and humanities equip students with the critical thinking skills essential to prepare them for leadership and collaboration.

This commitment comes from a family whose generosity has shaped the student experience at Trinity for two decades. The Alvarez family’s story is one of vision and unwavering support for education. Carlos Alvarez, founder of the Gambrinus Company and a longtime civic leader in San Antonio, consistently used his success to expand access for others until his passing in April 2024. Born in Acapulco, Mexico, and a graduate of Tecnológico de Monterrey with a focus on biochemical engineering, Alvarez introduced Corona Extra to Texas in 1981 and later built the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas, brewer of the iconic Shiner Bock, into one of the nation’s leading independent craft beer producers. His business acumen and generosity made him a force of nature in our community.

Alongside Malú and their family, he supported causes ranging from education and health care to the arts and disaster relief. Their connection to Trinity reflects a shared belief that education is the most powerful tool for expanding opportunity and advancing society.

“Carlos believed that education and the arts open doors to understanding ourselves and one another,” said Alvarez’s son-in-law, John Brozovich, who serves as president and chief executive officer of The Gambrinus Company and as a trustee at Trinity. “He was also a strong proponent of the power of curiosity and creativity. This commitment to Trinity University is a reflection of who he was as a husband, father, and leader. Our family is honored to see his values live on through the Carlos Alvarez School of Arts and Humanities, where students will be inspired to think boldly and connect deeply with the world around them.”

Malú Alvarez, the daughter of Carlos and Malú Alvarez, added, “It is very meaningful for my mother and our family to honor my father’s legacy in expanding access to education and his belief in the transformative power of the liberal arts by naming the Carlos Alvarez School of Arts and Humanities.”

Carlos and Malú Alvarez have long embodied the values that define Trinity: intellectual curiosity, global perspective, and community connection. Their passion for expanding horizons has touched every corner of campus. In 2005, their support helped launch the Mexico, the Americas, and Spain (MAS) Program, opening doors for Trinity students to engage in immersive experiences across the world. Through study abroad, internships, research, and cultural programming, MAS has broadened students’ worldviews and prepared them for a globally interconnected future.

Carlos and Malú’s previous gifts created a faculty network that brings the MAS countries to campus through courses, speakers, performances, and mentorship; a seminar series that explores urgent cultural and political issues while engaging both students and the San Antonio community; and opportunities for visiting scholars and artists that expand perspectives in and beyond the classroom. Together, these initiatives have woven a fabric of global engagement that continues to shape the lives of Trinity students today.

With this new investment, the Alvarez family is strengthening the arts and humanities across every dimension. The gift endows the dean’s position to ensure strong leadership in perpetuity, creates new scholarships that expand access for students, and funds opportunities for undergraduate research, internships, and global study. It also supports faculty through endowed term professorships, professional development, and recruitment, while establishing a flexible excellence fund to spark innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community partnerships. In doing so, the Alvarez family demonstrates the power of philanthropy to strengthen institutions and enrich communities.

Just as Dicke Hall provided a dedicated space for discovery, the Alvarez family’s generosity now promises that the arts and humanities have the resources to flourish. Together, these commitments form a powerful expression of how bold investments propel Trinity forward as a leader in liberal arts education– creating more opportunities for students to learn, create, explore, and connect across cultures. For the University, it is a moment of transformation, firmly rooted in its mission and boldly looking toward the future.