Framework for campus growth, student success, workforce preparation, and research expansion identifies approximately $1.7 billion in long-term capital priorities

HOUSTON, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Texas Southern University has launched a Campus Master Plan that establishes a framework for campus development, facility improvement, enhanced learning delivery and learning environment, and capital infrastructure investment as the University advances Ascend 2030 and prepares for its Centennial.

The plan outlines an approximately $1.7 billion campus investment and more than 20 phased projects over the next decade. It aligns future capital investments with the University’s strategic priorities, providing an intentional smart-growth approach to support student success, workforce preparation, research expansion, community engagement, and enduring institutional effectiveness.

“As Texas Southern University moves forward, it is important that investments in facilities and infrastructure support projected outcomes,” said President J. W. Crawford III. “The Master Plan aligns physical development with institutional strategic priorities, providing a stable framework that can be expanded over time.”

Developed through engagement with the Texas Southern University family and community stakeholders, the Master Plan serves as a map to the future while preserving the University’s historic character, advancing the mission, and maintaining flexibility as times and circumstances change.

The Master Plan identifies a series of intersecting phased capital projects that support student success, workforce preparation, research expansion, and community engagement. Future priorities include student-centered facilities, academic and research infrastructure, residential and recreational amenities, and spaces that strengthen connections between the University and the broader community.

Several major projects are already advancing. Construction on three new academic and research facilities – the interconnected Catalyst for Urban Transformation, the Nabrit Science Center, and the Health and Wellness Center, is expected to begin later this year. Supported by more than $95 million in state funding, all three facilities are expected to open during the University’s Centennial year. Also, in collaboration with the Texas Facilities Commission, the University is executing a $10 million allocation from the Texas Legislature for planning and design of a proposed Thurgood Marshall Law Center to replace the aging law school.

Over the next decade, the Master Plan will guide a phased, holistic approach to campus development, reimagining Texas Southern physically, just as Ascend 2030 does academically and operationally. Both plans will ensure future investments are aligned with institutional priorities and responsive to the University’s evolving needs as student and partner demand dictates.

“Houston and Texas continue to grow, and Texas Southern must leap ahead of that growth,” Crawford said. “The Master Plan provides a framework for aligning future investments with the University’s mission, strengthening our capacity to educate students, expand research, and contribute to the economic and civic life of the communities we serve.”

Additional information, renderings, and project details are available at: https://tsu.edu/about/administration/facilities/master-plan.php.

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SOURCE Texas Southern University