Lead On: Values in Action Initiatives

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The 45 initiatives that make up TCU’s strategic plan are designed to work together, collectively supporting all four strategic pillars of 1) Student-Centered Growth; 2) Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities; 3) Athletics; and 4) Community Engagement. Launched in 2025, LEAD ON: Values in Action is a 10-year plan, and initiatives are intentionally phased and not all pursued at once, with many overlapping and reinforcing one another over time. This coordinated approach allows TCU to stay focused while remaining adaptable. As the world continues to change, the initiatives themselves may also evolve, ensuring the plan remains relevant and effective throughout its duration.

April 2026

Student-Centered Growth

1. Accessibility: Expand pathways to greater access to a TCU education for qualified Future Horned Frogs.
2. Project90: Accelerate high-impact efforts to enhance student success with the goal of reaching a 97% retention rate and 90% graduation rate.
3. First Generation and Pell-Eligible Support: Support First Generation and Pell-Eligible students so that they succeed at TCU at the same rate as other undergraduate students.
4. Career Services: Expand the breadth and depth of TCU career services to support students throughout the entirety of their career search journey.
5. Enrollment Operations: Optimize enrollment organization and processes to support student growth.
6. Graduate Enrollment: Scale graduate enrollment through new admissions processes, funding models and marketing.
7. Brand Recognition: Invest in marketing, communications and relationships to grow TCU’s brand recognition, peer perception and reach to expand the student pipeline.
8. Extend Campus: Evolve the campus footprint to meet the needs of a larger student body, including academic, research, housing, dining and student life investments.
9. Graduate Studies: Strengthen the Office of Graduate Studies infrastructure to support a growing graduate student population aligned with research, scholarly and creative aspirations.
10. Course Versatility: Evaluate structure and course offerings for mini-mesters, summer, online and study abroad to maximize scheduling efficiencies/offerings in support of a growing student population.
11. Experiential Learning: Expand the curriculum to include more opportunities for internships, research, study abroad, experiential learning and credit-bearing career preparation courses.
12. International Programs: Scale international program offerings to meet the goal for international experience expansion.

Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities

1. New Programs: Launch new degree programs in high-demand fields to grow enrollment, improve academic standing and drive research, scholarly and creative activity.
2. Invest in Faculty and Staff: Invest in the faculty and additional staff required to support TCU’s growth and aspirations.
3. Interdisciplinary Institutes: Expand interdisciplinary academic and research institutes to enhance standing and reputation.
4. Undergraduate Fellowships: Develop and enhance undergraduate cohort opportunities for research and creative activities.
5. Undergraduate Research: Launch an Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship to foster and promote undergraduate research opportunities.
6. Teacher-Scholar Culture: Enhance TCU’s teacher-scholar model to ensure excellent teaching remains a priority as the institution scales research, scholarly and creative activity.
7. Scholarly Honors: Establish and scale nomination process for honorific awards and leadership positions in regional, state, national and international professional organizations.
8. Seed Grants: Scale seed grants to accelerate innovation in priority research areas.
9. Sponsored Research: Scale Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Accounting infrastructure to effectively and efficiently support faculty throughout the grants / awards lifecycle.
10. Research Facilities: Invest in research facilities to spur research and innovation for current and incoming faculty and programs.
11. Makerspace Network: Expand creative and maker spaces across campus by providing high-caliber assets and staff for student, faculty and community use.
12. Tech Transfer: Build technology transfer capabilities to accelerate technology development by university community.
13. Graduate Stipends: Offer competitive graduate stipends and award packages to expand research doctorate programs.
14. Campus Entrepreneurship: Develop entrepreneurship curricula, training and related programs to expose students to innovation and entrepreneurial thinking.
15. Professional Development: Increase targeted professional development and learning offerings for teaching and research.

Athletics

1. Health & Performance: Transform the student-athlete experience by providing comprehensive resources that support mental health, physical wellness and holistic well-being.
2. Top Talent: Position TCU as a premier destination for exceptional student-athletes, coaches and staff.
3. NIL Resources: Expand and steward NIL resources that support student-athlete excellence with integrity.
4. Revenue Generation: Expand and diversify revenue streams to strengthen the financial sustainability of the athletics department.
5. TCU Athletics Brand: Strategically invest in the growth and evolution of athletics to enhance competitive excellence and maximize the university’s brand visibility and impact.
6. Academic Collaboration & Student Development: Advance student-athlete success through enhanced academic collaboration, holistic development and institutional collaborations.
7. Evolve Athletics: Advance TCU Athletics’ long-term success and leadership in the evolving collegiate athletics landscape through intentional and strategic investment.
8. Audience Experience: Enhance TCU Athletics to deliver a premier, engaging and memorable experience that attracts students, fans, alumni and the broader community.
9. Community Engagement Through Athletics: Strengthen TCU Athletics’ presence in North Texas by building partnerships, enhancing visibility and positively impacting the local community.
10. Women's Sports: Advance and sustain excellence in women’s athletics through intentional investment, resourcing and support.

Community Engagement

1. Innovation Network: Create and scale a TCU-wide innovation network to inspire, connect and drive innovation across TCU and the community.
2. Community Impact: Capture and expand community impact with infrastructure to facilitate, scale and track student, faculty and staff engagement.
3. Government Relations: Invest in the development and coordination of government relationships through a dedicated office.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Invest in the development and coordination of corporate partnerships through a dedicated office.
5. Talent Development: Strengthen TCU's leadership pipeline and invest in employee development.
6. Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Expand and develop holistic support programs focused on launching and supporting a wide variety of ventures across the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
7. TCU Pulse - Creative and Cultural Exchange: Establish a physical creative footprint across Fort Worth to showcase TCU artists, performers and scholars while providing experiential learning opportunities via student-led operations.
8. Engage Fort Worth and Broader Community: Evaluate strategic use of campus facilities as revenue-generating or for community benefit, as well as centralize, track and manage community partner investment areas.