TCU reveals a new vision to compete as a ‘best-in-class’ national player. Here’s the plan.
After months of planning with feedback from more than 10,000 community members, TCU unveiled details Tuesday about a strategic plan that charts the Fort Worth university’s course for the next decade.
The plan touches on every aspect of the university, from what the campus will look like in the coming years, to how TCU intends to extend its influence well beyond University Drive. Made up of 44 initiatives and goals, the bulk of the plan falls under its four “core pillars” — increasing community engagement, maintaining growth, strengthening athletics and improving research.
Dubbed the now-trademarked phrase “LEAD ON: Values in Action,” the plan took about 10 months to craft. TCU leaders presented the strategies to faculty Tuesday morning.
TCU’s president, and soon-to-be chancellor, Daniel Pullin told the Star-Telegram that the ambitious goals won’t be met overnight. But the university is already working towards them, including by updating some curriculum and opening new facilities.
“It’s not a 90-day plan, it’s a 3,700 day plan if you really think about it, and it’s organic, and it’ll evolve,” Pullin said. “Nothing can be, you know, set in stone as you look 10 years out in a crystal ball, but I do believe that there are many near-term opportunities to accelerate the execution of that plan.”
‘This is the perfect moment’
TCU is aiming to grow its student body to 14,900 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students by 2035. About 11,000 undergraduates were enrolled for the fall 2024 semester.
Pullin said the target number of students is “consistent with historic growth” and would add roughly 3% more students each year.
Enrollment has grown by almost 29% percent since fall 2014. The increase in students has strained critical resources, like housing and parking. About 48% of undergraduates lived on campus during the fall semester, and some students have struggled to find housing in the past.
Two new dormitories, with 292 beds total, and a dining hall opened this month.
“We’ve already moved talented students into those spaces, and are creating the capacity to bring additional Horned Frogs to campus in the coming years. So I think you’ll see a growth in the size of our first year class and our graduate programs as soon as this fall,” Pullin said.
Pullin said the university plans to build a “handful” of new dorms during the next three to five years. Plans are still being finalized, but designs for the next new dorm to be constructed could be presented to the board of trustees as soon as April, Pullin said. The board must approve plans before any project can move forward.
TCU wants to keep its 14:1 ratio of students to faculty, which it has maintained since 2021. That means if enrollment goals are met, the university will need to hire hundreds of new full-time faculty by 2035. TCU employs about 706 full-time faculty now.
Pullin said the university will likely hire about 500 new faculty and 550 staff members over the next decade, if enrollment grows as planned.
Growing the campus’ physical footprint is also a necessary part of expansion. TCU shared the details of its campus master plan in August.
If fully built out, the plan would add 25 buildings to the 302-acre campus, including dormitories, academic spaces, parking garages and sports facilities. One of the main goals is to transform West Berry Street into Fort Worth’s “place to be,” an endeavor many local businesses support.
TCU’s plans for growth come amid predictions of a demographic cliff hitting higher education during the next five to 10 years, as the number of college-aged people in the U.S. shrinks. Some experts believe Texas’ rapid population growth will insulate the state’s universities from a drop in enrollment.
Pullin said TCU’s recent growth, coupled with all universities’ need to innovate to stay afloat in a shifting higher ed landscape, make this the right time to implement the strategic plan.
“I think this is the perfect moment to be able to innovate from a position of strength, to think about the future in a disciplined way, to take advantage of the moment and further differentiate our university and our programs for distinction for years to come,” Pullin said.
The ‘research university of Fort Worth’
TCU is hoping to become the “research university of Fort Worth,” according to the strategic plan executive summary.
Though the university spent about $25 million on research in 2023, according to Pullin, it is not designated as a “R1” university — arguably the most prestigious research classification an institution can hold.
About 146 universities in the U.S. have R1 status — roughly 3.7% of the over 3,900 degree-granting institutions in the country. R1 universities typically receive more funding than unranked institutions, and attract top researchers.
TCU is on track to become an R1 institution. Qualification for the status was simplified in 2023; universities now have to award at least 70 research doctorate degrees and spend at least $50 million on research and development per year.
TCU awarded 51 research and scholarship doctoral degrees during the 2022-23 academic year, the most recent year data is available for. TCU’s research operating expenses were over $17 million for the 2023-24 academic year, up from over $14 million the previous academic year. The university spent over $8.7 million in federal funds alone on research and development in the year ended May 31, 2024, according to TCU’s most recent audit.
Texas A&M University, whose Fort Worth campus is expected to open in 2026, has R1 status. Texas A&M-Fort Worth will offer a range of degrees, including those in STEM subjects, and house public-private partnerships with some of the area’s largest companies, including aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and eyecare maker Alcon.
Pullin said he welcomes A&M’s arrival in Fort Worth, and that increased educational opportunities will only benefit the community. He said he recently spent time with A&M leaders during TCU night at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
“As I look at the opportunity set in front of us in the strategic plan and the array of academic programs that we’re looking to grow or start new, we’re going to be plenty busy with the the items that we have in front of us,” Pullin said. “I’m excited that A&M is in Fort Worth. I think more education is better than less education.”
Pullin said R1 status would be a result of the university’s primary goal — strengthening academic rigor.
Last year, U.S. News & World Report ranked TCU as the 105th best university in the United States, the first time it had been ranked outside the country’s top 100 schools in 14 years. U.S. News changed its ranking methodology in 2023, after facing criticism.
Pullin previously told the Star-Telegram there are challenges with some aspects of U.S. News’ new methodology, and he did not feel it was reflective of the quality of a TCU education.
Retention and graduation rates are a key metric U.S. News uses to calculate rankings; TCU had a 94% retention rate for full-time students in 2023 and an 83% six-year graduation rate in 2023 for students seeking bachelor’s degrees, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
‘Compete at the highest level of athletics’
The university is also hoping to strengthen athletics programs and boost paid attendance at sporting events, a key draw of campus visitors.
TCU is already hope to some of the world’s top athletes; nine TCU students competed in the Paris Summer Olympics across five events. The football team had a 9-4 record and over 267,000 people attended football games at TCU for the 2024-25 season.
The university hired new athletic director Mike Buddie this month.
TCU sees a strong athletics program as a way to expand its national reputation. The university wants to “seize the opportunity of increased interest in women’s sports by growing attendance at women’s home volleyball, basketball and soccer games.”
New facilities are also likely to be part of the university’s investment in athletics. TCU’s master plan includes the construction of an Olympic-level tennis facility and an “athletic village” near sports facilities with dorms for athletes.
Construction of the new $50 million Athletics Human Performance Center is slated to finish in July. The facility, funded completely by donors, will support student athletes across all 22 of the university’s sports.
‘The dynamic, creative, cultural hub for Fort Worth’
The university is aiming for every student to complete a community-focused experience before they graduate, through avenues including volunteer work, a local internship or a study abroad program. Pullin said increasing TCU’s engagement with the community will draw more people to Fort Worth.
TCU will establish an office of corporate partnerships later this year.
“We’re really thinking about a comprehensive relationship management function that allows TCU to operate at the intersection of academics in the community,” Pullin said.
Pullin said local companies from a broad range of industries have expressed interest in working with TCU, but the university isn’t ready to announce formal partnerships.
The university is also planning to deepen its ties with the surrounding community, particularly the neighborhoods that border the campus, through new development.
“We’ll be transforming the campus, particularly on the east side. We’ll be getting closer to our neighborhoods, we’ll be opening classrooms and corridors, research labs, gathering places, green spaces, to members of the community to be more integrated and more engaged with the community than ever before,” Pullin said.
TCU is conducting a feasibility study before launching an official fundraising campaign to support the strategic plan, Pullin said. Though it is unclear exactly how much the university will invest in bringing the plan to life, Pullin said its initiatives will be funded by a combination of philanthropy, research funding and tuition revenue.
A nonprofit institution, TCU had a revenue of over $1.1 billion for the 12 months ending in May 2023, the most recent year for which tax documents are available. Founded in 1873, it is the oldest college in Fort Worth.
This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 10:30 AM.
