Boschini says TCU moving to "sustained growth"
At Fall Convocation to officially open the 137th academic year, chancellor says university to focus on funding scholarships after period of "dynamic growth."
by Rick Waters '95
Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. officially opened the 137th academic year at Fall Convocation Tuesday.
Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. officially kicked off TCU's 137th academic year at Fall Convocation Tuesday morning.
We have a board of trustees that is committed to moving forward when so many other universities are falling backward. We're in an ideal position to compete for outstanding faculty and talented students. In other words, we have momentum. Our task now is to move from a period of dynamic growth as directed by Vision in Action to a period of sustained growth. But there is one area in which we have
At Fall Convocation to officially open the 137th academic year, chancellor says university to focus on funding scholarships after period of "dynamic growth."
The chancellor discussed how the university welcomed more than 150,000 guests to campus over the summer through programs such as the Trinity Shakespeare Festival, Mimir Chamber Music Festival, PianoTexas International Academy and Festival, the Andrews' Institute's Math, Science, Language program for Fort Worth Independent School District children and the High School Journalism Workshop.
The chancellor also remarked about the record size of TCU's incoming Class of 2013, officially list at 1,824.
This year's convocation had a different tone than most.
"Spread the love, I'm going back to the sixties," said Chancellor Victor Boschini as he commenced Fall Convocation where he discussed how the economic downturn has been affecting the university and its plans to move forward strategically and remain on solid financial grounds.
Boschini began the event by welcoming the class of 2013.
"In general I'm going to spread the love, (but) especially I'm going to spread it over those 1,824 new students we have, because these students are the lifeblood of Texas Christian University and they're going to make this an even better place than it is now," he said.
The university's endowment fared much better than many others, but even it could not escape the economic situation unscathed, Boschini said. He then went on to talk about how other institutions and the university have taken measures to confront the economic downturn.
"The larger the share of the annual budget provided by the endowment, the more profound the negative impact," Boschini said. "At TCU that figure is 16 percent, but many other schools are much more dependent upon their endowment income to balance their budgets. Virtually all schools are looking at cutbacks in some areas."
Boschini then said the university has been prepared for such times, noting that the university is in a solid position.
"We are being carried forward on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, those who have made wise, conservative and prudent financial choices in the past," he said. "TCU's administration began making adjustments long before the market and economy hit bottom, including cost reductions throughout the university."
Boschini said the board of trustees agreed to keep the endowment constant and that they wanted to keep using the momentum that the university has built.
"What we're basically saying is that we're ensuring the future of this university," he said. "We're continuing to build our budget on our more modest number - not the number of new students ... We'll have them for four years, but I don't want to get addicted to the income they'll bring in."
He also discussed how TCU has fared well despite the turbulent economy and the university's preparation for the spread of H1N1 flu.
Boschini also presented the Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Achievement as a Creative Teacher and Scholar to chemistry professor Jeff Coffer. He also recognized engineering professer Stephen Weis with the Wassenich Award for Mentoring in the TCU Community.
Chancellor Victor J. Boschini Jr. congratulates engineering professor Stephen Weis,
who was given the Wassenich Award for Mentoring in the TCU Community.
(Photo by Glen E. Ellman)
Chemistry professor Jeff Coffer addresses the Ed Landreth Auditorium crowd after
accepting the Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Achievement as a Creative Teacher
and Scholar. (Photo by Glen E. Ellman)