A clear vision and an ambitious fund-raising campaign has TCU poised to be known as a world-class, values-centered university, Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. told faculty, staff and students at fall Convocation.

“Through Vision in Action (VIA) and recent planning for a fund-raising campaign, TCU’s vision has come sharply into focus,” Boschini said. “Our vision at last has crystallized: We will create a world-class, values-centered university experience for our students.”

Boschini said that even as VIA reconfirmed our mission of “educating individuals to think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the global community,” the strategic plan clearly defined the University’s vision and identified the distinguishing hallmarks of a TCU education:

• A small, friendly campus
• A major, comprehensive university, offering more than 100 majors
• Mentoring relationships between students and faculty
• The development of individual student talent
• A values-centered community with a unique church relationship
• A global outlook woven into academics, with opportunities to study abroad.

Continued success, Boschini said, will require TCU to respond to a multitude of challenges facing higher-education institutions, including fewer government resources; increased competition for students and reputation among private and public universities here and throughout the world; and an environment in which prospective students and their parents try to negotiate with several schools for the best financial-aid package.

“In these competitive and challenging times, we must be very good at what we do,” Boschini said. “Day after day, week after week, year after year, we must become better. We must know – and clearly communicate – who we are and what we want to be. Simply put, TCU has a remarkable story to tell.”