Baylor unveils five-year goals toward Pro Futuris vision
In 2012, Baylor adopted the Pro Futuris strategic vision to guide the university’s steps in the coming years. Last week, Baylor Regents endorsed the next step: a set of detailed five-year goals to advance the high aspirations of Pro Futuris.
What follows is a quick overview of some of the specifics, broken down by each of the five aspiration statements; you can read the entire set of goals on the Pro Futuris website.
Transformational Education: In addition to specific goals related to student body size, class size, retention rates and graduation rates, Baylor aims to institute a university-wide plan to grow programs focused on leadership and to send 700 students a year on discipline-specific mission trips. Potential projects include developing a new visitors center and spirit shop, expanding the law school, developing phase one of an arts district, and renovating Tidwell Bible Building and the Ferrell Center.
Compelling Scholarship: Given Pro Futuris’ expectation for Baylor to be a place where research finds solutions to problems facing our world, the five-year goals call for Baylor to increase the number of annual doctoral graduates, particularly in science, technology, engineering and math, and to grow annual research funding to $25 million, while creating regular opportunities for Baylor faculty to share their research with national and international policymakers.
Informed Engagement: To support the Baylor family’s dedication to improving itself and serving others, the university plans to develop new lifelong learning, continuing education and distance education programs and establish a plan for broadening Baylor’s local and global impact.
Committed Constituents: For Baylor to reach its goals, it will need the dedicated support and involvement of alumni and friends. Quantifiable goals aim to increase the percentage of alumni giving back to their alma mater, the level of participation in Baylor Alumni Network events, attendance at home sporting events, and the number of broadcasts for all athletic contests.
Judicious Stewardship: To improve the prudent management of resources, the university plans to reduce dependence on undergraduate tuition, increase the endowment per student, partner with more community colleges to reduce the overall cost of a Baylor education, and establish fixed four-year tuition rates. At the same time, fundraising goals have been set to support scholarships, faculty, student life, academic programs and capital projects.
In the spirit of Pro Futuris, these are aggressive goals, but realistic ones that will continue Baylor’s forward progress.
Sic ’em, Bears!