Tarleton Forward

Strategically grow enrollment and foster a thriving learning environment characterized by transformational educational experiences that promote the holistic development, economic mobility, and success of all students.

• Strategy I-A: Support the well-being and success of all students, consistently outpacing our peers in engagement and achievement rates, with a strong commitment to enhancing opportunity, access, and affordability.
  • Objectives
    • Increase 6-year graduation rate for FTICs, 4-year graduation rate for transfers, and 5-year graduation rate for Master’s students from 46%, 61% and 60%, respectively, to 55%, 70%, and 70%, respectively, by 2027.
    • Increase the percent of seniors who are earning credits but accept no loans despite being eligible to do so from 46% to 50% by 2025.
• Strategy I-B: Optimize the university’s educational impact through recruitment, strategic offerings and flexible learning formats, particularly in graduate and professional programs.
  • Objectives
    • Increase overall enrollment by 4,100 students, from 14,022 to 18,122, by 2025.
    • Increase the percentage of all students that are enrolled in graduate and professional programs from 15% to 20% by 2025.
• Strategy I-C: Promote student socio-economic mobility and gainful employment through market-driven pathways, streamlined program navigation, and career readiness.
  • Objectives
    • Increase the 6-year graduation rate of PELL-eligible FTICs from 40% to 47% and 4-year graduation rate of PELL-eligible transfers from 57% to 67% by 2027.
    • Increase the percentage of FTIC and second-year students utilizing the Co-Curricular Record to document THECB 60×30 Marketable Skills achieved through out-of-the-classroom university experiences from 1% to 70% by 2025.

Achieve academic excellence through innovative instructional practices, strategic program expansion, and a robust academic and technological infrastructure.

• Strategy II-A: Leverage high-impact teaching and learning practices, technology, and quality instructional design of all courses to provide a transformational and future-focused educational experience.
  • Objectives
    • Increase participation in high-impact teaching and learning practices (FLC’s/LLC’s, HIPs, HIE’s, ALE’s and civic engagement) by 100% by 2025.
    • Prepare all students and faculty for success in a technologically dense learning environment by having 100% of faculty complete ACUE training, 100% of students and faculty having access to mobile technology, bandwidth and software appropriate for their academic discipline, and 90% of lecture/lab courses utilizing Open Educational Resources (OERs) by 2025.
• Strategy II-B: Adapt and expand nationally-recognized academic programs, schools and colleges through prestigious accreditation, program review, and benchmarking against aspirational institutions.
  • Objectives
    • Grow graduate enrollment by adding five accredited professional programs, three research doctorates and 15 master’s programs by 2025.
    • Expand accredited/recognized programs and program size within:
      • The School of Engineering to establish a College of Engineering by fall 2022.
      • The Leadership and Military College to achieve senior military college designation by fall 2027.
      • Expand high school dual-enrollments from zero to 1,000 in 2021-2022 and 2,000 in 2022-2023 via the OnRamps program.
      • Increase STEM degrees awarded by 6% each year through 2025.
• Strategy II-C: Invest resources to recruit and develop talented faculty and staff and enhance academic infrastructure to improve student success.
  • Objectives
    • Implement a competitive faculty hiring package (salary, research start up, load, location, etc.) that is aligned with aspirational institutions to be phased in incrementally through 2025.
    • Examine and optimize the scope of faculty and staff with direct student interface responsibilities commensurate with enrollment growth by 2023 to achieve and maintain best practice student:faculty and student:staff ratios by discipline or area of responsibility.

Demonstrate institutional commitment to equity and inclusion that provides fair access and opportunities for students and employees of all backgrounds and identities.

• Strategy III-A: Build and sustain the infrastructure to enhance a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels of the University and within the communities we serve.
  • Objectives
    • Create of a division with VP level leadership dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion across the university programs, policies, and business practices by 2023.
    • Improve student and employee responses on a DEI Campus Climate Survey by 5% over 2022 baseline values by 2023.
• Strategy III-B: Enhance academic, financial, and wellness support to become a premier destination for underrepresented populations and promote equitable outcomes for all students and employees.
  • Objectives
    • Increase percentage of enrolled students reporting ethnicity other than White from 37% in 2020 to 44% in 2025 (and 51% in 2030).
    • For students reporting ethnicity other than White, increase 6-year graduation rate for FTICs and 4-year graduation rate for transfers from 40% and 57%, respectively, to 50% and 67%, respectively, by 2027.
    • Increase recruitment and retention of employees reporting other than White 5% above baseline values by 2026.
• Strategy III-C: Integrate intercultural experiences for students, faculty, and staff to increase appreciation of diverse perspectives that expand our cultural competency.
  • Objective
    • Improve student and employee responses on an intercultural competence inventory by 5% over 2022 baseline values by 2024.

Cultivate an entrepreneurial ecosystem to enhance research, scholarship, and regional partnerships that drive innovation and economic development.

• Strategy IV-A: Enhance university resources and invest in sustainable research infrastructure to mobilize faculty and student research, scholarship, and creative activities and support personnel in the process of securing and administering research funds.
  • Objective
    • Increase the amount of research expenditures 20% from 10 million to 12 million by 2024.
• Strategy IV-B: Become a leader in higher education, industry, and government partnerships, innovation, and entrepreneurial strategies that advance community engagement and economic development.
  • Objectives
    • Establish an Alliance for Research, Innovation, & Economic Development by 2023.
    • Achieve Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) member status by 2026.
• Strategy IV-C: Continue our future-focused development of the Fort Worth campus and expansion of academic programs and support at all outreach campuses to provide educational attainment opportunities to meet the growing marketplace needs of the region and state.
  • Objectives
    • Increase enrollment at outreach locations (campuses other than Stephenville) from 32% to 39% by fall 2025. 
    • Grow the number of academic programs offered in Fort Worth by 10 programs by fall 2023.

Attain national prominence through student achievement, a thriving employee experience, a culture of philanthropy, and fiscal sustainability.

• Strategy V-A: Foster a thriving employee experience through meaningful communication, competitive compensation, interprofessional collaboration, and an ongoing commitment to growth and wellness.
  • Objectives
    • Implement an annual review to ensure compensation and benefit measures remain competitive across job categories as part of the annual budget process beginning with the fiscal year 2023 cycle.
    • Increase employee engagement scores 10% above baseline values by 2026.
• Strategy V-B: Ensure fiscal sustainability through strategic resource management, alternative revenue generation, and rigorous fundraising.
  • Objectives
    • Optimize the percent of expenditures related to core mission from 50% to 55% by 2026.
    • Increase donor numbers from an average of 2,100 over the last 10 years to 4,000 and annual fundraising from an average of $6.9 million/year over the last 10 years to $10 million/year by 2025.
• Strategy V-C: Elevate the institutional profile by capitalizing on national exposure and visibility as a NCAA Division I University.
  • Objectives
    • Increase social media followers on athletic social accounts by 20% and university social accounts by 10% annually through 2025.
    • Continually rank in the top five of the Western Athletic Conference’s Commissioner’s Cup by 2025.