Purpose
The Handbook for Texas Christian University employees is prepared annually as a ready reference for answers to most questions concerning the organization, philosophy, policies and procedures of the University. It is not, however, meant to be all-inclusive. More precise and detailed information may be secured from appropriate personnel, publications, and/or websites.
Even though materials for this handbook were submitted to University officials for verification, the chance for errors remains. If errors are found, please notify in writing the office of Human Resources (askhr@tcu.edu).
Our Mission
The mission of Texas Christian University, a private comprehensive university, is to educate individuals to think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the global community through research and creative activities, scholarship, service, and programs of teaching and learning offered through the doctoral level.
Our Vision
Our vision is to create a world-class, values-centered university.
TCU Values
At TCU, we value:
Integrity: as the foundation of learning, discovery, and ethical leadership. We embrace personal accountability and our shared responsibility to foster a community of leaders who have the uncompromising commitment and conscience to make a difference for the greater good.
Engagement: that impacts personal and academic growth. We foster responsible and ethical leadership by actively participating in the learning process and the community around us.
Community: and a culture of belonging. We celebrate our differences and serve one another with openness, trust, humility and mutual respect.
Excellence: in our pursuit of the greater good. Achievement through critical thinking, intellectual inquiry and creative expression fuels lifelong learning and lasting impact.
Our Heritage, Philosophy and Goals
Texas Christian University, founded in 1873, has grown from a small school on the cattle frontier to a major center of independent higher education in a dynamic city. As agents of change in our time as our predecessors were in theirs, we – faculty, staff, students and trustees – are united in striving for the constant improvements of the University.
A community dedicated to learning, the University affirms its commitment to rationality, objectivity, diversity, freedom of inquiry, creativity and civility. TCU is committed as well to the preservation, appraisal, and transmission of knowledge and wisdom and to the discovery of new ideas and knowledge by which the understanding of truth may be extended or corrected.
An independent and self-governing institution, TCU attests that a representative democracy provides the context within which free inquiry may best be protected and encouraged; and the University acknowledges that independent higher education can thrive only in an economic system which prompts and rewards individual initiative. TCU has an historical association with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and the University welcomes students, faculty and staff of all religious faiths taking pride in the diversity of its academic community.
Much of the knowledge students seek is related to their specific career goals. The University, however, regards as essential the advancement and communication of general knowledge which enables students to understand the past, to comprehend the natural and social order, to search for the good and the beautiful, and to integrate knowledge into significant wholes.
Education fosters the capacity for rational decision-making, creative thinking and expression, and responsible living. Though knowledge may be treated as ethically neutral, we believe that questions of value are vital and that the exploration of the moral and religious dimensions of human existence is basic to the love of wisdom. At the center of the educational endeavor are people. Affirming the incalculable worth of each individual, TCU seeks to be a caring community, encouraging close working relationships among all members of the University and challenging students, faculty and staff alike to high achievement. In such a setting, the enhancement of mental, physical and spiritual gifts contributes to the integration of the self and to the enrichment of the community and humankind.
TCU provides undergraduate and graduate instruction in a vital and inviting residential setting for learning and living. We intend to maintain and establish only undergraduate and graduate programs that are aimed toward excellence, the well-being of students and the wholeness of the University. We believe there must be a general compatibility among the values and daily practices of the University and its several units.
Among our many goals are the following:
- To conduct curricular and co-curricular activities designed to fulfill the mission, vision and values of the University.
- To foster undergraduate and graduate studies of excellent quality.
- To provide faculty and staff of high qualification and dedication.
- To expect and encourage excellent teaching and fruitful creativity and research.
- To preserve and contribute to knowledge by aiding in its organization, storage, retrieval, and dispersal; and to use appropriate technology to this end.
- To employ admission, advising, and retention policies that will enable qualified and dedicated students to enter and to pursue successfully their collegiate work.
- To provide a variety of support services that will enhance the educational experience of all students.
- To promote the development of mature individuals who:
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- respect others;
- cherish a free and just society;
- are prepared to act as responsible, literate, informed citizens and lifelong learners; and
- are equipped for ongoing professional.
- To support co-curricular as well as curricular opportunities for an informed understanding of religious tradition.
- To contribute to the quality of life, work and leisure of citizens in the surrounding metropolitan area through regular instructional programs, continuing education, cultural and intellectual events, research, and through participation of faculty and staff in civic, religious, and other affairs.
- To earn the growing support from those who share the conviction that strong, independent institutions of higher learning are necessary to the continuation of a free society.