Podcast Points: Co-chairs of Strategic Planning Group Give Insight on Baylor in Deeds
Provost Nancy Brickhouse and Chief of Staff to the President Tiffany Hogue join the Baylor Connections podcast to discuss new strategic plan’s commitments and imperatives
Baylor University recently unveiled its new strategic plan, Baylor in Deeds, which charts a course for greater global impact, stewardship and service. Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., and Chief of Staff to the President Tiffany Hogue, J.D., co-chaired the strategic planning group and joined this week’s Baylor Connections podcast to discuss the plan’s commitments and imperatives that they expect will serve the University well for generations to come.
Podcast Points with Nancy Brickhouse and Tiffany Hogue
The Right Plan
Tiffany Hogue expressed her excitement about the unveiling of the plan to Baylor students, faculty and staff, as well as the greater Baylor Family. In co-chairing the Strategic Planning Group over the past year, she, Provost Brickhouse and the planning group “worked hard to create a plan that is inspirational, aspirational and inclusive.”
Provost Brickhouse explained that Baylor in Deeds is the right plan for the University because it draws heavily on prior plans, such as Illuminate and Baylor 2012. Hogue recognized the 20 faculty, staff and students who were selected to work on strategic plan and their deep commitment to the plan coming to fruition.
Scriptural Tie
The new strategic plan is taken from Matthew 5:16, which says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Provost Brickhouse expressed her love for the way the Scripture positions the current plan alongside Illuminate.
Provost Brickhouse said the Scriptural tie for Baylor in Deeds connects the idea that we are to be a light in the world and that we will be known as Christians by the good work that we do. The beautiful reference acknowledges that Baylor in Deeds is a very action-oriented plan. Many aspects of the brand campaign for the strategic plan take language from the Beatitudes, and Provost Brickhouse recognizes the impact this will have on Christians around the globe.
Commitments
Provost Brickhouse and Hogue each dive into the four main commitments of Baylor in Deeds: equipping students to flourish, broadening interdisciplinary research and impact, building a vibrant, caring global community and demonstrating Christian stewardship.
“One of our key strategies in the commitment of equipping students to flourish is to prioritize character formation, leadership development, spiritual growth and holistic well-being throughout the student experience,” Hogue said. She discusses three specific strategies: the redesign of chapel, increasing the quality and quantity of academic co-curricular activities that are high-impact practices and an explicit commitment to the well-being of graduate students.
Key Imperatives
The strategic plan has four key imperatives that go along with Baylor in Deeds’ commitments: affordability, value and completion, health and engineering, human technology interface and civil discourse. Hogue said the imperatives differ from the commitments in how they are woven throughout the plan. She covers the importance the University places on helping students graduate in a timely manner and encouraging the Baylor community to treat one another as made in the image of God.
Provost Brickhouse highlighted health and engineering, recognizing that the Baylor name itself is a health brand, and how engineering is where there is the greatest opportunity for growth. “Many of our students feel callings to serve in these areas and we want to make sure that we’re being responsive to their vocational calling.”
LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION
Listen to the full conversation with Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., and Chief of Staff to the President Tiffany Hogue, J.D., on the Baylor Connections podcast.
ABOUT BAYLOR CONNECTIONS
Baylor Connections with host Derek Smith goes in depth each week with Baylor leaders, professors and more, discussing important topics in higher education, research and student life. Baylor Connections airs on Fridays at 11 a.m. CT on KWBU 103.3FM in Waco. The podcast also is available online or by subscribing to Baylor Connections on iTunes.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.