Taylor is best known for its distinctive campus culture and excellence in developing servant-leaders. It’s one of the hallmarks of the Taylor value proposition that draws students and supporters year after year. Every constituent we surveyed called this out as a key differentiator and institutional strength. Through measurable indicators in student learning, student engagement, and student development, we know that Taylor students are better prepared to serve and lead at the end of their four years on campus than their peers at other institutions. And yet servant-leadership, as informed by our Christian theology, has never been more needed—in the church, across the country, and around the world. For all these reasons, Taylor aspires to move from excellence to eminence in developing servant-leaders, equipping our students to meet the next generation of challenges and opportunities. We believe strongly in the importance of discipling them in the countercultural ways that Jesus called his followers to bless and serve those around them. Through this, our graduates will invariably be given numerous leadership opportunities. While some places may boast primarily about their graduates’ achievements and accomplishments, we will prize the ways Taylor students and alumni bless and serve their communities with a Christ-centered approach. We also aspire to be the leading Christian college for intercultural opportunities—by sending more of our students to study, serve, and work abroad and to bring more global and diverse students and leaders to study, work, and speak at Taylor on a regular basis.

We also endeavor to extend Taylor’s impact on the global church by launching a supporting organization that develops Christ-centered servant-leaders through conferences, symposia, peer networks, continuing education, and other intellectual resources that reach people beyond the traditional student body that form the core of Taylor’s raison d’etre. In so doing, we hope that even more people are prepared to minister Christ’s redemptive grace and truth to a world in need. The following outlines our strategic objectives.

Primary Components of Priority Pillar 6: Serving and Leading to Minister to a World in Need

Virtually every Taylor constituent prizes the University’s distinctive campus culture and the critical role it plays in leadership development and spiritual formation. As a result, it makes sense for Taylor to build upon this “island of strength” and address areas for additional investment as we seek to further differentiate ourselves from other institutions within the competitive higher education marketplace.

  1. Invest in software to identify student engagement across events, allowing Student Development to track and improve, but also highlight and promote the level of student engagement across campus. [Year 1]
  2. Expand the use of proven, cost-effective strategies—including open events, partnerships with other areas on campus, and expanded mental health "first aid" training for student leaders—to help address growing mental health needs among our student body. [Years 1-5]
  3. Utilize leadership training and campus programming to educate students on critical issues and model healthy approaches and mindsets that empower them to engage differences and challenging situations. [Year 1]

A set of specific and affordable initiatives will help elevate the formation of servant-leadership already underway at the University, expand the University’s work in this area, and strengthen a key institutional distinctive.

  1. Work to create and receive approval for a servant-leadership minor, certificate, or other curricular and/or co-curricular offering that will build upon key competencies gained through the core curriculum. [Year 1]
  2. Create a set of conferences to develop leadership capabilities for high school leaders, aiding K-12 Christian education while also developing brand ambassadors in key recruiting markets. [Years 1-5]
  3. Launch a Presidential Fellows program to draw talented students and to develop Taylor's top student leaders. [Year 1]
  4. Create a supporting organization of Taylor University that has more flexibility to invest in the leadership development of ministry and business leaders. [Year 3]

We believe investments in athletic facilities and programs will make a significant difference in the recruiting success of our coaches, helping to grow our student body and make our teams more competitive. We also believe there are targeted, affordable options for expanding athletics and the character development that occurs through teams as well as strengthening school spirit that could help Taylor recruit a wider segment of students.

  1. By January of 2023, develop and implement a strategy for competitive expectations for each program and for the overall competitiveness of Taylor Athletics, with appropriate funding to match these expectations. [Year 1]
  2. Continue to bolster athletics programs through strategic facility upgrades including weight room renovations, initial renovations of the football fieldhouse, new turf at Turner Stadium, and a set of other improvements to be identified and prioritized for fundraising efforts over year one of the strategic plan. [Years 1-5]
  3. Maintain the current 25-30% ratio of athletes on campus through intentional recruiting efforts within each of our programs even as the enrollment of the University grows. [Years 1-5]
  4. Host an annual professional development seminar for coaches focused on character and spiritual development for students. [Years 1-5]
  5. Elevate Taylor's esports program by creating formal space on campus. In year two of the strategic plan, explore transitioning the student club group to club sport status. [Years 1-2]
  6. Conduct market research to assess the feasibility of launching a pep-band and/or marching band to help recruit an additional segment of students and increase school spirit. [Year 4]

For 175 years, Taylor has been a place that has shown our students that Christ’s death and resurrection reconciles not only our relationship with God but with one another as well. We seek to make this timeless mission timely by measuring and improving key metrics related to spiritual growth and by finding ways to better prepare our students for productive engagement with challenging issues in and beyond the church so that Taylor students are ready to serve and lead.

  1. Identify and improve on key metrics to allow Taylor to credibly claim its place as a top three school for study abroad in the CCCU (exact measures to be determined). [Years 4-5]
  2. Develop international partnerships in five key cities around the globe with at least one in Africa, one in Asia, and one in Latin America. [Years 1-5]
  3. In the first year of the strategic plan, set a baseline for engagement with discipleship groups in each residence hall and then work to incrementally increase the level of engagement over the remaining four years of the strategic plan. [Years 1-5]
  4. Drawing on University networks, bring six public intellectuals and/or leaders to campus each year for “President Lindsay Live” or other, similar programs to bring marquee speakers to campus that will help broaden our students’ intellectual horizons and strengthen their faith. [Years 1-5]