Pullin outlined five key goals identified to grow the school, inviting alumni and supporter insight as a new five-year strategic plan is defined.
December 17, 2021
On December 2, the TCU Neeley School of Business hosted an Alumni Advantage Series virtual event featuring Daniel Pullin, the John V. Roach Dean of the TCU Neeley School of Business, along with Brenda Cline ’82, CFO at the Kimbell Art Foundation as the event’s moderator, to discuss the new five-year strategic plan under development within the business school.
The Alumni Advantage Series is part of TCU Neeley’s commitment to lifelong learning, providing alumni access to cutting-edge business insights from faculty experts and thought leaders across industries.
Pullin and Cline began the session by discussing the foundational history of the school’s namesake, M.J. Neeley; what market changes have occurred in recent years; and the steps TCU Neeley is taking to build curriculum and goals around these new developments.
“TCU Neeley is a market-driven business school,” Pullin said. “We position ourselves to operate at the intersection between academia and industry.”
The two discussed M.J. Neeley and the foundation his legacy provides for the business school. He was a consummate entrepreneur and enthusiastic supporter of higher education, having been involved in the creation and success of more than 30 companies in his lifetime. His spirit of business adventure and leadership embody the Neeley Promise that guides the school today: The Neeley School of Business unleashes human potential with leadership at the core and innovation in our spirit.
Pullin then noted that, due to the pandemic, several radical market trends are reshaping U.S. businesses including the ever-expanding field of online currency, more inclusive workplaces, and the growing community of independent entrepreneurs. Pullin believes this confluence of trends presents the perfect environment for TCU Neeley to reshape itself and push ahead of the competition.
Analyzing the trends, TCU Neeley is designing new classes, scholarships and college resources, such as the new Scaled to Succeed: Neeley NIL program to support student athletes and other interested students with curriculum around best practices for managing Name, Image and Likeness opportunities. TCU Neeley aims to train students and faculty alike to stay ahead of the curve regarding what the economy will be instead of what it was, proactively preparing them to survive and thrive in the evolving business world.
“This is exactly the right time to do it,” Pullin said. “If we do it when everybody else is sitting on the sidelines, we’re going to have the chance to further distance ourselves from the competition and really do right by our students.”
Speaking to the inclusion of many voices and the time dedicated to creating and refining the emerging strategic plan, Cline said, “That is what makes the strategic planning process so all-encompassing and time consuming. You are trying to incorporate input from a variety of stakeholders.”
Pullin described TCU Neeley’s emerging five-point strategy, which is utilizing faculty, staff, student, alumni and stakeholder feedback to ensure these changes are in the best interest of everyone involved.
First, TCU Neeley needs to generate the necessary revenue to support all of the business school’s new programs and constant growth.
Second, the business school will leverage top-ranked faculty and invest in their research to continue to build recognition on a global scale, doing so in partnership with industry to shape global business practices. The team feels strongly there is no better market than the Metroplex to translate Neeley research insights into effective action.
Third, the team will develop additional dedicated strategies with a vested interest in making inclusive excellence a more integral component of the TCU Neeley college experience.
“We’re building a culture around inclusive excellence,” Pullin said. “It’s the right thing to do and it supports companies’ talent needs for culturally competent business leaders.”
Fourth, TCU Neeley is seeking to further ensure student success, satisfaction and fulfillment. This will include a focused refresh for select curriculum, including increased quantitative rigor, the most modern technology and even more experiential, hands-on learning. These changes will have the added benefit of connecting students with businesses and industry professionals well before they graduate to support student success, advisement and quality job placement.
Finally, Pullin cited the intent to make TCU Neeley a nationally recognized name through a focused elevation of the overall business school standings, rankings and brand.
At this time, Dean Pullin and his team are looking for feedback, inspiration and engagement from alumni and constituents to make this plan stronger, actionable and measurable.
Want to be a part of the strategic plan creation process? Click here to access the feedback survey for alumni. We value your insight.
Interested in donating to support the Neeley Strategic Plan creation? Click here and designate a gift to the Dean’s Discretionary Fund, including “Neeley Strategic Plan” in the notes section.
Want to hear more? Watch the video of our Alumni Advantage Series virtual event to dive deeper into TCU Neeley’s strategic planning process and goals.
