Pillar 1
Strengthen and Elevate ACU’s Academic Profile
Thanks to a bold vision that included key investments in high-demand fields and an increase in the number of master’s and doctoral programs, ACU was reclassified in 2021 from a regional university to a national university. In addition, Abilene Christian has achieved yet another important distinction: upgrading its Carnegie Higher Education Classification System ranking to a Research 3 (R3) Doctoral/Professional University. And our sights are set on earning the Research 2 (R2) Doctoral University-High Research Activity rating within this decade.
Simply put, ACU is rapidly growing in its recognition as one of the leading Christian universities in the nation.
A higher profile in the academic world will give us a greater platform to recruit exemplary faculty and students, but it also comes with greater competition. Work remains if we want to stand out in this new echelon of universities.
That starts with investment into faculty, research, facilities and scholarships.
Giving opportunities include:
These positions provide academic recognition and prestige, while also producing critical funding for stipends, research and professional development, year after year. They are a powerful tool to make ACU the destination of choice for top Christian faculty.
This endowed fund will provide flexibility – across all disciplines – to recruit premier faculty and to retain high-demand professors. It will also allow the university to move quickly as strategic hiring opportunities arise, manage hard-to-fill positions and recruit diverse talent.
This will provide funding for research across all disciplines. It will jumpstart our critical research engine and increase the pool of research dollars available across campus.
These endowed funds allow the Brown Library strength in particular areas of book collections that will support our academic departments in their growing programs and burgeoning research.
These continue to be the workhorses of ACU’s financial aid program, growing over time and producing awards year after year.
These endowed scholarships are gaining in importance as our students come from a broader representation of ethnicities, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds than ever before.
This fund is a way for donors to pool their annual gifts of all sizes to directly provide for the greatest financial needs of ACU’s students.
This fund provides academic, leadership and financial-need scholarships for students across all majors.
This fund provides immediate basic care needs of a growing number of students. It has proven to be a way the ACU community comes alongside these students, reaching out as the hands and feet of Jesus.
This 28,000-square-foot facility will allow us to keep up with the groundbreaking research and other projects across the sciences and engineering. It will allow students to contribute to world-class research and will bring scientists from other universities and organizations to Abilene to perform research in this unique space.
Preparing the next generation of students in the College of Business Administration for the complex needs and technological advancements in the workforce is central to the renovations to this 35-year-old building, which include an updated classroom wing, a more advanced finance lab and an upgraded digital experience lab.
The revitalization of this facility into a premiere concert and event venue located at the heart of campus will make it an ideal place for ACU’s music and theatre performances, and it will also attract outside talent to use this important and dynamic space.
