TCU has named Thomas “Tom” Wavering as its first chief university strategy and innovation officer, effective July 2024.
The chief university strategy and innovation officer is a new, key executive position appointed by the university’s president and charged with driving forward-thinking strategies, fostering innovation and community engagement, and ensuring that Texas Christian University remains competitive in a rapidly evolving educational landscape, TCU said in a news release.
As a member of the president’s Cabinet, Wavering will partner with TCU leadership to advance the university’s mission and vision, providing strategic and operational guidance as the university develops and implements its next strategic plan and focusing on expanding TCU’s culture of innovation and academic excellence, the release said.
“Tom is a builder, innovator and team player, and we are thrilled to welcome him to TCU,” President Daniel W. Pullin said. “As our community works together to envision the future and write the next chapter in TCU’s story, Tom’s strategic and entrepreneurial mindset, coupled with his strong background in higher education and expertise in innovation, will help us reach our highest aspirations. This new position for TCU comes from the playbooks of leading national universities that are on the rise. If we are to continue to attract and retain the brightest students and faculty, reach new heights in terms of student outcomes and success, and strengthen our academic profile, we must grow our innovation mindset. Tom will help us do just that.”
Wavering previously served as executive director of the Tom Love Innovation Hub and as an entrepreneurship faculty member at the University of Oklahoma, the state’s flagship research university. His background in research and development and his passion for education and innovation helped him build and lead Oklahoma’s largest entrepreneurial support organization, diversifying and growing Oklahoma’s innovation economy with an economic impact of over $400 million.
Before joining OU, Wavering was vice president of strategic technologies at Intelligent Automation Inc., where he supported organizational culture development strategies and led business development and technology transfer activities. Wavering has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering with a minor in creative writing from Virginia Tech.
“TCU is an outstanding institution with an incredible history of innovation, excellence and developing leaders,” Wavering said. “I am honored to join the president’s leadership team and partner with the outstanding faculty and staff at TCU to help shape the future of TCU and our region. Higher education is changing, but TCU’s mission, vision and values are everlasting. With that at our core, and our position in the vibrant powerhouse that is the Fort Worth community, we are poised to achieve our goals and more.”
TCU is a values-centered private university with enrollment of 12,785, including 10,915 undergraduates and 1,870 graduate students. The university includes nine schools and colleges offering 117 areas of undergraduate study, 62 master’s level programs, and 37 areas of doctoral study. More information is available on the TCU website.