By Michael Freeman, Managing Editor
ACU president Dr. Royce Money assured members of the faculty and staff during his State of the University speech in Cullen Auditorium Wednesday he intends to continue serving as president to see the 21st Century Vision implemented.
“In May, the Board [of Trustees] asked me to extend my time as president, which I am very happy to do,” Money said. “I believe so much in this vision; I want to see it successfully launched.”
But Money discussed more than his decision to stay with the university. He informally began the event by distributing gift cards and joking about staff members’ birthdays. Then after reviewing the Board of Trustees’ plans for the rest of the week and recognizing certain staff members for their work over the summer, Money spoke about the 21st Century Vision.
The 21st Century Vision is a plan for transforming ACU within the next 12 years into the top university for Christian students. For the next five years, the university has four goals: “to produce leaders who think critically, globally and missionally; build distinctive and innovative programs; create a unique Christ-centered experience that calls students into community and to extend ACU’s Christian influence and educational reach nationally and internationally,” according to ACU’s Strategic Plan for 2009-2013.
The exceptional plan is not an original endeavor for ACU because school leaders have been aiming high since the university was founded, Money said.
“Don’t get the idea that we’re inventing this,” he said. “We’re a link in the chain.”
Money wrapped up his State of the University speech with his account of a discussion between two recent ACU Malagasy graduates and an international banking executive when he visited Madagascar last June. Money recounted the graduates telling their story to the banking executive on how their lives were transformed during their time at ACU. One graduate said when she was a freshman she only had thoughts of earning a profitable degree, but after graduating, she now wanted to start a volunteer service center to rehabilitate prostitutes in Madagascar.
“The rippling effects of what God can do are just enormous,” Money said. “This university in this little West Texas town is having a global impact.”
