The university has hired 20 faculty members this fall, contributing to the almost 60 new faculty and instructional positions that have been added during the past three years, Chancellor Victor Boschini said at the Honors Convocation on Tuesday.Boschini said the current student-to-faculty ratio is 14 to 1.

“We are committed to further lowering this key measure of educational excellence to 13-to-1 in the future,” he said.

Boschini said this year’s freshman class of 1,644 students was chosen from a group of nearly 12,000 applicants, which is a 38-percent increase from last year.

The class of 2011 has high SAT scores, a male-to-female ratio that brings TCU to the national college average and has more students with diverse and international backgrounds than in years past, Boschini said.

Boschini also said during this changing time at TCU, the Campus Commons project is taking center stage.

“When all phases of the Commons are finished, we will have realized our dream,” Boschini said. “We will have created an environment rich in personal interaction, a place where intellectual vitality and social engagement intersect and a place where students of different cultures and values can learn from each other.”

He also talked about three new buildings that have either been built or in the process of being built: the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation Education Complex, the Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility and Cox Field and the Barnes and Noble Bookstore. These new facilities and other campus renovations add up to $150 million of campus additions.

In addition to the Chancellor’s address, Boschini presented two prestigious faculty awards.

John M. Thompson received the Wassenich Award for Mentoring in the TCU community, which recognizes a faculty or staff member who has been a mentor to students. Thompson has been an instructor in the Neeley School of Business for 28 years.

“Showing respect is the most important thing in mentoring students,” Thompson said.

This year’s Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Achievement as a Creative Teacher and Scholar honored Stacey Floyd-Thomas of the Brite Divinity School. The award is chosen by the Chancellor and given to a faculty member who is considered to be extraordinary in teaching and scholarship.

“TCU is a community that values each unique individual, that values frank interchange and dialogue and a community where students can refine their thoughts,” Boschini said. “This university is about the people who teach and learn here.