The Valparaiso Beacons Fan Zone Forum

I thought I'd pass along this information. President Heckler has decided to retire, and Valparaiso University will begin the search for a successor. Heckler will remain to assist the new president in the transitional period.

Let me say it again...Holy crap!

Quote from: vu72 on August 08, 2019, 07:20:01 PM
Let me say it again...Holy crap!

Please elaborate on why "Holy Crap".  I get that it's a big announcement, what additional info am I missing?

I think he reads the writing on the wall and is getting out before things get bad.

Quote from: mj on August 08, 2019, 07:41:34 PM
I think he reads the writing on the wall and is getting out before things get bad.

And or by the time a suitable replacement is found and trained (with Heckler as a board member consultant) he will be over 65 years old.  Who truly knows...Bryce Drew for Prez 😉😉😉

Honestly, this is not shocking and certainly not a holy crap moment. Heckler has been at Valpo for awhile, and just like in business or academia, the need for change and fresh leadership is critical for success.

A 100 million dollar donation to revamp the ARC - that would be a holy crap moment.

I agree, Heckler has been her for going on 11 years and will be 65 when he retires. I believe the average term for a university president is 7 years so he has already stayed longer. His slow transition plan also means he probably will be involved with the University for at least another two years.

I am not surprised. The campaign is wrapping up, College Campuses are looking at a need to make changes in a different landscape and I have heard that other admins and board members might be retiring soon so it would make sense for a new president to pick their replacement rather than one who is winding down their time at the university. I appreciate everything Heckler did to make the University what it is including updating badly needed academic facilities and dorms. One thing I heard from a staff member that put the endowment drive as his main focus into perspective was that Heckler took over right during the recession when Endowments were hit hard and because Valpo's was so small it really hurt the universities budget and that he didn't want to leave the next president with that issue again.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 08, 2019, 07:22:06 PM

Quote from: vu72 on August 08, 2019, 07:20:01 PM
Let me say it again...Holy crap!

Please elaborate on why "Holy Crap".  I get that it's a big announcement, what additional info am I missing?

i guess I wrote that because it is always a little shocking when a President retires.  Heckler more so because he has been the face of Valpo more so than his predecessors.  Because of his acting background, he is a dynamic speaker and has done a wonderful job in that regard.  We will be very hard pressed to find anyone like him and will more likely find another Alan Harre personality.

Heckler did well, I wish he avoided political views.

Heckler did a great job the first half of his tenure. I have questions about the second half.

Paul

This is why change is painful but important - it help keep energy at a high level and gets you out of a funk

Heckler built his foundation on sand.  He went all in on the foreign student cash cow and made it his centerpiece for a plan to increase enrollment to 6000 students. He foolishly overbuilt facilities to accommodate something the was never going to happen - a complete pipe dream. A responsible Board would have stopped it in its tracks, but instead they succumbed to the allure of a silver-tongued fox and bought into it hook, line and sinker. He has left nothing to build on, only a crumbling foundation for his successor to tear down and rebuild.

To '72's point, the last thing the university needs is another charismatic character in a fancy suit. It needs a serious-minded traditionalist with true leadership skills who will restore the university to its religious roots instead of running away from them.

Quote from: wh on August 09, 2019, 01:33:46 PMHe has left nothing to build on, only a crumbling foundation for his successor to tear down and rebuild.

you may be right on many of your points, time will tell. Nonetheless, he did see the critical need for enhanced endowment and to that end, he oversaw the end of the previous drive and will see the current drive reach the $250 million dollar goal.  As a result, Valpo will be on much firmer financial ground when he departs.

He also was out President when we joined both the Horizon and MVC . That took leadership and dollars. We can complain about facilities but being in the Valley is really key.

I totally disagree about going back to traditional ways. Valpo desperately needed the new buildings and updates to get up with the times, particularly if you want to be recognized as a strong academic university. I still think more effort and funding needs to be focused on STEM and less on liberal arts - you want to get a return on a $58K per year tuition.

Quote from: vu72 on August 09, 2019, 02:43:02 PM

Quote from: wh on August 09, 2019, 01:33:46 PMHe has left nothing to build on, only a crumbling foundation for his successor to tear down and rebuild.

you may be right on many of your points, time will tell. Nonetheless, he did see the critical need for enhanced endowment and to that end, he oversaw the end of the previous drive and will see the current drive reach the $250 million dollar goal.  As a result, Valpo will be on much firmer financial ground when he departs.

Yes, he deserves a lot of credit for that. He understood the importance of building the university's endowment and was successful in it. That will give his successor some much needed breathing room while they set the university's future direction.

I wonder if this will effect MLB.

Quote from: usc4valpo on August 09, 2019, 03:03:32 PM
I totally disagree about going back to traditional ways. Valpo desperately needed the new buildings and updates to get up with the times, particularly if you want to be recognized as a strong academic university. I still think more effort and funding needs to be focused on STEM and less on liberal arts - you want to get a return on a $58K per year tuition.

I wasn't in any way, shape or form referring to academic programs. I'm talking about embracing its Lutheran identity and heritage instead of running from it. A good start might be to get someone from one of the successful Concordia's who understands that staying true to yourself and your purpose is a marketing advantage, not a disadvantage. It's called unique positioning. Unless you have it, you're just another overpriced private college that doesn't really stand for anything different. Those are a dime a dozen.

So since you used the example of Concordia, are you suggesting that Valpo embrace policies at Concordia, WI such as requiring all people hired to be Christian and making a strong concerted effort to convert non-Lutheran and non-Christian students to the Lutheran faith? Besides that being just wrong, it would likely drive away at least one-third of the donors. Why can't a school like Valpo have great programs for people who want a Lutheran experience, but that students (and faculty, etc.) can choose whether they want to be a part of it - with the University welcoming all?

My guess is that a new President will have two major directions from the board:
1. Raise additional funds from existing and new donors (you could probably argue that this is the direction for every Chancellor/President.
2. Lead a plan that keeps Valparaiso financially sustainable. There have been other discussions here about declining numbers of high school graduates, but there is a major reduction coming in 2026-2028 due to the birth rate dramatically declining in the 2008 recession. Valpo needs a model in which, if it came to that (and I hope that it does not), it can be viable with a 20-25% reduction in students. The endowment growth plan was a very good move towards that and Heckler deserves a lot of credit. But hard decisions may be needed to make sure the university is sustainable.

Quote from: vu84v2 on August 10, 2019, 10:24:01 AM
So since you used the example of Concordia, are you suggesting that Valpo embrace policies at Concordia, WI such as requiring all people hired to be Christian and making a strong concerted effort to convert non-Lutheran and non-Christian students to the Lutheran faith? Besides that being just wrong, it would likely drive away at least one-third of the donors. Why can't a school like Valpo have great programs for people who want a Lutheran experience, but that people can choose whether they want to be a part of it - with the University welcoming all?

My guess is that a new President will have two major directions from the board:
1. Raise additional funds from existing and new donors (you could probably argue that this is the direction for every Chancellor/President.
2. Lead a plan that keeps Valparaiso financially sustainable. There have been other discussions here about declining high school graduates, but there is a major reduction coming in 2026-2028 due to the birth rate dramatically declining in the 2008 recession. Valpo needs a model in which, if it came to that (and I hope that it does not), it can be viable with a 20-25% reduction in students. The endowment growth plan was a very good move towards that and Heckler deserves a lot of credit for that. But hard decisions may be needed to make sure the university is sustainable.

Not trying to answer for wh but I think he may be thinking of a guy like Alan Harre who is a Lutheran pastor and came from Concordia (St. Paul I think).  Heckler is a Lutheran and if Valpo is to remain a Lutheran school in anything but name (think SMU), it does need to work harder at attracting the ever declining number of Lutheran High School graduates.  I had an email exchange with the new Vice President of enrollment, Ray Brown, on this very topic.  Interestingly enough, Ray is a Lutheran and a Concordia Chicago grad.  He told me he is the first Lutheran to hold this spot is a very long time.  The last guy was a Catholic, and no disrespect to Catholics, but how are they suppose to understand the entire Lutheran education system and history?
Having said all that, I agree with 84 on the need to embrace all faiths, not just Lutherans in the same way as Notre Dame doesn't have a faith test for admission.  It will be a requirement going forward as it has been for some time.

Notre Dame, along with DePaul, Marquette and Creighton, are good examples of successful universities that embrace all faiths while not discounting their religious heritage (in these cases, Catholic).

While I recognize this is a broad generality, a problem with hiring a President who is a pastor is that he or she may be far away (experientially and philosophically) from understanding the STEM, medical sciences, and business fields where the growth lies.

It didn't play any part in his hiring and was a surprise to some at Valpo but our new football coach is an ELCA Lutheran.

Quote from: wh on August 09, 2019, 03:43:37 PM

Quote from: usc4valpo on August 09, 2019, 03:03:32 PM
I totally disagree about going back to traditional ways. Valpo desperately needed the new buildings and updates to get up with the times, particularly if you want to be recognized as a strong academic university. I still think more effort and funding needs to be focused on STEM and less on liberal arts - you want to get a return on a $58K per year tuition.

I wasn't in any way, shape or form referring to academic programs. I'm talking about embracing its Lutheran identity and heritage instead of running from it. A good start might be to get someone from one of the successful Concordia's who understands that staying true to yourself and your purpose is a marketing advantage, not a disadvantage. It's called unique positioning. Unless you have it, you're just another overpriced private college that doesn't really stand for anything different. Those are a dime a dozen.

As mentioned, we tried that with Harre and don't forget Schnabel (from Concordia, NY). While both produced some accomplishments during their respective tenures, overall their leadership style, IMO, resulted in Valpo actually stepping back from leadership with a vision and understanding of what the future would bring.  Heckler, realized that business as usual, needed to be replaced by more proactive leadership. Retrenching in today's fast changing, higher education environment requires agility of mind and spirit moreso now than ever before.

Quote from: VULB#62 on August 11, 2019, 12:05:38 PM

Quote from: wh on August 09, 2019, 03:43:37 PM

Quote from: usc4valpo on August 09, 2019, 03:03:32 PM
I totally disagree about going back to traditional ways. Valpo desperately needed the new buildings and updates to get up with the times, particularly if you want to be recognized as a strong academic university. I still think more effort and funding needs to be focused on STEM and less on liberal arts - you want to get a return on a $58K per year tuition.

I wasn't in any way, shape or form referring to academic programs. I'm talking about embracing its Lutheran identity and heritage instead of running from it. A good start might be to get someone from one of the successful Concordia's who understands that staying true to yourself and your purpose is a marketing advantage, not a disadvantage. It's called unique positioning. Unless you have it, you're just another overpriced private college that doesn't really stand for anything different. Those are a dime a dozen.

As mentioned, we tried that with Harre and don't forget Schnabel (from Concordia, NY). While both produced some accomplishments during their respective tenures, overall their leadership style, IMO, resulted in Valpo actually stepping back from leadership with a vision and understanding of what the future would bring.  Heckler, realized that business as usual, needed to be replaced by more proactive leadership. Retrenching in today's fast changing, higher education environment requires agility of mind and spirit moreso now than ever before.

Choosing a new leader shouldn't be an either/or choice - the "Harre type" or the "Heckler type."  True visionaries build on tradition; they don't puke it out.   

Absolutely correct, WH.  The only choice is whether a potential candidate has a firm grasp of the ever changing current environment and a plausible vision to successfully take the university into the uncharted future. The long tradition of Valpo will always be the foundation upon which to build the next era. However, the university cannot afford to either stand pat on that tradition, or worse, rely on outmoded, outdated traditional approaches that do not recognize how the world of higher education has changed and will continue to evolve. It's not that things are changing; it is the speed at which these changes continue to accelerate. So any selectee will be a gamble, because no one has an ironclad knowledge of the future.

62 - very well said!

Quote from: wh on August 09, 2019, 03:43:37 PM


I wasn't in any way, shape or form referring to academic programs. I'm talking about embracing its Lutheran identity and heritage instead of running from it. A good start might be to get someone from one of the successful Concordia's who understands that staying true to yourself and your purpose is a marketing advantage, not a disadvantage. It's called unique positioning. Unless you have it, you're just another overpriced private college that doesn't really stand for anything different. Those are a dime a dozen.

If there is a VU Fan Forum Hall of Fame for posts, this post from wh belongs in it. 

When Concordia R F and Concordia Ann Arbor were in deep financial problems along with some other things as I understand it,  I wonder who were the most responsible persons who was able to turn those 2 school around.  I know one reason was adding the online education opportunity which I think has been very successful and got both schools back on track.  I know there were also other factors that have contributed to these success stories but perhaps some of those people were involved in making those decisions could be potential candidates to replace Heckler.  Just thinking outloud.

I have a thought for a president and for some it should be obvious.

62 - my guess is that you and wh are not discussing the same issues.

Quote from: 78crusader on August 12, 2019, 08:43:28 AM

Quote from: wh on August 09, 2019, 03:43:37 PM


I wasn't in any way, shape or form referring to academic programs. I'm talking about embracing its Lutheran identity and heritage instead of running from it. A good start might be to get someone from one of the successful Concordia's who understands that staying true to yourself and your purpose is a marketing advantage, not a disadvantage. It's called unique positioning. Unless you have it, you're just another overpriced private college that doesn't really stand for anything different. Those are a dime a dozen.

If there is a VU Fan Forum Hall of Fame for posts, this post from wh belongs in it. 

Funny how this reminds me of a famous OP quote which was something like this:  "Without faith, Valpo could become yet another Princeton"  Anybody else remember this?

Cheryl Schaeder, VU 1984 graduate and president at Wright State?

John Nuness?  Former Valpo endowed professor and Lutheran pastor. Currently President of Concordia New York. His son was  a star football defensive back at Valpo.

https://www.concordia-ny.edu/about/presidents-message

https://www.workingpreacher.org/profile/default.aspx?uid=2-nunes_john

Quote from: usc4valpo on August 12, 2019, 06:39:38 PM
Cheryl Schaeder, VU 1984 graduate and president at Wright State?

Hmmmm...I wonder where the connection is with that suggestion. (to correct your typo, it is Cheryl (Bunnett) Schrader). Both of you were far better students than I was.

She has had to deal with some nightmarish issues at Wright State. My understanding is that she was pretty effective at Missouri S&T. I would not be surprised if she made the shortlist.

Quote from: usc4valpo on August 12, 2019, 11:19:25 AM
I have a thought for a president and for some it should be obvious.

Ivanka?

Quote from: vu72 on August 12, 2019, 06:50:46 PM
John Nuness?  Former Valpo endowed professor and Lutheran pastor. Currently President of Concordia New York. His son was  a star football defensive back at Valpo.

https://www.concordia-ny.edu/about/presidents-message

https://www.workingpreacher.org/profile/default.aspx?uid=2-nunes_john

Enrollment at Concordia College New York Jumps By 26%
Posted September 21, 2017

https://www.concordia-ny.edu/about/news/1618104/enrollment-at-concordia-college-new-york-jumps-by-26

I see that O.P. Kretzmann is a Notable Alumnus.

I have seen many different university presidents over the years, at Valpo and other institutions. Count me in as a Mark Heckler fan. He deserves enormous credit for launching the most ambitious fundraising campaign in VU's history, which should close successfully within the next year or two. The new facilities were much needed in a competitive era when applicants look closely at a college's real estate in making enrollment decisions. He has established a more inclusive campus atmosphere while holding true to the University's Lutheran roots. It's all a balancing act, and I think he's done it very well.

I have no idea if there were any behind-the-scenes machinations that led to his announcement. But 11 years is a very good run for university CEOs these days, so obviously the board overall has recognized his accomplishments over this long stretch.

During my period of familiarity with VU -- basically the post-O.P. era -- presidents Huegli, Schnabel, Harre, and Heckler have brought different personalities, inclinations, and skill sets to the fore. I think President Heckler will be credited for modernizing VU in a good way.

Finding the next president who can put in a good decade's worth of service will not be easy. VU has been fortunate to have stability in this position, but if you're familiar with the higher ed landscape these days, university presidents can come and go very, very quickly.

Quote from: David81 on August 13, 2019, 08:49:20 AM
I have seen many different university presidents over the years, at Valpo and other institutions. Count me in as a Mark Heckler fan. He deserves enormous credit for launching the most ambitious fundraising campaign in VU's history, which should close successfully within the next year or two. The new facilities were much needed in a competitive era when applicants look closely at a college's real estate in making enrollment decisions. He has established a more inclusive campus atmosphere while holding true to the University's Lutheran roots. It's all a balancing act, and I think he's done it very well.

I have no idea if there were any behind-the-scenes machinations that led to his announcement. But 11 years is a very good run for university CEOs these days, so obviously the board overall has recognized his accomplishments over this long stretch.

During my period of familiarity with VU -- basically the post-O.P. era -- presidents Huegli, Schnabel, Harre, and Heckler have brought different personalities, inclinations, and skill sets to the fore. I think President Heckler will be credited for modernizing VU in a good way.

Finding the next president who can put in a good decade's worth of service will not be easy. VU has been fortunate to have stability in this position, but if you're familiar with the higher ed landscape these days, university presidents can come and go very, very quickly.

Good points but the mismanagement and lack of oversight of the law school ultimately falls on the president's shoulders. It has resulted in a big financial drain on the university, an ongoing PR disaster, and a loss of prestige.

Paul

The question regarding the demise and loss of the law school is not primarily caused by Heckler. Law schools are closing everywhere.

I concur totally with WH comments and with VU78's citation of that WH post as a Hall of Fame postr.   

It all boils down to the wisdom in the country song.  "If you don't stand for something you can fall for anything"

WH gave a good analogy by saying that MH build his house on sand (international students).  He also directed the law school forward based on a different house of sand (low performing students to get numbers.)

I see all these posts commending wh's comments. In his comments on positioning, I would surmise that he is arguing for a focused differentiation strategy in which you intentionally decide to be the most valuable product/service to a specific subgroup and make hard decisions to not prioritize the needs and desires other subgroups. I see lots of generalities, but please explain who you feel Valpo should focus on, (more importantly) who you feel Valpo should not focus on, and what steps you feel should be taken to create greater value for the subgroup that you feel Valpo should focus on. And you might want to also think about the revolt of some donors when there would not be any additional donors related to such a strategy change.

By the way, here are some facts - the story on international students is not so simple. In the 2017-2018 school year the overall number of new international college students in the U.S. decreased by over 5%, but of the top 10 states hosting international students six had increases in the total number of international students. Four states reported an over 2% increase (California, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois), two reported a 0 -2% increase (Pennsylvania and Florida). Four reported decreases: Texas, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana - with Indiana having the greatest decrease of the top 10. States other than Indiana with a greater than 2% drop: Wisconsin, Oregon, Kansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, South Carolina, Arkansas, New Hampshire, Idaho, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. See a trend here? The vast majority are states that voted for Trump and have Republican administrations. Source: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/11/13/new-international-student-enrollments-continue-decline-us-universities

Quote from: usc4valpo on August 13, 2019, 10:51:33 AM
The question regarding the demise and loss of the law school is not primarily caused by Heckler. Law schools are closing everywhere.

I like to think VU is a cut above Whittier, Western State, and Arizona Summit, three other law schools that have recently closed.

The fact remains that law schools everywhere were reporting up to a 40% decline in enrollment when VU was reporting an increase in their incoming class size. This fact alone should've tipped off the administration to look into what was going on, but they sat back and did nothing. It is inexcusable.

Paul

Quote from: 78crusader on August 13, 2019, 10:16:49 AM

Quote from: David81 on August 13, 2019, 08:49:20 AM
I have seen many different university presidents over the years, at Valpo and other institutions. Count me in as a Mark Heckler fan. He deserves enormous credit for launching the most ambitious fundraising campaign in VU's history, which should close successfully within the next year or two. The new facilities were much needed in a competitive era when applicants look closely at a college's real estate in making enrollment decisions. He has established a more inclusive campus atmosphere while holding true to the University's Lutheran roots. It's all a balancing act, and I think he's done it very well.

I have no idea if there were any behind-the-scenes machinations that led to his announcement. But 11 years is a very good run for university CEOs these days, so obviously the board overall has recognized his accomplishments over this long stretch.

During my period of familiarity with VU -- basically the post-O.P. era -- presidents Huegli, Schnabel, Harre, and Heckler have brought different personalities, inclinations, and skill sets to the fore. I think President Heckler will be credited for modernizing VU in a good way.

Finding the next president who can put in a good decade's worth of service will not be easy. VU has been fortunate to have stability in this position, but if you're familiar with the higher ed landscape these days, university presidents can come and go very, very quickly.

Good points but the mismanagement and lack of oversight of the law school ultimately falls on the president's shoulders. It has resulted in a big financial drain on the university, an ongoing PR disaster, and a loss of prestige.

Paul

I'm a law professor at another law school, and I followed the VU Law situation closely. I don't put this one on Mark Heckler. The post-recession fallout in legal education has been significant, and we haven't seen the end of law schools closing. In hindsight, I do question the decisions of the longtime dean who left for the deanship of another school right before the worst of things hit VU Law. (Interestingly, that law school was forced to close a few years after his arrival.) Perhaps with extreme foresight, steps could've been taken to save the law school, but even the faculty members themselves didn't realize how bad it was -- per the detailed NY Times account of the law school published in 2016.

I don't perceive that VU as a university has lost much prestige because of the law school situation. VU Law always struggled in the US News rankings of law schools, whereas VU overall continues to do well in the US News rankings of regional universities in the Midwest. In any event, the law school was getting bashed to bits once the entering class LSAT scores and graduating class bar pass rates plummeted. It all happened so fast that they didn't know what hit them. It's a very sad story of a law school with a proud tradition.

Quote from: usc4valpo on August 13, 2019, 10:51:33 AM
The question regarding the demise and loss of the law school is not primarily caused by Heckler. Law schools are closing everywhere.

https://excessofdemocracy.com/blog/2019/3/a-continuing-trickle-of-law-school-closures



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One staff member once told me that Heckler took over and he ended up dealing with 3 long-standing issues that all came to a head early. The first was the recession which decimated our meager endowment, the second was the outdated buildings, many of which were starting to fall apart and were a negative in recruitment of students, and the law school which had been on a downward spiral as it could not compete with the law schools of Chicago as well as Indiana and couldn't sustain itself as a regional university.

I've not heard positive things about the prior dean as well but also the admissions change was nothing more than a hail Mary that didn't work but the writing on the wall was there for the law school way before Heckler was there.

Quote from: crusader05 on August 13, 2019, 04:08:50 PM
One staff member once told me that Heckler took over and he ended up dealing with 3 long-standing issues that all came to a head early. The first was the recession which decimated our meager endowment, the second was the outdated buildings, many of which were starting to fall apart and were a negative in recruitment of students, and the law school which had been on a downward spiral as it could not compete with the law schools of Chicago as well as Indiana and couldn't sustain itself as a regional university.

I've not heard positive things about the prior dean as well but also the admissions change was nothing more than a hail Mary that didn't work but the writing on the wall was there for the law school way before Heckler was there.

Yes, he arrived right as the recession hit. The stock market tanked during his first full semester at VU in 2008.

It would take another 5-6 years for all of that to cycle back to the law schools, but when it hit, oh it hit, especially at the lion's share of law schools outside of the top rank. The legal job market has recovered some, but it will never be the same, and the nature of legal practice is changing too. All these factors contributed to VU Law's demise. 

Quote from: crusader05 on August 13, 2019, 04:08:50 PM
One staff member once told me that Heckler took over and he ended up dealing with 3 long-standing issues that all came to a head early. The first was the recession which decimated our meager endowment, the second was the outdated buildings, many of which were starting to fall apart and were a negative in recruitment of students, and the law school which had been on a downward spiral as it could not compete with the law schools of Chicago as well as Indiana and couldn't sustain itself as a regional university.

I've not heard positive things about the prior dean as well but also the admissions change was nothing more than a hail Mary that didn't work but the writing on the wall was there for the law school way before Heckler was there.

Endowments everywhere took a huge hit when the stock marked tanked in the 2007-2009 timeframe. My personal portfolio took a huge hit. Everything took a huge hit. Conversely, endowments are booming in the current growth market, and Valpo's endowment should be experiencing a windfall. That said, not surprisingly, university endowment performance is under performing relative to overall endowment performance.

College endowments badly trail the market, would be better off just buying Treasurys, study shows

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2018/12/11/study-shows-endowments-would-have-fared-better-by-buying-treasurys.html

I don't know if Valpo is underperforming, but my alma mater's investment performance is abysmal compared to what it should be. At the same time they cry poor and beg for money from alumni. It irks me to no end.

Last year I believe the endowment performed above average for universities but I think they tend to be conservative to focus on having consistent funds rather than larger windfalls some years and not enough to cover the cost of say the salary of the chair it's supposed to endow.

I guess I am wondering what exactly the administration could have done to save the law school.  We got students who weren't the brightest and best, but those students were going to Notre Dame, indiana and the U of Chicago or maybe Northwestern.  The copitition for top students was incredibly tight.  Why would they choose to come to Valpo, which didn't have the greatest reputation.  You lawyers out there understand that where you went to law school can haunt you for a long time.

Undergrad is a completely different animal and Valpo continues to attract Valedictorians from many schools.

Quote from: vu72 on August 13, 2019, 08:48:03 PM
I guess I am wondering what exactly the administration could have done to save the law school. 

I don't think it is a question about saving the law school or not - we'll never know if it could have been different.

Yet what has been pointed out before (even by 78 just above) is that there were several red flags that were missed. How is it possible that law schools everywhere were showing declining enrollment and increasing competition for students, yet VU's law school was showing steady or increasing enrollment? The answer is that admissions standards were drastically reduced. Several years later, this resulted in substantial reductions in the bar exam passage rates because the students were less capable. What other universities have done is reduce their class sizes and have the university subsidize the law school, at least over time. Or, the University could have had a plan to sell/merge the law school when it still had a reasonable reputation. Or, the University could have had a plan to have an orderly wind-down of the law school before it became the only option.

Of course, the Dean of the law school is responsible for the law school (who ended up leaving), yet monitoring this falls to the President and Provost. In the end, the closure of the law school was a financial and reputational hit to the University.

While closing the law school was a bitter pill to swallow and a blow to VU's reputation, I believe that it was the right thing to do.  Small law schools without stellar credentials are struggling as evidenced by other school closures.  Somewhere I saw a list of the significant salaries some of the law professors were getting and it is not hard to believe that the VU school was not making money and maybe even had to be subsidized.  The fate of the law school was was no doubt extensively reviewed by the Board Of Directors and the decision was ultimately theirs.  I have confidence in their decision making ability in this situation.  Times change and VU needs to adapt.  This is a case where VU moved on to focus their energy and limited resources in educational areas that are needed and where they can hopefully be successful against their competition.  I agree with others on this forum that feel STEM subjects should be further enhanced.

Quote from: David81 on August 13, 2019, 03:27:44 PMP

Quote from: David81 on August 13, 2019, 03:27:44 PMP

Quote from: David81 on August 13, 2019, 03:27:44 PM

Quote from: 78crusader on August 13, 2019, 10:16:49 AM

Quote from: David81 on August 13, 2019, 08:49:20 AM
I have seen many different university presidents over the years, at Valpo and other institutions. Count me in as a Mark Heckler fan. He deserves enormous credit for launching the most ambitious fundraising campaign in VU's history, which should close successfully within the next year or two. The new facilities were much needed in a competitive era when applicants look closely at a college's real estate in making enrollment decisions. He has established a more inclusive campus atmosphere while holding true to the University's Lutheran roots. It's all a balancing act, and I think he's done it very well.

I have no idea if there were any behind-the-scenes machinations that led to his announcement. But 11 years is a very good run for university CEOs these days, so obviously the board overall has recognized his accomplishments over this long stretch.

During my period of familiarity with VU -- basically the post-O.P. era -- presidents Huegli, Schnabel, Harre, and Heckler have brought different personalities, inclinations, and skill sets to the fore. I think President Heckler will be credited for modernizing VU in a good way.

Finding the next president who can put in a good decade's worth of service will not be easy. VU has been fortunate to have stability in this position, but if you're familiar with the higher ed landscape these days, university presidents can come and go very, very quickly.

Good points but the mismanagement and lack of oversight of the law school ultimately falls on the president's shoulders. It has resulted in a big financial drain on the university, an ongoing PR disaster, and a loss of prestige.

Paul

I'm a law professor at another law school, and I followed the VU Law situation closely. I don't put this one on Mark Heckler. The post-recession fallout in legal education has been significant, and we haven't seen the end of law schools closing. In hindsight, I do question the decisions of the longtime dean who left for the deanship of another school right before the worst of things hit VU Law. (Interestingly, that law school was forced to close a few years after his arrival.) Perhaps with extreme foresight, steps could've been taken to save the law school, but even the faculty members themselves didn't realize how bad it was -- per the detailed NY Times account of the law school published in 2016.

I don't perceive that VU as a university has lost much prestige because of the law school situation. VU Law always struggled in the US News rankings of law schools, whereas VU overall continues to do well in the US News rankings of regional universities in the Midwest. In any event, the law school was getting bashed to bits once the entering class LSAT scores and graduating class bar pass rates plummeted. It all happened so fast that they didn't know what hit them. It's a very sad story of a law school with a proud tradition.

But isn't that what a University President and Board of Directors are for -- to employ "extreme foresight?"  Especially when there were red flags popping up everywhere.  The Wall Street Journal, numerous lawyer publications, and The Chronicle of Higher Education all reported the decline in law school applicants, a trend that didn't begin overnight.  And yet VU was reporting larger entering class sizes?  Something didn't add up and, it seems, VU dozed. 

Paul

[/quote]

I'm a law professor at another law school, and I followed the VU Law situation closely. I don't put this one on Mark Heckler. The post-recession fallout in legal education has been significant, and we haven't seen the end of law schools closing. In hindsight, I do question the decisions of the longtime dean who left for the deanship of another school right before the worst of things hit VU Law. (Interestingly, that law school was forced to close a few years after his arrival.) Perhaps with extreme foresight, steps could've been taken to save the law school, but even the faculty members themselves didn't realize how bad it was -- per the detailed NY Times account of the law school published in 2016.

I don't perceive that VU as a university has lost much prestige because of the law school situation. VU Law always struggled in the US News rankings of law schools, whereas VU overall continues to do well in the US News rankings of regional universities in the Midwest. In any event, the law school was getting bashed to bits once the entering class LSAT scores and graduating class bar pass rates plummeted. It all happened so fast that they didn't know what hit them. It's a very sad story of a law school with a proud tradition.
[/quote]

But isn't that what a University President and Board of Directors are for -- to employ "extreme foresight?"  Especially when there were red flags popping up everywhere.  The Wall Street Journal, numerous lawyer publications, and The Chronicle of Higher Education all reported the decline in law school applicants, a trend that didn't begin overnight.  And yet VU was reporting larger entering class sizes?  Something didn't add up and, it seems, VU dozed. 

Paul


[/quote]

The bureaucratic reality is that law schools are often given more autonomy to make enrollment and operational decisions than other schools at a university, and thus, the law school dean tends to be the person for whom "the buck stops here," in terms of ultimate responsibility. True, VU, like many regional law schools, did not cut the size of entering classes until it reached a point where bar pass rates started to fall hard. Personally, I think it was foreseeable that would happen (LSAT score is a leading predictor of likelihood of success on the bar exam), but there's also not much give in a law school budget once it's predicated upon a given enrollment expectation. And if reduced enrollment means cutting full-time faculty and programming, that word gets around quickly in legal education and can create a public impression that the school is heading toward the exits.

Bottom line is that as a smaller, regional law school competing with larger regional law schools in Chicago, VU Law was always the Little Engine That Could, until it couldn't due to circumstances only partially within its control. If VU was richer, it could -- like some universities are currently doing -- subsidize the law school over a longer haul, while it severely reduced enrollment and thus revenue. But I'm guessing that the board decided that this would undermine efforts to build on areas of comparative strength at the university.

Let's also remember institutional history. This wasn't the first "will it close" crisis for VU Law. In the late 70s -- and I remember this well because I was a Torch department editor at the time covering academic affairs -- there was serious talk of closing the law school after it received a devastating ABA accreditation visit report concerning its resources and finances. Ultimately VU decided to double down and invest in the law school, leading to the building of the new Wesemann Hall among other things, but during that time the law school was a major drain on university finances.

Thus, if you're going to point the finger at the president and provost for the law school closing, then you also have to add to the list the board of trustees and all the previous presidents and deans and boards who didn't raise the kind of money that would enable the university to comfortably subsidize the law school today. While we can look at the closing of the law school in terms of the immediate events that prompted the decision, a lot of other factors contributed to its fate. It was, sadly, a perfect storm of bad stuff. Had VU decided to save the law school, it very likely would be hanging on in a diminished form, perhaps indefinitely. I can easily think of over a dozen private law schools that are doing just that, and the parent universities aren't benefiting a lick from continuing that form of life support.

Quote from: 78crusader on August 13, 2019, 11:57:47 AM

Quote from: usc4valpo on August 13, 2019, 10:51:33 AM
The question regarding the demise and loss of the law school is not primarily caused by Heckler. Law schools are closing everywhere.

I like to think VU is a cut above Whittier, Western State, and Arizona Summit, three other law schools that have recently closed.

The fact remains that law schools everywhere were reporting up to a 40% decline in enrollment when VU was reporting an increase in their incoming class size. This fact alone should've tipped off the administration to look into what was going on, but they sat back and did nothing. It is inexcusable.
Paul

Furthermore, as enrollment rose, bar exam pass rates declined. Thus, not only did they accept students they should not have, they "passed" them through the program when they should not have in order to keep the money flowing. To '78's point, the alarm should have sounded in Heckler's office long before the embarrassing NY Times article. Instead, he waited until the law school was publicly exposed. By then it was way too late to turn it around. To add insult to injury the good students (like my son, who went through the program and passed the bar exam with flying colors) are left with the stigma of having the name Valparaiso University attached to their law school diploma.

A very thought-provoking article that poses the challenging questions that search committees should ask to finalists for President/Chancellor positions.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/17-questions-every-college-should-be-asking/597310/

I must admit that I also like Sasse's comments about committees hiring the 'safe' candidate...in his example the Deputy Assistant Provost for Violin Studies.

As it doesn't look like anyone has mentioned it an email survey went out on 9/20 regarding the president search. Closes today at 5 (just came across it myself).

Additionally it mentions that there will be in person alumni panels held at Valpo Oct 7th and 8th on the topic.

I know everyone here has a lot of great ideas and concerns so let's get them in.

Just an FYI for anyone that didn't see the email.

I liked the survey, in that it solely required the respondent to write answers instead of just rating items. It also asked you to prioritize (top 2) if you have more than two inputs or recommendations in a response.

So now Mark Biermann, our Provost and Number 2, is a finalist for the Chancellor job at UW-Stout.  Is this a normal job move, trying to get the top spot somewhere or is part of a "House Cleaning" in that when Mark Heckler leaves it is assumed the new person would want "their person" instead of a leftover?  Is it kinda like basketball that when the head coach leaves so does the entire staff?  Hope there isn't more going on...

https://chippewa.com/community/dunnconnect/news/finalist-for-next-uw-stout-chancellor-announced/article_5c684a84-9974-541d-a9a2-d57ef8b3d2d0.html

I would not read this as a sign of 'house cleaning', as there are several far more likely scenarios. He might end up as a finalist at Valparaiso (who I assume keeps their search private and is not far enough along in the process to have a short list), but is not putting all of his eggs in one basket. He might believe that Valparaiso likes him, but does not feel he is ready or appropriate for the position of President yet - but he feels that he is, so he applies elsewhere.

The point here is that the more apt comparison for President and Provost is CEO and COO of a company, rather than head and assistant coaches in sports. In sports, the head coach has virtually all of the decision-making authority regarding his or her staff, whereas the board has much more input in who is COO (or in the case of the university, provost). But it is also different than either of those contexts, in that other stakeholders (i.e., faculty) in universities are very much involved with the search and interviewing process and provide input (but not the ultimate decision) on the hiring of Presidents and Provosts. (as a side note, this can be very strange in public universities since the sessions when faculty meet with candidates are publicly held and reported in the press)

Given all of the above, it would be very unlikely that a new President at a university could demand that 'his or her person' be the Provost. If they made that demand in the interviewing process, most universities (i.e. the board and the search committee) would remove them from consideration.

Valpo's leadership is currently organized to have a specifically designated role of "COO" separate from the position of provost.

https://www.valpo.edu/president/leadership/presidents-council/david-n-phelps/ (https://www.valpo.edu/president/leadership/presidents-council/david-n-phelps/)

Quote from: ml2 on November 07, 2019, 12:10:12 PM
Valpo's leadership is currently organized to have a specifically designated role of "COO" separate from the position of provost.

https://www.valpo.edu/president/leadership/presidents-council/david-n-phelps/ (https://www.valpo.edu/president/leadership/presidents-council/david-n-phelps/)

Thank you for pointing that out. While I do not know the individuals and how the executive team actually operates at Valpo, having a COO and a Provost (in general) seems redundant and unnecessary.

Quote from: vu84v2 on November 07, 2019, 12:31:35 PM

Quote from: ml2 on November 07, 2019, 12:10:12 PM
Valpo's leadership is currently organized to have a specifically designated role of "COO" separate from the position of provost.

https://www.valpo.edu/president/leadership/presidents-council/david-n-phelps/ (https://www.valpo.edu/president/leadership/presidents-council/david-n-phelps/)

Thank you for pointing that out. While I do not know the individuals and how the executive team actually operates at Valpo, having a COO and a Provost (in general) seems redundant and unnecessary.

Redundant indeed.  This from the Provost's description at Valpo: The provost serves in a position similar to that of a chief operating officer in the corporate setting


I think the real difference is that the COO is focused on "institutional sustainability"  While the Provost is more focused on "providing leadership for academic programs".

Why not hire an Associate Vice-Presidents for Corporate Role Conflation? 

All kidding aside I suggest it's as simple as the new EVP-COO has been brought in to look under the hood and fix Heckler's fiscal mess before they search out and hire the new President. The guy doesn't have the fancy degrees to be a president, but it would appear he worked in the real world where life isn't a stage.  He will lead some downsizing inevitably.

Meanwhile Heckler gets placed in the upstairs window like Bernie in the movie weekend at Bernie's and be the public face.     

Quote from: crusadermoe on November 07, 2019, 07:40:40 PM
Why not hire an Associate Vice-Presidents for Corporate Role Conflation? 

All kidding aside I suggest it's as simple as the new EVP-COO has been brought in to look under the hood and fix Heckler's fiscal mess before they search out and hire the new President. The guy doesn't have the fancy degrees to be a president, but it would appear he worked in the real world where life isn't a stage.  He will lead some downsizing inevitably.

Meanwhile Heckler gets placed in the upstairs window like Bernie in the movie weekend at Bernie's and be the public face.     

While I have no inherent like or dislike for President  Heckler, what data do you have to support that there is a fiscal mess? The law school issue is a mess - but that is not fiscal. The endowment has increased significantly. There has been substantial construction (most of which I would view as necessary). I have seen no data that shows what attendance level and discount rate are necessary to service debt associated with that construction while maintaining a reasonable budget. Without that data or direct comments from the administration that there are major problems, I do not see how you can contend there is a fiscal mess.

I've heard that some departments have been ordered to reduce staff. And I've heard from students complaining about the changes to the meal plan. Heck, the students I met said that students joke about the university shutting down.

So yeah, I think Valpo is facing some serious trouble.

Students complaining about a large overhaul in the meal plan isn't that concerning. There's pros and cons to changing the system and humans do love to complain.

As far as students joking about the university shutting down I'm sure few if any have sat down with Scroggins and had a look at the financials.

Are we in the best financial position, no but I do not believe it is anything outside manageable. I am confident in the leadership that has been been installed and the semi recent additions for a better stronger future.

Cutting faculty is always a good sign...

Valpo took on a lot of debt to build out for an unrealistic number of students. And became top heavy with administrators. But hey, Heckler did a great job

Again, there is no data available to say whether there is a fiscal mess. I do not believe anyone on here can say whether an undergraduate enrollment of 3000-3500 with a competitive discount rate can or cannot effectively service the debt for the new buildings.

There are likely areas in which demand has dramatically decreased where Valpo needs to reduce faculty, and other areas in which Valpo needs to add faculty. My guess is that the latter, to some degree, has already happened in new programs.

Quote from: mj on November 11, 2019, 01:34:39 PM
Cutting faculty is always a good sign...

Valpo took on a lot of debt to build out for an unrealistic number of students. And became top heavy with administrators. But hey, Heckler did a great job

Not saying you are wrong, but an example of an unneeded building or facility which increased the universities debt load would be appreciated. I honestly cannot think of something that was built needlessly, maybe some living spaces. Haven't most of the recent projects that weren't donations or bequests been related to STEM and Engineering?

Apparently the Alumni aren't too concerned.  The fund drive just exceeded 220 million.  The schools facing financial difficulties will be/are those with smaller endowments.

Most of the buildings are financed by bonds that were bought at the ridiculously low interest rates and/or are residence halls that have room rates to match their pay out.

Also, the university has done a lot of building, it's true but it has in no way built out for an excessive amount of students. Almost everything built was needed to because of degrading structures or lack of space. If you look at the master plan you can see just how much building they anticipated if they grew to 6,000 and we have not scratched the surface of that.

The university is definitely under financial constraints and is in a readjust to plan for the future mode but so are many many other institutions. It's not all sunshine and roses there right now from what I understand but it's also more a function of fiscal restraint with tight times ahead vs the ships going under let's bailout so we don't sink types.

Quote from: vu84v2 on November 11, 2019, 02:26:27 PM
Again, there is no data available to say whether there is a fiscal mess. I do not believe anyone on here can say whether an undergraduate enrollment of 3000-3500 with a competitive discount rate can or cannot effectively service the debt for the new buildings.

Actually, there is some data to show that Valpo has been operating at a loss: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/350868125 (https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/350868125) These are from the Form 990 required federal filings. The data available shows an average annual loss of about 6.6M per year over the last five years, and about the same across 10 years. In the most recent data available, it also shows net assets of $593M (this would be the endowment plus the buildings, land, equipment, etc.) It also shows debt of $164M, for net assets of $429M.

The net loss is lumpy, as in years that correspond with larger building projects seem to correspond with larger losses. Contributions show up as "revenue" even though they may be earmarked for the endowment, or they could be contributions for specific building projects. Still, running a net loss over the long term is probably not a great sign.

Beyond this, the freshman class (fall 2019) is among the smallest in years, which makes the revenue outlook for 2019-20 poor. In addition, the demographics show that the population of high school graduates is on a downtrend until about 2026, and is probably worse in the midwest where VU traditionally draws a larger fraction of its students.

These may not qualify as a crisis, yet there are challenges for VU and the next president.

Quote from: valpo95 on November 11, 2019, 09:08:31 PM

Quote from: vu84v2 on November 11, 2019, 02:26:27 PM
Again, there is no data available to say whether there is a fiscal mess. I do not believe anyone on here can say whether an undergraduate enrollment of 3000-3500 with a competitive discount rate can or cannot effectively service the debt for the new buildings.

Actually, there is some data to show that Valpo has been operating at a loss: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/350868125 (https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/350868125) These are from the Form 990 required federal filings. The data available shows an average annual loss of about 6.6M per year over the last five years, and about the same across 10 years. In the most recent data available, it also shows net assets of $593M (this would be the endowment plus the buildings, land, equipment, etc.) It also shows debt of $164M, for net assets of $429M.

The net loss is lumpy, as in years that correspond with larger building projects seem to correspond with larger losses. Contributions show up as "revenue" even though they may be earmarked for the endowment, or they could be contributions for specific building projects. Still, running a net loss over the long term is probably not a great sign.

Beyond this, the freshman class (fall 2019) is among the smallest in years, which makes the revenue outlook for 2019-20 poor. In addition, the demographics show that the population of high school graduates is on a downtrend until about 2026, and is probably worse in the midwest where VU traditionally draws a larger fraction of its students.

These may not qualify as a crisis, yet there are challenges for VU and the next president.

Challenges indeed. Especially when you consider that every school will be after the decreasing number of students.


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Quote from: valpo95 on November 11, 2019, 09:08:31 PM

Quote from: vu84v2 on November 11, 2019, 02:26:27 PM
Again, there is no data available to say whether there is a fiscal mess. I do not believe anyone on here can say whether an undergraduate enrollment of 3000-3500 with a competitive discount rate can or cannot effectively service the debt for the new buildings.

Actually, there is some data to show that Valpo has been operating at a loss: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/350868125 (https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/350868125) These are from the Form 990 required federal filings. The data available shows an average annual loss of about 6.6M per year over the last five years, and about the same across 10 years. In the most recent data available, it also shows net assets of $593M (this would be the endowment plus the buildings, land, equipment, etc.) It also shows debt of $164M, for net assets of $429M.

The net loss is lumpy, as in years that correspond with larger building projects seem to correspond with larger losses. Contributions show up as "revenue" even though they may be earmarked for the endowment, or they could be contributions for specific building projects. Still, running a net loss over the long term is probably not a great sign.

Beyond this, the freshman class (fall 2019) is among the smallest in years, which makes the revenue outlook for 2019-20 poor. In addition, the demographics show that the population of high school graduates is on a downtrend until about 2026, and is probably worse in the midwest where VU traditionally draws a larger fraction of its students.

These may not qualify as a crisis, yet there are challenges for VU and the next president.

Thank you. This is very insightful information.

Just to provide some rough estimates. If we assume a 4% interest rate and a 15 year term on the debt, that would equate to approximately $14.5M in annual payments. Certainly something which requires attention, but not a crisis. However, with the likely challenges of sustaining enrollment, it is hard to support a large number of future capital projects.

I have heard all capital projects are on hold at this point as they feel that they have met the more dire needs via new buildings or demolishing/refurnishing older ones.

They university also has a ton of land that they have been accumulating over the years. I'd think that using that land to lure businesses could be a way to help both the community, the campus, and the budget.

Interesting stuff, though difficult to decipher.  What I did glean was that in the most recent numbers, showing the top 13 highest paid employees, only one was from the law school at 258,000.  In the previous year 4 of the top 13 were from the law school being paid 1.2 million. The law school was a drain, no doubt.

Matt's total comp was 396,000 which probably makes him the lowest paid coach in the Valley but number 8 in Valpo's top 13.

Quote from: vu72 on November 12, 2019, 09:39:07 AM
Interesting stuff, though difficult to decipher.  What I did glean was that in the most recent numbers, showing the top 13 highest paid employees, only one was from the law school at 258,000.  In the previous year 4 of the top 13 were from the law school being paid 1.2 million. The law school was a drain, no doubt.

Matt's total comp was 396,000 which probably makes him the lowest paid coach in the Valley but number 8 in Valpo's top 13.

This is great information and, again, it is fantastic that valpo95 posted that link.

I should caution that the list of the 13 employees and their pay is likely not the 13 highest paid employees. The people whose salaries are reported in Valpo's filing are all in executive positions (except the basketball coach), so who gets reported is probably driven by some tax law associated with position. In some fields, there will be tenured faculty who make more than some people on this list. This is because their field is highly specialized, has high demand, and a limited number of people in the country that are qualified to teach it. Engineering is likely one such field, but areas like tax accounting also demand very high salaries. If you do not believe this, look up the top salaries for people employed at public universities where the state requires all salaries of university employees to be publicly disclosed.

The other important point to consider from the salary data is that Valpo, in general, gets good, qualified people at a discount. In my view, this is because Valpo's mission resonates well with these people and they are willing to take less salary to be at a place that is consistent with their own mission and priorities. Part of the discount is that Valpo has much lower research requirements than an R1, but it is still getting a discount on faculty versus more balanced schools with a lower research commitment.

The attached is the official search document for the new President.  It is really well done and shows Valpo for all the wonderful parts as well as the challenges at present.  Worth the time to look at it.

https://www.agbsearch.com/sites/default/files/position-profiles/valpo_presidential_prospectus.pdf

Yes, it is a really compelling document and it's quite nice to view the community as a major "asset" after all the downtown changes.  It hits all the shining points of Valpo as it spans the liberal arts and professional programs, straddles faith and diversity etc. and intrigues you in any number of ways.  Fund-raising is cited as a strength even though despite the hype Heckler raised far less than Harre's last 10 years.

But there is a remarkably candid paragraph on page 28 that should grab the applicant's attention. The heading is "Building A Sustainable Financial Model."  "In recent years, Valparaiso University's financial operations have been pressured by the closing of the law school, the downward trend in undergraduate and graduate enrollment, and an increase in unfunded financial aid.   ....The president will be the leader in developing a sustainable financial plan for the years ahead.   (They forgot servicing debt on huge new buildings.)   

That's pretty concise and pointed.  If they wrote a Want Ad, they could say: Car Dealership seeks new manager. In the last "several" years the dealership has sold fewer cars, sold them at a growing discount, and yet borrowed to build huge glowing showrooms based on a projected doubling of car sales. The new manager will be given a chance to service the debt and increase sales.

Quote from: crusadermoe on November 16, 2019, 03:55:22 PM
Yes, it is a really compelling document and it's quite nice to view the community as a major "asset" after all the downtown changes.  It hits all the shining points of Valpo as it spans the liberal arts and professional programs, straddles faith and diversity etc. and intrigues you in any number of ways.  Fund-raising is cited as a strength even though despite the hype Heckler raised far less than Harre's last 10 years.

But there is a remarkably candid paragraph on page 28 that should grab the applicant's attention. The heading is "Building A Sustainable Financial Model."  "In recent years, Valparaiso University's financial operations have been pressured by the closing of the law school, the downward trend in undergraduate and graduate enrollment, and an increase in unfunded financial aid.   ....The president will be the leader in developing a sustainable financial plan for the years ahead.   (They forgot servicing debt on huge new buildings.)   

That's pretty concise and pointed.  If they wrote a Want Ad, they could say: Car Dealership seeks new manager. In the last "several" years the dealership has sold fewer cars, sold them at a growing discount, and yet borrowed to build huge glowing showrooms based on a projected doubling of car sales. The new manager will be given a chance to service the debt and increase sales.

A bit of a cheap shot don't you think?  What has been built expecting a significant growth in enrollment?  The Union?  Funded primarily by donations if not entirely.  Harre was not going to build without funds to build and endow.  something else?  I think not.

Quote from: vu72 on November 16, 2019, 06:36:23 PM

Quote from: crusadermoe on November 16, 2019, 03:55:22 PM
Yes, it is a really compelling document and it's quite nice to view the community as a major "asset" after all the downtown changes.  It hits all the shining points of Valpo as it spans the liberal arts and professional programs, straddles faith and diversity etc. and intrigues you in any number of ways.  Fund-raising is cited as a strength even though despite the hype Heckler raised far less than Harre's last 10 years.

But there is a remarkably candid paragraph on page 28 that should grab the applicant's attention. The heading is "Building A Sustainable Financial Model."  "In recent years, Valparaiso University's financial operations have been pressured by the closing of the law school, the downward trend in undergraduate and graduate enrollment, and an increase in unfunded financial aid.   ....The president will be the leader in developing a sustainable financial plan for the years ahead.   (They forgot servicing debt on huge new buildings.)   

That's pretty concise and pointed.  If they wrote a Want Ad, they could say: Car Dealership seeks new manager. In the last "several" years the dealership has sold fewer cars, sold them at a growing discount, and yet borrowed to build huge glowing showrooms based on a projected doubling of car sales. The new manager will be given a chance to service the debt and increase sales.

A bit of a cheap shot don't you think?  What has been built expecting a significant growth in enrollment?  The Union?  Funded primarily by donations if not entirely.  Harre was not going to build without funds to build and endow.  something else?  I think not.

Let's call them our personal views and opinions and not cheap shots but I do agree. Name a building that was never used because the administration overbuilt on campus. My opinion is the admins wanted to create a need to build by increasing the enrollment, mostly through foreign enrollment, which external pressures diminished (Trump was legally elected and scared off foreign students--no opinion given whether this was good or not but it did have a negative effect on our beloved university).

There has been this fixation on debt for building but everyone I have talked to from the university has stated the debt is not the issue. That the dorms mostly have reimbursed themselves and that the buildings were necessary to maintain with our peer institutions while the interest rates being so low that it was best to build now. The issue constantly being sited is the issue of declining students in Valpo's main area leading to financial aid often being the reason people pick a school which means more scholarships (which is why the endowment has such a priority.

Also, Harre did raise a lot of money and he built several buildings with it but in that time he also let a majority of them crumble to the point where they were so far behind out peers. People like to talk about how the ARC looked but let me tell you, many academic buildings looked pretty pathetic and were falling apart even more.

The dormitories sound like they are paying off.  And indeed those would be a huge hindrance to enrollment.  But the enrollment impact of the academic buildings vs. debt service to build them seems truly debatable.  Several were built after the foreign student downturn became clear.

Yes, you could say that the debt was timely if you are going to use it.  And yes, I may be a grizzled oldster with memories of piggy banks and buying a car in cash. And maybe Harre did hold us back a bit by requiring cash instead of mortgages to build.

But ultimately who pays the debt?   Elves?....or students? 

I just think the point is that long standing debt at low interest rates is not the issue when the current concern is overall student numbers at a cost that allows them to pay for basic operating. Also one of the buildings that has been financed is in the sciences which, in conjunction with nursing and engineering, serve the two colleges that have a growing admission population and the Arts and Sciences building replaced several ones that were falling apart and eyesores.

This idea that the presence of debt means out of control spending is not always true. If anything I'd say the amount of scholarships we give away is probably a bigger driver of financial struggles but unless they figure out a way to bring in more online students like in the OT PhD program or increase graduate students it's gonna be rough to turn that ship around too much in the short term.

Quote from: crusader05 on November 18, 2019, 10:15:28 AM
I just think the point is that long standing debt at low interest rates is not the issue when the current concern is overall student numbers at a cost that allows them to pay for basic operating. Also one of the buildings that has been financed is in the sciences which, in conjunction with nursing and engineering, serve the two colleges that have a growing admission population and the Arts and Sciences building replaced several ones that were falling apart and eyesores.

This idea that the presence of debt means out of control spending is not always true. If anything I'd say the amount of scholarships we give away is probably a bigger driver of financial struggles but unless they figure out a way to bring in more online students like in the OT PhD program or increase graduate students it's gonna be rough to turn that ship around too much in the short term.

If viewed from a business standpoint, debt usually means you felt borrowing to expand or replace needed equipment made more sense then selling equity at too low a price.  In Valpo's setting it is not avoiding selling equity at too low of a price but rather a means to replace needed equipment (facilities) with the only means possible, given the existing cash issues.  So we add a Science Building to expand and, to some extent, replace Neils, which apparently had snow blowing through it from time to time.  The new Arts and Sciences building replaced the old Deaconess building which was replete with window air conditioners.  Beacon Hall brought the dorm situation partially up to date.

Given the current competitive situation trying to attract GOOD students, I just don't see any action that was not well thought out and very necessary.

One contributing factor shared with tons of other universities:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-rampell-universities-export-foreign-students-decline-1216-20181214-story.html

Quote from: VULB#62 on November 18, 2019, 10:39:32 PM
One contributing factor shared with tons of other universities:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-rampell-universities-export-foreign-students-decline-1216-20181214-story.html

I found this interesting:

"(Foreign students)They disproportionately study fields that U.S. employers demand, and that U.S. students avoid. Foreign students now represent a majority of computer science and engineering graduate programs at U.S. universities, for instance."

How/why is the US system letting our students study fields that US employers are not requiring?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That vast majority of Software Engineers (Java-based) I hire at my company are from countries in Asia.  It is rare to find a Java Developer that grew up in the US.  Yet, we have folks in the US complaining that, 'they are taking our jobs,' when they could have tried to go this same educational route.

Quote from: valpotx on November 20, 2019, 04:48:09 AM
That vast majority of Software Engineers (Java-based) I hire at my company are from countries in Asia.  It is rare to find a Java Developer that grew up in the US.  Yet, we have folks in the US complaining that, 'they are taking our jobs,' when they could have tried to go this same educational route.

Does anyone else see a collision course developing here?

I think the news today about men's soccer and tennis makes clear that VU is in a more precarious financial position that people want to admit.

Cutting sports programs and cutting faculty isn't the sign of a healthy institution. This is all on Heckler.

Not sure where to put this, but after the soccer and tennis news I'll put it here:

https://www.espn.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/119205/how-the-basketball-program-helped-gonzaga-university-flourish

We need to figure out how to get the Valpo name out there in a positive light to the many youngsters that are looking for a college. Obviously, the free publicity of a sweet sixteen run or Flutie miracle are tough to beat, but we need something. And soon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Spokane probably  does not have more population than combined Porter and Lake Counties,..and certainly not more when you add drivable night time distances like Will County, Cook, and DuPage.     

And Spokane is FAR MORE isolated from its alumni in terms of geography!!  Enough with the "small town" excuses.

This is the year to test our attendance.  Jevon Freeman-Liberty appears to have genuine NBA potential and we will run with everybody.   If we don't get crowds that warrant a thought of ARC expansion then kiss that idea good-bye.  And the town, Lake and Porter will have deserved that.

Leaders at VU need to stop talking intellectual politically correct jibberish and align a logical business plan.   

Interesting, probably final student interview with President Heckler.  He provides info on everything from parking, to Valpo's financial issues, to canceling soccer and tennis. 

https://soundcloud.com/wvursport/valparaiso-university-president-mark-heckler-interview?fbclid=IwAR2-qnLKyZx1NWTpj1tE121XVwNbgN0SQtBM8n0REnXonmsyxJZwMT0lsgY

https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/news-and-opinion/opinion-and-columns/depauws-big-mess-on-campus


This article has been making the rounds and it highlights some of the same issues Valpo has been dealing with and they are also looking for a new president.

Quote from: crusader05 on December 07, 2019, 08:33:51 AM
https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/news-and-opinion/opinion-and-columns/depauws-big-mess-on-campus


This article has been making the rounds and it highlights some of the same issues Valpo has been dealing with and they are also looking for a new president.

Wow!  A powerful article.  DePauw must have some really big hitter alums, having just concluded a $380 million campaign with a much smaller alumni base.  Their "sticker price", at 64,000, is substantially larger than Valpo's 54,000 but so is their endowment.  What Valpo has going for it that DePauw doesn't is their professional schools.  It will be interesting to see how many liberal arts schools, with much smaller endowments, will continue to survive.

Quote from: crusader05 on December 07, 2019, 08:33:51 AM
https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/news-and-opinion/opinion-and-columns/depauws-big-mess-on-campus
s

This article has been making the rounds and it highlights some of the same issues Valpo has been dealing with and they are also looking for a new president.

So the author, who purports to care so deeply about her university, writes a dirty laundry hit piece for the world to see, including current students and their families, prospective students and their families, alumni, donors, competitor universities, and the public at-large. The ink on the article is barely dry, and it's already buzzing on social media.  It reminds me of the NY Times article about the Valpo Law School, where law school staff offered up juicy insider quotes, making themselves look like a bunch of hapless buffoons. If that didn't bury the law school, it certainly put the final nail in the coffin.  As to DePauw, as if they don't have enough problems, now they will have to go into damage control to deal with the fallout needlessly and callously caused by one of their own - a DePauw English Professor, no less. 

Self-interest over the greater good, and stupidity over wisdom are always in unlimited supply.

Quote from: wh on December 07, 2019, 09:53:29 AM

Quote from: crusader05 on December 07, 2019, 08:33:51 AM
https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/news-and-opinion/opinion-and-columns/depauws-big-mess-on-campus
s

This article has been making the rounds and it highlights some of the same issues Valpo has been dealing with and they are also looking for a new president.

So the author, who purports to care so deeply about her university, writes a dirty laundry hit piece for the world to see, including current students and their families, prospective students and their families, alumni, donors, competitor universities, and the public at-large. The ink on the article is barely dry, and it's already buzzing on social media.  It reminds me of the NY Times article about the Valpo Law School, where law school staff offered up juicy insider quotes, making themselves look like a bunch of hapless buffoons. If that didn't bury the law school, it certainly put the final nail in the coffin.  As to DePauw, as if they don't have enough problems, now they will have to go into damage control to deal with the fallout needlessly and callously caused by one of their own - a DePauw English Professor, no less. 

Self-interest over the greater good, and stupidity over wisdom are always in unlimited supply.

Some professors feel that they can take public shots at their university/employer because they are protected under academic freedom. I guess that they can, but that is not and never was the intention of  academic freedom. Your conclusion of this being for self-interest seems spot on.

I like DePauw.  I had a few cousins graduate from the school, and it was my second choice, if I didn't care about playing D-1 ball, and just wanted to worry about academics/playing at a D-3 school.  They have a large enough endowment that they will put through this, but I hate to see this type of publicity for the school.

Just came across this news story about upcoming budget cuts at Bethel University (Minnesota).

https://kstp.com/news/bethel-university-the-latest-minnesota-college-to-face-budget-issues-amid-declining-enrollment/5576357/ (https://kstp.com/news/bethel-university-the-latest-minnesota-college-to-face-budget-issues-amid-declining-enrollment/5576357/)

For those of you who don't know, Bethel is a private, Christian university, similar to a Wheaton (IL) or Taylor (IN).  Bethel's full-time undergraduate enrollment is about the same size as Valpo's, yet the endowment is far smaller ($53M). They do have larger part-time and graduate enrollment. The article points out the declining enrollment (down about 10% over 5 years), and the projected $11M deficit over the next three years.

The declining enrollment and declining number of high school graduates is a challenge faced by many schools like VU.

Quote from: valpo95 on December 12, 2019, 08:59:46 PM
Just came across this news story about upcoming budget cuts at Bethel University (Minnesota).

https://kstp.com/news/bethel-university-the-latest-minnesota-college-to-face-budget-issues-amid-declining-enrollment/5576357/ (https://kstp.com/news/bethel-university-the-latest-minnesota-college-to-face-budget-issues-amid-declining-enrollment/5576357/)

For those of you who don't know, Bethel is a private, Christian university, similar to a Wheaton (IL) or Taylor (IN).  Bethel's full-time undergraduate enrollment is about the same size as Valpo's, yet the endowment is far smaller ($53M). They do have larger part-time and graduate enrollment. The article points out the declining enrollment (down about 10% over 5 years), and the projected $11M deficit over the next three years.

The declining enrollment and declining number of high school graduates is a challenge faced by many schools like VU.

Based on the numbers, Bethel is on their way to joining St. Joes.  I did a little checking and found that 75% of undergrads get an average of $24,362 in scholarships.  That translates to 2,143 students getting a total of  slightly over $52 million in aid.  You can't sustain that with a $53 million dollar endowment.  As with many schools, Bethel does not offer a four year engineering degree but rather a "pre-engineering" program which requires a transfer to a different school to complete the degree.

Quote from: vu72 on December 13, 2019, 10:04:15 AM

Quote from: valpo95 on December 12, 2019, 08:59:46 PM
Just came across this news story about upcoming budget cuts at Bethel University (Minnesota).

https://kstp.com/news/bethel-university-the-latest-minnesota-college-to-face-budget-issues-amid-declining-enrollment/5576357/ (https://kstp.com/news/bethel-university-the-latest-minnesota-college-to-face-budget-issues-amid-declining-enrollment/5576357/)

For those of you who don't know, Bethel is a private, Christian university, similar to a Wheaton (IL) or Taylor (IN).  Bethel's full-time undergraduate enrollment is about the same size as Valpo's, yet the endowment is far smaller ($53M). They do have larger part-time and graduate enrollment. The article points out the declining enrollment (down about 10% over 5 years), and the projected $11M deficit over the next three years.

The declining enrollment and declining number of high school graduates is a challenge faced by many schools like VU.

Based on the numbers, Bethel is on their way to joining St. Joes.  I did a little checking and found that 75% of undergrads get an average of $24,362 in scholarships.  That translates to 2,143 students getting a total of  slightly over $52 million in aid.  You can't sustain that with a $53 million dollar endowment.  As with many schools, Bethel does not offer a four year engineering degree but rather a "pre-engineering" program which requires a transfer to a different school to complete the degree.

You make a solid point.  But that doesn't tell the whole story, % discounted just means % discounted.  It's no different than the TJ Max price tag that says $100 and then reads $19.99.  That only tells the story of perceived value.

But you cannot be far off when it comes to sustaining a heavy discount with limited endowment.  Sad to see these things take place but in the long run this is a necessary contraction that makes schools that persevere that much stronger.  I will be worried about Valpo in due time, this seems like Round 1 of the national contraction and more are certainly coming.

Has a search committee been formed?   Thats probably not a news release item.   

One point of question going back a few posts is the post that said DePauw has fewer alumni than Valparaiso and yet raised $328 million.  My guess is that DePauw, being a much older school, may have more alumni, or at least many more older alumni in their prime giving years.   Of course that weighs against the high VU enrollments of the 70s and 80s that may have taken VU past DePauw in alumni count.   

Anyway, the DePauw reference reminded me that I think I recall that the current VP of Advancment came from DePauw and seemed to bring a liberal axe to grind from her academic record.  I have never met her.  Has anyone else on the board?  What has been your impression? 

Heckler hired her on arrival in 2009 and it sent a signal among many others that artsy aggressive liberalism would be an emphasis in lieu of the recruitment of common sense business majors and a strategy to tap sports enthusiasm.   Perhaps that old model from the late 70s and 80s has sailed, but the board seemed to wave it good bye in hiring Heckler. 

The next hire is a critical decision and will signal the future board's direction in these matters and many others.

I don't know anything about a "liberal axe to grind" but seeing as how the two Colleges that have seen the most investment are Engineering and Nursing as well as the building of the new science center it doesn't seem to match.

DePauw has a crap ton of money because they have alumni like the Eli Lily family and David Letterman and tend to be populated by very wealthy students.

Seriously though, DePauw and Valpo are both liberal arts colleges in Indiana but that's about all they have in common. DePauw's list of famous alumni is impressive

Also their is a search committee working with a search firm although I have no idea where they are in the process.

Quote from: crusader05 on January 15, 2020, 09:35:06 AM
I don't know anything about a "liberal axe to grind" but seeing as how the two Colleges that have seen the most investment are Engineering and Nursing as well as the building of the new science center it doesn't seem to match.

DePauw has a crap ton of money because they have alumni like the Eli Lily family and David Letterman and tend to be populated by very wealthy students.

Seriously though, DePauw and Valpo are both liberal arts colleges in Indiana but that's about all they have in common. DePauw's list of famous alumni is impressive

Also their is a search committee working with a search firm although I have no idea where they are in the process.

No doubt DePauw is well funded and they will need to be. A 2200 student liberal arts school is going to struggle as are other similarly situated schools.  Valpo has the professional schools which all have highly regarded faculty and reputations.  I'm guessing that about 50% of Valpo students are either in the Business School, The Nursing and Health Sciences School, the Engineering School or in Meteorology.

David Letterman graduated from Ball State, not DePauw.

I have never met the head of University Advancement, but I have worked with one of their more senior people. While policies can be a little difficult to work through, I have always found Valpo's University Advancement ready and willing to work with anyone and that they haver no bias or agenda (other than advancing the university and its students).

Ah that's right about Letterman. I always mix those up. But either way, DePauw has an impressive list of Alums and just generally is a very different institution than Valpo in many many ways.

Apparently, some of you have forgotten an article posted about DePauw in Dec.:

December 4, 2019
DePauw's Big Mess On Campus
With declining enrollment and a wave of professors set to depart, DePauw University faces a crisis. But even its Ph.D.s can't agree on a smart solution.

https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/news-and-opinion/opinion-and-columns/depauws-big-mess-on-campus

I wouldn't copy anything they're doing right now.  Their endowment may be the only thing they've gotten right.

If you think DePauw's endowment is high, check out little Wabash College.  I have heard they could, for many years to come, give tuition free education to all students because of the money they have in their endowment.  I have not seen the numbers but it would be interesting to check out.

Quote from: crusadermoe on January 15, 2020, 08:26:40 AM
Has a search committee been formed?   Thats probably not a news release item.   

One point of question going back a few posts is the post that said DePauw has fewer alumni than Valparaiso and yet raised $328 million.  My guess is that DePauw, being a much older school, may have more alumni, or at least many more older alumni in their prime giving years.   Of course that weighs against the high VU enrollments of the 70s and 80s that may have taken VU past DePauw in alumni count.   

Anyway, the DePauw reference reminded me that I think I recall that the current VP of Advancment came from DePauw and seemed to bring a liberal axe to grind from her academic record.  I have never met her.  Has anyone else on the board?  What has been your impression? 

Heckler hired her on arrival in 2009 and it sent a signal among many others that artsy aggressive liberalism would be an emphasis in lieu of the recruitment of common sense business majors and a strategy to tap sports enthusiasm.   Perhaps that old model from the late 70s and 80s has sailed, but the board seemed to wave it good bye in hiring Heckler. 

The next hire is a critical decision and will signal the future board's direction in these matters and many others.

VU's endowment as of 2017 was $235m and DePauw's as of 2018 was $731m. At first glance they might seem like similar schools. But DePauw is a liberal arts school that has long managed to tap into an affluent student body. VU is considered a "comprehensive" school with both liberal arts and professional programs, and its student body, on average, has never been as affluent as DePauw's. Thus, any VU president, regardless of his or her political leanings, inherits the reality that fundraising has not been an area of strength historically for Valpo, and the respective alumni bases differ in terms of general affluence.

Believe me, as a long-time denizen of higher ed who has taught at a medium-sized university that (1)also has not historically excelled at development and fundraising and (2) sports a 2017 endowment almost identical to VU's ($232m), the Forever Valpo campaign's $250m goal is a significant initiative that many schools of this general profile would not have the courage to undertake.

In any event, I'm not convinced that the "recruitment of common sense business majors and a strategy to tap sports enthusiasm" at a comprehensive university with a pretty good mid-major men's hoops program as its main claim to sports prominence offers the keys to the fundraising kingdom. But maybe I'm just a non-common sense political science major from that era and missed the point.  :lol: I have, however, created a modest scholarship bequest in support of the Forever Valpo campaign, so at least I'm trying to put my money where my mouth is.  ;)

Dear Members of the Valparaiso University Community:



As promised in a previous update, I am sending out this memo to report that the search for our next President is progressing on schedule.



The Search Committee met recently on January 7th. During that Search Committee meeting candidates were identified whose background and experience ¬are strongly aligned with the qualities and qualifications established for candidates. These candidates have been invited to meet with the Search Committee for interviews and Committee members are currently interviewing their references.



Following the completion of these interviews, the Search Committee will select finalists who will be asked to participate in more extensive on-campus interviews with a broad range of Valpo constituents. These interviews are currently expected to occur in late February.



We are very pleased with the progress of our search. I will update you following the conclusion of our interviews with candidates in February.



Thank you for your continued interest and support.


John L. Draheim '64

Chair of the Presidential Search Committee

As long as the new president cares about athletics and will help us move forward toward being a leading program in the MVC I'm happy.

I'd love to see an embrace of not just athletics but student life in general. I'd love to see endowments set up to help Rec Sports or to support the Torch and WVUR and VUTV so that they can continue to work to provide students with solid experience that will help them in the future.

We  now have alums working at ESPN and GMA and the Washington Post, I'd love to see the orgs on campus that helped prime them with those skills be funded as well as athletics. Hell you can even tie them together. Good sports=good experience reporting on and calling lives sporting events.

After reading the email on the presidential search, I concluded that little progress has been made.

For a search of this magnitude bringing in candidates to interview soon is pretty on target. They spent months gathering information from faculty, staff and alumni and worked with a search firm to work on a list of candidate qualities and requirements and have already identified potential interviewees.

This is not a post the job and see who throws their hat in the ring, this is more of a reach out to the type of candidates you want job. Part of Heckler's notice was to give them plenty of time so that the search process wasn't rushed and they could take the time to really identify what qualities were most necessary in an ideal candidate.

Quote from: crusader05 on January 22, 2020, 08:32:37 AM
For a search of this magnitude bringing in candidates to interview soon is pretty on target. They spent months gathering information from faculty, staff and alumni and worked with a search firm to work on a list of candidate qualities and requirements and have already identified potential interviewees.

This is not a post the job and see who throws their hat in the ring, this is more of a reach out to the type of candidates you want job. Part of Heckler's notice was to give them plenty of time so that the search process wasn't rushed and they could take the time to really identify what qualities were most necessary in an ideal candidate.

Sounds like they're doing everything right.  Valpo is a highly regarded, nationally recognized academic institution with a rich history.  It has invested in its future.  This is a wonderful opportunity for the right individual. I'm sure there are many highly qualified candidates from which to choose.

Just an update: the process is moving quickly. Three candidates will be on campus for interviews between Feb. 17 and Feb. 24. The university hasn't publicly released the names, so I can't report that information yet.

Is there any indication whatsoever that any of them give a rip about athletics or will make it a priority or are we out of luck there?

The legendary Dan Quayle went to DePauw.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 07, 2020, 07:01:24 PM
Is there any indication whatsoever that any of them give a rip about athletics or will make it a priority or are we out of luck there?

I have no firsthand knowledge of the candidates. That said, the one reference from the other thread is Kraig Olejniczak, former Dean of the College of Engineering and a four-year football player for VU. He seems like a great choice to me.

Quote from: crusader05 on January 23, 2020, 01:10:39 PM
I don't know the name. I've only seen others post that they've heard of a former "football guy" being interviewed so that's as far as my knowledge goes.

However, just based on the info dropped on this page i'm thinking they mean Kraig

https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/alumnus-chosen-as-vu-engineering-dean/article_4798f024-e4e4-5b7e-9144-a816b28a9d25.html

Apparently the student body has been told that a current VP from Wheaton College, Kirk Farney, is in the running to be the next President of VU.
They are holding a forum for students this Monday in the VUCA.  The poster originally shared the name, but was told to remove it.

[tweet]1228746130198011904[/tweet]


Check out the persons other tweets, including some of the policies in place at Wheaton College, by going through this tweet:
[tweet]1228747339931799554[/tweet]

Basically, if you don't follow their "Christian" beliefs to the core, you cannot enroll (or will be expelled if you are enrolled) and they do not hire faculty that do not 100% fit their beliefs (or fire them if the "misbehave". https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-life-larycia-hawkins-fired-professor-update-tt-1213-20191213-75jrsdu5izcxxatz65iqu4jlsy-story.html (https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-life-larycia-hawkins-fired-professor-update-tt-1213-20191213-75jrsdu5izcxxatz65iqu4jlsy-story.html)
They have gotten exceptions from Title IX, in order to discriminate against students and staff.

As an Alum, if that's the kind of place Valpo becomes, I would be absolutely ashamed.
Maybe the guy doesn't share the same views, but just by staying there and being a VP for 6 years says a lot to me...
That's a hard pass for me.

He has an interesting background and is a Lutheran, not a born-again. On the Board at Thrivent.

https://www.thrivent.com/governance/files/29871KF.pdf

I would love to see Kraig Olejniczak get the job if he's a candidate! I know the family very well having gone to high school (and subsequently college) with one of their sons. Great guy Great family Great choice.

How about Cheryl Schaefer from Wright State? Smart, successful, and ambitious. A great fit.

And she has done a wonderful job digging Wright State out of a massive mess the last leader put them in. She'd be a great choice too if she's on the list. Doesn't she have a connection to Valpo as well?

Nothing can compare to ORU's policies while I was in school.  I assume that they have changed their policies, but interracial relationships were part of their banned list.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 15, 2020, 10:02:20 PM
And she has done a wonderful job digging Wright State out of a massive mess the last leader put them in. She'd be a great choice too if she's on the list. Doesn't she have a connection to Valpo as well?

Yes, she was a student at Valpo in the early 80s. She was in the same major and graduating class as two posters on this forum (and was a way better student than one of them).

vu84v2 is full of it. My fraternity always supported my stupidity. But Cheryl was certainly a quality leader at Valpo and a top student. She was dean at the college of engineering at Boise St., that was president at Missouri S&T, an excellent technical school. She is now president at Wright State and as mentioned she cleaned up a mess.

Since it seems like Kirk Farney is 1/3 of the finalists can can anyone confirm the other 2? As we have discussed Kraig Olejniczak was in the running but did he make final 3 candidates? Cheryl Schaefer was just brought up but haven't heard about her in the running until now.

I checked emails and news but haven't seen update.

I do not know if Kraig was ever a candidate, let alone a finalist. I heard the rumor, but it was never confirmed. There was never a rumor about Cheryl, but she or Kraig would seem to be good possible choices.

Vu84v2 - just to be on the record - I am not throwing a rumor or report as I am not employed by Fox (not attractive enough), CNN or MSNBC ( can't throw conspiracy theories like Maddox). I am only suggesting.

usc4valpo - I never thought that you were. I just wanted to make sure that others did not misread our comments and start a rumor.

Quote from: usc4valpo on February 16, 2020, 09:29:20 AMCheryl Schaefer

FWIW, Cheryl Schrader stepped down as president of Wright State at the end of 2019. As near as I can tell, she stepped into a major financial crisis, and a subsequent strike by the faculty. After settling the strike and getting the university back on sound financial footing, she no longer had the trust/support of the faculty and decided to step down half way into her five year term as president. Still, it would seem like she would be a good candidate.

https://webapp2.wright.edu/web1/newsroom/2019/12/23/the-guardian-whats-next-for-wright-state-president-cheryl-schrader/ (https://webapp2.wright.edu/web1/newsroom/2019/12/23/the-guardian-whats-next-for-wright-state-president-cheryl-schrader/)

Apparently, there are three candidates visiting campus, two this week and one next week. A schedule is available, yet no names posted.

https://www.valpo.edu/presidentialsearch/ (https://www.valpo.edu/presidentialsearch/)

Hopefully  John Nunes is one of them.

I am not familiar with Kirk Farney, but he has a very impressive CV.

https://www.thrivent.com/governance/files/29871KF.pdf

Quote from: valpo95 on February 16, 2020, 07:59:19 PM
Apparently, there are three candidates visiting campus, two this week and one next week. A schedule is available, yet no names posted.

https://www.valpo.edu/presidentialsearch/ (https://www.valpo.edu/presidentialsearch/)

Very interesting that Valpo has open events for students, staff and faculty to attend and meet candidates. This is really an open search, which is not that common for private universities. The university and board should be commended for enabling such a full disclosure and review of the candidates.

If this guy from Wheaton is a finalist, I say: Good.

I hope VU doesn't let a small group of perpetually offended, politically correct whiners get in the way of selecting someone who has actually done something with his life.

Maybe instead of coming up with a list of demands/insults disguised as "questions" for this guy, maybe these students should, you know, actually LISTEN to what someone with a different perspective has to say.  Maybe they'd learn something.  Oh yeah, I forgot - we are supposed to yield to their belief system in the name of tolerance.   

Wheaton has an outstanding academic reputation.  A reputation as a school that doesn't back away from the core tenets of the Christian faith.  An endowment that is nearly double that of VU.  Highly selective  - so many kids apply there they have a wait list -- I know this for a fact since my daughters went there, and one of them with 29 ACT, valedictorian, and all-state basketball player credentials was wait-listed.  It is a fine place, and if we can hire someone from a school like that, we are on the right path.

Paul

Another possibility might be Kurt Senske; a Valpo grad and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of the South.

Quote from: 78crusader on February 17, 2020, 08:23:22 AMIf this guy from Wheaton is a finalist, I say: Good. I hope VU doesn't let a small group of perpetually offended, politically correct whiners get in the way of selecting someone who has actually done something with his life. Maybe instead of coming up with a list of demands/insults disguised as "questions" for this guy, maybe these students should, you know, actually LISTEN to what someone with a different perspective has to say.  Maybe they'd learn something.  Oh yeah, I forgot - we are supposed to yield to their belief system in the name of tolerance. Wheaton has an outstanding academic reputation.  A reputation as a school that doesn't back away from the core tenets of the Christian faith.  An endowment that is nearly double that of VU.  Highly selective  - so many kids apply there they have a wait list -- I know this for a fact since my daughters went there, and one of them with 29 ACT, valedictorian, and all-state basketball player credentials was wait-listed.  It is a fine place, and if we can hire someone from a school like that, we are on the right path. Paul

I realize there are many other concerns besides athletics but is hiring someone with a D3 background really wise when we're trying to establish ourselves in the MVC? Furthermore, I don't want to see Valpo go down the path of becoming a socially repressive place where people don't feel welcome and able to live their lives. We don't want to become another Oral Roberts do we? It's not a good look on the national stage if that's the path we choose.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 17, 2020, 02:53:11 PM

Quote from: 78crusader on February 17, 2020, 08:23:22 AMIf this guy from Wheaton is a finalist, I say: Good. I hope VU doesn't let a small group of perpetually offended, politically correct whiners get in the way of selecting someone who has actually done something with his life. Maybe instead of coming up with a list of demands/insults disguised as "questions" for this guy, maybe these students should, you know, actually LISTEN to what someone with a different perspective has to say.  Maybe they'd learn something.  Oh yeah, I forgot - we are supposed to yield to their belief system in the name of tolerance. Wheaton has an outstanding academic reputation.  A reputation as a school that doesn't back away from the core tenets of the Christian faith.  An endowment that is nearly double that of VU.  Highly selective  - so many kids apply there they have a wait list -- I know this for a fact since my daughters went there, and one of them with 29 ACT, valedictorian, and all-state basketball player credentials was wait-listed.  It is a fine place, and if we can hire someone from a school like that, we are on the right path. Paul

I realize there are many other concerns besides athletics but is hiring someone with a D3 background really wise when we're trying to establish ourselves in the MVC? Furthermore, I don't want to see Valpo go down the path of becoming a socially repressive place where people don't feel welcome and able to live their lives. We don't want to become another Oral Roberts do we? It's not a good look on the national stage if that's the path we choose.

I really doubt Valpo would hire someone with values/beliefs that would exclude homosexuals or even premarital sex.  Specifically, Valpo has hired (relatively recently) an Assistant Provost for Inclusion.  I doubt Wheaton has such a position, I really don't have any idea. Read the "safe zone" As for the D3 stuff. This guy has a long professional career in business not a long career at any college level.  My guess is that he is being considered for his financial prowess given the challenges facing universities across the nation.

https://www.valpo.edu/provost/leadership/stacey-miller/

https://www.valpo.edu/student-senate/committees/diversity-inclusion-committee/

https://www.valpo.edu/inclusion/resources/safe-zone/

Quote from: vu72 on February 17, 2020, 04:03:37 PMI really doubt Valpo would hire someone with values/beliefs that would exclude homosexuals or even premarital sex.

Exactly. Valpo, a Lutheran University would celebrate homosexuality and premarital sex just like Jesus did.

Quote from: Just Sayin on February 17, 2020, 04:07:52 PM

Quote from: vu72 on February 17, 2020, 04:03:37 PMI really doubt Valpo would hire someone with values/beliefs that would exclude homosexuals or even premarital sex.

Exactly. Valpo, a Lutheran University would celebrate homosexuality and premarital sex just like Jesus did.

I'll leave the judging up to you.  Then again, perhaps you should let Jesus do that as well.

Quote from: vu72 on February 17, 2020, 04:20:26 PM

Quote from: Just Sayin on February 17, 2020, 04:07:52 PM

Quote from: vu72 on February 17, 2020, 04:03:37 PMI really doubt Valpo would hire someone with values/beliefs that would exclude homosexuals or even premarital sex.

Exactly. Valpo, a Lutheran University would celebrate homosexuality and premarital sex just like Jesus did.

I'll leave the judging up to you.  Then again, perhaps you should let Jesus do that as well.

So in your judgement, homosexuality and premarital sex are acceptable lifestyles according to Scripture? (The Word of God, God Jesus)
They are not sins? We should accept them and those who commit them in the name of diversity and inclusion?

Quote from: Just Sayin on February 17, 2020, 04:24:17 PM

Quote from: vu72 on February 17, 2020, 04:20:26 PM

Quote from: Just Sayin on February 17, 2020, 04:07:52 PM

Quote from: vu72 on February 17, 2020, 04:03:37 PMI really doubt Valpo would hire someone with values/beliefs that would exclude homosexuals or even premarital sex.

Exactly. Valpo, a Lutheran University would celebrate homosexuality and premarital sex just like Jesus did.

I'll leave the judging up to you.  Then again, perhaps you should let Jesus do that as well.

So in your judgement, homosexuality and premarital sex are acceptable lifestyles according to Scripture? (The Word of God, God Jesus)
They are not sins? We should accept them and those who commit them in the name of diversity and inclusion?

You can hate me and others for this, but "religious" is only a piece of why many of us chose Valpo.  I personally don't care what you do behind close doors as two consenting adults.  I'd be interested to survey alumni and current students to identify rank of importance regarding A) selection of Valpo and B) reason for completing education at Valpo.

Me personally:
1) Academics
2) Athletics
3) Size of school
4) Located within 5 hours of home
5) Lutheran

And this is coming from a Lutheran Ministers grandson.

Yes those people should be accepted. Kind've a silly question, this is 2020.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on February 17, 2020, 04:45:23 PM

Quote from: Just Sayin on February 17, 2020, 04:24:17 PM

Quote from: vu72 on February 17, 2020, 04:20:26 PM

Quote from: Just Sayin on February 17, 2020, 04:07:52 PM

Quote from: vu72 on February 17, 2020, 04:03:37 PMI really doubt Valpo would hire someone with values/beliefs that would exclude homosexuals or even premarital sex.

Exactly. Valpo, a Lutheran University would celebrate homosexuality and premarital sex just like Jesus did.

I'll leave the judging up to you.  Then again, perhaps you should let Jesus do that as well.

So in your judgement, homosexuality and premarital sex are acceptable lifestyles according to Scripture? (The Word of God, God Jesus) They are not sins? We should accept them and those who commit them in the name of diversity and inclusion?

You can hate me and others for this, but "religious" is only a piece of why many of us chose Valpo.  I personally don't care what you do behind close doors as two consenting adults.  I'd be interested to survey alumni and current students to identify rank of importance regarding A) selection of Valpo and B) reason for completing education at Valpo. Me personally: 1) Academics 2) Athletics 3) Size of school 4) Located within 5 hours of home 5) Lutheran And this is coming from a Lutheran Ministers grandson.

Neither do I.

Quote from: M on February 17, 2020, 04:47:17 PMYes those people should be accepted. Kind've a silly question, this is 2020.

Seems to me it's the university's call as to who will and will not be accepted in accordance with its mission and unique identity as a Lutheran University.

Religion gets in the way of a lot of things that should be easy.

Quote from: M on February 17, 2020, 04:59:12 PMReligion gets in the way of a lot of things that should be easy.

Yep. It should be banned.

Nah, religion shouldn't be completely banned.

Anyways, hope the remaining two candidates have a more open minded background and will welcome more diversity in our student body and grow enrollment.

Quote from: Just Sayin on February 17, 2020, 04:51:39 PM

Quote from: M on February 17, 2020, 04:47:17 PMYes those people should be accepted. Kind've a silly question, this is 2020.

Seems to me it's the university's call as to who will and will not be accepted in accordance with its mission and unique identity as a Lutheran University.

True. And the university will need to answer to its alumni and donors, who are not likely to support any practices associated with discriminating against gays, people from other Christian faiths, non-Christians, etc.

Quote from: vu84v2 on February 17, 2020, 05:46:01 PM

Quote from: Just Sayin on February 17, 2020, 04:51:39 PM

Quote from: M on February 17, 2020, 04:47:17 PMYes those people should be accepted. Kind've a silly question, this is 2020.

Seems to me it's the university's call as to who will and will not be accepted in accordance with its mission and unique identity as a Lutheran University.

True. And the university will need to answer to its alumni and donors, who are not likely to support any practices associated with discriminating against gays, people from other Christian faiths, non-Christians, etc.

Who said anything about discriminating against them?

72 needs to get out from under the shroud
The school needs financial influx more than appeasing you grads who are holier than thou
Gays
Muslims
:censored: aliens.
Who cares as long as they pay
Too many old white guys on here
Seems familiar to another area ???

I don't think 72 is the target of your response...the rest of your post is right on though.

Quote from: Valpo2013 on February 17, 2020, 07:43:54 PMWho cares as long as they pay

I'll take the bait.  OP Kretzmann once said..."without the cross, we are nothing but another Princeton"  Or, perhaps, another Indiana State.  Those of you under 65 won't relate to OP, but he is why Valpo is such a special place.  We need to have a broad net but also need to stand up for our faith, inclusion,and  focus of what we can agree on but also understanding why we disagree and willing to understand and debate honestly, why we share values, for the good of society as it exists.  That is a LONG way from "who cares as long as they pay".

THIS is the best argument you have?Wow.

Paul

Quote from: Valpo2013 on February 17, 2020, 07:43:54 PM
72 needs to get out from under the shroud
The school needs financial influx more than appeasing you grads who are holier than thou
Gays
Muslims
:censored: aliens.
Who cares as long as they pay
Too many old white guys on here
Seems familiar to another area ???

I reread the entire thread, 72's statements do not seem to be at odds with you.

Anyone hear or attend the panel today for Kirk? Interested on how it went.

Quote from: vu72 on February 17, 2020, 09:13:55 PM

Quote from: Valpo2013 on February 17, 2020, 07:43:54 PMWho cares as long as they pay

I'll take the bait.  OP Kretzmann once said..."without the cross, we are nothing but another Princeton"  Or, perhaps, another Indiana State.  Those of you under 65 won't relate to OP, but he is why Valpo is such a special place.  We need to have a broad net but also need to stand up for our faith, inclusion,and  focus of what we can agree on but also understanding why we disagree and willing to understand and debate honestly, why we share values, for the good of society as it exists.  That is a LONG way from "who cares as long as they pay".

I really have no idea regarding Valpo2013's frame of reference, but do not like the tone.

The only problem that I have with VU72's comment is that people under 65 cannot relate to OP Kretzmann. His vision resonated to those who came along well after his time.

Hey now, I am a middle-aged white man of 38 :).  Also, I don't care what people do in the privacy of their home, I am not religious, and would have failed Wheaton's requirements regarding women.  Nowadays, the folks that adhere to the no premarital sex guideline has to be less than 10% of youths.  I would hope that we don't eventually go down that route, as it would severely restrict who would want to attend Valpo. 

Yes becoming more Christian if that means that we adopt socially repressive policies would be a death sentence for our enrollment and not  solve our financial issues such as they may be. Furthermore we would take decades to undo the hit to Valpo's image we would take nationally if we did decide to change our minds later. We would have to  extend the endowment drive in perpetuity to survive and amid ever shrinking enrollment that would be a losing proposition.

Before you talk up Wheaton again for its academic reputation and huge endowment remember that nobody outside of religious fundamentalists  and some people in the midwest care about Wheaton. It can do whatever it wants as a D3 school with no national exposure. We are in a different place as a D1 program that is on national and regional TV frequently in a top athletic conference. It could work  for a school in the Big East or the WCC or even the A10 but that is not and never will be Valpo and most of those institutions aren't as hard line as Wheaton is. Let's look at some D1 super religious institutions:

Grand Canyon: Seen as a for profit diploma mill Can't rise above the WAC because of this

Liberty: May be non profit but has a lot of the same issues as Grand Canyon while being way more religious. Consequently they cannot find a football conference and would have trouble peddling themselves any higher than say the SOCON and even then I'm not sure if they would get in.

BYU: Will NEVER get into a Power 5 Conference despite their football and basketball pedigree and nice facilities because they have scheduling restrictions and are just seen as a pain in the butt to work with in general because of that and their hubris and their repressive policies

Oral Roberts: You're not going to find very much support for them being in the MVC no matter how good they get because they are seen as a school with repressive policies out of step with how most colleges operate.

Notre Dame: They are the most sought after of any on this list but that is because of the tradition of their football program. Wheaton lacks this. They are also probably the least hard line of anybody on this list.

Conferences want Belmont and Gonzaga but that is solely because of their basketball programs. If they didn't have those nobody would care about them. Furthermore I understand that they have both chilled out a bit on the hardline stuff in recent years much like Valpo has.

If your goal is to become a hardline seminary churning out fire and brimstone pastors with small enrollment and completely tank athletics down to D3 or the NAIA level. If you want to do away with a lot of the vibrance of student life we all enjoyed and students now continue to enjoy then by all means let's be like Wheaton. If you want us to continue to grow nationally and become more respected on and off the field then we need to take a more moderate approach. I'm sorry. These are facts. We can be Christian. Obviously Unashamedly and Unabashedly Christian. We can have the chapel figure prominently in student life and be our tallest most beautiful building. We can mandate the study of Theology classes. We can continue to call our honors college Christ College. We can maintain the Crusader name and mascot. We can continue to foster Christian groups on campus and openly advocate that people attend Bible study offered on campus. We can make service and service learning a prominent part of the curriculum for Valpo Students and offer many opportunities locally nationally and internationally for students to engage in God's work and feel like they are making a difference in the world. We can honor our Lutheran tradition by offering traditional services and a traditional choir and mark Reformation Day and all of the significant holy days. We can even be a dry campus and pass out Bibles on campus to students who want them. These are all fantastic significant and important things that show that we are Christian and proud of it. What we cannot do is start regulating important aspects of the identity social life and self expression of ADULTS who have and have earned the full right to do as they wish within the confines of the law. That is when you start to hurt yourself and your Christian tradition starts to work against you when you're in a position as prominent as Valpo. 

We are making a lot of good progress as a university on the social front. And in so doing yes we are advancing the Work and the Word of God and His Kingdom because more people are exposed to the Word and exposed to the good that Christianity and Christians can do for and in the world. We still present the Bible in its unredacted true form. They get the True and Real word and there are discussions about the Word on campus all the time especially if you are inclined to seek them out. We can be a strong Christian Bible believing God fearing university without telling people "Believe in this and follow it to the letter or F off." Interfaith dialogue and diverse perspectives are good for the world. Ask Thomas Merton for example how engaging with other faiths affected his Christianity. Remember that church isn't a museum exhibit for the perfect it's a hospital for the broken. We need to meet people and accept people where and as they are and show and set a good example for the Christian life and what Christians do. We don't do that with a sanctimonious holier than thou attitude and a legalistic scroll of rules. You do it with love compassion acceptance and action. After all, works do not save but saving faith is active faith. We have overcome a lot perception wise that was okay when we were in the mid con and nobody cared about us but we're in a conference people care about now and pay attention to. We need to act accordingly and we cannot and should not do away with a lot of the progress we are making.

I realize this is a fan forum with most of the participants keenly interested in Valpo athletics. That said, the thread is about the presidential search, and VU is so much more than athletics. We would do well to dial back theoretical outrage on social issues unless they are statements or decisions made by a particular candidate for the position.

As I see it, there are two main things that the next president has to do: First, effectively manage the finances of the university. We can talk all day about lack of support for athletics, the drain of the law school closure, declining enrollments and the like, yet the fact remains that all of these come back to money. The university has to have someone who has experience with managing complex budgets. Second, the university has to have someone who can help articulate a compelling vision for a Christian university during challenging times in higher education, and empower others to act on that vision.

I have no idea if Kirk Farney is the right person for the job, or how his visit is proceeding. Yet someone with 25 years experience at JP Morgan, a Masters from Northwestern and a PhD from Notre Dame, and significant administrative experience at a selective national university like Wheaton (in Chicagoland no less) would check quite a few boxes. Beyond this, Farney's background as a board member at Thrivent and Concordia RF are also benefits: For reference, as near as I can tell, the percentage of Lutheran undergrads at VU has gone from 39% in 2006 to 17% in 2019, so someone who is aware of trends and has connections within Lutheran circles would be a plus.

Here is how Wheaton addresses the issues under discussion:

https://www.wheaton.edu/life-at-wheaton/kingdom-diversity/diversity-commitment/


FWIW - Wheaton's athletic teams are called the Thunder.  They used to known as the Crusaders.  The name was changed 20 years ago after Crusader was deemed offensive and inappropriate.

Quote from: valpo95 on February 18, 2020, 08:40:59 AM

I have no idea if Kirk Farney is the right person for the job, or how his visit is proceeding.

Beyond that, if the other candidates are in fact Kraig Olejniczak and John Nunes, these also seem like good choices and have prior ties to VU.  Olejniczak served as Dean of the VU College of Engineering for ten years, ran his own firm, and has a PhD from Purdue. Nunes is an ordained LCMS pastor and was the Jochum Chair at VU prior to becoming president at Concordia NY and has PhD from LSTC.

I like the extensive business background and the Notre Dame thesis.  This shows intellectual depth in the founding mission arena of church and state.  Note also that KF appears to have been in a role that advocated for Wheaton.  He didn't write the mission or shape it. It is quite possible that Wheaton opened its mind to a Lutheran.  One wonders if Valpo would do the same and hire an evangelical as a VP.   I doubt it.  I suspect Valpo activists wuuld shout it down or protest it.

We need a leader who gets the money side of things and doesn't put liberal platitudes above the need for a distinctive purpose, market niche, and focus.  There are hundreds of schools competing for the niche of a watered-down generic liberal education.   Liberal arts used to mean breadth of study. Now it means energetic shut down of any non-conforming speaker or opinion.   Don't try to spook everyone with exaggerated claims of how discriminatory non-leftist leaders are. All that is asked is that a college actually give a platform for differing opinions without being shouted down by left-wing activist faculty and students. 

The list of national schools with un-apologetic Chrisitan identity is much shorter including only Baylor and Notre Dame unless I am missing others. And I think it is demonstrable that many opinions are invited to be heard in these universities even if not encouraged.

Quote from: crusadermoe on February 18, 2020, 11:12:55 AM
I like the extensive business background and the Notre Dame thesis.  This shows intellectual depth in the founding mission arena of church and state.  Note also that KF appears to have been in a role that advocated for Wheaton.  He didn't write the mission or shape it. It is quite possible that Wheaton opened its mind to a Lutheran.  One wonders if Valpo would do the same and hire an evangelical as a VP.   I doubt it.  I suspect Valpo activists wuuld shout it down or protest it.

We need a leader who gets the money side of things and doesn't put liberal platitudes above the need for a distinctive purpose, market niche, and focus.  There are hundreds of schools competing for the niche of a watered-down generic liberal education.   Liberal arts used to mean breadth of study. Now it means energetic shut down of any non-conforming speaker or opinion.   Don't try to spook everyone with exaggerated claims of how discriminatory non-leftist leaders are. All that is asked is that a college actually give a platform for differing opinions without being shouted down by left-wing activist faculty and students. 

The list of national schools with un-apologetic Chrisitan identity is much shorter including only Baylor and Notre Dame unless I am missing others. And I think it is demonstrable that many opinions are invited to be heard in these universities even if not encouraged.

A well thought out dissertation, though I would think any number of other Catholic universities would want to be included in this category as would Lutheran or Baptist schools.  I have found an interesting fact which might give Mr. Farney an "inside edge" of sorts.  In looking at the Thrivent  Board of Directors members, I note that the Chair is Bonnie Requet, who is still on the Valpo Board as are fellow Thrivent Board members N. Cornell Boggs and Fred Kraegel ,Valpo's Board Chair.  This would mean that three voting members of our Board are very well informed as to Mr. Farney's abilities, at least as they have been shown in a Board setting.

OP Kretzman over valued Valpo-and was blinded by religion-which is much of the issue we have had trying to keep up with the times
Without the cross we are just Princeton?
Please
We aren't close to Princeton
I love Valpo and always will but that is a ridiculous statement
Alum from all schools believe that their school is "special"
Kinda like everyone thinks that their grandkids are the greatest

Do we know if these are his own views, or the views of Wheaton College? Just because he's VP doesnt mean he has the same viewpoints at the core. Is Pence guilty by association for what President Trump does? Lord knows I dont agree with everything the people in charge of my company do. (Certainly worthy of discussion however.) Anyone have insight to yesterdays meeting?

Quote from: elephtheria47 on February 18, 2020, 01:35:18 PMDo we know if these are his own views, or the views of Wheaton College? Just because he's VP doesnt mean he has the same viewpoints at the core. Is Pence guilty by association for what President Trump does? Lord knows I dont agree with everything the people in charge of my company do. (Certainly worthy of discussion however.) Anyone have insight to yesterdays meeting?

The Trump\Pence example isn't the best one because Pence has plenty of issues that should give people pause but point taken.

I think those are fair questions to ask. The next president of the university may make changes and staff/student/faculty should have the right to now which direction he may take them and then react accordingly.

That said, some people could argue that what you are willing to tolerate should say something about you even if you are not making the decisions. He's not a random employee, he's a VP at Wheaton.

Perhaps OPK was misquoted and meant to say, "without the cross we are just Brown."   Doesn't have the same ring so probably not.  :)

Academically, it would be wonderful to be just Princeton or Brown.

Quote from: Valpo2013 on February 18, 2020, 12:06:55 PM
OP Kretzman over valued Valpo-and was blinded by religion-which is much of the issue we have had trying to keep up with the times
Without the cross we are just Princeton?
Please
We aren't close to Princeton
I love Valpo and always will but that is a ridiculous statement
Alum from all schools believe that their school is "special"
Kinda like everyone thinks that their grandkids are the greatest

Funny stuff, if you actually meant it to be so. 

Does anyone know who the second and third candidates are?  The second candidate should be interviewing today and tomorrow.  Inquiring minds want to know!

Another website says that candidate number two is Andrew Finstuen, Dean of the Honors College and interim Vice-Provost at Boise State University in Idaho.

Quote from: Valpo2013 on February 18, 2020, 12:06:55 PM
OP Kretzman over valued Valpo-and was blinded by religion-which is much of the issue we have had trying to keep up with the times
Without the cross we are just Princeton?
Please
We aren't close to Princeton
I love Valpo and always will but that is a ridiculous statement
Alum from all schools believe that their school is "special"
Kinda like everyone thinks that their grandkids are the greatest

When I read comments like this, I can't help but think that people who make these arguments confuse "unique" and "special". For decades, Valpo has been a place that has enabled tens of thousands of young people to lead successful lives in their chosen profession and personal lives. This is true regardless of their religious convictions (I personally never aligned with Valpo's religious ideologies, but I am fully aligned with its mission). That makes Valpo special. It is not unique, as many universities are special in this way (Butler, Creighton, Marquette, Drake to name a few) - but that makes Valpo no less special.

In regards to Farney, I had the same initial reaction about him being from Wheaton that others seem to have had. But then I went and read his biographies and some of his academic work. He has the credentials and could be a good university President. As long as he was not going to try to implement an environment like Wheaton (though, of course, he is entitled to his own personal beliefs), he could bring excellent financial and organizational leadership. And keep in mind that implementing any of the arcane restrictive policies like Wheaton would require support from the Board (and, subsequently, from alums, donors, faculty, etc.).

 The Torch has this article on Farney's meeting with students.

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_4921194e-52ae-11ea-aa3c-73047c88c457.html

Andrew Finstuen is the Dean of the Honors College and Interim Vice Provost at Boise State University. Prior to his arrival at Boise State, Finstuen directed the International Honors Program at Pacific Lutheran University, served as a Lilly Fellow in Humanities and History in the Honors College at Valparaiso University, and was the Assistant Director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College. Finstuen teaches courses in modern American history, the history of American Christianity, and the history of genocide and mass killing. His first book, Original Sin and Everyday Protestants: The Theology of Reinhold Niebuhr, Billy Graham, and Paul Tillich in an Age of Anxiety, won the 2010 American Society of Church History's Brewer Prize. He co-directed the "The Worlds of Billy Graham" project, which produced Billy Graham: American Pilgrim, an edited volume with Oxford University Press (2017). His latest project, funded by the Lilly Endowment and Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and in association with Journey Films and Maryland Public Television, was a documentary film entitled An American Conscience: The Reinhold Niebuhr Story, which aired in spring 2017.

Quote from: loschwitz on February 19, 2020, 09:23:37 AM
The Torch has this article on Farney's meeting with students.

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_4921194e-52ae-11ea-aa3c-73047c88c457.html

While the article summarizes some important questions that needed to be asked, I really hope that students raised other issues. There are many issues related to the sustainability and advancement of the university that are extremely important.

I know they asked about fundraising, specifically if he would try to raise from the same types of places or people that support Wheaton.

The biggest issue for me is when a donor comes and wants to offer money but on a condition that, perhaps, Alliance is eliminated or other activities are shut down or other things that they do not like on campus, will he be taking their side or will he be willing to say "no".

Personal views mean squat to me, it's how they will effect decision making or who has a persons ear when they begin to matter. I feel like he's also probably in a position where if he came out and said "no I support these types of policies" he might potentially be at risk of losing his job at Wheaton but that's not necessarily anyone's problem but his and he seemed to have a lot of "no opinions" on things that may end up on his desk in someway.

Based on his Wall Street experience, my guess is he would be the wealthiest President in history!

Quote from: crusader05 on February 19, 2020, 09:53:10 AM
I know they asked about fundraising, specifically if he would try to raise from the same types of places or people that support Wheaton.

The biggest issue for me is when a donor comes and wants to offer money but on a condition that, perhaps, Alliance is eliminated or other activities are shut down or other things that they do not like on campus, will he be taking their side or will he be willing to say "no".

Personal views mean squat to me, it's how they will effect decision making or who has a persons ear when they begin to matter. I feel like he's also probably in a position where if he came out and said "no I support these types of policies" he might potentially be at risk of losing his job at Wheaton but that's not necessarily anyone's problem but his and he seemed to have a lot of "no opinions" on things that may end up on his desk in someway.

I am always impressed with how many of the posters here 'raise the bar' in the topics being discussed. And crusader05's post is a great example of that.

As most here realize, many universities have financial challenges ... and regardless of that any university wants to increase donations. In recent years (perhaps longer), there are various parties that try to take advantage of this to advance their agenda. This is not a liberal or conservative issue, as both liberal entities (e.g., Soros Foundation) and conservative entities (e.g., Koch Foundation) try to do this. They come in and offer millions of dollars, but the donation is contingent on the university hiring specific individuals as faculty, implementing programs, and/or modifying curriculum to advance their agenda. They do not structure their donations as endowed, but instead structure it as many payments so that they can ensure their agenda is met AND to force more terms on the university. I have had firsthand visibility to theses attempts at two universities (not Valpo).  I really hope that the Valparaiso board or others within the university are asking all candidates about this. 

The Torch gives the impression that the forum was nearly a single-issue conversation with him.  If the conversation was far broader then our student "journalists" seem to be emulating the professionals in selectively focusing on their hot button issues. 

Of course "sustainability" was mentioned.  You could sell ocean front property in Arizona to a millenial as long as you weave in the word "sustainability."

Here is the Torch report on the students'meeting with Andrew Finstuen.

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_64e038c8-543d-11ea-93a1-afe5754540d6.html

The responsibility centered management question from the student is very interesting. There is no doubt that a candidate could not get the job by embracing it and completely embracing such a policy would be problematic, but not letting a college within the university keep some portion of incremental revenues when it develops a successful new program creates a disincentive for colleges to create new programs.

He can't be much over 40.   Nor does he seem to have leadership experience in a bigger budget context.    No thanks.

Troy VanAken, current president at Elmhurst College and formerly president at Thiel College, is the third candidate.

Info on VanAken:

https://www.elmhurst.edu/about/leadership/about-president-vanaken/

An additional release from the ELCA, at the time he became president of Thiel in 2009, reports that he has coached high school football and track as well as serving on NCAA committees.

Quote from: loschwitz on February 21, 2020, 02:05:38 PM
Info on VanAken:

https://www.elmhurst.edu/about/leadership/about-president-vanaken/

An additional release from the ELCA, at the time he became president of Thiel in 2009, reports that he has coached high school football and track as well as serving on NCAA committees.

You beat me to it!  I think this guy could be a perfect fit.  He has served as President of a Lutheran College, and is Lutheran.  At Elmhurst, Elmhurst has "seen historic enrollments and record fundraising results"  He also has some Valley experience as he taught at Evansville and...for you athletic junkies, He served as Athletic Director at Albion!

He graduated with his bachelors in 1989 so I guess that would make him 52 this year.  About the same as as Mark Heckler when he took office.

Quote from: vu72 on February 21, 2020, 02:19:06 PM

Quote from: loschwitz on February 21, 2020, 02:05:38 PM
Info on VanAken:

https://www.elmhurst.edu/about/leadership/about-president-vanaken/

An additional release from the ELCA, at the time he became president of Thiel in 2009, reports that he has coached high school football and track as well as serving on NCAA committees.

You beat me to it!  I think this guy could be a perfect fit.  He has served as President of a Lutheran College, and is Lutheran.  At Elmhurst, Elmhurst has "seen historic enrollments and record fundraising results"  He also has some Valley experience as he taught at Evansville and...for you athletic junkies, He served as Athletic Director at Albion!

I have a family member that served on the Alumni Board at Theil College during his tenure there.  A few things they had to say about Troy:

"He's a good leader, a good organizer and very capable of building facilities and endowments.  He rebuilt Theil Athletics.  But . . . he's a politician like most college Presidents, smiling and shaking hands.  He worked well with board members and I received full support from him at the beginning and through most of my tenure.  Toward the end, when we were taking on the Dean of Students, he acted neutral towards the alumni board and (behind the scenes) sided with the Dean of Students.  In other words, he is smart, elusive but 100% a politician.  That doesn't make him a bad choice, but it's good to know what you have going into this."

A person in an executive position inevitably becomes involved in the disputes and controversies which can arise within the organization.  It then becomes the task of the executive to deal with the problem.  A win-win resolution is not always possible.  This results in unhappiness on the part of the group whose views do not prevail.  Frequently there develops a conviction that the executive was biased from the start.

This newest one seems to "split the difference" of the other two in regards to experience but a history of employment and engagement more in line with where Valparaiso University  currently sits.

All president's are politicians because your job is to basically schmooze everyone to keep things running smoothly. 

His history at a liberal arts college in the Midwest is important and his being Lutheran is also a positive.

Quote from: crusader05 on February 22, 2020, 08:32:28 AM
This newest one seems to "split the difference" of the other two in regards to experience but a history of employment and engagement more in line with where Valparaiso University  currently sits.

All president's are politicians because your job is to basically schmooze everyone to keep things running smoothly. 

His history at a liberal arts college in the Midwest is important and his being Lutheran is also a positive.

Totally agree and the fact that he also has experience and apparent interest in athletics must be views as an additional positive, particularly for some on this board.

Personally, I would Ike to see someone from a higher profile school. I do like the dude from Wheaton though.

DR HOMER DREW!!!!

Search over!

These comments about VanAken are impressive.  And for those of us also interested in athletics and their relationship to the success of our University, the remarks are even more important.  Go V A!  :)

Unfortunately, on paper at least, the three institutions currently employing the three gentlemen interviewing for the Valpo president's position are not terribly impressive.  I would hope that Valpo's future president would have experience at an institution to which Valpo would aspire to emulate.  I don't see this as the case.  While all three institutions are solid, they appear to be "middle of the road" academically and in reputation.  Obviously the search team and professional recruiting firm see valuable attributes in the three candidates brought forward and hopefully a clear winning candidate will emerge from the selection process. I just don't see us saying "wow, let's hire that person because the college where they have worked has many impressive characteristics that Valpo could adopt".  :twocents:

Any friend of athletics is a candidate I support!

Heard the second candidate was very impressive and the majority of the people in the room with him walked away impressed and hopeful. Of course, that could be due to the train wreck that had preceded him. Excited to hear how the third candidate does.

Quote from: sfnmman on February 23, 2020, 12:14:33 AM
Unfortunately, on paper at least, the three institutions currently employing the three gentlemen interviewing for the Valpo president's position are not terribly impressive.  I would hope that Valpo's future president would have experience at an institution to which Valpo would aspire to emulate.  I don't see this as the case.  While all three institutions are solid, they appear to be "middle of the road" academically and in reputation.  Obviously the search team and professional recruiting firm see valuable attributes in the three candidates brought forward and hopefully a clear winning candidate will emerge from the selection process. I just don't see us saying "wow, let's hire that person because the college where they have worked has many impressive characteristics that Valpo could adopt".  :twocents:

I checked--there are none of the previous presidents who would meet this criteria.  President Heckler came from U of Colorado (Denver).  Before him all except Schnabel were Lutheran clergy with previous presidencies at places like Concordia St. Paul or Wartburg College.  They seemed to do a pretty solid job!  ;)

I would disagree that they all come from low profile schools.

Wheaton does not compete in D-1 athletics. But that is true of many stellar universitites such as Emory, Carnegie-Mellon, Washington University in St. Louis, and nearly all of the elite liberal arts colleges. 

Some of you may not like its religious slants, but it has a endowment that well exceeds Valpo.   

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 17, 2020, 02:53:11 PMI realize there are many other concerns besides athletics but is hiring someone with a D3 background really wise when we're trying to establish ourselves in the MVC?

It would make perfect sense that the Valpo board would hire someone with a D3 background as president. This Valpo board just doesn't consider Athletics as very important. It's a minor affliction put on Valpo by Dick Koenig back in the 70's.

Quote from: bbtds on February 24, 2020, 12:38:34 PM

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 17, 2020, 02:53:11 PMI realize there are many other concerns besides athletics but is hiring someone with a D3 background really wise when we're trying to establish ourselves in the MVC?

It would make perfect sense that the Valpo board would hire someone with a D3 background as president. This Valpo board just doesn't consider Athletics as very important. It's a minor affliction put on Valpo by Dick Koenig back in the 70's.

We all have a natural tilt towards thinking of the next VU president in terms of athletics....

But I'd question why athletics even comes into play while hiring for that position?  At best it should be deciding factor "25" when breaking a tie.

Typically, athletics would not be in a Top 5 or 10.  But Valpo's national identity is related closely to its basketball achievements.  Yeah, there are many VU programs that are impressive in their niche audiences or regional ones.  But basketball is easily the first thought in people's minds when they hear of Valparaiso.

So I think it is a top 10 issue for interviewing our president nominees.

Quote from: crusadermoe on February 25, 2020, 08:28:07 PM
Typically, athletics would not be in a Top 5 or 10.  But Valpo's national identity is related closely to its basketball achievements.  Yeah, there are many VU programs that are impressive in their niche audiences or regional ones.  But basketball is easily the first thought in people's minds when they hear of Valparaiso.

So I think it is a top 10 issue for interviewing our president nominees.

If the Valpo board of directors wanted it to be. They do not.

How many schools have been in a position where a school the size of Valpo in a mid-major conference has been to a Sweet Sixteen or higher? How many are known as a basketball school? Not that many.

Yet Valpo's board pretty much rejected the notion that it is known as a basketball school. Valpo, by the board of directors vision, is only an academic school.

Yeah, I think this topic has been bantered around a lot over the last 20 years.  If we had cut corners and hired a Bob Huggans type or something then I would have opted not to leverage it. But the squeaky clean and likable Drew family was the face of the school.   But the ship has sailed as you say.  But they do show the shot every single year in NCAA promos.

Of the three interviewees, I honestly would put my Vegas money on the board selecting Mr. Van Aken. He has a well-rounded resume and a prior Presidency.  The honors college young guy lacks administrative track record and Mr. Farney (who I like) probably does not have the faculty contact history to lead us.   

Thankfully, Troy Aikman...(er Von Aken) also seems to be the one of the three with some college-level athletics leadership in his background.  Honestly, that's a coincidence but a happy one.

Here is the Torch article on VanAken's meeting with students.

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_2504f644-5825-11ea-a86c-db7362b7eafb.html

Quote from: loschwitz on February 26, 2020, 05:16:07 PM
Here is the Torch article on VanAken's meeting with students.

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_2504f644-5825-11ea-a86c-db7362b7eafb.html

It's sad where higher education is headed. 

Quote from: loschwitz on February 26, 2020, 05:16:07 PM
Here is the Torch article on VanAken's meeting with students.

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_2504f644-5825-11ea-a86c-db7362b7eafb.html

VanAken has not only served as Elmhurst's president, but also president of Thiel College as well as serving as Athletic Director, Vice President of Finance and Management, Assistant Vice President for Informational Technology and numerous other roles at various schools.

Interesting, Van Aken happen to be an Athletic Director at one of his employee stops. I wonder what that would mean for Mark LaBarbera if Van Aken were chosen as Valpo president. Very interesting!

Quote from: bbtds on February 26, 2020, 11:54:37 AM

Quote from: crusadermoe on February 25, 2020, 08:28:07 PMTypically, athletics would not be in a Top 5 or 10.  But Valpo's national identity is related closely to its basketball achievements.  Yeah, there are many VU programs that are impressive in their niche audiences or regional ones.  But basketball is easily the first thought in people's minds when they hear of Valparaiso. So I think it is a top 10 issue for interviewing our president nominees.

If the Valpo board of directors wanted it to be. They do not. How many schools have been in a position where a school the size of Valpo in a mid-major conference has been to a Sweet Sixteen or higher? How many are known as a basketball school? Not that many. Yet Valpo's board pretty much rejected the notion that it is known as a basketball school. Valpo, by the board of directors vision, is only an academic school.

Can we vote out these crusty old board members with no vision for the future and get a more energetic group that knows what's up and values athletics as the important marketing tool that it is? Or is that something we have to hope happens as time passes and more pro athletics people are elevated to board positions.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 26, 2020, 09:24:29 PMCan we vote out these crusty old board members with no vision for the future and get a more energetic group that knows what's up and values athletics as the important marketing tool that it is? Or is that something we have to hope happens as time passes and more pro athletics people are elevated to board positions.

The answer is simply "no." It would be up to the new president of Valpo to convince them it's the way to go but in the end the new president might just talk and convince his/her way out of a job.

You see the same view from many posters on this message board. When someone brings up the point that it's reality that Valpo is known as a basketball school the answer is that Athletics at Valpo is not important enough to be considered the determining factor for what type of school Valpo is. We've all seen that answer in posts on this message board many times when we dare to say Valpo is a basketball school.

"Oh, no, it's not"

They just can't get themselves to think that way and it's not something Henry Baker Brown or the Lutherans, who took over Valparaiso University, ever envisioned for this school. It takes a real paradigm shift for many to see it for what it really truly is.

And now come the responses from those who don't believe Valpo is a basketball school.

I just hate that athletics and academics are seen to have this adversarial relationship. It doesn't have to be that way. And when I say Valpo is a basketball school I mean it in the same way that I would say great universities like Georgetown Davidson Creighton Butler Dayton Xavier Gonzaga St Mary's  Harvard Yale Penn and Princeton Indiana Purdue Kansas are basketball schools. When I say "basketball school" I'm not trying to disparage their academics in any way. I am saying that "basketball" is their front porch, their main marketing tool to the world, the way to get people to learn about how great the academics are. That's the way athletics should be viewed: as a tool to attract students as an investment in their quality of life that of the university as a whole by making it a more vibrant place that's not all study all the time. Nobody's life should be that way. College life should be fun. College life should be enjoyed. And sports are a great way to do that. I'll tell you right now: I had my pick of great schools to go to but I picked Valpo for 3 reasons: 1. It's a small and intimate environment and I wanted a support system 2. The academics are really strong and I knew I would be challenged and get a well-respected degree and 3 (which was as important to me as #2) I wanted good academics AND GOOD ATHLETICS. I wanted to be entertained. I wanted to watch my team have success on the national stage. I wanted to have something to be proud of and to make memories with related to my university experience that endured well beyond my time there. Without athletics-- the quality basketball program especially-- I would have quickly lost touch with the university and many alumni. When I talk to alumni now do you know what we talk about?  Sports. Especially Basketball. The state of the program. The future of the program. The MVC as a whole and mid major basketball. THEN we might touch on the goings on around campus like the new programs that are being added and the old ones going away that I mostly only learn about because of this forum even though I live really close to the university. What is this forum primarily geared towards? You guessed it: ATHLETICS ESPECIALLY BASKETBALL. I'm a Crusader and I always will be but Crusader Athletics namely basketball is a huge reason why that is and why my connection to my school continues to be as strong as it is. To me, athletics but especially basketball and the Valpo experience are one and the same. They cannot be separated. To be a Valpo student is to love and care about basketball. I know I can't be the only alum who feels this way.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 26, 2020, 11:51:47 PMI'm a Crusader and I always will be but Crusader Athletics namely basketball is a huge reason why that is and why my connection to my school continues to be as strong as it is. To me, athletics but especially basketball and the Valpo experience are one and the same. They cannot be separated. To be a Valpo student is to love and care about basketball. I know I can't be the only alum who feels this way.

I would say you are definitely NOT the only Valpo alum  that feels this way but I do believe you are in a minority. Your statement, "To be a Valpo student is to love and care about basketball" is NOT true for the majority of Valpo students and alumni. If it were true the student section would be overflowing every game except on rare occasions. We, the Athletics fanatics want it to be that way but ask your average student at Valpo. It simply is NOT true. It will take another spectacular run to the Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight/Final Four to reengage most of the student body and majority of alumni to back to MBB.

It's too bad the school does not care about basketball after what it has done for the school. In general, if you ask the people about Valparaiso, they will birng up basketball more often than the church choir.

And you can be very successful in academic and athletics - look at Stanford and USC as examples as they excel in both in pretty much all academic and athletic programs.

The Torch article is very poorly written. 

Paragraph 6 describes VanAken's "...self claiming of love for students...."  Paragraph 7 obviously was not edited.  Had it been edited, the editor would have changed "retention" to another word when it was first used.  Perhaps grammar should be mastered before a student "self claims" authority to correct our societal attitudes. 

But at least the top presidential choice criterion was settled.  Troy passed that litmus test by dressing in drag at a prior college. 

crusadermoe - I think he said that he attended an event. Good points, however, about the quality of the writing (or lack thereof) in that article.

To some other posts here, I am again going to ask what you would like the University President (and perhaps the Board) to do differently regarding the basketball program. You make some passionate pleas, but I don't get what you actually want them to do. Do you want them to attend basketball games and speak publicly about the value of the program? My guess is that they do this to varying degrees, but could do more. Do you want them to provide more funding? If so, you need to state what that money is for and where that money comes from (this is not the Federal Government - you actually need to balance your budget and be financially sustainable for the future). The plan of record (as best as I can surmise) is a plan to incrementally enhance the ARC over a fairly long period. Does this need to be accelerated and, again, where does that money come from?

Additionally, if you state that the basketball program is a top priority - are you stating that it is a higher priority than: renovations in the College of Business building that is woefully outdated, addressing the lack of space for the College of Nursing, adding facilities common for the growing Health Sciences programs (my understanding is that they just added a cadaver lab), adding Occupational Therapy and then eventually Physical Therapy (this is my understanding of the plan), updating dorms that have not changed much since the 1980s, etc. it is easy to make comments that the board or President need to do something, but that job is really hard because you need to make hard choices. I love Valpo basketball and want them to do well, but if I were sitting in the President's chair it would be hard for me to fund it more aggressively than what seems to be the current plan.

Like it or not, Gen-Z is all about raising the flag if diversity & inclusion is not a top priority at your school or company.  I can't tell you how many times at our Town Hall meetings (SiriusXM + Pandora) we have someone stand up to ask when our executive leadership will be more inclusive, or 'look like me.'

Quote from: valpotx on February 28, 2020, 04:59:29 AMLike it or not, Gen-Z is all about raising the flag if diversity & inclusion is not a top priority at your school or company.  I can't tell you how many times at our Town Hall meetings (SiriusXM + Pandora) we have someone stand up to ask when our executive leadership will be more inclusive, or 'look like me.'

Madness.

Vu84v2 - the ARC is outdated also. Valpo is getting diluted in what it provides - remove programs that are lacking or not as significant in the long term.

Vu84v2 - the ARC is outdated also. Valpo is getting diluted in what it provides - remove programs that are lacking or not as significant in the long term.

Here's n article from The Torch on the financial state of the University as presented to the Counsel by Susan Scroggins.  It doesn't scream out "MORE FUNDING FOR BASKETBALL".  More likely it screams..."HELP".

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_fd78a548-5460-11ea-9974-ef3972147944.html

We talk a lot about how a winning basketball program would positively affect the university in general, well it seems that someone at VU has actually been studying this phenomenon.

https://twitter.com/KinesiologyVu/status/1233406820523413512

Would be interesting to hear and read about their conclusions and how it's methods and processes might be applied.  Hopefully the conclusion was in the positive.

I expanded the picture and read the abstract. There is no significant relationship, other than a mild correlation between success with an NCAA tournament appearance and the number of new student applications shortly thereafter.

Jamie Gutowski earned a PhD?

Quote from: vu84v2 on February 28, 2020, 01:34:02 PMI expanded the picture and read the abstract. There is no significant relationship, other than a mild correlation between success with an NCAA tournament appearance and the number of new student applications shortly thereafter.

Well duh... It's not the APPEARANCE that matters It's WINNING. You need to WIN and go on a RUN IN THE TOURNAMENT to realize the benefits. Getting there and getting pounded in the first round does nothing. If that was her research and if that's the depth she went into (only looking at APPEARANCES and not WINS) then this research is worthless data and a waste of time. But keep sticking your thumb in the eye of athletics That's really going to make me want to give to the university guys. Good job.

Quote from: vu72 on February 28, 2020, 10:06:27 AMHere's n article from The Torch on the financial state of the University as presented to the Counsel by Susan Scroggins.  It doesn't scream out "MORE FUNDING FOR BASKETBALL".  More likely it screams..."HELP". http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_fd78a548-5460-11ea-9974-ef3972147944.html

We're screwed if we don't make at least a sweet 16 run in the next few years aren't we? Forget about the $250million endowment goal we need to continue that drive in perpetuity.

It doesn't sound like that would be the case, as we've been operating off a $30m loss each year for a few years.  I assume that the endowment drive was to counter the expected $40 to $45m loss.  Does anyone have any information tied to the early 2000s, and if we operated with similar numbers?

Quote from: valpotx on February 29, 2020, 05:50:29 AMIt doesn't sound like that would be the case, as we've been operating off a $30m loss each year for a few years.  I assume that the endowment drive was to counter the expected $40 to $45m loss.  Does anyone have any information tied to the early 2000s, and if we operated with similar numbers?

If you think the cost of higher education is high, just wait until it's free.

Devastating finances.   The legacy of the Presidency is not a good one whether or not the industry as a whole as struggled.  Very tough decisions lie ahead.   And you can't un-borrow money. 

The VU audit could not hide the huge loans we discovered on this board. The Scroggins comments merely confirm for the public what I and others have written about this administration taking $100m in construction loans which gambled on enrolling 6,000 students.  The prudent judgment and financial management of the 2008 version of the board of directors is now a fond memory.  Alan Harre is probably quite disappointed that his careful leadership legacy has been squandered.   Yes, money was cheap after the crash.  But it is still borrowing money against a prediction.

You can't say that, unless we have an idea tied to how much of a loss VU has traditionally operated.

Quote from: crusadermoe on February 29, 2020, 11:47:14 AM
Devastating finances.   The legacy of the Presidency is not a good one whether or not the industry as a whole as struggled.  Very tough decisions lie ahead.   And you can't un-borrow money. 

The VU audit could not hide the huge loans we discovered on this board. The Scroggins comments merely confirm for the public what I and others have written about this administration taking $100m in construction loans which gambled on enrolling 6,000 students.  The prudent judgment and financial management of the 2008 version of the board of directors is now a fond memory.  Alan Harre is probably quite disappointed that his careful leadership legacy has been squandered.   Yes, money was cheap after the crash.  But it is still borrowing money against a prediction.

This is just more BS.  Please tell us about all those buildings which were built based on 6000 students.

Quote from: vu72 on March 01, 2020, 07:04:19 AM

Quote from: crusadermoe on February 29, 2020, 11:47:14 AM
Devastating finances.   The legacy of the Presidency is not a good one whether or not the industry as a whole as struggled.  Very tough decisions lie ahead.   And you can't un-borrow money. 

The VU audit could not hide the huge loans we discovered on this board. The Scroggins comments merely confirm for the public what I and others have written about this administration taking $100m in construction loans which gambled on enrolling 6,000 students.  The prudent judgment and financial management of the 2008 version of the board of directors is now a fond memory.  Alan Harre is probably quite disappointed that his careful leadership legacy has been squandered.   Yes, money was cheap after the crash.  But it is still borrowing money against a prediction.

This is just more BS.  Please tell us about all those buildings which were built based on 6000 students.

I'd have to agree with vu72, I just don't see it in practice.  Sure, the future plan probably calls for some of the 6,000 student growth.  But what concrete construction was erected (and loans taken) that currently over serves our head count on campus?  I am only asking because I don't stay as up-to-date on the campus life as some of you.

From reading posts on this forum it would appear that most construction thus far has been on necessities and not more.  If I had to venture an uneducated guess, the administration probably planned what construction has gone up to have "additions" or future land use in proximity to allow for easy growth.  Sort of like a bump out for an extra bedroom, etc etc.  That hardly warrants such strong and angry words from some posters.

Quote from: vu72 on March 01, 2020, 07:04:19 AMThis is just more BS.  Please tell us about all those buildings which were built based on 6000 students.

Wasn't the master plan to increase enrollment to 6,000? I remember Heckler talking about that goal.

The strategic plan was to increase to 6,000 which was designed almost 10 years ago. That coordinated with a new Campus Master Plan design which identified potential buildings such as several new dorms as well as just overall the plans to relocate or renovate current buildings.

However, New dorms that did not already replace old ones weren't built and most of the new housing available was leased through Uptown East. (that Lease was just terminated due to both a significant financial cost and frustration with continued mismanagement by the people who owned the buildings).

The initial cost to build the two new dorms (beacon and sorority housing) was through a bond but the cost of living in those residences pays off that portion. Those same bonds were also utilized to build the new Science Center and Arts and Sciences building as well as some other updates such as to Neil's. That also coincided with closing down or tearing down older buildings that were falling apart and maintenance costs were just too money sinks.

Honestly for me, enrollment and retention is more where financial issues arise vs Debt. The university is sitting on so much land that it could sell off or lease out to pay down debt if needed. It's a function of how large of an enrollment do we need to maintain the programs and things we currently have with the ability to do needed upgrades when possible.

Quote from: vu72 on February 28, 2020, 10:06:27 AM
Here's n article from The Torch on the financial state of the University as presented to the Counsel by Susan Scroggins.  It doesn't scream out "MORE FUNDING FOR BASKETBALL".  More likely it screams..."HELP".

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_fd78a548-5460-11ea-9974-ef3972147944.html

The article mentioned that more info about Valparaiso's finances could be found by googling "EMMA bond disclosure." I found the site, yet it had nothing about VU that I could see so if someone else has better information, that would be great.

However, I did come across this downgrade of VU's debt from Moody's (from A3 to Baa1; outlook negative) from January 21, 2020.

https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-downgrades-Valparaiso-University-INs-rating-to-Baa1-outlook-negative--PR_906277080# (https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-downgrades-Valparaiso-University-INs-rating-to-Baa1-outlook-negative--PR_906277080#)

The report notes a, "significant deterioration of operating performance coupled with a spend down of liquidity." It also references an 11% operating deficit for fiscal 2019. It remains to be seen, yet I'm guessing fiscal 2020 will be worse. This is offset by strong gift revenue and other flexibility.

MJ, thanks for pointing out the strategic plan.    Many of you have short memories.   

There was a a masterplan brochure in 2013. It very clearly says that the 6,000 student goal will require us to build this masterplan.  I don't recall the specific language of whether it said "require" or something different.  The link to it has been posted on this board by several different people.  I don't know how all of you can keep denying that linkage.

And ouch, that bond statement is even more concerning. 

Do your homework on published documents before you call BS.

Quote from: crusadermoe on March 02, 2020, 02:28:37 PM

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So you are pointing at the right document.  Yes, the master plan called for getting to 6000 students.  The master plan also called for many new buildings as a result.  The students aren't here and neither are the new buildings.  Again, you said the 100M was spent in anticipation of the 6,000 students and that is just false.  My BS comment related to you saying that building were built without need.  And I again, say which ones?

If memory serves me correctly, the Master Plan had a new basketball stadium/fieldhouse being built behind where Porter Memorial used to be. This is one of the many buildings that have not been built from the Master Plan, which is not uncommon for universities. As far as I know, VU72 is correct.

Regarding the Moody's downgrade: this is a legitimate concern, but some of the concern should be tempered by the likelihood that a majority of universities were likely downgraded due to the number of graduating high school students declining over the next 3-10 years and government policies that restrict or dissuade international students.

Moody's downgraded VU's bond rating, as has been noted previously.  After listing the reasons for this action, Moody's had this to say about VU:

"Despite these challenges, Valparaiso University's Baa1 remains supported by its very good total wealth and recognizable brand bolstering a still very good strategic position.  Philanthropic support is strong with three-year gift revenue averaging over $17 million.  Despite a use of liquid reserves, spendable cash and investments continue to provide very good coverage of debt at nearly 1.0x. An operating base of over $114 million does provide some expense flexibility and potential for operating performance improvement through expense reductions.  Additional credit factors include strong investment returns compared with peers, a sound age of plant, and a high reliance on net tuition revenue to fund operations."

These might be challenging times for VU (and just about every other college in our peer group) but there are some positive factors that haven't been acknowledged very often on this Board recently so I thought I would do so with this post.

Paul

I agree with Paul.

I'm reserving judgement until I see enrollment numbers for next year and what it looks like when the Law School is no longer on the books.

Perhaps it was reported elsewhere, yet as of last week, the chair of the Presidential search committee had this update:

As you are aware, three presidential candidates visited campus last month, and the Search Committee subsequently received substantial feedback from the campus community. The Board of Directors met today, received the report of the Presidential Search Committee, and determined that the search will be continuing.

I will continue to provide updates as the search progresses.

https://www.valpo.edu/presidentialsearch/updates/march-17-2020-presidential-search-continues/ (https://www.valpo.edu/presidentialsearch/updates/march-17-2020-presidential-search-continues/)

Quote from: valpo95 on March 26, 2020, 01:20:32 PM
Perhaps it was reported elsewhere, yet as of last week, the chair of the Presidential search committee had this update:

As you are aware, three presidential candidates visited campus last month, and the Search Committee subsequently received substantial feedback from the campus community. The Board of Directors met today, received the report of the Presidential Search Committee, and determined that the search will be continuing.

I will continue to provide updates as the search progresses.

https://www.valpo.edu/presidentialsearch/updates/march-17-2020-presidential-search-continues/ (https://www.valpo.edu/presidentialsearch/updates/march-17-2020-presidential-search-continues/)

So, if I am reading this right, it says that none of the three finalists were acceptable. Interesting. I wonder if Mark Heckler is willing to stay well into the 2020-2021 academic year.

How interesting. I feel that it cannot be that common to have three finalists and decide not to move forward with any.

Not really sure how I feel about the "substantial feedback from the campus community" appearing to be such a major factor. I am not sure that the campus community really knows what the university needs in a president and I am not sure that I want a president that feels he needs complete approval from that community.

I agree with FWalum.  The Board carefully chooses three well qualified candidates, only to be overridden by members of the "campus community," none of whom know more than the Board about what it takes to be an effective president, and most of whom would find fault with just about any candidate. 

One possibility that has not been raised is that one or more of the candidates may have withdrawn their name from consideration.  I hope that is not the case; that would be a troubling sign.

Paul

There is a search committee that selects the candidates for interviews, then the Community, including the Board and others provide feedback from interviews to determine who will move on, if any.  It appears the first three did not make it through.  This can happen.  The next President needs to understand how to run a business in a rapidly changing marketplace and turn around the finances.  As FW indicates, the whole Valpo community may not be the best judges of who best can do that.  This next President needs to be a "strategic change agent," and it will require tough choices and someone who isn't an appeaser but able to live with them notwithstanding what the whole "community" thinks. 

I can't help but to think that continuing to look may ultimately be the best for Valpo.  Obviously the search team felt so.  All those who have input into the decision (selection committee, head hunters, board of directors, faculty, administration, students and staff) will have a better understanding of the possible candidates that are available, their strengths as well as their weaknesses.  I would expect that their expectations of the candidates will be sharpened and become more realistic.  The perfect candidate that meets everyone's expectations is probably not out there, let alone willing to apply.  So it will be a matter of finding the strongest candidate that currently can meet the most critical job requirements or can quickly adapt to them.  Maybe the current virus crisis has focused the job requirements in a slightly different direction than was originally spelled out.  Don't know this for certain but just speculating.  Nevertheless, I can't see that looking more is a negative situation, it just means the selection committee needs to do more work to find the most ideal candidate currently available.

A good move may be to move to a closed search. This is not because of concerns and issues with feedback from the community, but instead is due to the quality of candidates that you get with a closed search versus an open search. While I am all for open communication and involvement, the reality is that you are far more likely to get strong candidates in a closed search because you do not release the names of any candidates until the hiring announcement is made. People who apply are not at risk of their current employer knowing they are looking to leave unless they actually leave.

Quote from: vu84v2 on March 28, 2020, 12:08:09 AM
A good move may be to move to a closed search. This is not because of concerns and issues with feedback from the community, but instead is due to the quality of candidates that you get with a closed search versus an open search. While I am all for open communication and involvement, the reality is that you are far more likely to get strong candidates in a closed search because you do not release the names of any candidates until the hiring announcement is made. People who apply are not at risk of their current employer knowing they are looking to leave unless they actually leave.

I certainly am no expert in the academic recruiting process, but it seems to me that people in this world are always available for the right opportunity and it is probably a well accepted fact with no concern about repercussions.  As an example, our Provost, Mark Biermann, has been a candidate for the Chancellor position at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.  It was announced in November and I am not sure if the process has been completed or not.  It could be that he is looking because the new President may want his own person in this spot or because it was an opportunity too attractive to pass up.

I think you must be diligent to get the right person for the job. If candidates remove themselves from the job, that is a good thing because they were not the right candidate. Also, if some blowhard students make statement and they do not take the heat, then they need to get out of the kitchen. The Valparaiso student body is overall tame compared to most.

Also, perhaps a phone call to Cheryl Schroeder would be good. She did a superb job at Missouri S&T and cleaned up a mess at Wright State.

Actually, it is Cheryl Schrader not Cheryl Schroeder (those of us who went to school with her realize that confusion on this is more than just a typo). And I wholeheartedly agree that she should be contacted (if she has not been already).

I agree with the comments about needing to be able to handle 'the hear'. My comments on going to a closed search were more related to increasing the quality of the candidate pool.

"Cheryl Schrader not Cheryl Schroeder (those of us who went to school with her realize that confusion on this is more than just a typo)"

What does that mean?

She dated a guy that we went to college with whose last name is Schroeder. She later met and married her husband, whose last name is Schrader.

This is on topic in a way.  The pandemic is hitting close to home with Valpo pay cuts and layoffs.

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_019bb758-7da8-11ea-a228-13c4e4bfbf89.html?fbclid=IwAR1VSp2GKLXm6RpNdE0atVdzIMTxT4D1zO42UDOolEmLKtDhgjvF3KouYdY

Quote from: vu72 on April 13, 2020, 02:58:31 PM
This is on topic in a way.  The pandemic is hitting close to home with Valpo pay cuts and layoffs.

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_019bb758-7da8-11ea-a228-13c4e4bfbf89.html?fbclid=IwAR1VSp2GKLXm6RpNdE0atVdzIMTxT4D1zO42UDOolEmLKtDhgjvF3KouYdY

I fear that this is merely a preview of what the rest of the calendar year will look like, if not fully through the 20-21 academic year. Until certain medical/public health advancements (easy testing, treatments, vaccine(s)) are available, I cannot imagine any semblance of normalcy returning in higher ed.

My mid-sized private university in downtown Boston, with an endowment roughly similar to VU's (but without current capacity to do a comparable fundraising campaign), faces similar decisions. We've been 100 percent online since after spring break. I've recommended to central administrators that higher-salaried admins and tenured faculty (I'm tenured at the law school) take the first hits via temporary pay reductions, before furloughs and layoffs of staff. We're not at that decision point yet but probably will be soon.

So...what's happening at VU is part of the new normal at schools across the country.

Good for President Heckler to be leading the way with the biggest pay cut. That's the kind of leadership example we're seeing at some other organizations, and it sends the right message about shared sacrifice starting at the top.

Postponing the hire is probably a good idea.  Just one had a strong business background and he had no teaching tenure.

It's worth noting that Valpo hired a Chief Operating Officer or some such not long ago.   He is probably charged with downsizing the university in a significant way to remove the 11% operating deficit.

Strong candidates are probably telling Valpo that they don't want to start a presidency in that posture let alone deal with whiny faculty and students.   COVID will give Valpo an excuse to make choices they were confronting already.  Keep Mark H. in place as the public face until the tough decisions are engineered by the operations leader.   

While there are many critical issues facing universities in terms of remaining sustainable, one of the critical issues (if not the most critical issue, in terms of sustainability) is being able to have students attend in-person in the Fall 2020 semester. I teach at a larger private university and the impact from lost revenue in the Spring 2020 semester is estimated at $15M and would be another $30M if students could not attend in-person in the Fall 2020 semester. Adjusting for Valpo's size, I would estimate the impact is around $6-7M if Valpo cannot have students attend in the Fall 2020 semester. Finding a way to have students attend in-person in the Fall is essential. State and local government decisions play into this, but the biggest issue will be getting parents and students to feel it is safe and valuable.

One idea that I know some universities are considering is moving the Fall 2020 semester up by 1-2 weeks and finishing prior to Thanksgiving (to reduce concerns associated with a possible second wave in late November early December). Finding the best option (assuming it can reasonably be argued that it will be safe) will be a huge challenge for Valpo's administration.

In regards to President Heckler, this was a person who planned on leaving. I don't know whether he was going to retire or do something else - but instead he probably faces the greatest leadership challenge he has had in his career. He should truly be commended for staying the course regardless of how long that might be.

I need to revise something in that previous post. I estimate the impact on Valpo in the Spring 2020 semester is $6-7M and would be an additional $12-14M if Valpo cannot have students attend in person in the Fall 2020 semester.

Indeed that would be a massive challenge if Fall is disrupted. 

I would truly hate to see the Fall school routine interrupted anywhere in the country.  That needs to be really carefully avoided if at all possible.  Wait until after Labor Day. But giving up our whole Fall academic cycle across all K-12 and universitiies during football season and peak school spirit would strike a big blow into the American psyche.  Unless you have a HS senior or an endangered job, this March-April-May timing just feels like a long Spring break where the kids' school closed on them for repairs for a few weeks. At least you look forward to summer as the days get longer and warmer. 

Some hard realities of medical data need to be confronted in terms of true measurable losses to the country from COVID and the disease consequences that are truly direct and truly morbid. There are no easy answers.  What level of risk is acceptable. and who decides it?  And what legal liabilities ensue from companies, schools, and governors authorizing those risks in our tort-crazy country?  If anyone else is old like me on this board you may have had a slight murmur or slight twinge of chest discomfort and gone to the ER.  Once you say that you will be tested for everything under the sun even if the chance is less than 1% you are at risk.  In my case I rocked the tread mill test and was told my heart was one of the healthiest he had seen.   Whew.   

There clearly seems to be a "shake-up" in the top leadership at Valpo.  As we know, Mark Heckler has "asked" to be replaced and now the #2, Mark Biermann has taken the Presidency at a 500 student college. I know that he had been considered for a few other jobs and now finally was selected.  I, for one, am glad that President Heckler has stayed on to make for an orderly transition.  Things are clearly in flux at Valpo.

https://www.sj-r.com/news/20200622/valparaiso-university-provost-will-head-up-blackburn-college

Quote from: vu72 on June 23, 2020, 09:19:37 AM
There clearly seems to be a "shake-up" in the top leadership at Valpo.  As we know, Mark Heckler has "asked" to be replaced and now the #2, Mark Biermann has taken the Presidency at a 500 student college. I know that he had been considered for a few other jobs and now finally was selected.  I, for one, am glad that President Heckler has stayed on to make for an orderly transition.  Things are clearly in flux at Valpo.

https://www.sj-r.com/news/20200622/valparaiso-university-provost-will-head-up-blackburn-college

On its own, it is not especially unusual for a provost to look for a new position with the anticipation of a new president coming aboard. The new president should have the opportunity to select his/her team. That said, the fact that there also are open searches for the dean of the graduate school and business does signal more things in flux than would be typical.

Some may have seen this, yet earlier this month the search committee announced that a new search firm was taking over the process.

In addition, it looks like the search will be confidential and likely not have the public forum aspects that happened with the most recent candidates.

https://www.valpo.edu/presidentialsearch/updates/686-2/ (https://www.valpo.edu/presidentialsearch/updates/686-2/)

This may sound counterintuitive, but executives transitioning to other companies and organizations seems to be increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic impacts started in March. The suspected reason for this is that it is much easier for them to interview without their current employer knowing (due to no travel for visits, all interviews done remotely from home).

As far as the confidential nature of the new search (generally referred to as closed versus open searches), one could make an argument that you are likely to get better candidates since their current employers are less likely to know. Beyond that, it may just be necessary due to limits on travel.

Just as long as we get a candidate who moves the university forward and doesn't want to regress us back to the dark ages I don't care where the new candidate comes from. Maintain or increase the academic standards and profile Commit to athletics and continue to modernize the campus with everything done within financially prudent means and I'll be happy. That's all I want in a leader for the univeristy.

Quote from: valpo95 on June 23, 2020, 11:17:19 AMIn addition, it looks like the search will be confidential and likely not have the public forum aspects that happened with the most recent candidates.

Very glad to hear of this change to the process.  What happened previously was IMHO not well thought out. I really fear what is happening on many campuses today and the way it has spilled out into our major cities. Would hope that VU would embrace the ideas of diversity of thought espoused by members of organizations like the Heterodox Academy (https://heterodoxacademy.org).

Valpo needs to decide who they are before they can appoint somebody to lead them to that destination.

In Alice in Wonderland, she asked one of the characters how to get back to somewhere.  Obviously I can't recall the specifics.  I just recall the answer...........
....If you don't know where you are going then most any path will do."   Farney had the guts to answer the faculty with a Lutheran perspective.  Who knows where that led the process.

Is it that Valpo has not decided who they are or that they have decided who they are and you don't agree with parts of it? Frankly, I think Valpo has a pretty good idea of who it is.

Quote from: crusadermoe on June 24, 2020, 12:43:05 PMFarney had the guts to answer the faculty with a Lutheran perspective.  Who knows where that led the process.

I really thought that Farney was a good prospect. I know that many on here may not agree with that assessment. This is complete speculation on my part, but the social media campaign by the student government against Farney, in my opinion, helped derail the entire process and did a huge disservice to the university, not just for Farney, but for all of the 3 candidates.  I doubt if any of the "woke" elite in the student government read the man's CV and only searched for progressive bonafides or racist, sexist and conservative things they would find troubling. It wouldn't surprise me to find that candidates pulled their names after the visits to campus. If this was not the case, I would like very much to know why the board felt the need to start the entire process over again. I have only been on the boards of much smaller institutions, but I find it highly unusual that the selection process had proceeded to this point only to completely fail.

I have served on 5 or 6 executive search teams for NP's. The most successful formula I have found is to seek input from major stakeholders prior to interviewing - focus groups, surveys, open forums, whatever makes sense. Look for common themes among responses and cover them during the interview process. After a candidate is selected and accepts, thank the stakeholders for their input and explain how it was used in the interview and selection process. Most people are looking for 2 things - an opportunity to share their ideas, issues and concerns and to know they have been given proper consideration.

Quote from: FWalum on June 25, 2020, 11:39:25 AM

Quote from: crusadermoe on June 24, 2020, 12:43:05 PMFarney had the guts to answer the faculty with a Lutheran perspective.  Who knows where that led the process.

I really thought that Farney was a good prospect. I know that many on here may not agree with that assessment. This is complete speculation on my part, but the social media campaign by the student government against Farney, in my opinion, helped derail the entire process and did a huge disservice to the university, not just for Farney, but for all of the 3 candidates.  I doubt if any of the "woke" elite in the student government read the man's CV and only searched for progressive bonafides or racist, sexist and conservative things they would find troubling. It wouldn't surprise me to find that candidates pulled their names after the visits to campus. If this was not the case, I would like very much to know why the board felt the need to start the entire process over again. I have only been on the boards of much smaller institutions, but I find it highly unusual that the selection process had proceeded to this point only to completely fail.

I would guess that the reason why they decided to redo the search was that they felt that they could get better candidates in a closed search. I also believe that they changed the search firm.

I liked Farney's business background. For me, the biggest issue with Farney was that he would be going from a VP position (not provost) to President at a university which was larger than his current university. That is a pretty big leap!

Quote from: vu84v2 on June 25, 2020, 01:20:42 PM

Quote from: FWalum on June 25, 2020, 11:39:25 AM

Quote from: crusadermoe on June 24, 2020, 12:43:05 PMFarney had the guts to answer the faculty with a Lutheran perspective.  Who knows where that led the process.

I really thought that Farney was a good prospect. I know that many on here may not agree with that assessment. This is complete speculation on my part, but the social media campaign by the student government against Farney, in my opinion, helped derail the entire process and did a huge disservice to the university, not just for Farney, but for all of the 3 candidates.  I doubt if any of the "woke" elite in the student government read the man's CV and only searched for progressive bonafides or racist, sexist and conservative things they would find troubling. It wouldn't surprise me to find that candidates pulled their names after the visits to campus. If this was not the case, I would like very much to know why the board felt the need to start the entire process over again. I have only been on the boards of much smaller institutions, but I find it highly unusual that the selection process had proceeded to this point only to completely fail.

I would guess that the reason why they decided to redo the search was that they felt that they could get better candidates in a closed search. I also believe that they changed the search firm.

I liked Farney's business background. For me, the biggest issue with Farney was that he would be going from a VP position (not provost) to President at a university which was larger than his current university. That is a pretty big leap!

If I'm recallig Farney's resume, he also could have probably afforded to redo the ARC!!!

Quote from: vu84v2 on June 25, 2020, 01:20:42 PM

Quote from: FWalum on June 25, 2020, 11:39:25 AM

Quote from: crusadermoe on June 24, 2020, 12:43:05 PMFarney had the guts to answer the faculty with a Lutheran perspective.  Who knows where that led the process.

I really thought that Farney was a good prospect. I know that many on here may not agree with that assessment. This is complete speculation on my part, but the social media campaign by the student government against Farney, in my opinion, helped derail the entire process and did a huge disservice to the university, not just for Farney, but for all of the 3 candidates.  I doubt if any of the "woke" elite in the student government read the man's CV and only searched for progressive bonafides or racist, sexist and conservative things they would find troubling. It wouldn't surprise me to find that candidates pulled their names after the visits to campus. If this was not the case, I would like very much to know why the board felt the need to start the entire process over again. I have only been on the boards of much smaller institutions, but I find it highly unusual that the selection process had proceeded to this point only to completely fail.

I would guess that the reason why they decided to redo the search was that they felt that they could get better candidates in a closed search. I also believe that they changed the search firm.

I liked Farney's business background. For me, the biggest issue with Farney was that he would be going from a VP position (not provost) to President at a university which was larger than his current university. That is a pretty big leap!

It is true Dr. Farney was not currently a university president or provost. That said, it isn't just that he had some random business background: His resume lists being Managing Director and Global Head of Asset Backed Finance for J.P. Morgan. You don't get to having a job like that without some serious leadership and management skills.  Coupled with his current position as VP for Advancement, Vocation and Alumni Engagement at Wheaton College (and being a scholar in religious history among other factors), he seemed uniquely qualified and capable in my opinion

As I recall, some of those were opposed to his candidacy were troubled by Wheaton's policies and not Dr. Farney per se. 

I hope we seriously pursue Dr. Farney or a similar type candidate for the open dean of the CoB. Would be a great and much needed fit.

I think others on this board go to VU in the late 70s, 80s, or early 90s?  In my conversations with alumni of that age, the business major was big.  Careerism and pragmatism ran deep in the student culture.   

Call that culture what you will.  But it didn't go deep into thoughts of invalidating centuries of American and world history.   The university even dared to call the Christ College honors freshman year core course, "Western Civilization."  Horrors!!  That was changed several years later.   Why on earth should you learn in depth the history of your family and its nation, and the common law ancestry underneath it, warts and all?  Surely 18 year olds should be ready to throw all of that under the bus. 

We were in danger of not keeping up with the "Joneses" at the secular or liberal private schools.  Hillsdale has done just fine financially without government money and has unapologetically focused on logical reasoning skills and knowledge of the constitution and in western studies.  Emotional viewing of history is nice, but not ultimately helpful.

Is it possible that the faculty and students of the last two decades have convinced themselves that our next leader should be someone who thinks like them.  Have they considered the fund-raising success ahead when the new leader encounters large numbers of pragmatic and even conservative alumni? 

If so, we are at a fork in the road or even needing to re-trace  a few steps back to that fork.

I would accept any president who will allow full intelligent debate of all topics from all viewpoints and to "follow the truth......wherever that might lead."   

Sometimes 2 plus 2 equals 4 even if you "feel like" it should equal 5. 

New Interim President Named: Colette Irwin-Knott


Effective Sept. 1, 2020, Colette Irwin-Knott '81, a member of the Board since 2009, will serve as Interim President-Elect. President Heckler will transition leadership responsibilities to Ms. Irwin-Knott during the month of September and will become President Emeritus after the completion of academic program review matters currently in process. As President Emeritus, he will continue active fundraising efforts for Forever Valpo: The Campaign for Our Future and assist in presidential transition matters. Ms. Irwin-Knott will become Interim President at the time President Heckler becomes President Emeritus.


Colette Irwin-Knott graduated from Valparaiso University with a bachelor of science in 1981. She spent her career in the field of public finance with HJ Umbaugh & Associates in Indianapolis, Indiana, retiring as a partner in the firm in 2014. She worked closely with educators throughout Indiana on hundreds of school and library projects involving the issuance of municipal bonds. She has been an instrumental leader at local, state, and national levels of public finance, and has represented independent financial advisors at the federal level as regulations were developed for this industry. While at Umbaugh she began a women's initiative for career development, and she has mentored numerous young women and men in their respective professions. She has been active in ministries assisting inner-city teenage youth in Indianapolis. Her interests have also included the arts and serving on the Board of the Indianapolis Public Library Foundation. Among her many professional and charitable activities, the Indianapolis Business Journal recognized her as a "Woman in the Lead for Financial Services."


Currently, she serves on the Executive Committee of the Board, chairs its Finance and Administration Committee, and serves on the Campus Life and Presidential Search Committees. She and her husband, Gary Knott, are the parents of two adult sons, Aaron and Stefan.

Quote from: valpopal on July 29, 2020, 12:17:53 PM

New Interim President Named: Colette Irwin-Knott


Effective Sept. 1, 2020, Colette Irwin-Knott '81, a member of the Board since 2009, will serve as Interim President-Elect. President Heckler will transition leadership responsibilities to Ms. Irwin-Knott during the month of September and will become President Emeritus after the completion of academic program review matters currently in process. As President Emeritus, he will continue active fundraising efforts for Forever Valpo: The Campaign for Our Future and assist in presidential transition matters. Ms. Irwin-Knott will become Interim President at the time President Heckler becomes President Emeritus.


Colette Irwin-Knott graduated from Valparaiso University with a bachelor of science in 1981. She spent her career in the field of public finance with HJ Umbaugh & Associates in Indianapolis, Indiana, retiring as a partner in the firm in 2014. She worked closely with educators throughout Indiana on hundreds of school and library projects involving the issuance of municipal bonds. She has been an instrumental leader at local, state, and national levels of public finance, and has represented independent financial advisors at the federal level as regulations were developed for this industry. While at Umbaugh she began a women's initiative for career development, and she has mentored numerous young women and men in their respective professions. She has been active in ministries assisting inner-city teenage youth in Indianapolis. Her interests have also included the arts and serving on the Board of the Indianapolis Public Library Foundation. Among her many professional and charitable activities, the Indianapolis Business Journal recognized her as a "Woman in the Lead for Financial Services."


Currently, she serves on the Executive Committee of the Board, chairs its Finance and Administration Committee, and serves on the Campus Life and Presidential Search Committees. She and her husband, Gary Knott, are the parents of two adult sons, Aaron and Stefan.

Very Interesting. Clearly the idea is finance driven given the current state of affairs.  I would expect the final replacement to hold significant academic credentials.  Lots going on!

That's kind of an odd move.  You're basically conceding that you can't attract a president right now and maybe that is just honesty.   

She sounds great and knows the realities of VU finance due to her board oversight role.   I agree that phasing out a Heckler role seems like a financial move. 

Quote from: crusadermoe on July 29, 2020, 02:23:16 PM
That's kind of an odd move.  You're basically conceding that you can't attract a president right now and maybe that is just honesty.   

She sounds great and knows the realities of VU finance due to her board oversight role.   I agree that phasing out a Heckler role seems like a financial move. 

They were put into a bind when provost Biermann departed for the presidency at another college. As with so many other schools with searches pending, suspended, or regrouping, the provost is the obvious choice for interim/acting president. But when your #2 leaves, the bench quickly becomes razor thin.

Also, the pool of folks willing to relocate and jump into a new situation with this ongoing pandemic starts to shrink fast as well. Even the task of moving suddenly becomes even more herculean than a normal move.

We keep talking on this thread about Heckler's achievements in endowment giving, largely through the glorious (10 years of counting) Forever Valpo campaign. 

Somewhere in the bowels of the NACUBO webiste there must be a way to compare the value of the July 2008 endowment value held when he started and the June 2020 endowment status. 

How much endowment in cash gifts was actually raised in cash gifts from donors?...rather than gained in market growth during a long steady 2010-2019 bull market?   

Quote from: crusadermoe on July 30, 2020, 09:49:07 AM
We keep talking on this thread about Heckler's achievements in endowment giving, largely through the glorious (10 years of counting) Forever Valpo campaign. 

Somewhere in the bowels of the NACUBO webiste there must be a way to compare the value of the July 2008 endowment value held when he started and the June 2020 endowment status. 

How much endowment in cash gifts was actually raised in cash gifts from donors?...rather than gained in market growth during a long steady 2010-2019 bull market?   

So I did a little digging.  I found an article in the Torch that said that the Endowment when Alan Harre left was "about $200,000,000".  So lets give Alan the rounding error and say it was 200M.  I also found a newspaper article which reported Indiana Universities endowments which was written in February of this year.  It said Valpo's Endowment was $259,000,000 which was up from 2017 when it was at $235Mil.

It is nearly impossible to judge Mark's overall record in that regard.  I believe he started The Valpo Day of Giving, which raises money for a variety of things, very little of which goes to increasing the endowment.  That day has been raising around $725,000 each year.  Add to that that the Endowment distributes money each year (call it 5%) so calculating his overall effectiveness is difficult to say the least.

Quote from: vu72 on July 30, 2020, 11:47:03 AM

Quote from: crusadermoe on July 30, 2020, 09:49:07 AM
We keep talking on this thread about Heckler's achievements in endowment giving, largely through the glorious (10 years of counting) Forever Valpo campaign. 

Somewhere in the bowels of the NACUBO webiste there must be a way to compare the value of the July 2008 endowment value held when he started and the June 2020 endowment status. 

How much endowment in cash gifts was actually raised in cash gifts from donors?...rather than gained in market growth during a long steady 2010-2019 bull market?   

So I did a little digging.  I found an article in the Torch that said that the Endowment with Alan Harre left was "about $200,000,000".  So lets give Alan the rounding error and say it was 200M.  I aos found a newspaper article which reported Indiana Universities endowment which was written in February of this year.  It said Valpo's Endowment was $259,000,000 which was up from 2017 when it was at $235Mil.

It is nearly impossible to judge Mark's overall record in that regard.  I believe he started the Valpo Day of Giving, which raises money for a variety of things, none of which go to increasing the endowment.  That has been raising around $725,000 each year.  Add to that that the Endowment distributes money each year (call it 5%) so calculating his overall efectiveness is difficult to say the least.

There are private universities comparable to VU in enrollment and overall financial profile that would die to be able to do a $250m fundraising campaign over a 5-year public phase. In fact, I teach at one of them, a private, regional university with an endowment almost identical to VU's, with tens of thousands of alumni (including lots of successful law and b-school grads). When our centennial arrived back in 2006, the university announced a very modest $75m capital campaign. We couldn't even raise that amount of money; the whole thing simply sputtered after some early successes and we (faculty) never heard another word about it. It would be folly for us to even imagine a $250m campaign.

To be on the verge of wrapping up a successful fundraising campaign of this magnitude is quite an achievement, and Mark Heckler deserves a significant amount of credit for that. In addition to immediate gifts and forthcoming bequests, it helped to change the alumni culture of giving. (I speak as someone who made a campaign bequest and became a monthly donor -- much, much more than I'd ever done before.)

That said, the pandemic has exacerbated financial vulnerabilities at virtually every higher ed institution in the country. For the next few years at least, the main goal is going to be survival. It's going to be a rough ride, and some will be looking for scapegoats. The reality is that VU is in a better position to get through this than many comparable institutions.

Heckler certainly is a good speaker and he proved his skills as an actor earlier in his career. 

But over the period of 1998-2008 Alan Harre led a campaign raising $121 million in five years and another raising $230 million in five. 

Then over the period of 2009-2020 Mark Heckler launched one campaign that has raised $250 million.   

I'll take the work horse over the show horse if I want to stack up some hay.   I've shared those stats earlier in the thread so I won't note them again.

Quote from: crusadermoe on July 30, 2020, 03:02:24 PM
Heckler certainly is a good speaker and he proved his skills as an actor earlier in his career. 

But over the period of 1998-2008 Alan Harre led a campaign raising $121 million in five years and another raising $230 million in five. 

Then over the period of 2009-2020 Mark Heckler launched one campaign that has raised $250 million.   

I'll take the work horse over the show horse if I want to stack up some hay.   I've shared those stats earlier in the thread so I won't note them again.

So Alan "raised" 351 million but left when the endowment was 200 million. Were all those pledges from people in their 20's?

Quote from: crusadermoe on July 30, 2020, 03:02:24 PM
Heckler certainly is a good speaker and he proved his skills as an actor earlier in his career. 

But over the period of 1998-2008 Alan Harre led a campaign raising $121 million in five years and another raising $230 million in five. 

Then over the period of 2009-2020 Mark Heckler launched one campaign that has raised $250 million.   

I'll take the work horse over the show horse if I want to stack up some hay.   I've shared those stats earlier in the thread so I won't note them again.

Harre was VU's President for 20 years, while Heckler has served for a little over 10, so I think that should be considered if you're comparing fundraising amounts. That said, Harre brought VU into the modern era of university development work and deserves enormous credit for that. It should be pointed out, in any event, that Heckler arrived just as the full brunt of the Great Recession was impacting the economy and jobs. The decline in non-profit giving was especially notable among high-income philanthropic donors, the kinds of folks who give larger gifts. It would take a few years for charitable giving to recover, which happened to coincide with when VU publicly launched the Forever Valpo campaign in 2016.

The next VU President will have a similarly tough task when it comes to fundraising, perhaps even harder. A lot of older alums (early Gen X and beyond) have dug deep for the Forever Valpo campaign, and it won't be easy to go back to that group for larger gifts. Subsequent generations are simultaneously paying off significant student loan debt while getting their lives and careers off the ground, and they may be unable or hesitant to make a big gift. And, of course, this pandemic has everyone nervous about, well, everything.

You raise some good points.  Thanks. 

Yes, the future looks concerning.   Especially if we put ourselves "on hold" indefinitely until we find a vaccine.

We have already swatted a COVID "fly" with a $2T sledgehammer by stopping everyone from working and now the cynical opportunistic Dems are seeking a $3T one.  The cost of our cure is getting MUCH more expensive than the disease. These money giveaways will create a perception that money is free and the votes of our most ignorant voters will have been purchased.  You can't put that perceived "free dollars to voters" genie back in the bottle.  But if i need to pay rent or food I get why.

At some point you have to pay those bond holders higher interest rates to get them to keep buying your debt.  So all these late Gen X alumni of VU and even young boomers will drown in taxes in the next 10-20 years because the rate on that huge U.S. debt will swamp the government budget and compete with S.S. funding to kill it  early. If the big debt unionized pensioner states of CA, NY, NJ and IL get a chance to bail themselves out with federal money everyone goes down with that ship even earlier.   Ok, breathe...

Quote from: crusadermoe on July 30, 2020, 07:17:57 PM
You raise some good points.  Thanks. 

Yes, the future looks concerning.   Especially if we put ourselves "on hold" indefinitely until we find a vaccine.

We have already swatted a COVID "fly" with a $2T sledgehammer by stopping everyone from working and now the cynical opportunistic Dems are seeking a $3T one.  The cost of our cure is getting MUCH more expensive than the disease. These money giveaways will create a perception that money is free and the votes of our most ignorant voters will have been purchased.  You can't put that perceived "free dollars to voters" genie back in the bottle.  But if i need to pay rent or food I get why.

At some point you have to pay those bond holders higher interest rates to get them to keep buying your debt.  So all these late Gen X alumni of VU and even young boomers will drown in taxes in the next 10-20 years because the rate on that huge U.S. debt will swamp the government budget and compete with S.S. funding to kill it  early. If the big debt unionized pensioner states of CA, NY, NJ and IL get a chance to bail themselves out with federal money everyone goes down with that ship even earlier.   Ok, breathe...

I disagree that "ignorant voters" are being bought off with the enhanced unemployment payments. In a nation where a huge percentage of the population is living paycheck to paycheck -- which covers voters of all political persuasions -- sudden unemployment means not having money to cover basic living expenses. It's as simple as that. And most of these folks are ready to go back to work when it's safe to do so. Recent studies by the Fed (Chicago) and by Yale researchers have found that the enhanced payments have not led people to work less.

The pandemic is revving up economic conditions that were in play well before the coronavirus arrived. As you suggest, the disappearance of viable pension and retirement plans has tens of millions of people hurtling toward traditional retirement years without necessary funds. It hasn't helped that state governments who agreed to these public pension plans never invested sufficient money to fund them. We can easily save Social Security for the long haul if we raise the payroll tax income cap on those who can easily afford to pay a little extra, but the current political climate won't permit that.

As for COVID being a "fly," I respectfully disagree. I live in Massachusetts, and we've lost over 8,000 people to this disease, with a lot of other survivors of all ages left with chronic health impacts. Our shutdown has been painful but necessary, and is finally showing signs of success. I have friends in New York and Florida who can share stories about how terrible and frightening this has been as well. Good leadership could've nipped much of this thing in the bud (look at much of Europe and New Zealand, for example), but we didn't have that, especially when public health experts were already sounding the warning. And now it's clear that, on the whole, America lacks the self-discipline and intelligence to do what's necessary to wrestle this thing down more decisively. It's likely that we'll be dealing with both the health and financial repercussions for our lifetimes.

All of which means that U.S. higher ed will face pretty rough waters. Universities are among the most resilient institutions in the history of the Western world, so I'm assuming they'll manage to stay around as long as there's a demand for post-secondary learning. Valpo has a brand name both national (to a Lutheran constituency) and regional (as a strong academic institution in both liberal arts and professional training), so it has some advantages. But it will not be easy.

Guess we both had a good rant.

The initial Relief bill was needed..We all had great fear of the unknown.  It feels like we are skewing against risk now.

But I wemt off topic too far.
I invite you to the Off Topic thread since i am in agreement with you on Social Security. I think paynents need both a high floor and low ceiling.  The Bowles Simpson comittee did a lot of the work already.

Quote from: crusadermoe on July 30, 2020, 10:13:25 PMThe initial Relief bill was needed..We all had great fear of the unknown.  It feels like we are skewing against risk now.

I believe that the second wave of infection has put the country right back where it started with this virus and that the second stimulus is just as or more important than the first. New job losses are happening that people feel are permanent and the only real hope is that change can be had through an election. Unless, of course, we allow the election to be manipulated by a president reaching for a possible semi dictatorship status.

Quote from: crusadermoe on July 30, 2020, 07:17:57 PMBut if i need to pay rent or food I get why.

To those millions who have lost their jobs, it becomes more than rent and food.  The health system in the US is overwhelmingly tied to employment.  If you lose your job you lose your health insurance.  So now we have a young family with no income, say, two kids but one is diabetic and medicaid becomes the only option. As same states have chosen not to expand Medicaid coverage, you may still not be eligible. A real mess...

There has been some discussion on this board re: Heckler v. Harre fundraising, endowment history, etc.

Published without comment - Here are the numbers and VU's endowment rank since 2002 out of approximately 700 colleges and universities:

2002 118mil; rank #266
2003 115mil; rank #268
2004 130mil; rank #274
2005 143mil; rank #272
2006 166mil; rank #265
2007 192mil; rank #263
2008 199mil; rank #253
2009 140mil; rank #284
2010 140mil; rank #305
2011 163mil; rank #309
2012 163mil; rank #302
2013 177mil; rank #301
2014 202mil; rank #302
2015 204mil; rank #302
2016 204mil; rank #295
2017 235mil; rank #283
2018 250mil; rank #284
2019 259mil; rank #278

Paul

Quote from: 78crusader on July 31, 2020, 02:27:02 PM
There has been some discussion on this board re: Heckler v. Harre fundraising, endowment history, etc.

Published without comment - Here are the numbers and VU's endowment rank since 2002 out of approximately 700 colleges and universities:

2002 118mil; rank #266
2003 115mil; rank #268
2004 130mil; rank #274
2005 143mil; rank #272
2006 166mil; rank #265
2007 192mil; rank #263
2008 199mil; rank #253
2009 140mil; rank #284
2010 140mil; rank #305
2011 163mil; rank #309
2012 163mil; rank #302
2013 177mil; rank #301
2014 202mil; rank #302
2015 204mil; rank #302
2016 204mil; rank #295
2017 235mil; rank #283
2018 250mil; rank #284
2019 259mil; rank #278

Paul

The biggest drop is 2008 to 2009 -- a loss of roughly 30 percent of its gross amount and 31 places on the endowment rankings -- the heart of the Great Recession. That's a brutal percentage drop. That we fell "only" 31 places shows has badly higher ed got smacked during that time. It was followed by another drop of 21 places even though the endowment remained the same. I'm wondering if VU pulled some of its principal out of the market in 2009-10, as it was starting to recover.

In any event, the Forever Valpo public phase years (2016-onward) show VU clawing its way back.

The pre-2002 years would be interesting to see, and I'm betting that's where Harre's successes are more evident. But Heckler arrived and departed during two of the worst times for the country and for higher ed.

From 2000 to 2008 Valpo wasbetter in basketball and had higher national recogintion, and the ranking follows this. Could this be a coincidence where basketball success contributes, certainly not in a primary manner but with some contribution? At USC, academic standards rose while the football program improved and was nationally ranked. There is correlation in some cases where athletic success enables academic improvement.

Quote from: usc4valpo on August 02, 2020, 09:40:23 AM
From 2000 to 2008 Valpo wasbetter in basketball and had higher national recogintion, and the ranking follows this. Could this be a coincidence where basketball success contributes, certainly not in a primary manner but with some contribution? At USC, academic standards rose while the football program improved and was nationally ranked. There is correlation in some cases where athletic success enables academic improvement.

I think it can make a difference when a powerhouse sports school with an alumni base of fans that follows their teams closely after graduation is playing for national championships and major Bowl appearances. And it can also make a difference if a Cinderella team like VU's '98 Sweet Sixteen run gets national attention.

But if we're talking about on-the-court success that is not exactly the stuff of national coverage -- a few one-and-done appearances in the NCAA and NIT during the span you mention -- I'd be surprised if that gives a big boost to fundraising. My sense is that for the men's basketball program to have an impact like that, it would have to be closer to a Gonzaga level of excellence.

I am certainly not knocking the ability of basketball success to draw attention to Valpo and then possibly add student interest and applications.  I do however wonder the correlation between the two, particularly for the high achieving student often coming to Valpo for academic reasons.  A Christ College student (I know there must be a few on this board) may not have much time to attend games particularly if they also are in the Chorale or orchestra or even a fraternity or sorority.

There needs to be attention and effort on all fronts.  Two very important events for prospective students were cancelled this year.  The first was the Lutheran Basketball Association of America tournament.  This draws Lutheran grade school students (and their coaches and parents) from all over the country and includes at least 500 kids, albeit grade school kids--but still gives them an on campus experience at Valpo--for future reference.  I think back to our NIT run and the game against Florida State, the night of the opening convocation for the tournament.  After the event, the packed Chapel was invited to go to the game.  Think there were some impressed kids?

The second cancellation was the Lutheran Music Program, hosted by Valpo every summer.  This brings about 100 high school kids to Valpo for a whole month!  These are incredible musicians and undoubtedly very good students.  Many of these do chose Valpo.  The loss of exposure this summer, no doubt has hurt.

Its a multifaceted approach to recruiting.  All hands on deck!

Quote from: David81 on August 02, 2020, 10:46:16 AM

Quote from: usc4valpo on August 02, 2020, 09:40:23 AMFrom 2000 to 2008 Valpo wasbetter in basketball and had higher national recogintion, and the ranking follows this. Could this be a coincidence where basketball success contributes, certainly not in a primary manner but with some contribution? At USC, academic standards rose while the football program improved and was nationally ranked. There is correlation in some cases where athletic success enables academic improvement.

I think it can make a difference when a powerhouse sports school with an alumni base of fans that follows their teams closely after graduation is playing for national championships and major Bowl appearances. And it can also make a difference if a Cinderella team like VU's '98 Sweet Sixteen run gets national attention. But if we're talking about on-the-court success that is not exactly the stuff of national coverage -- a few one-and-done appearances in the NCAA and NIT during the span you mention -- I'd be surprised if that gives a big boost to fundraising. My sense is that for the men's basketball program to have an impact like that, it would have to be closer to a Gonzaga level of excellence.

I have to disagree here. Appearing in the tournament on a somewhat consistent basis, not necessarily every year, brings exposure to the school which I would think would enhance fundraising. Gonzaga is unique in what they have done with a school and program which 20 years ago was around the equal of Valpo and I don't think that situation exists with any other school/program.

My guess is that endowment levels and athletics don't correlate much.  Other than Mr. Schrage's permanent gift it seems like the big endowment and estate money flows to scholarships arts, and core academics, which makes sense.  I always figured athletics was a bigger factor in attracting kids than getting big gifts. 

Unfortunately, COVID (or the over reaction to it) has rocked the viability of college sports to its core.  Planning on basketball or athletics as a core publicity, admissions, and revenue strategy has been shaken and that saddens me.  It knocks out a positive Valpo factor right after we joined the MVC. 

The Power 5 and perhaps the Big East can feel solid financially as soon as a vaccine comes out because their athletics self support.  That's a hedge in their risk.  All others don't have a cushion to take that risk now because their main operations budget subsidizes sports costs.

Well, VU has entered a transitional phase in its history with Interim President Colette Irwin-Knott now sending out greetings to the incoming class. I wish her well, and I hope this year is as uneventful as a year with a pandemic can be.

I've been thinking about comments here about what kind of new president VU needs, his/her support of sports, fundraising, and whatnot. The more I think about it, the more I believe it's not about finding a "business president" or an "academic president" or any other label. It's about finding the person who is the right fit for the moment, and it's not necessarily someone who comes from a predictable place.

After I graduated from VU, I headed off to NYC for law school at NYU. Guess who was the president there? None other than John Brademas, the long-time Indiana Congressman and House Leader (and former Rhodes Scholar) who had been ousted from his South Bend district seat during the 1980 Reagan election. He was a remarkably successful president, raising gobs of money and bringing all sorts of national and global luminaries to campus. Two presidential appointments later came John Sexton, who had been the dean of the law school. He raised even more gobs of money and made NYU a top ticket destination for college-bound high school seniors. Neither had a big-name sports program to offer visibility, as NYU had phased out of D1 sports decades earlier in favor of a modest D3 program (and no football).

Which is to say...you find the right person where you find them...instead of pigeonholing a category and limiting yourself. VU has a unique challenge: It's too big to be a "church college," and with all of the successful professional programs it wouldn't fit into that niche anyway. But it cannot give up its Lutheran connection either, as that is one of its distinctive characteristics. And while the liberal arts may not be favored in today's return-on-investment climate, VU's strong liberal arts foundation, plus the unique draw of Christ College, means that you don't abandon those pieces either.

The sports thing is hard to gauge. The men's basketball program has had enough success to offer a taste of what it's like to be in that national lane. But college sports are destined to be under increasingly scrutiny due to expenses, and the mid-major programs will face challenges.

So, it's a bit of juggling act. Many things to many people, leaning conservative but welcoming of all, with a core of faith and a blend of liberal arts and vocation. I think it takes a unique leader to understand that mix and to be effective advocating for it.

Anyway, just sharing some thoughts.

Quote from: David81 on August 17, 2020, 06:00:33 PM
Well, VU has entered a transitional phase in its history with Interim President Colette Irwin-Knott now sending out greetings to the incoming class. I wish her well, and I hope this year is as uneventful as a year with a pandemic can be.

I've been thinking about comments here about what kind of new president VU needs, his/her support of sports, fundraising, and whatnot. The more I think about it, the more I believe it's not about finding a "business president" or an "academic president" or any other label. It's about finding the person who is the right fit for the moment, and it's not necessarily someone who comes from a predictable place.

After I graduated from VU, I headed off to NYC for law school at NYU. Guess who was the president there? None other than John Brademas, the long-time Indiana Congressman and House Leader (and former Rhodes Scholar) who had been ousted from his South Bend district seat during the 1980 Reagan election. He was a remarkably successful president, raising gobs of money and bringing all sorts of national and global luminaries to campus. Two presidential appointments later came John Sexton, who had been the dean of the law school. He raised even more gobs of money and made NYU a top ticket destination for college-bound high school seniors. Neither had a big-name sports program to offer visibility, as NYU had phased out of D1 sports decades earlier in favor of a modest D3 program (and no football).

Which is to say...you find the right person where you find them...instead of pigeonholing a category and limiting yourself. VU has a unique challenge: It's too big to be a "church college," and with all of the successful professional programs it wouldn't fit into that niche anyway. But it cannot give up its Lutheran connection either, as that is one of its distinctive characteristics. And while the liberal arts may not be favored in today's return-on-investment climate, VU's strong liberal arts foundation, plus the unique draw of Christ College, means that you don't abandon those pieces either.

The sports thing is hard to gauge. The men's basketball program has had enough success to offer a taste of what it's like to be in that national lane. But college sports are destined to be under increasingly scrutiny due to expenses, and the mid-major programs will face challenges.

So, it's a bit of juggling act. Many things to many people, leaning conservative but welcoming of all, with a core of faith and a blend of liberal arts and vocation. I think it takes a unique leader to understand that mix and to be effective advocating for it.

Anyway, just sharing some thoughts.

I would add, brilliantly written.  A thoughtful post opening the crust of all things Valpo.  I think a lawyer from Boston may just be the right person for the job!   :clap: :clap: :clap:

With one exception, I also thought this was beautifully written and hit on many very important points. However, I do not understand why leaning conservative (or any political direction) would have any part in who would make a good leader. But welcoming to all is vital.

Quote from: vu84v2 on August 17, 2020, 09:50:17 PM
With one exception, I also thought this was beautifully written and hit on many very important points. However, I do not understand why leaning conservative (or any political direction) would have any part in who would make a good leader. But welcoming to all is vital.

Thank you for the good words.

Just to clarify, I don't think the next president (or any VU leader) has to lean conservative. But the institution definitely leans that way, including its alumni base. I used to have more issues with that, but so long as the school has room for different points of view, I'm okay with it. Despite my own liberal politics, I've seen what can happen at higher ed institutions that lean far to the left. I prefer a balance with room for all, because it helps us grow and gain understanding.

I happen to be Mark Heckler fan. Getting to know him a bit helped to bring me back into the fold as a contributing (uh, as in $) alum, among other things. I can tell that his more liberal leanings have rankled some folks here, but those values come from his faith, not simple political posturing. I think he has taken some courageous stands on diversity and inclusion in ways that were not part of my experience of VU in the late 70s and early 80s. (I happened to be one of small handful of minority students at VU -- in my case Asian American -- and the lack of diversity left its mark on me.)

So, I just hope VU can weather this immediate situation, shore up its finances in a post-pandemic academic climate, and sustain in a good way. Selecting the right leader for next decade or so will make a big difference.

Quote from: vu72 on August 17, 2020, 07:50:31 PM

I would add, brilliantly written.  A thoughtful post opening the crust of all things Valpo.  I think a lawyer from Boston may just be the right person for the job!   :clap: :clap: :clap:

[/quote]

That's very kind of you to say that! Believe me, academic administration would not be my cuppa tea. I'm also a firm believer in the Peter Principle, having seen it validated in academe time and again. I enjoy being a professor, and it's what I do best.

But I do hope the right person is out there for VU. Challenges notwithstanding, I think it presents an opportunity to be part of a unique and important university.

Indeed your post was well reasoned and well written.  You pinpoint the strategic conundrums for Valpo in being a small to mid-size school but also a true university trying to overlay an honors college and exceptional liberal arts classes. 

The financial deficit constraints and the reality of high tuition discounting in the midwest market add the truly challenging layer.  The only way to advance such a unique place and its balancing act is to raise huge amounts of money.  Not impossible, but a tall order.     

Weird stuff is going on at the University.  Now Julie McGraw, the former Vice President for Student Life is out and and Interim Vice President has been named by the Interim Provost. Soon Valpo will have more Interims than the Trump Administration.

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_f069742c-1535-11eb-a2bf-4381e09803e1.html

With any leadership change, there is bound to be some shuffling around.  My CEO retires at the end of this year, and though the new CEO is coming from within SiriusXM + Pandora, there will obviously be realignment as the new CEO views best for the business long-term.

Quote from: vu72 on October 24, 2020, 10:48:01 AM
Weird stuff is going on at the University.  Now Julie McGraw, the former Vice President for Student Life is out and and Interim Vice President has been named by the Interim Provost. Soon Valpo will have more Interims than the Trump Administration.

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_f069742c-1535-11eb-a2bf-4381e09803e1.html

The Torch article you linked certainly suggests that her departure was not in the normal course of things. The departure of any senior administrator during an ongoing academic year is unusual. Out of curiosity, I checked online and saw that she had just arrived last year, so maybe the job wasn't a good fit.

That said, part of the new normal for the current higher ed environment is that folks are making decisions outside of their typical cycle. It can be unsettling. For all the valid complaints about how hidebound academe can be, that quality goes along with their resilience and continuity. The pandemic is certainly turning out to be a disruptor that keeps giving.

Statistics continue to flood into stories in the WSJ and elsewhere.   Most are saying that gradual problems in the higher education industry suddenly accelerated and we won't be going back to normal again.

It's a sad day for those of us who enjoyed a full residential experience in our college years and wish all kids could receive it who seek it.  But at this point, the vaccine is the only rescuing factor and it will move slowly as people stay wary of the crowds that make college fun.  Only major money boosts from gifts will help colleges provide that rare environment (if they are not wealthy flagship universities are very well endowed private schools.)   Valpo stands at that apex and hopefully can get through it.