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https://alumni.valpo.edu/s/1347/21/home.aspx?sid=1347&gid=1&pgid=3615

Alumni office is sharing stories of Valpo couples who met on campus. Sounds like they are building a theme with an email I got last night about how "love can move mountains" and making a gift to Valpo.

of course that "Forever" money from Heckler was alleged to raise spendable money too.  Where did that money go?

https://www.valpo.edu/valpomag/2022/01/14/forever-more/

Found this article from '22. Around $30M went into annual giving for immediate-use spending on student scholarships.

Maybe you guys missed this:

There's a big difference between $750k over three years, vs. $35m all at once.

Valpo did submit a proposal and can try again in the spring during a second round of applications.

Appreciate the insider info, 'pal. Do you know what the grant would have supported?

Any university seeking this grant needed to submit a proposal. We do not know if Valpo submitted a proposal.

Could the grant have applied to any of the capital projects we know are in the works? Dorms, nursing building, or arena? Probably depends on how you sell it, but I would bet dorms would be a long shot. Nursing has a new partnership with UChicago, right? That seems community oriented.

If Valpo didn't apply... why not??

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2023/12/15/lilly-endowment-gives-146-million-in-grants-to-six-indiana-colleges/

Lilly has issued major grants to Ball State, Purdue, and other Indiana universities for community partnership endeavors.

A little surprised/disappointed not to see Valpo on the list. I had thought we were close with the Lilly Foundation?

In hindsight, Valpo has been wisely silent on this and other controversial issues. I remember a few years ago Mark Heckler caused a little flurry with a BLM-adjacent statement (some saying it was too much, some saying it wasn't enough).

Anything happening on campus? Any protests, rallies, or marches? Or are students busy studying?

A very nice Christmas greeting from Rev. Dr. Brian Beckstrom: https://youtu.be/MANbNi7Sl80

Nice to see Valpo leaning into their Lutheran character this Christmas!

All I see, as an alum who cares greatly and tries to engage more than the average alum, are requests for money (which is fine and appropriate) and garbage requests looking for people to share their Valpo memories.

I have gotten those same requests and thought I would check in on the page: https://alumni.valpo.edu/s/1347/21/1col.aspx?sid=1347&gid=1&pgid=3367

Half the links are broken, and the only highlighted quotations are from people who (according to LinkedIn) work at the Valpo fundraising office.

The video from Rev. Dr. Beckstrom was nice, though.

I'm not saying that BAs in biology or MAs in marketing are bad or dumb people as suchy - but by definition you are choosing as your consultants people who do not know the processes of the very thing they have been hired to analyzing. It is like deciding to hire in 'consultants' to streamline a bakery's operations, but hiring a dentist whose only familiarity with it is having once eaten some of the type of the baked goods it produces.

I would have thought PhDs would be better with analogies. RPK seems to be more like someone who went to dental school but has been advising bakeries for many years.

https://rpkgroup.com/clients/

Not saying these are good consultants or bad consultants, but they were hired by the Gates Foundation. I don't think the Gates Foundation is hiring dental school dropouts.

In all due respect, stop dragging your feet. Let's get those paintings sold

I believe the Indiana AG still needs to weigh in, if he's not too busy facing professional misconduct charges in his own state.

Is Valpo pushing out any of these stories? The only emails I've been getting have been asking me to upload videos of my own story and advice.

Valpo is doing the right thing:

Officials from Valparaiso University ... are offering all assistance to fly the victim's family to the country.

https://indicanews.com/valparaiso-attacked-indian-student-family-fly-us/

Torch is reporting that the Brauer suit has been dismissed: https://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_3c04d060-750b-11ee-8fa8-7328a984a99a.html

NWI Times, too: https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/education/judge-dismisses-vu-artwork-sale-lawsuit/article_98733e9a-74f2-11ee-aff5-835888e4529d.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

hasn't Valpo made it whisky and cigars

I don't think most alumni can afford the price tag.

Is there an update on the sale, or at least an accounting for its delay? I had thought the NWI judge wanted to move expeditiously, but we are going on a month now in legal limbo.

that giveaway with "no tests required."

Most schools - and good ones, too - are moving to test-optional. A standardized test is a barrier to applying, and so I think Valpo is wise not to require it in a drive for more applications.

A university president would never engage in a public pissing match with a student (or a disgruntled group of faculty members who use the media to carry their story of woe). See Public Relations Blunders 101, Chapter 1.

A university president should refrain from making derisive comments about students, faculty, and alumni. See the introduction to Public Relation Blunders 101.

This university president in particular has a published history of PR blunders. (See also, telling Faculty Senate that he would "not fundraise by asking old white guys for money.")

I have to imagine some of his advisors noted that "not a core resource" would be a perfect rallying cry for opposition to his plan to sell artwork.

Most recently, he introduced his new chief fundraiser - to a room full of alumni - by describing her as "a pickpocket."

President Padilla making an off the cuff statement to students of "are you the muscle?"

Open mouth, insert cowboy boot.

I recall that some time ago that Padilla flagged that as a recruiting priority going forward. And rightly so.

Meanwhile, the prez is on his third VP of enrollment. If the answer is obvious, and this has been a priority for a while, where's the disconnect? Does anyone think we'll see VP #4 in 2024?

You either can't read, or more likely you're trying to create a new narrative.

You took a thread about hazing and hijacked it with an article about trans athletes. You changed the narrative, not me.

Sexual assault is not the same thing as a trans person existing, wh. Peddle this nonsense somewhere else.

Did the entire advancement department quit?

Taking a look at the staff page on alumni.valpo.edu, it looks like the "charitable giving" team has shrunk.

Did anyone mention a price tag for either building project?

Fairly common for senior administrators to be retained as advisors after a transition year.

Whether Padilla is actively seeking Heckler's advice is another question.