Enrollment numbers

[David81]

Yep, rumors like this will fly until the census day. 

The U.S. News college ranking issue usually hits in early September too.  It's weird that we moved into the "national universities" rank now in the US New rankings.  For Valpo admissions and PR writers, it is harder to brag smoothly that we rank #298! (or whatever rank we get). 

When we ranked #1 among midwest universities for many years in the late 70s and 80s that worked really well. For most of the next 40 years we were logically grouped with Bradley, Butler, Drake and we toggled back and forth at #2 through #6 in the midwest rankings.   

U.S. News did VU no favor by moving us from the regionally-based midwestern universities category into the national universities category. Bradley, Butler, and Drake are very solid, peer universities, good company to be in overall. To jostle for a higher place among strong schools like those sends a good message to very solid, promising high school students.

But we get lost in the crowd being in the middle of the pack among the national universities.

These damnable rankings have way too much power than they merit.

[usc4valpo]

How Drake is ranked so high is beyond my understanding. It has been a school that kids attend with marginal HS performance. In Iowa, getting accepted at Iowa, Iowa State and UNI is more difficult than Drake.

[historyman]

How Drake is ranked so high is beyond my understanding. It has been a school that kids attend with marginal HS performance. In Iowa, getting accepted at Iowa, Iowa State and UNI is more difficult than Drake.

Yep, rumors like this will fly until the census day. 

The U.S. News college ranking issue usually hits in early September too.  It's weird that we moved into the "national universities" rank now in the US New rankings.  For Valpo admissions and PR writers, it is harder to brag smoothly that we rank #298! (or whatever rank we get). 

When we ranked #1 among midwest universities for many years in the late 70s and 80s that worked really well. For most of the next 40 years we were logically grouped with Bradley, Butler, Drake and we toggled back and forth at #2 through #6 in the midwest rankings.   

U.S. News did VU no favor by moving us from the regionally-based midwestern universities category into the national universities category. Bradley, Butler, and Drake are very solid, peer universities, good company to be in overall. To jostle for a higher place among strong schools like those sends a good message to very solid, promising high school students.

But we get lost in the crowd being in the middle of the pack among the national universities.

These damnable rankings have way too much power than they merit.

Well, you keep crusading to get Valpo back to the Midwestern universities category. You will be like a tenacious dog, A beacon of light in the rankings game that helps Valpo blaze past the doubters.

[David81]

How Drake is ranked so high is beyond my understanding. It has been a school that kids attend with marginal HS performance. In Iowa, getting accepted at Iowa, Iowa State and UNI is more difficult than Drake.

Compare Drake's admissions standards to VU's:

Drake: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/drake-university-1860/applying

VU: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/valparaiso-university-1842/applying

I think Drake has raised its game over the years.

[valpopal]

If the enrollment is down it isn't due to a lack of foreign students. A picture on Facebook this morning shows hundreds of international students.

Yes, though "hundreds" is an exaggeration, the university hopes final enrollment numbers will reveal more new international students this semester than they have had since 2014. This is a positive and welcome development.

[usc4valpo]

I have to question this data in general. First of all, less students are taking the SAT compared the ACT.  Second, getting accepted at UNI is more difficult than Drake, where Drake is in more dire need to boost enrollment.

One thing about the data which blows me away is the scattering of data points.

[David81]

I have to question this data in general. First of all, less students are taking the SAT compared the ACT.  Second, getting accepted at UNI is more difficult than Drake, where Drake is in more dire need to boost enrollment.

One thing about the data which blows me away is the scattering of data points.

One must assume that any school/academic unit subject to the US News rankings is trying to tweak its data to look as strong as possible, without crossing a line that can get you suspended from the rankings if caught -- and some have been caught. I know of no other set of metrics that are looked at as closely by institutions of higher learning.

[valpo tundra]

There are hundreds of international students. Almost 150 new, in fact. Most of those are IT students from Hyderabad, India.

[historyman]

I found out something this week that may send a shock through some of you. Nearly one third of all the pre-med majors at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland which mostly are involved in the University Hospitals/Cleveland Clinic/CWRU Medical School system are of Indian descent and at least half are not Americans with about half having a first language other than English. Although a majority understand English.

[valpopal]

There are hundreds of international students. Almost 150 new, in fact. Most of those are IT students from Hyderabad, India.

Yes, I knew the official number, which is why I wrote that "hundreds" is an "exaggeration." It still is since that implies plural of a hundred, meaning at least two hundred. Yet, as I said, "this is a positive and welcome development."

[David81]

President Padilla's short welcome back video. It's got humor and heart quality. It shows a guy willing to put himself out there in a way that's both funny and serious. And especially for folks on this board, it shows an engagement with VU sports. I like it. 

https://youtu.be/ADbajCG4sE4

[usc4valpo]

historyman - not a surprise at all.

[vu84v2]

There are hundreds of international students. Almost 150 new, in fact. Most of those are IT students from Hyderabad, India.

Yes, I knew the official number, which is why I wrote that "hundreds" is an "exaggeration." It still is since that implies plural of a hundred, meaning at least two hundred. Yet, as I said, "this is a positive and welcome development."

Are these 150 IT students on campus or are they remote?

[valpopal]

There are hundreds of international students. Almost 150 new, in fact. Most of those are IT students from Hyderabad, India.

Yes, I knew the official number, which is why I wrote that "hundreds" is an "exaggeration." It still is since that implies plural of a hundred, meaning at least two hundred. Yet, as I said, "this is a positive and welcome development."

Are these 150 IT students on campus or are they remote?

They are on campus.

[vu84v2]

There are hundreds of international students. Almost 150 new, in fact. Most of those are IT students from Hyderabad, India.

Yes, I knew the official number, which is why I wrote that "hundreds" is an "exaggeration." It still is since that implies plural of a hundred, meaning at least two hundred. Yet, as I said, "this is a positive and welcome development."

Are these 150 IT students on campus or are they remote?

They are on campus.

Wow! Kudos to the people at Valpo who made that creative idea happen. I do hope that they also realized that these students will need some additional support systems.

[NotBryceDrew]

They've always had this program or something similar but due to visa issues and then COIVD it was probably shuttered for a few years.

[vu84v2]

They've always had this program or something similar but due to visa issues and then COIVD it was probably shuttered for a few years.

But unless I missed something (and that is always possible), Valpo never had 150 students from a single area in one country.

[valpopal]

They've always had this program or something similar but due to visa issues and then COIVD it was probably shuttered for a few years.

But unless I missed something (and that is always possible), Valpo never had 150 students from a single area in one country.

Let me clarify a bit. Valpo Tundra mentioned that "most" of the international students were IT students from Hyderabad, India. I can't provide that exact number, maybe he can. However, the total of 150+ international students also includes those from a number of other countries and in various fields. 

[valpotx]

When was a statue of Homeless Jesus put on the campus?

[valpopal]

When was a statue of Homeless Jesus put on the campus?

June 19, 2015

[valpo tundra]

One of the most important numbers for the 2022-23 school year is 605 new undergraduate students.

[crusadermoe]

I just looked back at a Valpo2022 post. Surprising numbers.

Roughly:
7.5 % Lutherans (all types)
10% Catholic
10% Baptist and non-denom

Equals:27.5% of total students "identify" as one of those Christian groups?   

So the other 72.5% consists of.whom?
The numbers seem way off the mark........hopefully.

[DuneHwx]

Likely some mainline Protestants in there, but these numbers don't seem far off from what would be expected for non-religious identifying Gen Z. If they asked for atheist/agnostic or none that would be a high percentage.

[vu72]

I just looked back at a Valpo2022 post. Surprising numbers.

Roughly:
7.5 % Lutherans (all types)
10% Catholic
10% Baptist and non-denom

Equals:27.5% of total students "identify" as one of those Christian groups?   

So the other 72.5% consists of.whom?
The numbers seem way off the mark........hopefully.

Not sure what number he was looking at the these show Romans at 16.19 and Lutherans (all branches) at 11.5.  The balance is spread out all over the place but the biggest number is the 34.68% who either left it blank or didn't answer.

https://www.valpo.edu/institutional-effectiveness/files/2022/09/Denominations_All_Students_FA22.pdf

[crusadermoe]

I can't believe a year has flown by.   I think FAFSAs are due around this time of year.  So you probably know your applicants number vs. past year and prior one. 

The new VP hire sounds like a great one.  I wonder how steep a hill she has inherited.  Hopefully we are on an uptick.