President Heckler's Welcome Speech to New Students criticized

[usc4valpo]

The responses from this board have been outstanding. Thank you very much regarding this informative and IMO important conversation.

Non politically speaking, I truly think people in the US are lacking respect and friendliness to each other. I am not sure why we have to be so divisive and rude. We need inclusiveness of course. I also think we need to respect our disagreements and not be over sensitive and blow things out of proportion.

Regarding Heckler, I would be cautious on the political rhetoric. Focus on creating a great university and quit whining about Trump. Enrollment is down and this is a big problem requiring resolution.

[Dave_2010]

So we need to welcome and include Christians, including (of course) those who are evangelical, fundamentalist, etc. And we need to include conservatives. Otherwise, it would not be inclusion.

But don't we also need to include people that are mainline and liberal protestants?  those that are Jewish?  Mormons?  Muslims?  all minorities?  Atheists?  Liberals?  Moderates?  Again, it would not be inclusion without welcoming and respecting them too.

We need to stop demanding that our ideologies must win without exception, regardless of whether we are liberal, conservative or whatever. Instead, we need to respect everyone and their inherent right to have and live by their own beliefs, as long as they do not harm others. This is the environment that Valparaiso needs to strive for. Having a great Christian program does not harm someone that is Jewish, as long as there is not some type of required adherence. Having a gay student organization does not harm an evangelical Christian group.  Etc., etc. I would recommend that Valparaiso focus on what they can do foster this environment.

Well stated. However, that objective has been increasingly harder to achieve in the currently chaotic, divisive and insensitive environment that has developed around us. Inclusion and mutual respect have to work very hard to just to get to the discussion table these days.

That goes back to the idea of having the university run by a pastor instead of a career academic. We should welcome individuals from all perspectives. However, if they don't hear the gospel proclaimed regularly during their 4 years, Valpo has failed to achieve a primary goal of its mission and has ceded the ground that makes it unique. I don't think this is something that Dr Heckler can/will ever fully appreciate.

Over homecoming, an atheist student told me how disheartened he was to have to "deal with people talking about Christ on campus" and that, during his tour, he was told he wouldn't have to be exposed to religion if he didn't want. I told him I thought that was naive considering the prominence of the chapel on campus.

The Christian faith makes a claim to absolute truth. How that truth applies to our world is open for discussion, but denying/not teaching it, especially to the lost when we have the chance, is gross negligence and an insult to our ideals.


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[valporun]

an atheist student told me how disheartened he was to have to "deal with people talking about Christ on campus" and that, during his tour, he was told he wouldn't have to be exposed to religion if he didn't want.

I guess they also forgot to tell him that during his four years, he would be required to take two Theology courses, plus Core/CC would have a lot of their curriculum full of theological thought, readings, and focus. He's also going to a school that follows the Lutheran Tradition of Christianity. Did he really expect Valpo to just drop a part of their background to appease a small minority of people?

[vu84v2]

Dave_2010, my guess is that you are a person that wants everyone to lead a meaningful life - but I strongly disagree with the sentiment of your post. Valparaiso should never claim that Christianity is an absolute truth and have that drive its mission and objectives, and subsequently the environment of the university. If an individual believes that is the absolute truth, of course that is not a problem. If they want to be in groups or programs with others who feel that way, no problem there either. But, regularly proclaiming the gospel constantly to every person at the university and pushing it on other people is wrong and not inclusive. Now you might say that conflicts with your evangelical beliefs, and perhaps it does. But there is a line between "welcoming" and "making good programs available" and pushing your faith on other people. If the atheist student sees a sign on campus or gets an email announcing an event, he or she can choose to ignore it. But there should never be an obligation or encouragement to follow anything religiously at Valparaiso.

As far as having to take theology classes, theology by definition is the study of religion. Requiring a class that teaches what the Christian faith means and how it varies across denominations is learning, not indoctrination. If it crosses over into what is "right and wrong", that is a big problem. Furthermore, theology classes study other religions too. One of the most valuable classes that I ever took at Valparaiso was History of Religions, as it covered Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc. in an unbiased and highly educational manner. The student mentioned in the example does, in my opinion, need to accept that part of being at Valparaiso requires learning about religion.

Again, this is the nature of the inclusive environment that President Heckler should emphasize. If he does not take or promote the ideological side you want, relax - as long as all are respected and welcome.

[vu84v2]

At the risk of being long-winded, I wanted to make one more point. If someone at Valparaiso has different beliefs (Christian or non-Christian) than that of the denomination that Valpo adherers to, they need to relax, too. Being at a function that starts with a thoughtful prayer is likely to be quite a bit different than someone pushing their beliefs on you. Most any pastor and most students respect that they are not proclaiming absolute truth and that you must follow it. You can be respectful, listen and choose to not agree. Frankly, this is part of inclusion too.

[crusadermoe]

This is a short post, but meant seriously.

The interaction Dave2010 had with the atheist prospective student presents two options for enrollment strategies:

1)  Be forthcoming about the role of religious dialog at Valpo
2)  Sell your soul (at least your founding mission) - The words of the first VU president William Dau and the great O.P. Kretzmann would be useful in this thread. 

[vu84v2]

This is a short post, but meant seriously.

The interaction Dave2010 had with the atheist prospective student presents two options for enrollment strategies:

1)  Be forthcoming about the role of religious dialog at Valpo
2)  Sell your soul (at least your founding mission) - The words of the first VU president William Dau and the great O.P. Kretzmann would be useful in this thread. 

That all depends on how you define the role of religious dialog.

[usc4valpo]

I wish I took history of religions. Based on my schedule, I took Christian Ethics and that class was a Sominex special.

[VULB#62]

I wish I took history of religions. Based on my schedule, I took Christian Ethics and that class was a Sominex special.

Piggy-backing on your comment, USC, whether you call it "History of Religion" or "Comparative Religions," in today's world that is something colleges and universities need to have as a featured part of their core curriculum.  On the other hand, in-depth doctrine courses on a particular religious view, for instance, Lutheranism, fits better in a Theology Department where students who are interested can elect to study those things. 

[FWalum]

Dave_2010, my guess is that you are a person that wants everyone to lead a meaningful life - but I strongly disagree with the sentiment of your post. Valparaiso should never claim that Christianity is an absolute truth and have that drive its mission and objectives, and subsequently the environment of the university. If an individual believes that is the absolute truth, of course that is not a problem. If they want to be in groups or programs with others who feel that way, no problem there either. But, regularly proclaiming the gospel constantly to every person at the university and pushing it on other people is wrong and not inclusive. Now you might say that conflicts with your evangelical beliefs, and perhaps it does. But there is a line between "welcoming" and "making good programs available" and pushing your faith on other people. If the atheist student sees a sign on campus or gets an email announcing an event, he or she can choose to ignore it. But there should never be an obligation or encouragement to follow anything religiously at Valparaiso.

As far as having to take theology classes, theology by definition is the study of religion. Requiring a class that teaches what the Christian faith means and how it varies across denominations is learning, not indoctrination. If it crosses over into what is "right and wrong", that is a big problem. Furthermore, theology classes study other religions too. One of the most valuable classes that I ever took at Valparaiso was History of Religions, as it covered Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc. in an unbiased and highly educational manner. The student mentioned in the example does, in my opinion, need to accept that part of being at Valparaiso requires learning about religion.

Again, this is the nature of the inclusive environment that President Heckler should emphasize. If he does not take or promote the ideological side you want, relax - as long as all are respected and welcome.

If you have yet read O. P. Kretzmann's inaugural address titled "The Destiny of a Christian University in the Modern World" here is the link http://library.valpo.edu/archives/presidents/kretzmann.html
Valparaiso is a Christian - Lutheran University, and with that knowledge all potential students should know all are respected and welcome. I think this is made apparent by our ranking in the Washington Monthly Valparaiso University Named Best in Nation for Contribution to Public Good If we are not making these things known to prospective students then that could be a problem.

[78crusader]

The problems and challenges facing VU right now go well beyond several intemperate and thoughtless remarks by President Heckler about the Trump administration.

The central problem, as I see it, is that VU is trying to please everyone, and in the process, winds up pleasing no one.  Either we are a Christian institution first and foremost, or we are not.  We can't focus on international students and "students of all faiths" and be committed to an identity as a Christian institution.

Check out the VU website.  Not one mention of Jesus Christ and the truth of the gospel message.  Instead there are a bunch of catch all phrases like "Lutheran Heritage" and "Lutheran Tradition" and the "Search for Truth."  Meaningless. 

Other area schools have embraced their Christian foundation.  Wheaton, Taylor and Calvin come to mind.  All these places are doing quite well. 

Enrollment is down for the last two years.  This year it is down by a lot.  No new buildings have been started in the last 2 1/2 years.  The current fundraising campaign is sluggish.  And the Law School, I predict, will close at the end of the academic year, bringing down a cascade of unfavorable publicity which will be a punch to the gut for the admissions folks.  Where was the current administration during the last several years, when the Law School was bringing in many students who clearly were going to have difficulty passing the bar exam? 

The undergrad admission policy is to me equally baffling -- we have focused our efforts over the last several years in urban areas rather than the Chicago/Milwaukee/St. Louis suburbs which up until recently were our bread and butter.  The results speak for themselves and this trend, I predict, will be hard to reverse the longer this strategy is in place.

I love VU but we have issues right now that need to be addressed -- and fast.

Paul

[ml2]

Valpo definitely has important issues that need to be sorted out with the law school and student retention. However, are the schools that expressly appeal to conservative Christians really doing that much better than Valpo? The numbers are below. Wheaton certainly looks to be on a different level, but Taylor and Calvin don't look demonstrably different in their profiles to me. And if you start to look at other conservative Christian schools in the area (North Park, Bethel, Huntington, Concordia River Forest) you will see more profiles that look like Taylor's (or worse) and none that are as impressive as Wheaton's.

School	Wheaton	Calvin	Valpo	Taylor
Category	Nat Lib Arts	Reg. Coll.	Reg. Univ.	Reg. Coll.
Rank	63	1	4	2
UG Enroll.	2,456	3,807	3,294	2,131
Acceptance Rate	79%	75%	83%	80%
4yr Grad Rate	82%	62%	54%	66%
Endow. (millions)	388.0	129.1	204.7	76.7

[78crusader]

Our 4 year grad rate is terrible.  It reveals the weaknesses in our current admissions policies and is a main reason why we are #4 in the Midwest instead of #2 or higher.

Paul

[vu84v2]

While I would always agree that universities should focus on improving their graduation rate, you need to be careful in making comparisons between Valparaiso and schools like Wheaton, Calvin, and Taylor. Valparaiso has programs in nursing, engineering, business, and advanced sciences and all of them are accredited at the highest level (which is highly related to difficulty). Wheaton has a business program accredited by a lower body and has a liberal art engineering program (I don't even know what that is, but it is not accredited by ABET and would not be recognized by most companies). Taylor has nursing (I don't know about accreditation in that field) and business, but they are not accredited by the top accreditation body (AACSB). In fact, I have never even heard of the business accreditation bodies for Wheaton and Taylor. Calvin has engineering and it is accredited by the same body as Valpo (ABET).

My point is that Valparaiso has a much greater percentage of students studying fields that have much higher attrition. I don't think that you want to de-emphasize these fields and, in fact, I would suggest Valparaiso needs to continue to increase its emphasis in these fields. Students (and their parents) are going to incur a lot of cost at a private university and you need to really sell how a degree will yield a high paying job/career. In fact, return on investment (demanding that they can get a job that is in a high paying career) is the greatest trend that Valparaiso needs to address.

A more valid comparison might be Marquette, Butler and Dayton and looking at four and six year rates.

Valparaiso  4 year graduation rate: 54%. 6 year graduation rate: 67%
Marquette: 4 year graduation rate: 60%, 6 year graduation rate: 80%
Butler: 4 year graduation rate: 53%, 6 year graduation rate: 76%
Dayton: 4 year graduation rate: 62%, 6 year graduation rate: 77%

So Valpo needs to improve, but it needs to do so in relationship to its peers and focus on its professional disciplines. Enrollment is not down in the professional disciplines. Engineering and Nursing are up quite a bit (Nursing significantly), while Business is flat. Undergraduate Arts and Sciences is down quite a bit in the last few years, but Arts and Sciences is way down at the graduate level (over 50% of the drop in university enrollment from 2016 to 2017 is attributable to the graduate arts and science programs). It probably is not as simple as generalizing all Arts and Sciences fields, so you need to look at each of the programs and prune the ones in which there is little interest and grow the ones where there is interest.

As far as the difference between welcoming, including and respecting all or moving towards a heavy Christian emphasis, my guess is that we'll never agree. People like me want all ideologies that do not harm others to be welcome and respected and it seems others want an environment more like Wheaton where you are required to adhere to their specific interpretation of Christianity or accept that there is some absolute Truth (and i would assume students would be told to go elsewhere if they don't like that). I would ask, however, what you would say to the many people who are like me if you were to somehow win the ideological battle. Please go take your money, time and interest elsewhere since you don't agree with us?

[crusadermoe]

Thank you, FW Alum, for the link to Kretzmann's inaugural address! 

I read it too quickly, but I was struck by the 1940 similarity in its tone to what Churchill said about dark and light and the enduring quality of truth.  He makes you want to stand up and follow him. 

It is tempting to pull out bits of his eloquence and package them into twitters and posts that benefit my opinions.  But that devolves quickly into our reflexive and partisan behavior.  We are better served to just listen or read a soaring address that stands confident in the value of a Christian university.       

[vu72]

I'll admit that I have not seen an actual transcript of Mark Heckler's speech, but (based on the previous comments in this thread) are his comments any different from these words delivered today as part of a powerful speech by the leader of another university? (though Mark Heckler was likely not as direct)

If you can't treat someone with dignity and respect, then you need to get out. If you can't treat someone from another gender, whether that's a man or a woman, with dignity and respect, then you need to get out. If you demean someone in any way, then you need to get out. And if you can't treat someone from another race, or different color skin, with dignity and respect, then you need to get out.

The appropriate response for horrible language and horrible ideas — is a better idea.

We draw people from all races and from all walks of life, all parts of the country, all genders and upbringings. The power of that diversity comes together and makes us that much more powerful. That's a much better idea than small thinking and horrible ideas.

Those words were delivered today by Lt. General Jay Silveria, Leader of the United States Air Force Academy. Now think about that before you go off and criticize someone for stressing the importance of inclusion in a university.

Oh, and one other thing: General Silveria displayed more leadership in that speech than Donald Trump has during his entire presidency.

[/b]

Couldn't agree more and I, regrettably, voted for Trump (finding very little choice, not by enthusiastic support).. Mark Heckler has done a remarkably good job.  Valpo is in a much better place as we hired a professional not a clergyman learning on the job.  He also is a strong Christian and is not afraid to make that known in his speeches and Valpo promotional videos.
OP was an inspirational man, no doubt.  Yet he left Valpo with virtually zero endowment and the need to scramble facing a declining base of students from traditional sources.

[usc4valpo]

I would not criticize Wheaton College - their admission standards are significantly better than Valpo and have graduated top 500 CEOs. they are doing something right.

On the other I agree that comparing Valpo to Wheaton is an apples to orange comparison.

[wh]

I would not criticize Wheaton College - their admission standards are significantly better than Valpo and have graduated top 500 CEOs. they are doing something right.

On the other I agree that comparing Valpo to Wheaton is an apples to orange comparison.

Here's a nice interactive tool that I use for one-on-one comparisons between my alma maters and other universities. It has a pretty comprehensive scoring and grading mechanism.

I plugged in Valpo and Butler just out of curiosity.  I think you'll find the results pretty interesting:

https://www.collegefactual.com/tools/college-combat/#butler-university~valparaiso-university

Enjoy.

[vu72]

I would not criticize Wheaton College - their admission standards are significantly better than Valpo and have graduated top 500 CEOs. they are doing something right.

On the other I agree that comparing Valpo to Wheaton is an apples to orange comparison.

And Valpo hasn't??  You're kidding right?   

https://www.valpo.edu/academics/outcomes/distinguished-alumni/

The list is a little outdated.  For one, you can add Bob Hansen, retired President and CEO of Dow Corning to the list.  Dow Corning has 12,000 employees and does over $6 Billion is revenues.

[vu84v2]

I would not criticize Wheaton College - their admission standards are significantly better than Valpo and have graduated top 500 CEOs. they are doing something right.

On the other I agree that comparing Valpo to Wheaton is an apples to orange comparison.

And Valpo hasn't??  You're kidding right?   

https://www.valpo.edu/academics/outcomes/distinguished-alumni/

Another factor that we have not talked about that drives a university to be successful is networking (between alums and between students and alums). This likely has an impact on post-graduate earnings and career advancement. From a purely subjective viewpoint, my guess is that Wheaton excels at this and that this is another area where Valparaiso needs improvement.

[crusaderjoe]

The problems and challenges facing VU right now go well beyond several intemperate and thoughtless remarks by President Heckler about the Trump administration.

The central problem, as I see it, is that VU is trying to please everyone, and in the process, winds up pleasing no one.  Either we are a Christian institution first and foremost, or we are not.  We can't focus on international students and "students of all faiths" and be committed to an identity as a Christian institution.

Check out the VU website.  Not one mention of Jesus Christ and the truth of the gospel message.  Instead there are a bunch of catch all phrases like "Lutheran Heritage" and "Lutheran Tradition" and the "Search for Truth."  Meaningless. 

Other area schools have embraced their Christian foundation.  Wheaton, Taylor and Calvin come to mind.  All these places are doing quite well. 

Enrollment is down for the last two years.  This year it is down by a lot.  No new buildings have been started in the last 2 1/2 years.  The current fundraising campaign is sluggish.  And the Law School, I predict, will close at the end of the academic year, bringing down a cascade of unfavorable publicity which will be a punch to the gut for the admissions folks.  Where was the current administration during the last several years, when the Law School was bringing in many students who clearly were going to have difficulty passing the bar exam? 

The undergrad admission policy is to me equally baffling -- we have focused our efforts over the last several years in urban areas rather than the Chicago/Milwaukee/St. Louis suburbs which up until recently were our bread and butter.  The results speak for themselves and this trend, I predict, will be hard to reverse the longer this strategy is in place.

I love VU but we have issues right now that need to be addressed -- and fast.

Paul

Not sure about this.  Why would the law school close?  The VU site says that the school has an enrollment of over 400 scattered over J.D. and LL.M. degree seeking candidates.  Law schools don't simply close because its bar passage rates are awful or because job prospects are abysmal in an oversaturated market.  If you're going to tell me that its because of an anticipated drop in enrollment because of media, well okay, but the entering 2016 1L class had 104 students, which is on par with other smaller law schools.  Why do you feel closure is imminent?

[ml2]

I think a lot of concern about the Law School stems from the size of the 2017 1L class.

https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/44565-valparaiso-law-incoming-class-significantly-smaller-but-posts-higher-lsats-and-gpas

[ml2]

I would not criticize Wheaton College - their admission standards are significantly better than Valpo and have graduated top 500 CEOs. they are doing something right.

On the other I agree that comparing Valpo to Wheaton is an apples to orange comparison.

Here's a nice interactive tool that I use for one-on-one comparisons between my alma maters and other universities. It has a pretty comprehensive scoring and grading mechanism.

I plugged in Valpo and Butler just out of curiosity.  I think you'll find the results pretty interesting:

https://www.collegefactual.com/tools/college-combat/#butler-university~valparaiso-university

Enjoy.

wh - thanks for sharing! This site is outstanding.

[VULB#62]

Valpo beat Butler 3,681 to 3,302.  Yay!

[crusaderjoe]

I think a lot of concern about the Law School stems from the size of the 2017 1L class.

https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/44565-valparaiso-law-incoming-class-significantly-smaller-but-posts-higher-lsats-and-gpas

Interesting.  I can see the pause for alarm by reading this article.  However, I'm still not sold that this indicates that closure is imminent. Are all applications (LL.M., 1L incoming and 2L transfer) down 73%?  While 1L enrollment is down, the reduction in class size could be by design—that is, the thought being that it might be impossible for Valpo to increase its incoming 1L LSAT and GPA averages to more "respectable" levels unless it becomes much more selective.  This selectivity, in turn, may improve first timer bar passage rates, which may, in turn, affect reputation, which may, in turn, increase rankings, which may, in turn, increase the potential for job prospects in an overly saturated market, which may, in turn, increase enrollment numbers in the future.  It's far too early to tell what might happen to the law school from one incoming class, IMO.

Besides, IMO, Valpo's 1L transfer rate is probably more important in this analysis rather than its 1L acceptance rate.  If you are selective as a result of being rankings reliant, and your best and brightest in a selective class leave anyway, it does you no good to be selective in the first place.