Heckler to Retire: New President Search

[crusadermoe]

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.

[crusader05]

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.

[vu72]

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.

[vu84v2]

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).

[crusader05]

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.

[wh]

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.

[valpo64]

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.

[David81]

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.  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. 

[vu72]

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

[VUGrad1314]

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.

[crusader05]

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.

[usc4valpo]

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

[crusader05]

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.

[wh]

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.

[valpopal]

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.

[VUGrad1314]

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?

[usc4valpo]

The legendary Dan Quayle went to DePauw.

[valpo95]

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.

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

[jsher3141]

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
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.

[vu72]

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

[VUGrad1314]

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.

[usc4valpo]

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

[VUGrad1314]

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?

[valpotx]

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.

[vu84v2]

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).