Heckler to Retire: New President Search

[78crusader]

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. 

[valpo64]

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.

[usc4valpo]

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

[vu84v2]

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

[vu72]

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?

[usc4valpo]

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

[vu72]

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

[vu84v2]

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.

[bbtds]

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

Ivanka?

[wh]

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.

[David81]

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.

[78crusader]

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

[usc4valpo]

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

[crusadermoe]

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.)

[vu84v2]

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

[78crusader]

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

[David81]

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.

[covufan]

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

[crusader05]

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.

[David81]

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. 

[wh]

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.

[crusader05]

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.

[vu72]

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.

[valpo95]

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.

[sfnmman]

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.