New Valpo Team Name Ideas

[humbleopinion]

Would you say in Valpo's heyday that the religious aspect it was known for attracted students?   When I was there in the 90s the religious aspect very much a main part of campus culture.  And I loved it.

To me it's not the religious side or emphasis not bringing or attracting students, it's the price vs the value you get now.   It used to be very competitive to get in or at least to get scholarship money.  Now if you pay you are accepted easily.  Rankings have dropped.  Leadership is crap.  This is the reason why attendance is low. 

There has not been a good academic leader since Harre.

Valpo is not ND. No sh**, most schools  are not.  The comment makes no sense. 

 

The pool of potential students has been decreasing in number.  The birth rate peaked in 1989 -- there aren't as many kids to go to school anymore.  Private colleges all over the country are struggling to fill their classes.

I'm not sure of the percentages anymore, and my memory slips in terms of the exact number of miles, but I know that in the 80's that 80% of students from within 100(?) miles of Valpo were non-Lutheran while 80% of students from locales beyond that radius were Lutheran.  Congregations held "Valpo Sundays" where the university was promoted and often special collections were taken to support the university.  The director of church relations organized those events.  I believe that the position has been eliminated.

[ml2]

I think this statistical analysis of Lutherans in America is essential reading for anyone thinking about the present condition and future of Valparaiso University.

https://medium.com/migration-issues/a-very-brief-history-of-american-lutheranism-be8b7a26fd59

It includes geographic distribution of Lutherans over time, share of Lutherans of the total US population, and the membership trends of the major synods (LCMS, ELCA, WELS, ELCA breakaways).

One quick highlight for those who don't have the time to dig in to it. I don't think it's any coincidence that the sharpest increase in growth in total Lutherans nationwide coincided with the Lutheran purchase of the University in the late 20's and that the total share of Lutherans in America peaks at the same time as the "golden years" of OP Kretzmann's presidency. Since then, both the total number and percentage of US Lutherans has done nothing but decrease. Not to diminish OP at all, but he had the wind at his back in a way that no future leader of the University has since.

Finally, the money quote of the whole article has to be the following: "Arguing about who is facing church-ending-demographic-disaster-soonest is a very Lutheran thing to do." You really should read it all!

[Chitwood]

I agree with mp91, to compare Valpo with Notre Dame is ridiculous. There is no way an University of Valpo's scale can afford to be niche with its marketing and put religion directly in the school's primary logo. Notre Dame is a different breed, they can get away with that, we can't.

ml2's data is telling. Lutheran populations are shrinking (as are almost every religion's). The best way to market yourselves is to always have a specific target market in mind, but the data is telling us the Lutheran population is not that market. We are already succeeding with Lutheran students, the best way to expand is to tap into other markets and not shrink our student pool by labeling ourselves as religion-first.

[FWalum]

I agree with mp91, to compare Valpo with Notre Dame is ridiculous. There is no way an University of Valpo's scale can afford to be niche with its marketing and put religion directly in the school's primary logo. Notre Dame is a different breed, they can get away with that, we can't.

ml2's data is telling. Lutheran populations are shrinking (as are almost every religion's). The best way to market yourselves is to always have a specific target market in mind, but the data is telling us the Lutheran population is not that market. We are already succeeding with Lutheran students, the best way to expand is to tap into other markets and not shrink our student pool by labeling ourselves as religion-first.

And exactly how many people outside of alumni, current students and people in the city of Valparaiso know that the "crown" shaped part of the logo is the roof of a Lutheran chapel sanctuary?? ZERO

Show the logo to a bunch of Lutherans and 99% percent of them would not know in that context that it depicts part of the university's chapel.

You think we are "succeeding" with Lutheran students? That couldn't be farther from the truth. Zero seniors from the class of 2021 at Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne (the community that was the driving force behind purchasing VU) when surveyed said they were going to Valpo. VU should be embarrassed with the lack of effort they have put forth in recruiting the Lutheran community. I get it, demographics are declining, but that doesn't explain how you can go from getting 5-10% of a Lutheran high school class to 0% at a high performing academic school with alumni on the faculty.

Associating the chapel with the logo means something to me and should be readily recognizable to any alumni. Thinking that any person, let alone an 18-19 year old senior in high school, is going to associate the Beacon logo with the religious symbolism of the chapel sanctuary is far fetched unless they already have toured the campus. If it was a steeple... then maybe you have a point, but that shape is not universally known as being associated with a church. 

[valpopal]

First they came for the Crusader...then they came for the Chapel....

[mp91]

I agree with mp91, to compare Valpo with Notre Dame is ridiculous. There is no way an University of Valpo's scale can afford to be niche with its marketing and put religion directly in the school's primary logo. Notre Dame is a different breed, they can get away with that, we can't.

ml2's data is telling. Lutheran populations are shrinking (as are almost every religion's). The best way to market yourselves is to always have a specific target market in mind, but the data is telling us the Lutheran population is not that market. We are already succeeding with Lutheran students, the best way to expand is to tap into other markets and not shrink our student pool by labeling ourselves as religion-first.

And exactly how many people outside of alumni, current students and people in the city of Valparaiso know that the "crown" shaped part of the logo is the roof of a Lutheran chapel sanctuary?? ZERO

Show the logo to a bunch of Lutherans and 99% percent of them would not know in that context that it depicts part of the university's chapel.

You think we are "succeeding" with Lutheran students? That couldn't be farther from the truth. Zero seniors from the class of 2021 at Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne (the community that was the driving force behind purchasing VU) when surveyed said they were going to Valpo. VU should be embarrassed with the lack of effort they have put forth in recruiting the Lutheran community. I get it, demographics are declining, but that doesn't explain how you can go from getting 5-10% of a Lutheran high school class to 0% at a high performing academic school with alumni on the faculty.

Associating the chapel with the logo means something to me and should be readily recognizable to any alumni. Thinking that any person, let alone an 18-19 year old senior in high school, is going to associate the Beacon logo with the religious symbolism of the chapel sanctuary is far fetched unless they already have toured the campus. If it was a steeple... then maybe you have a point, but that shape is not universally known as being associated with a church.

I definitely would say Valpo is succeeding with Lutheran students. It was hard for me to find more current statistics (so please share if you have better numbers), but was able to find a breakdown from 2015.

In 2015, 26% of Valpo's student population was Lutheran. Which is pretty staggering, considering only 1.4% of the country was Lutheran (according to a 2015 study). That definitely sounds like success. Granted, these numbers are several years old and I'm sure this number has decreased since then. Still, we have a history of securing massive Lutheran student enrollments compared to other similarly situated universities.

You have only brought up one high school, so it's difficult to see if this is an outlier or a trend. However, it could also be a signal that a school's religious denomination has become much less important than the past – which would actually support veering away from tying the school's logo to a religious building.

Finally, your point about the building not being readily recognizable to high school students is a fair point. They might not know what the building is based on the picture, but, then again, do we want to include a building in our logo that isn't readily recognizable to non-students/alumni? That's a fair question, that I could see support going either way.

[Chitwood]

Valpopal – no one is "coming" for the chapel. There is no need to be dramatic. No one wants to tear down the building. We are just trying to have a civilized conversation here about what is best for the University, let's not engage in conspiracy theories and drag the conversation into the gutter.

Several people who are Lutheran have objected to a religious symbol being in the primary logo. Saying so does not mean you are anti-religious.

[valpopal]

Valpopal – no one is "coming" for the chapel. There is no need to be dramatic. No one wants to tear down the building. We are just trying to have a civilized conversation here about what is best for the University, let's not engage in conspiracy theories and drag the conversation into the gutter.

Several people who are Lutheran have objected to a religious symbol being in the primary logo. Saying so does not mean you are anti-religious.

I wasn't being dramatic, I was offering a little bit of humor. Unfortunately, you are the one not only dramatic but over-dramatic. Who accused you of wanting "to tear down the building"? What is this crap about "conspiracy theories" and an attempt to "drag the conversation into the gutter"? Who ever accused anyone of being "anti-religious"? Seriously, get a grip, guy!

[Chitwood]

Sorry lol. Usually, saying you are "coming" for a building typically means trying to get it canceled or torn down. It sounded like that's what you were referring to. There have been a lot of weird conspiracy-esqe generalizations made on these message boards recently (from denying the Crusades to the University supposedly "ignoring" alumni poll questions), so I apologize for jumping to conclusions.

Finally, in the words of Norm McDonald, if I couldn't tell it was a joke, that means you need to be funnier 

[valpo95]

I definitely would say Valpo is succeeding with Lutheran students. It was hard for me to find more current statistics (so please share if you have better numbers), but was able to find a breakdown from 2015.

In 2015, 26% of Valpo's student population was Lutheran. Which is pretty staggering, considering only 1.4% of the country was Lutheran (according to a 2015 study). That definitely sounds like success. Granted, these numbers are several years old and I'm sure this number has decreased since then. Still, we have a history of securing massive Lutheran student enrollments compared to other similarly situated universities.

Yes, it has declined some since 2015. Here are some of the numbers I have at hand (the number of Lutheran undergrads by denomination, % identifying as Lutheran, and % identifying as Lutheran excluding no religious affiliation information):

2006  (Total Undergrads 2963, with 149 no religious affiliation)
ELCA       438   15.15%   17.06%
LCMS   603   20.85%   23.49%
Others   62   2.14%   2.42%
WELS   24   0.83%   0.93%
          1127   38.97%   43.90%

2009  (Total Undergrads 2892, with 325 no religious affiliation)
ELCA       358   12.38%   13.95%
LCMS   465   16.08%   18.11%
Others   69   2.39%   2.69%
WELS   9   0.31%   0.35%
         901   31.15%   35.10%

2019  (Total Undergrads 3011, with 507 no religious affiliation)
ELCA       108   3.59%   4.31%
LCMS   221   7.34%   8.83%
Others   181   6.01%   7.23%
WELS   8   0.27%   0.32%
          518   17.20%   20.69%

2020  (Total Undergrads 2737, with 427 no religious affiliation)
ELCA            86   3.14%   3.72%
LCMS   184   6.72%   7.97%
Others   225   8.22%   9.74%
WELS   8   0.29%   0.35%
           503   18.38%   21.77%

Demographic challenges aside, what leaps off the page is the precipitous decline in LCMS students in 16 years and the large increase in Other Lutheran. (I'm guessing that the Other category includes some students from NALC congregations that may have been former ELCA). 

[78crusader]

I agree with mp91, to compare Valpo with Notre Dame is ridiculous. There is no way an University of Valpo's scale can afford to be niche with its marketing and put religion directly in the school's primary logo. Notre Dame is a different breed, they can get away with that, we can't.

ml2's data is telling. Lutheran populations are shrinking (as are almost every religion's). The best way to market yourselves is to always have a specific target market in mind, but the data is telling us the Lutheran population is not that market. We are already succeeding with Lutheran students, the best way to expand is to tap into other markets and not shrink our student pool by labeling ourselves as religion-first.

You guys are missing the point.  Appeal to the Lutheran market, yes.  Focus on the Lutheran market, no. We can, and should, market ourselves as a Christian faith-based institution with a strong Lutheran heritage.  That way we appeal to various Christian denominations and avoid relying on a shrinking Lutheran base to maintain enrollment.

(We are NOT succeeding in the Lutheran market, BTW.  No school that fails to get even 1 out of 113 graduating seniors from a high school less than 100 miles away can make that statement.)

I believe there is a sizable group of kids - and parents - who are attracted to faith based schools who offer a solid educational experience without all of the woke culture, faculty lounge nonsense.   If you doubt what I say take a look at the enrollment numbers at Wheaton, Taylor, St. Thomas, Calvin etc.  Those of you who are parents of kids high school age or older know what I am talking about - you want value for your money, perhaps you want your kid to meet people who are like-minded, and who won't have to go through an indoctrination center to get his/her degree. 

From what I have read lately I'm not sure if we are in the process of joining the woke crowd.  It seems to me that going woke - which has ever-changing standards, is judgmental, keeps a record of wrongs, and is vindictive - are all things that Jesus tells us NOT to be. 

If we don't adopt this marketing approach we will become just another high priced private school.  In the next 10 years many in that category will go down.  Let's not be one of them.

Paul

[valpopal]

Sorry lol. Usually, saying you are "coming" for a building typically means trying to get it canceled or torn down. It sounded like that's what you were referring to. There have been a lot of weird conspiracy-esqe generalizations made on these message boards recently (from denying the Crusades to the University supposedly "ignoring" alumni poll questions), so I apologize for jumping to conclusions.

Finally, in the words of Norm McDonald, if I couldn't tell it was a joke, that means you need to be funnier 

My comment was based upon a standard pattern used in sarcastic humor. Check the following from The New Yorker for an example: https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/first-they-came-for

However, I will forgive anyone who cites Norm, one of my favorites!

[bbtds]

However, I will forgive anyone who cites Norm, one of my favorites!

May he Rest In Peace.

[Chitwood]

78Crusader – Of course Valpo should still promote its Christian-based values! I'm not saying they should abandon one of the unique aspects of the University. I'm just saying it should not be the primary logo. You can continue to appeal to Lutheran students, without making the chapel the logo. That's all I'm saying. Abandoning the Lutheran/Christian principles of the school would be a mistake – I 100% agree – I just don't think it should be the focus of the primary logo that is supposed to attract people of all walks of life (including non-religious or other religious affiliated people).

Next, 21.8% of the student population being Lutheran is super high. I don't know how people can say we are not succeeding with Lutheran students when over 1 out of every 5 students on campus identifies as at least partially Lutheran. That's still a huge number.

You can't base conclusions off of one high school lol. That's like saying Indiana high school basketball sucks because Evansville Central High School didn't produce any D1 players this year. Your sample size is just too small.

Finally, while I agree on continuing our tradition of Lutheran/Christian values, I disagree that Calvin, Wheaton, and St. Thomas are schools we should emulate. With all due respect to those fine institutions, Valpo should be aiming higher. I don't like the idea of Valpo being pigeonholed into being a school where the perception is that religion comes first. I know a great deal of students back in high school who would not even consider those schools because people (rightfully or wrongfully) thought they were focused more on religious values than education. Again, I'm not saying this is the correct perception, but that is the perception to high school students. We should be competing with other mid-major schools, not niche institutions. Valpo should focus more on competing with schools like Loyola, Xavier, Ball State, UW-Milwaukee, Belmont, Dayton, Iona, Gonzaga, Toledo, and Northern Illinois, not Calvin and Wheaton. (Or Taylor, which is a school you mentioned that I have never even heard of)

[VUCE99]

Hasn't it been decided that, moving forward, the "flame shield" will be the primary logo?  All this discussion is about a theoretical secondary logo, that the University does not even own the rights to (yet).  Which, btw, I think the logo Bryan designed is awesome (but I hate the name "beacons", blech)

Also, about the perception that religion comes first at Valpo...I was recently having a discussion with my inlaws, and somehow the topic of Christian colleges came up and that they didn't really think of Valpo as "Christian school", even though they knew it was Lutheran affiliated.  I'm not really sure what their criteria was, but I told them that we were required to take theology courses, which surprised them.  They asked if there was a morning chapel break, which I told them there was but it was optional to attend.

[Chitwood]

Exactly. To most non-Lutherans, Valpo is not even thought of as a super religious school. That's a good thing. Neither is Loyola, Georgetown, Gonzaga, or several others institutions that also celebrate Christian values.

The point of the University is not to be a religious school, but an academic school with a splash of Christian values. That's why several of us have been saying making the chapel the primary logo would be a mistake, because it goes against the perception of the University, as well as the goals of the University.

And, you're right, much of this discussion is theoretical because the University does not own the rights and likely will never acquire them because of several reasons we have laid out in this discussion. I agree, it's a cool logo, I just don't think it's realistic to want to acquire it as our #1 primary logo.

[bbtds]

You can't base conclusions off of one high school lol. That's like saying Indiana high school basketball sucks because Evansville Central High School didn't produce any D1 players this year. Your sample size is just too small.

24 students from Lutheran HS of Indianapolis are currently attending Valpo


Indiana University-Purdue University - Indianapolis (IUPUI)
59 Students

University of Indianapolis
55 Students

Purdue University
51 Students

Indiana University - Bloomington
41 Students

Ball State University
40 Students

Butler University
39 Students

Taylor University
24 Students

Valparaiso University
24 Students

Indiana State University
20 Students

Franklin College
19 Students


https://www.niche.com/k12/lutheran-high-school-of-indianapolis-indianapolis-in/

[wh]

Exactly. To most non-Lutherans, Valpo is not even thought of as a super religious school. That's a good thing. Neither is Loyola, Georgetown, Gonzaga, or several others institutions that also celebrate Christian values.

The point of the University is not to be a religious school, but an academic school with a splash of Christian values. That's why several of us have been saying making the chapel the primary logo would be a mistake, because it goes against the perception of the University, as well as the goals of the University.

And, you're right, much of this discussion is theoretical because the University does not own the rights and likely will never acquire them because of several reasons we have laid out in this discussion. I agree, it's a cool logo, I just don't think it's realistic to want to acquire it as our #1 primary logo.

That may be your personal preference (ask a hundred people, get a hundred different opinions), but that is a VERY weak value proposition for a private Christian faith-based university with a $60,000 sticker price. No strategic marketing guru on earth would say that's a big enough differentiator. You either stand for something or you stand for nothing. Mixing a dab of religion in your vanilla milkshake isn't enough to get people who like that flavor to pay a premium for "a dab" of it. And people who don't value a dab of religion, just want a vanilla milkshake. Past administrations have adopted exactly the strategy you're suggesting and have failed miserably. Everyone thinks they're a marketer.

Quite honestly, several mainstream Protestant denominations have adopted that same failed strategy under the mistaken impression that a watered down Gospel message will attract more people. What they fail to understand is that people who like watered down Christianity are also comfortable with staying home and "doing their own thing." Bottom line - whoever said the university needs to do a better job of catering to their largest demographic group by far (serious-minded Lutheran families and other Christians) hit the nail on the head. Athiests, Satanists, Humanists, shallow people who never had a deep thought about anything, Muslims and people of other religions, and the like are a complete waste of time from a marketing standpoint. They're all 1-offs.

All of this said, I can tell we finally have a leader who understands growth strategy marketing and is going to get this university going down a successful path, dusting off its core spiritual values that were foolishly tossed to the side and building on them once again. As to your worry about the chapel on a logo being too "churchy," you may want to brace yourself. I don't think we've seen anything yet.

[Chitwood]

WH –

You make two excellent points: (1) everyone has a different opinion on how to mesh religion and education (and that's a good thing), and (2) most successful marketing campaigns focus on a niche and hammer it home (i.e. a bakery that sells everything likely will not be a successful financially as one that only sells cupcakes and has a stronger reputation/identity). Everyone that knows anything about marketing understands that focusing on the target market typically results in the best output.

Where I challenge your argument is that you are conflating what is best from a marketing perspective with what is best from the University perspective. Now, certainly, this is an area of contention and (going back to excellent point #1) people have differing opinions on this. But, there are two competing ideals here. We want growth, but we also want a sustainable, reflective university identity.

If you are only concerned about expansion numbers, yes, you can probably grow the quickest by leaning hard into the uber-religious, Lutheran focused, super conservative right-wing crowd. You can go niche and make it work. You will have a smaller target market, but have a larger share of that market. That's one avenue. This is the avenue you prefer WH, where you say forget about atheists and Muslims because they don't fit your market. The only question is – is that what's best for the University's reputation and identity? It sounds like several people on here say yes. And that's certainly one way to look at it.

Others, like me, may say the University is not better off by rejecting people of other faiths and only targeting people with conservative trains of thought. People like me follow Thomas Jefferson and the founding fathers ideal that we should make marketplaces of ideas where people of different backgrounds and opinions can meet and express themselves. And that this will create a better product and a better society. Under this viewpoint, it may not be prudent to go down the Taylor University or Bob Jones University route.

Currently, Valpo has a decent mix of both concepts. We have academic based priorities splashed with religious principles. It is possible to have a middle ground. That's where we live right now.

So yes, if you want to go and change the direction of the University to be super-Christian, that's one path and, you're right, that may be the quickest to growth. But is it best for the University overall? My only point is that you are equating two very different goals as one.

Also, I have no problem with a "churchy" logo... Just as long as it's not the primary logo

[mp91]

WH –

You make two excellent points: (1) everyone has a different opinion on how to mesh religion and education (and that's a good thing), and (2) most successful marketing campaigns focus on a niche and hammer it home (i.e. a bakery that sells everything likely will not be a successful financially as one that only sells cupcakes and has a stronger reputation/identity). Everyone that knows anything about marketing understands that focusing on the target market typically results in the best output.

Where I challenge your argument is that you are conflating what is best from a marketing perspective with what is best from the University perspective. Now, certainly, this is an area of contention and (going back to excellent point #1) people have differing opinions on this. But, there are two competing ideals here. We want growth, but we also want a sustainable, reflective university identity.

If you are only concerned about expansion numbers, yes, you can probably grow the quickest by leaning hard into the uber-religious, Lutheran focused, super conservative right-wing crowd. You can go niche and make it work. You will have a smaller target market, but have a larger share of that market. That's one avenue. This is the avenue you prefer WH, where you say forget about atheists and Muslims because they don't fit your market. The only question is – is that what's best for the University's reputation and identity? It sounds like several people on here say yes. And that's certainly one way to look at it.

Others, like me, may say the University is not better off by rejecting people of other faiths and only targeting people with conservative trains of thought. People like me follow Thomas Jefferson and the founding fathers ideal that we should make marketplaces of ideas where people of different backgrounds and opinions can meet and express themselves. And that this will create a better product and a better society. Under this viewpoint, it may not be prudent to go down the Taylor University or Bob Jones University route.

Currently, Valpo has a decent mix of both concepts. We have academic based priorities splashed with religious principles. It is possible to have a middle ground. That's where we live right now.

So yes, if you want to go and change the direction of the University to be super-Christian, that's one path and, you're right, that may be the quickest to growth. But is it best for the University overall? My only point is that you are equating two very different goals as one.

Also, I have no problem with a "churchy" logo... Just as long as it's not the primary logo

Brilliantly stated! Well done.

Count me in with the marketplace of ideas camp. Religion will always be important to Valpo. But, I like the current mix. I don't want it to become a religion-first institution.

[Chitwood]

Agreed. Valpo should always be a basketball-first institution 

[vu84v2]

From Chitwood:

Others, like me, may say the University is not better off by rejecting people of other faiths and only targeting people with conservative trains of thought. People like me follow Thomas Jefferson and the founding fathers ideal that we should make marketplaces of ideas where people of different backgrounds and opinions can meet and express themselves. And that this will create a better product and a better society. Under this viewpoint, it may not be prudent to go down the Taylor University or Bob Jones University route.

-----------------
This is incredibly well-stated. I will add that there is no reason that Valpo cannot have excellence in religious areas for those who value that. If there are prospective students out there who feel that they need everyone around them to have the same religious beliefs, they can go elsewhere (and will likely fail miserably in their chosen career directions if they do not learn to accept and respect people from a wide range of beliefs).

No issue with having the chapel in "a" logo - just not the only logo. Frankly, the shield is excellent.

[valpopal]

Just thought I'd post the VU Mission Statement that every freshman is required to read and under which all programs at the university proceed. I think "grounded in the Lutheran tradition" and "to lead and serve in both church and society" suggest a bit more religious conviction than "an academic school with a splash of Christian values."



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY MISSION STATEMENT
Valparaiso University, a community of learning dedicated to excellence and grounded in the Lutheran tradition of scholarship, freedom, and faith, prepares students to lead and serve in both church and society.

[wh]

Like it or not, Valparaiso University is a business. More specifically, it's a micro business in decline in a market vertical in decline. Saying "I like it the way it is" is not an option.

Micro businesses can be successful, but they have to cater to a niche market and stay true to it. Valpo hasn't done that. They have to stay true to themselves and Valpo hasn't done that. They have to staff up with employees fully committed to the institution's mission and values, and Valpo has failed miserably to do that. At the end of the day, addressing these issues isn't the quickest way to a turnaround, it's the only way. If anyone has a better idea, supported by tried and true business principles, I'd love to see your plan.

[vu72]

the uber-religious, Lutheran focused, super conservative right-wing crowd. You can go niche and make it work

Under this viewpoint, it may not be prudent to go down the Taylor University or Bob Jones University route.

So yes, if you want to go and change the direction of the University to be super-Christian,

Where on earth do you get these thoughts?  Who suggested anything of this nature?  The Chapel roof line is shown in an illustration and we are now trying to be Bob Jones?  Did you graduate from Valpo?

I go back further than probably anyone on this board.  When I was a student, Valpo was about 75% Lutheran and mostly Missouri Lutheran.  Yes, the Chapel was mostly full on a Sunday morning but we also had students burn down the administration building during the same time frame.  No one at Valpo was anything like your notion and in fact I had classmates, who were raised in the Lutheran church whose pastors told them to be aware of the teaching at Valpo and to not listen because we had professors who were not following synod teachings to the letter of the law.
"uber-religious, Lutheran focused"  That makes zero and I repeat, zero sense.  Lutherans and in particular German Lutherans coming from the Midwest, don't wear their faith on their sleeve.  It is a very private matter between themselves and God.  To think that Valpo would somehow swing wildly in a different direction by trying to attract Lutheran students is patently absurd.