Valpo Strategic Plan

[valpo95]

There was a nice article in yesterday's WSJ entitled, College Enrollment Declines Again, Though Online Schools, HBCUs See Increases

A few quotes from the article:

"College enrollment dropped for the third consecutive school year after the start of the pandemic, dashing universities' hopes that a post-Covid rebound was at hand. The rate of the decline has slowed this fall, with college enrollment dropping 1.1% since last autumn."

"Less selective private colleges, especially in the Midwest and Northeast have been hardest hit while the most prestigious schools, including most public flagship universities, have maintained strong enrollment numbers, according to the National Student Clearinghouse."

This is part of the challenge for VU. In addition to its own avoidable mis-steps, the demographic trends in the Midwest and among its historic Lutheran base are strong headwinds.

[vu84v2]

There was a nice article in yesterday's WSJ entitled, College Enrollment Declines Again, Though Online Schools, HBCUs See Increases

A few quotes from the article:

"College enrollment dropped for the third consecutive school year after the start of the pandemic, dashing universities' hopes that a post-Covid rebound was at hand. The rate of the decline has slowed this fall, with college enrollment dropping 1.1% since last autumn."

"Less selective private colleges, especially in the Midwest and Northeast have been hardest hit while the most prestigious schools, including most public flagship universities, have maintained strong enrollment numbers, according to the National Student Clearinghouse."

This is part of the challenge for VU. In addition to its own avoidable mis-steps, the demographic trends in the Midwest and among its historic Lutheran base are strong headwinds.

I saw this article too, and agree that it is a nice article.

There are private midwestern universities that are effectively dealing with this decline in national student enrollment. I work at one such university and our enrollment is up over 10% year over year and up 30% in my college. A key to addressing this is getting down to doing the hard work to attract students - not large university messages, but meeting with and building connections with prospective students and their families. University level contact is fine, but college level is equally or more critical. People are investing in a career direction - recognize that! My understanding is that Valpo needs to do better in this regard - especially at the college level.

[FWalum]

Padilla is currently making visits to VU's historically MAJOR donors. One of the asks is for the arena.

[vu84v2]

Interesting to hear your perspective, VU22.

I guess I'm just not that clear on why people think the STEM/business schools are strong enough to stand on their own. Sure, as you say, perhaps whether the uni has/is really been doing liberal arts is up for grabs and trying to revive that side of the house may be un-viable.... BUT it still remains a pretty big portion of the recruiting language and stated rationale for why students should come to Valpo rather than go to cheaper state or community college options. It seems like you're saying Valpo should pivot away from its historic profile (humanities/liberal arts... sort of central in the Lutheran/four-year residential approach) ...

But I guess I would feel more confident in the alternative STEM/Business strategy if the university was stronger on the national scene in those other supposed 'strength' areas. If the internet is correct, Valpo Nursing is good but only #267 out of 1700 national nursing programs, and Valpo Business is unranked in Best Business schools and #212-278 (not sure what the range means) for Part-time MBA. Those reputations are just not elite enough to draw nationally.*

So why wouldn't regional Midwestern students (if the liberal arts is not what they're looking for, and maybe not what Valpo offers anymore) just go to Purdue or PNW or IU Bloomington for decent STEM/business/engineering programs much cheaper there? I think for those in STEM, it actually does make more sense to just go for a big public institution. I would have gone for a UCLA or Purdue or U Mich... or start at Ivy Tech until you can transfer to one of the flagships.

Let me offer several comments:
1. Rankings. It is critical to look at the criteria for the rankings. First and foremost, many rankings include research (tied to publications, grants, etc.). Valpo emphasizes teaching over research. Thus, you say that nursing being 267 out of 1700 means it is not strong and I would argue that ranking, on its own, is inconclusive.
2. Prospective students choosing STEM. College is expensive, especially at private universities. Thus, more prospective students and their parents are making decisions based on the likely return from the investment. The return is much higher in business and STEM than it is in history, psychology, etc. You might say you don't think this is good for society, but that is not the key issue - the issue is what are your prospective students and their parents prioritizing.
3. Prospective students choosing STEM at Valpo. If the return is better in STEM and business...then why Valpo over the flagships? What needs to be promoted here is that the great teaching and personal relationships improve a students' likelihood of graduating and succeeding. While getting superstar students is great, Valpo's emphasis in recruiting high school students should be on promising students who will need more support (please note that I am not talking about lowering any standards once students are at Valpo). There could even be an opportunity here because of high school education problems from the pandemic - quantitative skills have declined...can Valpo help them make that up (the state schools are much less likely to do this)?
4. Why Valpo over big flagship schools for STEM and business? Attention and emphasis on teaching. At Michigan, Purdue, UCLA, etc, faculty are spending 60-80 percent of their time doing research. If students are involved, it is graduate students - not undergrads. At Valpo, a much greater percentage of their time is spent teaching and doing student related activities. This is an advantage for attracting students to Valpo and it needs to be emphasized.
5. Why not go to a junior college and then transfer for STEM or business? In theory, this could work. In reality, there are a lot of problems. STEM and business programs emphasize a ladder of learning- learn things in one class, apply them in the next, and so on. In business, if you don't learn math and statistics - you are going to struggle with finance, marketing, supply chain, etc. This becomes even more critical in engineering. It's not whether you got a good grade at the juco, it is whether you learned the material.

To bring out many of these points, Valpo needs to rely much more heavily on faculty in each college - rather than today's method of having prospective students only interact with people emphasizing the whole Valpo experience.

Lastly, I do not feel this is a 0/1 choice (emphasize STEM/business vs. emphasize liberal arts). Liberal arts is a very important complement to STEM/business - and there are prospective students who want to study liberal arts. But it does not make sense to keep any discipline when just a few students apply for the program each year (regardless of whether it is STEM, business, liberal arts, etc.).

[vu72]

Why Valpo over big flagship schools for STEM and business? Attention and emphasis on teaching

Recently, when reviewing the US News rankings, I compared Valpo to a couple of its piers including Drake.  here is a comment from a current student as to why he chose Drake after transferring from Purdue.  These comments could very easily apply to Valpo and I'm sure many current Valpo students feel the same way:

I am currently a Drake University student. I am a transfer from Purdue University. Drake University is 1000x better. I know the rankings on here do not reflect that, but it is true. At Purdue, the administration had their priorities really messed up. Additionally, my advisor didn't even know who I was. On several occasions, she had a separate student's profile pulled up for our *scheduled* meetings. At Drake, the experience is nothing like that. All of my professors know my name, they took the time to know about my personal life. They check in to make sure everything is okay. My advisor is super nice and knows me really well. I got set up with my dream internship. The class sizes are small and all of the students are very friendly. The cost is enough to kind of scare people, but I am a Drake tour guide and a transfer orientation peer mentor. 100% of the students here have some sort of scholarship. Transfer students are all awarded a scholarship simply for transferring. I am paying less than a third of the tuition. In fact, with my scholarships and grants - from the school - I am paying less than an in-state student at Iowa State. Drake is 100% worth it. You will love your experience here and all of the connections you make. You will be set up for a great career and you will be helped, if you ask for it. Drake has so many wonderful resources available to all students. It is a wonderful university and the price tag shouldn't scare you away!

[valpotx]

There was a nice article in yesterday's WSJ entitled, College Enrollment Declines Again, Though Online Schools, HBCUs See Increases

A few quotes from the article:

"College enrollment dropped for the third consecutive school year after the start of the pandemic, dashing universities' hopes that a post-Covid rebound was at hand. The rate of the decline has slowed this fall, with college enrollment dropping 1.1% since last autumn."

"Less selective private colleges, especially in the Midwest and Northeast have been hardest hit while the most prestigious schools, including most public flagship universities, have maintained strong enrollment numbers, according to the National Student Clearinghouse."

This is part of the challenge for VU. In addition to its own avoidable mis-steps, the demographic trends in the Midwest and among its historic Lutheran base are strong headwinds.

How cool is it that the HBCU resurgence can largely be attributed to one man and the attention that he has driven back that direction (Deion Sanders)?  Not just athletically, but restoring enrollment at HBCUs, due to the attention he has brought in the last few years.  Sure, events in society have also contributed, but Deion has been at the forefront of the movement.

[David81]

De-emphasizing the liberal arts is a mistake for any university that aspires to being well-rounded and committed to preparing its students for positions of leadership in their professions and communities. It also signals a distancing from the classic traditions and purposes of universities overall.

For example, although I was not a Christ College student, many of my friends who graduated from VU went through the entire four-year program. While the CC program may not have had immediate "ROI" for many of them, the intensive experience in reading, writing, thinking, and critical analysis contributed to great success in professional schools such as MBA programs and law schools. The same can be said for so many other VU liberal arts programs where that ROI is not immediately obvious, but rather manifests a bit later down the line.

The current ROI obsession risks turning universities into trade schools. It also vastly undervalues the longer-term vocational value of liberal arts training. I see this as someone who has been teaching in a professional school setting (law school) for some 30 years now. When you get students coming into law school with respectable paper credentials but without a strong grounding in expository writing, history, civic institutions, and human nature generally, you often find deficits in judgment, perspective, and human understanding that can be the difference between a future lawyer with technical competence and one who has not only the technical skills, but also powers of expression, a richer grasp of human nature, and a capacity to see the bigger picture. The liberal arts help to nurture that latter kind of attorney, the ones we need more of in our legal system.

As such, I would much rather see VU emulate the values of a place like the University of Chicago -- featuring top-drawer liberal arts and professional programs, and hardly a place that anyone could call a woke paradise -- which is unabashedly committed to the exploration of ideas, as well as to preparing its students for success in life. It also happens to offer significant, in some cases world-class, strengths in STEM disciplines.

There are many ways in which VU could survive and even technically thrive, but at the cost of giving up what has made it distinctive. In higher ed lingo, VU is currently considered a "comprehensive" university, one that combines both liberal arts and professional programs. It's a hard balance to maintain, but one that can make for a distinctive institution rather than one simply trying to stay open. The latter is not the kind of school that I see worth supporting.

[crusader05]

I agree that a decrease in liberal arts focus is wrong. BUT that shouldn't have to translate into way too many majors, some with only a handful of students in them.

Much like we have built engineering and Nursing over time we should invest and build up the liberal arts foundations that we have that are already strong.  I think of the new combination of the social work and education departments into something bigger than just individual majors. We have both psychology undergraduate and master's level programs that allow early admission.  Our new communication and visual arts school is another example.

This may mean some "downsizing" but I also want to see investment.  I think that it would also be positive to find ways to make sure that even within our STEM classes our liberal arts foundation is important.

The ability to be an engineering student and sing in a choir/play in a band or be in Christ College speaks to students being well-rounded individuals with varied interests, more than just a stem student.  We should embrace and build on that.

I also agree that we need our faculty and individual colleges to be the ones making these direct student contacts.  Higher ed for a lot of private schools is an all hands on deck situation and it's time to all do our best whether we are Alums or those that work there to help the university weather a rough storm right now so that when things swing back a bit we are stronger for it.

[usc4valpo]

If you are going to major in liberal arts and go to Valpo, unless you come from a wealthy family you better have a plan on what you want to do with that major. Students with $150K in the hole after college with a job starting at $40K or less is not a wise way to get out in the real world.

[crusadermoe]

It's hard to straddle the two viewpoints of David81 and USCValpo. But it would be awesome to do so if we can pull it off financially.  Essentially the best of both worlds as the fully excellent comprehensive university that he describes.

The biggest hurdle financially for David81 goals lies in recruiting the students he describes. They usually have exceptional gifts of talent. Due to that package they access to dozens of high rated universities.  The wealthiest schools will offer free tuition to qualified students with need.  Beyond free, you have to bid aggressively for the exceptional kids by offering net tuition payments that go well under $20,000 or you need to even go far lower in some states where the flagships make it nearly free.  I have seen huge full-ride offers to smart kids coming out of the SEC schools. Unfortunately the rich get richer.  Valpo once had a unique path to the most gift Lutheran students. Many in my era went on to outstanding careers in the sciences etc.  But again Valpo's clear targeted constituency gave it access to students more directly.

USCValpo points out the fact that life's financial realities limit the affordability of a l:"fuzzier" major. So you need to find parents who are wealthy, but lack common sense to some degree. Here there are scads of competitors for these types of parents from cash thirsty small liberal arts colleges.

For a while Valpo seemed to be drawing some exceptional gifts of $5M or more.  That offered a large window of hope that Valpo could  climb to the next rung of stature and hold a chance to also build a lot of the creature comforts and athletics notoriety.  Has that window closed or has that ship sailed?  Pick your metaphor.  Any insights?

[vu72]

Beyond free, you have to bid aggressively for the exceptional kids by offering net tuition payments that go well under $20,000 or you need to even go far lower in some states

This from Valpo's home pages:

Based on eligibility for merit scholarships and need based grants from Valpo, in fall 2021 the average incoming freshmen was responsible for only $14,709 in tuition and fees (room and board not included). room and board are listed at $13,180 for freshman on campus and $8900 for off-campus estimate.  These numbers would bring the average cost, total, to $$27,889 for freshman and $23,609 for transfer/off-campus students. The sticker price for freshman is $60,796 so the net of scholarship number is discounted by 54%.

But then it goes on to say that the average Valpo student gets a financial aid package of $38,000 which would bring the net cost down to $22,796.  The actual net cost is probably somewhere in between, let's call it $25,000. Many students do on campus jobs which would provide added income to further offset the net number.  Even scholarship athletes are doing this--as an example, Valpo's star goalie, Nikki Coryell, is also the Sports Editor for the student newspaper, The Torch.  I would presume this is a paid position.

[vu84v2]

My guess is that the financial aid package figures also include income from student jobs, whereas the tuition, room and board figures only include scholarships, grants, etc.

I hate to be negative, but a 54% discount rate is pretty high.

[vu72]

I hate to be negative, but a 54% discount rate is pretty high.

Agreed although we don't know what percentage of the discount is unfunded. Certainly, based on the endowment level, most may be so.

[David81]

If you are going to major in liberal arts and go to Valpo, unless you come from a wealthy family you better have a plan on what you want to do with that major. Students with $150K in the hole after college with a job starting at $40K or less is not a wise way to get out in the real world.

I might've missed some previous numbers shared, but where are you getting $150K indebtedness for VU liberal arts graduates who don't come from wealthy families? Is this an average? Is this a figure coming from the University?

Because if this is the case, then a VU liberal arts graduate sans rich parents would be graduating with almost 5x more debt than the average graduate of a private university in the U.S.

Addendum to my comment: These numbers are 4 years old (the most recent I could find), but here are average indebtedness figures broken down by school:

Undergraduate College/% who borrowed/Average Debt
Arts & Sciences/74%/$33,909
Business/58%/$36,523
Engineering/62%/$37,301
Nursing/85%/$38,654

Source: https://www.valpo.edu/student-financial-services/planning/average-student-indebtness/

[David81]

The biggest hurdle financially for David81 goals lies in recruiting the students he describes. They usually have exceptional gifts of talent. Due to that package they access to dozens of high rated universities.  The wealthiest schools will offer free tuition to qualified students with need.  Beyond free, you have to bid aggressively for the exceptional kids by offering net tuition payments that go well under $20,000 or you need to even go far lower in some states where the flagships make it nearly free.  I have seen huge full-ride offers to smart kids coming out of the SEC schools. Unfortunately the rich get richer.  Valpo once had a unique path to the most gift Lutheran students. Many in my era went on to outstanding careers in the sciences etc.  But again Valpo's clear targeted constituency gave it access to students more directly.

I'm not referring to that elite group exclusively. In truth, VU has never been able to snare more than a modest cluster of truly exceptional students who also got offers for merit-based or substantially merit-based big discounts from more prestigious/wealthy schools. VU's bread and butter have been strong high school students with respectable test scores from middle & upper middle backgrounds, many of whom parlay the opportunities provided to take their game a notch up the ladder. A VU liberal arts degree with a strong record + entry into selective professional and graduate programs has been one of those common combinations.

The latter piece is often the difference maker. Maybe the liberal arts degree alone = $35-40k starting salary. But when that degree -- with all of the significant albeit more intangible benefits it confers -- opens the door to a selective postgraduate degree opportunity, that's when things can start humming in terms of earnings potential.

And even if the initial starting salary is modest and no MBA/JD/MD immediately beckons, it doesn't preclude stronger earnings during subsequent years and/or taking another degree later on that leads to more money.

That's what I mean by the hazards of overemphasizing short-term ROI measures. Just as short-term profit obsessions have warped the values of American business, so do short-term ROI obsessions undermine the higher ideals of higher education in terms of contributing talent to society.

[vu72]

In truth, VU has never been able to snare more than a modest cluster of truly exceptional students

We need a definition of "Modest".  I have been told (albeit a few years ago) that about 5% of any new Valpo class are Valedictorian/Salutatorian.

Just looking at a few athletes you'll note that many were members of the National Honor Society coming out of high school. 

[David81]

In truth, VU has never been able to snare more than a modest cluster of truly exceptional students

We need a definition of "Modest".  I have been told (albeit a few years ago) that about 5% of any new Valpo class are Valedictorian/Salutatorian.

Just looking at a few athletes you'll note that many were members of the National Honor Society coming out of high school. 

The students represented in that 5 percent are certainly very high achievers as they enter into college. However, we don't know their test scores, which form the other half of the standard numerical admissions profile. (I'm not defending what I believe is an over-reliance on standardized test scores, merely acknowledging their great significance in college admissions decisions.) In addition, some within that cohort may be among those offered significant merit scholarship money via one of the highly selective honors scholarship programs.

In any event, to remain viable as an institution, it's about the other 95 percent. You are likely to see some significant drop offs in terms of "numbers," settling in the bandwidth I suggested, i.e., strong but not necessarily outstanding applicants. A good number of them may, thanks to opportunities embraced at VU, become stars in their own right and have futures brighter than anyone could've predicted upon their initial matriculation. That's one of the best functions of regional universities like VU. They take promising students who weren't courted by elite schools, and they help them realize their fuller potential.

As for the # of athletes or those of any other student cohort who were National Honor Society members in high school, that's certainly a very proud achievement. Note, though, that NHS membership is based not only on grades, but also on factors such as character, leadership, and service. The cut-off point tends not to be superior, but rather (and I use that word again) strong. I love that well-rounded approach, but rather than speaking to elite academic credentials, the profile of the typical NHS selectee captures exactly the very prototypical VU student that I'm talking about: Strong grades, test scores, extracurriculars, and character.

In this discussion, it helps to keep in mind that VU admits around 88-90 percent of those who apply in any given year. That's not unusual for a regional, private university. However, it should bring us back to the 95 percent who weren't valedictorians and salutatorians.

I agree that programs with few, if any, majors in them are not cost-efficient in today's higher ed financing world. But if you start de-emphasizing curricular areas that have been historically consistent strengths, then you risk becoming less attractive to a shrinking applicant pool. This goes beyond the qualitative questions about what kind of university you want to be. Rather, it starts to become a race to the bottom with other schools who are doing the same thing.

[vu72]

David81, as a side note to the scores issue, I happened across Mason Bonn's bio (Mason plays on the men's golf team).  His bio says in part ".Member of National Honor Society as a junior and senior... One of the Valedictorians for the Shorewood High School Class of 2020..Only missed one question on the SAT, scoring a 1590

We may not have too many of this All Star student, but we have some, and...He's a pretty good golfer to boot!

[David81]

David81, as a side note to the scores issue, I happened across Mason Bonn's bio (Mason plays on the men's golf team).  His bio says in part ".Member of National Honor Society as a junior and senior... One of the Valedictorians for the Shorewood High School Class of 2020..Only missed one question on the SAT, scoring a 1590

We may not have too many of this All Star student, but we have some, and...He's a pretty good golfer to boot!

....which is great for Mason Bonn and for VU, in both academic and athletic terms. And yes, hopefully more of these students will look to VU as a better choice to obtain an education, even in the face of generous scholarship offers and/or state school tuition from higher-ranked schools.

But such exceptional examples as Mason will never be replicated in numbers sufficient to fill the heart of an entering class. The overwrought influence of the U.S. News rankings has bolstered those challenges, to the point where -- to illustrate -- an undergraduate engineering applicant might hear from various influencers (small "i," not the Kardashian "I") that they are taking a "risk" by attending #15 ranked VU over a school ranked, say, #8 or #10. It can get that hair-splitting.

I'm holding onto these points like a dog gripping a bone because I've had these discussions at my own institution. Regional universities and their constituent parts cannot let their ability to attract some super-credentialed students divert their attention from the challenge of filling entering classes with solid, promising students whose qualifications are not as shiny.

[vu72]

David81, as a side note to the scores issue, I happened across Mason Bonn's bio (Mason plays on the men's golf team).  His bio says in part ".Member of National Honor Society as a junior and senior... One of the Valedictorians for the Shorewood High School Class of 2020..Only missed one question on the SAT, scoring a 1590

We may not have too many of this All Star student, but we have some, and...He's a pretty good golfer to boot!

....which is great for Mason Bonn and for VU, in both academic and athletic terms. And yes, hopefully more of these students will look to VU as a better choice to obtain an education, even in the face of generous scholarship offers and/or state school tuition from higher-ranked schools.

But such exceptional examples as Mason will never be replicated in numbers sufficient to fill the heart of an entering class. The overwrought influence of the U.S. News rankings has bolstered those challenges, to the point where -- to illustrate -- an undergraduate engineering applicant might hear from various influencers (small "i," not the Kardashian "I") that they are taking a "risk" by attending #15 ranked VU over a school ranked, say, #8 or #10. It can get that hair-splitting.

I'm holding onto these points like a dog gripping a bone because I've had these discussions at my own institution. Regional universities and their constituent parts cannot let their ability to attract some super-credentialed students divert their attention from the challenge of filling entering classes with solid, promising students whose qualifications are not as shiny.

As always 81, a fascinating discussion.  Here is an interesting point regarding engineering rankings and one, no doubt, Coach Fox uses to his advantage.  Here it is:  Of the 15 top rated engineering undergrad ratings, only three--other than the Military institutions--play D1 football.  Those would be Valpo, Bucknell and San Diego.  So, if you want to play D1 your choices are very limited, unless you want to commit six years to military service (not a bad idea!) Our football team is loaded with engineering majors.

[David81]

 [/quote]

As always 81, a fascinating discussion.  Here is an interesting point regarding engineering rankings and one, no doubt, Coach Fox uses to his advantage.  Here it is:  Of the 15 top rated engineering undergrad ratings, only three--other than the Military institutions--play D1 football.  Those would be Valpo, Bucknell and San Diego.  So, if you want to play D1 your choices are very limited, unless you want to commit six years to military service (not a bad idea!) Our football team is loaded with engineering majors.

[/quote]

I appreciate this conversation as well, vu72!

You've just given another reason to keep building this football program toward sustained competitiveness in the W-L column: It attracts a lot of young men who are committed to successfully juggling sports and demanding classwork.

My sense of VU's engineering program is that -- at #15 -- it likely provides a better academic experience than a good number of the larger, brand-name schools ranked above it. It will indeed lose some students who base decisions solely on the rankings when making choices. But others will consider the overall value of attending a smaller school dedicated to undergraduate education. And yes, here is where a strong liberal arts presence can be an additional draw for engineering and other professional students who want a well-rounded curriculum to complement their vocational specialty. It also may make them better engineers. 😊

[David81]

Hello there, all --

This is a fascinating discussion. I'm former faculty (Theology), and I think the discussion of 'strengths' should also consider how long it takes to build a reputation and how long it takes to lose it.... basically, very slowly in both directions. I have mixed feelings about the trajectory of Valpo, feeling both great affection for the place and dismay over what I saw happen there.

ValpoDiaspora, wow, this is your first post on this board, and it's a whopper! (And welcome! Although I enjoy following and occasionally contributing to the basketball and football discussions on this board, I'm on more solid ground discussing academic stuff, as a fellow denizen of that world. LOL.)

Anyway, I am so glad that you landed on your feet, and at a good university to boot. (Hey, the basketball notoriety helps...) As someone who witnessed some of this sudden, awful bloodletting at my own regional, private university in Boston (Suffolk) during the 2010s, I have some idea of the painful impacts on so many levels. Congratulations and best wishes for your success. May your sailing be smoother at your new school.

But more to your many points......Yes on all the observations on institutional reputation. If VU further retreats on its commitment to the liberal arts and humanities, then there will be a deeper cost in tangible and intangible ways. And a lost reputation is sometimes unrecoverable.

The Valpo I knew as an undergraduate from 1977-81 was not the Valpo that you saw in a state of attrition. It was a more modest institution with a very capable and dedicated teaching faculty but comparatively few genuine scholars compared to now. And as a vestige of its post-war 50s/60s legacy, the teaching loads were brutally high and the faculty salaries were almost comically low. (The latter I learned about as a Torch editor and reporter. How many times does a college newspaper scribe get heartfelt thanks from faculty for writing a piece about the low salaries?) As for facilities, let's just say the place was an ode to deferred maintenance, with many of the buildings dating back to its pre-Lutheran days!

Objectively speaking, the VU that you left is probably still better in significant ways than the one I attended back in my day. But the cuts and layoffs are painful in both reality and perception. I do not want to minimize that.

Of course, this kind of thing (and much worse) is occurring at schools across the country. It's premature to say that Valpo will be among the thriving survivors, with core mission and reputation intact, though I believe there remain many qualitative reasons for optimism.

[usc4valpo]

I appreciate what is being said in this important, passionate discussion. As an electrical engineering grad in 1984, for the most part the liberal arts education at Valpo was beneficial to me, particularly in enhancing holistic thinking and communication. Generally speaking, you do not get this experience in state universities. Composition  and communicating ideas and proposals is a strength of mine that I believe is a critical contribution to our team. This was likely a result from improving my speaking and writing skills where part of that occurred at Valpo. I was also fortunate to engage with students and faculty on a wide variety of experiences and perspectives. I am very pro STEM and making it stronger is imperative, but technical studies with liberal arts educational makes you well rounded and ready for future endeavors.

Taking geography, philosophical logic and reading and analyzing Crime and Punishment had a significant impact in my engineering career.

[David81]

I appreciate what is being said in this important, passionate discussion. As an electrical engineering grad in 1984, for the most part the liberal arts education at Valpo was beneficial to me, particularly in enhancing holistic thinking and communication. Generally speaking, you do not get this experience in state universities. Composition  and communicating ideas and proposals is a strength of mine that I believe is a critical contribution to our team. This was likely a result from improving my speaking and writing skills where part of that occurred at Valpo. I was also fortunate to engage with students and faculty on a wide variety of experiences and perspectives. I am very pro STEM and making it stronger is imperative, but technical studies with liberal arts educational makes you well rounded and ready for future endeavors.

Taking geography, philosophical logic and reading and analyzing Crime and Punishment had a significant impact in my engineering career.

usc4valpo, I'm glad this discussion is unfolding in a good way that we don't always see in dialogue these days. 😊

I'm all for VU building on its strengths in engineering, nursing, business, etc. VU has made major strides in all of those areas, coming from origin points of being very committed to good teaching. Engineering is an especially remarkable story, going back to the post-war day when students raised money and built the engineering building.

But if Valpo wants to reinforce its Lutheran connection (a decline that many posters on this board have lamented) and its reputation as a place where contemplation and ideas in the classic university tradition still matter, then how can it do so if it's neglecting core strengths in the liberal arts and humanities, including -- as our new poster ValpoDiaspora encapsulates -- its theology offerings?

So here's a question that often gets swept under the table at the lion's share of universities that don't have bottomless coffers, and thus causes much internal resentment: Does development in one area come at a cost to another? In other words, is institutional improvement a zero-sum game in terms of picking some areas for improvement while letting others exist/whither? That tension has been reflected in some of our various posts here, but it is possible to expand the pie of resources rather than compete for a more limited pool?

I think the answer may hold the key to how VU's future unfolds. Maybe not every smaller private, regional university can pull off a balancing act and find ways to support both professional offerings and the liberal arts, but some will find the formula and be better places for it.

[crusader05]

One thing I want to highlight is just how some of this stagnation and warning signs probably happened when times "were good".  It's easy to assume the most recent leadership is the reason for all the problems but often they are reacting either poorly or well to foundational cracks that come to light. Much like the law school's reputation was already showing significant signs of being bad in in the early 2000s.  One of the consistent issues I've heard about Valpo is that there was not investment when there should have been but instead a belief that somehow we were "special" and could continue to do things the way we have always done. So that when trouble started showing up we were without tools to help. This is everything from real investment and leadership in the liberal arts, lack of keeping up with the times in regards to technology or how departments are run, and investing in buildings early rather than waiting until they were too much.

Too often people were in positions of power because they ended up there at good times and did nothing more than try to keep the status quo. I've heard from many who work there how often we did not "evolve" with higher ed and have been caught flat footed in some ways. Ite seems to all awareness that many of the faculty and schools have kept up their end of the bargin as you can see by quality of professors and rankings and continued reports that students find the academics a positive experience. It's seems to be the issue that there was not enough investment in them or other areas that supported student satisfaction like residence halls or maintaining/building on campus traditions or social activities.