Valpo Strategic Plan

[vu84v2]

The faculty senate vote was 13-6....what is the representation of each college on faculty senate?

I will answer one of my questions above...distribution of faculty senate representatives by college (per Valpo's website). College of Arts and Sciences: 15; Christ College: 1; Business: 2; Engineering: 2; Nursing: 2; Libraries: 1. Furthermore, the governance process dictates that 14 of the 23 representatives come from Arts and Sciences with guaranteed representation from Art/Music, English, Theology/Philosophy.

https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/

Let's be fully accurate in those numbers. Of the 14 representatives from A&S, four are STEM professors (Winquist, Clark, Wolf, and Sullivan). Therefore, the representation is evenly distributed with 10 from professional schools and STEM subjects, plus 8 currently from arts subjects (2 of which are actually at-large senators), and one representative each from the Library and Christ College. The senate chair is also from a science area and the vice chair is from arts. Consequently, the present 22-member voting breakdown is 11 from professional schools or STEM subjects and 11 from the arts (if we include the Library and Christ College as arts). Additionally, the university president and the provost are ex officio members.

OK...but it is clear that the number of arts faculty on faculty senate who are not at-large is equal to the total number of members from engineering, nursing, and business combined.

[mj]

The idea that this painting is somehow the soul of Valpo is ridiculous. Very few people even knew it existed!

President Padilla is facing the hard task of cleaning up the financial mess of Heckler. And that means making hard decisions. Don't want Valpo to sell the painting? Then help recruit students to VU. Or start donating millions of dollars.

[Valpo1993]

The idea that this painting is somehow the soul of Valpo is ridiculous. Very few people even knew it existed!

President Padilla is facing the hard task of cleaning up the financial mess of Heckler. And that means making hard decisions. Don't want Valpo to sell the painting? Then help recruit students to VU. Or start donating millions of dollars.

I will no longer donate or return to the university based on the name change.  I am sure the name change is minor to some people but I avoid the woke world.   I steered both my kids aways from VU because of what VU has become.  I can't believe I still follow VU basketball.  For some reason I can't pull away from it.   I think the name change created a PR nightmare.   It will take at least 10 years to recover from that.    The painting is a small part of the issue.   If VU needs to sell a painting to fund a remodel then there are bigger financial issues going on.   If they feel a remodeled dorm will increase admissions then by all means sell the paintings to get more students to the university.   I have been to many college campus visits with my kids and VU does lag behind in what they offer students.   I graduated from VU from the business School.  I don't think the VU business school is attractive as it was in the 80's/90's.   Again, other schools offer more attractive facilities and learning labs than VU business school.   More is needed than just a remodeled dorm.


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[wh]

The faculty senate vote was 13-6....what is the representation of each college on faculty senate?

I will answer one of my questions above...distribution of faculty senate representatives by college (per Valpo's website). College of Arts and Sciences: 15; Christ College: 1; Business: 2; Engineering: 2; Nursing: 2; Libraries: 1. Furthermore, the governance process dictates that 14 of the 23 representatives come from Arts and Sciences with guaranteed representation from Art/Music, English, Theology/Philosophy.

https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/

Let's be fully accurate in those numbers. Of the 14 representatives from A&S, four are STEM professors (Winquist, Clark, Wolf, and Sullivan). Therefore, the representation is evenly distributed with 10 from professional schools and STEM subjects, plus 8 currently from arts subjects (2 of which are actually at-large senators), and one representative each from the Library and Christ College. The senate chair is also from a science area and the vice chair is from arts. Consequently, the present 22-member voting breakdown is 11 from professional schools or STEM subjects and 11 from the arts (if we include the Library and Christ College as arts). Additionally, the university president and the provost are ex officio members.

These people must have a death wish. Before this art controversy began, Valpo was just 1 of about 400 universities in the same category of financial distress. Now, thanks to a group of self-absorbed "tattle tales" taking their petty grievances to the national media, Valpo has become the national poster child of university financial desperation and despair.

Congratulations, you silly little children. You have done irreparable damage to a great institution of higher learning already teetering on the edge. Puff your little chests out and take your 15-minute victory lap.

[valpo64]

Amen!   Thank you,  wh.

[valpopal]

The only person who bears blame for the current public relations disaster is Pres. Padilla. He seemingly knew what he was doing was wrong. Therefore, he deceptively initiated his plan by not consulting the museum staff for advice about proper procedures and possible consequences in relations with other universities and museums. He dishonestly hired the new museum director by withholding information from him and the hiring committee about an action that would be deemed unethical by the national arts organizations, one of which Canning is a member, and an action likely damaging his reputation and harming his professional future as a result.


He apparently must have kept certain bits of information about these issues from the Board of Directors (perhaps "the old white guys" he references in the New Republic quote) when he approached them with his plan. I wonder what they think now. Padilla ignored outreach by members of the university community, the faculty, and the national organizations, who offered various forms of assistance. His hubris did not allow him to enlist the faculty senate or revered senior members of the university community, who advised against such a destructive path, in a positive manner. He has lost trust with much of the university community.


In my original post six weeks ago when this issue first arose, before the initial news reports happened, I sensed the temperature at the university and offered a warning. Even as an outsider viewing the circumstances, I knew this would be a national story once the arts associations issued their statement. It was obvious. I wrote on this forum then that "the plan to sell some of the highest prized and treasured artworks from the Brauer Museum is ill advised, even worse than the mascot debacle." Padilla should have known that as well.


If he continues in the same direction, the public relations fiasco could get even worse. Imagine the stories and images when the artworks are removed from the museum. Think about the news reports on an actual sale of the works. What will it look like if the museum needs to remove Brauer's name from its entrance and all materials or websites. What if the former law professor follows through with his threat of a lawsuit? Those are just a few upcoming possibilities with others also looming. Padilla needs to turn this around before it gathers even more momentum, and attempt to consolidate the goodwill of all. I pray he does.   

[mj]

I'm sorry, but it's insane to blame this on President Padilla. He's the president of the university; he gets to captain the ship. Furthermore, the Board approved the sale of the painting.

It's odd that Padilla faces all this vitriol but somehow the same people give Heckler a pass. Weird.

Opponents of the sale have yet to propose a solution to address the issues that Valpo faces. Apparently we should stand pat and let the university run itself into the ground. 

[wh]

President Padilla made 1 mistake and 1 mistake only, albeit a huge one. Once he got approval from the Board, he should have moved on selling those pieces the next day. When a child needs a dose of caster oil, force it down their throat, and get on with life. Let them cry and pout to their heart's content - after the fact. What you never do is wait until a child says they're ready, because it will never happen. What will happen is the wailing will continue non-stop, all the while they become increasingly sicker.

[valpopal]

I'm sorry, but it's insane to blame this on President Padilla. He's the president of the university; he gets to captain the ship.

...so did Captain Queeg. 

[historyman]

I'm sorry, but it's insane to blame this on President Padilla. He's the president of the university; he gets to captain the ship.

...so did Captain Queeg. 

and Captain Kirk and Captain Crunch and Admiral Horatio Nelson and Admiral David Porter.

[vu84v2]

The only person who bears blame for the current public relations disaster is Pres. Padilla. He seemingly knew what he was doing was wrong. Therefore, he deceptively initiated his plan by not consulting the museum staff for advice about proper procedures and possible consequences in relations with other universities and museums. He dishonestly hired the new museum director by withholding information from him and the hiring committee about an action that would be deemed unethical by the national arts organizations, one of which Canning is a member, and an action likely damaging his reputation and harming his professional future as a result.


He apparently must have kept certain bits of information about these issues from the Board of Directors (perhaps "the old white guys" he references in the New Republic quote) when he approached them with his plan. I wonder what they think now. Padilla ignored outreach by members of the university community, the faculty, and the national organizations, who offered various forms of assistance. His hubris did not allow him to enlist the faculty senate or revered senior members of the university community, who advised against such a destructive path, in a positive manner. He has lost trust with much of the university community.


In my original post six weeks ago when this issue first arose, before the initial news reports happened, I sensed the temperature at the university and offered a warning. Even as an outsider viewing the circumstances, I knew this would be a national story once the arts associations issued their statement. It was obvious. I wrote on this forum then that "the plan to sell some of the highest prized and treasured artworks from the Brauer Museum is ill advised, even worse than the mascot debacle." Padilla should have known that as well.


If he continues in the same direction, the public relations fiasco could get even worse. Imagine the stories and images when the artworks are removed from the museum. Think about the news reports on an actual sale of the works. What will it look like if the museum needs to remove Brauer's name from its entrance and all materials or websites. What if the former law professor follows through with his threat of a lawsuit? Those are just a few upcoming possibilities with others also looming. Padilla needs to turn this around before it gathers even more momentum, and attempt to consolidate the goodwill of all. I pray he does.   

The public relations problems may get worse, but it will get worse because the people within the university who disagree with the art sale will be on the phone or emailing people in the regional and national press who are likely to support their side to get them to cover the story. These people within the university will take any steps to harm the university because they do not agree.

[David81]

The faculty senate vote was 13-6....what is the representation of each college on faculty senate?

I will answer one of my questions above...distribution of faculty senate representatives by college (per Valpo's website). College of Arts and Sciences: 15; Christ College: 1; Business: 2; Engineering: 2; Nursing: 2; Libraries: 1. Furthermore, the governance process dictates that 14 of the 23 representatives come from Arts and Sciences with guaranteed representation from Art/Music, English, Theology/Philosophy.

https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/

Let's be fully accurate in those numbers. Of the 14 representatives from A&S, four are STEM professors (Winquist, Clark, Wolf, and Sullivan). Therefore, the representation is evenly distributed with 10 from professional schools and STEM subjects, plus 8 currently from arts subjects (2 of which are actually at-large senators), and one representative each from the Library and Christ College. The senate chair is also from a science area and the vice chair is from arts. Consequently, the present 22-member voting breakdown is 11 from professional schools or STEM subjects and 11 from the arts (if we include the Library and Christ College as arts). Additionally, the university president and the provost are ex officio members.

These people must have a death wish. Before this art controversy began, Valpo was just 1 of about 400 universities in the same category of financial distress. Now, thanks to a group of self-absorbed "tattle tales" taking their petty grievances to the national media, Valpo has become the national poster child of university financial desperation and despair.

Congratulations, you silly little children. You have done irreparable damage to a great institution of higher learning already teetering on the edge. Puff your little chests out and take your 15-minute victory lap.

WH, I think you're being over the top here, both in blaming everyone who opposes the art sale for taking the story public (when in reality it is probably a handful of individuals doing media outreach), and for presuming bad, self-absorbed intentions for opposing the sale. Can you and others who are so contemptuous or ridiculing of those who disagree with you accept that these folks may passionately believe that the art sale hurts the University in ways that they and others care deeply about?

FWIW, I signed the petition being circulated in opposition to the art sale, in hopes of spurring sufficient concern to explore viable 3rd options between selling the paintings and doing nothing to upgrade the residence halls. If the sale happens, I will be disappointed and unhappy about it. But I won't be carrying a huge chip on my shoulder about it and bringing it up every time someone either laments or celebrates the decline of the humanities. I won't cancel the modest scholarship I've committed to funding with my monthly donations and my estate gift. Everyone has their walk away point, and mine isn't about whether the art is sold or whether to keep a mascot or whether VU hires a new MBB head coach or any similar individual decision.

OK, if the school decides to abandon the liberal arts and humanities and become a professional college, then it's no longer the place that I know and care about. Not because I hate professional degree programs -- hey, I teach at a law school -- but rather because the essential character will have changed in ways that I am happy to let others support. If it ever abandons a commitment to inclusion and diversity -- problems that were painfully real during my years at VU and that Mark Heckler (who is being bashed pretty hard on this board) courageously addressed -- then I'd step away as well.

So, please understand that reasonable people can disagree on this decision. Others might question the need to prioritize the residence halls for upgrades. Indeed, [small c] conservatives and those from more modest means might question why today's young people have come to expect fancy dorm accommodations, when a couple of generations ago, the mere availability of affordable on-campus housing was considered a great opportunity. They might even toss around terms like "self-absorbed" and "snowflakes" to describe those kids who would pass on VU because the living accommodations aren't swanky enough. So I do find some irony in this sudden need for residence hall upgrades, even as I understand that VU has to respond to the marketplace of student consumerism.

[wh]

The faculty senate vote was 13-6....what is the representation of each college on faculty senate?

I will answer one of my questions above...distribution of faculty senate representatives by college (per Valpo's website). College of Arts and Sciences: 15; Christ College: 1; Business: 2; Engineering: 2; Nursing: 2; Libraries: 1. Furthermore, the governance process dictates that 14 of the 23 representatives come from Arts and Sciences with guaranteed representation from Art/Music, English, Theology/Philosophy.

https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/

Let's be fully accurate in those numbers. Of the 14 representatives from A&S, four are STEM professors (Winquist, Clark, Wolf, and Sullivan). Therefore, the representation is evenly distributed with 10 from professional schools and STEM subjects, plus 8 currently from arts subjects (2 of which are actually at-large senators), and one representative each from the Library and Christ College. The senate chair is also from a science area and the vice chair is from arts. Consequently, the present 22-member voting breakdown is 11 from professional schools or STEM subjects and 11 from the arts (if we include the Library and Christ College as arts). Additionally, the university president and the provost are ex officio members.

These people must have a death wish. Before this art controversy began, Valpo was just 1 of about 400 universities in the same category of financial distress. Now, thanks to a group of self-absorbed "tattle tales" taking their petty grievances to the national media, Valpo has become the national poster child of university financial desperation and despair.

Congratulations, you silly little children. You have done irreparable damage to a great institution of higher learning already teetering on the edge. Puff your little chests out and take your 15-minute victory lap.

WH, I think you're being over the top here, both in blaming everyone who opposes the art sale for taking the story public (when in reality it is probably a handful of individuals doing media outreach), and for presuming bad, self-absorbed intentions for opposing the sale. Can you and others who are so contemptuous or ridiculing of those who disagree with you accept that these folks may passionately believe that the art sale hurts the University in ways that they and others care deeply about?

FWIW, I signed the petition being circulated in opposition to the art sale, in hopes of spurring sufficient concern to explore viable 3rd options between selling the paintings and doing nothing to upgrade the residence halls. If the sale happens, I will be disappointed and unhappy about it. But I won't be carrying a huge chip on my shoulder about it and bringing it up every time someone either laments or celebrates the decline of the humanities. I won't cancel the modest scholarship I've committed to funding with my monthly donations and my estate gift. Everyone has their walk away point, and mine isn't about whether the art is sold or whether to keep a mascot or whether VU hires a new MBB head coach or any similar individual decision.

OK, if the school decides to abandon the liberal arts and humanities and become a professional college, then it's no longer the place that I know and care about. Not because I hate professional degree programs -- hey, I teach at a law school -- but rather because the essential character will have changed in ways that I am happy to let others support. If it ever abandons a commitment to inclusion and diversity -- problems that were painfully real during my years at VU and that Mark Heckler (who is being bashed pretty hard on this board) courageously addressed -- then I'd step away as well.

So, please understand that reasonable people can disagree on this decision. Others might question the need to prioritize the residence halls for upgrades. Indeed, [small c] conservatives and those from more modest means might question why today's young people have come to expect fancy dorm accommodations, when a couple of generations ago, the mere availability of affordable on-campus housing was considered a great opportunity. They might even toss around terms like "self-absorbed" and "snowflakes" to describe those kids who would pass on VU because the living accommodations aren't swanky enough. So I do find some irony in this sudden need for residence hall upgrades, even as I understand that VU has to respond to the marketplace of student consumerism.

David. I am not questioning anyone's sincerity or their right to take an opposing position. My criticism is over the alarming lack of discernment in engaging national media, putting Valparaiso University in a firestorm of criticism, complete with vultures circling.

Emotion is always in ample supply. Wisdom, on the other hand, resides in rarified air a layer just above where the masses reside. It's reachable, but only through persistence and intentionality.

So what is wisdom? As it applies to this situation, it is a recognition of one's own emotions and biases and the willingness to remove them from the equation. It's a willingness to accept, and even embrace, the greater good. At some point, it requires acceptance of uncertainty over which one has no control and supporting and even praying for those who have been entrusted with that responsibility. Lastly, it requires the maturity and self control to recognize when not to air one's dirty laundry in public.

It's really as simple as that. wh

[usc4valpo]

Very good yet sad discussion.

I think we can all agree that selling art or the consideration of selling art to stay afloat financially is a bad thing. None of this is positive to the university. It sucks - no way anyone can place a positive spin on this.

Regarding the media and the discussion, what I ask is a fair unbiased report which is obviously not happening. I'm hearing theatre and liberal arts majors being blowhards, who probably also have no clue or care what a decent dormitory should look like. Let's get the whole story with a broad representation of faculty and students. Then again, who am I kidding.

Also, as a university, a decision has to be made on what's best to keep operations moving. Maybe the art sale is a bad idea - maybe it's a band aid solution for a bigger problem. Do we need an endowment in the $250M - $300M range? Is there a way to transfer funds from that or what are the ramifications of that?

Also, we are not alone in this situation, there are hundreds of private schools strapped for cash. What actions are they taking to resolve financial gaps. What can we learn from them?

Regarding facilities - they are very important to bring in students. I would not underestimate this. My daughter, who is going to Rice to major in Chemical engineering, visited several colleges, and for each tour they spend sufficient time showing the facilities. I did a tour with my other daughter at Valpo, and they are way behind - they looked the same as it did in the mid 80s!

Also, and this really pissed me off. What got me upset at the start of this fiasco was a creative writing major going off the deep end referring that Valpo was becoming a technical school. An engineering education with some liberal classes  can be pretty powerful, but overall I'm proud of what the college of engineering is all about. They have an identity (an obvious overall gap at Valpo),  they know what they are about, they provide a challenging, comprehensive curriculum and prepare students and graduates for the real world. If we're a technical school and the Valpo College of Engineering represents that, then I'm pretty proud of that.

[Valpo1993]

VU needs to get into high end alumni's deep pockets. Maybe they need to hire a high end fundraiser.   Get funding for a Redenbacher School of Business.    The Homer Drew School of Education.   If the Brandt family can't donate to remodel the dorm than find an alumni who will and rename it.   


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vu72]

I think we can all agree that selling art or the consideration of selling art to stay afloat financially is a bad thing

Do we need an endowment in the $250M - $300M range? Is there a way to transfer funds from that or what are the ramifications of that?

First off, the art isn't being sold to "keep afloat financially". It is being sold so we can move quickly with dorm renovations deemed critical to improved recruitment and retention.  We need to move now, not five years down the line after yet another fund raising drive.  We just completed a $302 million dollar drive. Do you really think our somewhat small alumni base is ready to do another one quite yet?  So the alternative is possibly raise more money via another bond sale.  Our credit rating was just lowered and intererst rates are much higher than a few years ago. This would just add more stress to the annual budget.  The enrollment cliff is coming in three years!  We have to be ready. Show us an alternative!!!!

As for the endowment, we've covered this numerous times before.  Those funds have a dedicated purpose, many of which support the financial well being of the university via things like scholarships which reduce the need of further discounting to attract students.  Finally, if your discounted price is less than your cost of goods sold, higher volume isn't going to keep you from bankruptcy.

[ValpoDiaspora]

Regarding the media and the discussion, what I ask is a fair unbiased report which is obviously not happening. I'm hearing theatre and liberal arts majors being blowhards, who probably also have no clue or care what a decent dormitory should look like. Let's get the whole story with a broad representation of faculty and students...

Also, and this really pissed me off. What got me upset at the start of this fiasco was a creative writing major going off the deep end referring that Valpo was becoming a technical school. An engineering education with some liberal classes  can be pretty powerful, but overall I'm proud of what the college of engineering is all about. They have an identity (an obvious overall gap at Valpo),  they know what they are about, they provide a challenging, comprehensive curriculum and prepare students and graduates for the real world. If we're a technical school and the Valpo College of Engineering represents that, then I'm pretty proud of that.

USC, I admit, this latest article was a little more hyped up in tone than I personally think is helpful. But keep in mind, it's not as though the arts/humanities/professional school dilemmas are somehow otherwise rhetorically neutral!

On the contrary, if we want to talk about markets, there is a lot of market manipulation from Valpo administrators and especially parents in the typical Valpo parent pool who very heavily push for the professional training as the good or successful way to go, while denigrating the humanities and arts as not worth the high tuition. (Or USC, would have you been totally neutral if your daughter had opted not for engineering but become one of those theatre majors you detest so much?  ) I chatted with plenty of Engineering and Business students who would have liked to major in the humanities but would have lost their parents' financial support if they did that; so the choice was already forced and foregone. These cultural pressures are what they are, and surely the liberal arts do need to step up the game on recruiting and big time to convince parents and students otherwise! But the irony is that these same pro-professional voices then want to turn around and blame the humanities and arts programs for their struggles in recruiting, and the institution then uses the metrics on majors  as the rationale for cutting the humanities and arts course offerings and instructors. So the deck is pretty stacked these days when it comes to way the institution and parents and the broader culture looks down on the liberal arts, and the narrative about the failing liberal arts just becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Can you understand why faculty and students who do care about the liberal arts might look to institutional leadership to do something more than just reactively reproduce or double down on market slant? Throughout these news articles, there have been mentions of additional cuts to the arts, so that is clearly in the background of the activist students' concern about all this. Granted, I am a little baffled that these paintings have become THE flashpoint for the deeper issue and this article is definitely slanted in the anti-sale direction. But it's clear people are upset about what is happening to the overall profile of the university, and maybe that's legitimate. The administration does not seem interested or capable to maintain a truly comprehensive university, and why wouldn't the departments who stand to lose put up a fight, when all they've seen these last few years is devastating cuts in which (aside from the program discontinuances) the liberal arts departments had zero knowledge of what was happening to their staffing and course offerings until the cuts were already done? From a PR standpoint, it is really stunning that Padilla seems not to have understood what a powder-keg he was sitting on.

Finally, this concern for the profile of the university is not all partisan defensiveness or childish artsy-fartsy ideals as some of you are characterizing, but also a legitimate and practical concern that Valpo probably *cannot survive* as a STEM/tech school in the way that an MIT with other benefits (like location!) can do. As much as we all might love Valpo, NWI is pretty grim and just does not have a lot going for it in the big scheme of things. So -- as the article notes rightly -- Valpo with its $40+K tuition has a very fine line to tread in terms pitching itself to students who will stay local rather than go to Boston and also differentiate itself as private from the cheaper public options in the Region. What we never seem to hear, from those voices who are pushing so hard to just lean into the professional schools and make/let the liberal arts die, is an answer to the question of 'how is Valpo going to recruit students to a $40+K private technical school education in rustbelt Indiana when they can no longer pitch the allure of the rest of it?' Somebody please explain why students wouldn't just go to Purdue or IUPUI for engineering?

Note: on the art sale itself, I am kind of agnostic and recognize the university is in a time-sensitive position on a lot of fronts and having to make tough calls. But clearly, the art has become the controversy it is because of these wider issues of comprehensive profile viability, which are more important.

[usc4valpo]

If my daughter was going to major in theatre, she knows better not to go to a private school and be in massive debt after graduation. Liberal arts are great and important, but you better have a plan on what you going to do with your degree and how your will pay off your debt.

[ValpoDiaspora]

But on my last question, is it even worth going to a private school to just to major in Engineering? I still feel like if we really carry your utilitarian logic on market practicalities and debt to its full conclusion, then honestly neither the theatre nor the engineering major should opt for Valpo since they'll be better off at IvyTech, Purdue, IUPUI.

I guess I'm curious.... If Valpo was basically the same as it is on the Engineering side but with even fewer liberal arts offerings, would have that somehow made you/her more inclined to send her?

My sense is either people care about a liberal arts core comprehensive university or they don't, and those who don't are going to be very practical in just looking at benefits of location, cost and debt where plenty other schools will come out ahead of Valpo.

[sfnmman]

I hope that the wiser and calmer heads at Valpo are looking into alternatives to the sale of significant pieces of the Brauer collection to fund dorm improvements.  Such alternatives could include (1) scaling back the possible improvements to the dorms to the absolute essential fixes thereby reducing the potential cost, (2) selling a partial ownership interest in the art, much like they did for Fisk University's Georgia O'Keeffe's collection, (3) developing an alternate funding scheme not requiring the sale of art such as a short term loan from the recently enlarged endowment to be replenished with a longer term fund raising campaign, (4) raising funds through leases of unused buildings (ie, old law building) and/or land.  I'm sure there are numerous other funding options that could be considered. Senior management at Valpo familiar with the interworking of the University, its supporters and its financial resources should develop more acceptable funding alternatives.

It's a shame that Padilla and the Board did not foresee the negative consequences that a proposed sale of art would create.  After all, this is not the first time a university proposed to do this.  The record of public backlash resulting when such actions have been proposed or implemented has been available for all to see.  Just do a google search for "college art museum sales".  It's greatly disappointing that Padilla's proposal has caused so much negative publicity.  A creative solution could partially mitigate the damage this planned action has caused.

[usc4valpo]

My daughter is pretty bright, and Rice was her dream school for chemical engineering. Rice is not a bad school to attend. It's in the middle of the medical district of Houston and has tremendous opportunities to grow. Rice also has ok programs in the humanities. But my daughter has a plan on what she wants to do with her life. It may change, but she at least she has an idea of the debt she will have and what it will take to pay it off.

[ValpoDiaspora]

There you go, USC! Exactly! Rice is a top15 national research institution, a comprehensive university with really top notch STEM and humanities programs on both sides, that is known for offering some fantastic full-tuition merit scholarships to keep the applicant pool strong and keep the incoming students' declared majors diverse, and able to do that because of their $6 billion dollar endowment. I guarantee you they are not cutting humanities programs or selling art; and are actually especially known for really great departments in English and History, where faculty are probably on a 1-2 teaching load and able to give really personalized attention to students... I'm happy for your daughter, since she's going to a great place, and I'm sure she'll be a very happy Engineering student while also getting to benefit from the whole, rich well-rounded experience that Rice provides. Indeed, that's what parents actually want for their kids when they send them off to a four-year private school.

And so I think we just have to recognize that even the 'practical' option some voices want to pursue for Valpo (a slimmed down, tech/STEM/prof-focused institution, with a $40K+ private tuition bill) is actually not that viable of a way forward for enrollment, when there are other schools that will offer it all...

[crusader05]

I don't think that Valpo can and should survive as a Stem school. I also don't think the sale of the art or the closure of some programs indicate that the university thinks it should or that this means the university doesn't care about liberal arts.

I have been a bit uncomfortable with some of the invective coming from the anti-sale section that seems to take what could be an ethical argument and is using it to ramp up the attacks on Padilla as a person implying some pretty intense things including now that he perhaps liked or manipulated board of directors to get this result.

We have been promised more and more but at the end it just ends up being the same article, with the same names, making the same arguments. I have seen some solutions bandied about that make me think many people have no idea what the actual situation is in higher ed. Lots of "there's got to be a better way to raise 10 million) ignoring a lot of the factors that the big driver for this is Time and Also that our alums only have so much money and at the end of the day Valpo cannot just sit there and beg a lot of our (most likely) old white men donors to fund everything. Other options that include selling something else ignore that you need a buyer for those other things and scaling down is not always good because the main things that are wrong with the dorms are probably the big money drivers (no air, old plumbing, bad windows etc) it's not sustainable. We need to use the assets we have, fundraising, and go aggressively after gov't and grant related funds as well as city partnerships to do this. They tried to lease out old buildings and they're trying to sell land. I'd imagine if they could just sell land for 10 million they would do it, the fact that they haven't might indicate it's not an option at this point.

A museum organization that we are not an official member of (because we are not a real museum) sanctioning us means less to me than a downgrade in our bond rating. I get this is existential in a lot of ways but this is starting to feel like a personal vendetta against the president and that is making me a bit more uncomfortable in this whole thing.

[usc4valpo]

How about this - can we learn from other schools on how they are handling this kind of situation?

[ValpoDiaspora]

They tried to lease out old buildings and they're trying to sell land. I'd imagine if they could just sell land for 10 million they would do it, the fact that they haven't might indicate it's not an option at this point.

very curious about this too