No, but getting a level of a liberal arts education at Valparaiso was beneficial and enabled improved communication skills necessary to be successful in STEM, where one needs to sell, present or describe a concept to a wide range of stakeholders. The geography and philosophy classes were excellent. I was mixed on the theology classes - the intro was good, Christian ethics was brutal.
-In the job market, Valpo engineers are differentiated by their skills in personal interaction and teamwork. Lots of schools can teach engineering skills (and Valpo does this well), but companies who hire Valpo engineers always point to their communication and professional skills relative to graduates from other big and small universities.
At one point or another, and maybe still today, aren't Valpo engineering students required/highly encouraged to take a Dale Carnegie course? It would go well with dining etiquette taught at some schools, including Valpo.
I took Dale Carnegie training back in the late 90's and it was very beneficial. As for my dining etiquitte, I still have my caveman style approach that has room for improvement. Why is the fork of the left for crying out loud?
It wasn't just layoffs - it was also the period of the great resignation. Many employees during COVID realized that they were mad as hell and didn't want to take it anymore. I along with many changed companies in 2021.I hardly think we can count 2020 in events under the university's control. There seemed to be a "significant event" that prompted many schools and all businesses to incite mass layoffs
I hardly think we can count 2020 in events under the university's control. There seemed to be a "significant event" that prompted many schools and all businesses to incite mass layoffs
That is why I criticized not that the event happened but the "poorly managed process." There is still great animosity from faculty about the handling of that situation, and it lingers as a talking point in today's discontinuance process discussions. Also, I have heard a current top member of administration recently acknowledge the process in 2020 unfortunately was deeply flawed and divisive.
It wasn't just layoffs - it was also the period of the great resignation. Many employees during COVID realized that they were mad as hell and didn't want to take it anymore. I along with many changed companies in 2021.I hardly think we can count 2020 in events under the university's control. There seemed to be a "significant event" that prompted many schools and all businesses to incite mass layoffs
The only knowledge I have on the VU layoffs in 2020 is that almost every major company, school, business, you name it was laying off or changing jobs. As for how VU handled the situation, I do not know anyone in the academics sector. Well I know one person but they would not be helpful in providing information on these types of topcis. My inside knowledge is only on the athletics side.
@valpopal Well then this sort of answers my question, have there been steps taken to appeal to concerns from faculty? Padilla came on in 2021 so I assume part of his mission statement to faculty was not to repeat 2020.
Criticism is still a good thing. The fact we have things to criticise, proves all hope is not lost for the school IMOP. If you don't have critics, then there is just a sense of impending doom and regret.
@valpopal Well then this sort of answers my question, have there been steps taken to appeal to concerns from faculty? Padilla came on in 2021 so I assume part of his mission statement to faculty was not to repeat 2020.
The current discussion about discontinuance and revocation of tenure has revived echoes of the division seen in 2020. At the risk of over-simplifying two divisive points:
Faculty cite the university handbook and claim tenure cannot be removed unless a department to which the faculty member was hired is discontinued. The administration claims a faculty member can lose tenure simply by the discontinuance of a major or minor in the department.
Further, the administration seems to claim the right to terminate full-time tenured professors in those departments, perhaps to hire less expensive lecturers. However, faculty indicate since the discontinuation process guidelines themselves require retaining faculty who are qualified to teach in an existing "suitable position" on campus, and since the faculty already teach in a department itself not being eliminated and still offering courses, they must be retained.
I think my struggle is with the tenure concept. I both believe it's valuable and important but it also seems like when you have those types of rules and changes need to be made it can push administrations into a corner that leads to more drastic decisions. Pal, maybe you can shed more light but do you believe that if the first round of terminations had been handled in the way this one was would it have been received any better? I just can't imagine anyone likes getting fired no matter how it happens.
It's odd to me because outside of academia if you're getting fired you get fired and that's it. I can't imagine what it does to a work place to spend months or years talking about potentially being fired. I'd imagine that while it can maybe help an administration overall govern itself better, it feels like it would make this such a drawn out process that it's bad overall.
I mentioned previously that I worked for a large company that went through a long agonizing period of cost cutting measures, repeated force reduction initiatives, pay and benefit cuts, etc.
Similar to Valpo’s current situation, as time wore on it became increasingly more difficult to make sense of what the leadership team was doing. Cuts seemed to be made with little rhyme or reason or forethought about the future. Everything reeked of desperation. Survivors were expected to pick up the pieces and just move on. Worse, no one knew if the newest round of cuts was the last round. The end never seemed in sight.
I say this to express my deepest sympathies to anyone being affected in any way, directly or indirectly, by what’s happening at Valpo. I pray that God will give you the strength and courage to persevere through this most difficult time.
wh
Many of us may have forgotten about "Uplift Valpo", the recently launched plan for the university. There continues to be updates and if you take the time, you'll see many of the issues addressed that are of concern to folks on this board.
I have been perusing the uplift valpo plan for a while now and I would HIGHLY recommend giving it check-ins every few months. Padilla has a clear plan as to how to get the school back into good standing. It largely looks like it is going to have success. I know we doubt the university because of previous mishandles, but this administration is still 2 years old. Give them some time to correct inherited errors and improve the school. Padille doesn't just want to build a new basketball arena...
anytime people get let go anywhere, the process will never be perfectly carried and there will always be diversion. My old company had a big reorg in 2020 which was unheard of at the past, and many were laid off and many more took the voluntary separation package.I hardly think we can count 2020 in events under the university's control. There seemed to be a "significant event" that prompted many schools and all businesses to incite mass layoffs
That is why I criticized not that the event happened but the "poorly managed process." There is still great animosity from faculty about the handling of that situation, and it lingers as a talking point in today's discontinuance process discussions. Also, I have heard a current top member of administration recently acknowledge the process in 2020 unfortunately was deeply flawed and divisive.
FYI, this is a periodically updated spreadsheet that is attempting to track all of the major downsizing announcements nationally since August 2023:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16uTHBFk_tPkraw5kI21xqRY0RcxTx1a0aidolP0KVVQ/edit?
