It’s shocking to look at the year by year decline in enrollment. One would think that Valpo would take an all hands on deck approach in recruiting students. But apparently they’ve decided to move away from using alumni to recruit students.
https://www.valpo.edu/institutional-effectiveness/institutional-research/enrollment-data/
Ya, I agree with much of what you say overall here.
For me, the ongoing puzzle and open question is the strategy around us being a residential campus or not.
To begin with, I totally agree with Padilla (and common sense) that Valpo can't afford to have a ton of empty dorms. The entire model of the small-size private university four-year experience hinges on the personalized academic attention and and strong residential community experience and all that entails, whether it's clubs, theatre, campus ministry, Greek life, or sports. It seems essential for cashflow and for student experience to have most undergrads living in the dorms and making sure the whole package of the intellectual and social experience is decent, so that the Valpo option seems worth the expensive cost (compared to cheaper but more impersonal public/community college options).
It's for that very reason that I just still don't get the Administration's weirdly blasé attitude about maintaining the sort of student body that would actually come from a mid-to-far distance and live in the dorms. So much of the rest of their recent strategy seems to pull in the opposite direction (focusing increasingly on the uber local NWI commuter area, positioning ourselves as a sort of private community college in terms of admitting literally everybody who applies, and generally stepping away from the liberal arts comprehensive model of the university experience you 'go away for' to become more and more the kind of practical professional prep program you enroll in nearby since it's convenient and efficient). Are there really enough local NWI/Chicago suburb kids (who for whatever reason don't have better & cheaper uni options in or out of state and do end up at Valpo as the 'safety school' as the townhall article put it) who are also willing to pay our private school tuition AND the $9-11K/ 9 months housing costs of living in the dorms, rather than just commuting? The current empty 300+ beds seems to suggest not... and all the demographic projections for the immediate local NWI context are towards an aging population, to boot!
Understandably, the university wants to eat it's cake and have it too (get dorm revenue from mid-to-long distance students coming for the classic 4-year private experience, while getting whatever accessible tuition revenue is possible by pushing access to the local NWI student who's not going to go 'away' to college) -- but I'm just not sure this is a viable strategy. These are really different types of campus models/communities, and the risk is that you fail at effectively fostering and drawing enough of either type.
I think @vuindiana is right.
Out of state students are only coming to Valpo because it’s 1) a Lutheran school or 2) a superior academic institution. Valpo is actively moving away from both of those things.
The notion that VU is moving away from being a premier higher education institution and a Lutheran institution is weird to me. Nothing suggests that VU is no longer a Christian school, or even a Lutheran School for that matter. The only thing VU has done in the realm of "dissenting from Lutheran Identities" is the removal of the German Degree. As many have pointed out, the notion that Lutheranism is ingrained in German is weird. Are Catholics no longer Catholic if their church doesn't sponsor a Latin mass? Are Lutherans no longer Lutheran if their congregation isn't exclusively in German. VU still has a requirement of theology courses. There are various other aspects of religion beyond the language in which it is founded, which VU has displayed. There is still an active chapel on campus in which the seal of the school resides. If VU was truly "loosing its identity" why was there no backlash against St T's. Surely Lutherans would have felt that the school was "loosing its identity" if a Catholic center were to be allowed on campus? There is still a heavy Christian Prescence on campus.
As for if VU is a superior Academic Institution. The answer is yes. VU would not be ranked as highly by independent sources if they weren't a strong academic institution. That #15 ranking in engineering and various accolades in the realm of nursing and business exist as well.
And the Brauer is pointedly not open.
https://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_06639c58-ea9f-11ed-bbed-1ff20d90bba2.html
My bad! This is the article I was referring to and it is dated in 2023!
@rezynezy My comment has nothing to do with any majors being discontinued. Rather, it’s about Valpo’s overall engagement with Lutherans. They’ve pulled out of Lutheran college fairs. They’ve discontinued the VAN. The active recruitment of Lutheran students has stopped more or less.
@rezynezy I find it endearing/heartening that you think highly of VU, and of course we all want it to be true.
But you're a perfect example of the conundrum, as I understand from what you've shared here on the e-board. On the one hand, you're actually very much the sort of local student that the uni would like to court.... a locally loyal/committed college students who is content and proud to be from/in Valpo, not overly concerned with 'prestige' as such, nor driven by some elite preoccupation with 'rankings' or the tweed-cladded 'collegiate experience,' and instead seeking a pragmatist education in CS skills with an eye towards industry job paths, etc. So it's great that you VU is a good-enough local private university!! But on the other hand, the reality is that you didn't come here, but went to IUPUI (for very good and practical cost-effective reasons, I might add!) In other words, its precisely because you wouldn't expect too much elite national status or personalized formation from a private university that you were also happy enough to go to a public satellite school, and (probably wisely!) saw the financial benefits of doing that instead! You're probably way more devoted to VU as a fan and maybe even way more intellectually invested in the institution than the average prospective young adult out there... but the reality is that we still didn't actually get you. We get you, not as a tuition and dorm-fee paying student, but only as a (admirably devoted) local town collegiate sports fan (and perennially positive) e-board interlocutor. 
My point is not to make this about you, but just to extrapolate to the larger phenomenon and point out this is the all-too-common pattern of losing everybody because we're neither 'cheap' enough to compete with the local Indiana public colleges (IU, PNW, etc.) but not 'collegiate elite' enough to attract students from a regional or national distance to fill and pay for the residential dorms for a private residential collegiate experience as-such (they go instead to Northwestern, Grinnell, Carleton, Oberlin, etc). We are stuck in some weird doldrums in between.
@mj08 which is disheartening, but not origional to luterans, they pulled out of most region college fairs some time ago. I feel as if this extends to marketing as well. Theh need to get back in college fairs as a whole. Lutheran. College fairs should probably take a focus.
@vuindiana Well. You seem to have hit it right on the money. I hope my demeaner and posts haven't given others the mindset of a "stupid kid who doesn't know any better" or "isn't invested in reality" because I know there are struggles within the school. I know quite a few people who are/were well invested within the community and the school. Blame my mother for my open mind and "glass half full mindset". I know there is precedent to suggest that these efforts are in vain, but I see no reason to discount efforts to better the situation until there is effective evidence that these efforts aren't working. I hope to not seem like rose tinted glasses, but a mindset of someone who isn't immediately going to poo poo any decision the university makes. The landscape of higher ed is changing, difficult decisions are going to be made across the board of higher ed.
As for prestige. In talking with peers, prestige only seems to matter with IVYs anymore. In polling peers, college decisions now are largely focused on a couple factors. Cost, strength(I guess this is synonymous with prestige to some), and in rare cases, sports. Its not so much of, wow this school is prestigious, more so than it is, how can I get a degree that looks good, can get me work, for the least amount of money. In my case IU Indy was the right decision as they offer a genuine Purdue or IU degree for a fraction of the cost of main campus. If I want sports, well, the school will shuttle students to either Purdue or IU for sporting events. There is also cultural implications. In Indiana its more, "Well engineers go to Purdue" or "Well, Business Majors go to IU" or "Well, Notre Dame is well known". At least that is what I have come up with when asking people in my tax bracket.
VU actually offers a great college experience in my opinion. Obviously I am not on campus, but having so many clubs and events, especially in the realm of athletics looks great to students. Really wish they would market this!
As for my not attending the school. Those reasons are embedded in the very criticisms I have for the school. Those being poor marketing, high cost, and little prescience within the community. Well, and Indy being a tech hub with great networking opportunities, but that is hardly under the universities control. I may be more sports oriented, but I research all the topics I discuss on the news end.
My biggest criticisms come in with the marketing and prescience. These weren't always bad. I remember multiple occasions of VU coming to speak with students at VCS schools and even being offered 2 tours during school hours. However, these tours stopped the year after my 8th grade tour. When VCS was perceivably banned from the grounds over a question one of my peers had about the law school I know I have said that question once before, but as far as I know, VCS has not been allowed back on campus since, and the prescience at College fairs and within NWI has stopped. Shutting down in the face of bad press is a horrible move for a university and I will stand by this. Until the university fixes their marketing strategy and gets back into the community, and goes back to College Fairs, their path foreword doesn't look good.
However I do thing there is a path foreword where VU survives. Call it the dreams of a wistful kid who doesn't know any better, but that is just my belief. Also Perennially Positive is my new tag. Thanks.
@rezynezy Seriously, when I speak of you as being perennially positive and remarkably invested in VU, I mean that as a good thing. It's a true pity that a young adult as strong a fan of VU as you are STILL didn't see it make sense to come to Valpo, but that is no diss on you and rather VU's loss. My impression from your e-board posts is you're way more intellectually alive than a lot of students who do somehow end up at VU and sleep or ChatGPT their way through classes and their existence. Meanwhile, your logic to opt for IU on low cost and career-prep strength does make sense, and probably is good value for many other students like you who make similar choices!
On the marketing and college fairs etc -- Although I tend to be a little leery of expecting marketing to be some silver bullet that fixes all underlying problems, I think we all agree there are some real problems with Valpo's pitch. And if indeed VU Admissions isn't even showing up at the Lutheran and regional high school college fairs... well, that's just shockingly dumb. If they're not even doing those basics, then I have zero clue what they even do all day (since with our general desperation for students and 97% admit rate, it's definitely not poring over applications and resumes going into the fine details to weed applicants out!).
On the issue of prestige/strength -- I still maintain that there remain sectors of prospective families and students who want the classic academically rigorous liberal arts college or liberal arts core comprehensive university private residential experience, and that this describes not just 'the Ivys' but a much wider set of institutions that VU used to belong to. Just to name a few smallish privates in non-coastal non-urban settings, Kenyon College (Ohio) as a 34% acceptance rate and a 89% graduation rate; Oberlin (Ohio) 35% acceptance and 86% graduation; Case Western Reserve U (OH) is 27% acceptance, 85% graduation; Illinois Wesleyan U (IL) 42% acceptance, 82% graduation; Creighton U (NE) has 76% acceptance, 81% graduation; Macalaster College (MN) 28% acceptance, 93% graduation; Colgate U (upstate NY) is 12% acceptance, 91% graduation, etc.
- I could go on, but my point is that there are hundreds of private universities across America that are actually not struggling for enrollment and are doing fine. People know of them as strong schools and keep applying and enrolling in them, and we just don't hear about them much in the news because they're doing fine and not struggling. So the narrative that 'the higher ed landscape is changing drastically and you'd better buckle up for the inevitable contraction and hollowing out of the academics' is simply... not true, at least not everywhere. Sure, that seems to be the drumbeat of administrators at struggling/failing institutions like Valpo that can't get students to enroll, but it is hardly the culture or view at huge swaths of small to mid-sized private universities that are neither Ivy League or Ivy-Plus (like Notre Dame, Northwestern, U Chicago, etc) but also not cratering into becoming community colleges either (competing with Ivy Tech). There's a whole band of stable private universities occupying a middle ground where they remain reasonably possible for strong regional students to get into, but still have more applicants wanting acceptance than can get a seat. The fact that VU's administrators don't seem to have this comparative horizon and seem only able to imagine a future of an ever-shrinking enrollment pies and continuously trimmed offerings as inevitable is...a weirdly myopic commitment to downward spiral.
- After all, I'm citing the the stats not because I think selectivity or graduation success is itself the end-all-be-all. But rather, the lower acceptance percentages mean practically and financially that such institutions have the golden security of applicant demand and WAITLISTS; and those higher graduation rates mean that the are doing some combination of a) bringing in strong students and b) strengthening whatever students do enroll to actually grow and succeed at college to finish. Meanwhile, Valpo actually has a way higher admit rate (94%) than we do graduation rate (65%) - and though we can offer contextualizing explanations all day long, the fact remains these are flipped and comparatively bad indicators. Somehow, we are admitting everybody and a) still not getting them to come, as evidenced by steeply falling enrollment, and b) not graduating those that do at terribly great rates, as evidenced by retention and graduation stats. This is troubling, considering that VU really did once have a regional (and in some Lutheran and/or humanities sectors, even national reputation) for quality intellectual life and undergraduate pedagogical excellence among private comprehensive universities. So if I am not perennially positive and tend more critical, it is because I am wondering WTF is going on and why the Board/Administration won't acknowledge this slippage is even a problem.
In the meantime, I do hope VU does do more outreach to the local high schools and college fairs. And if VU Admissions is really banning from VCS students from visiting campus, that they get over whatever miff there was... It sounds almost unbelievably petty to prevent a whole school from doing campus visits just because of some pointed question in a Q&A years ago.
REZ AND INDY: Great dialogue.
Ya know, this discussion has, in many similar forms, been going on since I first joined this forum over a decade ago. I can’t count the number of times, I along with others, echoed virtually the same questions about apparent growth strategy (or the possible absence thereof).
At one point in the past (I’m not sure when, but others on this board would know) President Heckler set a goal of growing VU to 6,000 students - basically doubling the student body. Logic would tell you that to do that you simply make two major commitments:
1 >> You basically double (or more) your marketing and enrollment staff and budget and then begin blanketing the country’s target demographic to get the word out and recruit like crazy.
2 >> You seek out and reinforce vehicles that consistently publicize and place VU in front of people’s eyes regionally and nationally (and also internationally if possible).
And VUcould have done both without adding new buildings (at first) or going into deep multi-million $ debt -- you invest in people (faculty and staff - see 1 above) and attractive programs (academically plus student life, e.g, athletics [MBB?] see 2 above).
I’m thinking that didn’t fully happen. Like most things we’ve seen over time, more lip service than true commitment was offered. And now Valpo is saddled with the unfortunate result despite growing a $300+ million but restrictive endowment.
I know that others have mentioned the same thing at different times in the last few years, but I am a bit surprised at some recent personal interaction that I've had with folks that run the Valparaiso University Career & Alumni Network Facebook page outreach. When I saw the announcement around President Padilla coming to DFW as part of his national tour, I reached out to the individual that is the administrator for that page, mentioning that I was the most recent Valpo Club of DFW leader, and would be happy to help in any way possible. We've put on many successful events in the 10 years prior to COVID, including hosting President Heckler prior, as well as a Dallas Mavs game and meet-and-greet with Ryan Broekhoff (thanks Koala, if you still view this from time-to-time!). Due to COVID, the Club has been on hold for a few years, since many of our committee members were advanced in age and not really comfortable with larger gatherings, but I was hoping that some of the younger alumni in the area might be able to pickup where others have left off as committee members. I received a reply at the end of August to send an email so that we could discuss, and tried three times to reach them, but never heard back again. I was just hoping to help the undergraduate school that I hold a lot of pride, and this lack of response after an initial enthusiastic reply to connect, was a bit off-putting.
Attaching a pic from the Mavs game, as well as a picnic the prior year. Can anyone spot vu72 at the picnic?
Wow! That was a long time ago! I got back from my Nashville assignment about four years ago now and look forward to getting together when President Padilla is in town.
As someone who has been critical of Valpo's alumni relations, I would like to mention a recent small activity that is one of many things (combined) that can help alumni relations. Valpo sent an email out today seeking alumni to do mock interviews with current students (presumably students close to graduation, but it could also be for internships). This is a small thing, but it is a great example of building greater relationships with alumni and using that valuable resource.
Dear Valpo...do more things like this!
(also had to laugh a little at Rez's comment on "powerful and influential alumni". Perhaps there is some truth in that, but keep in mind that Valpo is not Stanford or Harvard. Still, Rez's sentiment here is good)
@vu84v2 Perhaps a simple "extensive" would suit this better. However there is a contingent of Alumni in high places. One example being Adam Amin, who seems to coin every deep shot in the United Center as "Coming all the way from Valparaiso". My point is, you have resources and people who would like to see this school thrive. Case in point a massive endowment compared to other schools in the same situation (I understand these funds are locked, but the fact that the endowment is so high proves that the support is there) Why are they not being utilized(I speak generally here. Not courting big names, but just reaching out to alumni contingents as an olive branch)?
