Forever Valpo Fundraising Campaign

[vu72]

I guess the fact that the endowment grew by almost $100 million in a year would tell us that the Forever Valpo campaign is actually bringing in funds rather than just a bunch of promises that may or may not pan out.

Couple this report with this article concerning the University's plan for developing the excess real estate on or near the campus and the financial future starts to look a lot brighter!  Might some of those funds coming in from the real estate projects help to fund a new ARC? 

https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/massive-forward-thinking-vitalize-valpo-project-to-connect-the-community-university/article_2f5b940a-edb4-57db-ac0e-ae570987bbb8.html

[crusadermoe]

That huge endowment growth does mitigate the crisis a lot.  They can spin off another $5m from that $100m gain which is a big help vs. the 11% deficit Moody's mentioned. But endowments do also decrease in value.

Hope you are right about the land plans.  That could buy time until the enrollment turns upward for a couple years.

[78crusader]

It took VU over 30 years of hard work and countless visits to university supporters to reach an endowment of $100 million -and last year alone the endowment grew by an astonishing $100 million.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring the university into a better financial position.  It won't happen again. If I was on the Board of Directors I would be very conservative from here on out with the university's investment strategy.  I think the United States is on very unstable financial ground - too much debt and unsustainable spending. I fear a day of reckoning is coming that will make the 2008 downturn look like a church picnic, with endowments taking a terrible pounding that will take years and years to recover from, if ever.

Paul

[crusadermoe]

Totally agree, VU78. 

Go into fixed immediately at a much higher ratio. U.S. fiscal health will be crushed when interest rates rise and drive up the share of federal revenue spent on debt. So what should we do?

valpo04 edit: No politics please.

[vu72]

Total for Day of Giving exceeds $1,065,000! A new record! Athletics $144,548!!  Thanks to all who took the time to make a contribution!

[Beacons22]

The school and the President should use these funds to leave the conference and go back to the Horizon
Heckler put us in a league we aren't prepared for in a multitude of ways

The " punch above your weight " idea is a great way to get pummeled by opponents
The budget and facilities align better with HLC
Follow what Lamar did- for reference on the transition

[NotBryceDrew]

Unfortunately there has been some shorter term pain in the MVC but it was a fantastic long term move.

Going back lol....

[Beacons22]

"Fantastic " how?

[vu72]

"Fantastic " how?

In several ways.  First, we are in a conference with much better tv and national exposure.  As an example, the MVC plays its championship game on CBS--yes, that CBS, not on ESPN+.

Success brings in larger tournament shares which helps all sports. The Valley was ranked a s the 11th best basketball conference while the Horizon was ranked 26th. Obviously this leads to higher seeding and much improved chances of wins in the tournament.
Finally, for now, from an academic standpoint, or value of your degree, as a soon to be Valpo grad (an assumption on my part), would you rather see Valpo in a conference with schools like Drake, Bradley and Belmont or schools like Youngstown State, Cleveland State and IUPUI?

[Beacons22]

"Fantastic " how?

In several ways.  First, we are in a conference with much better tv and national exposure.  As an example, the MVC plays its championship game on CBS--yes, that CBS, not on ESPN+.

Success brings in larger tournament shares which helps all sports. The Valley was ranked a s the 11th best basketball conference while the Horizon was ranked 26th. Obviously this leads to higher seeding and much improved chances of wins in the tournament.
Finally, for now, from an academic standpoint, or value of your degree, as a soon to be Valpo grad (an assumption on my part), would you rather see Valpo in a conference with schools like Drake, Bradley and Belmont or schools like Youngstown State, Cleveland State and IUPUI?

Thanks
All valid points
For myself and my classmates/ friends we want a winning basketball program
I don't think we can do it in this conference-
As far as your other point- we are Valparaiso- not Northwestern or ND
Don't get it twisted- while it's a good school-don't act like we are elite so we aren't " above " the schools you mentioned ( Engineering excluded)

[crusader05]

No one compared Valpo to Notre Dame or Northwester. They asked if you felt Valpo was more aligned as a university with schools like Belmont or Drake vs Cleveland State.

The answer to that is going to be about programs, size, student body type etc. We know that we have mutual peers in the MVC where both schools view each other as like institutions. I don't believe that was the case in Horizon league, especially once Loyola and Butler left.

[usc4valpo]

Drake is a great academic institution? Seriously?

[vu72]

Don't get it twisted- while it's a good school-don't act like we are elite so we aren't " above " the schools you mentioned ( Engineering excluded)

Not sure why some alumni or soon to be alumni have such an inferiority complex concerning Valpo.  True we don't have the academic reputation of some, most of which is garnered by their grad and doctorial programs but at the same time Valpo is clearly in the top five percent, reputation wise if you simply rely on some facts,

First, their are 60, yes 60 colleges and universities just in the State of Indiana!  That means there are well over 3000 post secondary choices for students.  Next consider the US News and World Report college ranking system.  Valpo is ranked #172 in the National Universities category. That means Valpo is ranked fourth in the State of Indiana behind #19 Notre Dame, #49 Purdue and #68 IU.  Perk up kid!  You are getting a great degree from a great University!

[usc4valpo]

I never had an inferiority complex going to Valpo, it's when people compare a Valpo education to an elite school is when I shake my head.

Rose Holman at least in STEM is pretty insane.
dePauw and Wabash are very strong academically too. I would not get over dependent on one metric.

Drake has a reputation in Iowa as a school you can get accepted to if getting rejected from Iowa, Iowa State or UNI. Great pharmacy school though!

[NotBryceDrew]

Below are the WSJ school rankings for the MVC, Horizon, and MVC additions. You will notice the MVC is comprised of institutions that are ranked far higher than the Horizon and are much more peers to VU (ranking wise).

MVC
Drake   144
Loyola   181
Bradley 196
SIU       224
Valpo     257
Evansville 291
Illinois st. 330
UNI        501-600
Indiana st >600
Missouri st >600

Additions
UIC        89
Belmont 401-500
Murray st. >600

Horizon
Detroit mercy 180
IUPUI          348
Cleveland st 501-600
Robert Morris 501-600
Green Bay >600
UWM      >600
NKU       >600
Oakland >600
PFW       >600
Wright st >600
Youngstown >600

[valpotx]

Dude is very confused if he thinks Valpo is on part with a school like Cleveland State or some of the other HL schools.

[usc4valpo]

Interesting, and I would like to see how these metrics are generated.

Regarding engineering, Valpo had had a very solid program for quite awhile. The professors for the most part had engaging lectures and the lab experience was important in applying theory to reality. A lot of Valpo grads in engineers have continuing graduate studies at top schools.

How Drake is ranked so high is beyond me.

[vu84v2]

USNWR, WSJ, etc. all have various methods for rankings. One aspect that is included in this, that may not be visible to many, is research. Publications (quantity and tier), percentage of research active faculty, grants, etc. all figure into this. UIC and UWM are the only R1 schools on this list and my guess is that is why UIC so high (though they have greatly improved their academic reputation in the last 20-30 years). Surprised that UWM is so low in these rankings, because they also have improved a great deal in many areas. Some rankings give schools zero points in areas that require responses from a university where the university did not provide a response, so my guess is that is the reason why UWM, Murray State, Indiana State and Missouri State are that low.

Agree with usc4valpo's comments about engineering (yes, we both graduated in engineering from Valpo). However, I would add (and this is also applicable to the College of Business) that Valpo seems to be very good at graduating students with above average communications skills. In my prior career, I did recruiting for our company at Valpo and the hiring managers all said that, while the candidates skills were always good, Valpo graduates stood out because of their speaking and writing skills.

[vu72]

the Writing Center got shut down for a whole year,

I presume this was because of the pandemic.  As part of the Forever Valpo Campaign there was a gift of presumably $500,000 to endow the Writing Center.

https://www.valpo.edu/forevervalpo/2017/03/27/valpo-alumni-commit-1-million-to-university-writing-center-and-college-of-engineering/

[vu84v2]

Our perspectives may also be different because of who we currently interact with at Valpo. I have interactions with the colleges of business and engineering...thus, beyond my experiences hiring graduates years ago I know what is emphasized in those programs today. Students are expected to not only master the concepts and skills, but are also expected to be able to write, present, argue, etc. However, I have little interaction with the other colleges.

You also have concerns about reductions in writing center staff and support available to students. I have no way of knowing if this is true, but a different question is whether all students who seek support are getting support? If they aren't, that is clearly a problem. However, I have seen cases at other universities where writing centers have far more staff than are needed for the number of students who seek support. All students who need support should get it, but overstaffing is wasteful.

Lastly, in reference to the $500K endowed gift for the writing center. If the university received this in 2017, they likely paid out nothing to the writing center for one to two years to let the balance increase. Then, they made annual payments to the writing center, but likely never let the balance drop below $500K. Thus, they probably pay out around $25K to $35K per year and will do so in perpetuity (or at least over a very long period). Endowment is all about long-term sustainability.

[vu72]

Engineering and Nursing are where the investment and quality is at

You may not be familiar with the Business School, but its faculty is top notch and the most diverse at Valpo.  Of the 15 full time professors, 13 have a PhD, 1 an MBA and one a JD (who teaches business law).  The dean is young and dynamic.  The reputation is first rate.

[vu72]

Drake has a reputation in Iowa as a school you can get accepted to if getting rejected from Iowa, Iowa State or UNI

Well, for what it's worth, US News disagrees with you, at least as to how Drake and UNI rank. Drake is ranked in the National University area coming in at #136.  UNI is ranked in the Midwest Regional category but is only ranked #19, while Bradley is #2 and Evansville is #7.

[usc4valpo]

I know several instances where students did not get accepted to the Iowa state schools (Iowa, Iowa State, UNI) but got accepted at Drake. Something is off with The metric.

[vu84v2]

I know several instances where students did not get accepted to the Iowa state schools (Iowa, Iowa State, UNI) but got accepted at Drake. Something is off with The metric.

Could be related to the specific college, rather than the university. For example, Iowa and Iowa State both have good engineering programs and may be far more selective than other colleges within the universities.

[historyman]

How Drake is ranked so high is beyond me.

I heard they are getting a lot of students from NW Indiana.  :-)