Before anyone jumps in and mis-interprets this post, I am NOT saying that Valpo should somehow turn into an exclusive, Lutheran-only, Christian-only or fundamentalist institution. However, I saw this interesting article that talks about the growing enrollment for faith-based institutions in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/christian-colleges-see-demand-for-campuses-that-lean-into-religion
This may also illustrate a further social siloing of higher education. Another sign of folks wanting to be among "their own," and gravitating towards the schools that offer a more sheltered environment.
While I've tried to make the case that Valpo's lean towards the middle creates space for a richer exposure to ideas and people of different backgrounds, it may be that a good chunk of folks are rejecting that as a plus factor when it comes to seeking a college experience.
First, let me concede that my flippant remark of "Go woke go broke" in my recent post was not helpful. Yes it is a simplistic "bumper sticker" slogan and Valpo is far from the schools with the highest woke energy. I wrote it in frustration at the fall 2026 enrollment outlook.
I only offer two points.
1) All colleges should offer the "middle lane" for debating two (or 3 or 4) sides of every political issue. That lane of discussion builds and refines reasoning abilities. Valpo also has staked a claim that it claims to "follow the truth wherever that might lead." That motto was aimed at dogmatic Lutheran clergy. But many people on both sides now want to confine the truth.
2) Sadly, I think you are right. Enrollment at Valpo likely does suffer now from polarization and from the isolation of like-minded groups. People are less patient with finding middle lanes. They see ambivalence rather than seeing wisdom and prudence. They have shorter attention spans and they read far less than before. And yes, sometimes, I am guilty as charged. It takes hard work and a conviction that we can learn from our past and forge well-thought plans.
One other piece to put in about this is that a lot of this idea of what is too liberal or too conservative is driven more likely by the students own standards or experience with their own peers vs anything professors are consistently doing in their classes. Even when I was at Valpo I remember Lutheran students struggling with even our CORE teaching of the Bible and experiencing students who had different interpretations, or getting mad at Psychology professors for not teaching religious components so I don't think the academic component part of it is new. Professors and even high school teachers with political views is not new(most of us encountered them) it's the idea that an expression of a political ideology is an attack or a way to indoctrinate or punish another that has changed and A lot of that is happening on a societal level with professors/administrators caught int he middle.
So I could see more of a self-sorting amongst students as well as expectations for what they want from their institution. Some may want the more conservative schools because it enforces certain rules and lifestyle behaviors or doesn't allow other types of student orgs or expression. Some may want the school to punish students for behavior that the schools don't have the right to police but the students still find distressing in another person they are in a smaller community with for the foreseeable future. My guess would be most college classrooms and academic sponsored debates still live up to all that people love and respect about education, but the nitty gritty life stuff that happens on a university is going to be much more volatile regarding protests, demands, social shaming, and weaponizing of politics and views.
the high turnover rate in key departments such as VP of Enrollment
This is President Padilla’s fourth VP of enrollment. I’m starting to think he’s the problem. Either he can’t hire a good leader, or he can’t retain one. For this reason, I hope that the rumor is true that the board took the lead on this hire.
Agree if you dont like your boss or how they operate you look for greener pastures. The new VP of enrollment has a track record, hopefully the incoming president plays well with others ending the turnover.
Valpo is launching the Brown and Gold Alumni Program. This initiative allows alumni to volunteer their time and connect with prospective students. I’m happy that the new VP of enrollment is trying new things. There may have been a disconnect between alumni and prospective students. I know I attended alumni events and connected with alumni when I was deciding between schools. Here is the link with more information:
https://sites.google.com/valpo.edu/bgap/home
RegionRat - Thanks for posting. This is a great idea...and hopefully Valpo will promote it more (this is the first I have heard of it).
I saw Bradley reported 642 Freshman this fall, smallest incoming in decades and lowest total enrollment in past 30 years.
For Valpo I think/hope the corner is turned. The Alumni program is another example of changing things up and outreach. Optimistic for the future! I know many are awaiting the president hire, I am assuming max it will be awesome and a bright future.
I love your optimism. And yet Bradley might be our closest peer in terms of size, location and multi-unit structure.
Quoting news in Peoria, "Out of that total, 632 were first-year students, down from 811 in 2024, 835 in 2023 and 1,040 in 2022"
(Even as student who peaked in Algebra, I can calculate a 22% drop from last fall, and a 39% drop in 3 years. Scary times.
The Alumni program is another example of changing things up and outreach.
This is just the VAN with a new name.
I love your optimism. And yet Bradley might be our closest peer in terms of size, location and multi-unit structure.
Quoting news in Peoria, "Out of that total, 632 were first-year students, down from 811 in 2024, 835 in 2023 and 1,040 in 2022"
(Even as student who peaked in Algebra, I can calculate a 22% drop from last fall, and a 39% drop in 3 years. Scary times.
The big 2022 class may well have been reflecting a post-Covid bump, i.e., kids who sat out a year in the admissions cycle because of the earlier uncertainties.
But yup, the drop from 2023 and 2022 is significant on its own.
Scary is an apt term. There will likely be a market shakeout among schools like VU and Bradley.
I would think Evansville is even smaller than us.
@vu72 your thinking would be correct
US News Report says UE is at 1742 undergrads and Valpo is at 2123.
That was 2024 enrollment rankings, which they don't seem to update as often as the official rankings.
Speaking of the 2026 us news rankings were released
Both of those schools (EU and Bradley) have tiny campuses. Valpo should in theory be much more attractive campus wise.
Both of those schools (EU and Bradley) have tiny campuses. Valpo should in theory be much more attractive campus wise.
I think Bradley (and UE to an extent) benefit from being largely isolated from other major campuses. They are true regional campuses with Bradley benefiting from being a major population center with Peoria. Valpo has a fraction of the population of those 2 cities. Evansville is about 130 miles from the nearest major metro in Louisville and around the same distance to Bloomington and a little closer to Terre Heute. Bradley has a little tougher competition from BloNo, but that higher population could be enough to offset that. Bradley, aside from being near BloNo, is in the middle of nowhere with a huge population.
From a Valpo perspective, Chicago is the obvious one, but there is also the 60 mile drive to South bend and the 90 mile drive to West Lafayette. Its really hard to compete with those two schools for students. Especially when one of them can offer that "private Christian" package.
I would assume these 2 cities, much like Valpo, offer hefty financial aid packages and benefits to local commuters which allows them to be a good draw for their area. You can get away with having a tiny campus if you are a commuter school IMOP
If the data exists I would be curious to look at the amount of local students at both campuses. My hypothesis would be the number to be quite high
One of my great nephews is a freshman nursing major at Valpo. He stopped by the house today for the first time since school started. We really enjoyed spending time with him. He’s a great young man. He is thoroughly enjoying the college experience, making new friends, enjoying dorm life at Alumni Hall, etc. Go Valpo!
