My understanding is that the search is hybrid, and the plan was to do it in three phases:
1) Online interviews conducted via Teams or Zoom. These are probably the ones that are happening now and next week.
2) "Airport" interviews, which are in person near O'Hare airport. This would be to select the finalists to bring on campus.
3) On campus interviews with perhaps three finalists. These will have meetings with key campus members, yet most likely do not include a public open forum component. There could be larger group meetings, yet these are not announced or open to all of campus.
Valpo95 - The second interviews at airports are also a common step in the process.
In your last point, it seems that Valpo is doing a "closed", rather than "open", recruitment. While some may argue that fewer stakeholders get involved in a closed recruitment, schools generally get better candidates because their current employer is likely to not know they are interviewing for a different position.
My understanding is that the search is hybrid, and the plan was to do it in three phases:
1) Online interviews conducted via Teams or Zoom. These are probably the ones that are happening now and next week.
2) "Airport" interviews, which are in person near O'Hare airport. This would be to select the finalists to bring on campus.
3) On campus interviews with perhaps three finalists. These will have meetings with key campus members, yet most likely do not include a public open forum component. There could be larger group meetings, yet these are not announced or open to all of campus.
This sounds like a fine process to me. While public forums are often a good thing, and essential for transparency and accountability once people are in their roles, the public townhall type dynamics seems more a liability in the midst of a high stakes hiring process where audience dynamics can skew or derail things in just plain wonky ways depending on who happens to show up with an axe to grind. Students do not need to be part of the presidential hiring process.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/valparaiso-university-data-breach-alert-issued-by-wolf-haldenstein-302574447.htm l" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/valparaiso-university-data-breach-alert-issued-by-wolf-haldenstein-302574447.html
Just can't keep getting out of their own way. 5 million dollar lawsuit over data breaches of
SSN, Names, FinAid
Just can't keep getting out of their own way.
I believe the expression is “can’t stay out of their own way.” But I sincerely doubt Valpo was negligent in any way. Hackers and phishing schemes are pretty sophisticated these days. Sounds like some good old-fashioned ambulance chasing.
It is nice to see some good news about the university in the media, though admittedly $4 million is a very small percentage of the anticipated $90 million or more needed, if the total proposed budget remains on target.
"On Monday, it was announced that Valparaiso University received a $4 million donation from two alumni for its planned health professions building.
Joyce Hagen and her husband, Donald Fites, committed the funding toward the project, which seeks to construct a new building on the northwest corner of Morthland Drive and Study Road that'll house the College of Nursing and Health Professions.
The college is currently housed inside LeBien Hall, located on LaPorte Avenue.
The proposed three-story, 92,000 square foot building is set to include 19,000 square feet of simulation labs, a medical office suite that'll host a healthcare provider, advanced physician assistant skills labs and exam room suites, according to the university's website.
In a statement Hagen said, 'This building will provide healthcare graduates with a broader perspective of the world by leveraging cutting-edge technologies and fostering a more comprehensive team approach, which is crucial in tomorrow's health care landscape.'
The total cost of the project is anticipated to be around $90 million, according to a Valpo spokesperson.
'With this building, Valpo has a significant opportunity to lead the way and have a footprint in the future of health care, not just in Indiana or the Chicagoland area, but well beyond,' Hagen continued."
That plot should still be hooked up to city systems from when it was Broadway. Great to see some people aren't completely checked out on the institution. I would assume the 90 million would be broken up into multiple parts. Maybe you can get a local hospital/health org to partner with and help with the cash, but that seems unrealistic
Donald Fites and his wife have been great supporters of the university. Fites was the name donor for the engineering expansion years ago and led efforts to attract other donors (some major), While the $4M donation is very generous, my hope is that he and his wife are also bringing their fundraising leadership skills to the health professions building project.
FWIW, the University seems to be in its quiet phase of fundraising, though this is a promising public announcement. The 2025 loan prospectus said the following:
"The University recently launched Never a Doubt, a $90 million capital campaign that is designed to raise funds to construct a new College of Nursing and Health Professions building. The capital campaign, part of a larger comprehensive fundraising campaign, is based on a feasibility study conducted by an outside consultant stating that there is both ability and willingness to support the project."
Donald Fites and his wife have been great supporters of the university. Fites was the name donor for the engineering expansion years ago and led efforts to attract other donors (some major), While the $4M donation is very generous, my hope is that he and his wife are also bringing their fundraising leadership skills to the health professions building project.
Don also was the lead gift of a million dollars for the Phi Psi house.
The capital campaign, part of a larger comprehensive fundraising campaign, is based on a feasibility study conducted by an outside consultant stating that there is both ability and willingness to support the project."
How much did the consultants charge for that report? The university needs to stop hiring consultants for “advice.”
The capital campaign, part of a larger comprehensive fundraising campaign, is based on a feasibility study conducted by an outside consultant stating that there is both ability and willingness to support the project."
How much did the consultants charge for that report? The university needs to stop hiring consultants for “advice.”
I have no idea what the consultants charged, though for major efforts it is not completely unusual to have a third party look into fundraising potential and come up with an independent assessment. That way, the consultant can approach potential donors about their interest and possibly get a range of possible contributions, then someone from the organization can continue to cultivate and close the relationship over time. A third party can also help set the right target - set the target too low, and the internal staff easily exceeds the target but money is left on the table. Set the target too high / optimistic, and plans are drawn up for a building that can never be built which causes donors to get upset.
I have not seen the name of the campaign posted anywhere else, so thought that would be interesting for this board.
I was just asked by email this morning to "Name a Squirrel" and send an $18.95 donation. I don't think you can make this up, so you need to believe me. A few examples offered were "Nibbles, Acorn, or Kardashian." I may send in a squirrel name "Heckler" and ask that alumni be challenged to give $18.95 million back to VU to pay down his building debt.
| Want to leave your legacy at Valpo? Go nuts and name a squirrel!
Your gift of $18.59+ (get it?!) lets you:
It’s time. Put your mark on Valpo campus history, one squirrel name at a time.
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| Because “Professor Fluffernutter” has a nice ring, Valparaiso University |
The “name the squirrel” campaign is just another example of the incompetence of Valpo.
First, it’s stupid. There’s no connection with Valpo and squirrels. It’s a gimmicky way to raise a few dollars.
Second, and more importantly, this campaign is copied from other schools. Others schools are doing the exact same thing. So you have staff at Valpo seeing what’s being done at Valpo and blindly copying it. Putting no thought into whether it makes any sense. It smacks of a one size fits all recommendation made by a consultant. (The recent emphasis on the kissing bridge is another example of this)
If Valpo’s plan is to follow trends, then the university will fail. We need independent, critical thinkers to lead this university. People who actually understand what VU is about.
All true. But I just recalled that old saying that, "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut." May be this is stupid genius?
