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The irony in all of this conference realignment nonsense is that it will only serve to accelerate the diminishing fan interest in big time college football and basketball.

Paul

As important as this campaign was, the next campaign, which President Padilla has said will launch relatively soon, will be just as important and, probably, more challenging.

The primary focus of the soon-to-be concluded campaign is the endowment.  Planned future giving was certainly a major source of the $300M raised.

The next campaign will almost certainly focus on facilities. President Padilla has mentioned a new nursing building, a new business building, and long-awaited renovations to the ARC. All three of these projects are sorely needed, and soon. The problem is immediate cash donations are required to build out these projects - unless the university decides to take on more debt to partially finance these buildings. I seriously doubt that VU will add much, if anything, to its current debt load in order to bring these facilities online.

The other problem is that inflation is going to jack up the price tags big time. Perhaps a new nursing building would have cost $30M in 2020; now it will probably be $40M.

Paul

This has probably been said already, and many if not most of the folks on this board would share this sentiment, but Mark LaBarbera is leaving some big shoes to fill. 

Paul

I am old school, and I don't think it's appropriate for a 25-something interviewer to address the 63-year old president of Valparaiso University by any name other than "President Padilla."

Paul

I thought I heard that President Padilla was going to host a Q&A sometime this week with the general public. I am curious if anyone on this forum attended the meeting, and if so, what the president had to say.

Thank you,

Paul

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

My wife and I went to a couple of VU/UIC games in Chicago maybe 6-7 years ago.

I don't think their basketball facility is all that great. It is older and rather dingy IMO. People like to trash VU for having the worst gym in the league, but if UIC joins up I think they will take our place.

I'm done going into the city of Chicago. I don't feel safe there. The neighborhood surrounding UIC appears to be OK, and the games we went to were fine (they were all played in the afternoon). I would never go to a night game there. Come to think of it, I wouldn't go anywhere in Chicago at night.

Paul

I just noticed there are 39 pages on this forum devoted to the topic of "Possible Missouri Valley Conference Expansion."

I am a snob but I prefer the 50/50 private v. public school mix that the MVC currently has and would vote to stay at 10 teams.  It may be that Murray State and most of the other usual public school suspects have fine programs and very good academic profiles, but I'm against adding any of them since by doing so we take one step closer to becoming another version of the old Horizon League.

This expansion/shuffling of conferences has gotten completely out of hand and is now being done without any regard to traditional rivalries (or the lack of same), travel costs, fan interest - or even time zones.  I would imagine very few Big 10 fans are interested in the outcome of Purdue v. Rutgers.  Same with Big 12 fans wondering if Kansas State can beat West Virginia.  In the meantime, traditional rivalries that mean something (i.e., Oklahoma v. Nebraska) go by the wayside.

If we did anything, I'd vote for adding St. Thomas.  Private school, very good academics, and expand the MVC footprint a bit further into the Minneapolis region. 

Paul

Yes, this news about development might be a really good thing.  Or maybe not.

The City of Valparaiso hasn't exactly set world records when it comes to consistent and attractive development of new residential and commercial areas (except for downtown, the revitalization of which has been done tastefully and in accordance with a well thought out plan). 

The area east of campus is a good example - the dozens of stores and restaurants are crammed together, too close to the road, and it appears very little thought was given to the traffic patterns that such a development would create.  I think the whole area is unattractive.

Newer residential areas haven't fared much better. There is a lack of consistency in the quality, overall look, and pricing of many of these homes.  Many feature older design plans that have been outdated for quite some time, instead of newer, "fresher" looks that you see in many other towns and cities. 

There are quality, upscale retirement "villages", apartment complexes, and "boutique" hotels -- and then there are others that are not.  What sounds good on paper or in press releases often meets up with budgets, with the result of less-than-pleasing final products.  What a developer might consider a "boutique" hotel might turn out to be a Best Western with a fancy coffee maker in the lobby. 

The areas which are included in this proposed development have in many cases been vacant or awaiting new buildings for many years.  I hope the VU Board didn't leap at the first developer to appear on the scene.  The folks who run VU have made wise and thoughtful decisions concerning new buildings on campus over the last 30 years.  Let's hope they made a wise decision in choosing a developer for these properties. There is only going to be one chance to redo this area and it needs to be done the right way, in a manner that compliments our beautiful campus.

Paul

Illinois State and Dartmouth on the road.

Nothing else at the moment.

There go my hopes for a somewhat easier schedule next year. 

Paul

We are 4-6 but this has been a very good year for VU football.

(1) Currently we are 4-3 in the PFL, and all 3 losses have been by 7 points or less

(2) our 3 nonconference opponents have a combined 3 losses

(3) this year's schedule was by far the toughest VU has ever played.

We are one late fourth quarter first down against San Diego from being .500.  We can finish 5-6 with a win Saturday against Morehead State.  Coach Fox has done an excellent job this year IMO.

Paul 

[#223 - VU]

The 2022 College Rankings are out.  Some of the private schools who are, or have been, in our athletic conferences, or are located in the midwest:

# 66  - Davidson
#136 - Drake
#143 - Creighton
#150 - St. Olaf
#152 - San Diego
#172 - Kalamazoo
#173 - Wheaton
#177 - Loyola
#192 - Gonzaga
#200 - Bradley
#206 - Gustavus Adolphus
#212 - Butler
#223 - VU
#231 - Dayton
#232 - DePaul
#264 - Hope
#269 - Luther
#271 - Augustana
#284 - Evansville
#310 - St. Thomas
#306 - Calvin
#356 - Xavier
#392 - Marist

797 colleges were ranked

Paul

[not shrink our student pool by labeling ourselves as religion-first.]

I agree with mp91, to compare Valpo with Notre Dame is ridiculous. There is no way an University of Valpo's scale can afford to be niche with its marketing and put religion directly in the school's primary logo. Notre Dame is a different breed, they can get away with that, we can't.

ml2's data is telling. Lutheran populations are shrinking (as are almost every religion's). The best way to market yourselves is to always have a specific target market in mind, but the data is telling us the Lutheran population is not that market. We are already succeeding with Lutheran students, the best way to expand is to tap into other markets and not shrink our student pool by labeling ourselves as religion-first.

You guys are missing the point.  Appeal to the Lutheran market, yes.  Focus on the Lutheran market, no. We can, and should, market ourselves as a Christian faith-based institution with a strong Lutheran heritage.  That way we appeal to various Christian denominations and avoid relying on a shrinking Lutheran base to maintain enrollment.

(We are NOT succeeding in the Lutheran market, BTW.  No school that fails to get even 1 out of 113 graduating seniors from a high school less than 100 miles away can make that statement.)

I believe there is a sizable group of kids - and parents - who are attracted to faith based schools who offer a solid educational experience without all of the woke culture, faculty lounge nonsense.   If you doubt what I say take a look at the enrollment numbers at Wheaton, Taylor, St. Thomas, Calvin etc.  Those of you who are parents of kids high school age or older know what I am talking about - you want value for your money, perhaps you want your kid to meet people who are like-minded, and who won't have to go through an indoctrination center to get his/her degree. 

From what I have read lately I'm not sure if we are in the process of joining the woke crowd.  It seems to me that going woke - which has ever-changing standards, is judgmental, keeps a record of wrongs, and is vindictive - are all things that Jesus tells us NOT to be. 

If we don't adopt this marketing approach we will become just another high priced private school.  In the next 10 years many in that category will go down.  Let's not be one of them.

Paul

Wasn't up the day I was there.

Even if it had been, one flag in a 310 acre campus isn't exactly overwhelming.

I was on another, smaller college campus recently. I counted four American flags flying.

Paul

It was a $28 million campaign entitled "Forward to the 80's." I know because I attended a dinner in 1980 here in Iowa featuring President Schnabel. The centerpiece of the campaign was the ARC, which I believe wound up costing a bit over $7 million.

This campaign was a big stretch for VU since as late as 1967 VU had no endowment. None. That began to change with President Huegli. In 1976 VU received its first $1 million gift. Huegli stepped down in '78 and Schnabel was brought in (my uncle made the final cut but was not selected).

The campaign was a big success and I think they raised around $60 million.

Funny story about President Kretzmann. He was asked if it was right for VU to accept government GI Bill money so that WWII vets could come here. He was asked if this money was "tainted." His reply? "It's tainted, all right - 'taint enough."

Paul

From where I sit, the VU Board of Directors - and the other folks who run this place - have been reactive instead of proactive.  Their inability or refusal to consider what is going on right in front of them, and adapt/make changes, has cost our school a loss of prestige and damaged our reputation.

Example #1- most schools had dropped Confucius Institutes over the last several years.  VU did not.  Why?  Didn't it occur to the Board, and others, to look into the reasons why just about everyone else was jettisoning these Institutes?  Thanks to this lack of foresight, we have endured another cycle of negative news coverage - including today's announcement that VU is closing the Institute.  I'm no PR expert, but I don't think a university would ever want a headline that contains the word "closure."

Example #2 - the law school. An ongoing PR disaster, it was evident 12 years ago that law school enrollment was dropping - and fast - everywhere.  Yet VU had about the same number of kids in the law school.  Why didn't the Board, and others, stop and question what was going on? What was going on, it turned out, was that many kids were getting admitted who likely would not be able to pass the Bar exam. Low bar passage rates, probation, and then closure, followed. 

Paul

given the fact that soccer is one of the fastest growing sports in the country

I've been hearing that ever since 1965 when I was in the 5th grade.  Soccer is a niche sport in the American landscape, nothing more. 

Paul

I'm concerned that at some point in the not too distant future, the nickname "Beacons" will have to be changed, as well, because of some finding it offensive.

Associating light in juxtaposition to darkness generally with all that is good? Even today, many would argue this has racist connotations.

Publications as highly trafficked as The Huffington Post have recently featured articles condemning these types of associations as racist.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/common-words-phrases-racist-origins-connotations_l_5efcfb63c5b6ca9709188c83

https://www.teachingtraveling.com/metaphor-darkness-as-bad/

Really a poor choice by the decision-makers if their intent was for the new nickname/mascot to be considered inoffensive and inclusive in perpetuity.

After all, the university's blatant association of light with "good" and dark with "bad" serves to reinforce peoples' racist and implicit biases. There's actually a good bit of science to back up the idea. 

https://theconversation.com/how-did-white-become-a-metaphor-for-all-things-good-140674

Beacons "guide us through the darkness," as the rollout video says? That's not going to work for very much longer, folks.

The groundwork has already been laid. Just give it a little more time.

I John 1:5 God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all.

This woke stuff is beyond ridiculous and is ruining this country - if we continue to let it.

Paul

Condominiums or apartment units along McIntyre will not get the job done. This is the street that leads directly into campus, and it needs to be special IMO. The developer who met briefly with VU had designs for homes in the 400 to 500k range. This is a street that calls for nice, quality single-family homes - there are several houses along the street that are nice and of good quality, make no mistake, but not enough of them. Throw in the vacant lots, which are increasing in number, and this is a problem that the university needs to address.

The appearance of McIntyre takes on even more importance when you consider the area just west of the main campus, which, let's face it, is full of dilapidated houses - and even more empty lots.

The area surrounding VU, taken as a whole, simply does not look prosperous.

I neglected to mention in my original post this morning one other observation, which for me is a pet peeve: during my tour of VU's 310 acre campus, I did not see a single American flag.

Paul

Walked all around campus yesterday morning. First time in 2 years.  Thoughts:

The new Phi Psi frat house is a very welcome addition (are there plans for other frat houses?)

Mound Street is a complete disaster zone.

Other than the Chapel, the Welcome Center is the best building on campus.

Old Campus does not have a future. The law school building and Heritage Hall are lonely outposts.  If VU were to repurpose those buildings, there would need to be an effort to connect them to the rest of campus - which would require, among other things, doing something about Mound Street and putting up an academic building in the large vacant lot across from the old Theta Chi house.  The amount of money that would have to be invested in this area would be enormous - and would probably be better spent on the main campus.  The sorority houses will soon mark the official end of the west side of campus. 

There are zero planters on campus and you have to look pretty hard to find flowers, other than some occasional roses and day lilies that appeared to be in desperate need of watering.  Much work needs to be done in this area.  A couple of large garden areas would add a welcoming touch. 

Signage on the ARC would be nice.

The university has done a good job over the last 20 years of putting in trees.

Lankenau Hall has to go.

More vacant lots on McIntyre.  Not a good look for the University.  I know that a well respected and experienced developer of upscale houses visited VU about developing the street and making it a showpiece entrance for the school - but was shot down after a polite but brief meeting.  He is still interested - and VU's lack of interest in this potential project is mystifying.

Paul

Enough said.

Paul

COVID-19 cases in the US:

July 16, 2020 78,389
July 16, 2021 76,324

I don't know if the vaccines only have short term efficacy. However, these numbers are very hard to ignore.

Paul

My point was -

Vaccines may well have long term efficacy. But numbers like this do not help to make that case.

Paul

New COVID hospitalizations in the UK, where 53% are completely vaxxed:

July 16, 2021 717
July 16, 2020 166

Paul

I agree that this level of talent creates a lot of potential for the upcoming season. But with Valpo, as well as some other teams that have signed transfers this late in offseason, I wonder about the reactions of existing players whose roles may suddenly be changing.

Team chemistry. One of the most important, and also one of the most overlooked, factors in a team's success.

Paul