For anyone in DFW, we are hosting President Heckler at the American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum on 2/19/14 from 6-9 pm. Cost is $30 per person, but $15 for any 2003-2013 graduates. The event is a reception plus 'State of the University.'
You should have received a postcard in the mail, but if not, you can register at http://alumni.valpo.edu/s/1347/index.aspx?sid=1347&gid=1&pgid=1023&cid=2248&ecid=2248&crid=0&calpgid=61&calcid=1962. (http://alumni.valpo.edu/s/1347/index.aspx?sid=1347&gid=1&pgid=1023&cid=2248&ecid=2248&crid=0&calpgid=61&calcid=1962.) Deadline to register is 2/13/14. Hope to see you there!
Quote from: valpotx on January 31, 2014, 10:50:06 AM
For anyone in DFW, we are hosting President Heckler at the American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum on 2/19/14 from 6-9 pm. Cost is $30 per person, but $15 for any 2003-2013 graduates. The event is a reception plus 'State of the University.'
You should have received a postcard in the mail, but if not, you can register at http://alumni.valpo.edu/s/1347/index.aspx?sid=1347&gid=1&pgid=1023&cid=2248&ecid=2248&crid=0&calpgid=61&calcid=1962. (http://alumni.valpo.edu/s/1347/index.aspx?sid=1347&gid=1&pgid=1023&cid=2248&ecid=2248&crid=0&calpgid=61&calcid=1962.) Deadline to register is 2/13/14. Hope to see you there!
Haven't registered yet but I'll be there!
Quote from: vu72 on January 31, 2014, 11:33:19 AMHaven't registered yet but I'll be there!
wait YOU'RE A TEXAN TOO?
stunned.gif
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on January 31, 2014, 11:36:54 AM
Quote from: vu72 on January 31, 2014, 11:33:19 AMHaven't registered yet but I'll be there!
wait YOU'RE A TEXAN TOO?
stunned.gif
No, I'm a Mark Heckler groupy!! :o Just kidding, I moved to Texas in August of 2012 and now live in the DFW area.
Quote from: vu72 on January 31, 2014, 12:51:14 PMNo, I'm a Mark Heckler groupy!
Wow! Good to know.
I don't think you can be both a heckler AND a groupie, though ;)
I can't wait to go back to the States so I can participate in events like this. Let us know what he says! :thumbsup:
vu72, I am part of the DFW Valpo Club, and if you wanted to possibly participate in that, I could get you the contact information for the point person :). I spent several days this week trying to contact Valpo alumni in area to get them to come out.
Quote from: valpotx on January 31, 2014, 05:29:23 PM
vu72, I am part of the DFW Valpo Club, and if you wanted to possibly participate in that, I could get you the contact information for the point person :). I spent several days this week trying to contact Valpo alumni in area to get them to come out.
I've been active wherever I've lived and am a very proud holder of an Alumni Service Award. So, count me in, I'm done moving and pretty sure I'm in DFW for the remainder of my shelf life!!
I keep hearing about these "alumni clubs".
My memory of some hoops events is that a staff member runs out to a ballgame flies back, and calls that the city's "Valpo Club." No local volunteer talked or introduced anyone. It was the staff member all the way.
Who is in a city's club? What do they do?
https://www.facebook.com/St.LouisValpoClub (https://www.facebook.com/St.LouisValpoClub)
https://www.facebook.com/ValpoClubChicago (https://www.facebook.com/ValpoClubChicago)
https://www.facebook.com/ValpoClubofDetroit (https://www.facebook.com/ValpoClubofDetroit)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Valpo-Club-of-Cleveland/134551903390709 (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Valpo-Club-of-Cleveland/134551903390709)
https://www.facebook.com/IndyValpoClub (https://www.facebook.com/IndyValpoClub)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Valpo-Club-of-Milwaukee/442188772520546 (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Valpo-Club-of-Milwaukee/442188772520546)
As you can now see why the Horizon League and playing Saint Louis is such a great thing for alumni.
Quote from: crusadermoe on February 10, 2014, 09:15:04 PM
I keep hearing about these "alumni clubs".
My memory of some hoops events is that a staff member runs out to a ballgame flies back, and calls that the city's "Valpo Club." No local volunteer talked or introduced anyone. It was the staff member all the way.
Who is in a city's club? What do they do?
The DFW club has been off and on since I graduated in 2004, but has solidified in the last 2 years as far as active membership. There are several people on the local committee (myself included), and we basically help facilitate different events. Each individual is a Valpo alum. These could be events for our fans to support Valpo teams that happen to be in the area, or just random information events, such as this visit by Dr. Heckler. A few months back we had a Valpo get-together at a Rangers game.
As a committee member, you make calls to Valpo alumni in the area to make them aware of the event, and also help volunteer the day of the event for any tasks that are needed. Eventually, the idea is that the local group can help the alumni relations people to reach out to potential Valpo students of the future. Since we know and live in the area, it allows for a knowledge base that any alumni relations individual might not otherwise have.
Not sure how many alumni reside in or near Rugby, ND! When I live in the Twin Cities area we had an active Club and we gathered for basketball games and also had an annual golf tournament. That started out as a fund raiser for athletics and we had folks like Homer Drew, Bill Steinbrecker, Paul Twenge, Mark LaBarbera and several other coaches as regular participants. We then invited alumni, parents and students from the area and generally had good turnouts. Today it would be much more difficult to get coaches to fly somewhere without some sort of guarantee. We didn't often make much money but had a great time!
Alumni Clubs can be started anywhere, it is just a matter of interest and volunteer time. When I lived in Houston I met with a handful of grads who wanted to revive their club. Obviously the more alumni in the area the easier it is to get one going. We discussed gatherings for athletic events or possibly getting a Valpo prof or administrator to come and speak on a topic. The alumni office can be and is very helpful is getting things rolling but don't want to be "the club" but rather act solely as a support mechanism.
Looks like only 18 people for this event today, similar to Houston yesterday.
Quote from: valpotx on February 19, 2014, 10:50:00 AM
Looks like only 18 people for this event today, similar to Houston yesterday.
The reservation list shows 29 and there always are a few late decision makers. I'm hoping for 35 guests plus Valpo people.
http://alumni.valpo.edu/s/1347/index.aspx?sid=1347&gid=1&pgid=1023&cid=2248&ecid=2248&crid=0&calpgid=906&calcid=2190 (http://alumni.valpo.edu/s/1347/index.aspx?sid=1347&gid=1&pgid=1023&cid=2248&ecid=2248&crid=0&calpgid=906&calcid=2190)
Even when I click on the Attendee List again, it still shows 18 (12 alum plus 6). Where do you see 29?
Quote from: valpotx on February 19, 2014, 03:23:23 PM
Even when I click on the Attendee List again, it still shows 18 (12 alum plus 6). Where do you see 29?
click on the site I posted above. Shows 28 or 29 and hasn't been updated since 2/14
It must be at the bottom of the page then, in the only part that is blocked out by my company in a frame. I click on the Attendee List, which shows the names.
Quote from: valpotx on February 19, 2014, 03:29:37 PM
It must be at the bottom of the page then, in the only part that is blocked out by my company in a frame. I click on the Attendee List, which shows the names.
Yeah, that's it. If you click on the attendee box I see the 18, but if you schroll down to the bottom it list the attendees again which more folks. Weird. See you tonight.
Thought that I should put this here as well:
Vu72 asked about the track during the Q&A portion of the DFW meeting with President Heckler tonight. He confirmed the information that the track will be an 8-lane D-1 NCAA quality project, as well as the name that the track will be given. He mentioned that the name hasn't been released publically, so I will leave it to vu72 to see if he wants to mention it :).
I also thought that it was cool to hear that there will be another new dorm after the current one finishes this Fall, which should be available the following year as well. This would be built to match increased student attendance. He said that we are currently at 97% occupancy, with 54 male students having to live in study lounges for the first bit of the school year, and it will be 95% occupancy next year with the new dorm. That is why they would be building another new dorm after this one. The intent is to have the older dorms house FR (revamped dorms), the new dorm for SOs with Memorial/Guild, and any apartments for JR/SR students. Heckler seemed pretty confident that we will reach the 6,000 student attendance that is desired, and that our average test scores/GPAs for incoming students has actually been increased, so the quality of students aren't going down with the increase in attendance. A very informative meeting, and my first time meeting vu72 in person.
It was cool to see that the two professors shown in the promotional videos were individuals that taught me 11-12 years ago. My Adviser is still at Valpo (Dr. Nelson), as is Prof. Raman in Economics.
I also had Prof Raman for Economics. He's a really great guy and an awesome professor.
But thanks for the insight, Tx. Did President Heckler happen to mention where the second new dorm will be located? There is a lot of space where the old Huegli Hall once sat, but I thought that was slated for a new academic building.
Quote from: okinawatyphoon on February 20, 2014, 07:39:17 AM
I also had Prof Raman for Economics. He's a really great guy and an awesome professor.
But thanks for the insight, Tx. Did President Heckler happen to mention where the second new dorm will be located? There is a lot of space where the old Huegli Hall once sat, but I thought that was slated for a new academic building.
He did not but my guess is that one of the old dorms will be torn down as the Master Plan has the dorms pretty much where they are now.
I think that it has been mentioned before in the articles referenced on here, but the new dorm sounds modern on the inside! Suite-style rooms with no community showers (in their rooms). Especially now with all of the new gadgets, it's probably good to get away from the community shower approach...
Well, if it is a replacement -- Wehrenberg is the oldest out there. 30 year plan has all the dorms from Scheele to Wehrenberg replaced at some point.
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 20, 2014, 12:15:21 PM
Well, if it is a replacement -- Wehrenberg is the oldest out there. 30 year plan has all the dorms from Scheele to Wehrenberg replaced at some point.
I would think it would be Alumni, Brandt or Lankenau as Wehenberg has been updated (including air conditioning) while the others haven't. Scheele would be more costly to replace with its single floor per sorority layout.
I'm waiting to hear what he said about the exciting plans in store for the ARC?
Quote from: wh on February 20, 2014, 09:20:01 PMI'm waiting to hear what he said about the exciting plans in store for the ARC?
blah blah blah blah banners blah blah hallway blah blah
something like that. in a charlie brown's parents-voice
Quote from: wh on February 20, 2014, 09:20:01 PM
I'm waiting to hear what he said about the exciting plans in store for the ARC?
:rotfl: I would be surprised if any major remodeling of the ARC happens in the next 5 years, maybe 10 years. I know it is in "the master plan", but an ARC renovation will only happen
after the track is completed, and
after the new multipurpose fieldhouse is funded, designed, and built. I just hope it gets done sooner rather than later, but am skeptical as to when. Now it sounds like another new dorm and a new or expanded science building have moved ahead of the ARC in the pecking order of what gets built first. We need to find a philanthropic donor with a passion and interest in athletics to donate specifically to an ARC renovation to move it on a faster track. And do I ever hope I am wrong!!
Quote from: vufan75 on February 20, 2014, 09:50:31 PM
Quote from: wh on February 20, 2014, 09:20:01 PM
I'm waiting to hear what he said about the exciting plans in store for the ARC?
:rotfl: I would be surprised if any major remodeling of the ARC happens in the next 5 years, maybe 10 years. I know it is in "the master plan", but an ARC renovation will only happen after the track is completed, and after the new multipurpose fieldhouse is funded, designed, and built. I just hope it gets done sooner rather than later, but am skeptical as to when. Now it sounds like another new dorm and a new or expanded science building have moved ahead of the ARC in the pecking order of what gets built first. We need to find a philanthropic donor with a passion and interest in athletics to donate specifically to an ARC renovation to move it on a faster track. And do I ever hope I am wrong!!
You've hit the nail on the head! It is a matter of first things first and here's how it works: The plan is to grow the student body to 6000. That will include more graduate students, students living in Chicago and some graduate programs on-line. Still, the undergrad population will probably grow by another 500 or so. This means one more dorm, maybe two. Then it is a matter of keeping the kids coming and that means renovation/replacement of existing, non-air conditioned, dumpy old dorms. Now, to attract the kinds of bright kids we want we aren't focused on PE majors (no offense intended to those on the board who were/are PE majors!) but rather professional school majors and science/math majors. President Heckler did say that the College of Nursing is adding a new major (can't recall exactly what it is) but he seemed to think it will bring a whole new group of folks to Valpo for this major.
So the reality is that these students (and their parents) aren't focused on the ARC, but they are focused on labs/dorms/research facilities. The ARC/Athletic facilities will always need major donors and nothing is stopping the renovation other then not having those donors identified. In the Universities defense, it should be noted that a couple of new folks have been added to the Athletics staff, whose mission is only focused on finding those donors.
Finally, I'll tell you that I did ask President Heckler if a major fund drive was underway and if that drive would include a component focused on athletics. He told me that the "quiet phase" is underway--that phase where the bigs are identified and committed before the public phase is announced. The next part of the answer is somewhat disappointing as he said that this drive is focused on endowment growth exclusively, but, he added that growth in athletic endowment could be part of that drive, but didn't say that it would be a focus point. I suspect that we all will hear about this major drive in the coming months.
The new degree you are speaking about was a Master of Physician Assistance? Whatever he titled it, it was related to medical PAs, which would be a good draw for the university.
Quote from: valpotx on February 21, 2014, 10:57:34 AM
The new degree you are speaking about was a Master of Physician Assistance? Whatever he titled it, it was related to medical PAs, which would be a good draw for the university.
According to my wife (Nursing Director, MS Hlth. Care Mgmt.), a Physician Assistant is much like a Nurse Practitioner, only different :) :
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/07/AR2011010704936.html (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/07/AR2011010704936.html)
I recently asked someone from VU (not an athletics department employee) if this year's entering freshman class would be able to use a new fieldhouse facility before they graduated. The response was "probably not." My gut feeling is that it is going to be 6-8 years before this facility is on line. Unless, of course, someone steps forward and makes the largest donation in VU history to make this happen sooner (cost of this project will likely be 35-40 million at least). The likelihood that a donor like this will step forward is not great since VU is (rightly) focusing on the endowment with the next fundraising campaign, and the big hitters are being approached for endowment money, not construction money. (Our endowment is 177 million, and it should be at least 400 million, if not more.)
I think for the last 35 years VU has operated on the philosophy of "where are we losing the most kids" when deciding what to build. It started with Demotte Hall, former home of the business school. It is hard to conceive of a less charming building than Demotte -- I know, I had several classes there. It was simply terrible. We were losing kids and academic credibility with this building, so a new one was built. Next up was the ARC. Again, VU waited as long as it could before adding to Hilltop gym. Several VU people told me at the time (1974-78) that VU was losing many potential students because, well, our indoor athletic facilities were non-existent except for the big gym and the gym upstairs. (When I was a senior I was shooting baskets one day and a parent and his son were there checking out the place. The dad asked me where the rest of the athletic facilities were. I told him this was it. The dad didn't believe me at first, you could tell. You could see in their eyes that their VU campus visit was OVER.)
The law school was next, because the ABA stepped in and basically told VU to build a new law building or lose accreditation. It was straight out of the Godfather and the ABA was making VU an offer it could not refuse.
Next up were the three big projects that had to get done: the Performing Arts building, the library, and the union. In each instance the Admissions people were reminding the President at every turn that VU was losing out on dozens of kids each year because of lousy facilities. I know of one parent who talked his daughter out of coming to VU in the early 90s because he couldn't bear the thought of having to attend plays at Kroencke Hall, which he recalled was an inadequate facility when he was a student and performed in class plays there 30 years earlier.
So now here we are with a new dorm getting built, another one on the way, and a new science facility that is gonna get built pretty soon -- because our present facilities are not adequate and we are, once again, losing kids. I was in Dubuque last fall and stopped at the University of Dubuque, with 1600 kids. All brand new dorms there -- they made our dorms look like storage barns. We may be losing kids because of a lack of a fieldhouse, but I think the administration figures we are losing more because of inadequate dorms. The science building has to get done since VU is introducing new academic programs and Neils is not adequate for all these programs.
I happen to agree with every building decision VU has made over the years. I sure wish we could have a new fieldhouse in the next 3-4 years, but it is very unlikely to happen, and this hoped-for project will simply have to wait behind the projects listed above which, in my opinion anyway, present more pressing needs.
Paul
Quote from: 78crusader on March 05, 2014, 08:45:58 PMIt is hard to conceive of a less charming building than Demotte -- I know, I had several classes there.
Loved DeMotte as a kid, but I can imagine that as a building for classes it was less exciting. YAY YASW
Quote from: 78crusader on March 05, 2014, 08:45:58 PMthe thought of having to attend plays at Kroencke Hall,
I was in plays there too. The "salute to Kroencke" when it closed was really quite the thing--JoBe Cerny came, among others. I remember Eric Brant making fun of the pipe running through the ceiling.
But there were some wonderful shows put on there, certainly, despite the limitations.
I think you are spot-on...Valpo does whatever it should have built ten years before. When my mother came onboard they were talking about the coming performing arts center; 11 years later it was a reality (and even then thanks only to the Urschels).
Thanks, 78, for the thoughtful assessment. It definitely is in the hands of wealthy donors (or a large corporate sponsor) -- no doubt. I looked at the floor plans of the current ARC -- couldn't believe how crowded and inadequate the space was for all the sports that it supports. VU72 pointed out in another string that the ARC design did not anticipate Title IX and that could account for some of that. We are caught in a Sophie's choice situation: We need to modernize the ARC, but to do that we need to build a field house to allow that to happen, but we don't have the money to build the field house, so........
At some point, the university will have to decide whether to use some endowment funds plus borrowing to finance this type of growth. I am not convinced that it will. Despite the fact that whatever you buy now (in capital project terms) is guaranteed to be more expensive in the future, I don't think the university will bite that bullet. But I do wonder how other schools do it while we seemingly can't.
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 05, 2014, 09:08:48 PM
Thanks, 78, for the thoughtful assessment. It definitely is in the hands of wealthy donors (or a large corporate sponsor) -- no doubt. I looked at the floor plans of the current ARC -- couldn't believe how crowded and inadequate the space was for all the sports that it supports. VU72 pointed out in another string that the ARC design did not anticipate Title IX and that could account for some of that. We are caught in a Sophie's choice situation: We need to modernize the ARC, but to do that we need to build a field house to allow that to happen, but we don't have the money to build the field house, so........
At some point, the university will have to decide whether to use some endowment funds plus borrowing to finance this type of growth. I am not convinced that it will. Despite the fact that whatever you buy now (in capital project terms) is guaranteed to be more expensive in the future, I don't think the university will bite that bullet. But I do wonder how other schools do it while we seemingly can't.
Well, for one thing finding funds for new dorms for 1600 (seniors probably live off campus on top of the total number) is a lot easier then funding dorms for 4000. The notion that we are losing students because of facilities is challenged by the fact that we had more new students on campus this fall (freshman plus transfers) then is any other year in history--and, our GPA's are up not down. Now, we may be losing athletes who want or expect more, but most of our sports are performing at a high level in spite of being one of only two private schools in the Horizon.
Endowment (which is the focus of the next drive) is very important for a few reasons. Obviously is ensures the University's long term viability, but it also improves rankings and thus can impact the number and quality of new students, particularly gifted ones, who have many, many choices.
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 05, 2014, 09:08:48 PMAt some point, the university will have to decide whether to use some endowment funds plus borrowing to finance this type of growth.
I don't think that you can touch the endowment principal for that kind of expenditure. Normally they are legally designed to keep the principal amount intact. The income could possibly be used but in many cases is designated by the donor or fund for a specific purpose.