Here is an update from President Padilla. Some interesting quotes "We also require the right facilities
to optimize our ability to attract and retain the best students and athletes, particularly
for the College of Nursing and Health Professions, our residential spaces, and athletics
facilities." and "This idea of leadership goes well beyond the notion of positional
leadership to incorporate the many ways individuals can demonstrate their
commitment and actions to reach a shared mission. Athletics is a prime example of cocurricular leadership development and this plan outlines our continued investment in NCAA Division I athletics by ensuring competitive facilities and a mix of programs to
positively impact the University and surrounding community."
https://www.valpo.edu/strategic-plan/
The plan calls for a new nursing building, to be constructed either off-campus or on the main campus. AGREE this is much needed and should be a top priority. DISAGREE that locating it off campus is a good idea.
Paul
Quote from: 78crusader on August 06, 2022, 10:52:02 AM
The plan calls for a new nursing building, to be constructed either off-campus or on the main campus. AGREE this is much needed and should be a top priority. DISAGREE that locating it off campus is a good idea.
Paul
Agree that a nursing building is needed and should be on-campus.
On a separate note, there is no mention of a new building or major renovation for the College of Business. The current building is far too small and significantly outdated - especially for disciplines that are more likely to attract new students than many other disciplines. This was in prior plans/statements and seems to have been de-prioritized.
On top of that, I question whether there are viable business plans for undergraduate online education and a two-year associate program for first generation students at a school like Valparaiso. It is very doubtful that Valparaiso can create a business model in which tuition is competitive with current options that are much less expensive.
Absent in the Strategic Plan summary is a "Commitment to Freedom of Expression" similar to what Purdue University and other schools have adopted.
The word "Christian" does not appear anywhere in the "Strategic Plan" summary.
The summary says the campus and curriculum will be "revolutionized." While I agree that change is needed at VU, I would need to find out what the current administration has in mind to "revolutionize" the university before climbing on board.
Paul
Quote from: 78crusader on August 06, 2022, 02:31:15 PMThe word "Christian" does not appear anywhere in the "Strategic Plan" summary.
Come on Paul, I think you are trying to find a problem.
The very first article called "The Plan" states the following:
As a Lutheran University, we will value each person's calling in the way that we teach, providing opportunities to grow as both servants and leaders through reflection and action. We will be a community of hope, letting the light shine through us as beacons for the world to see.
We believe that God is calling Valparaiso University to continue the work of our founders by making a life-changing education accessible to all those who want to live a life of purpose dedicated to loving our neighbors. We are called to prepare students to lead and serve in church and society. This grounding in the Lutheran tradition is a fundamental feature of the institution forming an unbreakable foundation that enables a robust freedom of inquiry to unlock the mysteries of the world and its inhabitants while simultaneously helping all of its constituents to identify their calling and work to meet the world's greatest needs. Valpo students will learn to make a living and a life that matters.
The last time I checked, being Lutheran certainly qualified as Christian. If You changed the words from "As a Lutheran University" to "As a Christian University" you would achieve your goal but would simply blend Valpo into the Evangelical world of "Bible" institutions. Not good.
This part of the presentation focuses on Athletics and certainly points to a new ARC being a centerpiece of this plan.
https://www.valpo.edu/strategic-plan/lead/
vu72 - you make good points.
Paul
He also mentions keeping a tab on developing sports that Valpo could add in the future. I think undoing the mistake of reducing Men's Tennis and Men's Soccer would be a great start, as they were 2 of our more successful programs...
Quote from: valpotx on August 06, 2022, 07:00:49 PM
He also mentions keeping a tab on developing sports that Valpo could add in the future. I think undoing the mistake of reducing Men's Tennis and Men's Soccer would be a great start, as they were 2 of our more successful programs...
(https://c.tenor.com/WCSrJStW9HoAAAAC/i-guess-it-wouldnt-hurt-charles-lawlor.gif)
Quote from: valpotx on August 06, 2022, 07:00:49 PM
He also mentions keeping a tab on developing sports that Valpo could add in the future. I think undoing the mistake of reducing Men's Tennis and Men's Soccer would be a great start, as they were 2 of our more successful programs...
Men's tennis perhaps but not Men's soccer. Only half of the Valley schools sponsor Men's soccer and the reason is the cost. We had players from all over the world and still weren't successful. I think you might have to go back to the Mid-Con days to find a championship. Recruiting must have cost a bundle and it is a non-revenue sport. The elimination also, most likely, had to do with Title 9 issues.
Quote from: vu72 on August 07, 2022, 07:46:32 AM
Quote from: valpotx on August 06, 2022, 07:00:49 PM
He also mentions keeping a tab on developing sports that Valpo could add in the future. I think undoing the mistake of reducing Men's Tennis and Men's Soccer would be a great start, as they were 2 of our more successful programs...
Men's tennis perhaps but not Men's soccer. Only half of the Valley schools sponsor Men's soccer and the reason is the cost. We had players from all over the world and still weren't successful. I think you might half to go back to the Mid-Con days to find a championship. Recruiting must have cost a bundle and it is a non-revenue sport. The elimination also, most likely, had to do with Title 9 issues.
(https://media2.giphy.com/media/TKeZXn6ql8O5Bo6Dow/200w.gif?cid=82a1493bof8qzh7o8gbh2be563djm26xf878pl2ryp4hisde&rid=200w.gif&ct=g)
(https://c.tenor.com/DKXGDUyQAGcAAAAC/i-am-title-ix-title-ix.gif)
(https://media1.giphy.com/media/WDiOdFTl8V4Yg/giphy.gif)
I thought this plan was actually well written and really needed at this time. It's really important to define what the university is and where you want to be, and address the challenges and/or roadblocks in front of them.
What is important is Whatever Valpo does, it needs to align with this strategy. Valpo has tried to cater to a wider range or programs that they can handle, where in some scenarios they have programs just for the sake of having them. Athletics has been leading that way generally and that needs to end. I think with the personnel they are bringing in they are on their way.
Again liberal arts are great and it needs to blend with strong STEM programs to establish well rounded people - this will be a real strategic advantage for Valpo. Not that I have a literate strength, I work with a lot of engineers seriously lacking communication and writing skills, mostly coming from state schools. This is an opportunity for Valpo to win.
It would interesting to see why soccer tanked. You can bring in a broad international base. Was it also because to compete it required complete scholarships?
As for tennis, many schools are removing these programs. Stanford, who has a huge endowment, got rid of some Olympic sports and many think it's a wise move as it didnt align with their strategy.
More needs to be invested in the flagship sport, basketball, especially with NIL and the downward spiral of the NCAA.
I am not sure of the costs (relative to soccer), but I am sure that Valpo will evaluate whether they should add lacrosse (men's and women's). Unlike many sports, you can offer scholarships to attract the better players - but you can also offer non-scholarship roster spots to anyone who has played in high school (sort of a hybrid between the basketball model and the football model). In such a model, Valpo could have 15 partial scholarship players and then 20-25 non-scholarship players for each of the two teams. I know little to nothing about this sport...just suggesting what might work in attracting students to Valpo.
Quote from: usc4valpo on August 07, 2022, 08:18:27 AM
Again liberal arts are great and it needs to blend with strong STEM programs to establish well rounded people - this will be a real strategic advantage for Valpo. Not that I have a literate strength, I work with a lot of engineers seriously lacking communication and writing skills, mostly coming from state schools. This is an opportunity for Valpo to win.
Great point here. My opinion is that Valpo has provided excellent development in critical thinking, communication and writing skills for engineering and other STEM students for many years and that this is a real strategic advantage. The needed improvement is marketing this strength and the value it has for students in their future professional careers. The marketing from Valpo tends to be too generic in that it spans value offered by the entire university, which is OK but prevents Valpo from articulating strengths in specific areas.
I like how they're acknowledging the challenges of the current situation:
SURVIVING
WHERE WE ARE
"Budget challenges"
"Low Enrollment"
"Compensation below peers"
"Lack of trust/hope for the future"
When I see strategic plans that dodge hard truths, I disregard them automatically as fluff. At least they're acknowledging the starting place.
usc4valpo-While it is true that Stanford briefly cut 11 Varsity non-revenue sports, all of them were reinstated after a major outcry.
I like the direction, candor, and boldness. The term "revolutionize" might not be helpful due to political connotations, but that is a small point.
All of the categories will need a big influx of money, especially annual revenue. But if you don't lay out a vision, you won't have a chance. Box checked!!
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 09, 2022, 10:59:54 AM
I like the direction, candor, and boldness. The term "revolutionize" might not be helpful due to political connotations, but that is a small point.
All of the categories will need a big influx of money, especially annual revenue. But if you don't lay out a vision, you won't have a chance. Box checked!!
I agree with the points about direction, candor and boldness. My concern was that there were a lot of other points in the plan, which might dilute attention from the key objectives. But making sure that there is appropriate attention to the most important objectives is a management/leadership issue and I think President Padilla will ensure proper focus.
Quote from: valpo tundra on August 08, 2022, 10:33:49 PM
usc4valpo-While it is true that Stanford briefly cut 11 Varsity non-revenue sports, all of them were reinstated after a major outcry.
And at Stanford all the "athletes" actually play on the respective teams.
Quote from: valpo22 on August 10, 2022, 04:26:56 PM
Stanford also cut Cantonese and was only going to have a Mandarin Chinese program, until a donor stepped up to endow ongoing courses.
Oh my, Can't(n)on Mandarin Chinese only.
In regards to the new Nursing Building. There has been an increase in Chicago based hospitals creating Satellite locations in Northwest Indiana including Luries and University of Chicago. I wonder if there could be opportunities there to create a new nursing school that also acts as a training facility for those already in the work force. Getting some of the hospitals to invest in new training and teaching equipment and location that can be used by all would be both a boon to the community and the university.
Overall, the soccer program wasn't successful. However, it was the first Valpo sport to win a HL season title.
Quote from: crusader05 on August 11, 2022, 08:43:14 AM
In regards to the new Nursing Building. There has been an increase in Chicago based hospitals creating Satellite locations in Northwest Indiana including Luries and University of Chicago. I wonder if there could be opportunities there to create a new nursing school that also acts as a training facility for those already in the work force. Getting some of the hospitals to invest in new training and teaching equipment and location that can be used by all would be both a boon to the community and the university.
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette article about Trine doing basically what is quoted above.
Trine University Fort WayneOpening in fall 2024, the approximately $40 million Trine University Fort Wayne campus,
developed in close partnership with Parkview Health, will employ 100 faculty and staff and serve nearly 700 students in Trine's College of Health Professions, which currently includes its physical therapy, physician assistant, speech-language pathology, nursing and surgical technology programs. The new space will allow CHP to add new programs including occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, medical science and emergency medical sciences.
In addition to state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories, the new facility will feature, in partnership with the Parkview Mirro Center, an innovative Simulated Patient Care Center including mock surgery and emergency room suites and exam and patient rooms. The building also will contain ample resources for student support, including a library, bookstore, gathering area, academic support and counseling services.
Frank Mrvan helped secure some 1 million dollars that the Nursing School will use to bridge the present facilities with the future ones. To attract new students and retain present ones, a new Nursing complex is a higher priority than a new Arc.
Disagree. They are both equally important in different perspectives. The ARC upgrade is way overdue to stay inline with facilities in the MVC. This isn't good especially if we are committed to Div. 1 sports. We can't keep playing in a High school gym for the next 20 years.
Regarding nursing, agreed. Great program, profession would employment will always be strong, gotta keep the nursing school strong.
Cripe, they have a $250m endowment, spend a few million on upgrades to keep it strong!
I have a really big concern about the university being disconnected with alumni base. This is currently a big problem that requires mending.
The University is wise to begin preparation for a new nursing/health sciences building. We are losing kids to community colleges, many of which have very nice facilities - at lower tuition costs.
This building is, and should be, the #1 priority for VU.
The strategic plan says it will be built on campus, or off campus. Building off campus would be a big mistake -but it is a mistake the university is perfectly capable of making. Let's hope it gets built (a) within the next two years, and (b) on campus.
Paul
Quote from: 78crusader on August 25, 2022, 02:37:47 PMWe are losing kids to community colleges,
I found out today that Valpo is starting/has started a two year certificate/Associates degree program covering, I presume, several areas of study--with the hope that some of these students will continue on a get a Bachelors. this new college will be housed in the old Law School.
The pendulum has swung strongly towards state schools right now and the midwest have some very strong public universities to attract students.
I like the idea of starting up a 2-year program to compete with other schools. As mentioned earlier it could lead to students continuing on to complete a bachelor's degree. I too think that the upgrading of our Nursing Program is a necessity, especially since our program is well respected and highly rated. But we cannot forget about the ARC!
These are pretty serious "fork in the road" comments about investing in 2-year programs. It begs big questions about mission, identity, and residency.
Valpo05 cites the realities of state schools as competitors. The biggest danger to Valpo came when the big flaghshhip universities started the best of both worlds by providing cloistered "honors college" experiences to get a small school feel, but these schools also offering all the amenities and major league vibes of the Big Ten.
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 25, 2022, 06:17:23 PM
These are pretty serious "fork in the road" comments about investing in 2-year programs. It begs big questions about mission, identity, and residency.
Valpo05 cites the realities of state schools as competitors. The biggest danger to Valpo came when the big flaghshhip universities started the best of both worlds by providing cloistered "honors college" experiences to get a small school feel, but these schools also offering all the amenities and major league vibes of the Big Ten.
I'm not sure what state flagships in the Midwest offer honors college programs, but here's an example from UMass-Amherst, the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system, which must compete with a megaton of strong private schools:
https://www.umass.edu/honors/ (https://www.umass.edu/honors/)
Throw in the lower price tag, merit scholarships, and a broad curriculum, and it's pretty enticing.
That said, there remain many prospective students who would prefer a smaller campus, one that leans toward the small college experience. Let's not forget that the non-honors classes at state flagships may be the very kind of full auditorium cattle shows that can be very alienating to some students. And not everyone wants a Big Ten-type of collegiate sports experience, either.
VU has real strengths, which if blended and presented correctly can be very attractive to prospective students. When enrolling students is a challenge, like it is now for VU and countless competitors (and will be for some time), there's a risk of panicking and trying to radically re-position in ways that make a place look unrecognizable. I don't sense that VU is going in that direction, so fingers crossed that it can get the blend right.
Quote from: valpo22 on August 27, 2022, 02:29:23 PM
Indiana's Ball State has long had a Honors College : https://www.bsu.edu/academics/collegesanddepartments/honorscollege
Definitely, Valpo's honors college can be a real draw for students who want the small class-size, high faculty contact, seminar-style kind of college environement, but I think the decline of Arts and Sciences has hurt them too. Whereas a Michigan or a Ball State can pull off a sort of segregation between what you're calling the 'cattle show' big classes vs the small intensive Honors College and thus provide quite different experiences to different types of students.... Valpo is pretty small and so the two divisions' fates are more tied, for better or for worse. As A&S has fallen in terms of student quality and faculty turnover etc, that eventually hurts Christ College as well. Most high schoolers and their parents just aren't initially that aware of the difference, so they just hear about 'Valpo' and whatever they hear, they assume is the case across the board. So if we want top students to want to come to Christ College, they need to know that the university as a whole is still good. I heard the old dean who oversaw the decline of A&S has left this Summer for some satellite state or community college in Iowa or Idaho, so there will be new one this Fall and maybe there's some chance for a re-set if they can rebuild somehow. But at any rate, Valpo is too small a place for the honors college and the A&S to really be separate experiences, even if the (past?) administration might (have?) wanted that (?). Anyways, if Valpo is going to get the mix between professional schools and liberal arts right, it can't be just a small batch of Christ College students that get the warm/small-class sort of experience while the 'regular' students in the main division have the cattle experience. People out in the community or in the high school guidance counselors don't necessarily know the difference, so if they keep hearing about all the A&S disarray and programs closing and all the faculty leavving, etc, then they won't bother to send the strong students to CC or the Nursing or Engineering schools either.
I guess what I'm saying is the 'mix' is important, but maybe also the blend? It seems me like Valpo keeps trying to do a 'mix' in the sense of disparate things (here's some caviar, there's some rice&beans; here's some creme brulee, there's some Velveeta cheese product on a cheeto; or would you like to go to our separate satellite restaurant to have some salsa?) which may work on a state university of 25,000.... But in a small comprehensive unviersity, the mix also needs to blend in a way that makes sense (flour, sugar, salt, to actually make a coherent cake).
Could I ask for clarification here? When I speak of cattle show-type survey classes that are standard at many large universities (include some regarded as prestigious), I'm talking about packed auditorium classes, perhaps with breakout sections taught by graduate teaching assistants. Have things changed at VU so dramatically that such class sizes are being regularly imposed on Arts & Sciences students?
Lots to unpack here. As someone who teaches, let me offer a few opinions:
-Teaching four different classes simultaneously would be insane, and thus this (to my knowledge) rarely (if ever) happens. A smaller college would (and should) choose to offer two sections of a class in one semester and none the other semester to avoid this (if demand/need for that class was not large).
-Blackboard (or similar tools like d2l) should be used as a single source to access course material (e.g., a repository for readings or course slides), an easily accessible gradebook, and an efficient system for students to submit work and professors to provide feedback. It can also be an alternative and efficient tool for delivering and grading exams and tests (though monitoring tools are far too intrusive - thus exams and quizzes need to be structured as open book, material). Blackboard and d2l should not be used to replace in class experiences (discussion)....that, in my opinion...is bad teaching.
In a broader sense, this is all about what it takes for great teaching. A problem in academia is that once a faculty member gets tenure, they can pretty much do what they want and it is very difficult to force them to change. Thus, you can get some faculty who don't use technology at all (and thus lose efficiencies for things like having a common repository or an 'always accessible' gradebook) and others who are too far in the other extreme (excessive use of technology that replaces high value classroom experiences). Valpo classes need to strike the right balance...I believe that they do (for the most part) in the two colleges in which I am most familiar - but not sure about A&S. Further, while CC is great - great teaching (with professors closely engaged with students) needs to be pervasive in all of the colleges.
Quote from: valpo22 on August 28, 2022, 07:00:09 AM
David81, thanks for the question and clarification -- and no, you're right, I don't think that (huge lecture halls, TAs teaching) is standard at Valpo in A&S or elsewhere. It is still usually professors who do all their own teaching and grading.
Maybe what I was characterizing as 'cattle' experience is something different or not quite so bad.... But I guess what I had in mind was the 'mass communications' aspect of Blackboard, which is just inevitably more anonymous and piecemeal when the profs are juggling more. Probably this is not just a Valpo thing, but anywhere that the teachers are juggling a lot of different classes or students. For instance, if a prof has 4 different courses, and 100+ students, even if they don't rely on TA's, they can't really focus that much on anybody and the technology today allows for a sort of mass production tendency whether good or bad. I think CC has tried to hold this at bay with a priority on face-to-face seminar teaching, since they do have fewer and smaller classes and also didn't have so many layoffs and cuts. And maybe certain sectors like Nursing have been able to keep the personalized attention because they have to do things on a certain small scale (labs, dissections, etc). But in general, college can turn into a lot of massive Blackboard online discussions that the prof can't really keep up with, so everybody's just posting "I agree with what Clifton said" in order to get their 2 participation points for the day, and the prof may or may not even read them. I do think Valpo has tried to still keep the A&S class sizes under 30, but even so... the Blackboard and other online systems have just made possible a different sort of cattle experience. If you're a student in 5 different classes, you've got 5 different professors who are all sending out mass blast e-notifications, all the time, "don't forget to do your BB" post or "sorry, the reading is now uploaded." But it also depends on the department. I think in some depts they are able to teach multiples of the same course and combine the sections into one massive BB which may both streamline things and lead to more 'cattle' quality, while in others it is different courses which may be more personalized but then also more piecemeal since it is just one of many more differen things the prof is jumping between.
Anyways, I think you're right that Valpo is still fundamentally *different* than the sort of place that does lecture halls of 100 students.... The small college identity is still a distinctive thing, and should be emphasized as a draw. But maybe I would counter a little bit just to point out that even a smaller physical space arrangement doesn't guarantee personalized attention. Even if the setting isn't a big lecture hall, the digital technology of college today can still enable some some aspects of the cattle experience if the uni just carves up that big population into 30+ 30+ 30 + 30 and it's all e-assignemnts and e-discussions. I actually think that is a big part of the disconnect between the older alumni who had the sort of quintessential collegiate experience vs newer alumni who did it on BB. On So too, you've got the older administrators who kept using the 'small college excellence' narrative since they themselves went to college before 2010 and have some sort of romantic memory of sitting chatting with their professors, but are simultaneoulsy pushing the technology for the sake of corporate streamlining; and on the other hand, you've got the more student-facing faculty and staff so so worried about layoffs and rising course-loads/caps and the university's push to use all the digital platforms and tracking systems and worried about the evaporation of the humane side of it all. Indeed, most students thought Starfish was super creepy -- and isn't it just yet another way to enable mass tracking as a substitute for actual people talking to other humans? Soon maybe they will get AI academic advisors, haha; robots are cheaper!! At any rate, this is not just Valpo A&S and of course involves a lot of other trends outside VU's control. Now students have done both high school and college on Blackboard, so whether anybody wants it to be or not, college is sort of a continuation of the high school Blackboard posting and getting e-tracked by the institution for better or for worse. I think depending on their generation, people just have totally different conceptions of what fundamentally is going on and the pros and cons of what different models of education enable.
Valpo22, thank you for that detailed explanation. It mirrors what I've seen as a faculty member, with Blackboard playing an increasingly significant instructional role. I am an outlier at my institution in that I rely very little on Blackboard and in most of my classes I do not use PowerPoint slides and do not permit laptop usage absent a compelling circumstances (usually disability-related). I have pedagogical reasons for doing so, not the least of which are studies showing that student retain more by recording notes by hand.
But I digress.
I sense that VU remains different enough -- even with the digital tools -- to say we are qualitatively different than many bigger schools that impose much larger course sections on their students. But I also understand how different the classroom experience can be compared to the Stone Ages of my collegiate and, soon afterward, law school experience. I deeply lament these changes but realize the realities.
Quote from: valpo22 on August 27, 2022, 02:29:23 PMthe mix also needs to blend in a way that makes sense (flour, sugar, salt, to actually make a coherent cake).
If you keep using those cake and food metaphors I'm going to get a lot hungrier while reading these posts which could lead to weight gain.
Do you have a pic of that cake?
Quote from: vu84v2 on August 28, 2022, 08:42:27 AM-Teaching four different classes simultaneously would be insane, and thus this (to my knowledge) rarely (if ever) happens. A smaller college would (and should) choose to offer two sections of a class in one semester and none the other semester to avoid this (if demand/need for that class was not large).
Checking in here. I am currently teaching five classes. I range from 10-40 in my classes. Blackboard is something I utilize to upload my lectures and it's the portal where my students turn in their assignments. Very helpful.
Second to last paragraph mentions he wants Valpo to e a "liberal enclave...but open to all ideas." In our polarized climate I would have not chosen that word.
But I will give him the benefit of the doubt in the word liberal meaning "teaching a broad-based historical perspective." But if the Torch article is correct he botched that by implying a contrast of "liberal".....,but "open. It's hard to infer at least a sub-conscious bias from that dichotomy.
Quote from: valpo22 on October 01, 2022, 05:57:40 AM
Fall Townhall on strategic plan:
http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_65874c46-4083-11ed-a429-9b19b35bc1af.html
While I believe that the intentions of those creating the strategic plan were good, there are several considerations not included that are foundational to creating and executing a good strategic plan:
-What are the greatest priorities? (I believe the plan lists 16, which is too high)
-What will the university discontinue or reduce to free up attention and resources to address priorities?
-How will sufficient resources be acquired (donations, etc.) to meet the priorities?
One other thing, this quote is way too vague and thus it is concerning:
Director of Athletics Charles Small spoke about his vision for the athletic department to attain "championship-level synergy."
"We're going to do something really special, and what I've noticed is that we also believe that we're going to do something special in the community," Small said. "We want to engage with you all to build something special."
C'mon Padilla. 16 Priorities? Terrible strategy. When you list that many, you are bound to not meet your goals.
To get something significant done In the next 18 months, Valpo need to derive 3 "Wildly Important Goals"
https://www.franklincovey.com/the-4-disciplines/discipline-1-wildy-important/ (https://www.franklincovey.com/the-4-disciplines/discipline-1-wildy-important/)
"Begin by asking 'If every other area of our operation remained at its current level of performance, what is the one area where change would have the greatest impact?' This question changes the way you think and lets you clearly identify the focus that would make all the difference."
Remember, 80 percent of your team's energy will still be directed at sustaining the whirlwind, so ignore the temptation to worry that by making one or two goals most important, your team will ignore everything else. And once you stop worrying about everything else going backward, you can start moving forward on your WIG. "
What behaviors (outcomes) are you trying to change? Who will be held accountable?
The WIG principle works in industry and academia, and I have experienced this, unlike a laundry list of stuff just to make everyone happy.
Quote from: crusadermoe on October 03, 2022, 10:53:31 AM
Second to last paragraph mentions he wants Valpo to e a "liberal enclave...but open to all ideas." In our polarized climate I would have not chosen that word.
But I will give him the benefit of the doubt in the word liberal meaning "teaching a broad-based historical perspective." But if the Torch article is correct he botched that by implying a contrast of "liberal".....,but "open. It's hard to infer at least a sub-conscious bias from that dichotomy.
If it becomes a 'liberal enclave,' as taken at face value, the university will quickly lose me as a donor :)
Quote from: usc4valpo on October 03, 2022, 02:33:07 PM
C'mon Padilla. 16 Priorities? Terrible strategy. When you list that many, you are bound to not meet your goals.
To get something significant done In the next 18 months, Valpo need to derive 3 "Wildly Important Goals"
https://www.franklincovey.com/the-4-disciplines/discipline-1-wildy-important/ (https://www.franklincovey.com/the-4-disciplines/discipline-1-wildy-important/)
"Begin by asking 'If every other area of our operation remained at its current level of performance, what is the one area where change would have the greatest impact?' This question changes the way you think and lets you clearly identify the focus that would make all the difference."
Remember, 80 percent of your team's energy will still be directed at sustaining the whirlwind, so ignore the temptation to worry that by making one or two goals most important, your team will ignore everything else. And once you stop worrying about everything else going backward, you can start moving forward on your WIG. "
What behaviors (outcomes) are you trying to change? Who will be held accountable?
The WIG principle works in industry and academia, and I have experienced this, unlike a laundry list of stuff just to make everyone happy.
To clarify my previous comment in which I remembered there were 16 priorities, the actual number is 20 - though Valpo now has a separate document highlighting 12 priorities within those 20 (see links provided with the website below). Of the 12, some are related to student success (good!) - none are related to athletics or specifically to any of the professional colleges (not so good). Working towards a Hispanic Serving Institution is also on the priority list - I am all for attracting students from many cultures and helping them succeed, but a stated goal of having 25% of all students be hispanic (which is what HSI certification requires) is just unrealistic. It is never good to set goals that are completely unachievable.
https://www.valpo.edu/strategic-plan/
It's just vagueness and viability. The twin Vs.
The core ideas of "serve, lead, and thrive" would probably found in hundreds of other gauzy introductions to other strategic plans at least 1/2 of the colleges and universities in the country.
Notably, measurables were stated for three 3 of the 22 goals: enrollment revenue (10%), Hispanic Serving Institutions (numerical), and transfer student revenue. But there were no measurables attached to the Christian schools relationships statement.
The athletics section strives to "evaluate athletic facility....by the end of the plan." That is simply a means rather than an "end." There is no commitment to raising funds, even in concept, during the plan period. Understandably the mix/# of teams is on the burner.
This probably doesn't belong in the "Strategic Plan" discussion but I'll put it here anyway.
I pointed out earlier this summer VU successfully completed a $300 million campaign on June 30 and I was looking forward to VU publicizing this achievement. It might be the largest campaign in the history of Lutheran colleges and universities.
I awaited a press release on this wonderful accomplishment, hoping that it would begin to balance out some of the negative publicity VU has suffered in recent years (lay offs, closing of the law school, being sued by Indiana Department of Justice, just to name a few examples - it has gotten to the point where if I see the words "Valparaiso University" in a headline, I won't read the article, because chances are it will be bad news).
No press release was forthcoming this summer, so I thought that VU had decided to wait until Homecoming, which would be a great time to publicize and celebrate the campaign's success.
Wrong. Nothing. This is another example of mystifying decisions made over the years by this university. I'm worried another mistake is in the offing when the strategic plan calls for VU to be a "liberal enclave." Doesn't it occur to anyone at VU that the more liberal this place becomes, the more struggles we have with enrollment? Folks don't know anymore what VU stands for. Used to, they did. Not anymore. Conservative folks think the place is too liberal, and liberal folks think the place is too conservative. Try to please everyone, and guess what? You please no one.
If I'm wrong or mistaken - and I hope I am - please someone on the Board enlighten me. Sometimes I think about this place and see light at the end of the tunnel - and worry that it's an oncoming train.
Paul
I've been around higher ed long enough to know that strategic planning documents should be kept in perspective. They're typically a mix of broad objectives and pet projects of more powerful stakeholders at that snapshot moment, with much of the impetus coming from the administrative level. This is not meant as a knock on VU specifically, but rather a general observation that unless the institution exercises excessive top-down control, the heart of the educational enterprise remains that which occurs between faculty and students.
FWIW, I found the executive summary to be the most worthy of one's time. Among other things, it's what most people will read:
https://www.valpo.edu/strategic-plan/files/2022/07/SP_Exec_Sum_Goals_approved_July2022.pdf (https://www.valpo.edu/strategic-plan/files/2022/07/SP_Exec_Sum_Goals_approved_July2022.pdf)
I sense that President Padilla is a pragmatist type of leader who is well aware of the challenging demographics in terms of the shrinking pool of traditional college-age students, set to hit hard around 2025. VU cannot be, and should not try to be, all things to all potential students. But it can't afford to become an insular church college, nor is it remotely capable of morphing into a liberal enclave that some seem to fear.
As I've said before on this board, VU has to build on its traditional base, while creating genuine space for others to feel welcomed. And it has to relentlessly search out the right blend between the liberal arts and professional training. I think it's possible to do this. A bit of a balancing act, but the main pieces are there already.
While wondering about why Valpo hasn't announced the final number on the Forever Valpo campaign is a legitimate question, I'm wondering why the question hasn't been asked of the President instead of the participants on this board? For what it's worth, I just did. I'll post if I get a reply.
Quote from: vu72 on October 05, 2022, 08:05:30 AM
While wondering about why Valpo hasn't announced the final number on the Forever Valpo campaign is a legitimate question, I'm wondering why the question hasn't been asked of the President instead of the participants on this board? For what it's worth, I just did. I'll post if I get a reply.
And 2.5 hours later:
Good morning,
President Padilla asked that I respond to your inquiry. Yes!! The new Valpo Magazine (which should be in your mailbox any day now) has a very nice spread (pages 6-7) about the overall impact of Forever Valpo, including our final total of more than $302M. I hope you find it informative!
Thanks so much for all you do for Valpo!
Lisa Hollander
I think we can all agree that while an article in the Valpo magazine regarding the recently concluded campaign is nice, the university does not get anywhere close to the same PR boost as it would by putting this news out to the general public. This is a "fail" by VU.
Paul
Quote from: 78crusader on October 05, 2022, 11:22:18 AM
I think we can all agree that while an article in the Valpo magazine regarding the recently concluded campaign is nice, the university does not get anywhere close to the same PR boost as it would by putting this news out to the general public. This is a "fail" by VU.
Paul
I agree! With most people having news feeds in some way, shape or form, it would be good if a press release came up for many people that communicated the success. Given that some prospective students and their families may have concerns about financial viability of the university, it would also be a good idea to make it visible (a link to the press release?) on the university web page.
Quote from: vu84v2 on October 05, 2022, 12:22:45 PM
Quote from: 78crusader on October 05, 2022, 11:22:18 AM
I think we can all agree that while an article in the Valpo magazine regarding the recently concluded campaign is nice, the university does not get anywhere close to the same PR boost as it would by putting this news out to the general public. This is a "fail" by VU.
Paul
I agree! With most people having news feeds in some way, shape or form, it would be good if a press release came up for many people that communicated the success. Given that some prospective students and their families may have concerns about financial viability of the university, it would also be a good idea to make it visible (a link to the press release?) on the university web page.
I just confirmed that there will NOT be a press release. I agree, this makes zero sense.
That's the document that upholds the highly unique target concepts of "Learn, Lead, Serve and Thrive." I bet if you google "strategic plan" and any two of those words you would pull up 200+ college plans. Yawn.
The associate degree piece really sounds off key and implies to me an "Ivy Tech" vibe. I am not a snob and in fact I am a fan of community colleges, thinking they should be nearly free. But in a strategic plan it is hard to harmonize that item with a residential product costing $40,000+ in private tuition.
Agreed that it makes little sense not to feature what seems like a successful campaign. The University could use more good news IMO. It got me thinking why they might not want to do it - here is what I came up with.
1) The $302M is nice, yet most of it is pledged, not spendable cash. Perhaps the campaign wasn't as successful as we were led to believe, or some of the gifts have melted away?
2) The University has had a number of cuts to faculty and staff, so celebrating the success when there are cuts and layoffs is bad form.
3) Similarly, some individuals may expect a raise or market adjustment on the assumption that there is a lot of money raised.
4) There is a plan to tap the donors to either accelerate their gifts or start a new campaign, so celebrating a big win would make it harder to show the need.
5) There is a plan to increase tuition, fees or expenses on students.
6) More significant cuts, consolidations or extreme financial distress is imminent, perhaps due to timing of debt payments?
7) The decision-makers are worn down, incompetent, or there are not enough staff to take on this announcement. Or, they do not realize constituents need good news.
Other suggestions?
To my mind, none of these are especially good reasons not to celebrate a success. I get that one might want to wait some time after a series of celebratory announcements before announcing program cuts or tuition increases, yet that is a timing issue. At this point, it seems like an unforced error.
Quote from: crusadermoe on October 05, 2022, 03:19:07 PM
That's the document that upholds the highly unique target concepts of "Learn, Lead, Serve and Thrive." I bet if you google "strategic plan" and any two of those words you would pull up 200+ college plans. Yawn.
The associate degree piece really sounds off key and implies to me an "Ivy Tech" vibe. I am not a snob and in fact I am a fan of community colleges, thinking they should be nearly free. But in a strategic plan it is hard to harmonize that item with a residential product costing $40,000+ in private tuition.
Disagree on the Associates degree notion. I think it is a way to "open the door" to this fancy, near ivy University to those who lives close by and may, hopefully stay to complete their Bachelors. Not sloby, but no doubt many in the greater Valpo area may have the impression that Valpo is an 'exclusive" venue. Getting ones foot in the door may be enticing to some.
Quote from: vu72 on October 05, 2022, 03:49:45 PM
Quote from: crusadermoe on October 05, 2022, 03:19:07 PM
That's the document that upholds the highly unique target concepts of "Learn, Lead, Serve and Thrive." I bet if you google "strategic plan" and any two of those words you would pull up 200+ college plans. Yawn.
The associate degree piece really sounds off key and implies to me an "Ivy Tech" vibe. I am not a snob and in fact I am a fan of community colleges, thinking they should be nearly free. But in a strategic plan it is hard to harmonize that item with a residential product costing $40,000+ in private tuition.
Disagree on the Associates degree notion. I think it is a way to "open the door" to this fancy, "near Ivy" ;) University to those who lives close by and may, hopefully stay to complete their Bachelors. Not sloby, but no doubt many in the greater Valpo area may have the impression that Valpo is an 'exclusive" venue. Getting ones foot in the door may be enticing to some. It is also the stated opbective of President Padilla and others to reach out and better involve the local community to all things Valpo U.
Quote from: vu72 on October 05, 2022, 03:49:45 PM
Quote from: crusadermoe on October 05, 2022, 03:19:07 PM
That's the document that upholds the highly unique target concepts of "Learn, Lead, Serve and Thrive." I bet if you google "strategic plan" and any two of those words you would pull up 200+ college plans. Yawn.
The associate degree piece really sounds off key and implies to me an "Ivy Tech" vibe. I am not a snob and in fact I am a fan of community colleges, thinking they should be nearly free. But in a strategic plan it is hard to harmonize that item with a residential product costing $40,000+ in private tuition.
Disagree on the Associates degree notion. I think it is a way to "open the door" to this fancy, near ivy University to those who lives close by and may, hopefully stay to complete their Bachelors. Not sloby, but no doubt many in the greater Valpo area may have the impression that Valpo is an 'exclusive" venue. Getting ones foot in the door may be enticing to some.
I do see the societal value of Associate degrees and related types of two year/shorter programs. The problem that you will not be able to get past, however, is that you cannot have some students sitting in a class in which their list price was one amount and another group of students in the same class whose list price was a small fraction of that amount. You can't price the Associates degree program much higher than the market rate and get students to enroll and you don't have enough critical mass to have separate classes for Associate program and traditional programs. I have seen efforts to do similar things at other universities and they fail miserably - unless the programs are entirely separate.
Good list on the possible reasons for not doing an announcement...but they make little sense to me as well, since the parties who might think they deserve something because of the campaign's success already know the results.
Quote from: valpo95 on October 05, 2022, 03:25:13 PM
Agreed that it makes little sense not to feature what seems like a successful campaign. The University could use more good news IMO. It got me thinking why they might not want to do it - here is what I came up with.
1) The $302M is nice, yet most of it is pledged, not spendable cash. Perhaps the campaign wasn't as successful as we were led to believe, or some of the gifts have melted away?
2) The University has had a number of cuts to faculty and staff, so celebrating the success when there are cuts and layoffs is bad form.
3) Similarly, some individuals may expect a raise or market adjustment on the assumption that there is a lot of money raised.
4) There is a plan to tap the donors to either accelerate their gifts or start a new campaign, so celebrating a big win would make it harder to show the need.
5) There is a plan to increase tuition, fees or expenses on students.
6) More significant cuts, consolidations or extreme financial distress is imminent, perhaps due to timing of debt payments?
7) The decision-makers are worn down, incompetent, or there are not enough staff to take on this announcement. Or, they do not realize constituents need good news.
Other suggestions?
To my mind, none of these are especially good reasons not to celebrate a success. I get that one might want to wait some time after a series of celebratory announcements before announcing program cuts or tuition increases, yet that is a timing issue. At this point, it seems like an unforced error.
A $302m campaign, sandwiched in-between a deep recession and a global pandemic -- is very good news for a school like VU. However, it's not an earth-shattering amount compared to schools that have been at this game for much longer. I think this very successful effort plays better internally (i.e., alums, students, employees) than externally. So....personally, I'd opt to send a news release announcing the results, but I wouldn't expect it to cause much of a stir.
As for how secure is the $302m amount, there's always going to be some melt. It's higher ed fundraising 101 that (1) a lot of gifts are pledges and bequests, not hard cash; and (2) some won't come to fruition or will deliver less than the original amount promised. For example, if someone pledges $100k as a bequest but they burn through most of their retirement funds before they pass, then it ain't gonna happen. No school announces the latter; it's just the normal way of things.
It's pretty clear that another fundraising campaign is coming. Donors already tapped out by the just-completed one may not be able to give significantly again. (I mean, how many reliable bequests can one person make?) But I'd be shocked if a new fundraising campaign was launched without a good number of lead gifts already committed, which is typical practice. And if, say, new athletic facilities were part of the mix, then it's quite likely that a major naming gift would be part of the initial announcement. VU is now good enough at doing this that they're not going to launch a new campaign without having a reasonable chance of success.
Also, I saw a few references suggesting that VU should tap more deeply into its endowment to buttress up some programs.
One challenge in doing so is that the ~250m endowment includes gifts that are already committed to specific purposes. Only unrestricted endowment funds can be accessed for elective purposes.
The bigger challenge is that wise use of endowment money is usually predicated on an assumption that drawing endowment money will not exceed interest income and, in fact, will be less than that, in order to allow the principal to grow. Many institutions use a 4 percent figure as a presumptive starting point. So...VU's 4 percent endowment yield would be around $10m, and some of that money is already spoken for due to specified-purpose gifts.
Drawing deeper from the principal is not unheard of, and many schools -- including mine, with an endowment in the neighborhood of VU's -- did so during the heart of the pandemic slowdown. Problem is, then you're reducing the amount of principal that will keep producing interest income.
In other words, drawing too heavily on the endowment is like drawing too heavily/too early on one's 401k or similar retirement fund. Short-term benefit, hopefully, but at a potential longer-term cost.
I do not blame current or recent Administrations for VU having to play catch-up ball in this realm. Going back to the last century, VU was slow to get into the fundraising game. But Presidents Schnabel, Harre, and Heckler all deserve credit for bringing VU into the modern age of gifts and development.
valpo22, thank you for your thoughtful comments in response to mine.
Fundraising to build an endowment is a critical function for any university that hopes to be around for many more years, especially a school like VU, which has to do some catching up in this regard. Even at schools that are making painful cuts, this activity must continue to be a priority. At times that means broadcasting successes, such as major gifts. In fact, many big donors expect to get some mention in university in-house publications, at the very least. And touting fundraising success is seen as building a culture of giving among alums and other major university stakeholders.
This doesn't negate your concerns and compassion for faculty and staff who have lost their jobs or been nudged toward early retirement, or for students who are experiencing program reductions or closings while dealing with big tuition bills. And there's no doubt, say, that a student experiencing a program closure might wince even more upon reading of a big contribution to an Annual Fund or capital campaign.
I believe that continued program eliminations eventually lead to a diminished institution, to the point where a certain curricular richness is no longer there, and the school becomes a less interesting place. I've been saddened to learn of some of these closures at Valpo. I've seen similar decisions made at my university (a medium-sized regional private university in Boston), and they've come at a cost to morale as well. Unfortunately, contraction is a common theme of the day in all but the richest universities. Even some of the tonier schools are making cuts and downsizing faculty & staff. Of course, there are areas of growth and expansion, too, but that's of little comfort to those affected by program closures.
So...it's a really challenging time in higher ed. Ongoing financial challenges, the pandemic, and changing demographics are all playing a role. It is fair to say that we've seen many casualties of these developments, going back to the financial meltdown of 2008 that had ripple effects for years, and now punctuated hard by the pandemic.
Quote from: David81 on October 09, 2022, 07:58:36 PMFundraising to build an endowment is a critical function for any university that hopes to be around for many more years, especially a school like VU, which has to do some catching up in this regard.
No doubt Valpo needs to keep going regarding endowment growth, but with the conclusion of the current effort, I suspect Valpo is at the higher end of endowments for similar institutions. As examples, at the end of 2020, Valpo's endowment stood at $254 million, that compares to Butler at $217 million, Drake at $220 million, Belmont at $292 million and Bradley at $302 million.
Quote from: vu72 on October 10, 2022, 06:48:05 AM
Quote from: David81 on October 09, 2022, 07:58:36 PMFundraising to build an endowment is a critical function for any university that hopes to be around for many more years, especially a school like VU, which has to do some catching up in this regard.
No doubt Valpo needs to keep going regarding endowment growth, but with the conclusion of the current effort, I suspect Valpo is at the higher end of endowments for similar institutions. As examples, at the end of 2020, Valpo's endowment stood at $254 million, that compares to Butler at $217 million, Drake at $220 million, Belmont at $292 million and Bradley at $302 million.
vu72, I'm going to sound like the male version of Cassandra here. You're absolutely right, VU's endowment is comparable to that of a number of recognized peer institutions, such as the ones you aptly listed. From a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses perspective, Valpo is holding its own, and then some.
But here's where I'm coming from: The endowments of these well-respected, regional, mid-sized private universities aren't enough to provide the needed income to ease the burden of using annual revenue to meet budgets and to offer a reassuring safety cushion.
Here's my comparison: Some of us are of a certain age where we're paying closer attention to average retirement account balances (401k, 403b, etc.) and comparing our account balances to those averages. Let's say our VU classmate Joe is 60, and he reads a study reporting that the median (half below, half above) household retirement savings for 60-year-old breadwinners in the U.S. is around $135,000. Well, it turns out that Joe's retirement account sits at $200,000.
Hooray, right!!!??? Joe's retirement account balance is some 40 percent higher than the U.S. median!!! He's already way above the median! It's Miller Time!
But hold on a minute. If Joe were to quit the workforce today and started applying the presumptive 4 percent draw to his retirement account, he'd have about $8,000 annually to pay his share of the bills. Uh oh....... 😳
Back to endowments: My point is that comparing VU's endowment to that of peer schools provides a similar false sense of security in an era of contraction, higher costs, and diminishing college-age student pools. Like Joe thinking he's doing a smash-up job on his retirement account, it's easy to compare VU's endowment with comparable schools (e.g., Evansville at ~$93m) and say we're in strong shape.
Perhaps more indicative of overall university financial health is the Forbes magazine survey and rankings of the strongest and weakest colleges (financially speaking). VU doesn't look quite as good under those measures, earning a financial grade of C-, nor do many peer institutions. Here's the link:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawhitford/2022/06/09/the-strongest-and-weakest-colleges-in-america---behind-forbes-2022-financial-grades/?sh=1100bd9affad (https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawhitford/2022/06/09/the-strongest-and-weakest-colleges-in-america---behind-forbes-2022-financial-grades/?sh=1100bd9affad)
Now, I should qualify my invocation of Cassandra and clarify that I don't think the sky is falling. And BTW, I readily admit that I am tossing these stones from my own glass house. My own university is similarly situated financially. It's why we, too, are engaging in significant belt-tightening, even as we expand other areas of the curriculum and (oy...) hire more and more administrators.
That said, these $200m-$300m endowments don't go nearly as far as first meets the eye.
Those of us who toil in the less-Ivied vineyards of academe (gratefully so, in my case, as I feel very fortunate to be a full-time professor) tend to be associated with institutions whose futures are not guaranteed. Schools that build up their endowments will be among the survivors of any fallout to come.
SORRY FOR GOING ON AND ON, BUT HOPEFULLY NOT ALL OF THE ABOVE IS HOPELESS YAMMERING! 🤓
I hear ya David81! That is precisely why President Heckler and the Board undertook Forever Valpo. The numbers I posted were from the end of 2020 so I'm guessing, that, if of the $302 million posted, we actually took in 25% (probably too high), we would now be closer to Bradley's 302 million number. Still, dangerously low.
Agreed that the process needs to keep moving forward.
Unfortunately, the 401k analogy is a very good one in terms of the peer endowment competition.
Yes, those median retirement numbers I read for the 50s age group are scary. The AVERAGES of 401k balances in your 50s are always higher because a well-planned and/or fortunate group has built up $1M+.
Even a $1M nest egg spins off 4 percent. If you want an even more "Cassandra" reminder, realize that the 401k still has to be pay income taxes so income from $1M 401k is probably a net of $30,000 per year rather than the full $40,000 from 4% Of course we know taxes will go down over the next several years as we borrow our way into oblivion. :o
Folks in our 50s might as well plan on working until age 70 and that is ok by me. But I would prefer in the meanwhile that we not use my S.S. taxes to pay a lot of very healthy current 66-68 year-olds to play golf all day and not work. The full retirement age should have been raised to age 70 yesterday, except for certain job classifications for physical work. By 2040 forget about SS income for the rest of us who follow the baby boomer SS drain.
Quote from: crusadermoe on October 11, 2022, 12:19:55 PM
Unfortunately, the 401k analogy is a very good one in terms of the peer endowment competition.
Yes, those median retirement numbers I read for the 50s age group are scary. The AVERAGES of 401k balances in your 50s are always higher because a well-planned and/or fortunate group has built up $1M+.
Even a $1M nest egg spins off 4 percent. If you want an even more "Cassandra" reminder, realize that the 401k still has to be pay income taxes so income from $1M 401k is probably a net of $30,000 per year rather than the full $40,000 from 4% Of course we know taxes will go down over the next several years as we borrow our way into oblivion. :o
Folks in our 50s might as well plan on working until age 70 and that is ok by me. But I would prefer in the meanwhile that we not use my S.S. taxes to pay a lot of very healthy current 66-68 year-olds to play golf all day and not work. The full retirement age should have been raised to age 70 yesterday, except for certain job classifications for physical work. By 2040 forget about SS income for the rest of us who follow the baby boomer SS drain.
A couple of things. I'm a CFP and am asked about this stuff all the time. The 4% number may be OK but the remainder will continue to grow. Most of us use a 6% number for ongoing growth. So if you are planning to leave the $1 million to your kids you may be onto something. If you plan on spending it for your spouse and your retirement, the planning should include one or the other living to 100. In that case, depending on when you start, the drawdown could be much more than the 30-40,000 number. If you have $1 million saved, most likely you've had a pretty solid income level. If that is the case, even if your spouse didn't have a career, the social security benefit would be something north of $2500 a month with the spouse getting a minimum for 50% so there is another 3700 or so per month even if there isn't a pension involved. Up to 15% of social security isn't subject to taxes.
And I fully agree on the 70 full retirement age.
Very good points.
I will benefit from the spousal Society Security benefit. But I think it is grossly unfair for stay at home and part-time mom or dad to draw 50% of a higher-earner husband or wife's benefit rate. Married couples should get a combination of the two individuals' separate earnings rates.
Oh well. Ain't no way you boomers are voting in that full age of 70+ or giving up the spouse money at this point. I am a very conservative guy in most issues. But I truly think that social security should be banded with a higher minimum benefit and a lowered maximum benefit. Anyway back to VU issues. ;D
Quote from: valpo22 on October 13, 2022, 06:07:13 AMAnyways, I am kind of disturbed to learn about the details of social security and I think this could very easily turn into some kind of inter-generational theft. The elderly already benefitted from a huge half century of post-WWII economic boom and overall upwards trend of stock market this last century in the US, and they don't really need the money.
No doubt, it is a complicated situation. having said that, let's examine a few facts: The average income for Americans is $63,214. The tax rate paid on this amount--for social security--is 12.4%, 1/2 by the employer and 1/2 by the employee. This tax is paid on incomes up to 147,000 currently. So if we take this average income, the taxes paid into the system amount to %7839 annually. Assuming 46 years of work (67 (full retirement age -21 starting age)--averaging $63,214 of income, the total tax contributed would be $360,573.
Now, let's look at the average social security benefit in 2022. That amount is $1542 per month. Assuming again that this person has a non-working spouse (very rare these days) that woul d add 771 to the household benefit, bringing the total to $2313 monthly.
next, let's take a look at current life expectancy--which is 77 years of age. If both spouses die at 77 their combined benefit taken out of the system amount to $2313 X12 X 10= $277,560 on contributions of $360,573.
Sure, there are gobs of flaws in my simple example and the higher your income the less likely it is that you'll breakeven. I personally know two couples who both passed away before reaching 70! And to further complicate matters (remember my opening comment: "No doubt, it's a complicated situation") up to 85% of Social Security benefits are subject to income tax!
Many advisors suggest waiting to age 70 to take social security as you benefit grows at 8% per year if you wait. However, that makes your break even at age 81. given all the benefits you pass by during your waiting period. What if you die at 79? No necessarily a good option--but it might be.
good luck my young fellow Valpo grad, life--and taxes--are going to get MORE complicated, not less!
I think Valpo starting another fundraiser can be perceived as quite desperate and more so quite tacky as they were able to exceed their $250M goal.
Two big problems
1. our economy is on the downswing, inflation is high, growth has slowed - yes, we are in a recession - and getting pledges from beloved alums may not be as easy the second time around. You can take so much milk from the dairy farm.
2. the $300M in pledges are pledges and not guaranteed cash to depend on. Since the fundraiser, some may not be able to commit to their pledge because of more difficult times.
Also, there is nothing wrong with retiring before 70 it it is feasible, and for most the social security check is critical to accomplish that. Changing the rules is a delicate thing.
vu72: Your calculations considered average income, but median income is more appropriate for this type of analysis since average income is skewed positive because of very high earners and (as you point out) there is a maximum annual SS contribution. The 2022 estimated median is $44,225, which reduces the estimated annual contributions to social security quite a bit.
To usc4valpo's point, I think there is another option (that Valpo may well be considering or even executing). When universities consider new campaigns, most have a quiet period in which they privately work with major/high potential donors. The result (usually a number of years later) is that a new campaign is "announced", but that is has been going on quietly for several years. Thus, a university will announce a $250M campaign and have half of the money pledged already.
To another point, donors to Valpo are very committed and thus the university should have high confidence of receiving most of the committed donations. Of course, there will be some cases where pledges are not made or someone designated X% of their estate - but the estate has declined due to market conditions. My guess is that Valparaiso includes an estimate of this in their long-term financial projections.
Quote from: vu84v2 on October 13, 2022, 12:07:18 PMWhen universities consider new campaigns, most have a quiet period in which they privately work with major/high potential donors.
I believe that when Forever Valpo was announced, contributions were at the 135 million level.
Quote from: vu84v2 on October 13, 2022, 12:07:18 PMvu72: Your calculations considered average income, but median income is more appropriate for this type of analysis since average income is skewed positive because of very high earners and (as you point out) there is a maximum annual SS contribution. The 2022 estimated median is $44,225, which reduces the estimated annual contributions to social security quite a bit.
Perhaps. I used average income because the Social Security benefit quoted was the "average". If we used the median then true, the contributions would be less, but so would the benefit.
How long do you think Padilla will be around? Is this stepping stone for him to do bigger leadership jobs?
I am still blown away by the ineptness of 16 priorities, where this dilution will prohibit from tangible, meaningful results.
Quote from: usc4valpo on October 16, 2022, 09:42:41 AM
How long do you think Padilla will be around? Is this stepping stone for him to do bigger leadership jobs?
I am still blown away by the ineptness of 16 priorities, where this dilution will prohibit from tangible, meaningful results.
My sense of these things is...if it's a good fit, 6 to 10+ years are a possibility. Even if he believes he has another university presidency in him, it would be great to land the next job via a solid record of success at Valpo. And if he likes it here and proves successful, he may stay a while. For the right person, VU can be a career destination school.
If it's a bad fit, it's not unusual to see a new university president leave within 3 years. It can be a reflection on that individual, on the school, or both. Cut your losses both ways.
Valpo has rock bottom so he can claim a valiant effort to improve it fiscally. It will take more cuts.
Do a number of factors e is a very good candidate for public universities in growth states and even a flagship one. I think the over and under on his duration is 4 more years. I think he will be strong enough to force a downsize at Valpo if necessary from a cold eye that he seems ready to bring.
Quote from: crusadermoe on October 20, 2022, 10:10:27 AM
Valpo has rock bottom so he can claim a valiant effort to improve it fiscally. It will take more cuts.
Do a number of factors e is a very good candidate for public universities in growth states and even a flagship one. I think the over and under on his duration is 4 more years. I think he will be strong enough to force a downsize at Valpo if necessary from a cold eye that he seems ready to bring.
What are you thinking? How much smaller do you think Valpo needs to be??
While I don't think valpo needs to be smaller, what areas are being offered at valpo needs to change. While valpo is considered a liberal arts school, this honestly does not reflect what students are actually studying. Most VU students are in STEM fields, or in the college of business. I see that the buyouts and layoffs of humanities faculty have been much bemoaned on this thread, but at the end of the day it doesn't make business sense to employ faculty for such a small number of students in things like Japanese studies and hurts the greater VU community as the money could go to more populated majors and disciplines. I think that the cuts to various humanities disciplines did not go far enough (that said, I graduated with a stem degree so I am, of course, biased), and I think that crusadermoe is saying that Padilla might still take action to reduce these less popular disciplines and further shore up the budget.
Invest on your strengths, not on programs just to have then exist. STEM and business and strength at Valpo, continue invest in it and keep it that way.
There was a nice article in yesterday's WSJ entitled, College Enrollment Declines Again, Though Online Schools, HBCUs See Increases
A few quotes from the article:
"College enrollment dropped for the third consecutive school year after the start of the pandemic, dashing universities' hopes that a post-Covid rebound was at hand. The rate of the decline has slowed this fall, with college enrollment dropping 1.1% since last autumn."
"Less selective private colleges, especially in the Midwest and Northeast have been hardest hit while the most prestigious schools, including most public flagship universities, have maintained strong enrollment numbers, according to the National Student Clearinghouse."
This is part of the challenge for VU. In addition to its own avoidable mis-steps, the demographic trends in the Midwest and among its historic Lutheran base are strong headwinds.
Quote from: valpo95 on October 21, 2022, 08:00:41 AM
There was a nice article in yesterday's WSJ entitled, College Enrollment Declines Again, Though Online Schools, HBCUs See Increases
A few quotes from the article:
"College enrollment dropped for the third consecutive school year after the start of the pandemic, dashing universities' hopes that a post-Covid rebound was at hand. The rate of the decline has slowed this fall, with college enrollment dropping 1.1% since last autumn."
"Less selective private colleges, especially in the Midwest and Northeast have been hardest hit while the most prestigious schools, including most public flagship universities, have maintained strong enrollment numbers, according to the National Student Clearinghouse."
This is part of the challenge for VU. In addition to its own avoidable mis-steps, the demographic trends in the Midwest and among its historic Lutheran base are strong headwinds.
I saw this article too, and agree that it is a nice article.
There are private midwestern universities that are effectively dealing with this decline in national student enrollment. I work at one such university and our enrollment is up over 10% year over year and up 30% in my college. A key to addressing this is getting down to doing the hard work to attract students - not large university messages, but meeting with and building connections with prospective students and their families. University level contact is fine, but college level is equally or more critical. People are investing in a career direction - recognize that! My understanding is that Valpo needs to do better in this regard - especially at the college level.
Padilla is currently making visits to VU's historically MAJOR donors. One of the asks is for the arena.
Quote from: valpo22 on October 21, 2022, 10:25:11 AM
Interesting to hear your perspective, VU22.
I guess I'm just not that clear on why people think the STEM/business schools are strong enough to stand on their own. Sure, as you say, perhaps whether the uni has/is really been doing liberal arts is up for grabs and trying to revive that side of the house may be un-viable.... BUT it still remains a pretty big portion of the recruiting language and stated rationale for why students should come to Valpo rather than go to cheaper state or community college options. It seems like you're saying Valpo should pivot away from its historic profile (humanities/liberal arts... sort of central in the Lutheran/four-year residential approach) ...
But I guess I would feel more confident in the alternative STEM/Business strategy if the university was stronger on the national scene in those other supposed 'strength' areas. If the internet is correct, Valpo Nursing is good but only #267 out of 1700 national nursing programs, and Valpo Business is unranked in Best Business schools and #212-278 (not sure what the range means) for Part-time MBA. Those reputations are just not elite enough to draw nationally.*
So why wouldn't regional Midwestern students (if the liberal arts is not what they're looking for, and maybe not what Valpo offers anymore) just go to Purdue or PNW or IU Bloomington for decent STEM/business/engineering programs much cheaper there? I think for those in STEM, it actually does make more sense to just go for a big public institution. I would have gone for a UCLA or Purdue or U Mich... or start at Ivy Tech until you can transfer to one of the flagships.
Let me offer several comments:
1. Rankings. It is critical to look at the criteria for the rankings. First and foremost, many rankings include research (tied to publications, grants, etc.). Valpo emphasizes teaching over research. Thus, you say that nursing being 267 out of 1700 means it is not strong and I would argue that ranking, on its own, is inconclusive.
2. Prospective students choosing STEM. College is expensive, especially at private universities. Thus, more prospective students and their parents are making decisions based on the likely return from the investment. The return is much higher in business and STEM than it is in history, psychology, etc. You might say you don't think this is good for society, but that is not the key issue - the issue is what are your prospective students and their parents prioritizing.
3. Prospective students choosing STEM at Valpo. If the return is better in STEM and business...then why Valpo over the flagships? What needs to be promoted here is that the great teaching and personal relationships improve a students' likelihood of graduating and succeeding. While getting superstar students is great, Valpo's emphasis in recruiting high school students should be on promising students who will need more support (please note that I am not talking about lowering any standards once students are at Valpo). There could even be an opportunity here because of high school education problems from the pandemic - quantitative skills have declined...can Valpo help them make that up (the state schools are much less likely to do this)?
4. Why Valpo over big flagship schools for STEM and business? Attention and emphasis on teaching. At Michigan, Purdue, UCLA, etc, faculty are spending 60-80 percent of their time doing research. If students are involved, it is graduate students - not undergrads. At Valpo, a much greater percentage of their time is spent teaching and doing student related activities. This is an advantage for attracting students to Valpo and it needs to be emphasized.
5. Why not go to a junior college and then transfer for STEM or business? In theory, this could work. In reality, there are a lot of problems. STEM and business programs emphasize a ladder of learning- learn things in one class, apply them in the next, and so on. In business, if you don't learn math and statistics - you are going to struggle with finance, marketing, supply chain, etc. This becomes even more critical in engineering. It's not whether you got a good grade at the juco, it is whether you learned the material.
To bring out many of these points, Valpo needs to rely much more heavily on faculty in each college - rather than today's method of having prospective students only interact with people emphasizing the whole Valpo experience.
Lastly, I do not feel this is a 0/1 choice (emphasize STEM/business vs. emphasize liberal arts). Liberal arts is a very important complement to STEM/business - and there are prospective students who want to study liberal arts. But it does not make sense to keep any discipline when just a few students apply for the program each year (regardless of whether it is STEM, business, liberal arts, etc.).
Quote from: vu84v2 on October 21, 2022, 12:52:20 PMWhy Valpo over big flagship schools for STEM and business? Attention and emphasis on teaching
Recently, when reviewing the US News rankings, I compared Valpo to a couple of its piers including Drake. here is a comment from a current student as to why he chose Drake after transferring from Purdue. These comments could very easily apply to Valpo and I'm sure many current Valpo students feel the same way:
I am currently a Drake University student. I am a transfer from Purdue University. Drake University is 1000x better. I know the rankings on here do not reflect that, but it is true. At Purdue, the administration had their priorities really messed up. Additionally, my advisor didn't even know who I was. On several occasions, she had a separate student's profile pulled up for our *scheduled* meetings. At Drake, the experience is nothing like that. All of my professors know my name, they took the time to know about my personal life. They check in to make sure everything is okay. My advisor is super nice and knows me really well. I got set up with my dream internship. The class sizes are small and all of the students are very friendly. The cost is enough to kind of scare people, but I am a Drake tour guide and a transfer orientation peer mentor. 100% of the students here have some sort of scholarship. Transfer students are all awarded a scholarship simply for transferring. I am paying less than a third of the tuition. In fact, with my scholarships and grants - from the school - I am paying less than an in-state student at Iowa State. Drake is 100% worth it. You will love your experience here and all of the connections you make. You will be set up for a great career and you will be helped, if you ask for it. Drake has so many wonderful resources available to all students. It is a wonderful university and the price tag shouldn't scare you away!
Quote from: valpo95 on October 21, 2022, 08:00:41 AM
There was a nice article in yesterday's WSJ entitled, College Enrollment Declines Again, Though Online Schools, HBCUs See Increases
A few quotes from the article:
"College enrollment dropped for the third consecutive school year after the start of the pandemic, dashing universities' hopes that a post-Covid rebound was at hand. The rate of the decline has slowed this fall, with college enrollment dropping 1.1% since last autumn."
"Less selective private colleges, especially in the Midwest and Northeast have been hardest hit while the most prestigious schools, including most public flagship universities, have maintained strong enrollment numbers, according to the National Student Clearinghouse."
This is part of the challenge for VU. In addition to its own avoidable mis-steps, the demographic trends in the Midwest and among its historic Lutheran base are strong headwinds.
How cool is it that the HBCU resurgence can largely be attributed to one man and the attention that he has driven back that direction (Deion Sanders)? Not just athletically, but restoring enrollment at HBCUs, due to the attention he has brought in the last few years. Sure, events in society have also contributed, but Deion has been at the forefront of the movement.
De-emphasizing the liberal arts is a mistake for any university that aspires to being well-rounded and committed to preparing its students for positions of leadership in their professions and communities. It also signals a distancing from the classic traditions and purposes of universities overall.
For example, although I was not a Christ College student, many of my friends who graduated from VU went through the entire four-year program. While the CC program may not have had immediate "ROI" for many of them, the intensive experience in reading, writing, thinking, and critical analysis contributed to great success in professional schools such as MBA programs and law schools. The same can be said for so many other VU liberal arts programs where that ROI is not immediately obvious, but rather manifests a bit later down the line.
The current ROI obsession risks turning universities into trade schools. It also vastly undervalues the longer-term vocational value of liberal arts training. I see this as someone who has been teaching in a professional school setting (law school) for some 30 years now. When you get students coming into law school with respectable paper credentials but without a strong grounding in expository writing, history, civic institutions, and human nature generally, you often find deficits in judgment, perspective, and human understanding that can be the difference between a future lawyer with technical competence and one who has not only the technical skills, but also powers of expression, a richer grasp of human nature, and a capacity to see the bigger picture. The liberal arts help to nurture that latter kind of attorney, the ones we need more of in our legal system.
As such, I would much rather see VU emulate the values of a place like the University of Chicago -- featuring top-drawer liberal arts and professional programs, and hardly a place that anyone could call a woke paradise -- which is unabashedly committed to the exploration of ideas, as well as to preparing its students for success in life. It also happens to offer significant, in some cases world-class, strengths in STEM disciplines.
There are many ways in which VU could survive and even technically thrive, but at the cost of giving up what has made it distinctive. In higher ed lingo, VU is currently considered a "comprehensive" university, one that combines both liberal arts and professional programs. It's a hard balance to maintain, but one that can make for a distinctive institution rather than one simply trying to stay open. The latter is not the kind of school that I see worth supporting.
I agree that a decrease in liberal arts focus is wrong. BUT that shouldn't have to translate into way too many majors, some with only a handful of students in them.
Much like we have built engineering and Nursing over time we should invest and build up the liberal arts foundations that we have that are already strong. I think of the new combination of the social work and education departments into something bigger than just individual majors. We have both psychology undergraduate and master's level programs that allow early admission. Our new communication and visual arts school is another example.
This may mean some "downsizing" but I also want to see investment. I think that it would also be positive to find ways to make sure that even within our STEM classes our liberal arts foundation is important.
The ability to be an engineering student and sing in a choir/play in a band or be in Christ College speaks to students being well-rounded individuals with varied interests, more than just a stem student. We should embrace and build on that.
I also agree that we need our faculty and individual colleges to be the ones making these direct student contacts. Higher ed for a lot of private schools is an all hands on deck situation and it's time to all do our best whether we are Alums or those that work there to help the university weather a rough storm right now so that when things swing back a bit we are stronger for it.
If you are going to major in liberal arts and go to Valpo, unless you come from a wealthy family you better have a plan on what you want to do with that major. Students with $150K in the hole after college with a job starting at $40K or less is not a wise way to get out in the real world.
It's hard to straddle the two viewpoints of David81 and USCValpo. But it would be awesome to do so if we can pull it off financially. Essentially the best of both worlds as the fully excellent comprehensive university that he describes.
The biggest hurdle financially for David81 goals lies in recruiting the students he describes. They usually have exceptional gifts of talent. Due to that package they access to dozens of high rated universities. The wealthiest schools will offer free tuition to qualified students with need. Beyond free, you have to bid aggressively for the exceptional kids by offering net tuition payments that go well under $20,000 or you need to even go far lower in some states where the flagships make it nearly free. I have seen huge full-ride offers to smart kids coming out of the SEC schools. Unfortunately the rich get richer. Valpo once had a unique path to the most gift Lutheran students. Many in my era went on to outstanding careers in the sciences etc. But again Valpo's clear targeted constituency gave it access to students more directly.
USCValpo points out the fact that life's financial realities limit the affordability of a l:"fuzzier" major. So you need to find parents who are wealthy, but lack common sense to some degree. Here there are scads of competitors for these types of parents from cash thirsty small liberal arts colleges.
For a while Valpo seemed to be drawing some exceptional gifts of $5M or more. That offered a large window of hope that Valpo could climb to the next rung of stature and hold a chance to also build a lot of the creature comforts and athletics notoriety. Has that window closed or has that ship sailed? Pick your metaphor. Any insights?
Quote from: crusadermoe on October 24, 2022, 10:09:01 AMBeyond free, you have to bid aggressively for the exceptional kids by offering net tuition payments that go well under $20,000 or you need to even go far lower in some states
This from Valpo's home pages:
Based on eligibility for merit scholarships and need based grants from Valpo, in fall 2021 the average incoming freshmen was responsible for only $14,709 in tuition and fees (room and board not included). room and board are listed at $13,180 for freshman on campus and $8900 for off-campus estimate. These numbers would bring the average cost, total, to $$27,889 for freshman and $23,609 for transfer/off-campus students. The sticker price for freshman is $60,796 so the net of scholarship number is discounted by 54%.
But then it goes on to say that the average Valpo student gets a financial aid package of $38,000 which would bring the net cost down to $22,796. The actual net cost is probably somewhere in between, let's call it $25,000. Many students do on campus jobs which would provide added income to further offset the net number. Even scholarship athletes are doing this--as an example, Valpo's star goalie, Nikki Coryell, is also the Sports Editor for the student newspaper, The Torch. I would presume this is a paid position.
My guess is that the financial aid package figures also include income from student jobs, whereas the tuition, room and board figures only include scholarships, grants, etc.
I hate to be negative, but a 54% discount rate is pretty high.
Quote from: vu84v2 on October 24, 2022, 05:28:02 PMI hate to be negative, but a 54% discount rate is pretty high.
Agreed although we don't know what percentage of the discount is unfunded. Certainly, based on the endowment level, most may be so.
Quote from: usc4valpo on October 24, 2022, 09:04:31 AM
If you are going to major in liberal arts and go to Valpo, unless you come from a wealthy family you better have a plan on what you want to do with that major. Students with $150K in the hole after college with a job starting at $40K or less is not a wise way to get out in the real world.
I might've missed some previous numbers shared, but where are you getting $150K indebtedness for VU liberal arts graduates who don't come from wealthy families? Is this an average? Is this a figure coming from the University?
Because if this is the case, then a VU liberal arts graduate sans rich parents would be graduating with almost 5x more debt than the average graduate of a private university in the U.S.
Addendum to my comment: These numbers are 4 years old (the most recent I could find), but here are average indebtedness figures broken down by school:
Undergraduate College/% who borrowed/Average Debt
Arts & Sciences/74%/$33,909
Business/58%/$36,523
Engineering/62%/$37,301
Nursing/85%/$38,654
Source: https://www.valpo.edu/student-financial-services/planning/average-student-indebtness/
Quote from: crusadermoe on October 24, 2022, 10:09:01 AM
The biggest hurdle financially for David81 goals lies in recruiting the students he describes. They usually have exceptional gifts of talent. Due to that package they access to dozens of high rated universities. The wealthiest schools will offer free tuition to qualified students with need. Beyond free, you have to bid aggressively for the exceptional kids by offering net tuition payments that go well under $20,000 or you need to even go far lower in some states where the flagships make it nearly free. I have seen huge full-ride offers to smart kids coming out of the SEC schools. Unfortunately the rich get richer. Valpo once had a unique path to the most gift Lutheran students. Many in my era went on to outstanding careers in the sciences etc. But again Valpo's clear targeted constituency gave it access to students more directly.
I'm not referring to that elite group exclusively. In truth, VU has never been able to snare more than a modest cluster of truly exceptional students who also got offers for merit-based or substantially merit-based big discounts from more prestigious/wealthy schools. VU's bread and butter have been strong high school students with respectable test scores from middle & upper middle backgrounds, many of whom parlay the opportunities provided to take their game a notch up the ladder. A VU liberal arts degree with a strong record + entry into selective professional and graduate programs has been one of those common combinations.
The latter piece is often the difference maker. Maybe the liberal arts degree alone = $35-40k starting salary. But when that degree -- with all of the significant albeit more intangible benefits it confers -- opens the door to a selective postgraduate degree opportunity, that's when things can start humming in terms of earnings potential.
And even if the initial starting salary is modest and no MBA/JD/MD immediately beckons, it doesn't preclude stronger earnings during subsequent years and/or taking another degree later on that leads to more money.
That's what I mean by the hazards of overemphasizing short-term ROI measures. Just as short-term profit obsessions have warped the values of American business, so do short-term ROI obsessions undermine the higher ideals of higher education in terms of contributing talent to society.
Quote from: David81 on October 24, 2022, 10:54:36 PMIn truth, VU has never been able to snare more than a modest cluster of truly exceptional students
We need a definition of "Modest". I have been told (albeit a few years ago) that about 5% of any new Valpo class are Valedictorian/Salutatorian.
Just looking at a few athletes you'll note that many were members of the National Honor Society coming out of high school.
Quote from: vu72 on October 25, 2022, 08:07:16 AM
Quote from: David81 on October 24, 2022, 10:54:36 PMIn truth, VU has never been able to snare more than a modest cluster of truly exceptional students
We need a definition of "Modest". I have been told (albeit a few years ago) that about 5% of any new Valpo class are Valedictorian/Salutatorian.
Just looking at a few athletes you'll note that many were members of the National Honor Society coming out of high school.
The students represented in that 5 percent are certainly very high achievers as they enter into college. However, we don't know their test scores, which form the other half of the standard numerical admissions profile. (I'm not defending what I believe is an over-reliance on standardized test scores, merely acknowledging their great significance in college admissions decisions.) In addition, some within that cohort may be among those offered significant merit scholarship money via one of the highly selective honors scholarship programs.
In any event, to remain viable as an institution, it's about the other 95 percent. You are likely to see some significant drop offs in terms of "numbers," settling in the bandwidth I suggested, i.e., strong but not necessarily outstanding applicants. A good number of them may, thanks to opportunities embraced at VU, become stars in their own right and have futures brighter than anyone could've predicted upon their initial matriculation. That's one of the best functions of regional universities like VU. They take promising students who weren't courted by elite schools, and they help them realize their fuller potential.
As for the # of athletes or those of any other student cohort who were National Honor Society members in high school, that's certainly a very proud achievement. Note, though, that NHS membership is based not only on grades, but also on factors such as character, leadership, and service. The cut-off point tends not to be superior, but rather (and I use that word again) strong. I love that well-rounded approach, but rather than speaking to elite academic credentials, the profile of the typical NHS selectee captures exactly the very prototypical VU student that I'm talking about: Strong grades, test scores, extracurriculars, and character.
In this discussion, it helps to keep in mind that VU admits around 88-90 percent of those who apply in any given year. That's not unusual for a regional, private university. However, it should bring us back to the 95 percent who weren't valedictorians and salutatorians.
I agree that programs with few, if any, majors in them are not cost-efficient in today's higher ed financing world. But if you start de-emphasizing curricular areas that have been historically consistent strengths, then you risk becoming less attractive to a shrinking applicant pool. This goes beyond the qualitative questions about what kind of university you want to be. Rather, it starts to become a race to the bottom with other schools who are doing the same thing.
David81, as a side note to the scores issue, I happened across Mason Bonn's bio (Mason plays on the men's golf team). His bio says in part ".Member of National Honor Society as a junior and senior... One of the Valedictorians for the Shorewood High School Class of 2020..Only missed one question on the SAT, scoring a 1590
We may not have too many of this All Star student, but we have some, and...He's a pretty good golfer to boot!
Quote from: vu72 on October 25, 2022, 01:21:59 PM
David81, as a side note to the scores issue, I happened across Mason Bonn's bio (Mason plays on the men's golf team). His bio says in part ".Member of National Honor Society as a junior and senior... One of the Valedictorians for the Shorewood High School Class of 2020..Only missed one question on the SAT, scoring a 1590
We may not have too many of this All Star student, but we have some, and...He's a pretty good golfer to boot!
....which is great for Mason Bonn and for VU, in both academic and athletic terms. And yes, hopefully more of these students will look to VU as a better choice to obtain an education, even in the face of generous scholarship offers and/or state school tuition from higher-ranked schools.
But such exceptional examples as Mason will never be replicated in numbers sufficient to fill the heart of an entering class. The overwrought influence of the
U.S. News rankings has bolstered those challenges, to the point where -- to illustrate -- an undergraduate engineering applicant might hear from various influencers (small "i," not the Kardashian "I") that they are taking a "risk" by attending #15 ranked VU over a school ranked, say, #8 or #10. It can get that hair-splitting.
I'm holding onto these points like a dog gripping a bone because I've had these discussions at my own institution. Regional universities and their constituent parts cannot let their ability to attract some super-credentialed students divert their attention from the challenge of filling entering classes with solid, promising students whose qualifications are not as shiny.
Quote from: David81 on October 25, 2022, 03:37:31 PM
Quote from: vu72 on October 25, 2022, 01:21:59 PM
David81, as a side note to the scores issue, I happened across Mason Bonn's bio (Mason plays on the men's golf team). His bio says in part ".Member of National Honor Society as a junior and senior... One of the Valedictorians for the Shorewood High School Class of 2020..Only missed one question on the SAT, scoring a 1590
We may not have too many of this All Star student, but we have some, and...He's a pretty good golfer to boot!
....which is great for Mason Bonn and for VU, in both academic and athletic terms. And yes, hopefully more of these students will look to VU as a better choice to obtain an education, even in the face of generous scholarship offers and/or state school tuition from higher-ranked schools.
But such exceptional examples as Mason will never be replicated in numbers sufficient to fill the heart of an entering class. The overwrought influence of the U.S. News rankings has bolstered those challenges, to the point where -- to illustrate -- an undergraduate engineering applicant might hear from various influencers (small "i," not the Kardashian "I") that they are taking a "risk" by attending #15 ranked VU over a school ranked, say, #8 or #10. It can get that hair-splitting.
I'm holding onto these points like a dog gripping a bone because I've had these discussions at my own institution. Regional universities and their constituent parts cannot let their ability to attract some super-credentialed students divert their attention from the challenge of filling entering classes with solid, promising students whose qualifications are not as shiny.
As always 81, a fascinating discussion. Here is an interesting point regarding engineering rankings and one, no doubt, Coach Fox uses to his advantage. Here it is: Of the 15 top rated engineering undergrad ratings, only three--other than the Military institutions--play D1 football. Those would be Valpo, Bucknell and San Diego. So, if you want to play D1 your choices are very limited, unless you want to commit six years to military service (not a bad idea!) Our football team is loaded with engineering majors.
[/quote]
As always 81, a fascinating discussion. Here is an interesting point regarding engineering rankings and one, no doubt, Coach Fox uses to his advantage. Here it is: Of the 15 top rated engineering undergrad ratings, only three--other than the Military institutions--play D1 football. Those would be Valpo, Bucknell and San Diego. So, if you want to play D1 your choices are very limited, unless you want to commit six years to military service (not a bad idea!) Our football team is loaded with engineering majors.
[/quote]
I appreciate this conversation as well, vu72!
You've just given another reason to keep building this football program toward sustained competitiveness in the W-L column: It attracts a lot of young men who are committed to successfully juggling sports and demanding classwork.
My sense of VU's engineering program is that -- at #15 -- it likely provides a better academic experience than a good number of the larger, brand-name schools ranked above it. It will indeed lose some students who base decisions solely on the rankings when making choices. But others will consider the overall value of attending a smaller school dedicated to undergraduate education. And yes, here is where a strong liberal arts presence can be an additional draw for engineering and other professional students who want a well-rounded curriculum to complement their vocational specialty. It also may make them better engineers. 😊
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on October 27, 2022, 10:01:59 PM
Hello there, all --
This is a fascinating discussion. I'm former faculty (Theology), and I think the discussion of 'strengths' should also consider how long it takes to build a reputation and how long it takes to lose it.... basically, very slowly in both directions. I have mixed feelings about the trajectory of Valpo, feeling both great affection for the place and dismay over what I saw happen there.
ValpoDiaspora, wow, this is your first post on this board, and it's a whopper! (And welcome! Although I enjoy following and occasionally contributing to the basketball and football discussions on this board, I'm on more solid ground discussing academic stuff, as a fellow denizen of that world. LOL.)
Anyway, I am so glad that you landed on your feet, and at a good university to boot. (Hey, the basketball notoriety helps...) As someone who witnessed some of this sudden, awful bloodletting at my own regional, private university in Boston (Suffolk) during the 2010s, I have some idea of the painful impacts on so many levels. Congratulations and best wishes for your success. May your sailing be smoother at your new school.
But more to your many points......Yes on all the observations on institutional reputation. If VU further retreats on its commitment to the liberal arts and humanities, then there will be a deeper cost in tangible and intangible ways. And a lost reputation is sometimes unrecoverable.
The Valpo I knew as an undergraduate from 1977-81 was not the Valpo that you saw in a state of attrition. It was a more modest institution with a very capable and dedicated teaching faculty but comparatively few genuine scholars compared to now. And as a vestige of its post-war 50s/60s legacy, the teaching loads were brutally high and the faculty salaries were almost comically low. (The latter I learned about as a Torch editor and reporter. How many times does a college newspaper scribe get heartfelt thanks from faculty for writing a piece about the low salaries?) As for facilities, let's just say the place was an ode to deferred maintenance, with many of the buildings dating back to its pre-Lutheran days!
Objectively speaking, the VU that you left is probably still better in significant ways than the one I attended back in my day. But the cuts and layoffs are painful in both reality and perception. I do not want to minimize that.
Of course, this kind of thing (and much worse) is occurring at schools across the country. It's premature to say that Valpo will be among the thriving survivors, with core mission and reputation intact, though I believe there remain many qualitative reasons for optimism.
I appreciate what is being said in this important, passionate discussion. As an electrical engineering grad in 1984, for the most part the liberal arts education at Valpo was beneficial to me, particularly in enhancing holistic thinking and communication. Generally speaking, you do not get this experience in state universities. Composition and communicating ideas and proposals is a strength of mine that I believe is a critical contribution to our team. This was likely a result from improving my speaking and writing skills where part of that occurred at Valpo. I was also fortunate to engage with students and faculty on a wide variety of experiences and perspectives. I am very pro STEM and making it stronger is imperative, but technical studies with liberal arts educational makes you well rounded and ready for future endeavors.
Taking geography, philosophical logic and reading and analyzing Crime and Punishment had a significant impact in my engineering career.
Quote from: usc4valpo on October 28, 2022, 07:00:30 AM
I appreciate what is being said in this important, passionate discussion. As an electrical engineering grad in 1984, for the most part the liberal arts education at Valpo was beneficial to me, particularly in enhancing holistic thinking and communication. Generally speaking, you do not get this experience in state universities. Composition and communicating ideas and proposals is a strength of mine that I believe is a critical contribution to our team. This was likely a result from improving my speaking and writing skills where part of that occurred at Valpo. I was also fortunate to engage with students and faculty on a wide variety of experiences and perspectives. I am very pro STEM and making it stronger is imperative, but technical studies with liberal arts educational makes you well rounded and ready for future endeavors.
Taking geography, philosophical logic and reading and analyzing Crime and Punishment had a significant impact in my engineering career.
usc4valpo, I'm glad this discussion is unfolding in a good way that we don't always see in dialogue these days. 😊
I'm all for VU building on its strengths in engineering, nursing, business, etc. VU has made major strides in all of those areas, coming from origin points of being very committed to good teaching. Engineering is an especially remarkable story, going back to the post-war day when
students raised money and built the engineering building.
But if Valpo wants to reinforce its Lutheran connection (a decline that many posters on this board have lamented) and its reputation as a place where contemplation and ideas in the classic university tradition still matter, then how can it do so if it's neglecting core strengths in the liberal arts and humanities, including -- as our new poster ValpoDiaspora encapsulates -- its theology offerings?
So here's a question that often gets swept under the table at the lion's share of universities that don't have bottomless coffers, and thus causes much internal resentment: Does development in one area come at a cost to another? In other words, is institutional improvement a zero-sum game in terms of picking some areas for improvement while letting others exist/whither? That tension has been reflected in some of our various posts here, but it is possible to expand the pie of resources rather than compete for a more limited pool?
I think the answer may hold the key to how VU's future unfolds. Maybe not every smaller private, regional university can pull off a balancing act and find ways to support both professional offerings and the liberal arts, but some will find the formula and be better places for it.
One thing I want to highlight is just how some of this stagnation and warning signs probably happened when times "were good". It's easy to assume the most recent leadership is the reason for all the problems but often they are reacting either poorly or well to foundational cracks that come to light. Much like the law school's reputation was already showing significant signs of being bad in in the early 2000s. One of the consistent issues I've heard about Valpo is that there was not investment when there should have been but instead a belief that somehow we were "special" and could continue to do things the way we have always done. So that when trouble started showing up we were without tools to help. This is everything from real investment and leadership in the liberal arts, lack of keeping up with the times in regards to technology or how departments are run, and investing in buildings early rather than waiting until they were too much.
Too often people were in positions of power because they ended up there at good times and did nothing more than try to keep the status quo. I've heard from many who work there how often we did not "evolve" with higher ed and have been caught flat footed in some ways. Ite seems to all awareness that many of the faculty and schools have kept up their end of the bargin as you can see by quality of professors and rankings and continued reports that students find the academics a positive experience. It's seems to be the issue that there was not enough investment in them or other areas that supported student satisfaction like residence halls or maintaining/building on campus traditions or social activities.
Quote from: crusader05 on October 28, 2022, 05:02:10 PM
One thing I want to highlight is just how some of this stagnation and warning signs probably happened when times "were good". It's easy to assume the most recent leadership is the reason for all the problems but often they are reacting either poorly or well to foundational cracks that come to light. Much like the law school's reputation was already showing significant signs of being bad in in the early 2000s.
crusader05, I included just part of your last comment because I think the law school was a special situation, with its idiosyncratic challenges. VU Law actually enjoyed some of its best years during the 1990s and leading up to the Great Recession. But the years following the meltdown were horrible for legal education, and applications nationally dropped like a rock. When this occurred, there wasn't much wiggle room at Valpo in terms of reducing enrollment and trying to attract students who could succeed in law school and pass the bar exam.
A lot of people blamed the previous Administration for the closing of the law school. But had the law school remained open, the rest of the University may well have been heavily taxed to keep the doors open. This would've included providing very deep tuition discounts to attract smaller entering classes of high-quality students who otherwise would've opted for a higher ranking law school. By the time things got really bad around 2014-16, the school was in the midst of a rapidly worsening, imperfect storm of huge dimensions.
I know that sounds dramatic, but as a law professor at a regional school that had its own challenges during the post-meltdown years (Suffolk in Boston), a lot of us were experiencing these uncertainties during that time.
In considering VU's overall reputation, I think it's useful to note that when the US News rankings expanded to include a wider swath of schools in the late 1980s, Valpo debuted as one of the highest ranked regional private universities in the Midwestern category. As I recall, schools like Creighton, Drake, and DePaul were also among the top-ranked schools in that category.
As a snapshot of institutional reputation, this ranking covered a period of transitional change for VU. Robert Schnabel was the President during that time. He was something of a bridge between the old and new style chief executives of the University, in that he came from a Lutheran theological background but engaged in the kind of fundraising that would lead the school into the modern era of development activity.
Anyway, my underlying point is that some 35 years ago, VU was surprisingly well-regarded for a school whose faculty were overworked and underpaid, whose physical plant was pretty woeful, and whose overall look-and-feel evoked its post-war past more than its 21st century future. Unsure of its place in the American higher education landscape, the school did suffer from something of an institutional inferiority/identity complex, which -- perhaps ironically -- the US News rankings did help to remedy.
I'm not quite sure how these observations relate to present-day VU, other than to illustrate the staying power of institutional reputation and to suggest the importance of connecting institutional legacy to institutional future.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on October 29, 2022, 07:41:39 AM
Quotethe staying power of institutional reputation and to suggest the importance of connecting institutional legacy to institutional future.
For sure! As I was saying above, there is still momentum from the older reputation of strength in the liberal arts & engineering as well as newer reputation in nursing & business. All of that is good and hopefully still connectible to the benefit of all. But I imagine it's going to be key to fix the financial priorities; I didn't follow the uni self-studies much once slated for layoff, but there was some chart sent out that showed not only were faculty salaries way under peer institutions', but also (more troubling in my humble opinion) the ratio or percentage of institutional dollars invested in programs/instruction for *students* was way beneath that of peer institutions... and there were a lot of 'peer' institutions on that list which I'd never heard of. Everybody was sort of like 'what the heck, so where is all the money going.' All these investment issues are connected in terms of ultimate student experience, and if these sort of financial fundamentals were already kind of off when you were a Torch journalist in the 80s, then my sense is that the graph got more awry from 1990s-2020.
At the VU of my student days, the question was less "so where is all the money going" and more "how can we get more money."
Comparatively low tuition + not much fundraising = the old school academic model of genteel poverty. Hence, there was faculty unhappiness over workloads and salaries, but not as much questioning and resentment fostered when you know there's much more money around yet less transparency about where it's going.
From a student standpoint, it meant a university experience with fewer bells + whistles and sparse, even dilapidating facilities, but much lower student loan debt on average. I didn't fully appreciate the latter at the time, but that understanding would come soon, when my student loan total from 3 years of law school at NYU (even with a healthy amount of grant money) was roughly 10x that from 4 years of Valpo undergrad (even with only modest grant money + a life-changing study abroad experience).
For those of us who didn't grow up in wealthy households, VU's modest physical plant was more or less accepted, with more grousing about how the surrounding Valparaiso area was pretty sleepy. 😂 We had to, as they say, make our own fun — which some did in excess at frat parties during the "Animal House" era of Greek life. 😳🤪 At the same time, those low-paid professors were providing a very high-quality classroom education. A hardworking student could get an excellent undergraduate education at VU of that day.
That high-quality education remains available at VU, with much nicer facilities and plenty more bells + whistles, but at a much, much higher cost. It is more than personal nostalgia that causes me to regard this trade-off with dismay. The current higher Ed price tag helps to drive the short-term ROI values and pressures many young people to factor in student loan payments when considering what to study and what to do for a living.
While surfing the YouTube channel recently, I cam across a haunting video of St. Joe's college. It is a drone flying over a deserted campus. Sad, to be sure, while also reminding me that Valpo could have the same fate without the hard choices made by the administration coupled with the financial sacrifices of faculty and staff as well as the combined effort of over 25000 alumni and friends who have committed over 300 million to the endowment. Long live Valpo!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXlR3lsAEjU
Not much talk on this thread about the plan to offer a two-year degree, which seems to be a community college gimmick that won't help our academic reputation any.
Paul
Quote from: 78crusader on October 29, 2022, 10:16:03 AM
Not much talk on this thread about the plan to offer a two-year degree, which seems to be a community college gimmick that won't help our academic reputation any.
Paul
Or perhaps Valpo is just catching up to some of its peers. Here is information on Associate degree programs at Butler, Drake and Loyola.
https://www.butler.edu/arts-sciences/general-associate/
https://www.drake.edu/bright/
https://www.luc.edu/arrupe/academics/degrees/
You can tell that someone is still maintaining the landscape at St. Joe's, and the fountain is still operating, which is odd. I/we played on their baseball field several times, and I met some quality guys from St. Joe's on my last 2 college summer teams in NW Indiana. It was sad to see it close. They had a pretty staunch baseball program, but obviously the rest of the university wasn't as stable.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on October 29, 2022, 04:08:27 PM
I didn't mean 'where is all the money going' in a raw numbers sense of Valpo having gobs of money, since obviously it didn't in the 80s and doesn't now either.
I just meant it in the percentage sense of Valpo spending less of its budget in the area of instruction relative to peer institutions, many of whom have even less money.
Though VU does have more money, relatively speaking, than it did back then. Not huge amounts, but definitely more.
Rankings-driven pressures, though, are causing many U.S. universities -- VU included -- to spend a lot of that money on fancier facilities and other accoutrements. I call it the collegiate Edifice Complex.
Go to elite schools like Oxford or Cambridge in the U.K. and one finds some pretty run down buildings and facilities still in frequent use. Go to many a private regional university in the U.S. and one finds some very fancy buildings and facilities, designed to lure in students who are expecting much nicer, more comfortable surroundings than did previous generations.
That's not a knock on today's generation of students -- they've been raised to expect this, even if it's adding to their tuition sticker shock and putting some in deep debt. But VU and similar competitors have to find some way to keep up with the Joneses, and guess who ends up paying for it?
Quote from: vu72 on October 29, 2022, 11:23:19 AM
Quote from: 78crusader on October 29, 2022, 10:16:03 AM
Not much talk on this thread about the plan to offer a two-year degree, which seems to be a community college gimmick that won't help our academic reputation any.
Paul
Or perhaps Valpo is just catching up to some of its peers. Here is information on Associate degree programs at Butler, Drake and Loyola.
https://www.butler.edu/arts-sciences/general-associate/
https://www.drake.edu/bright/
https://www.luc.edu/arrupe/academics/degrees/
Yup!!! One of the latest bandwagons for private regional schools. Those that aren't doing it are finding other ways to reach out to graduates of two-year colleges.
If the four-year colleges didn't cost so much, this would be less of an issue.
The sentiment that Valpo basically wasted money on buildings and that current students need all the bells and whistles to come to valpo compared to previous generations is pretty weird to me. IMO most of the construction was absolutely necessary to continue as an institution- let's walk through it:
-Harre Union: you have to have a central place with facilities that can support events and prospective students. Additionally by having a large dining hall centrally it eliminates the need for other large dining halls all around campus
Library - main place students hang out to study/use the computers. Students do need a decent place to study and gather to do work
ASB building -makes sense to consolidate the arts and humanities into one roof to save money and because the colleges building were on thier last legs -the recent fire in the psych building has made this clear, and dickmeyer is visibly on its last legs too.
Chemistry -building was necessary for the chemistry equipment needed to support all the new health sciences students taking chemistry and biology. Additionally, it expanded the universities ability to do science research, which has basically become a prerequisite for certain jobs and internships (including my grad school admission!)
Gellersen additions: see above for chemistry, additionally an entirely new engineering discipline, bioengineering, is being offered and it needs space and equipment to be respectable.
Kallay Christopher - this is the only one that I think the university could have perhaps not built. That money would have been much more useful elsewhere (nursing building or ARC/alumni/lank renovation?
Beacon - lankanau is clearly on its last legs, and would be impractical to renovate due to being connected to scheele, need to get out ahead of any issues here.
Brandt renovation -see above
Any of the other "luxuries" either make life a lot more comfortable or are relative cost effective
Quote from: VU2022 on November 01, 2022, 08:31:58 PM
The sentiment that Valpo basically wasted money on buildings and that current students need all the bells and whistles to come to valpo compared to previous generations is pretty weird to me. IMO most of the construction was absolutely necessary to continue as an institution- let's walk through it:
-Harre Union: you have to have a central place with facilities that can support events and prospective students. Additionally by having a large dining hall centrally it eliminates the need for other large dining halls all around campus
Library - main place students hang out to study/use the computers. Students do need a decent place to study and gather to do work
ASB building -makes sense to consolidate the arts and humanities into one roof to save money and because the colleges building were on thier last legs -the recent fire in the psych building has made this clear, and dickmeyer is visibly on its last legs too.
Chemistry -building was necessary for the chemistry equipment needed to support all the new health sciences students taking chemistry and biology. Additionally, it expanded the universities ability to do science research, which has basically become a prerequisite for certain jobs and internships (including my grad school admission!)
Gellersen additions: see above for chemistry, additionally an entirely new engineering discipline, bioengineering, is being offered and it needs space and equipment to be respectable.
Kallay Christopher - this is the only one that I think the university could have perhaps not built. That money would have been much more useful elsewhere (nursing building or ARC/alumni/lank renovation?
Beacon - lankanau is clearly on its last legs, and would be impractical to renovate due to being connected to scheele, need to get out ahead of any issues here.
Brandt renovation -see above
Any of the other "luxuries" either make life a lot more comfortable or are relative cost effective
VU2022, I think you might've misconstrued what some of us said, or perhaps what I said. 🤓 I'm going to try and clarify some of the points that I've made.
I noted in my comments that back in my day, it was glaringly obvious that VU's physical plant was in need of repair and replacement. Basically, much of the place was falling apart, a testament to deferred maintenance and a lack of fundraising. There was a lot of talk about the need for new buildings, but it was somewhat fanciful thinking at the time, because there was very little money available to pay for such dreams. In any event, believe me, no one who saw what that campus looked like a generation or two ago would question the need to address its physical infrastructure.
Various fundraising campaigns have helped to pay for some of the costs of these newer buildings and facilities ("newer" in this context meaning within the past 20 or so years), as well as the major renovations. But no doubt the University has incurred substantial debt to cover the full costs of all that construction. How does a university with a modest endowment and annual fund pay for that debt? A lot of it gets passed into tuition, room, and board. And here is one major factor in the skyrocketing of student debt. It's not just VU -- in fact, VU is more affordable than many other private universities. But there's no free lunch here for the students when it comes to enjoying these facilities. They are paying rent.
Now, I will gently take issue with facilities that you might deem "necessary" or "decent." I spent some time on campus a few years ago and was quite taken by many of these new spaces. As an alumnus from the days of very plain facilities and some wholly ramshackle buildings, I was envious of the spaces that today's VU students had to study, meet, and generally enjoy. Until, that is, I considered the comparative student debt. When one puts on that lens, then suddenly you start pricing out the comparative costs of the interiors and the furnishings. That's when you grasp that stocking a room with, say, $250 chairs instead of $125 chairs, starts to add up, especially when decisions of similar scale are being made.
I've taught for over 25 years at a university in Boston whose financial profile and area reputation is generally similar to VU's. When we put up a new building for the law school I teach at some 22 years ago, certain decisions were made about the interior and its furnishings -- choices about bells & whistles. It made for a building that still has visitors saying, "wow, you've got a great building." True, it's a lovely building. And guess what? As an educator, I can't honestly represent that the expensive chairs and fancy wooden interiors of many of our classrooms make a darn bit of difference in the quality of instruction. Nevertheless, despite a fundraising campaign for that new building, we are still paying it off. Or, I should say, our current students are still paying it off.
So, I will reiterate my comments that more recent generations of prospective students have come to expect fancier (=more expensive) collegiate surroundings than their predecessors. I am not generation-bashing by making this observation. They have been conditioned to expect such surroundings. In the U.S., especially, universities are competing not only in terms of academic quality, but also the look & feel of their physical plants. A university that looks pretty shabby in terms of its overall facilities will have to overcome that negative impression, not easy to do with a group of young folks on a quick campus tour. Nevertheless, for the vast majority of private universities that cannot afford to pay for new facilities free and clear, buildings designed to appeal to prospective students are a big reason behind burgeoning student debt.
I'd push back on Kally Christopher just because prior to that our meteorology program was in the basement of Mueller and needed expansion. It is also a very coveted program and has produced some very notable alumni and has a strong record of keeping it's graduates engaged in the program. Especially within Broadcast. Putting it with Schnabel helped combine those resources more seamlessly
Quote from: David81 on November 02, 2022, 10:20:45 AMI noted in my comments that back in my day, it was glaringly obvious that VU's physical plant was in need of repair and replacement. Basically, much of the place was falling apart, a testament to deferred maintenance and a lack of fundraising. There was a lot of talk about the need for new buildings, but it was somewhat fanciful thinking at the time, because there was very little money available to pay for such dreams. In any event, believe me, no one who saw what that campus looked like a generation or two ago would question the need to address its physical infrastructure.
I go back a few years before you arrived on campus, and true, if you had to study business like I did, in DeMotte Hall, it was indeed "glaringly obvious" that certain facilities needed to be replaced. But I will note that these things run in cycles to wit, let's take a look back to presumably when you started at Valpo, in 1977. The Business school (Urschel Hall) was brand new while you were on campus, being dedicated in 1979! Now it is 43 years old!! In 1977 Alumni Hall was 11 years old, Lankenau was 13 years old and Brandt was 15 years old. At present, Valpo's newest dorm, Beacon, is already 8 years old. As for the library of your and my day, Moellering, in 1977 it was 18 years old, being opened in 1959. The Christopher Center, today's modern library is also 18 years old! As for Science, Neils Science Center was opened in 1967, so was only 10 years old when you started at Valpo. And so the cycle of facility life goes on!
Quote from: vu72 on November 02, 2022, 11:21:54 AM
Quote from: David81 on November 02, 2022, 10:20:45 AMI noted in my comments that back in my day, it was glaringly obvious that VU's physical plant was in need of repair and replacement. Basically, much of the place was falling apart, a testament to deferred maintenance and a lack of fundraising. There was a lot of talk about the need for new buildings, but it was somewhat fanciful thinking at the time, because there was very little money available to pay for such dreams. In any event, believe me, no one who saw what that campus looked like a generation or two ago would question the need to address its physical infrastructure.
I go back a few years before you arrived on campus, and true, if you had to study business like I did, in DeMotte Hall, it was indeed "glaringly obvious" that certain facilities needed to be replaced. But I will note that these things run in cycles to wit, let's take a look back to presumably when you started at Valpo, in 1977. The Business school (Urschel Hall) was brand new while you were on campus, being dedicated in 1979! Now it is 43 years old!! In 1977 Alumni Hall was 11 years old, Lankenau was 13 years old and Brandt was 15 years old. At present, Valpo's newest dorm, Beacon, is already 8 years old. As for the library of your and my day, Moellering, in 1977 it was 18 years old, being opened in 1959. The Christopher Center, today's modern library is also 18 years old! As for Science, Neils Science Center was opened in 1967, so was only 10 years old when you started at Valpo. And so the cycle of facility life goes on!
vu72, you're right, many of the dorms were relatively new. They were (and presumably remain) serviceable, pretty much what dorm life was all about during that time. But other buildings of more recent vintage at the time were probably obsolete from the day they were built, harkening back to a day when money was very, very tight. Moellering Library was an example, cramped for space and housing a mediocre book collection during a time when volume counts meant much more. The original Wesemann Hall, built in the early 60s, had quickly become inadequate for the Law School, to the point where it was one of the reasons why the school's accreditation was in danger during the late 70s/early 80s.
Many of the older buildings still in active and frequent use on the Old Campus side were literally fire and safety hazards. I spent a lot of time in Lembke Hall (where the poli sci dept was housed), and the floors felt like they were going to collapse at any time. Kroenke Hall, home to a lot of performing arts programs, wasn't much better. Let's not forget DeMotte Hall, another building on life support that housed faculty and classrooms. The building that was long home to the VU Police was, before that, where all the student publications and WVUR were stuffed, as well as the journalism classes. I'm sure I've forgotten others.
And, of course, there was Hilltop Gymnasium.
So yes, there is a cycle of facility life. But I'd submit that cycle was waaaaaay overextended during the 70s and early 80s. 😳🤪😊 Again, it reflected a VU era of genteel academic poverty, accompanied by very low tuition. But when the world of higher education started to upgrade its digs, Valpo had to start building & renovating.
Good summary of the 70s and 80s I would guess.
I stick by my point of too many fireplaces and comfy couches in a too large library. It didn't need to rival the chapel even though it is a great look coming from Highway 30.
The facilities arms race has become ridiculous as I discovered in my kids' college visits. So c'est la vie. Win or go home.
OK, despite my whining about the dilapidated state of many VU buildings back when, I'm about to lapse into soggy nostalgia for an era that preceded my student days by many years: Those shaky old buildings linked us to an incarnation of VU that pre-dated the arrival of the Lutherans, when Valpo was known as the "Poor Man's Harvard."
Few of us appreciated that historic connection as we wondered why VU didn't simply raze those structures (that is, if a strong wind didn't do the job first) and build anew. But some of those buildings had real charm, even if they were so far gone that only a costly gut rehab could've saved them. They certainly had more architectural flair than most of the post-WWII buildings put up on New Campus.
Quote from: valpo22 on November 04, 2022, 06:23:18 AM
The 1960s and 70s architecture is ugly but good at community. The mid-century living room vibe worked at inviting people to sit and and talk, whereas a lot of the contemporary architecture is prettier and air-ier, but more vertical and cold so you feel kind of exposed if you sit in the lobby spaces. Christ College's common room (because it is the old mid-century stuff) is one of the few warm places on campus. But maybe facilities and architecture is besides the point. I don't think the fireplaces are the main thing moving the needle
MORE important
Valpo's retention is down to 77%
http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_fea6a746-5104-11ed-9bbf-c7a750f52d1a.html
That retention rate drop is worrisome. Hopefully just a one-year outlier, but to be taken seriously regardless. A number in the mid-80s would be more reassuring on many levels.
I wonder how the count of Assistant Deans and Directors type staff hires compares to the 1980s or even the 1990s. Each job will find more to do and need an assistant position in Newton's 2nd law of bureaucracy. Sometimes you go with your gut and save some money. Maybe just manage by walking around and ask kids? If you can't get them to take out their headphones hooked to their smartphones.
Quote from: crusadermoe on November 04, 2022, 02:25:30 PM
I wonder how the count of Assistant Deans and Directors type staff hires compares to the 1980s or even the 1990s. Each job will find more to do and need an assistant position in Newton's 2nd law of bureaucracy. Sometimes you go with your gut and save some money. Maybe just manage by walking around and ask kids? If you can't get them to take out their headphones hooked to their smartphones.
The other spending bloat in higher ed is the hiring of lots and lots and lots more administrators. Deputy assistant to the associate dean kinda positions. This is a documented phenomenon.
Some understandably may ask about faculty salaries and payroll costs. At many universities outside the elite circle, raises for full-time faculty have generally flattened out (often falling well short of COL increases), and a good number of schools have cut back on their retirement contributions. Many schools have been reducing the number of full-time faculty and replacing them with much, much lower paid part-time faculty who are truly exploited.
Quote from: David81 on November 04, 2022, 08:07:43 PMpart-time faculty who are truly exploited.
So are part-time faculty called "Adjunct"? Valpo's Department of Music, as an example, has a bunch of "Adjunct Instructor" types.
Quote from: vu72 on November 05, 2022, 08:11:51 AM
Quote from: David81 on November 04, 2022, 08:07:43 PMpart-time faculty who are truly exploited.
So are part-time faculty called "Adjunct"? Valpo's Department of Music, as an example, has a bunch of "Adjunct Instructor" types.
Yup, they are typically paid by the course and have little to no job security. Some have full-time jobs elsewhere, especially in the professions (which can include the performing arts), which can make an adjunct gig a sort of fun avocation. But many others must chain together multiple adjunct positions at different schools to make for a semi-living wage.
Fascinating discussion for us nonacademics. I just took a look at the Business College faculty and found the following titles: 5 Assistant Professors; 6 Associate Professors; 4 Professors; 2 Lecturers; and 1 Visiting Assistant Professor. So how many would seem to be full time faculty?
Quote from: vu72 on November 06, 2022, 10:49:47 AM
Fascinating discussion for us nonacademics. I just took a look at the Business College faculty and found the following titles: 5 Assistant Professors; 6 Associate Professors; 4 Professors; 2 Lecturers; and 1 Visiting Assistant Professor. So how many would seem to be full time faculty?
I can't say with certainty that the lecturers are full time, but everyone else that you listed is full time. An assistant professor is a tenure track professor who has not yet reached tenure. Associate professors are faculty who have tenure, while (full) professors are faculty who have a higher level of tenure.
Quote from: vu72 on November 06, 2022, 10:49:47 AM
Fascinating discussion for us nonacademics. I just took a look at the Business College faculty and found the following titles: 5 Assistant Professors; 6 Associate Professors; 4 Professors; 2 Lecturers; and 1 Visiting Assistant Professor. So how many would seem to be full time faculty?
"Lecturer" usually refers to a full-time faculty member not on the tenure track. So the B-school is a faculty of full-timers.
This was always Valpo's selling pitch: You'll be taught mostly by full-time faculty, not graduate assistants or part-timers.
That said, it's very possible that a lot of the music department folks listed as adjuncts also have full-time jobs outside of the university that involve performing.
I also want to put in a good word for the many adjunct faculty in the arts & sciences who would, if they had the option, happily accept full-time positions. Many are quality teachers who work very hard for the paltry sums they receive. In recent decades, the overproduction of PhDs has created a huge buyer's market for academic employers. And many universities that rely heavily on adjunct faculty are the same ones who are loading up on full-time administrators. Bloated administrations with reduced full-time teaching staff have become a staple of modern higher ed.
Quote from: David81 on November 07, 2022, 12:17:34 AM
Quote from: vu72 on November 06, 2022, 10:49:47 AM
Fascinating discussion for us nonacademics. I just took a look at the Business College faculty and found the following titles: 5 Assistant Professors; 6 Associate Professors; 4 Professors; 2 Lecturers; and 1 Visiting Assistant Professor. So how many would seem to be full time faculty?
"Lecturer" usually refers to a full-time faculty member not on the tenure track. So the B-school is a faculty of full-timers.
This was always Valpo's selling pitch: You'll be taught mostly by full-time faculty, not graduate assistants or part-timers.
That said, it's very possible that a lot of the music department folks listed as adjuncts also have full-time jobs outside of the university that involve performing.
I also want to put in a good word for the many adjunct faculty in the arts & sciences who would, if they had the option, happily accept full-time positions. Many are quality teachers who work very hard for the paltry sums they receive. In recent decades, the overproduction of PhDs has created a huge buyer's market for academic employers. And many universities that rely heavily on adjunct faculty are the same ones who are loading up on full-time administrators. Bloated administrations with reduced full-time teaching staff have become a staple of modern higher ed.
I will add to David81's good comments (though the argument for overproduction of PhDs depends heavily on the discipline). Some adjuncts teaching one or two classes are working professionals who want to "give back" by teaching a class or recently retired people who want to stay active and engaged by teaching one or two classes. These people can be excellent teachers who bring a strong practical perspective to the classroom.
In regards to bloated administration, David81's (and other's) comments certainly have a degree of truth - but be careful not to generalize too much. There are also administrators who are heavily engaged with achieving the primary mission of a university - to deliver high quality education. We do not want to scare those people away as they are critical to the operation's success...indeed they are often overworked because of other parts of administration being too bloated.
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 07, 2022, 10:07:07 AM
Quote from: David81 on November 07, 2022, 12:17:34 AM
Quote from: vu72 on November 06, 2022, 10:49:47 AM
Fascinating discussion for us nonacademics. I just took a look at the Business College faculty and found the following titles: 5 Assistant Professors; 6 Associate Professors; 4 Professors; 2 Lecturers; and 1 Visiting Assistant Professor. So how many would seem to be full time faculty?
"Lecturer" usually refers to a full-time faculty member not on the tenure track. So the B-school is a faculty of full-timers.
This was always Valpo's selling pitch: You'll be taught mostly by full-time faculty, not graduate assistants or part-timers.
That said, it's very possible that a lot of the music department folks listed as adjuncts also have full-time jobs outside of the university that involve performing.
I also want to put in a good word for the many adjunct faculty in the arts & sciences who would, if they had the option, happily accept full-time positions. Many are quality teachers who work very hard for the paltry sums they receive. In recent decades, the overproduction of PhDs has created a huge buyer's market for academic employers. And many universities that rely heavily on adjunct faculty are the same ones who are loading up on full-time administrators. Bloated administrations with reduced full-time teaching staff have become a staple of modern higher ed.
I will add to David81's good comments (though the argument for overproduction of PhDs depends heavily on the discipline). Some adjuncts teaching one or two classes are working professionals who want to "give back" by teaching a class or recently retired people who want to stay active and engaged by teaching one or two classes. These people can be excellent teachers who bring a strong practical perspective to the classroom.
In regards to bloated administration, David81's (and other's) comments certainly have a degree of truth - but be careful not to generalize too much. There are also administrators who are heavily engaged with achieving the primary mission of a university - to deliver high quality education. We do not want to scare those people away as they are critical to the operation's success...indeed they are often overworked because of other parts of administration being too bloated.
On working professionals: Yes! At my law school, we typically hire adjunct faculty who are regarded as very accomplished in their practice fields, as well as respected judges. Many are dedicated teachers who bring a lot to their classes.
On hiring more administrators: Yes, I tend to distinguish between those providing direct student services or key program support/coordination vs. those assistant-to-the-assistant types and endless #s of folks with "dean" in their titles that are bloating up central administrations.
David81 - every school is different. At the university where I teach (especially the college in which I teach), the people with "Dean" in their title are very likely to be heavily engaged in supporting students or critical operations...or they are heavily engaged in raising money. Instead, it is excessive people in administration with "Vice President" or "Director" in their title with responsibility for some broad and often ill-defined initiative that creates the bloating. Many are good people, but their job needs to be much more closely connected to the primary mission - to educate.
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 07, 2022, 10:53:27 PM
David81 - every school is different. At the university where I teach (especially the college in which I teach), the people with "Dean" in their title are very likely to be heavily engaged in supporting students or critical operations...or they are heavily engaged in raising money. Instead, it is excessive people in administration with "Vice President" or "Director" in their title with responsibility for some broad and often ill-defined initiative that creates the bloating. Many are good people, but their job needs to be much more closely connected to the primary mission - to educate.
Oh yes, I forgot to add the Vice President titles too. And sub-Provosts.
One of the trickle down problems with admin bloat is that it creates more meetings that can suck up valuable time.
And the irony is that support staff and faculty are doing more admin work.
I do think the tendency to "create a new position" for a problem or area people want to move into is a problem in academic for sure. Often that person than creates committees which suck up time in meetings or starts assigning extra work to others which makes them resentful.
Instead, it might be better to look at people already working, in the right places, with the right knowledge/passion and offer them a little bit more money to retool their job or take on the responsibility.
I have also seen that creating new departments creates new budget lines and creates new offices/resources that people become territorial over which leads to power struggles and fighting over keeping each individual pie slice the same size
Quote from: crusader05 on November 08, 2022, 12:39:35 PM
I do think the tendency to "create a new position" for a problem or area people want to move into is a problem in academic for sure. Often that person than creates committees which suck up time in meetings or starts assigning extra work to others which makes them resentful.
Instead, it might be better to look at people already working, in the right places, with the right knowledge/passion and offer them a little bit more money to retool their job or take on the responsibility.
I have also seen that creating new departments creates new budget lines and creates new offices/resources that people become territorial over which leads to power struggles and fighting over keeping each individual pie slice the same size
crusader05 - All true (at least from my perspective). One cause of this is that universities (and like organizations) tend not to prioritize because they want to appease all of their stakeholders and/or advance the personal priorities of the senior leaders. Thus, instead of creating a new position(s) for one problem (which might be appropriate), universities create lots of positions. This is a major reason why I was concerned about Valpo's new strategic plan and am concerned about the "prioritized" list that still has 12 areas.
Yes, non-profits fall victim to this all of the time. There is no central agreed criteria for measuring their work that unifies them like company profit does. Instead they do a lot of arguing and conceptualizing about priorities and basically agree to a "both and" strategy. Multiply the "both ands" down into units and it really muddies fast.
Compounding that intrinsic challenge is the fact that education is an incredibly hard product to quantify. What was the value added when a very bright kid graduates with excellent grades? Was the success pre-determined? How can you measure longitudinally what a kid projects to achieve vs. what was actually achieved academically and give credit/blame to the university?
It's no wonder that many middle and high paid staff people at universities are able to just punch in and out from 8 to 5 every day without any real concern for measurable gain or loss.
Valpo issues are very similar to the state of the country
Too many old white conservative men running the place-
Fortunately with more minorities being hired to run things (at least in Valpo) we can embrace this generation and what they stand for...
Valpo2003 - I am all for increasing diversity in leadership - not only age, race, gender, etc., but also diversity of thought. But I will also caution you that there are hard truths that any leadership must prioritize. Budgets must balance and thus revenues need to cover costs....and leaders (whether they accept it or not) are accountable. Otherwise, the organization dies. Young leaders who understand this and recognize that this creates tradeoffs that might be uncomfortable are far more likely to succeed....those who don't fail.
Quote from: Valpo2003 on November 14, 2022, 10:14:22 AM
Valpo issues are very similar to the state of the country
Too many old white conservative men running the place-
Fortunately with more minorities being hired to run things (at least in Valpo) we can embrace this generation and what they stand for...
Valpo2003, speaking as a 1981 VU grad who happens to be Asian American, I have long seen how diversity issues have been challenging for the University. Those issues were very much present when I was a student there, and following graduation, this led to a long period during which I was not an active alumnus.
VU has made real progress on this front. When I spent several weeks on campus back in 2016, the University looked and felt more eclectic and diverse. It was a much more interesting (albeit much more expensive) place to be. And yet, for those seeking a more traditional (or conservative, if you will) campus experience, that aspect of VU remained present as well.
My own social and political outlook is more liberal than VU's center, yet I deeply value and appreciate the education I received there and the lifelong friendships it provided. In pleading my case for the University to be a more diverse place than it was in my day, I do not expect it to turn itself upside down to fit my worldview. Rather, I think VU benefits by keeping its traditional core, while maintaining genuinely welcoming spaces for those of all backgrounds. It's yet another aspect of a very challenging balancing act that, if done right, can make VU a terrific destination for students who seek both a comfort zone and a healthy "discomfort zone" in terms of engaging different ideas, perspectives, and people.
So, yes, on general principle, I support greater diversity in the University's leadership. I also think that the "old white conservative men" to whom you refer (and saw many of back in the day!) merit a continued seat at the table as well. It's about striving to get the mix or the blend right, even if it's impossible to get it right for everyone. At a time when polarization is defining too much of our civic and cultural life, universities can be among the places that try to soften those hard edges and search for common ground and understanding. VU can be one of those places if it opts for that path. And it can do so while continuing to embrace its more traditional, Lutheran heritage.
If you'd like to do a time travel tour to my student days and my journey "back" to Valpo, I invite you to read a 2017 essay I penned for
The Cresset (VU's literary and current events journal), "Homecoming at Middle Age":
http://thecresset.org/2017/Michaelmas/Yamada_M17.html (http://thecresset.org/2017/Michaelmas/Yamada_M17.html)
Wow, that is beautifully and wisely stated. It's far more nuanced generous than my first impulse in response to the "younger and smarter" generation.
Thank you!
A fascinating read! Thanks for posting it.
He should know "liberals" aren't open to all ideas, just look at our current cancel culture. Shouldn't of even mentioned any political ideology at all unless he's wanting only liberal students to apply :twocents:
Please try to keep the political labeling out of the discussion.
After a very disappointing week for two of VU's marquee sports programs, MBB and football, I went back to the Strategic Plan and was reminded that it discusses athletics only in vague terms. Cutting & pasting from the Executive Summary (https://www.valpo.edu/uplift-valpo/files/2022/07/SP_Exec_Sum_Goals_approved_July2022.pdf (https://www.valpo.edu/uplift-valpo/files/2022/07/SP_Exec_Sum_Goals_approved_July2022.pdf)):
Athletics
1. Through philanthropy and sponsorships, the University shall evaluate the
construction of a new athletic complex that incorporates Brown Field and the old hospital property.
2. By the end of the strategic plan, the University shall assess and implement board-approved changes to the mix of athletic programs. The proposal for such changes will consider the profitability and overall enrollment implications of adding or removing any individual program.
I hope that President Padilla's stated commitment to fielding competitive teams goes beyond improving facilities.
I'm leaning on what a lot of close followers of the men's basketball program are posting here. This program is on a downward arc that could become semi-permanent if not addressed promptly. If this season doesn't show a surprising turnaround, then clearly we're heading back to that point before Homer Drew's teams started posting 20-win seasons:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/valparaiso/ (https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/valparaiso/)
The consensus about Coach Lottich is that he has character and integrity in abundance but has not been the kind of head coach the program needs. The record would support that assessment.
On the other hand, despite the bad loss to Drake, the football program is moving in the right direction. If it can keep Coach Fox for at least a few more years and retain the core of a talented roster, VU can win a league championship. That said, there also has to be a commitment to ongoing competitiveness. A big challenge is that VU's head football coaching job is not regarded as a destination position. Rather, it's more of a 4-5 season type of launching pad for an up-and-coming coach who wants to move up in the ranks. It's hard to build program continuity that way. If it can become a place where a good HC wants to remain for even 6-7 years, that would be great progress. Maybe Coach Fox is the guy who makes it that way.
Quote from: David81 on November 20, 2022, 10:23:18 AM
1. Through philanthropy and sponsorships, the University shall evaluate the
construction of a new athletic complex that incorporates Brown Field and the old hospital property.
Let's unpack this carefully worded strategic planning goal that permits lots of leeway. It suggests that university support is limited to outside funding, most likely specifically targeted to Athletics, that will be considered for not only the building stage of a new athletic complex, but also merely the evaluating process...and only that evaluation process shall be complete before the end of the strategic planning time span, roughly 2027-2028. Remember also, if and when any construction occurs, the university envisions a facility that would be used for Valpo athletics but also would serve as a center for community arts, entertainment, and commercial activities, such as concerts and conferences. Thus, the use of outside funds or sponsorships in partnership with local businesses and governments intended for such a community construction would also be welcomed if they can be found.
Additionally, this plan appears to eliminate the possibility of significant renovation to the current ARC, which the university sees as becoming a student wellness and recreation center, a transformation that will happen only after the new facility is built—perhaps at best by 2030, but maybe later.
valpopal - Great points. One can look at this positively and believe that there is real activity going on with sponsors and donors, but the statement is so vague that it is meaningless (because most anything could be argued to be an evaluation).
I have heard that the plans are to "have a plan" or at least an idea of what either an areana or revamp would cost by early next year. One other thing I"ve heard is that right now costs of building are high that it could be that the cost of building makes it harder to raise the money.
I"d love a new arena but unless an extremely large donor or family of donors, drops out of the sky i'd put my money on a reno of the main basketball arena and locker rooms.
Quote from: valpopal on November 20, 2022, 11:35:40 AMAdditionally, this plan appears to eliminate the possibility of significant renovation to the current ARC
Quote from: valpopal on November 20, 2022, 11:35:40 AMbut also merely the evaluating process...and only that evaluation process shall be complete before the end of the strategic planning time span, roughly 2027-2028.
President Padilla, in an interview with The Victory Bell, stated that an architecture firm out of Columbus has been engaged to do "preliminary research to determine various cost options" so the Board can determine which option to pursue. He further indicated that renovating the ARC was a lost cause, describing it as having been "gorilla glued and duct taped". He further indicated that the architecture firm should be done with their work around the 1st of the year, with a presentation to the Board, again, hopefully, by Spring with a campaign getting underway no later than January, 2024, "hopefully sooner"
valpopal, you prompted me to read the passage again, this time without a hopeful gloss, and I realized that it actually enables a contraction of commitment if the financial resources aren't available.
Of course, strategic plans are typically written like that. 😆
But seriously, a lot hinges on VU's next major round of fundraising.
Quote from: vu72 on November 20, 2022, 01:58:04 PM
Quote from: valpopal on November 20, 2022, 11:35:40 AMAdditionally, this plan appears to eliminate the possibility of significant renovation to the current ARC
Quote from: valpopal on November 20, 2022, 11:35:40 AMbut also merely the evaluating process...and only that evaluation process shall be complete before the end of the strategic planning time span, roughly 2027-2028.
President Padilla, in an interview with The Victory Bell, stated that an architecture firm out of Columbus has been engaged to do "preliminary research to determine various cost options" so the Board can determine which option to pursue. He further indicated that renovating the ARC was a lost cause, describing it as having been "gorilla glued and duct taped". He further indicated that the architecture firm should be done with their work around the 1st of the year, with a presentation to the Board, again, hopefully, by Spring with a campaign getting underway no later than January, 2024, "hopefully sooner"
Padilla's comments align with what I wrote. "Preliminary research" is just that, preliminary, a cost estimate for possible options. It is not a full evaluation, which shall be completed sometime by the end of the strategic planning time span. Also, I wrote that there would be no significant renovation of the ARC. Finally, even if the fundraising campaign begins in 2024, that does not sidetrack the stipulation in the strategic plan that funding for the new building must come from outside sources and specifically be earmarked for that purpose. General funds to the university will be used for other projects.
It also fits my optimistic case scenario of funding by 2027-2028 and construction in 2030, at best and if I wear rose-colored glasses. Finally, we must remember there are other building construction possibilities—nursing, business, etc.—that seem to have priority over Athletics. Moreover, the university has a number of important goals in strategic planning that relate to academics, enrollment, and faculty compensation. Of course all of this timetable could be shortened if some donor presents the university with a huge check for the sole purpose of a new Athletics facility, but that does not appear likely.
Cycle time to build a new building for a university, best case, is four years from start. Two years to raise the money and two years to finish the design and build the building (most design work is done in Year 2 assuming strong progress on fundraising). This assumes that there are multiple major donors who have the ability to donate $3M to $10M and are ready to commit within the first six months. Thus, valpopal's timeline, along with the challenges from other valid priorities, is correct.
The other unknown is the desire to also have a new nursing building and working to find perhaps a partner in the area to help fray the costs. My guess is that there will be lots of plans and conversations and whichever one wins out is going to be based on cost/donor interest/other revenue streams.
Quote from: valpo tundra on August 24, 2022, 11:03:07 PM
Frank Mrvan helped secure some 1 million dollars that the Nursing School will use to bridge the present facilities with the future ones. To attract new students and retain present ones, a new Nursing complex is a higher priority than a new Arc.
When I mentioned this back in August, this bridge funding was only for present facilities to buy time for a new building. They are hoping that to take maybe five years to start construction, absent a big donor. The bigger recent news is the decision to build the new facility on campus versus off campus anywhere in the region in partnership with a separate healthcare provider. For my part, I applaud this news.
FWIW, the University of St. Thomas just announced a new basketball and hockey arena, at a total project cost of $175 million. They have a donor who committed a $75 million lead gift.
https://tommiesports.com/news/2023/1/17/Arena.aspx (https://tommiesports.com/news/2023/1/17/Arena.aspx)
Sure would be nice to have a donor or two like that for all of VU.
Quote from: valpo95 on January 17, 2023, 12:26:20 PM
FWIW, the University of St. Thomas just announced a new basketball and hockey arena, at a total project cost of $175 million. They have a donor who committed a $75 million lead gift.
https://tommiesports.com/news/2023/1/17/Arena.aspx (https://tommiesports.com/news/2023/1/17/Arena.aspx)
Sure would be nice to have a donor or two like that for all of VU.
It's worth a lot, 95.
I hope my reply doesn't hijack this thread and send us off into the typical series of facility or coaching rants and gets the thread off it real purpose. I merely would like to commend UST for how they have gone about building their brand and following through in an incredibly committed way to strategic goals and initiatives. Of course $75 million in a single gift helps a bit. But it's more than that.
When UST got tossed out of DIII, they committed to going straight up to D-I. They applied and heavily lobbied for a waiver and got it. They joined the Summit League in all league sports, and on top of that, actually added men's and women's D-I hockey — not inexpensive. And, of course, they. joined the PFL in football.
All were big leaps. Most schools would've said we need to carefully ramp up and transition. Not the Tommies.
This is year two in D-I for all sports. They won the PFL and were nationally ranked. As of today, they are in the middle of the pack in the Summit's MBB standings. And then, for good measure to leverage the $75 million gift, they announced a $131 million fund drive for a new multi-use arena that could open as soon as 2025. They don't even have a design yet. That characteristic of meeting challenges head-on and proactively deserves respect and a measure of admiration.
I'm sure St. Thomas had successful D-III men's hockey for quite a while, and I think started their women's hockey team about 15 years ago. Their football team was one of the most successful D-III programs in the country. Still, to upgrade to D-1 in all sports is a major achievement.
It may also be that they had the support and committment of several big donors to make that leap.
Quote from: valpo95 on January 18, 2023, 03:49:32 PM
I'm sure St. Thomas had successful D-III men's hockey for quite a while, and I think started their women's hockey team about 15 years ago. Their football team was one of the most successful D-III programs in the country. Still, to upgrade to D-1 in all sports is a major achievement.
It may also be that they had the support and committment of several big donors to make that leap.
St. Thomas has an endowment north of 500 Mil and an enrollment of 9000 so a large alumni base.
Good points in terms of the analogies or church terms!
I would guess that the family with three 8-figure gifts in the press release already has driven up the "status" factor and lured more high gifts. Wonder what happened to the chef donor? ----- to VU Library
Quote from: crusadermoe on January 19, 2023, 11:21:46 AM
Good points in terms of the analogies or church terms!
I would guess that the family with three 8-figure gifts in the press release already has driven up the "status" factor and lured more high gifts. Wonder what happened to the chef donor? ----- to VU Library
That would be the Christopher's. Jay is a 1967 Valpo grad. He and his Doris (primarily his wife) started and built a company called The Pampered Chef. He and his wife are now divorced. They gave $15 million for the Library, as well as large amounts for the Kalley-Christopher building. He also paid for the track.
The pampered Chef was sold to Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway in 2002 for a reported $900 million.
Quote from: vu72 on January 19, 2023, 01:23:40 PM
Quote from: crusadermoe on January 19, 2023, 11:21:46 AM
Good points in terms of the analogies or church terms!
I would guess that the family with three 8-figure gifts in the press release already has driven up the "status" factor and lured more high gifts. Wonder what happened to the chef donor? ----- to VU Library
That would be the Christopher's. Jay is a 1967 Valpo grad. He and his Doris (primarily his wife) started and built a company called The Pampered Chef. He and his wife are now divorced. They gave $15 million for the Library, as well as large amounts for the Kalley-Christopher building. He also paid for the track.
The pampered Chef was sold to Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway in 2002 for a reported $900 million.
Jay Christopher and his now ex-wife have given over 75 million to VU.
That family has done more than enough. There is a limit to how much you can bleed someone for donations, just because they were successful
Please see an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch this weekend that highlights Webster University. While there are several similarities with Valpo, one of the main takeaways is that dozens of universities will be fighting for their existence in the next few years.
Quote from: VULB#62 on January 17, 2023, 02:47:46 PM
Quote from: valpo95 on January 17, 2023, 12:26:20 PM
FWIW, the University of St. Thomas just announced a new basketball and hockey arena, at a total project cost of $175 million. They have a donor who committed a $75 million lead gift.
https://tommiesports.com/news/2023/1/17/Arena.aspx (https://tommiesports.com/news/2023/1/17/Arena.aspx)
Sure would be nice to have a donor or two like that for all of VU.
It's worth a lot, 95.
I hope my reply doesn't hijack this thread and send us off into the typical series of facility or coaching rants and gets the thread off it real purpose. I merely would like to commend UST for how they have gone about building their brand and following through in an incredibly committed way to strategic goals and initiatives. Of course $75 million in a single gift helps a bit. But it's more than that.
When UST got tossed out of DIII, they committed to going straight up to D-I. They applied and heavily lobbied for a waiver and got it. They joined the Summit League in all league sports, and on top of that, actually added men's and women's D-I hockey — not inexpensive. And, of course, they. joined the PFL in football.
All were big leaps. Most schools would've said we need to carefully ramp up and transition. Not the Tommies.
This is year two in D-I for all sports. They won the PFL and were nationally ranked. As of today, they are in the middle of the pack in the Summit's MBB standings. And then, for good measure to leverage the $75 million gift, they announced a $131 million fund drive for a new multi-use arena that could open as soon as 2025. They don't even have a design yet. That characteristic of meeting challenges head-on and proactively deserves respect and a measure of admiration.
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/03TqIPZxtj8/maxresdefault.jpg)
VU72 noted that St. Thomas has an enrollment over 9,000 and the endowment is over $500 million. That makes them 3x our current size and twice as wealthy. I don't know much about their programs.
So...back to closer peers in size and structure. Bradley seems closest to us in size. Peoria will be hurting with Caterpillar leaving. Both VU and Bradley also draw heavily from the shrinking state of Illinois. Not good.
How will we rise above this peer group of Bradley, Drake, and Butler? What distinguishes us? That's what you say in a strategic plan.
Quote from: crusadermoe on February 06, 2023, 04:14:28 PM
How will we rise above this peer group of Bradley, Drake, and Butler? What distinguishes us? That's what you say in a strategic plan.
I've been thinking about this a lot. Not just for VU, but for higher ed generally.
And for VU especially, however, I still think it's about blending values (=liberal arts) and vocation (=professions). Helping to infuse young folks with values and an appreciation for the world around them, while helping to imbue them with skills and knowledge to succeed vocationally. And at times those two elements blend together.
It's heresy to say this, but I think to some extent it means minimizing a lot of the edu-speak ("outcomes," "assessments") and career/dollar-speak ("hit the ground running," "ROI"), as well as the unwinnable (or at least tiresome) culture wars, and simply saying that this is a place where one can grow as a whole person. And you know what, the pieces are already in place to offer that theme. Those friendly debates we've been having in these threads about the liberal arts
vs. the professions? Maybe it's about messaging the liberal arts
and the professions.
David81 - I agree with much of what you say, but also disagree with some of what you say. Agree about it being liberal arts and professions. Agree with minimizing the unwinnable culture wars. Agree with being a place where one can grow as a whole person. And attention paid to excessive work on assessment and outcomes does not bring a lot of value - though accreditation bodies expect this and are less likely to renew if colleges within the university do not do this.
I disagree with you on ROI and messages of being ready to be successful in the workforce. College costs a lot and has increased substantially in the last 10-20 years. Whether to spend and how much to spend are huge decisions for most families and universities need to justify the price...specifically, what is the better future (i.e., income associated with chosen career). The message Valpo should use, besides growing and developing the whole person, is that we provide a challenging path to reach that better future....but because of X, Y, and z we increase a student's probability of reaching that goal.
Yes, it would be very helpful to show ROI, by how the truly high achieving professionals were helped by the hybrid of tech/liberal arts. That's not a precise measure because you always have tons of caveats. But a bunch of good examples can make a case.
My sense of alumni friends from the late 70s or early 80s is that many VU engineers did extremely well in rising into leadership because they communicated well and/or had leadership roles all the way through college in extracurriculars.
You do need ROI, but it seems like anecdotal stories of ROI are your best bet.
As I see it, ROI as colleges either choose or are pressed to measure it is way too focused on the short term. It also undervalues how a liberal arts degree can be the door opener to a high quality professional degree that carries significantly higher earning potential. A lot of my VU schoolmates followed that path: majoring in liberal arts disciplines, a good number with a Christ College affiliation, then parlaying that success into admission into selective law and business schools, which put them on a higher income trajectory (sometimes waaay higher). That's why Crusadermoe's suggestion of using anecdotal accounts is more desirable; it tells the whole story.
I also wish there was some holistic measure, taken from maybe 10/20/30 years out, of assessing the long-term value of the degree and the VU experience. Not just career and income wise, but also in terms of living lives fully and meaningfully. I'd bet that VU grads would do quite well under that broader measure....maybe better on the whole than many graduates of more prestigious schools. My appreciation for VU has grown in part because I look at the lives of folks from VU I became and stayed friends with and thought, wow, people turned out well. They're living good lives.
I agree with David that what ought to matter (and probably will matter more and more to employers) is whether a school helps to cultivate certain kinds of qualities. Now that so much info can be found online and AI can churn out so much low-quality content, surely it's informed judgement and intellectual and interpersonal maturity that will set future employees apart:
Can a person focus and read, listen, and interpret data patiently -- rather than just thinking in reactive sound-bites or reproducing cherry-picked data memes?
Are they able to not only perform competently whatever technical tasks they need to do -- whether that's writing a grammatical sentence, coding a program, or administering the right dosage to a patient -- but also communicate compellingly why they make the judgements they do?
Do they possess an internal radar for whether their own knowledge and skill at something is solid or still murky & weak? If they they don't grasp something, do they identify that and have the will to buckle down and practice the problems or search for the clarifying concept until they really 'get' it? Or do they just keep floating perpetually in the mode of 'well, I watched the video... maybe I could watch it again before the test...."?
Do they have a sense of integrity in their work, being committed to do the work well with an eye towards all those it affects?
Etc.
Yet as David 81 says, we don't have the tools to assess institutions on contributing to these sorts of qualities over the long horizon.
And honestly I'm not sure that higher ed (in general, or even in liberal artsy places like Valpo) really knows how to rise to the challenge of forming solid adults in the digital age. Unfortunately, students experience their learning more and more in piece-meal ways regardless of type of institution.
Part of it is their own tendency to try to maximize everything (probably inherited from the AP high school culture) that leads them to take way more classes than they can possibly actually study for. I find many of the COVID-era e-learners now arriving as freshmen are especially resigned to the fact that they will not really master the content in whatever courses they sign up for. It feels very overwhelming to them -- probably because it is overwhelming in a world where everything from everywhere is possibly accessible! And they have such strong senses of FOMO and FOBO (fear of missing out, fear of better options) about their classes and majors that they tend to sign up for way more than they can actually digest. Or maybe it has always been this way? I'm not sure.
And part of it is the structural technology of higher ed, where universities (both elite research unis and comprehensive liberal arts places like Valpo) structurally push students to live in Blackboard & email to their ultimate detriment. I suspect it is not so piecemeal in fields like math or organic chemistry where the curriculum is more stable. However, in many humanities and social science fields, there's a lot of administrator pressure on faculty to not assign expensive textbooks and to make sure of diverse sources in the curriculum. Indeed, it is important to keep an eye on cost to students and to include intellectually and geographically diverse voices, so I'm not saying those aren't valid concerns. But the net effect is that students rarely work through a comprehensive textbook or standard anthology but increasingly spend spend their time clicking open this or that pdf uploaded to the LMS to skim it before (or maybe during) class, with little sense of where stuff fits. Indeed, many of them have never read a whole book in high school either, but have always just been assigned to read websites and web articles and out-of-context pdfs all the way through. It's an uphill battle for faculty to try to re-systematize and re-narrativize the possibly infinite data into comprehensible units. So too, rather than have a natural conversation with their faculty members about course content and learning and life trajectories, our students are habituated into handling everything piece-meal via quick emails: "Hello Professor X. My grade was 89.4% and very close to an A-. Will you please round it up, since I want to apply to Z and am worried about my GPA." I think these endless requests are less a matter of intentional entitlement and more a symptom of having done all their relationships in small e-interactions of trying to get what you want. I really suspect some of them shoot off the 'where is X pdf' or 'can I have extra credit' emails to faculty with the same quick flippant impulse that they send 'send me boob pics?' texts to their girlfriends. Today's undergrads have very little experience of engaging conversations in-person and over time, where one becomes more sensitive to what builds or erodes good-will and mutual trust in an academic or professional setting. Faculty are not impervious to this either, as it is often easier to just click all the e-tracking buttons you're supposed to click to cover the university's legal concerns, and hope that it sends off e-alerts to whatever advisor or retention officer on campus is supposed to handle an academically struggling student, than to sit the student down and have a real conversation. So much energy gets diverted into e-tracking the students and also being e-tracked oneself in student evals and activity reports for administration, that it really does take an extra re-commitment to make sure the actual learning together and thinking together with other 3-d humans is still happening. So all in all, I think the re-location of education out of books and conversations into BB pdfs and into email and e-tracking is a MASSIVE shift, with losses in intellectual and relational capacity that we are only now starting to see fully with undergrads who have done their entire K-12 and now college educations in these modalities, and faculty too who have been inaugurated from the start into this version of higher ed. College is SO different now than when I went through in the early 2000s.
Whatever college or university can figure out how to cultivate adults capable of sustained reasoning and relationship today... they will really do a service to higher ed and to society as a whole! I bet in the long run they would become a very desirable places and degree-granting institutions for students and employers alike. I just can't imagine that employers will really want ChatGPT doing their thinking for them...
David and Diaspora, thank you for your spot-on (IMHO) assessments of the state of academia.
I can't speak to that from an experiential perspective having not really been deeply involved professionally in higher education. But I can second your assessments from a higher education end-product view point.
Over a lengthy career in business and technology, I have observed a dichotomy in the work force within my particular world. To oversimplify: pure techies (engineers, technogeeks, etc. whose higher education experiences were intensely focused on "the profession" almost to the exclusion of the "liberal arts") vs. technology professionals (engineers, computer scientists, etc. who emerged from well-rounded higher education experiences). Both types of professionals are valuable. However, those with the well-rounded educational background invariably, over time, bring a value-added component to their companies that, while probably unmeasurable, contributes to the company as a whole in greater proportion.
I guess what I am saying is that a Valpo engineering, nursing, meteorology, biology, etc., etc., grad whose curriculum includes broad liberal arts components will enjoy a more fulfilling career, faster advancement, and possesses the potential to make greater contributions in their field.
At least that's what I've observed.
And I think that is something Valpo should leverage in establishing their brand in the future.
In past posts on this thread we have discussed the planned focus of new construction on campus. For instance, in addition to the ARC, we noted interest in a new nursing building and other possibilities. Today, President Padilla informed the campus community in an open letter that a priority of the five-year Valpo Strategic Plan supported by the Board will be establishment of a new first-year residential complex with amenities and features incoming students expect. I think this strategy to enhance enrollment will be welcomed by many. However, I expect the method for financing the project could be controversial and troubling for some. In fact, Padilla acknowledges "not all will agree with our decisions," as he reports the new dorms initiative will be paid with proceeds from sale of some select paintings in the Brauer Museum of Art collection. Also of interest is a policy statement that this is "a practice we will use for other parts of the strategic plan. We will consider assets and resources that are not core or critical to our educational mission and strategic plan, and reallocate them to support the plan."
Warning: Even reading this could expel you from a solid future in higher education. Bearing in my mind the wise insights about information overload, suggest that a mere focus could support more informative personal dialog in small classes. With so much information and cultural shaming these days, I would be very very confused and may even have a perception that the world and the country are only 30-40 years old. As we know, before that 30-40 years, there were oppressors and oppressed and the grievances are just as fresh as ever and should receive a class-based or racially based framework above all else (yes, more sarcasm.)
When I attended Christ College, the freshman curriculum was titled, "The History of Western Civilization." (or other others attached to the latter two words. While many in higher ed now would cringe at that title in our new era of sensitivity, is it possible that history can still be beneficially learned (sarcasm meant)? Could you benefit in your political wisdom by studying the historical path of Greece to Rome to the Reformation to our English Common Law, to the new radical democracy/federalism of the USA? Dare I say that could be a helpful perspective for young people, if not a fully world one? The CC curriculum later started balancing eastern civilizations and others into two precious semesters. This is laudable, but isn't that a little much for 18 year olds to pack into their brains? Why not master thoroughly the history and origins of the culture in your hemisphere where you live and be taught factual history of slavery, crusades, and other regrettable portions of it. We let the fear of bias prevent us from just taking the facts where they lead.
Holy moly! I must focus on a few things to earn my living today 🤣, but I just wanted to express my appreciation for the many insightful posts over the past day. Overall, these ongoing conversations have been very thoughtful and thought-provoking. I'll share more thoughts later, but felt moved to observe that such exchanges are not always the norm in this online world.
Quote from: valpopal on February 08, 2023, 11:33:10 AMwill be establishment of a new first-year residential complex with amenities
I don't presume you are prevvy to the specifics, but, what does this really mean? Are they going to tear down Alumni or Wehrenberg to make room for this new "complex"?? Of the older dorms, only Guild/Memorial as well as Wehrenberg are air-conditioned while the other dorms are not. Could it be a tear down of off-line Scheele?
Quote from: vu72 on February 08, 2023, 01:03:03 PM
Quote from: valpopal on February 08, 2023, 11:33:10 AMwill be establishment of a new first-year residential complex with amenities
I don't presume you are prevvy to the specifics, but, what does this really mean? Are they going to tear down Alumni or Wehrenberg to make room for this new "complex"?? Of the older dorms, only Guild/Memorial as well as Wehrenberg are air-conditioned while the other dorms are not. Could it be a tear down of off-line Scheele?
As of now, my understanding is that Wehrenberg and Brandt will be closed and are scheduled for renovation beginning this fall. I am awaiting more details.
The freshman dorms are old an atrocious and way behind other schools so good on them for fixing it. The lower enrollment at least allows for this renovation to happen at once vs a slow roll out as well so silver lining.
I can see the concern about selling the paintings but also, while a nice plus and benefit it does seem that, if this finances a full renovation without accruing more debt or earring into donor dollars when you are asking for money For other campaigns it feels like this is the responsible decision. It isn't a fun one to make, but when students have seen profs and staff laid off and other things get cut can we really say this is a bad look?
How about real estate sales as well?
Good planning could result in a compressed but still gorgeous central campus. Eastgate field, for instance, is essentially under-utilized except for baseball. Bring baseball back onto the main campus and sell those acres. Use other real estate assets to also finance a new multipurpose arena that, if structured correctly, could generate additional revenue.
It's nice to have a sprawling campus, but a compact, close knit campus has a lot of plusses too.
As I have mentioned before, real estate has recently been sold on old campus that a non-profit is using to build affordable housing. That small windfall doesn't necessarily have a destination. What's unique about the selling of works of art from the Brauer Museum of Art collection is that this will be used to fund some renovations to existing dorms and possibly new Freshmen dorms. Already, there is a debate on campus about whether the works of art are integral to the liberal arts curriculum or are they superfluous to the overall mission. This board decision was made known to a handful of people at the beginning of January but just now made public. The Urschel Family had given substantial money to the museum with the caveat that it be named for Richard Brauer and now the name of the museum may be in question. The collection of almost 3,000 pieces includes such artists as Andy Warhol, Junius Sloan, Dale Chihuly, Ansel Adams, and Georgia O'Keeffe. Aside from some legal and ethical issues surrounding this development, look for more similar funding mechanisms in the near future.
Quote from: valpo tundra on February 08, 2023, 11:42:56 PMreal estate has recently been sold on old campus that a non-profit is using to build affordable housing
Are you sure this sale has closed? I just looked at the records and didn't see a sale. As for the paintings, this might be enough to build the new arena. An O'Keeffe recently sold for 44 million!
From what I have heard it sounds like it's enough to fully fund the dorm renovations but I don't think it's anywhere near the amount for an arena. I get some donors are upset but this is also a problem with relaying on donors to fund things. They don't want to fund the necessary but boring stuff. I remember hearing last year that they desperately tried to get a donor for the beacon hall while they were building it and noone was interested even with naming rights out there.
Here is a link to the Torch story about the art sales. Three works, including the most famous painting in the collection (Rust Red Hills by Georgia O'Keeffe) are up for sale, at a total estimated valuation of $20.5M.
http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_28884a8e-a83e-11ed-93a8-cf14b64bc39f.html (http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_28884a8e-a83e-11ed-93a8-cf14b64bc39f.html)
The plan to sell some of the highest prized and treasured artworks from the Brauer Museum is ill advised, even worse than the mascot debacle. If the removal of the Crusader lost a number of donor alums associated with sports, this move will alienate those donors to the arts. The backlash from a number of devoted members of the Valparaiso University community is already happening. Richard Brauer, one of Valparaiso University's most beloved and influential individuals, has declared he will request removal of his name from the museum and cut all contact with the university. The museum is one of Valpo's jewels, and its reputation will be tarnished greatly. Donors to the museum, including those in Friends of Art, who have contributed vastly in the past, will walk away since the works they help purchase are not guaranteed to stay. As Prof. John Ruff has stated, the sale violates agreements made when paintings were obtained as well as requirements previously set for sales. Those in the art community—current and alums, especially big donors—will see this as a stabbing in the back. Economically, artworks appreciate in value forever while a dorm building will begin to depreciate in value the moment in opens.
First, I do not know the terms associated with the donation of these works of art (e.g., never sell them without donor's approval). Valpo should not violate those terms. I also don't know the amount of future potential donations from those who may stop donating because of artworks are sold. That should be assessed (and probably was).
Within those limitations, this seems like a good move. What is the mission of the university? We could debate on the details of that, but it is not to be holders of expensive art. If assets can be repurposed to make the university more competitive, than that is the right decision. Look at this in a different perspective. If the university had $20.5M in cash, should the university buy artwork or invest in capital spending that attracts more students and improves the experience at Valpo? Far more alums (myself included) would scream if the university bought artwork in that scenario.
The only problem that I had with President Padilla's comments was that the proceeds will not go towards operating expenses. This is the fallacy some organizations try to argue - that money can somehow be different from other money. The bottom line is that the proceeds from art sales would go into the university's total financial resources and that its financial resources could then support additional uses.
Quote from: valpopal on February 09, 2023, 11:01:29 AM
The plan to sell some of the highest prized and treasured artworks from the Brauer Museum is ill advised, even worse than the mascot debacle. If the removal of the Crusader lost a number of donor alums associated with sports, this move will alienate those donors to the arts. The backlash from a number of devoted members of the Valparaiso University community is already happening. Richard Brauer, one of Valparaiso University's most beloved and influential individuals, has declared he will request removal of his name from the museum and cut all contact with the university. The museum is one of Valpo's jewels, and its reputation will be tarnished greatly. Donors to the museum, including those in Friends of Art, who have contributed vastly in the past, will walk away since the works they help purchase are not guaranteed to stay. As Prof. John Ruff has stated, the sale violates agreements made when paintings were obtained as well as requirements previously set for sales. Those in the art community—current and alums, especially big donors—will see this as a stabbing in the back. Economically, artworks appreciate in value forever while a dorm building will begin to depreciate in value the moment in opens.
I wondered about the possible pushback on this. President Padilla's initial announcement -- anticipating that not everyone would agree with this move -- was the first time that I've thought he might be sounding a wrong note in tone and in substance. I understand the practicalities here, but it creates the impression that the school cannot offer more competitive housing options without raiding and pillaging its art museum and other sellable assets.
VU touts the Brauer Museum of Art this way: "The Brauer Museum of Art is home to a nationally recognized collection of 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century American art." https://www.valpo.edu/brauer-museum-of-art/ (https://www.valpo.edu/brauer-museum-of-art/) I am hardly the world's greatest patron of the arts, but I recognize that housing a high-quality art museum at a university says something important about how that school regards the importance of a rich cultural and intellectual life. Right now, VU is one of 680 American universities with art museums (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_art_museums_and_galleries_in_the_United_States (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_art_museums_and_galleries_in_the_United_States)), and I'm guessing that the Brauer is unusual among art museums at smaller, regional universities in housing a fairly valuable and distinctive collection. But also note the Wikipedia reference to the vulnerability of university art museums when the host school faces financial challenges.
Nevertheless, the President's announcement makes it sound like Brauer and other University sites with sellable assets are now regarded by the Board and Administration as potential ATMs for needed buildings. Among other things, it significantly risks that: (1) VU will lose an entire constituency of people who have been very connected and loyal to the University; and (2) the Brauer museum will never receive a meaningful (=valuable) donation of art ever again, as potential donors will not trust the University with their charitable gift. I hope they (Board and Administration) know that this move may effectively kill off the Brauer museum as home to a dynamic collection, or at least signal its significantly diminished value to the University and ensure that its holdings remain largely static in terms of significant acquisitions for the foreseeable future.
Believe me, this kind of move has repercussions that the money counters don't always appreciate. Without going into details, during a financial pinch not unlike VU's today, around a decade ago my university did something unfortunate with the biggest charitable gift it had ever received. The move resulted in the loss of a significant asset and some very unflattering news coverage that (fairly) made us look like idiots.
Wednesday's long and substantial article in the Chicago Tribune about the art sale was very damaging to VU public relations, and it appears the negative publicity will continue. Not only did the piece profile and quote Brauer and Ruff, both highly respected and influential VU figures, it also outlined the university's declining enrollment since 2015, highlighting the downfall of the "now-closed law school." The description of the art sale plan as "utterly disgraceful, irreparably existentially diminishing, unethical, and seemingly unnecessary" by Richard Brauer, who has served the university since 1961 and is as beloved as any individual at the campus, is impactful. (This is not a good look for VU. I haven't seen a news report as damaging to Valpo since the New York Times hit piece that eventually led to the end of the law school.) Ruff disputed the argument by Padilla in an email to Brauer that the museum and its prize collection are "not part of our core mission of educating students," stating that about 1,000 students engage with the artworks through class visits each semester.
Additionally, it is revealing that Padilla's open letter to the campus about the art sale happened only as a defensive move on the day of the Tribune article, and that faculty were not consulted, though the process began as far back as last June with a visit by Christie's. The newly appointed director of the museum and the search committee who hired him also were kept in the dark about the sales plan. The article says Padilla met with Brauer after the decision had been made and approved by the Board. All these details undercut any claim of transparency.
Quote from: valpopal on February 09, 2023, 01:19:54 PM
Wednesday's long and substantial article in the Chicago Tribune about the art sale was very damaging to VU public relations, and it appears the negative publicity will continue. Not only did the piece profile and quote Brauer and Ruff, both highly respected and influential VU figures, it also outlined the university's declining enrollment since 2015, highlighting the downfall of the "now-closed law school." The description of the art sale plan as "utterly disgraceful, irreparably existentially diminishing, unethical, and seemingly unnecessary" by Richard Brauer, who has served the university since 1961 and is as beloved as any individual at the campus, is impactful. (This is not a good look for VU. I haven't seen a news report as damaging to Valpo since the New York Times hit piece that eventually led to the end of the law school.) Ruff disputed the argument by Padilla in an email to Brauer that the museum and its prize collection are "not part of our core mission of educating students," stating that about 1,000 students engage with the artworks through class visits each semester.
Additionally, it is revealing that Padilla's open letter to the campus about the art sale happened only as a defensive move on the day of the Tribune article, and that faculty were not consulted, though the process began as far back as last June with a visit by Christie's. The newly appointed director of the museum and the search committee who hired him also were kept in the dark about the sales plan. The article says Padilla met with Brauer after the decision had been made and approved by the Board. All these details undercut any claim of transparency.
Uh oh, that is not good news. It means there's now a public controversy, and for whatever reason the media like to cover those stories coming out of universities.
And on campus, now it's also about not consulting faculty, and faculty have long memories (as I can attest).
This is not a good look for the President, which is unfortunate because I think he's come across as being a friendly, engaged, and forthright leader. And believe it or not, unfavorable news coverage and potential faculty pushback makes it politically harder for VU to offer an expensive buyout deal in the event a coaching change is desired for the MBB program.
Quote from: valpopal on February 09, 2023, 01:19:54 PMAdditionally, it is revealing that Padilla's open letter to the campus about the art sale happened only as a defensive move on the day of the Tribune article, and that faculty were not consulted, though the process began as far back as last June with a visit by Christie's. The newly appointed director of the museum and the search committee who hired him also were kept in the dark about the sales plan. The article says Padilla met with Brauer after the decision had been made and approved by the Board. All these details undercut any claim of transparency.
So the open letter to campus is published because the Tribune calls VU, asking for comment on the story that is going to run? That's not a good look. It also would have made sense to get the input of key stakeholders like Prof. Brauer and the Urschel family ahead of the decision, to at least let them know there was the chance some key paintings might be sold. To do so after the decision was made by the Board is a slap in the face.
I get that the university is in need of funds for important initiatives, yet think ahead!
The fact is that without dorm improvements Valpo is truly facing an "existential threat". The fact is that the Brauer (or whatever the new name will be) has thousands of valuable pieces. This isn't a going out of business sale. The O'Keeffe was purchased in 1962 for what is described as "a modest price", it wasn't a gift of a donor. Imagine the outrage from donors if the university closed its doors! Adding $20 million to the university's debt when one or two or three pieces of art could be sold doesn't make any sense to me.
I wonder how many on this board, or members of the alumni association for that matter, have actually visited the Brauer or have taken the time to view the O'Keeffe? I saw it a few years ago while on campus for homecoming. It is what it is, I'm far from any sort of art expert. $20 million? SOLD!
It seems many alumni and faculty, particularly the older ones, are stuck in the past, yearning for long walks through the tundra to buildings built in the 1800's. The current Valpo is at a nexus in history. The current board and president are facing numerous challenges now, with the financial cliff of 2026 looming. Tough decisions to follow.
The article is in the Post-Tribune not the Chicago Tribune. Yes, it is confusing because it says Chicago Tribune on the top but they are the parent company of the Post-Tribune. The Chicago Tribune may have, or perhaps will publish it online or in print, but Amy Lavalley works for the Post-Tribune and lives in Valpo.
Quote from: vu72 on February 09, 2023, 02:42:38 PM
The fact is that without dorm improvements Valpo is truly facing an "existential threat". The fact is that the Brauer (or whatever the new name will be) has thousands of valuable pieces. This isn't a going out of business sale. The O'Keeffe was purchased in 1962 for what is described as "a modest price", it wasn't a gift of a donor. Imagine the outrage from donors if the university closed its doors! Adding $20 million to the university's debt when one or two or three pieces of art could be sold doesn't make any sense to me.
I wonder how many on this board, or members of the alumni association for that matter, have actually visited the Brauer or have taken the time to view the O'Keeffe? I saw it a few years ago while on campus for homecoming. It is what it is, I'm far from any sort of art expert. $20 million? SOLD!
It seems many alumni and faculty, particularly the older ones, are stuck in the past, yearning for long walks through the tundra to buildings built in the 1800's. The current Valpo is at a nexus in history. The current board and president are facing numerous challenges now, with the financial cliff of 2026 looming. Tough decisions to follow.
72, usually I appreciate your thoughtful contributions to this board, yet this one is off the mark. So the Brauer has thousands of valuable pieces? Fine. Yet this one single painting is the most well-known and most valuable painting in the collection. Would you recommend the the Louvre selling the Mona Lisa to fund construction of a new visitors center? Second, donors provided the funds for the collection, and the Urschel family have been large donors to the University in the past - both for Urschel Hall and for the VUCA.
Perhaps the sale of three paintings is the right decision, especially if there is a true existential threat. Yet if that is true, we would not have yet another unforced error that gives the University a black eye. Instead, most people would say, "I'm sad to hear that these paintings might be sold. However, it is much more important to secure the future of our University. There is no other way, so reluctantly we say goodbye to these paintings, and are glad to see that they will remain on display at (insert big museum here)." Getting that consensus would take some time, and it would never satisfy 100% of the stakeholders. Yet it seems that the leadership made this decision without even consulting the key stakeholders! Of course they are mad!
Quote from: vu72 on February 09, 2023, 02:42:38 PM
I wonder how many on this board, or members of the alumni association for that matter, have actually visited the Brauer or have taken the time to view the O'Keeffe? I saw it a few years ago while on campus for homecoming. It is what it is, I'm far from any sort of art expert. $20 million? SOLD!
I have visited the museum numerous times over the years, and I conducted class visits to view the major artworks for term projects every semester. I published books that included two of the three paintings up for sale, crediting Valparaiso University, just as other publications do. Every time those famous artworks are exhibited in museums nationally and internationally, the university is credited both in the galleries and in the accompanying books or pamphlets. The same is true when the art is viewed online. The well-known pieces bring attention to VU just the way our sports programs or the university chapel do when viewed on television. The status of the university is enhanced by the museum's better holdings. I am sorry you didn't get to spend more time at the museum. It is one of Valpo's finest assets.
Quote from: vu72 on February 09, 2023, 02:42:38 PM
The fact is that without dorm improvements Valpo is truly facing an "existential threat". The fact is that the Brauer (or whatever the new name will be) has thousands of valuable pieces. This isn't a going out of business sale. The O'Keeffe was purchased in 1962 for what is described as "a modest price", it wasn't a gift of a donor. Imagine the outrage from donors if the university closed its doors! Adding $20 million to the university's debt when one or two or three pieces of art could be sold doesn't make any sense to me.
I wonder how many on this board, or members of the alumni association for that matter, have actually visited the Brauer or have taken the time to view the O'Keeffe? I saw it a few years ago while on campus for homecoming. It is what it is, I'm far from any sort of art expert. $20 million? SOLD!
It seems many alumni and faculty, particularly the older ones, are stuck in the past, yearning for long walks through the tundra to buildings built in the 1800's. The current Valpo is at a nexus in history. The current board and president are facing numerous challenges now, with the financial cliff of 2026 looming. Tough decisions to follow.
But vu72, the Brauer Museum as it currently exists is not some remnant of a foggy and soggy eyed past. It wasn't even named the Brauer Museum until the mid-90s or so, in conjunction with opening the new Center for the Arts. Before that, VU's art, theatre, and music programs were spread around campus in those old, creaky buildings that you reference. So the art museum as now conceptualized represents a maturation of VU's contemporary commitment to the fine arts, not a nostalgic yearning for some day gone by.
So maybe it's not a "going out of business" sale, strictly speaking. But it creates a precedent for the future raiding of the most valuable pieces in its collection, which President Padilla more or less alluded to in slightly more diplomatic words in his announcement. A sudden sell-off of selected pieces would almost certainly end the museum's standing in the art world, knowing that its most valuable works could quickly be on the auction block, whenever necessary to make up for fundraising deficits.
The story shared by ValpoDiaspora about how faculty used the Brauer collection until a program closure and her departure for hopefully greener (fiscally and otherwise) pastures raises the connected question of how much a university can cut before waking up one day and seeing how diminished it has become. That, too, is an existential question about the worth of a university. That doesn't turn this art museum into the piece on which this all turns, but it's part of the equation.
Quote from: valpo95 on February 09, 2023, 03:08:37 PM
Perhaps the sale of three paintings is the right decision, especially if there is a true existential threat. Yet if that is true, we would not have yet another unforced error that gives the University a black eye. Instead, most people would say, "I'm sad to hear that these paintings might be sold. However, it is much more important to secure the future of our University. There is no other way, so reluctantly we say goodbye to these paintings, and are glad to see that they will remain on display at (insert big museum here)." Getting that consensus would take some time, and it would never satisfy 100% of the stakeholders. Yet it seems that the leadership made this decision without even consulting the key stakeholders! Of course they are mad!
If the university does sell the artworks, there is no guarantee another museum will purchase them. They could be bought by a private individual and be removed from access to public viewing.
After reading the article in the Post-Tribune (I did not see it in the Chicago Tribune), let me offer some observations. As I stated in my prior post, I am assuming that there are no written agreements between Valpo and the various parties (Brauer, Urschel, etc.) that the painting (or other paintings) cannot be sold. Best or preferred practices stated by some association or third party are meaningless unless written agreements signed by the university stated that the university would adhere to those practices.
1. Strategy involves tradeoffs and hard decisions. In prior posts, I was very critical of Valpo's strategic planning for several reasons - including (and perhaps most importantly) no visible attempt at prioritization (which involves hard decisions). This direction is a hard decision and seems correct when you consider the university's mission and the outcomes by which it measures itself. I don't deny that art may have instructional value in a number of liberal arts fields, but I strongly doubt it is millions of dollars in value (of course, this cannot be measured - but it must be considered). As I stated in a prior post, the choice is actually very simple: retain works of art worth $20M or fund necessary capital improvements that are needed to attract and retain students. Remember, this is not that the university is at parity with the dorms (and some other facilities, by the way)...it is at a disadvantage.
2. I was a student at Valpo in the early 80s. I am married to a Valpo alum. I have friends and some other family members who attended Valpo. I have had numerous types of engagement with the university during my professional careers - including teaching at the university. I have spoken to students in the Arts Center at Valpo. Despite all of this, the first time that I ever heard of the O'Keefe was in the prior post in this thread. Others in this thread argue that the painting (and other paintings) are an integral part of Valpo fulfilling its mission. As someone more closely affiliated with the university than most, I do not see that.
3. When I read the article, I was left wondering how the writer discovered the issue. If someone said, "I disagree and I am going to the media to disparage Valpo", I find that to be very immature. Frankly, I think that public comments from Brauer and Ruff are emotional (which is understandable) - but also lack emotional maturity. Raising their concerns to Padilla and the board, asking to have the name removed from the building, discontinuing all contributions, privately contacting other donors and stakeholders to gain support for their position are all valid and mature responses. But discussing your disagreement with the media comes off as "do what I want, or I will harm you publicly and as much as I can."
4. It is not Valpo's responsibility where the painting ends up. If it goes to a private collector because that realizes the highest price, then that is the best option for Valpo.
5. For those of you who say the O'Keefe and other paintings should not be sold, what is your proposed alternative to improve facilities that are vital to the student experience?
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on February 09, 2023, 03:04:39 PM
Yes, I went to the Brauer Museum! Back before the pandemic & layoffs, I took an upper level group of Theology and Chinese and Japanese Studies majors there. It was a course on East Asian Christianity, so the fantastic curator took us all thru the museum and the basement to see the Japanese and Korean Christian works along with some European and American Christian pieces, in comparative mode. SUPER cool experience for the students. Then the museum curator got laid off, and so I got notified of layoff too; the Museum was then shut a long time. Most the other faculty in Asian studies are gone too now, so I am not sure if anybody is still taking students to see those collections. But it was really a fantastic field trip, and actually a lot of students mentioned in their course evals that it was their favorite part of the whole course. Kind of ironic since of course I had really exerted myself so much on every other aspects of the course prep while the museum day was the easiest day ever for me, guided by the curator. But that was what the students loved and wrote about the most!
You may not remember but that curator was most likely Gloria Ruff, the wife of John Ruff, who is a wonderful person and extremely knowledgeable person. She was one of the staff who was cut by the university in the layoffs before President Padilla took office as president of VU.
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 09, 2023, 06:17:57 PM
After reading the article in the Post-Tribune (I did not see it in the Chicago Tribune), let me offer some observations. As I stated in my prior post, I am assuming that there are no written agreements between Valpo and the various parties (Brauer, Urschel, etc.) that the painting (or other paintings) cannot be sold. Best or preferred practices stated by some association or third party are meaningless unless written agreements signed by the university stated that the university would adhere to those practices.
1. Strategy involves tradeoffs and hard decisions. In prior posts, I was very critical of Valpo's strategic planning for several reasons - including (and perhaps most importantly) no visible attempt at prioritization (which involves hard decisions). This direction is a hard decision and seems correct when you consider the university's mission and the outcomes by which it measures itself. I don't deny that art may have instructional value in a number of liberal arts fields, but I strongly doubt it is millions of dollars in value (of course, this cannot be measured - but it must be considered). As I stated in a prior post, the choice is actually very simple: retain works of art worth $20M or fund necessary capital improvements that are needed to attract and retain students. Remember, this is not that the university is at parity with the dorms (and some other facilities, by the way)...it is at a disadvantage.
2. I was a student at Valpo in the early 80s. I am married to a Valpo alum. I have friends and some other family members who attended Valpo. I have had numerous types of engagement with the university during my professional careers - including teaching at the university. I have spoken to students in the Arts Center at Valpo. Despite all of this, the first time that I ever heard of the O'Keefe was in the prior post in this thread. Others in this thread argue that the painting (and other paintings) are an integral part of Valpo fulfilling its mission. As someone more closely affiliated with the university than most, I do not see that.
3. When I read the article, I was left wondering how the writer discovered the issue. If someone said, "I disagree and I am going to the media to disparage Valpo", I find that to be very immature. Frankly, I think that public comments from Brauer and Ruff are emotional (which is understandable) - but also lack emotional maturity. Raising their concerns to Padilla and the board, asking to have the name removed from the building, discontinuing all contributions, privately contacting other donors and stakeholders to gain support for their position are all valid and mature responses. But discussing your disagreement with the media comes off as "do what I want, or I will harm you publicly and as much as I can."
4. It is not Valpo's responsibility where the painting ends up. If it goes to a private collector because that realizes the highest price, then that is the best option for Valpo.
5. For those of you who say the O'Keefe and other paintings should not be sold, what is your proposed alternative to improve facilities that are vital to the student experience?
Well, on #5, if I was privy to the University budget and development activities, it's possible I might have some alternatives. Or, maybe I'd learn that VU has run bone dry on fundraising possibilities. But unless you know all the numbers, you really don't know......
As to the sale of $$$ paintings from the Brauer museum and the question of how those specific paintings relate to the University's mission, well, we could ask similar questions of other VU activities. I'd bet there are folks mad as hell about the Brauer decision who are asking if D1 basketball is an integral part of fulfilling VU's mission.
On whether a state-of-the-art residence hall is "vital" to the student experience, logically speaking, it's not -- or else we'd be talking about this being essential for every matriculated student. But given the high expectations of many young people, VU's residential living options definitely fall short of the competition. So....I will respectfully suggest that this residence hall is more vital to student recruitment than to the college experience. And since student recruitment is necessary to meet Mission #1, i.e., staying open, I do not take this lightly, even as I become the Old Guy shaking his head over some young folks' expectations.
I don't blame Brauer for talking publicly. It's the only chance he has to possibly reverse the decision. When internal university stories go public, it changes the dynamic. Plus he's seeing a lifetime of dedication -- for him, at the level of genuine mission -- now treated like an exchangeable commodity to help recruit young ones who expect fancy dorm rooms. That may be the sad reality in today's higher ed industry, but I'm sure this decision makes him feel pretty disposable as well. And universities that become dismissive towards their long-time core community members often become very much the same in substance, even as they try to tout their diminishing distinctive qualities.
Quote from: David81 on February 09, 2023, 09:59:48 PMI don't blame Brauer for talking publicly. It's the only chance he has to possibly reverse the decision. When internal university stories go public, it changes the dynamic. Plus he's seeing a lifetime of dedication -- for him, at the level of genuine mission -- now treated like an exchangeable commodity to help recruit young ones who expect fancy dorm rooms. That may be the sad reality in today's higher ed industry, but I'm sure this decision makes him feel pretty disposable as well. And universities that become dismissive towards their long-time core community members often become very much the same in substance, even as they try to tout their diminishing distinctive qualities.
(https://media.makeameme.org/created/lets-take-the-072c719d57.jpg)
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on February 09, 2023, 03:04:39 PM
Yes, I went to the Brauer Museum! Back before the pandemic & layoffs, I took an upper level group of Theology and Chinese and Japanese Studies majors there. It was a course on East Asian Christianity, so the fantastic curator took us all thru the museum and the basement to see the Japanese and Korean Christian works along with some European and American Christian pieces, in comparative mode. SUPER cool experience for the students. Then the museum curator got laid off, and so I got notified of layoff too; the Museum was then shut a long time. Most the other faculty in Asian studies are gone too now, so I am not sure if anybody is still taking students to see those collections. But it was really a fantastic field trip, and actually a lot of students mentioned in their course evals that it was their favorite part of the whole course. Kind of ironic since of course I had really exerted myself so much on every other aspects of the course prep while the museum day was the easiest day ever for me, guided by the curator. But that was what the students loved and wrote about the most!
I also went to the Brauer Museum a few times, in order to view the art on display. However, one of my favorite memories from my time at Valpo, was when the Miss USA pageant was being held in nearby Gary, IN in 2001, I believe. They had a dinner/event setup for the VUCA/Brauer Museum with all representatives/staff for the pageant and some Valpo personnel, that my friends and I somehow found out about in advance. I am not ashamed to admit that just before we knew that they would be locking the doors to outside folks, 4-5 of us hid out in one of the rooms, and stayed for the event. Surprisingly, no one kicked us out as we mingled with the contestants. We ended up with a group picture with the 4-5 of us dudes (only students inside the event), and the 50 reps from each state, and of course, I got a 1:1 with Miss Texas. The group picture remained my wallpaper for my Desktop for the rest of my college career lol. I really need to find those pictures at my parents house, as that is a really cool memory.
Pgmado, sure sounds like me/my friends, right? ;)
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 09, 2023, 06:17:57 PM
After reading the article in the Post-Tribune (I did not see it in the Chicago Tribune), let me offer some observations. As I stated in my prior post, I am assuming that there are no written agreements between Valpo and the various parties (Brauer, Urschel, etc.) that the painting (or other paintings) cannot be sold. Best or preferred practices stated by some association or third party are meaningless unless written agreements signed by the university stated that the university would adhere to those practices.
1. Strategy involves tradeoffs and hard decisions. In prior posts, I was very critical of Valpo's strategic planning for several reasons - including (and perhaps most importantly) no visible attempt at prioritization (which involves hard decisions). This direction is a hard decision and seems correct when you consider the university's mission and the outcomes by which it measures itself. I don't deny that art may have instructional value in a number of liberal arts fields, but I strongly doubt it is millions of dollars in value (of course, this cannot be measured - but it must be considered). As I stated in a prior post, the choice is actually very simple: retain works of art worth $20M or fund necessary capital improvements that are needed to attract and retain students. Remember, this is not that the university is at parity with the dorms (and some other facilities, by the way)...it is at a disadvantage.
2. I was a student at Valpo in the early 80s. I am married to a Valpo alum. I have friends and some other family members who attended Valpo. I have had numerous types of engagement with the university during my professional careers - including teaching at the university. I have spoken to students in the Arts Center at Valpo. Despite all of this, the first time that I ever heard of the O'Keeffe was in the prior post in this thread. Others in this thread argue that the painting (and other paintings) are an integral part of Valpo fulfilling its mission. As someone more closely affiliated with the university than most, I do not see that.
3. When I read the article, I was left wondering how the writer discovered the issue. If someone said, "I disagree and I am going to the media to disparage Valpo", I find that to be very immature. Frankly, I think that public comments from Brauer and Ruff are emotional (which is understandable) - but also lack emotional maturity. Raising their concerns to Padilla and the board, asking to have the name removed from the building, discontinuing all contributions, privately contacting other donors and stakeholders to gain support for their position are all valid and mature responses. But discussing your disagreement with the media comes off as "do what I want, or I will harm you publicly and as much as I can."
4. It is not Valpo's responsibility where the painting ends up. If it goes to a private collector because that realizes the highest price, then that is the best option for Valpo.
5. For those of you who say the O'Keeffe and other paintings should not be sold, what is your proposed alternative to improve facilities that are vital to the student experience?
I am in total agreement with 84 on this. The reaction--or over reaction--is filled with emotion which is understood. Nonetheless, it needs to be put in perspective. The Brauer is not closing. The thousands of pieces aren't being liquidated, the tours many seemed to enjoy and value will continue. Three pieces may not be there any longer but the tradeoff is perhaps necessary to keep Valpo relevant or perhaps to even survive.
None of us know what enrollment pressure exists at Valpo nor what perhaps a continuing steam of recruited students are saying when interviewed as to why they are enrolling elsewhere. As 84 stated..."what is your proposed alternative to improve facilities that are vital to the student experience?"
Quote from: valpopal on February 09, 2023, 03:36:32 PM
If the university does sell the artworks, there is no guarantee another museum will purchase them. They could be bought by a private individual and be removed from access to public viewing.
Agree 100%, I was going to comment further yet got pressed for time.
Quote from: vu72 on February 10, 2023, 09:04:16 AM
I am in total agreement with 84 on this. The reaction--or over reaction--is filled with emotion which is understood. Nonetheless, it needs to be put in perspective. The Brauer is not closing. The thousands of pieces aren't being liquidated, the tours many seemed to enjoy and value will continue. Three pieces may not be there any longer but the tradeoff is perhaps necessary to keep Valpo relevant or perhaps to even survive.
None of us know what enrollment pressure exists at Valpo nor what perhaps a continuing steam of recruited students are saying when interviewed as to why they are enrolling elsewhere. As 84 stated..."what is your proposed alternative to improve facilities that are vital to the student experience?"
This is a classic false argument. You begin by stating that "none of us knows" the scope or details of the situation, but then you ask for a solution, "what is your proposed alternative...?" You can't have it both ways. Also, even if you are correct that it is merely "three pieces," and there is still a museum, you could say those folks who suggest Valpo athletics drop from Division-1 (it's still the same sports) make the same point. Or how about VU play the rest of the season without Krikke, King, and Green: it's only three players. Finally, the limited scope of the sale doesn't make the move any less unethical and damaging to the university's reputation or less harmful in its relations with numerous loyal alums and devoted donors who have contributed greatly. In fact, because of the university's violation of protocols set by the Association of Art Museum Directors, other museums could refuse to cooperate with Valpo in touring exhibits or allowing works on loan to be exhibited, diminishing the overall quality of the museum.
Clearly strategy involves tradeoffs. If you read my posts on this, I have never said the paintings should never be sold in any circumstances.
What I keep coming back to is that the University has demonstrated a lack of leadership and vision. Off the top of my head, some failures include 1) A strategic plan (launched by President Heckler) to grow the university to 6,000 students. 2) A failure to monitor the Law School leading to a stumbling closure. 3) A ham-fisted mascot change. 4) Poor enrollment strategy, and turnover in enrollment leadership. Now, another black eye because there is seemingly a lack of trust from key individuals and donors to the Brauer.
To paraphrase John Kotter, the number one attribute of leadership is to create a sensible and appealing picture of the future state: I hope President Padilla can do so. Perhaps, a new first-year residence complex is a key part of that vision, yet the first time I heard about it was in the open letter that was an attempt to limit damage with the forthcoming Chicago Tribune article.
More generally, Kotter would also say that to make change, establishing a sense of urgency is the vital first step. This would involve making the status quo more dangerous than taking action. Some on this message board are convinced of the existential threat to the University, and they may be right. However, I doubt that most faculty, staff and alums have the same sense of urgency, nor is there a common vision of the future.
I hope the leadership can both raise the level of urgency to make changes, and provide an appealing vision of the future state.
The art sale situation has now made the headlines in the prestigious ART NEWS and prompted a joint statement against Valparaiso University by the four main associations governing museums.
About the ethical obligations of the university, the news article states:
"College and university art museums have a long and rich history of collecting, curating, and educating in a financially and ethically responsible manner on par with the world's most prestigious institutions," the groups wrote in a joint statement. "That a campus museum exists within the larger ecosystem of its parent educational institution does not exempt a university from acting ethically, nor permit them to ignore issues of public trust and use the museum's collections as disposable financial assets."
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/valparaiso-museum-art-sale-georgia-okeeffe-controversy-1234656869/ (https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/valparaiso-museum-art-sale-georgia-okeeffe-controversy-1234656869/)
Quote from: valpopal on February 10, 2023, 09:42:42 AM
Quote from: vu72 on February 10, 2023, 09:04:16 AM
I am in total agreement with 84 on this. The reaction--or over reaction--is filled with emotion which is understood. Nonetheless, it needs to be put in perspective. The Brauer is not closing. The thousands of pieces aren't being liquidated, the tours many seemed to enjoy and value will continue. Three pieces may not be there any longer but the tradeoff is perhaps necessary to keep Valpo relevant or perhaps to even survive.
None of us know what enrollment pressure exists at Valpo nor what perhaps a continuing steam of recruited students are saying when interviewed as to why they are enrolling elsewhere. As 84 stated..."what is your proposed alternative to improve facilities that are vital to the student experience?"
This is a classic false argument. You begin by stating that "none of us knows" the scope or details of the situation, but then you ask for a solution, "what is your proposed alternative...?" You can't have it both ways. Also, even if you are correct that it is merely "three pieces," and there is still a museum, you could say those folks who suggest Valpo athletics drop from Division-1 (it's still the same sports) make the same point. Or how about VU play the rest of the season without Krikke, King, and Green: it's only three players. Finally, the limited scope of the sale doesn't make the move any less unethical and damaging to the university's reputation or less harmful in its relations with numerous loyal alums and devoted donors who have contributed greatly. In fact, because of the university's violation of protocols set by the Association of Art Museum Directors, other museums could refuse to cooperate with Valpo in touring exhibits or allowing works on loan to be exhibited, diminishing the overall quality of the museum.
Do you know the extent of the scope? None of us (on this board) know but the Valpo Board and President do and as a result took a very big step, which in their, very educated mind, was required. Your comparison to three basketball players is silly and you know it. The Brauer wasn't known for only these three pieces. From my view it was better known as "the home of the largest collection of works by Junius R. Sloan (1827-1900), a Hudson River School painter who lived and worked in the Midwest. Other points of focus within the collection include world religious art and Midwestern regional art".(from the Brauer's home page)
The fact remains that this proposed action was determined as the best use of assets of the university. If you accept the fact that this, in the view of the board and president, is a necessary action, then we go back to the question: What alternative plan would you suggest? The status quo? Borrowing $20 million? (we have no idea if the Universities credit rating would even allow this) Your basketball analogy might better be put in this context--you are unhappy with the teams performance, the conference is about to boot us out but you have no suggestion as to what to do. There is a problem. How are you going to fix it?
It doesn't do the art any good to wait around and be liquidated in bankruptcy. This is a difficult decision, for sure, but is a wise use of assets to help ensure that there is a future for the school. The president is right, while a beautiful asset to have, the museum is not the center of the school's mission. Even art students could be well educated without the museum present on campus at all.
Quote from: vu72 on February 10, 2023, 11:37:33 AM
Do you know the extent of the scope? None of us (on this board) know but the Valpo Board and President do and as a result took a very big step, which in their, very educated mind, was required.... The fact remains that this proposed action was determined as the best use of assets of the university. If you accept the fact that this, in the view of the board and president, is a necessary action, then we go back to the question: What alternative plan would you suggest?
I have already agreed with you that none of us know the extent of the scope, but that is why it is disingenuous to ask for an alternative solution. You seem to place blind faith in Padilla and the Valpo Board. I do not. As Valpo95 recently noted, the administration has made a number of missteps in recent years. Additionally, from knowledge of the process in this situation, I agree with the accrediting associations and oversight organizations who have stated Valparaiso University is acting unethically in this matter. Consequently, even if there is agreement between us that the use of money from the art sale would benefit VU, I still object to the unethical manner in which the administration has proceeded and tainted the university's reputation.
I certainly agree that the messaging/transparency shown by the administration has been something south of bad. They are however between a rock and a hard place in that disclosing their study showing the immediate need for new freshman dorms, while seemingly distracted from academic urgencies, could lead some to question the entire viability of the university. It has led to all sorts of new questions that could have been avoided/mitigated by much better communication with stakeholders from the beginning.
These are not new dorms that are being created. They are updating and renovating current dorms which will become the primary dorms for freshman. Many of our dorms, especially for first years are old, falling apart, and woefully behind other institutions and are constant areas of complaint and frustration for students and staff. With low enrollment now is a good time to renovate because you have the space to do this all at once vs trying to do it bit by bit. WE have the space to move students around and get these done in a year: that is a good call.
Renovating dorms to meet peer standards was a part of the campus plan and what the selling of the paintings is planned to go towards.
Also, it seems weird to act like we are unsure of the extent of the crisis when we have seen program discontinuance and staff and faculty layoffs as well as a decrease in our bond ratings as well as perpetually hearing how cash strapped the university it and concerns that they don't have the desire of motivation to make bold decisions to move us forward.
Padilla in his own words has made it clear he believes the university is at a cross roads and needs to make changes.
I think there can be clear criticism of the way the sale might have been handled but the actual decision to sell to invest in current structures to help us meet the moment and try to provide things to our students that are no longer subpar or below seems a very valid and commendable thing to do.
For those who wonder about the ethical obligations of the university, here is a joint statement addressed to Valparaiso University by four prominent organizations, the American Association of Museum Directors, the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, and the Association of Art Museum Curators:
"College and university art museums have a long and rich history of collecting, curating, and educating in a financially and ethically responsible manner on par with the world's most prestigious institutions. That a campus museum exists within the larger ecosystem of its parent educational institution does not exempt a university from acting ethically, nor permit them to ignore issues of public trust and use the museum's collections as disposable financial assets."
Here are relevant recommendations by the College Art Association with guidelines for sale of artworks:
"Deaccessions may be made only for the purposes of future acquisitions. Deaccessions may be accomplished through sale, exchange, or donation with another public trust, repatriation, physical destruction, return to the donor, or any combination thereof. If a work is sold, the resulting income may be used to establish an acquisitions endowment or expendable-fund account for future art acquisitions; it may not be used to support costs such as operating expenses or building funds of the public trust."
"The governing body of a public trust, i.e., its board of directors or trustees, is ultimately responsible for deaccessions from collections that it oversees. That body may delegate to members of the organization's professional staff the authority to deaccession works. However, each person participating in deaccession decisions, regardless of her or his position within an organization's governance or management structure, is responsible for assuring that deaccessions are conducted in accordance with these policies."
Other ethical questions are raised by the secrecy and lack of candor by the university in the hiring of the new director of the museum, who was not informed of plans already in the works to sell the artworks. Neither were members of the search committee informed. (Indeed, all faculty and staff were kept in the dark and not consulted for advice, and a statement by Padilla was only forthcoming when the Tribune article was released.) Would the individual have accepted the position of director if aware of the situation, which he would likely deem unethical? In fact, he has refused to endorse the sale thus far, perhaps because his professional status would be compromised by such support.
Additionally, the plan seems to be to have a questionable private sale rather than an auction, which would normally result in higher sales income. Private sales are sometimes sought to avoid embarrassment during a public auction and open criticism from other university museums. Unfortunately, this process also could result in the paintings being removed from public view.
Richard Brauer, who is the most knowledgable individual about works in the museum, which is named after him, further asserts that the sale would violate the 1953 Sloan Trust Agreement under which the paintings were purchased.
We all would like to have a large sum of money available for use, but there are concerns about tarnishing the reputation of the university, alienating many loyal and generous individuals, breaking trust with a significant portion of the Valpo community, and causing damage from the resulting harmful publicity.
Quote from: valpopal on February 10, 2023, 01:11:46 PM
Quote from: vu72 on February 10, 2023, 11:37:33 AM
Do you know the extent of the scope? None of us (on this board) know but the Valpo Board and President do and as a result took a very big step, which in their, very educated mind, was required.... The fact remains that this proposed action was determined as the best use of assets of the university. If you accept the fact that this, in the view of the board and president, is a necessary action, then we go back to the question: What alternative plan would you suggest?
I have already agreed with you that none of us know the extent of the scope, but that is why it is disingenuous to ask for an alternative solution. You seem to place blind faith in Padilla and the Valpo Board. I do not. As Valpo95 recently noted, the administration has made a number of missteps in recent years. Additionally, from knowledge of the process in this situation, I agree with the accrediting associations and oversight organizations who have stated Valparaiso University is acting unethically in this matter. Consequently, even if there is agreement between us that the use of money from the art sale would benefit VU, I still object to the unethical manner in which the administration has proceeded and tainted the university's reputation.
My interest in individual works of art and their historical significance is nearly nonexistent; thus, whether the art in question hangs at Valpo or hangs somewhere else matters not to me. That said, a national university selling art pieces that it has been entrusted with for generations in order to generate cash has a pretty desperate feel to it. I thought that's what yard sales and pawn shops are for.
Quote from: wh on February 10, 2023, 07:51:59 PM
Quote from: valpopal on February 10, 2023, 01:11:46 PM
Quote from: vu72 on February 10, 2023, 11:37:33 AM
Do you know the extent of the scope? None of us (on this board) know but the Valpo Board and President do and as a result took a very big step, which in their, very educated mind, was required.... The fact remains that this proposed action was determined as the best use of assets of the university. If you accept the fact that this, in the view of the board and president, is a necessary action, then we go back to the question: What alternative plan would you suggest?
I have already agreed with you that none of us know the extent of the scope, but that is why it is disingenuous to ask for an alternative solution. You seem to place blind faith in Padilla and the Valpo Board. I do not. As Valpo95 recently noted, the administration has made a number of missteps in recent years. Additionally, from knowledge of the process in this situation, I agree with the accrediting associations and oversight organizations who have stated Valparaiso University is acting unethically in this matter. Consequently, even if there is agreement between us that the use of money from the art sale would benefit VU, I still object to the unethical manner in which the administration has proceeded and tainted the university's reputation.
My interest in individual works of art and their historical significance is nearly nonexistent; thus, whether the art in question hangs at Valpo or hangs somewhere else matters not to me. That said, a national university selling art pieces that it has been entrusted with for generations in order to generate cash has a pretty desperate feel to it. I thought that's what yard sales and pawn shops are for.
I'm afraid the actual existence of the University is a matter coming into question if these drastic measures are being planned.
How much actual time did St Joseph College in Rensselaer, Indiana have before their board of directors made the decision to close it's doors?
St. Joe's College solves $27M debt, saves closed campus in Rensselaer (jconline.com) (https://www.jconline.com/story/news/2018/09/20/st-joes-college-solves-27-m-debt-saves-closed-campus-rensselaer/1367819002/)
The extreme rationalizations in some of these posts are amazing. The university came to the conclusion that some infrastructure (dorms, etc.) are insufficient to compete with peer universities (i.e., universities that students choose to attend when they decide against Valpo). Note: non-competitive does not mean crumbling. The university then faced a strategic choice: 1. live with the non-competitive buildings, 2. raise money from donors...which would take years, 3. take out debt, 4. use assets that do not directly contribute to the mission of the university. This does not mean, in any way, that the university is facing its demise...it just means that they don't have assets that are liquid or can be easily liquidated to cover an immediate strategic need. And this is a responsible, albeit difficult, strategic decision.
A few other thoughts:
-Again, i am assuming that there are not written agreements that prevent the sale of art. That would dramatically change my arguments.
-Valpo should not care what a group of art museum associations think of Valpo's strategic directions. The motivation of everyone in those associations is the advancement of art, not the success of Valpo (or any university).
-One reason that I am confident that Valpo's financial situation is not dire is that the university has not claimed exigency. When a university is in a dire financial situation, it can claim exigency - which suspends policies like being unable to dismiss tenured faculty and allows some access to restricted endowment funds. Further, I have no knowledge that (short of exigency) Valpo approached donors associated with endowment funds to repurpose those funds.
-I realize that this is unlikely for a private university, but Valpo may want to stifle these rationalizations by more open disclosure of its financial situation. Valpo, like most (if not all) private universities, releases only high level reports in which little can be gleaned. The debt level and the obligations for how the debt is serviced, along with operating annual cash flow over the last several years, would provide a clear indication.
-I also feel that Valpo could have done a better job of getting out in front of this. Make an announcement, with clear rationale and clarification of the financial situation, prior to some other media report.
I think that the positive nature of this strategy decision is pretty clear. The greatest revenue sources, far and away, are tuition and related revenues from housing, etc. This is driven by the ability to get students and retain them. Valpo. like any business, needs to emphasize its resources and capabilities which yield advantages and eliminate areas in which it is disadvantaged. I have not seen the dorms, but I trust that the quality of housing for first and second year students is not competitive (note: not competitive does not equal crumbling). If students are choosing not to go to Valpo because of this, it needs to be fixed. Raising tuition is not feasible to fund the improvements and telling prospective students that "housing quality is not that important" would be an utter mistake.
Teaching at a university similar to VU in financing structure that recently went through its share of financial challenges, I see on this discussion thread the kind of speculation very similar to what our grapevine conversations were like during the most acute and difficult stages of our bloodletting.
FWIW, boards and central administrations can make panicked decisions in this mode. At my school, for example, many of us questioned whether certain cuts and program closures were necessary. Even without access to all financial data, some of the decisions seemed unwise. And within a year or two of the worst point of that crisis, our doubts were validated. In making this observation, I fully recognize the difficulty of making the right decisions at the right time. It's easier to make the wrong decisions at the wrong time.
My sense is that VU is not in danger of suddenly closing up shop, largely due to the earlier, very painful decisions already made. That may well have been the point of existential crisis at its worst. Indeed, it is noteworthy on this question that VU is not contemplating the sale of Brauer art works to cover everyday operating expenses, which -- aside from the merits of the decision itself -- is good (or at least better) news in the current context.
Also FWIW, debt service is a very common way of funding new residence halls. Dorms generate revenue through student housing fees. Also, this approach buys a school time to solicit donations, including naming opportunities.
Indeed bond funding seems to align best with dormitories for those reasons. The lump sump cash in to fund long-term steady payoff isn't usually a preferred move.
So, the dark question is fair.
Do they no longer have any borrowing capacity? Or is their credit rating low enough that the interest rates would be prohibitive (in this new 2023 rate scenario)? Long-term debit is approximately 6-7% vs. 3-4% and that is for good or excellent credit.
Such wild speculation on this board is not helping the situation and as someone who works in the business side of higher education I find it almost malicious. All this speculation about ethics and not one question about the ethics of holding an asset that has increased in value at least 166,666% (if I read correctly the O'Keeffe painting was purchased for less than $6,000 and I am assuming it to be worth at least $10,000,000). This would be like having a $10,000,000 endowment that never made a distribution! Would all those worried about VU academics feel better if the $20,000,000 from the sale of the paintings was used to establish 5 new endowed academic chairs? I believe that David81 is correct in saying
QuoteMy sense is that VU is not in danger of suddenly closing up shop, largely due to the earlier, very painful decisions already made. That may well have been the point of existential crisis at its worst. Indeed, it is noteworthy on this question that VU is not contemplating the sale of Brauer art works to cover everyday operating expenses, which -- aside from the merits of the decision itself -- is good (or at least better) news in the current context.
If you would review the data from NACUBO (National Association of College and University Business Officers) you could probably conclude that if VU is in danger of closing, then a VERY large number of smaller universities and colleges are in peril. While VU is still too dependent on tuition, we are not as dependent as MANY other colleges and universities. If the Valpo and other art communities wish for the paintings to remain in our museum then lets see how much money they can raise to make that happen.
Quote from: FWalum on February 11, 2023, 03:20:13 PM
Such wild speculation on this board is not helping the situation and as someone who works in the business side of higher education I find it almost malicious. All this speculation about ethics and not one question about the ethics of holding an asset that has increased in value at least 166,666% (if I read correctly the O'Keeffe painting was purchased for less than $6,000 and I am assuming it to be worth at least $10,000,000). This would be like having a $10,000,000 endowment that never made a distribution!
^^This^^
The art itself shall never lose its intrinsic value regardless who "owns" it. The sale of a VU "asset" for the purpose of the greater good of the university does not constitute a betrayal of the greater mission and values of the institution. It betrays the emotional needs of a narrow, vested group where possession is 9/10s of the arguement. On the contrary, it enables that institution as a whole to continue to pursue their stated mission and values.
Now, if the Brauer were the Louvre and possessed the Mona Lisa and millions of people came to Valparaiso from around the world and paid $30 bucks a head to view it, thus bringing millions annually into the university's coffers, and the BofT decided to sell it for a set price, say $10 million, for a quick, one-time hit, that would be an unethical abandonment of their fiduciary responsibility to the university.
Folks, let's keep our eyes on the big picture (pun definitely intended). A university is a business. Yes, there are intangibles that set it apart from the Amazons and Intels, but it's still a business that must maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace in which it resides.
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 11, 2023, 04:06:09 PM
Quote from: FWalum on February 11, 2023, 03:20:13 PM
Such wild speculation on this board is not helping the situation and as someone who works in the business side of higher education I find it almost malicious. All this speculation about ethics and not one question about the ethics of holding an asset that has increased in value at least 166,666% (if I read correctly the O'Keeffe painting was purchased for less than $6,000 and I am assuming it to be worth at least $10,000,000). This would be like having a $10,000,000 endowment that never made a distribution!
^^This^^
The art itself shall never lose its intrinsic value regardless who "owns" it. The sale of a VU "asset" for the purpose of the greater good of the university does not constitute a betrayal of the greater mission and values of the institution. It betrays the emotional needs of a narrow, vested group where possession is 9/10s of the arguement. On the contrary, it enables that institution as a whole to continue to pursue their stated mission and values.
Now, if the Brauer were the Louve and possessed the Mona Lisa and millions of people came to Valparaiso from around the world and paid $30 bucks a head to view it, thus bringing millions annually into the university's coffers, and the BofT decided to sell it for a set price, say $10 million, for a quick, one-time hit, that would be an unethical abandonment of their fiduciary responsibility to the university.
Folks, let's keep our eyes on the big picture (pun definitely intended). A university is a business. Yes, there are intangibles that set it apart from the Amazons and Intels, but it's still a business that must maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace in which it resides.
Honestly, I don't see a lot of "wild speculation here." In fact, I've read a lot of informed speculation that attempts to make up for the lack of hard numbers due to what's being shared or not shared with university constituencies. How much financial information to reveal is, of course, VU's choice. But when it comes to controversial decisions, less info shared = more speculation.
And I respectfully but strongly disagree that this is about "the emotional needs of a narrow, vested group." There are broader issues about what a university should value and protect that are captured in a decision like this. It is why national organizations representing the art world are so roundly critical of this announcement. If VU wants to be taken seriously as an institution of higher learning in important cultural circles, then these criticisms should not be taken lightly.
I confess that I feel much differently about this matter than I would've many years ago. I kid you not, my lowest grade at VU (by far) was in -- drum roll -- Art Appreciation! (The course fulfilled a fine arts distribution requirement, and let's just say that I had very little appreciation for art at the time. I've expanded my cultural horizons since then.) But as I've grown to appreciate what distinguishes VU from other, more standard-brand private universities, the integrity of this art museum and the symbolism behind this particular announcement become more significant to me.
So....am I saying that VU absolutely, positively shouldn't do this? Not quite. But the President's announcement did not persuade me that other viable options have been thoroughly vetted. And if they go ahead without spelling out more specifics to justify the decision, then the cost may be a lasting one in ways that some who are defending this as a necessary, "practical" decision could come to regret. This creates further precedent that there are no sacred cows (already messaged by the recent layoffs and program closures), signaling that anything is potentially on the chopping block to keep the ship afloat.
Since I am someone who published a couple books that included images of two of the paintings for sale as cover art, as well as a journal article chronicling the history of the O'Keeffe painting, I need to respond to comments that seem to misunderstand the productivity of the artworks, their continuing value for VU, and the history of their acquisition.
Some messages appear to give the impression the pieces just sit and gather dust. Actually, the O'Keeffe has reaped as much benefit for the university as a prime donor would. It has traveled the world and exhibited in the most prestigious museums, internationally and nationally, each time spreading word about VU and enhancing its reputation. It has been included in numerous publications—books, magazines, brochures, pamphlets—always crediting Valparaiso University. It has served in exchanges to bring other famous artworks to Valpo, and its stature has been cited for reasons various museums want their works displayed here. The O'Keeffe has earned its keep, easily producing millions of dollars of value in public relations and art exchanges, as has the museum as a whole.
Additionally, if you look online at the specs about the three artworks for sale, you will see that one was donated by Percy Sloan, and the other two were purchased through the Sloan Fund, which was endowed specifically for maintenance and expansion of the museum's art collection, not to be used to build or renovate a dorm. As much as all of us, myself included, would want to use the proceeds from the art for such a purpose, it clearly would be an unethical move. Since Valparaiso University recently established an endowed chair in ethics and is boasting about working further toward an ethics program on campus, this should be a concern of all.
The more we know, it seems, the more we don't know.
This is turning into a bowl of informational spaghetti. Maybe we all should just refrain from commenting until there is a more formal release of more substantive facts. Conjecture and speculation can twist things into some interesting contortions.
My suspicion, however, is that the kerfuffle over this will eventually blow over IF the end result is positive. That's the litmus test, and that, my friends, is in the future. In the meantime, what will be the actual impacts to the Brauer (can it no longer function as a center for the arts?), what will be the actual impacts to the campus (does the upgrade to facilities produce increases in enrollment?), and what will be the impacts to the University in general (is it considered a tanking institution or respected for innovative leadership?)? Big factor here is time.
Peace/out.
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 11, 2023, 07:54:03 PM
The more we know, it seems, the more we don't know.
This is turning into a bowl of informational spaghetti. Maybe we all should just refrain from commenting until there is a more formal release of more substantive facts. Conjecture and speculation can twist things into some interesting contortions.
My suspicion, however, is that the kerfuffle over this will eventually blow over IF the end result is positive. That's the litmus test, and that, my friends, is in the future. In the meantime, what will be the actual impacts to the Brauer (can it no longer function as a center for the arts?), what will be the actual impacts to the campus (does the upgrade to facilities produce increases in enrollment?), and what will be the impacts to the University in general (is it considered a tanking institution or respected for innovative leadership?)? Big factor here is time.
Peace/out.
You really are no fun today. Did you spill your cheese?
i hear ya. But I am probably just too simplistic. Regardless of the environment, if it involves revenue and expenses, (non)profit and loss, it's a business. Pure and simple, insufficient revenue, too many losses and you go outta bizniz no matter your mission, values or principles.
Quote from: David81 on February 11, 2023, 05:13:46 PMHonestly, I don't see a lot of "wild speculation here." In fact, I've read a lot of informed speculation that attempts to make up for the lack of hard numbers due to what's being shared or not shared with university constituencies. How much financial information to reveal is, of course, VU's choice. But when it comes to controversial decisions, less info shared = more speculation.
If there is a "lack" of information how can the speculation be termed as "informed"? All I have seen is uninformed speculation.
Here is information, some of which has already been said in this thread... Nearly every university in the country has taken measures to counter what some perceive to be a paradigm shift in higher education. Valparaiso, because it has a moderately sized endowment of approximately $350,000,000 with additional bequest gifts around $150,000,000, appears to be in better shape then many other institutions of our size.
This is wild speculationQuote from: valpo22 on February 11, 2023, 07:20:52 AM
If the university is in some desperation cycle towards closing, it shoudl be decided and communicated quickly, while there is still money to give staff and students time to find other jobs or discern where else to finish their studies. It all sounds pretty bad, looking at cutting academic programs and crumbling dorms and selling of donated assets. But I feel even worse about the cases in the news where colleges have just closed abruptly mid-year and then students end up scrambling to transfer. In some cases these places were recruiting students and faculty and doing construction right up until the announcement to close the doors, which is insane and so unfair to those freshmen or sophomores who went in good faith. Luckily, Valpo still has a hefty enough endowment (and enough art assets?) to pay for some years' of employees salaries to give them a couple cycles or academic year job market seasons and to teach out whatever current students there are. But it would be important to stop hiring some years in advance and to not accept applications for after year 202X.
Quote from: historyman on February 11, 2023, 03:23:38 AM
I'm afraid the actual existence of the University is a matter coming into question if these drastic measures are being planned.
How much actual time did St Joseph College in Rensselaer, Indiana have before their board of directors made the decision to close it's doors?
Don't get me wrong, I am a business person working to fund higher education who would love it if the hard decisions about university assets did not have to be made. I would love it if VU could keep these paintings!
Until this week I had no idea that the Brauer Museum had such a stellar national and even international reputation. It appears that it was one of the things VU has hidden under a bushel. The O'Keeffe painting probably has produced some revenue for VU, but unless we are getting over $500,000 per year for it to be displayed in other museums then it is underperforming. Does the revenue received from the loaning of paintings go back to the general fund of VU or does it stay in the budget of the museum? It would be unethical to put a $15,000,000 endowment into a standard savings account earning 3.5% interest yet it seems it is uber ethical to hold a painting of the same value that has had little if any effect on the admission and retention of students to VU.
There is more and more discussion among those involved in university development about the ethics of holding assets that do little to support the real mission of higher education. It is ironic to think that these 3 paintings have garnered more attention, albeit negative attention, to the general population and potential future students than at any time during their possession by VU.
Quote from: FWalum on February 12, 2023, 01:14:18 AM
There is more and more discussion among those involved in university development about the ethics of holding assets that do little to support the real mission of higher education. It is ironic to think that these 3 paintings have garnered more attention, albeit negative attention, to the general population and potential future students than at any time during their possession by VU.
FWalum, we may differ on what constitutes the "real mission of higher education." I see it as multifaceted, encompassing both the liberal arts and vocational preparation. It also reaches beyond the immediate student body and engages the broader community, both geographically and -- as in here -- specific cultural, civic, and business communities.
But my viewpoint is hardly exclusive, and it concededly has trouble wrapping itself around the notion that prospective students might regard the availability of fancier housing options as potential deal makers/breakers in choosing a college. Not long ago, it was more or less assumed that if residence hall options included a serviceable bed, desk, and indoor plumbing in a safe environment, that checked the box and the rest was about what the school could do for you outside of your dorm room.
Visit some of the elite universities in Europe, and you'll see what I mean. Over the years, I've attended summer school sessions at both (as an adult, continuing ed student). Many residence halls and facilities in places like Oxford and Cambridge are pretty old and plain. Some are living, breathing examples of deferred maintenance.
So yeah, fancy dorms aren't a part of how I regard the real mission of higher ed. But I understand that I'm running contrary to consumer expectations these days. And those expectations are driving up the costs of American higher ed relentlessly and prompting unfortunate decisions like the present one.
ValpoDiaspora - While you bring a lot of wisdom and deep thought to these discussions, I do not think that your parable is applicable to this argument. The quality of the wine is central to the continued success of the vineyard and any steps to reduce quality are likely to lead to the demise of the vineyard. The art is not central to the continued success of Valpo, since being a high quality art museum is not central to the university's mission. Again, my wife and I are closer to the university than most and I have had countless engagements with the university...and we never knew the O'Keefe and other million dollar plus paintings existed. Further (back to your parable and to David81's points), prospective students and their families are using housing as a primary factor in choosing where to attend - just like people choose to buy wine based on quality.
Some have raised points frequently raised by some in academia that universities are not businesses. I disagree for the reasons raised by VULB#62 and others. I will add that the arguments that universities are not a business are usually accompanied by an assumption that some resource or program cannot be valued...and thus it has infinite value. I really feel for Brauer, Ruff and valpopal (see the prior post) as they have invested significant portions of their time and attention to the artwork. But good strategic leadership must look forward and consider maximizing the return from assets.
For those who commented they had been unaware of the O'Keeffe painting:
It feels like Valpo, among many other colleges are clearly in both a "batten down the hatches" mode in regards to anticipating some time with low enrollment and some difficult times ahead in the Higher Ed Landscape. However, they also seem to clearly be assessing what their immediate needs will be to either help shore up the university now and will be helpful in the future. In the past year I have seen articles about multiple colleges and universities making cuts and eliminating programs/faculty. Indiana State has just announced cuts to programs, DePauw dipped into their endowment to do a large buyout of faculty. I have heard that the actual physical campus of many Concordia Campuses are struggling and have seen a lot of anger from many Music Alums from the Mequon Campus due to an elimination of a short term semester that was often utilized for trips and other music based events. Things change for many reasons and there are future and current students/faculty/staff that must be factored in, even if things anger donors or other alums.
In that light, something like the paintings probably seem like a really nice thing to have but not a necessity and so their value in helping the university move more quickly in aiding in the near term may seem more important.
Do I like it. No. Does it seem like it might be hard to pass up an opportunity to complete a dorm renovation that is viewed as a high need item without either 1. asking donors who you are most likely already looking to help fund the new arena and new nursing school or who just came up big for the endowment drive or 2. having to take out more bonds at a time of high interest rates? Plus the ability to get moving on the project now vs two years later? Yes.
Quote from: historyman on February 11, 2023, 03:38:29 AM
St. Joe's College solves $27M debt, saves closed campus in Rensselaer (jconline.com) (https://www.jconline.com/story/news/2018/09/20/st-joes-college-solves-27-m-debt-saves-closed-campus-rensselaer/1367819002/)
Thanks for sharing! I didn't know that they were able to save the school in any form. Even though it is not the same, it is good to know that the school still exists, and has been offering classes in Rensselaer again, even though it is just certificate programs and Associate degrees. I always enjoyed our VU Baseball games on their campus, and played with several of their team during my college summers in Indiana:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph's_College_(Indiana)
https://www.saintjoe.edu/
ValpoDiaspora - As usual, you bring a highly intelligent and carefully considered perspective.
It is important to clarify what is meant by Valpo being a business. Fundamentally, this means that revenues need to equal or exceed expenses in the short and long term. You correctly assert that many companies fail because of their excessive short term perspective, and that is not what I (nor, I believe, the university) is advocating. But I will also caution that the knee jerk reaction to this is to only consider the long term...which can create a snowball effect from continued shortages that ultimately puts long term performance at risk.
Universities are a different kind of business and, thus, it is important to consider the outcomes associated with that business - which should be related to both its mission and revenues that are necessary to cover expenses. Primary outcomes by which Valpo, and most universities, should measure itself: new student enrollment, discount rate, first-year student retention; four and six year graduation rates; percentage of students who, within six months of graduation, get placed in jobs in their desired careers or begin graduate school or begin military service; starting salaries for new graduates. Obviously, it would be great to measure more intangible outcomes (e.g., long term career success, happiness), but these are nearly impossible to measure (but should be given some, though not excessive, consideration). Donations is another important outcome to consider, but there are many exogenous factors that influence donations. Investment decisions, which are difficult to make - but important for any strategy, must be prioritized towards those outcomes. These investment decisions also need to take a longer term perspective, otherwise a university (like any business) is constantly reacting (lots of research data shows that reactive leaders and organizations underperform). This is the fundamental premise of my strong feelings regarding selling highly valuable artwork...it does not meaningfully contribute to these outcomes.
In my current position (at another university), I have seen a lot of this "a university is not a business" behavior from some groups within the university. Their argument ultimately becomes, "everything needs to be fair". My college (professional) within the university felt that it needed a new building and other substantial improvements to be competitive versus other colleges in the profession. So we, specifically our Dean, raised almost $100 million from alums, companies, etc. to provide all funding for the new building, program improvements, etc. The reaction from the people who say "a university is not a business" was that it was not fair that we got a new building and they did not...and that they should get 50% of the classes offered in the new building (this was ultimately rejected). On top of this, our college's revenues exceed expenses - but we are 'taxed' by the university to maintain the financial viability of other colleges (specifically, liberal arts). We recognize their value and want them to succeed, so that 'tax' is appropriate (within reason, but not so much that it reduces motivation to start new program) - but those colleges also need to take steps to shore up their business (again, versus the outcomes listed above). Bottom line here is that colleges need to behave more like businesses, rather than just relying on the university to dole out resources in a fair manner.
A last point regarding a university being a business: it needs to proactively respond to trends associated with the economy, behaviors, demographics, etc. I do think that liberal arts is important to a meaningful career and life. I have a professional degree from Valpo, but I would argue that a liberal arts class was the most impacting on my prior career (never imagined at the time it would be). I also hired Valpo grads for other groups within my prior employer and the consistent differentiator cited by their managers was that Valpo grads have excellent written and verbal communications skills. But a university needs to respond to trends with a long term orientation. Most families are making investment decisions regarding attending colleges based on return. Even if a university thinks this might not be in the student's best interest, it cannot change how parents and prospective students think. A major strategic flaw would be for a university to make investment decisions solely based on what they believe is good for the student....many businesses fail when they make that rationalization.
As someone who lived outside of Kansas City for five years, I enjoyed the Super Bowl very much.
Beginning in 2025 the number of high school graduates will begin to decline, a trend that demographic experts expect will last until 2037, and is expected to be more pronounced in the midwest. I've seen various projections about the decline but most fall in the 10-15% range.
VU's freshman dorms are simply not on par with most of our peer institutions.* I don't think it is crazy to think this is costing us students - which we can't afford, especially when 2025 rolls around.
* If anyone doubts me on this last point, check out Irvington House or ResCo at Butler and then tell me what you think.
The administration wants to raise funds to build a new nursing building - which is needed - and a new basketball arena - which makes sense if we want to be competitive in D1.
There is only so much money VU can raise.
The funding, not to mention construction, for the nursing and athletic buildings will likely take years.
The dorms needed to be renovated 20 years ago.
What other choices does the administration have? And can we really blame them for making the decision they have apparently made?
Paul
Here is an example that displays why some high school students have high expectations for college facilities:
[tweet]1624179294627848194[/tweet]
Quote from: David81 on February 12, 2023, 09:37:56 AMFWalum, we may differ on what constitutes the "real mission of higher education." I see it as multifaceted, encompassing both the liberal arts and vocational preparation. It also reaches beyond the immediate student body and engages the broader community, both geographically and -- as in here -- specific cultural, civic, and business communities.
But my viewpoint is hardly exclusive, and it concededly has trouble wrapping itself around the notion that prospective students might regard the availability of fancier housing options as potential deal makers/breakers in choosing a college. Not long ago, it was more or less assumed that if residence hall options included a serviceable bed, desk, and indoor plumbing in a safe environment, that checked the box and the rest was about what the school could do for you outside of your dorm room.
Visit some of the elite universities in Europe, and you'll see what I mean. Over the years, I've attended summer school sessions at both (as an adult, continuing ed student). Many residence halls and facilities in places like Oxford and Cambridge are pretty old and plain. Some are living, breathing examples of deferred maintenance.
So yeah, fancy dorms aren't a part of how I regard the real mission of higher ed. But I understand that I'm running contrary to consumer expectations these days. And those expectations are driving up the costs of American higher ed relentlessly and prompting unfortunate decisions like the present one.
You and I think very much alike in how we wish things
could/should be. I have recently been brought into a church related higher ed institution to help them on the "reality or business" side. We wish for things, but now I have to help them figure out the reality of finding dollars for that "wishlist" while continuing day to day operations.
Quote from: 78crusader on February 13, 2023, 12:51:08 PM
Beginning in 2025 the number of high school graduates will begin to decline, a trend that demographic experts expect will last until 2037, and is expected to be more pronounced in the midwest. I've seen various projections about the decline but most fall in the 10-15% range.
VU's freshman dorms are simply not on par with most of our peer institutions.* I don't think it is crazy to think this is costing us students - which we can't afford, especially when 2025 rolls around.
* If anyone doubts me on this last point, check out Irvington House or ResCo at Butler and then tell me what you think.
The administration wants to raise funds to build a new nursing building - which is needed - and a new basketball arena - which makes sense if we want to be competitive in D1.
There is only so much money VU can raise.
The funding, not to mention construction, for the nursing and athletic buildings will likely take years.
The dorms needed to be renovated 20 years ago.
What other choices does the administration have? And can we really blame them for making the decision they have apparently made?
Paul
I basically agree with your premises, and I see the attractiveness of the proposal, but I would especially expect you to understand the troubling aspect of engaging in an act that your peer professional credentialing or oversight organizations declare unethical. In this case, the American Association of Museum Directors, the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, and the Association of Art Museum Curators already have issued a joint statement against Valparaiso University.
Also, among the backlash from selling the artworks, I can assure you it is going to be even more difficult to get the Valparaiso community behind funding a basketball arena.
Jim Collins writes in "Good to Great" that truly great organizations know 1) What they can be best in the world at 2) What they can be deeply passionate about and 3) What drives their economic engine. The great organizations do (or at least try to do) all three at the same time.
For universities, there is a lot more leeway to point #1 as excellence in education and scholarship can come in many forms - schools like Valpo, Drake and Butler are not directly competing against MIT, Carnegie Mellon or Northwestern in all respects. At least when I was at Valpo, there were many faculty who were very passionate and committed to excellence in the classroom, which made for an excellent undergraduate experience. The economic engine (point #3) is no less vital - That is the reason that Valpo has had to cut some programs like Theatre, Secondary Education and Asian Studies - these were seemingly well-respected programs, yet did not have enough students in them to support the costs of the programs.
So, one piece of good news is the growth in the Nursing program - Valpo is well-positioned to have an excellent Nursing program that serves the region. A growing program can more easily attract both faculty and students who are passionate about health sciences. Finally, this can drive the economic engine of the University.
Quote from: valpopal on February 13, 2023, 01:32:50 PM
Here is an example that displays why some high school students have high expectations for college facilities:
[tweet]1624179294627848194[/tweet]
The Greyhounds are at 5,400 students.
Ben Davis = 2,956
Warren Central = 3,821
Center Grove = 2,754
Pike Township = 3,392
North Central = 3,754
Portage = 2,443
Valparaiso = 2,054
Lake Central = 3,344
Lawrence North = 2,754
Crown Point = 2,784
Lawrence Central = 2,300
Franklin Central = 3,064
Decatur Central = 1,845
Penn = 3,877
Fishers = 3,689
Evansville Harwood Prep = 3,414
Hamilton Southeastern = 3,405
Elkhart = 3,262
Avon = 3,201
Noblesville = 3,116
Brownsburg = 2,886
Westfield = 2,527
Indiana Connections Academy (Charter) = 6,687
valpopal - As I stated in a prior post, to what degree should Valpo consider the opinions of four art museum associations when making decisions regarding strategies and priorities? Their mission is completely different than Valpo's mission. However, you do make a good point about how using long-held assets may make it more difficult to gain community acceptance to invest in capital spending that is not directly related to Valpo's core misson (i.e., basketball stadium). Still, most of those people probably would not accept capital spending on sports regardless of whether art is sold.
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 13, 2023, 03:53:55 PM
valpopal - As I stated in a prior post, to what degree should Valpo consider the opinions of four art museum associations when making decisions regarding strategies and priorities?
Those associations have the power to sanction Valparaiso University, instructing its members not to loan work to or collaborate with the Brauer Museum in the future.
It will be interesting to see Padilla build support for a sports facility (also not a core mission venture) while cashing in some major works of art. But I hope he can do it. I am convinced there are intangible brand benefits in D-1 basketball. But you need to generate a direct net operating gain in your flagship sport. And the giving for sports needs to come from donors whose VU interest is highest in sports.
Quote from: valpopal on February 13, 2023, 01:32:50 PM
Here is an example that displays why some high school students have high expectations for college facilities:
[tweet]1624179294627848194[/tweet]
I wanna go back in time (chronologically - me only) move to Indiana right now, and go there!
Seriously, Pal, you've quite accurately characterized what a small private university is up against. To paraphrase: "When you've seen the big city lights, why would you go back to the farm?"
And in many respects, despite having some super things to offer young people, there are some eye candy things we just can't approach. David81 alluded to European classic universities and how basic their facilities are, which is true, but one has to also recognize where prospective students come from and the expectations they bring with them. There is no "Carmel HS "anywhere in Europe, but there are plenty of them to varying degree and size here in every state - and new ones being built regularly.
Quote from: valpopal on February 13, 2023, 04:23:59 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 13, 2023, 03:53:55 PM
valpopal - As I stated in a prior post, to what degree should Valpo consider the opinions of four art museum associations when making decisions regarding strategies and priorities?
Those associations have the power to sanction Valparaiso University, instructing its members not to loan work to or collaborate with the Brauer Museum in the future.
OK, but I don't see how that is worth $20M (or anything close to that) for the university.
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 13, 2023, 04:47:13 PM
Quote from: valpopal on February 13, 2023, 04:23:59 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 13, 2023, 03:53:55 PM
valpopal - As I stated in a prior post, to what degree should Valpo consider the opinions of four art museum associations when making decisions regarding strategies and priorities?
Those associations have the power to sanction Valparaiso University, instructing its members not to loan work to or collaborate with the Brauer Museum in the future.
OK, but I don't see how that is worth $20M (or anything close to that) for the university.
I fully understand that opinion, but it also reminds me of a variation on an old joke. VU: "What kind of an institution do you think we are?" Answer: "We've already established that. Now we're just haggling over the price." ::)
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on February 13, 2023, 01:22:33 PM
Hi VU 84v2!
Thanks for your response.
Yes, I am convinced by your point made here and before on this board that the liberal arts departments and colleges need to 'step up' and be more financially responsible for ourselves! I agree it is unfair for to be a perpetual tax and drag on other units of the university. I'm still early-career but I am committed to doing the work of student-recruitment and grant-seeking and job-connecting for students in order to keep helping my department move towards self-sufficiency and to make sure that students are set up for viable careers after they leave our programs.
I guess what I am trying to figure out is how to get the financial-responsibility piece of business without the extractive or race-to-the-bottom culture of it. Granted, I saw mainly the old administration (so don't take this as a characterization of the current Valpo which I imagine is turning a new page!). But so often the business talk went hand in hand with a justification of low performance. The then-Dean was not too keen on the life-of-the-mind stuff -- and probably understandably, for all the valid reasons you've cited about the life of the mind not paying its own bills! But instead Arstci/uni sometimes seemed to settle for a wholly reductive picture of education as merely transactional, faculty as merely labor, and students as merely consumers: faculty are "a dime a dozen" so the institution is justified in paying low salaries and not really have to worry about retaining them; students are not really thinking beings but consumers guided by purchase price, so you might as well keep tuition high or they "won't value what they're getting"; etc. Obviously, there are a lot of folk at Valpo who DO care about continuity in program development and education in the transformational sense, but the administrator business-speak was disturbing to me. There are some things that administrators should not say out loud, and ideally not even think... or else the school-business can descend into extracting as much labor from staff and as much tuition from students as possible, with no leaven in the bread. Where in that is the quest for quality and excellence that any institution [whether innovative business? or thought-provoking school? or both?] needs to run? So maybe it is less the structural responsibilities of business and more a culture of fiscal extraction that I'm worried about? This is not just Valpo, but a whole higher ed thing, and I don't imagine my current institution (though richer) is impervious to this over the long haul. I want US higher ed to stay functional and meaningful for another 30 years.
On a happy note, I saw that the Lilly Fellows Program is committing $2,000 a year to encourage two Valpo undergrads to ponder questions of faith and reason. This is a nice move: http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_c00968f0-a309-11ed-888e-ff5281db6283.html?fbclid=IwAR1xUC3lKGACpKy8guyyMiHGb7YlpbHgxzfU9XRtwZX9dFODEeI-k8Gj-yg
Since 1994, I've taught at a law school that has been so heavily "taxed" at times by the parent university that the impact has severely limited our programmatic potential and financial aid and caused our specialized accreditors (American Bar Association and Association of American Law Schools) to express alarm after site visits about how much money has been drained from us. During my early years at this school, the tax was as high as 40% of tuition revenue, so much of which was given to the College of Arts & Sciences that it started to appear on one of the "best value" lists by a popular college guidebook! In the meantime, those who occupied the Dean's position in Arts & Sciences accomplished little in terms of significant fundraising. I used to quip that they couldn't (or wouldn't) raise a quarter if you spotted them a dime.
So, I do hear what vu84v2 is saying about professional schools picking up the tab for the liberal arts. However, such tax systems are common at universities where there are successful professional schools. The question is when does it become too much, and when does the tax become a disincentive for senior admins in the liberal arts and for the University central admin to do their share of fundraising? FWIW, each of VU's past three Presidents has led successful fundraising campaigns. I don't know enough to assess how the efforts of Deans of VU's College of Arts & Science have contributed to those campaigns and other fundraising initiatives.
Again, when it comes to fundraising, we need to keep in mind where VU has come from: In its post-war era, the VU Board gave the OK to a
student group to raise money for a new engineering building, as recalled by Paul Oren in this Victory Bell piece:
https://www.thevictorybell.com/p/venture-of-flames
(https://www.thevictorybell.com/p/venture-of-flames)
Quote from: David81 on February 13, 2023, 05:33:44 PMI don't know enough to assess how the efforts of Deans of VU's College of Arts & Science have contributed to those campaigns and other fundraising initiatives.
I don't think there were "Deans" but rather one Dean of Arts and Sciences--Jon Kilpinen, who was dean for 16 years until last August when he left to become Provost at Black Hill s State University. A permanent dean has yet to be named.
The going rate for the tax placed on professional colleges by the university seems to be 40% of tuition. That is the same number that I have heard at other schools. This is an extraordinary burden, especially for graduate programs in the professional colleges (since graduate students in professional colleges like law or business don't take any liberal arts classes). Imagine developing a business plan to support a new program, in which you estimate revenues and expenses over the next 5-10 years for the program...and you need to include an expense of 40% of tuition. There is no way to make the business model work and thus many promising programs are discarded. When people in universities say "a university is not a business", some it if (frankly) comes from the substantial benefit they get (via subsidies) from it not being considered a business.
It is interesting (and probably positive) that Valpo's provost is not from Arts & Sciences or another college that needs substantial subsidies. Eric Johnson is from Engineering.
Quote from: valpopal on February 13, 2023, 04:23:59 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 13, 2023, 03:53:55 PM
valpopal - As I stated in a prior post, to what degree should Valpo consider the opinions of four art museum associations when making decisions regarding strategies and priorities?
Those associations have the power to sanction Valparaiso University, instructing its members not to loan work to or collaborate with the Brauer Museum in the future.
I mean no disrespect and would prefer that VU not feel that this action is necessary, but I don't see how sanctions or collaborations from or with these groups significantly impacts the university. I conceded that the negative publicity they have generated has certainly cast a pall over VU, have they expended as much energy in the past to promote the Brauer Museum? I have no knowledge of the financials, but I would have to believe that the Brauer Museum does not generate significant income for VU. Is the art community outside of alumni a significant donor base for VU? I tried to find videos featuring O'Keefe and the painting and was able to view several, but the painting was never attributed to VU other than the PBS video that was posted. Would the average art "person" know that VU has this piece and be inclined to donate something for its preservation? How much does the museum get for loaning out a painting and to what budget does that money go to? Are donations to the museum considered donations to VU or strictly to the museum?
Quote from: vu72 on February 14, 2023, 08:04:56 AM
Quote from: David81 on February 13, 2023, 05:33:44 PMI don't know enough to assess how the efforts of Deans of VU's College of Arts & Science have contributed to those campaigns and other fundraising initiatives.
I don't think there were "Deans" but rather one Dean of Arts and Sciences--Jon Kilpinen, who was dean for 16 years until last August when he left to become Provost at Black Hill s State University. A permanent dean has yet to be named.
vu72, I assumed that during the presidencies of Schnabel, Harre, and Heckler referenced in my comment, there was more than one person who occupied the deanship of CAS. Hence, "Deans." ;)
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on February 14, 2023, 09:03:51 AM
I really appreciate all your insights about the unsustainability of the subsidy system. Does anybody know (I don't have the memory nor have studied past decades or centuries of higher ed to have any sense of it) how the liberal arts and art museums were sustainable in the past? When we think of college life of yore when things seemed to work better (like 19th and 20th century).. were the liberal arts units somehow self-sustaining at that point? If so, how?
The optimistic part of me wants to think that liberal arts colleges and comprehensive universities used to be sustainable, and could be again if liberal arts folk could get their/our act together in demonstrating to prospective parents and students that the liberal arts are actually valuable for the kind of society we want to live in, and if administrators navigate wisely the desirability elements of the modern education industry where (whether one likes it or not) people's willingness to pay for private liberal arts education is largely tied to perceptions of prestige and the institution's ability to deliver on personalized attention and an experience of intellectual levity with students.... thus the experience of elite/private education being itself a sort of crucial 'asset' to safeguard or at least not throw away too easily. It's an uphill road for the liberal arts units to get the right combo of savvy and winsomeness, but if it existed in the past then hopefully there's a way...
On the other hand, the pessimistic part of me wonders if the 19th and 20th century liberal arts institutions actually were NEVER self sufficient, and perhaps the only functioned because many of them were operating on or selling unethical assets (I know many private universities relied on slave labor or sale of slaves for cash windfalls, or land-grant public universities got built up and ran for a long time on tremendously lucrative proceeds from the sale of land taken from Native Americans, etc). So what if now all the lateral efforts to prop up the liberal arts (selling campus assets, taxing the professional schools) is just an effort to back-and-fill for a system that only ever worked on exploitation? That's a depressing thought! Maybe all the critics of Western education (Willie Jennings etc) are right that the whole system was pretty shot-thru with exploitation and we shouldn't be so surprised that the liberal arts rely still today on taking others' resources.
What do you think? Is your sense that the liberal arts are not self-sustaining now because they never were in the past either? Or can somebody explain how universities used to be able to maintain English and Philosophy History and Theology/Religion departments?
Those of us discussing the liberal arts subsidy that occurs at many universities with lucrative professional schools may have strayed off into a tangent. In VU's case, it's not clear how much money, if at all, the Engineering and perhaps Business are being taxed to support Arts & Sciences.
To Diaspora's point re sources of exploitation for the liberal arts....as for VU back in the day, the exploitation or taxing occurring was likely on the backs of full-time faculty in all of the schools who carried herculean teaching loads for extremely modest pay, with scant time to do research and writing leading to publication. Valpo's reputation as a solid academic institution was built on their labor, even as they sacrificed the individual recognition that can come with noteworthy scholarship.
(As a side note, I should add that it's highly unlikely that the Law School was being taxed, either. In fact, it's more likely that keeping the Law School open would've required heavily taxing other University units, which is the more probable explanation for the Board's decision to shut it down.)
Quote from: FWalum on February 14, 2023, 12:30:07 PM
Quote from: valpopal on February 13, 2023, 04:23:59 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 13, 2023, 03:53:55 PM
valpopal - As I stated in a prior post, to what degree should Valpo consider the opinions of four art museum associations when making decisions regarding strategies and priorities?
Those associations have the power to sanction Valparaiso University, instructing its members not to loan work to or collaborate with the Brauer Museum in the future.
I mean no disrespect and would prefer that VU not feel that this action is necessary, but I don't see how sanctions or collaborations from or with these groups significantly impacts the university. I conceded that the negative publicity they have generated has certainly cast a pall over VU, have they expended as much energy in the past to promote the Brauer Museum? I have no knowledge of the financials, but I would have to believe that the Brauer Museum does not generate significant income for VU. Is the art community outside of alumni a significant donor base for VU? I tried to find videos featuring O'Keefe and the painting and was able to view several, but the painting was never attributed to VU other than the PBS video that was posted. Would the average art "person" know that VU has this piece and be inclined to donate something for its preservation? How much does the museum get for loaning out a painting and to what budget does that money go to? Are donations to the museum considered donations to VU or strictly to the museum?
The sanctions would mean that all member museums would be expected to refuse loans or exchange arrangements with the Brauer Museum for its unethical action, leaving only permanent art collection holdings for display and eliminating all special exhibitions that occur throughout the year. Donated works would dry up because of the uncertainty and lack of trust this would create. Donated funds would diminish because that income is intended specifically for artworks and maintenance, not to be looted by the university for dorm renovation. Imagine a law school or a business school or a nursing school sanctioned for ethical infractions. Also, it would be like the NCAA refusing to allow other teams to compete against Valpo; therefore, VU must resort to playing intramural teams.
The community that donates to art, especially Friends of Art, contributes quite a bit to enlarging and enhancing the VU art collection, which started from modest beginnings and now includes more than 5,000 pieces. Additionally, the museum itself was the result of a donation, which stipulated it must be named after Richard Brauer.
The O'Keeffe painting is famous worldwide, and as Gregg Hertzlieb says in the video, if it were loaned to every national or international museum in the world that wants it, the work would be on tour 52 weeks of the year. I can't speak specifics about the income of the museum; however, when you consider just the three paintings considered for sale are worth at least $20 million, and then extrapolate the value of the entire collection, you can guess that the museum might be a top candidate as among the best managed and most valuable assets on campus.
On another level, the schism created in the Valparaiso community and damage to VU's reputation likely will be even greater than that caused by the Crusader debacle. The following article is from
Indiana Economic Digest:
https://indianaeconomicdigest.net/Content/Default/Major-Indiana-News/Article/Art-museum-and-Valparaiso-University-communities-react-to-art-sale-for-dorm-improvements/-3/5308/113370 (https://indianaeconomicdigest.net/Content/Default/Major-Indiana-News/Article/Art-museum-and-Valparaiso-University-communities-react-to-art-sale-for-dorm-improvements/-3/5308/113370)
The tax is not that much of a tangent, to be honest. First, I am highly confident that engineering and business, and possibly nursing, are being taxed at Valpo. Law, in its later years, was probably not - the intention was to sustain it and use funds from elsewhere in the university to keep it afloat.
As stated in my prior posts, taxing (at some level) is probably appropriate (but the colleges who cannot sustain themselves financially need to take more personal ownership of developing their own revenues). In the case of the artwork potentially being sold, the fundamental argument being made by those who are against the sale is, "our colleges, centers, programs, etc. are important, so centralizing decisions on how resources are distributed is appropriate and fair. It is fine to take the proceeds of other colleges who have better financial performance to make this happen, but it is not fine to ever use our resources to fund other university needs."
This is very interesting and can be boiled down to two conclusions:
Higher education (except the elites and many of the wealthy flagships) now faces a looming enrollment downturn. When operating revenues fall, you have to make tough calls. The economic model is becoming an oligarchy rather than hundreds of schools working on a more equal footing.
The other takeaway is that the business model of higher education is a complex one and many might say an efficient one. I have heard the term "shared governance" more than once. Anyone with broad business experience knows that ultimately that is a myth. The great complexity of non-profits is that businesses have a clarity in their end goal, profit for shareholders. The goals of non-profits have to be managed into focus every 3-5 years, if not annually. Herding faculty and their tenure tracks toward a unified goal must resemble in some ways the goal of "herding cats."
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 15, 2023, 08:22:53 AM
In the case of the artwork potentially being sold, the fundamental argument being made by those who are against the sale is, "our colleges, centers, programs, etc. are important, so centralizing decisions on how resources are distributed is appropriate and fair. It is fine to take the proceeds of other colleges who have better financial performance to make this happen, but it is not fine to ever use our [restricted] resources to fund other university needs."
I have amended your comment by adding "restricted." The objection is to the use of resources restricted by prior agreements. The university rightfully states it cannot use restricted endowment funds for general expenses. Why should it be able to raid restricted assets from the art museum?
Quote from: valpopal on February 15, 2023, 10:47:37 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 15, 2023, 08:22:53 AM
In the case of the artwork potentially being sold, the fundamental argument being made by those who are against the sale is, "our colleges, centers, programs, etc. are important, so centralizing decisions on how resources are distributed is appropriate and fair. It is fine to take the proceeds of other colleges who have better financial performance to make this happen, but it is not fine to ever use our [restricted] resources to fund other university needs."
I have amended your comment by adding "restricted." The objection is to the use of resources restricted by prior agreements. The university rightfully states it cannot use restricted endowment funds for general expenses. Why should it be able to raid restricted assets from the art museum?
It is all about whether there is a
written agreement signed by the university and other parties. If someone donates $1M to endow nursing scholarships, the parties sign an agreement and the money and any return from investment of that money is restricted to that purpose. In any of the media articles, concerns expressed, etc., no one has produced evidence that the university signed an agreement that restricts the use of the artwork. Hence, by definition the artwork is not restricted (unless such a signed agreement exists). You cannot say, "we think it is highly valuable, therefore it is restricted".
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 15, 2023, 10:56:47 AM
Quote from: valpopal on February 15, 2023, 10:47:37 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 15, 2023, 08:22:53 AM
In the case of the artwork potentially being sold, the fundamental argument being made by those who are against the sale is, "our colleges, centers, programs, etc. are important, so centralizing decisions on how resources are distributed is appropriate and fair. It is fine to take the proceeds of other colleges who have better financial performance to make this happen, but it is not fine to ever use our [restricted] resources to fund other university needs."
I have amended your comment by adding "restricted." The objection is to the use of resources restricted by prior agreements. The university rightfully states it cannot use restricted endowment funds for general expenses. Why should it be able to raid restricted assets from the art museum?
It is all about whether there is a written agreement signed by the university and other parties. If someone donates $1M to endow nursing scholarships, the parties sign an agreement and the money and any return from investment of that money is restricted to that purpose. In any of the media articles, concerns expressed, etc., no one has produced evidence that the university signed an agreement that restricts the use of the artwork. Hence, by definition the artwork is not restricted (unless such a signed agreement exists). You cannot say, "we think it is highly valuable, therefore it is restricted".
As some news articles state, former VU law professor Phil Brockington and founding director of the museum Richard Brauer believe the sale would violate the terms of the 1953 Sloan Trust Agreement that funded the purchase of the works. In addition, the action would violate protocols agreed to by members of national art organizations, to which past and present Brauer Museum directors have belonged, who are condemning the decision as unethical. In any case, I do not doubt Valpo lawyers could find a way to make the sale legally, which is why I have maintained objections on ethical grounds.
Quote from: valpopal on February 14, 2023, 03:40:06 PM
The sanctions would mean that all member museums would be expected to refuse loans or exchange arrangements with the Brauer Museum for its unethical action, leaving only permanent art collection holdings for display and eliminating all special exhibitions that occur throughout the year. Donated works would dry up because of the uncertainty and lack of trust this would create. Donated funds would diminish because that income is intended specifically for artworks and maintenance, not to be looted by the university for dorm renovation. Imagine a law school or a business school or a nursing school sanctioned for ethical infractions. Also, it would be like the NCAA refusing to allow other teams to compete against Valpo; therefore, VU must resort to playing intramural teams.
The community that donates to art, especially Friends of Art, contributes quite a bit to enlarging and enhancing the VU art collection, which started from modest beginnings and now includes more than 5,000 pieces. Additionally, the museum itself was the result of a donation, which stipulated it must be named after Richard Brauer.
The O'Keeffe painting is famous worldwide, and as Gregg Hertzlieb says in the video, if it were loaned to every national or international museum in the world that wants it, the work would be on tour 52 weeks of the year. I can't speak specifics about the income of the museum; however, when you consider just the three paintings considered for sale are worth at least $20 million, and then extrapolate the value of the entire collection, you can guess that the museum might be a top candidate as among the best managed and most valuable assets on campus.
On another level, the schism created in the Valparaiso community and damage to VU's reputation likely will be even greater than that caused by the Crusader debacle. The following article is from Indiana Economic Digest:
https://indianaeconomicdigest.net/Content/Default/Major-Indiana-News/Article/Art-museum-and-Valparaiso-University-communities-react-to-art-sale-for-dorm-improvements/-3/5308/113370 (https://indianaeconomicdigest.net/Content/Default/Major-Indiana-News/Article/Art-museum-and-Valparaiso-University-communities-react-to-art-sale-for-dorm-improvements/-3/5308/113370)
It's obvious that this matter is showing the fault lines in the university community, more so than the mascot decision, which is not a good look for an institution that has already been shaken by layoffs and program closures. And even considering legitimate funding needs for upgraded student housing options, this is not a good look for Valpo leadership and the University as a whole. The culture of VU has generally not been one of open, public criticism of the University leadership by its faculty members. But the article linked by valpopal quotes two current faculty, Aimee Tomasek and Gretchen Buggeln, going public with their criticisms. So it's not just about Dick Brauer any more.
Unless an angel donor comes along and drops $20m in VU's laps, or a handy source of funding suddenly reveals itself, this cannot turn out well. If the paintings remain part of the museum, then presumably there's still $20m to raise from other sources, and in the meantime, there are hard feelings left in the wake on both sides. If the paintings are sold, then an identifiable and valued VU constituency will likely be forever aggrieved and angry, and the bad taste surrounding this episode will remain with everyone. And the story will surely be revived when that dorm opens.
This video produced by the University exemplifies the value of exposure to the liberal arts and sciences, in a way that doesn't necessarily translate into short term conceptualizations of ROI: A VU scholarship swimmer who had to take an intro psych course as one of her distribution requirements, and unexpectedly became so enthralled by the subject that she decided to major in psych and is now headed to grad school to study it: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1539762656506332 (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1539762656506332)
https://ericzorn.substack.com/p/sell-those-paintings-valpo#%C2%A7to-serve-its-core-mission-sure-valparaiso-university-should-sell-its-art
A differing opinion
Quote from: David81 on February 15, 2023, 06:52:05 PMIf the paintings remain part of the museum, then presumably there's still $20m to raise from other sources,
Exactly. I suppose Valpo could start a new drive and raise the money in, say, five years or so, just in past the arrival of the pending student shortfall cliff. Remember, the Board is made up of some of Valpo's largest donors. If they thought finding $20 million would be easy or quick, no doubt they would have chosen a different route. People get bent out of shape over a lot of things when they card deeply about something. Nonetheless, difficult decisions need to be made.
Quote from: elephtheria47 on February 16, 2023, 07:43:27 AM
https://ericzorn.substack.com/p/sell-those-paintings-valpo#%C2%A7to-serve-its-core-mission-sure-valparaiso-university-should-sell-its-art
A differing opinion
And I assume that those who agree with Zorn also agree with his belief -- referenced in this piece and explained in greater detail in another linked below -- that colleges should dump the lion's share of their sports programs, especially those that don't pay for themselves?
What's good for the goose....
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/eric-zorn/ct-perspec-zorn-eliminate-minor-college-sports-admissions-scandal-0315-20190314-story.html (https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/eric-zorn/ct-perspec-zorn-eliminate-minor-college-sports-admissions-scandal-0315-20190314-story.html)
Yep, saw this coming. Some like arts/music, some like sports. Neither is core to a future vocation or a broad based education. But if you had to pick the one closer to the core instruction mission of the university, I don't know how you argue for sports.
I have said for 10 -15 years ago that there were big intangibles as well as true revenue to be won by highlighting VU mens' basketball constantly. Leaving the mid-Con, then the Horizon, for the MVC were excellent moves. They just came too late. Since then some big ships sailed during our window of opportunity. The university didn't seize on the national identity of Homer for baffling reasons in their admissions material. Everywhere I traveled people would say basketball if Valpo came up. Those ships that have sailed were Homer, Scott, Bryce, Broekhoff, and Peters. I honestly think LaBarbera did well with the resources he received. But now we are stuck with the ARC now with Heckler's debt debacle and the enrollment dive.
Quote from: vu72 on February 16, 2023, 09:25:37 AM
People get bent out of shape over a lot of things when they care deeply about something.
I love the irony of this comment from someone on a fan (short for "fanatic") forum. ;)
Quote from: valpo22 on February 16, 2023, 12:24:25 PM
How about they keep the sports and keep the art, and sell some of this land to renovate the dorms:
https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/
Selling/repurposing these parcels are certainly in the works. I took a look at Zillow and found all kinds of land for sale running from 20,000 an acre to 145,000 an acre. Let's split the difference and say, on average, the land would be sold at 80,000 an acre. That would raise 10,000,000. We'd be half the way there!
Quote from: vu72 on February 16, 2023, 02:06:32 PM
Quote from: valpo22 on February 16, 2023, 12:24:25 PM
How about they keep the sports and keep the art, and sell some of this land to renovate the dorms:
https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/
Selling/repurposing these parcels are certainly in the works. I took a look at Zillow and found all kinds of land for sale running from 20,000 an acre to 145,000 an acre. Let's split the difference and say, on average, the land would be sold at 80,000 an acre. That would raise 10,000,000. We'd be half the way there!
I suspect that the university is looking at a variety of actions (including the sale of real estate) that create funds to support multiple capital improvements. They need to do more than just address dorms. In reality, it is "create a big pile of money from various sources to fund several projects". Saying that the sale of artwork is specifically for dorm renovations is a more understandable (albeit too simplistic) way of justifying the art sale. Selling the land does not get Valpo halfway there...instead selling the artwork probably gets Valpo a third of the way towards funding multiple projects.
Another perspective:
https://www.thecollegefix.com/valparaiso-university-wisely-plans-art-sale-to-finance-new-dorms/
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on February 17, 2023, 05:59:33 AM
Oof, honestly "funding multiple projects" sounds even more depressing, either in the sense of "how many side-projects will men in suits pursue while students lose resources and programs?" or "how many other buildings are past the point of no return that they can't defer maintenance any longer?" Either way, sounds grim.
I think I am with CrusaderMoe in his discussion of positive windows of opportunity. In all the cases I can think of where a comprehensive uni broke out of tenuous situation to increase their profile and draw and financial stability, they did it by super-charging investment into particular academic programs or sports teams at the right time.
Anyways, I actually can't read it since paywalled, but it looks like the Post-Tribune did some kind of update on the campus protest:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-vu-art-protest-st-0216-20230216-roo2u5hrcjdadjrgz3r4out4yu-story.html
I was specifically referring to academic buildings and facilities that directly serve students and are not competitive versus peer universities. The business building is certainly one such building. I know that nursing needed substantial expansion and enhancement, but seem to remember that there were donations to cover some or all of this. The basketball stadium is a different argument, since it does not directly serve many students. I do not believe that Valpo's board and administration are considering wasteful side-projects (though that question should always be asked).
I would also like to point out a disturbing point from the article you posted.
"The students trekked from the university's Center for the Arts to Padilla's office across campus at Heritage Hall, the oldest building on campus, which was also recently renovated. Sources have told The Post-Tribune three paintings are slated for sale: "Rust Red Hills" by O'Keeffe, "Mountain Landscape" by Frederick E. Church, and "The Silver Vale and the Golden Gate" by Childe Hassam.
Padilla's assistant collected the letters and said he was in meetings."
This is not the proper way to manage change. While he issued a follow-up email, President Padilla needed to meet with those students when they arrived. By all accounts, the students were peaceful and exercising their rights. It is hard for me to think of any meeting that he could be in that would be more important than spending 15 minutes with those students - listening and stating the university's position (but no negotiating). If he was not in the building, he needed to setup a meeting with them that would occur as soon as possible.
From a previous post Caterpillar is not leaving Peoria, just the corporate headquarters is leaving Deerfield. That being said, Bradley is going through similar issues as Valparaiso.
Quote from: usc4valpo on February 17, 2023, 09:09:15 AM
From a previous post Caterpillar is not leaving Peoria, just the corporate headquarters is leaving Deerfield. That being said, Bradley is going through similar issues as Valparaiso.
Longtime lurker and first time poster here. I also have some perspective as a VU alum who's a parent of a current Bradley student. I'm also quite familiar with the Peoria area through personal ties.
This is absolutely correct about Caterpillar and Peoria. Peoria didn't really lose anything more than the C-suite. While it's a blow to the city's prestige, the economic hit likely hasn't been all that significant. Cat still has a large presence in the area with thousands of employees. As far as I know, Cat is still a heavy hitter in local philanthropic efforts.
I'll disclaim my next thoughts by saying that I'm not in higher ed, and that my impressions are from general information I've found.
I agree that Bradley faces the same pressures as VU, but I don't think conditions at Bradley have been as challenging. Enrollment at Bradley has declined, but not seemingly to the extent VU has seen. Financially, Bradley seems to be in what the president of the university terms "OK". I'm comfortable with where things are at Bradley given the current environment facing higher ed, particularly private schools.
My student at Bradley is an engineering major and did briefly consider VU. Bradley opened a $100 million business and engineering convergence center (The BECC) in 2019. That's a draw for Bradley that is likely to VU's detriment since both schools seem to draw from a similar pool of students.
I can't post external links, but searching for Bradley President Stephen Standifird's 2022 State of the University address is worthwhile for anyone interested in seeing how one of VU's closest peers is faring.
I believe Valpo reinstated some of the cuts that were put in place in salary as well but I could be wrong about that. Valpo's area seems to be "okay but needs to make adjustments" which is not fun for those being adjusted in faculty and staff and program but is also a history of small university. Heck we almost closed our nursing school and there are other programs I remember hearing about when I was there but were already gone, including speech pathology. Small schools just don't have the ability to maintain every program constantly if numbers ebb and flow
The details on Bradley led me to peruse the Bradley U. website and get a sense of how they landed that huge $100 million commitment. No luck on that front yet.
But I did see on their Development Staff web page that Jason Petrovich is now Bradley's VP of Advancement.
He was #2 at Valpo and normally that job is an heir apparent to the VP (Valpo VP LIsa Hollander is "retiring." Did he leave Valpo for greener pastures at Bradley? (more pay or just a stronger university) Maybe the Valpo VP is in search process?
Quote from: crusadermoe on February 18, 2023, 11:55:39 AM
He was #2 at Valpo and normally that job is an heir apparent to the VP (Valpo VP LIsa Hollander is "retiring." Did he leave Valpo for greener pastures at Bradley? (more pay or just a stronger university) Maybe the Valpo VP is in search process?
Hollander's replacement is Marie Foster-Bruns, who led One Region, where Padilla is on the Board of Directors, though the announcement doesn't mention that fact.
https://nwindianabusiness.com/community/business-news-bits/valparaiso-university-hires-one-region-leader-for-vp-position/?v=7516fd43adaa (https://nwindianabusiness.com/community/business-news-bits/valparaiso-university-hires-one-region-leader-for-vp-position/?v=7516fd43adaa)
The "Covid cut" was 5% but only to the employees making more than 50K. However, when they reinstated the cut they just gave 5% increase across the board including to those who were not affected by the cut. That means those making under 50K got a net increase of 5% and those affected by the cut got actually less than what they earned before because the reinstatement 5% was applied to the reduced salary. In math terms, to be clear,
(0.95*x)*(1.05) is less than x.
I know the reasoning behind this cut-off of 50K but what people don't realize is that in the last decade or so there was hardly any standar raise and any modicum of raise was for those who earned merit ratings year after year (those faculty that did far more than what was expected of them). These people basically were disproportionally affected by this measures. In other words, the winner of this pathetic game is the one who worked just enough to not get fired while the sucker was the one more senior and more devoted to the profession.
So the compensation policy at VU is worse than just not having enough money. It is also about these unfair practices that undermine the morale even further. In any case, sooner or later they will get exactly what they pay for. You just can't make fine cuisine with McDonalds ingredients.
" The details on Bradley led me to peruse the Bradley U. website and get a sense of how they landed that huge $100 million commitment. No luck on that front yet."
Probably the reason you can't find reference to $100 million commitment is that the referenced building was $10 million, not $100 million.
ValpoDiaspora: I agree with you on those making under 50K and do not envy their position by no means. I just believe that there should be a way to impose austerity measures in such a way that avoids insulting a group. Those junior faculty making 50K will be senior one day and wonder what happened with their lives and what was it all good for? That's a very painful question to ask onself.
In the misery poker, you can always come with a better hand: I can give examples of someone who makes say 60K having it worse than someone making 50K due to personal things such as costly elderly care, child care etc...Going back to the cuts: Instead of drawing an arbitrary line and saying cut by 5% those making above 50K how about making a universal cut of 3% for everybody. SO the same austerity measure for all...I know, I know...those making under 50K can hardly have a room to cut any percent. Yet, austerity is austerity...Inflation, for example, makes a cut from everybody whether we like it or not...
Here's another one: how about hiring a new faculty person that makes MORE than a colleague who is associate professor, 10 years in the job, merit ratings year after year. That happened. Why? Because they could not hire otherwise in certain positions or specialties..So they hide behind the confidential aspects of salaries hoping that this won't be found. Except, people to find out...An administrator concerned with NOT insulting his employees would either raise the salary of the senior person to maintain some sort of a seniority scale or lower the expectations of the new hire and maybe look for someone of second best quality/expertise that can still do the job.
Once again: I can, grudgingly accept that there's no money...But to add insult to the injury is an unforced error. And it does affect the morale and the quality of instructions.
And another more general thing on compensation. I know for a fact that this was a problem for decades. It was always neglected, patched here and there with pitiful measures. For examples there were years when a satisfactory rating meant no raise and a merit rating meant maybe 1.5-2%. So this was allowed to fester to gargantuan proportions now when COVID crisis came on top of that to the point where now, across the board, salaries for faculty are on average 30% below the median of peers. SO there is a gap of 30% just to reach that median
That makes it actually embarrassing to even be part of a hiring committee. So this brings me to the paintings sale. I am completely neutral in the matter as I have zero competence to judge the impact of parting with those paintings. However, the reasoning was: desperate times requires desperate measures. If renovating those dorms are so urgent how come the compensation never makes the case of a "desperate measure" approach? Why not sell a painting or two in order to urgently plug some of that gap, at least partially in order to inject some morale and belief that there is some light at the end of the tunnel. What does it need to happen for this problem to become critical?
There were several resignations in the middle of the year and students where left hanging. Some staff qualifies for food stamps. Do we have to wait for that to happen to faculty? Do faculty need to throw the textbooks to Padilla's office and say do something now or you go teach this and that?
It's just astonishing the lack of urgency on this vital issue. This festered for so long, nobody believes and grandiose promise that things will be better in 5-6 years. By that time the current administration will retire or fail upwards to a more prestigious position.
So, again, why not sell an asset (painting or whatever) to implement an emergency compensation measure? I think it is because they are disconnected from reality on the ground
Quote from: sfnmman on February 19, 2023, 09:01:33 AM
" The details on Bradley led me to peruse the Bradley U. website and get a sense of how they landed that huge $100 million commitment. No luck on that front yet."
Probably the reason you can't find reference to $100 million commitment is that the referenced building was $10 million, not $100 million.
In comparison, the money raised and used for the expansion of the engineering building at Valpo (interestingly, led by Donald Fites - former CEO of Caterpillar) was $13M and that money was spent from 2009 to 2011. There are many posts here that rightly talk about some of Valpo's facilities being outdated, but some are modern and the result of excellent fundraising and planning. Perhaps the difference is that the best plans may be driven by Deans and/or lead donors.
DejaVU raises excellent points regarding Valpo maintaining salaries that are competitive with the labor marketplace. I will add that competitive salaries for tenure track faculty vary wildly by discipline. Valpo might need to pay $130K for newly graduated PhD student in engineering or accounting (this is close to $200K at a school like Purdue or Indiana), while Valpo might only need to offer $65K for a new psychology PhD graduate. Until recently, market salaries for professional disciplines were probably increasing by 5-8% per year. Thus, the situation of needing to offer a newly graduated PhD more than what you pay a current tenured faculty member is very real at many universities. If we assume that Valpo, like any organization, need to hire and retain the right people - salaries will need to be addressed (for staff and faculty).
Quote from: DejaVU on February 19, 2023, 10:17:20 AM
And another more general thing on compensation. I know for a fact that this was a problem for decades. It was always neglected, patched here and there with pitiful measures. For examples there were years when a satisfactory rating meant no raise and a merit rating meant maybe 1.5-2%. So this was allowed to fester to gargantuan proportions now when COVID crisis came on top of that to the point where now, across the board, salaries for faculty are on average 30% below the median of peers. SO there is a gap of 30% just to reach that median
That makes it actually embarrassing to even be part of a hiring committee. So this brings me to the paintings sale. I am completely neutral in the matter as I have zero competence to judge the impact of parting with those paintings. However, the reasoning was: desperate times requires desperate measures. If renovating those dorms are so urgent how come the compensation never makes the case of a "desperate measure" approach? Why not sell a painting or two in order to urgently plug some of that gap, at least partially in order to inject some morale and belief that there is some light at the end of the tunnel. What does it need to happen for this problem to become critical?
There were several resignations in the middle of the year and students where left hanging. Some staff qualifies for food stamps. Do we have to wait for that to happen to faculty? Do faculty need to throw the textbooks to Padilla's office and say do something now or you go teach this and that?
It's just astonishing the lack of urgency on this vital issue. This festered for so long, nobody believes and grandiose promise that things will be better in 5-6 years. By that time the current administration will retire or fail upwards to a more prestigious position.
So, again, why not sell an asset (painting or whatever) to implement an emergency compensation measure? I think it is because they are disconnected from reality on the ground
Selling assets to boost faculty salaries is completely unsustainable. It may be fine for a few years, but the only sustainable way to boost salaries is to increase enrollment and increase class sizes. Selling assets to pay for renovations to freshman dorms to make the University more attractive to prospective students is a first step to possibly increasing tenured staffs salaries down the road.
Obviously everybody has a breaking point. But I am not here to discuss the personal circumstances that cause one to stay or leave. These things are always personal and far more complicated than they appear to someone else. And I am not enamored with VU.
My only point is that compensation should be an emergency issue just like or more so than the dorms. I was not suggesting selling assets in perpetuity for salaries. I was thinking of an emergency, one time measure NOW. That dorm may or may not bring revenue 5 years down the road (that's an eternity in today's world). If compensation is not seriously addressed in 1-2 years at most, you may end up with a great dorm but with a joke of a school and no ability to maintain the pretense. And those dorms will be empty again...
But hey, I would love nothing more than to be wrong on this. Until then I won't hold my breath...
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on February 18, 2023, 07:58:15 PM
I totally agree with you on the dumb McDonalds approach.
But I don't think it makes much sense to resent those who are making less.
In many cases, they were making under $50K not out of any lack of commitment to the profession, but just because they had the misfortune to either be a) young and recently hired into the tenure-track, and hence on the lower end of the scale; these were suddenly facing reductions to levels below the starting salaries for which they'd agreed to moved their families cross-country just a year or few earlier; or b) adjunct/lecturer faculty trying to stay afloat on $30/40K; some of them never had benefits like health insurance or retirement or funds for academic memberships to begin with, or did they? At any rate, even if they were contingent yet full-time employees making in the 30s and 40, that's hardly living high. Since there was no opportunity for merit raises at all in those couple years leading up to COVID, merit had never been in the equation. And if they were one of the newly hired/contingent faculty who lost their jobs entirely, then it was like a -105% cut, since the uni took -5% out of their last year of teaching.
As you say, the paycuts were pretty insulting and painful in a different way for senior faculty who'd taught heavy loads for 15 or 20 years and earned promotions to finally make it to 60K or something, only to get knocked back down into the 50s again after all that service. In that context, I can understand the emotional sting for the higher-income folk in the 50-60s to see the folk in the 20s-40s end up gaining 5% while their own salaries continued to stagnate... Or some of them took the voluntary -5% to try to save colleagues, and then got slapped with an additional forced -5%. So, if it makes you feel any better, it wasn't just hard work but also altruism that got punished.
Overall, I'm just not sure what gain there can be in different generations of faculty competing for the prize of who got screwed worse by mismanagement. Isn't this like the McD's burger patty person begrudge the fry chef?
Dear friends, forgive me for this tome. I found myself doing a bit of a deep dive into VU's archives to find some comparative info -- prompted by my desire to avoid working on an article that is due.So.....Diaspora's post here was quite the eye-opener. I assumed that VU faculty salaries were low, but I didn't know they were this low.
Just how low are these salaries? Well, for some time in these exchanges I've been saying that the success of VU as an academic institution back in the day was built on the backs of a savagely underpaid faculty carrying punishing teaching loads. In fact, when I was a Torch newspaper staffer, the last piece I wrote before I hopped on a plane to spend my final semester at VU's Cambridge, England overseas study center reported on a comparative study of faculty salaries compared to other Lutheran-affiliated universities. And now, thanks to the online University archives, I was able to find that January 1981 article.
For 1979-80, VU faculty salary averages by rank were as follows (I assume mean, not median, but as a young collegiate journalist, I did not get clarification):
Full professor ($25,600)
Associate professor ($21,300)
Assistant professor ($17,500)
Instructor ($13,200)
And btw, undergraduate tuition & fees, room & board, etc., were estimated at
~$5,300/year for that 79-80 academic year, a few hundred more for engineers.
Now, why am I dredging up the soggy past? In addition to feeding my inner nostalgia junkie (
The Torch was a rich source of deep friendships that endure to this day), using a standard Bureau of Labor Standards cost of living adjustment calculator (https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm),
here's how those average salaries would look today (as of August 2022) if they merely kept up with the Consumer Price Index (numbers rounded off at the hundreds):
Full professor ($102,700)
Associate professor ($85,500)
Assistant professor ($70,200)
Instructor ($53,000)
Based on Diaspora's post, it appears that VU's average faculty salaries come in at maybe 60-65% those amounts.
And btw, taking the 79-80 tuition & fees, room & board and applying the same calculator, you get
$21,300 if VU's 22-23 sticker price merely kept up with the CPI.
Instead, the VU sticker price for this year is $62,800.In a bit of irony, it serves as a rejoinder of sorts to those who think that significant cuts to the Arts & Sciences would somehow be VU's financial salvation. Put simply, there's not a lot to cut here, even if you start eliminating meat & potatoes liberal arts departments that are part of virtually every full-fledged university and turn VU into a trade school that happens to award degrees.
I do get the economics of higher education today. But one reaches a point where, rather than making painful but perhaps necessary cuts, an institution starts racing to the bottom. And perhaps, when we look at these numbers over time, we should be asking ourselves just what the h**l is going on with the price of college today.
[I cannot upload the screenshots of the Torch article and the VU Bulletin page that I cited above, but email me at dyamada@suffolk.edu if you'd like to see them.]
David81: great finding and post. So revealing. It does reinforce my observation that this was an issue that was neglected time and time again...
Maybe the faculty as a whole is also at fault for being "too nice". Now, some of them raise the stink over the paintings...Would be awfully great if the same revolutionary energy happened years ago (or now) over compensation
People also sometime mistake the full meaning of the compensation. It is not only about making enough to put a roof over head and eat. Clearly if 50K allows one to live in Valparaiso then a brain surgeon can get by with the same after all he belongs to the same species. Yet no sane person would expect a surgeon to earn 50K. My point is that the compensation reflects a certain path in life which, once chosen, implies not only talent and sacrifices but lost opportunities.
One thing about certain fields in academia is that the more one gets into the education side of things the less marketable that person is for jobs outside academia. THis is not true for all fields but it is for many.
Anyway, as I said before, I don't expect Padilla to turn leaves into dollars but, my God, do I wish I see him as the captain of a sinking ship trying desperately to keep it afloat. I wanna see some fervor there worthy of the moment. Try to plug a freaking hole now and stop re-arranging the seats on Titanic.
Who knows maybe is trying to do all that and I can't see it...Would be more than happy to give credit when due
David81 listed interesting numbers. We know that college prices have risen much faster than the CPI. In fact it is by far the fastest increase of all products. All of them are irritating, but only #2 can be addressed in reality.
I would guess there are at least 3 causes for costs to have grown so much faster since '79-80 than faculty salaries.
1) The "sticker price" is raised well beyond expected per student income for branding reasons and for parents to brag that Johnny got $20,000 in "scholarships."
2) The ratio of non-faculty personnel cost to students is vastly higher than '79-80. I suspect we would be angry to learn that cost.
3) Education costs are very personnel driven. Health insurance is another cost that rose MUCH faster than inflation since '79-80.
ValpoDiaspora: interesting perspective on keeping faculty and the board pitted against each-other. Never thought about that...
One more thing to add about the inflated administration. Some of these higher up positions not only are useless...But they are also invented for political reasons and the person that gets into that position needs to justify his/her own existence. Often that results in some "interventions" that will ultimately create more work for the faculty. They often invent a problem that fits the "solution" defining their own existence. It's bad enough that they draw from the pitiful salary pot but they often increase the work burden
Crusadermoe, agree 100% on your #2 -- Administrative bloat has become the biggest source of personnel expansion in higher ed, and I'm sure VU is no exception. The budget implications are huge, as these admin titles proliferate almost comically, with darn good salaries, often more than faculty. How about "Deputy assistant dean for evaluating new towel dispensers," $90,000. OK, just kidding on that, but not by much!
Diaspora, agree 100% on your #4 -- Raising caps on student loan limits only invites institutions to keep raising their tuition. I've had disagreements with folks on this point. They say, but, but, how will students be able to afford college/grad school/professional school if you cap student loan amounts? My reply: These schools need students, and that includes those who take out loans to subsidize their educations. They'll have to either cap their tuition and/or give more generous gift aid -- or, face lots of students disguised as empty seats.
ValpoDiaspora makes the bloat case from another potential angle.
We don't know the exact figures. But administrators may well have perfected the "shiny object" technique he describes. Does cutting the small salaries out of the A&S departments and closing small majors really cut costs that far as compared to cutting back the roles that generate zero revenue?
My experience on the role of administrators as situating themselves between board and faculty has been one of senior administration playing that faculty sabotage role with the board, whereas mid-level administrators (including those who owe their jobs to admin bloat) tend to try to keep their heads down when the salvos are traded among the three constituencies. A couple of university presidents ago at my school, we had a guy who tried to work with our board to get rid of tenure through a sneaky gambit using a new proposed draft of the university faculty handbook. Fortunately, some of us were on it and put up a ferocious and ultimately successful opposition. Things are much calmer now on that front.
I find that the worst aspect of mid-level administrative bloat is that some of these folks become multi-level gatekeepers who make it more time consuming and sometimes harder to get simple things done. Last semester, my request to have a public event I was hosting recorded and posted to the school's YouTube page had to go through at least three administrators, ultimately concluding with a two-day exchange of emails with a guy who apparently was bound and determined to wear me down to the point where I'd agree to have the recording posted to a 3rd party site that most people using search engines will never find. He underestimated my determination, however, and eventually relented. But the energy required to deal with that kind of B.S. is draining. I came away thinking, ...and we're paying people to do this s**t?
The sticker price is a terrible benchmark. In the 1980s and 1990s, many universities increased their tuition prices and simultaneously increased their financial aid grants and so-called scholarships. This occurred for a variety of reasons, yet one was that the sticker price was perceived as a mark of quality, and if a school's peer institutions did it, then it made sense for that school to do it as well. Second, as tuition increased, the aid awards did not once a student entered the university - a student that got a 50% "scholarship discount" in year 1 might only be getting a 40% scholarship discount by year 4. Yet for that student, it probably did not matter all that much. It was a reasonable decision for the school, as long as the tuition prices could keep going up. In addition, typically a few students paid the full price so that was more revenue for the university. Again, it was not just VU, yet many of its peers did the same thing.
The downside of this is that over time, many students and families had the perception that the sticker price was the actual tuition, so some of them did not apply thinking that it was too expensive. It is easy to see why - If you compare Indiana and Purdue's in-state tuition of $11K and $10K, why would someone want to come to VU and pay tuition of $45K? The difference is that most students will get a significant discount to go to VU, and may end up paying nearly full tuition at IU or Purdue. (The other interesting thing is that typically, the living expenses are about the same for any of the universities.)
Quote from: valpo95 on February 20, 2023, 03:26:32 PM
The sticker price is a terrible benchmark. In the 1980s and 1990s, many universities increased their tuition prices and simultaneously increased their financial aid grants and so-called scholarships. This occurred for a variety of reasons, yet one was that the sticker price was perceived as a mark of quality, and if a school's peer institutions did it, then it made sense for that school to do it as well. Second, as tuition increased, the aid awards did not once a student entered the university - a student that got a 50% "scholarship discount" in year 1 might only be getting a 40% scholarship discount by year 4. Yet for that student, it probably did not matter all that much. It was a reasonable decision for the school, as long as the tuition prices could keep going up. In addition, typically a few students paid the full price so that was more revenue for the university. Again, it was not just VU, yet many of its peers did the same thing.
The downside of this is that over time, many students and families had the perception that the sticker price was the actual tuition, so some of them did not apply thinking that it was too expensive. It is easy to see why - If you compare Indiana and Purdue's in-state tuition of $11K and $10K, why would someone want to come to VU and pay tuition of $45K? The difference is that most students will get a significant discount to go to VU, and may end up paying nearly full tuition at IU or Purdue. (The other interesting thing is that typically, the living expenses are about the same for any of the universities.)
Valpo95, while sticker price is not the only benchmark to be considered, it's not exactly a terrible one for the reason mentioned in your 2nd paragraph. The opt-outs who don't even bother applying may reduce the socioeconomic diversity in an incoming class.
Furthermore, gift money increases did not cover tuition increases for those who need financial aid to go to school, not even close. We would not have the exorbitant student debt service of today had it been otherwise.
As I mentioned in a post the other day, "I attended a faculty meeting with Padilla and his cabinet last week in which all the details of the art sale plan and the Board's overall budget were offered. For the sake of ethics, I cannot repeat any of the conversation here."
However, as part of the administration's coordinated public relations campaign, Padilla offered "an exclusive interview" on the front page of the local newspaper today in which he now revealed one of the details disclosed in our meeting. He is seeking to sell the O'Keeffe for $7 million rather than $15 million, the price that had been reported previously and for which museum director Brauer said the artwork had been valued in a 2016 appraisal. If Brauer and Padilla are both accurate, this cut-rate sale might be a result of the manner in which the university has proceeded, trying to operate secretly behind closed doors and looking to sell the artwork privately rather than in an open auction where it would garner a much higher income, simply to avoid further embarrassment and censure by other museums who would refuse to participate in an auction. Consequently, the painting could more likely be sold to an individual rather than a museum and be withheld from future public viewing. Also importantly, if it is true that the painting could be worth as much as $15 million, but the university lets it go for less than half that price in a private sale, that would be even more shameful.
On another note, the NWI Times article continues a narrative previously seen in other news reports that this controversy is a duel between Padilla and Brauer. In the Valparaiso University community this is not a wise tactic for the VU public relations effort, since Brauer is one of its most beloved and revered members. Padilla will come up short every time.
I'm no art expert, yet often the appraised value is much higher than the market value - this is common for insurance purposes. The highest price ever for an O'Keeffe that I could find was $44M, and it is hard to say what this particular painting would bring at auction or at a private sale.
What seems more disappointing is that this process is so badly mismanaged from a public relations perspective. The president had to know it would be a public-relations nightmare, and that is exactly what it has become.
Quote from: valpo22 on February 21, 2023, 12:06:53 PM
Could they have proposed selling the Art in order to secure/endow the Brauer or the Communications and Arts department, and then diverted the funds ordinarily paid out of general budget for those arts programs to renovate the dorms?
In these times, I feel like arts defenders might have been more willing to support the sale if it were somehow bringing them a real benefit, like ensuring the protection of arts staff and programs from getting cut, even if it were an indirect way of moving assets around to get the dorms fixed.
Maybe that wasn't possible for some logistical/legal reason, but the headlines sure would have looked a lot better if they were separate:
"Valpo endows permanent Arts faculty, through tough decision to part with Georgia O'Keefe. The newly promoted "Brauer Endowed Chair of Painting" will be hosting a Master class..."
"Valpo constructs beautiful freshman dorms to improve residential community!"
Sneaky! I like it!
Quote from: valpo95 on February 21, 2023, 10:44:29 AM
I'm no art expert, yet often the appraised value is much higher than the market value - this is common for insurance purposes. The highest price ever for an O'Keeffe that I could find was $44M, and it is hard to say what this particular painting would bring at auction or at a private sale.
What seems more disappointing is that this process is so badly mismanaged from a public relations perspective. The president had to know it would be a public-relations nightmare, and that is exactly what it has become.
valpo95, I've been wondering the same thing about anticipating the public relations aspect. Did no one anticipate that this could blow up on them? Or maybe they thought it could happen, but assumed they could ride it out and that the art sale will be forgotten when everyone sees how fancy the new digs happen to be?
And now it appears that the anticipated sales prices are much lower than originally shared. Oh boy.......
Quote from: crusadermoe on February 18, 2023, 11:55:39 AMThe details on Bradley led me to peruse the Bradley U. website and get a sense of how they landed that huge $100 million commitment. No luck on that front yet.
I found a Peoria Journal-Star article entitled "Bradley University unveils new, $100 million business-engineering building" dated November 1, 2019 about the Bradley BECC dedication. It adds a bit more info about funding.
The project had the most individual donors of any in Bradley's history up to that point. Fourteen donors gave at least $1 million each, totaling $28 million between them. Local state legislators also worked to provide some state funding. The article did not state how much state funding went toward the building, nor did it state the sources of the remaining funds.
I'm still not able to post external links, but the article is easily found searching for the title in Google. It doesn't appear to be paywalled.
Well thank you for the specifics toward my memory. Bradley landed 14 gifts of $1 million or more for a total of $28 million toward their $100 million project.
Now Bradley hired the #2 Valpo guy who was not chosen as the new Valpo VP. Prior to Valpo he was a leader at DePauw (which has a $600 million endowment.)
On a close read of the announcement, you can see that the newly appointed VP did her major gift work at Purdue Northwest. I suspect they don't have a 5-figure endowment. But I am open to correction. So.....Beacons plus Brauer plus.....? Yikes.
Quote from: valpo22 on February 21, 2023, 12:06:53 PM
Could they have proposed selling the Art in order to secure/endow the Brauer or the Communications and Arts department, and then diverted the funds ordinarily paid out of general budget for those arts programs to renovate the dorms?
In these times, I feel like arts defenders might have been more willing to support the sale if it were somehow bringing them a real benefit, like ensuring the protection of arts staff and programs from getting cut, even if it were an indirect way of moving assets around to get the dorms fixed.
Maybe that wasn't possible for some logistical/legal reason, but the headlines sure would have looked a lot better if they were separate:
"Valpo endows permanent Arts faculty, through tough decision to part with Georgia O'Keefe. The newly promoted "Brauer Endowed Chair of Painting" will be hosting a Master class..."
"Valpo constructs beautiful freshman dorms to improve residential community!"
valpo22 - an excellent idea. I was thinking the same thing yet hadn't had time to post it. I think a combination of this approach could have worked.
Imagine if the paintings were sold for $20M: Devote $1M as an endowment to support the operations of Brauer and/or the VUCA, and another $1M to pay for acquisition of new pieces for the collection for the next decade (say $100K per year)-the other headline would be "Valpo Sells Beloved Paintings, Looks to Add to Collection." This would result in $18.9M available for new dorms right now, more funding for operating expenses, and some new art. Even the $1M increase in endowment could be used to guarantee part of a construction loan.
Why random fans on a message board can come up with these ideas (or at least be aware of the public relations issues) is surprising.
The VU Alumni Association ostensibly has a member on the VU board. In the 80s that person was elected by ballot by every alum who attended Homecoming.
VU95 - Could you find out the election process now? Grassroots influence is important. And how are the actual board members elected? I probably have this quote wrong.......
John Adams - "Government only has power to the extent it is chosen by the governed."
Quote from: crusadermoe on February 22, 2023, 01:57:18 PM
The VU Alumni Association ostensibly has a member on the VU board. In the 80s that person was elected by ballot by every alum who attended Homecoming.
VU95 - Could you find out the election process now? Grassroots influence is important. And how are the actual board members elected? I probably have this quote wrong.......
John Adams - "Government only has power to the extent it is chosen by the governed."
The president of the Alumni Board of Directors is chosen by the members of that board and voted on at the Homecoming open meeting (which few if any alumni outside of the board members attended), at least that is the way it was done when I was on the board in the late 80's early 90's. The Alumni Board president is on the Lutheran University Association Board of Directors. Alumni Board candidates were nominated by alumni and other Alumni Board members and ballots were sent out with the homecoming info packets. Voting was not done for board members at homecoming as far as I was aware. I am not sure how board members are selected/elected now.
The proposed sale of the artwork causes me worry that the ship is sinking faster than we have been informed. If the administration is at the point of thinking of the art at the museum like flotsam and jetsam that must be thrown off the ship to prevent the whole ship from going down, then how close is the university from collapsing?
This proposed sale not only endangers the relationship of donors to the university, it will also require prospective students to pause before committing four years to this school. The significant layoffs, early retirements, and program eliminations that have taken place over the last couple of years has already caused concern among the parents of prospective students.
The momentum of crisis is dangerous. The strategic plan of the university has established imperatives for growth, but I am concerned that this university has forgotten what happens when confidence is lost.
Quote from: therevev on February 26, 2023, 08:05:05 PMThe proposed sale of the artwork causes me worry that the ship is sinking faster than we have been informed..
Well, they said selling assets is not uncommon occasionally during trying times. But yes, the perception and confidence is everything. But, hey, they changed the mascot. So if nothing else, when the current President retires he is sure to check at least one accomplishment :)
In any case, as a side note, the students should probably pony up more muscle because, believe it or not, they may actually have more power than faculty over the administration. One claimed reason for this sale is that freshmen rank the bad quality of the dorms as one of the major issues. Either that is true or not...If it is, then maybe they are right to sell the damn thing. If not, then maybe more students should knock over the doors in Kretzmann and tell them what they really want in decreasing order of importance. I have the feeling that it is neither the dorms nor the paintings
What a public relations disaster as this definitely puts the feather on the cap of a not so stellar presidential run for Padilla. He's a shady guy and his desire to make Valpo an HSI is falling flat on its face. His hire of a new VP of Enrollment is another dumpster fire to his legacy. Getting ready to burn the boats soon with this sinking ship
Quote from: VUSupport on February 27, 2023, 06:54:13 AM
What a public relations disaster as this definitely puts the feather on the cap of a not so stellar presidential run for Padilla. He's a shady guy and his desire to make Valpo an HSI is falling flat on its face. His hire of a new VP of Enrollment is another dumpster fire to his legacy. Getting ready to burn the boats soon with this sinking ship
This is a cheap shot that's uncalled for. I'm not seeing the evidence to back up these claims.
I agree with you mj.
I agree with you "mj". It just goes along with some other cheap shots that have been fired in the past on this Board.
Don't be so sensitive Chief! Applications and deposits are significantly lower and if you say otherwise than either you're in denial or lying. The proof is there just ask your fearless leader
One thing is I keep hearing about all these donors that are going to walk but...why don't they donate the things the university needs then? Step in and help fund the dorms if you think the art work is so valuable or offer to buy it and than donate it. When schools announce cuts sometimes you get alums who actually step up but all I ever here is complaints.
The university has decided they have an opportunity to be able to move forward on this reno idea quickly with lower enrollment as they have the housing still for all students and found a way that while painful allows them to do it without taking on debt or cutting operations/staff, dipping into donor or funding pockets that maybe they have ear-marked for Nursing or the Arena etc. It says nothing about their ability to meet their current obligations or to "keep the ship afloat" but more as a decision to readjust assets in a way that they think will benefit the university overall. The people out here screaming that it's a sinking ship are doing more damage than the selling of the paintings honestly. Students have been complaining about the dorms for ages. Citing it as reasons to stay as commuters, saying that it's why they choose other schools, or just complaining about them constantly.
If these ideas were simple and easy they would have been done already. It's rough out there in lots of places. Smaller schools than us are struggling, bigger schools than us are struggling.
Quote from: crusader05 on February 27, 2023, 09:12:10 AM
One thing is I keep hearing about all these donors that are going to walk but...why don't they donate the things the university needs then? Step in and help fund the dorms if you think the art work is so valuable or offer to buy it and than donate it. When schools announce cuts sometimes you get alums who actually step up but all I ever here is complaints.
The university has decided they have an opportunity to be able to move forward on this reno idea quickly with lower enrollment as they have the housing still for all students and found a way that while painful allows them to do it without taking on debt or cutting operations/staff, dipping into donor or funding pockets that maybe they have ear-marked for Nursing or the Arena etc. It says nothing about their ability to meet their current obligations or to "keep the ship afloat" but more as a decision to readjust assets in a way that they think will benefit the university overall. The people out here screaming that it's a sinking ship are doing more damage than the selling of the paintings honestly. Students have been complaining about the dorms for ages. Citing it as reasons to stay as commuters, saying that it's why they choose other schools, or just complaining about them constantly.
If these ideas were simple and easy they would have been done already. It's rough out there in lots of places. Smaller schools than us are struggling, bigger schools than us are struggling.
Crusader05, I appreciate your contributions to these discussions, but I respectfully suggest that this challenge to those who oppose the art sale is unfair. It's like someone who doesn't think the University should do a buyout with the MBB coach challenging anyone who favors a coaching change to pay for the buyout themselves if they really believe it's necessary. I don't know how many people here have several million $$$ to spare to buy a piece of art, or have $375-750k to spare to pay someone not to coach for a year or two. But that shouldn't preclude anyone from entering a conversation about the university's priorities and the challenge of funding higher education.
I don't hear screaming about a sinking ship, but I do hear concerns along these lines. I happen to disagree with that dire assessment, but I do think that VU is in the same vulnerable position as many of its peer schools that could become really bad if enrollment isn't stabilized. Will the conversation scare away donors? I can only speak for myself. As someone who is making monthly donations + a bequest to someday fund a small scholarship, I'm not pulling that support because I oppose the art sale.
Quote from: crusader05 on February 27, 2023, 09:12:10 AM
if you think the art work is so valuable offer to buy it and then donate it.
That is exactly what was done. Look at the specs on the Frederic Church painting for example. It clearly states that the painting was bought and donated to Valparaiso University by Percy Sloan. The other two paintings were bought through donations to the Sloan Fund for purchase of art to be displayed at the university. This is why there is so much anger. I have never seen members of the university community—faculty (current and emeritus), students, community members—so unified on a topic as they are about opposition to Padilla in this instance. Those who could not agree with one another on past issues have come together on this one. Every prominent figure one might associate with the university as among the most revered and most loyal has publicly voiced opposition through letters, petition signatures, or statements at meetings. The letter to Padilla by nearly 100 present and past faculty is a who's who synonymous with Valpo. Even the new director of the museum, hired by Padilla but deceptively and unethically kept in the dark about this plan during the whole process, has now come out in opposition. The destruction done to trust and morale is more extensive than most can imagine, and Padilla's reputation has been permanently damaged.
Quote from: VUSupport on February 27, 2023, 06:54:13 AM
What a public relations disaster as this definitely puts the feather on the cap of a not so stellar presidential run for Padilla. He's a shady guy and his desire to make Valpo an HSI is falling flat on its face. His hire of a new VP of Enrollment is another dumpster fire to his legacy. Getting ready to burn the boats soon with this sinking ship
You're calling President Padilla a "shady guy," criticizing his efforts to make VU attractive to Hispanic applicants, and now trashing a new VP for Enrollment, a VU alumna with considerable enrollment experience at Loyola Chicago who happens to have a Hispanic surname? Please assure me that you're not going there by providing specific details supporting your claims.
Padilla is also trying to revive VU's traditional relationship with Lutheran high schools. He's hired a new VP for advancement with extensive leadership experience in advancement & alumni relations at Purdue and in the NW Indiana non-profit sector. Is that further evidence of being "shady"?
(And I happen to disagree with his position on the art sales, but it's a disagreement on the merits, not his character.)
I guess my biggest frustration is just that it seems that no one wants to acknowledge that there are competing interests and demands right now and someone is going to have to lose. Is it our enrollment or new students who get subpar residential facilities or is the arts who lose some prized paintings. What is more detrimental to the Arts at Valpo? These paintings being sold or continued lower enrollment necessitating cuts to programs and professors?
The only place I have really heard conversation about this is in this forum so that could be part of it. Compared to the mascot change which lit up my Facebook feed and led to former alums reaching out to each other I have heard nothing about this art sale.
It is upsetting that so many oppose it but also, what are the options? I feel there have been missteps on both sides but I believe that strengthening the overall university must come first.
QuoteOne thing is I keep hearing about all these donors that are going to walk but...why don't they donate the things the university needs then? Step in and help fund the dorms if you think the art work is so valuable or offer to buy it and than donate it
David,
I think my biggest thing is we constantly hear about donors threatening to walk if the university does X Y and Z and maybe they don't have the funds to do it but I struggle when we threaten a loss of donor money when, historically, getting donors to step up for things has been a challenge. The last residence hall was built with bonds because no one was interested in donating, Same as the new Science Center. I understand they have been pushing the endowment and there's only so much money you can squeeze but if there's nothing left than what choice does the university have but to re-align assets.
Hard to know where to put this, yet figured it was best under the General VU Discussion area.
As of June 30, 2022, the total investments in the endowment was $326M. This was down from $350M in 2021. (This the net as of that date, inclusive of gifts and grants received less payouts and investment performance.)
Some things to note:
1) In FY 2022, the endowment payout was about $23.7M. The highest sources of revenue came from tuition and fees of $48.5M.
2) The total revenues (including endowment payouts and contributions) in 2022 was $119.6M, and total expenses were $120.7M. This is a net loss of $1.1M. (Yes, the University lost money even including about $7M of donations received in the year.)
3) As of 2022, the university had outstanding loans (notes, bonds and line of credit) of $126M, and paid out interest of $4.3M.
4) Significantly, there seem to be about $21M (of the $126M) that are borrowed two lines of credit in 2022. In 2022, this interest rate on the lines of credit was about 2.05%, which accounted for interest payments of perhaps about $420K. Looking at current rates as of today (LIBOR + 0.6%), the interest payments on $21M are going to be $1.1M.
5) The two $15M lines of credit expire on November 29, 2022 and October 31, 2023. I would assume that the line of credit have been or will be renewed.
The good news is that the University is not going to go bankrupt - they have significant assets that far exceed their liabilities.
However, it may be easy to say that the university should spend more of its endowment for any number of purposes. Yet it is clear that the University also has significant obligations - the reason they can get $30M line(s) of credit is that the have an endowment. In addition, the endowment payout makes up a big chunk of the University's annual budget which funds the continuing operations and programs of the University. Finally, interest rates are going up, so the costs to service the existing debt must be considered. It would be increasingly difficult to take out loans for major construction projects.
ValpoDisapora,
I think that's the main difference between this and the mascot. Most of the outrage about the Crusader was clearly alumni based vs faculty/students where it seemed most of them were happy or indifferent with the mascot change.
I agree this seems to be a fight that is about more than just one thing but it seems to be mostly campus based or only for those really really invested in campus. For the regular alums, those who aren't paying attention to day to day it just hasn't been a blip. I'e asked some of my friends about it and there thoughts range from "they still don't have new freshman dorms" to "I forgot about the art museum"
Quote from: valpopal on February 27, 2023, 10:13:02 AMEvery prominent figure one might associate with the university as among the most revered and most loyal has publicly voiced opposition through letters, petition signatures, or statements at meetings.
Um, you seem to have forgotten about a few "prominent" figures associated with the university. Namely, the current members of the board who approved the sale.
Padilla is trying to his best to keep the university moving. I get that most are opposed, but as least trying to provide solutions. Anyone out there have a better idea to upgrade residential facilities and other building requiring an upgrade.
Again Valpo needs to find an identity and work on their strengths, which I think are engineering, business, meteorology and nursing. Regarding liberal arts degrees, that's nice, but there are few majoring in this, and I would focus more on complimenting liberal arts classes with those strengths. Yes, I'm sorry, people are going to be pissed, but you can't please everyone with a shrinking enrollment and high tuitions where the cost vs. benefits needs to be considered. It's 2023, most students want to make sure their degrees can lead them to a sustainable career.
Quote from: vu72 on February 28, 2023, 08:24:44 AM
Quote from: valpopal on February 27, 2023, 10:13:02 AMEvery prominent figure one might associate with the university as among the most revered and most loyal has publicly voiced opposition through letters, petition signatures, or statements at meetings.
Um, you seem to have forgotten about a few "prominent" figures associated with the university. Namely, the current members of the board who approved the sale.
Thank you for reminding us that the decision was deliberately made in secret by Padilla and approved by the Board without consultation or input from anyone on campus or associated with the museum on the ethical implications, including the individuals responsible for obtaining the art, the namesake of the museum, or the current director who was unethically kept in the dark while hired in the midst of this deception. Consequently, the members of the Board became complicit in the unethical activities.
Quote from: valpopal on February 28, 2023, 10:15:39 AM
Quote from: vu72 on February 28, 2023, 08:24:44 AM
Quote from: valpopal on February 27, 2023, 10:13:02 AMEvery prominent figure one might associate with the university as among the most revered and most loyal has publicly voiced opposition through letters, petition signatures, or statements at meetings.
Um, you seem to have forgotten about a few "prominent" figures associated with the university. Namely, the current members of the board who approved the sale.
Thank you for reminding us that the decision was deliberately made in secret by Padilla and approved by the Board without consultation or input from anyone on campus or associated with the museum on the ethical implications, including the individuals responsible for obtaining the art, the namesake of the museum, or the current director who was unethically kept in the dark while hired in the midst of this deception. Consequently, the members of the Board became complicit in the unethical activities.
Thank you for reminding all of us that you are unhappy about the decision.
Quote from: vu72 on February 28, 2023, 10:58:11 AM
Quote from: valpopal on February 28, 2023, 10:15:39 AM
Quote from: vu72 on February 28, 2023, 08:24:44 AM
Quote from: valpopal on February 27, 2023, 10:13:02 AMEvery prominent figure one might associate with the university as among the most revered and most loyal has publicly voiced opposition through letters, petition signatures, or statements at meetings.
Um, you seem to have forgotten about a few "prominent" figures associated with the university. Namely, the current members of the board who approved the sale.
Thank you for reminding us that the decision was deliberately made in secret by Padilla and approved by the Board without consultation or input from anyone on campus or associated with the museum on the ethical implications, including the individuals responsible for obtaining the art, the namesake of the museum, or the current director who was unethically kept in the dark while hired in the midst of this deception. Consequently, the members of the Board became complicit in the unethical activities.
Thank you for reminding all of us that you are unhappy about the decision.
I was also unhappy about the decision to change the nickname and the mascot, but that was just a PR problem, not the consequence of an unethical action. How do you reconcile hiring a new museum director under deceptive circumstances, especially when the national association to which he is a member deems the university as behaving unethically, and he would damage his career if he had knowingly accepted the job? In fact, how do you accept that the president and Board have been rebuked by multiple national agencies who oversee ethics in such matters?
This situation is so important to the faculty, current and emeritus, because they recognize how crucial ethical behavior is in academics. Adhering to ethics is taught in the classroom. This action crosses a clear ethical line, which is unforgivable. The university's own Duesenberg Chair in Christianity and the Arts has condemned the decision as "violating professional ethics." It is not about being happy or unhappy with a decision. University presidents and board members can make unpopular decisions; but just as the current students are guided, they are expected to adhere to ethics even when it is inconvenient or not expedient.
Quote from: vu72 on February 28, 2023, 08:24:44 AM
Quote from: valpopal on February 27, 2023, 10:13:02 AMEvery prominent figure one might associate with the university as among the most revered and most loyal has publicly voiced opposition through letters, petition signatures, or statements at meetings.
Um, you seem to have forgotten about a few "prominent" figures associated with the university. Namely, the current members of the board who approved the sale.
valpopal - I realize that you are very passionate about this, but there is not universal support against the sale. In fact, i would argue that there is probably more support in favor of the sale. Your "prominent figures" argument seems to follow a process of "we talked with all of the people who are prominent who agree with us that the art sale is wrong...and they agreed with us." Do you have the voices from engineering? business? nursing? health sciences? I have not seen the signatories on the letter from current and former faculty, but I am willing to bet that there are only a few (or no) faculty or prominent figures from the professional colleges.
In theory wouldn't hiding behind "ethics" as a shield to back one's own opinion be extremely unethical?
For everyone complaining about the sale: buy the paintings and leave them indefinitely on loan. Paintings don't leave and you have assets that lenders will lend against.
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 28, 2023, 12:12:32 PM
valpopal - I realize that you are very passionate about this, but there is not universal support against the sale. In fact, i would argue that there is probably more support in favor of the sale. Your "prominent figures" argument seems to follow a process of "we talked with all of the people who are prominent who agree with us that the art sale is wrong...and they agreed with us." Do you have the voices from engineering? business? nursing? health sciences? I have not seen the signatories on the letter from current and former faculty, but I am willing to bet that there are only a few (or no) faculty or prominent figures from the professional colleges.
I hope you are not implying you believe those in professional colleges do not care about ethics. About 20 of the nearly 100 on the list of faculty signing the initial letter to Padilla in opposition includes professors from various non-arts programs, such as Engineering, Math, Computer Science, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Business, Economics, Health Sciences, and a few former professors in the Law School. Those faculty from engineering further specifically identified themselves with Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Bio-Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. This does not count many additional faculty who later signed the petition. Additionally, I attended the faculty meeting with Padilla, and I can assure you not a single individual from the faculty in any field expressed support for the decision. The sentiments expressed by faculty were unanimously in opposition. I don't know how much our bet was, but you could forward my winnings to the Athletics fund. ;)
Quote from: valpopal on February 28, 2023, 12:47:28 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 28, 2023, 12:12:32 PM
valpopal - I realize that you are very passionate about this, but there is not universal support against the sale. In fact, i would argue that there is probably more support in favor of the sale. Your "prominent figures" argument seems to follow a process of "we talked with all of the people who are prominent who agree with us that the art sale is wrong...and they agreed with us." Do you have the voices from engineering? business? nursing? health sciences? I have not seen the signatories on the letter from current and former faculty, but I am willing to bet that there are only a few (or no) faculty or prominent figures from the professional colleges.
I hope you are not implying you believe those in professional colleges do not care about ethics. About 20 of the nearly 100 on the list of faculty signing the initial letter to Padilla in opposition includes professors from various non-arts programs, such as Engineering, Math, Computer Science, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Business, Economics, Health Sciences, and a few former professors in the Law School. Those faculty from engineering further specifically identified themselves with Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Bio-Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. This does not count many additional faculty who later signed the petition. Additionally, I attended the faculty meeting with Padilla, and I can assure you not a single individual from the faculty in any field expressed support for the decision. The sentiments expressed by faculty were unanimously in opposition. I don't know how much our bet was, but you could forward my winnings to the Athletics fund. ;)
I think that professional colleges should and do care about ethics. Of course, from all of the information that I have on the potential art sale, I do not see this as an ethical violation. For an ethical violation to be present, the ultimate decision makers for the university (current or past Presidents and Boards) would have had to agree (preferably, in writing) that the art would not be sold or that any sale would need to be approved by others. Just because it was never sold for a long time or because the art community (Valpo's and the various associations) feel it is an ethical violation (and/or that the art has nearly unlimited intangible value) does not make this an ethical violation.
20 people across all of those disciplines means, on average, 1 or 2 from each discipline. And this is current AND former faculty. Not exactly a majority - though perhaps additional signatories change this. But I agree that I would lose the bet if we held to my specific prior arguments. I would also argue that people who are in favor of the art sale are much less likely to speak up in faculty senate, as they may feel that doing so unnecessarily casts them in a negative light with some of their peers.
So, to reinforce my argument that VU needs to strike a challenging balance between the liberal arts and professional disciplines, and to refute the argument that it should go all in on Business/Engineering/Nursing even if it means leaving the liberal arts behind, it's helpful to look at enrollment numbers and consider related issues.
TOTAL ENROLLMENTS (url says 2020, but these are 2022-23 stats)
Source: https://issuu.com/valparaiso-university/docs/valpo_fast_facts_2020 (https://issuu.com/valparaiso-university/docs/valpo_fast_facts_2020)
Arts & Sciences (1170)
Business Administration (330)
Engineering (415)
Nursing & Health Professions (607)
Christ College (297)
Of course, if you add up the enrollments for the professional schools, they outnumber Arts & Sciences. But as an academic unit, Arts & Sciences has the largest number of students. It also accounts for a significant amount of credit hours contained in distribution requirements for the professional schools.
Furthermore, we should factor in the Christ College enrollment, which is not a major in and of itself, but rather a significant complementary curriculum that attracts a fair number of professional students who wish to have a more well-rounded education and an affiliation with a very respected honors college known for its intellectual rigor.
ENROLLMENTS BY MAJORS/MINORS
Source: https://www.valpo.edu/institutional-effectiveness/files/2022/09/major_minor_FA22_v2.pdf (https://www.valpo.edu/institutional-effectiveness/files/2022/09/major_minor_FA22_v2.pdf)
The enrollment breakdown by majors/minors contains too many categories to summarize here, but they reveal nuances not captured in the enrollments by college, especially in Arts & Sciences.
The A&S numbers show a higher #s in sciences, social sciences, and communications/media. What's suffering here is the humanities, reflecting a national trend. But wait, here again is where Christ College comes in. As noted above, it enrolls some 300 students (not reflected in this summary, because Christ College is not a major), and the curriculum is heavily weighted towards (drum roll) the humanities.
There are only 18 English majors + another 3 combining English and Secondary Ed. Does that mean you eliminate the English department? Not unless you want to undermine the ability of students to write clearly and cogently.
And what about the 9 Theology majors and 5 Theology & ministry majors? Is that area of instruction a market casualty as well? After all, kids these days are much less drawn to organized religion than before. Does that mean that VU should de-emphasize its faith side because of limited ROI in terms of $$$?
INTERDEPENDENCE
Basically, VU is what the academic world calls a "comprehensive" university, a term that typically means a private, regional university that offers degree programs in both the liberal arts and professional programs. VU adds a faith component as well. In the zero-sum frame that many of our discussions are operating within, building one component means cutting another. Yes, choices have to be made when resources are limited. But if you cut too deeply in one area, you can see an unwanted ripple effect that negatively impacts the program(s) you wish to keep.
To some degree, the different pieces of this University are dependent upon one another, even if they are not harmonious in worldview or purpose. If the leadership of the University cannot find a way to expand the pool of resources for all meaningful constituencies, then what you've got is a low-morale campus full of resentments and a sense of institutional decline, all of which feeds upon itself.
I don't know if it's unethical to sell the painting (just not that familiar with art/university/ norms), but I do agree with ValpoPal that it is problematic for the university to keep pitching itself to prospective students and hires as a place that values the liberal arts if the university doesn't intend to carry this through in decision-making.
Who knows what administration told the new Brauer director when he was interviewing and accepting the job, but it was probably the typical self-congratulatory 'Harvard of the Midwest' 'private elite liberal arts' 'Valpo excellence' lingo. I'd bet money they probably even talked up the Georgia O'Keeffe to suggest what a great tradition of the arts the Museum was participating in.
The university administration has been doing this now for a long while now.... talking up the liberal arts private education and appealing to the historic strength of the university in the humanities and arts *when trying to get prospective students and hires to come*; and then turning around shortly thereafter to say 'oh, well, sorry, actually the professional schools and the physical plant are what matters for the future; everything else is labor costs and assets to dispense with, to urgently position ourselves for the market!'
Come on, get the story straight one way or another! If Valpo is basically deciding to go professional & technical because those are the short-term financially self-sustaining ones that will get undergrad students into $$ careers, that's fine (not withstanding the actually quite rampant instability and layoffs in the tech fields, ahem!). But then the uni needs to a) quit promoting the liberal arts to get students and staff in the door, b) cut all the stuff out of the campus prospective tours about it, c) acknowledge the new orientation and be honest about the Ivytech/PNW-type market the Board and Administration actually want to operate in, and d) figure out a different and more honest promo line so people who do care about arts and humanities know not to waste their time & reputations moving there. How long can the university keep up the rhetoric of being a serious liberal arts core institution, while all the choices decade after decade, year after year, are otherwise? Maybe there is some stage of hazy nostalgia or earnest confusion that makes for an ethical gray zone. But at some point, it does/will become an unethical form of outright lying to prospectives.
Can we call this bluff? If the professional market is so reliable as the principle on which to decide university identity and decisions, then surely Valpo should really DO it and quit relying on the momentum of its former reputation as a comprehensive liberal arts university. If the humanities are so useless in recruitment, let's see how well the university can do with enrollment just advertising for a few years on the basis of dorms, Nursing, Business and Engineering. Let's see how long the doors of the Valpo College of Professional Studies stay open...
This is a fine summary, David. You make excellent points. Although we need to be careful when reading the major/minor enrollments. For instance, when you cite 18 English majors. There are majors within English that have other titles (ie. Creative Writing, Professional Writing, etc.) If you add all the categories, the number for English is closer to 50.
Quote from: David81 on February 28, 2023, 01:11:04 PM
So, to reinforce my argument that VU needs to strike a challenging balance between the liberal arts and professional disciplines, and to refute the argument that it should go all in on Business/Engineering/Nursing even if it means leaving the liberal arts behind, it's helpful to look at enrollment numbers and consider related issues.
TOTAL ENROLLMENTS (url says 2020, but these are 2022-23 stats)
Source: https://issuu.com/valparaiso-university/docs/valpo_fast_facts_2020 (https://issuu.com/valparaiso-university/docs/valpo_fast_facts_2020)
Arts & Sciences (1170)
Business Administration (330)
Engineering (415)
Nursing & Health Professions (607)
Christ College (297)
Of course, if you add up the enrollments for the professional schools, they outnumber Arts & Sciences. But as an academic unit, Arts & Sciences has the largest number of students. It also accounts for a significant amount of credit hours contained in distribution requirements for the professional schools.
Furthermore, we should factor in the Christ College enrollment, which is not a major in and of itself, but rather a significant complementary curriculum that attracts a fair number of professional students who wish to have a more well-rounded education and an affiliation with a very respected honors college known for its intellectual rigor.
ENROLLMENTS BY MAJORS/MINORS
Source: https://www.valpo.edu/institutional-effectiveness/files/2022/09/major_minor_FA22_v2.pdf (https://www.valpo.edu/institutional-effectiveness/files/2022/09/major_minor_FA22_v2.pdf)
The enrollment breakdown by majors/minors contains too many categories to summarize here, but they reveal nuances not captured in the enrollments by college, especially in Arts & Sciences.
The A&S numbers show a higher #s in sciences, social sciences, and communications/media. What's suffering here is the humanities, reflecting a national trend. But wait, here again is where Christ College comes in. As noted above, it enrolls some 300 students (not reflected in this summary, because Christ College is not a major), and the curriculum is heavily weighted towards (drum roll) the humanities.
There are only 18 English majors + another 3 combining English and Secondary Ed. Does that mean you eliminate the English department? Not unless you want to undermine the ability of students to write clearly and cogently.
And what about the 9 Theology majors and 5 Theology & ministry majors? Is that area of instruction a market casualty as well? After all, kids these days are much less drawn to organized religion than before. Does that mean that VU should de-emphasize its faith side because of limited ROI in terms of $$$?
INTERDEPENDENCE
Basically, VU is what the academic world calls a "comprehensive" university, a term that typically means a private, regional university that offers degree programs in both the liberal arts and professional programs. VU adds a faith component as well. In the zero-sum frame that many of our discussions are operating within, building one component means cutting another. Yes, choices have to be made when resources are limited. But if you cut too deeply in one area, you can see an unwanted ripple effect that negatively impacts the program(s) you wish to keep.
To some degree, the different pieces of this University are dependent upon one another, even if they are not harmonious in worldview or purpose. If the leadership of the University cannot find a way to expand the pool of resources for all meaningful constituencies, then what you've got is a low-morale campus full of resentments and a sense of institutional decline, all of which feeds upon itself.
Quote from: DejaVU on February 26, 2023, 09:01:54 PMIf not, then maybe more students should knock over the doors in Kretzmann and tell them what they really want in decreasing order of importance.
President Padilla's office is no longer in Kretzmann Hall. His office is now in Heritage Hall in one of the old Law School buildings.
Quote from: valpopal on February 27, 2023, 10:13:02 AM
Quote from: crusader05 on February 27, 2023, 09:12:10 AM
if you think the art work is so valuable offer to buy it and then donate it.
That is exactly what was done. Look at the specs on the Frederic Church painting for example. It clearly states that the painting was bought and donated to Valparaiso University by Percy Sloan. The other two paintings were bought through donations to the Sloan Fund for purchase of art to be displayed at the university. This is why there is so much anger. I have never seen members of the university community—faculty (current and emeritus), students, community members—so unified on a topic as they are about opposition to Padilla in this instance. Those who could not agree with one another on past issues have come together on this one. Every prominent figure one might associate with the university as among the most revered and most loyal has publicly voiced opposition through letters, petition signatures, or statements at meetings. The letter to Padilla by nearly 100 present and past faculty is a who's who synonymous with Valpo. Even the new director of the museum, hired by Padilla but deceptively and unethically kept in the dark about this plan during the whole process, has now come out in opposition. The destruction done to trust and morale is more extensive than most can imagine, and Padilla's reputation has been permanently damaged.
As I have stated before, I would prefer that the art not be sold, but I am more concerned about what is in the best financial interest of the university. First of all, most "gifts", which is what a donation actually is, to a non-profit are irrevocable.
I do not know if restrictions were legally placed on these monetary and physical "gifts" by the donors and I don't think most of the opposition know the facts either. Did anyone in the "60's" actually think that these painting would increase in value a thousand+ fold? Second, you state
"Every prominent figure one might associate with the university as among the most revered and most loyal has publicly voiced opposition through letters, petition signatures, or statements at meetings". This statement is incorrect, because past and present members of the LUA are the most loyal and most prominent of all people associated with VU. Names like Duesenberg, Helge and Hansen are in that group. If those names aren't revered by the oppostion they should be. I know for a fact that many of the past and present LUA members were repsonsible, either directly with their own donations or by soliciting other high major donors, for at least 62.5 million dollars in the last campaign. That the opposition can so easily discount and not find the tiniest bit of merit in the recommendation of that extremely loyal, dedicated, and highly successful group is alarming to me.
As I mentioned before, I am not competent to pick a side on the debate of selling versus not selling the art, nor on the urgency of repairing the dorms. In my opinion the compensation problem (a decades old problem neglected by the previous President) is the most urgent issue given the current economic conditions.
I know it is not a sexy topic but it is the issue that has the capacity to destroy this place for good even if it remains open (and that is a big if)
So those who want to die on the hill of defending these paintings should ask themselves if they want to still have a University campus surrounding that precious museum 5-10 years from now. What good is the museum inside a laughing joke of a school with overworked demoralized instructors working enough to not get fired and envying those who were able to jump ship? I know some folks who regretted they were not old enough to be able to get the voluntary retirement 2-years severance pay.
Now, on the flipside, I have zero confidence that the administration is right on this. I have serious doubts that the dorms situation is indeed the most urgent and crucial issue to address, so crucial that the risk taking in selling this art is worth it. I heard Padilla saying that he does not want new admits to pick Butler over us just cause they have nicer dorms...Well, by the time we make our dorms look nice, maybe Butler will add concierge service to their dorms and we still lose those students. That does not mean we should not renovate...I just don't think this is where the loudest alarm is
Finally, I don't understand why people don't attack the Board. Cause they approved it and Padilla, after all, answers to the board.
Quote from: FWalum on February 28, 2023, 04:47:14 PM
Quote from: valpopal on February 27, 2023, 10:13:02 AM
Quote from: crusader05 on February 27, 2023, 09:12:10 AM
if you think the art work is so valuable offer to buy it and then donate it.
That is exactly what was done. Look at the specs on the Frederic Church painting for example. It clearly states that the painting was bought and donated to Valparaiso University by Percy Sloan. The other two paintings were bought through donations to the Sloan Fund for purchase of art to be displayed at the university. This is why there is so much anger. I have never seen members of the university community—faculty (current and emeritus), students, community members—so unified on a topic as they are about opposition to Padilla in this instance. Those who could not agree with one another on past issues have come together on this one. Every prominent figure one might associate with the university as among the most revered and most loyal has publicly voiced opposition through letters, petition signatures, or statements at meetings. The letter to Padilla by nearly 100 present and past faculty is a who's who synonymous with Valpo. Even the new director of the museum, hired by Padilla but deceptively and unethically kept in the dark about this plan during the whole process, has now come out in opposition. The destruction done to trust and morale is more extensive than most can imagine, and Padilla's reputation has been permanently damaged.
As I have stated before, I would prefer that the art not be sold, but I am more concerned about what is in the best financial interest of the university. First of all, most "gifts", which is what a donation actually is, to a non-profit are irrevocable. I do not know if restrictions were legally placed on these monetary and physical "gifts" by the donors and I don't think most of the opposition know the facts either. Did anyone in the "60's" actually think that these painting would increase in value a thousand+ fold? Second, you state "Every prominent figure one might associate with the university as among the most revered and most loyal has publicly voiced opposition through letters, petition signatures, or statements at meetings". This statement is incorrect, because past and present members of the LUA are the most loyal and most prominent of all people associated with VU. Names like Duesenberg, Helge and Hansen are in that group. If those names aren't revered by the oppostion they should be. I know for a fact that many of the past and present LUA members were repsonsible, either directly with their own donations or by soliciting other high major donors, for at least 62.5 million dollars in the last campaign. That the opposition can so easily discount and not find the tiniest bit of merit in the recommendation of that extremely loyal, dedicated, and highly successful group is alarming to me.
First of all, the paintings were donated or purchased as part of the 1953 Sloan Fund, which was endowed solely for the purchase of art. Whether the university's lawyers can find some way to have the sale for dorm renovation deemed legal, I do not doubt. But the university cannot undo the determination by the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Art Museum Curators, the Association of Art Museum Directors, the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, and others who have denounced the proposed sale as unethical. Are we fine with this, and would we be fine if the colleges of Nursing or Business ignored rulings of unethical behavior set by their oversight associations? Would it be okay if Athletics ignored NCAA rulings of ethical violations? Do we have any standards remaining?
Secondly, my comment about prominent figures primarily included faculty, current or emeritus, as the context suggests: "past and present faculty is a who's who synonymous with Valpo." Obviously, I was excluding the Board members of the LUA (including Duesenberg, Helge, Hansen, etc.) since it was their decision that was being opposed in protest. I value the contributions by those members; however, that doesn't mean their decision isn't unethical, nor does it assure they are always correct. They are not. In fact, considering that they made the decision in secret without any guidance or input from those who would know about such matters—perhaps even the new museum director they were hiring or those who purchased the artwork in the first place—they likely might not have known the university's vulnerability to denouncements as unethical and future censure from the governing associations in that field.
Finally, I sincerely applaud the monetary contributions you cite. Maybe those who are so devoted to the university and were able to raise 62.5 million dollars in the last campaign, would be the perfect group this time to step up and to find a way to raise the money needed for dorm renovation, which would amount to approximately 15% of that amount.
The art associations listed above, from what I have read over the last several weeks, would condemn ANY sale of art by a university. In their mind, art has infinite value and thus should never be given lesser priority than ANYTHING else at a university. Who gave them the right to determine what is proper for Valparaiso to do? Valpo should care less what they determine is ethical and unethical behavior.
The major associations for the various disciplines in business, to my knowledge, have never condemned decisions made by universities. Accreditation boards, of course, may not renew accreditation if research and teaching standards are not met - but they are approving programs that are central to a university and its outcomes...not a museum.
Jeeze! Pardon me, but this pissing contest is getting repetitive and boring.
We have two strongly opposing views. Both sides (the ones with the frickin power to actually get something done) need to sit down together, and 1) first agree on what is best for the long-term growth and survival of the institution and then 2) arrive at a solution that both can live with. No one needs to be an absolute winner — except the university in the long term as a whole.
And, BTW, none of us on this forum have any credentials that qualify us to participate in that dialog. Let's all move on to spectator status, wait, see what happens, and then criticize the s[-]\¥ out of it 😜
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 28, 2023, 08:52:33 PM
Jeeze! Pardon me, but this pissing contest is getting repetitive and boring.
We have two strongly opposing views. Both sides (the ones with the frickin power to actually get something done) need to sit down together, and 1) first agree on what is best for the long-term growth and survival of the institution and then 2) arrive at a solution that both can live with. No one needs to be an absolute winner — except the university in the long term as a whole.
And, BTW, none of us on this forum have any credentials that qualify us to participate in that dialog. Let's all move on to spectator status, wait, see what happens, and then criticize the s[-]\¥ out of it 😜
I hope for a mutually acceptable Option C, but it will require the appearance of new sources of lots of money.
Absent that, and assuming the art sale goes through, the ripple effects will make it very hard for the University to consider a coaching buyout for MBB without risking a very public challenge to its leadership.
David, I'm kind of a linear thinker. Right now, I just want the university to dispose of the art kerfuffle and stabilize the emotions and finances related to it. Once that is put to bed ( hopefully 🙄), the university can move onto elephant #2. Granted both issues we on the forum are bouncing between are emotional, but I fear that the art stuff is more threatening to university stability in the short term. That has to be resolved first. If we have to endure another down BB year ( and I say this with bile rising in my throat) so be it.
Now the solution could be just jam the sale through (damn the torpedos etc.) but I'd much like to see compromise that puts the university, rather than narrower agendas, in a better, more stable position. The key is what can both sides live with.
Quote from: DejaVU on February 28, 2023, 05:13:09 PMIn my opinion the compensation problem (a decades old problem neglected by the previous President) is the most urgent issue given the current economic conditions. I know it is not a sexy topic but it is the issue that has the capacity to destroy this place for good even if it remains open (and that is a big if)
Huh, yeah, I sort of agree. I do wonder if perhaps NONE of the other decisions (whether to sell art, what to do with the sports, identity angst over the mix of liberal arts and professional) can be "put to bed" until the salary economic quicksand issue is addressed. When people throughout a community are frightened and not able to keep their heads above water, they cling to stuff in disordinate ways. It's funny, when I was a grad student, the doctoral students unionized to get COLA adjustments for doctoral stipends. At the time, I was very uncomfortable with the conflictual nature of the struggle and stayed far away, not sure what to make of it all and generally kind of opposed to what my peers were doing. An agreement was reached, some COLA was instituted, and life went on with restored harmony, much to the relief of my Confucian heart. Then I got to Valpo and a) was kind of shocked to find conditions for faculty life so much worse than doctoral life... faculty and admin fighting over who would pay out of their personal pocket to get a coffee machine in the faculty lounge; senior colleagues working gig delivery jobs on the side to make ends meet, etc; and b) found myself wishing for the clearing-of-the-air that a direct, open negotiation of conflicting interests, wins and concessions, could bring. Valpo staff and faculty culture is in its own Midwestern way far too pietistic & concerned with respectability to ever go for a strike and force a reckoning, so I guess instead we see the energy around stuff like fine art ; but the fears and struggles are not gone, but just kind of sublimated or handled in proxy wars. So sometimes I thought it would actually help the best interests of the university if employees did just put a foot down and insist on some basic conditions for dignity and professionalism, so that everybody could sit down and talk through necessary decisions at an arm's length, without every tough decision proceeding on the level of personal existential insult. There ARE key identity issues at stake, like the profile of the institution as a sustainable comprehensive university, and there going to be ethical puzzles and things to resist, but I am beginning to also wonder if the passion over these three paintings is really the most most fundamental occasion for people to discern together how to get to an economically just and academically sustainable future? After all the things employees and students could have but didn't protest these last 10-20 years, is this now really The One?
I dunno, I'm not trying to deny that there are real issues of intrinsic value or ethics in the present art conversation. But yeah... in the actual context in which Valpo exists, I think Dejavu has a point!
I do agree that Pay is probably the biggest challenge facing the university and it does seem that this art sale is probably a manifestation of other things. My only concern is that to address pay you either need 1. more students or 2. less staff/faculty 3. less other stuff.
I'd imagine over time the endowment funds can help bite into that. I think the other thing you might be dealing with is a disparity in pay from people who have been there a long time and newer people. I know one issue my spouses company had to address was that a portion of their workforce didn't get raises for years following the recession which just grew the gap between them and other employee who had been there prior to lean times and had received cost of living and significant merit raises. I imagine at universities where tenured professors are more likely to stay longer and therefore be there for lean and flush times you can see that disparity start to take effect as well. Combine this with tenure faculty being the one safe from being let go and you are not even saving as much money if you do cuts short of actual program terminations. I know the buy out we did and what DePauw did a few years ago is supposed to address that but with buyouts lasting 1-2 years we won't see the beneft of any of that money just yet.
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 28, 2023, 08:50:37 PM
The art associations listed above, from what I have read over the last several weeks, would condemn ANY sale of art by a university. In their mind, art has infinite value and thus should never be given lesser priority than ANYTHING else at a university. Who gave them the right to determine what is proper for Valparaiso to do? Valpo should care less what they determine is ethical and unethical behavior.
These are misunderstandings. The art associations have been given the right to judge by all of the museums across the country, and they only condemn sales in which the proceeds are not put into improvement or expansion of a museum's collection. Also, those who suggest just ignoring the associations don't understand fully how this works. The art groups' actions aren't undone if the university ignores them. Padilla and the Board can close their eyes and put their hands over ears, but all other universities, museums, and art buyers, dealers, or donors will not ignore and will care. If the art associations condemn VU and recommend sanctions, it doesn't just taint Valpo in the perception of others and lower the museum's stature (perhaps as if going from D-1 to D-3 in athletic terms); additionally, all of their members could stop cooperating with VU in exhibitions, refuse to loan artworks to the museum, not bid on the works for sale and drive down their prices, warn donors not to gift works to Valpo, etc. The universities and museums across the country would be like a labor union and Valpo would be viewed as a scab.
Folks, we all like dreams and "strategic planning." But the BOND RATING is third party. Thanks to VU72 for his new Moody's thread.
Rating Action: Moody's downgrades Valparaiso University's (IN) to Baa2; outlook revised to stable
27 Feb 2023 -------------------
New York, February 27, 2023 -- Moody's Investors Service has downgraded Valparaiso University, IN's issuer and revenue bond ratings to Baa2 from Baa1.
RATINGS RATIONALE
The downgrade to Baa2 reflects a large structural budget imbalance, with weak operating performance and debt service coverage likely over the next several years. Liquidity is already very thin, inclusive of draws under a working capital line, and will erode further, with the pace of decline dependent on the ability to successfully implement in a timely way initiatives to realign its program and expense structure with enrollment amid a difficult regional student market. The university generated a nearly 8% operating deficit in fiscal 2022 and the deficit for fiscal 2023 is forecast to be substantially worse, with below 1.0x debt service coverage from regular operations.
Despite these challenges, Valparaiso University's Baa2 remains supported by its very good total wealth, good levels of spendable cash and investments, and a recognized regional brand bolstering a still good strategic position. Philanthropic support is relatively good with three-year gift revenue averaging over $15 million. Despite a use of some liquid reserves, spendable cash and investments continues to provide solid debt coverage at nearly 1.4x. An operating base of over $112 million provides some expense flexibility and potential for operating performance improvement through expense reductions. Additionally, the university has gained some traction in graduate programs, including nursing and information technology.
RATING OUTLOOK
The outlook is currently stable incorporating the university's identified budget initiatives, which have some prospects for success on both the revenue and expense side. The stable outlook also incorporates broader wealth levels that provide some financial flexibility to implement plans. The university's management team is relatively new without a yet established track record of reversing the university's multi-year enrollment and financial challenges. Inability to make clear progress in fiscal 2024, including meeting enrollment targets in Fall 2023 would have either rating or outlook implications.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OF THE RATINGS
- Notable strengthening of brand and strategic position, reflected in growing enrollment and net tuition revenue and further growth in philanthropy
- Significant improvement in annual operating performance driven by net tuition revenue growth and expense reductions
- Material growth in total wealth and financial reserves with significantly stronger liquidity
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
- Failure to make progress towards stabilizing enrollment in fall 2023 with growth in net student revenue
- Inability to make substantial progress towards narrowing operating imbalances in fiscal 2024 and beyond, with consistent debt service coverage above 1.2x.
- Further reduction in unrestricted liquidity or broader wealth levels
LEGAL SECURITY
Outstanding debt is all unsecured general obligations of the university. The J.P. Morgan Chase line of credit includes a financial covenant that unrestricted cash and investments to debt be at least 1.0x. The covenanted ratio stood at 1.5x in fiscal 2022. There are no debt reserve fund requirements.
If VU84V2 is right that we shouldn't really care that much what external orgs like the Art associations think, I suppose that's true of Moody's too. These third party orgs have their own agendas, like art preservation or debt credit reporting. And should Valpo be looking to get any further lines of debt credit, given the heavy interest burden already bearing down?
the most important line in Moody's write up is that Valpo's reputation is not totally in tatters from recent rough patches. Fortunately, they assess the regional impression as still okay: "a recognized regional brand bolstering a still good strategic position"
I think the other pieice is for those of us who care about Valpo the only school who's outlook I truly care about is there. But a place like Moody is looking across the industry. They seem to be differentiating a rough patch with solid footing BUT they do seem to be sending the message that Enrollment is going to be the thing they are looking at the most
Agreed that Moodys says long term is solid despite the rough patch and that enrollment is their pivot.
But..as to the size of the patch..I missed at first the specifics on deficit size and the expectation that weak operational budget will persist for several years. To quote: "FY22 ended with an 8% deficit and FY23 will be substantially worse."
(The new year starting July 1, 2023 goes unmentioned of course by a bond company. What do we project for fall enrollment in FY24?
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 28, 2023, 11:30:50 PM
Now the solution could be just jam the sale through (damn the torpedos etc.) but I'd much like to see compromise that puts the university, rather than narrower agendas, in a better, more stable position. The key is what can both sides live with.
Excellent comment, 62. I would not be surprised, and I'd be delighted, when a possible compromise solution is proposed that might engage and suit all parties involved. I trust it is just a matter of briefly working through a rather messy process in the meantime with hope of getting to that final point of agreement. :thumbsup:
Quote from: valpopal on March 01, 2023, 08:48:34 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 28, 2023, 08:50:37 PM
The art associations listed above, from what I have read over the last several weeks, would condemn ANY sale of art by a university. In their mind, art has infinite value and thus should never be given lesser priority than ANYTHING else at a university. Who gave them the right to determine what is proper for Valparaiso to do? Valpo should care less what they determine is ethical and unethical behavior.
These are misunderstandings. The art associations have been given the right to judge by all of the museums across the country, and they only condemn sales in which the proceeds are not put into improvement or expansion of a museum's collection. Also, those who suggest just ignoring the associations don't understand fully how this works. The art groups' actions aren't undone if the university ignores them. Padilla and the Board can close their eyes and put their hands over ears, but all other universities, museums, and art buyers, dealers, or donors will not ignore and will care. If the art associations condemn VU and recommend sanctions, it doesn't just taint Valpo in the perception of others and lower the museum's stature (perhaps as if going from D-1 to D-3 in athletic terms); additionally, all of their members could stop cooperating with VU in exhibitions, refuse to loan artworks to the museum, not bid on the works for sale and drive down their prices, warn donors not to gift works to Valpo, etc. The universities and museums across the country would be like a labor union and Valpo would be viewed as a scab.
This article suggests that vu84v2 is correct. https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/10/indiana-university-sell-georgia-okeeffe-painting-deaccession (https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/10/indiana-university-sell-georgia-okeeffe-painting-deaccession)
QuoteThe AAMD loosened its deaccessioning guidelines during the onset of Covid-19 in 2020, as museums grappled with how to stay financially afloat amid lockdowns. For two years, the group said it would not penalise any institution for using funds from deaccessioning work for the "direct care of collections", instead of restricting the proceeds for further art acquisitions.
However, high-profile deaccessions during that time period still sparked outcry. In October 2020, the Baltimore Museum of Art announced it would sell three works—including an Andy Warhol—to fund a $65m endowment for initiatives like staff pay raises and diversity programmes. While the museum's plan followed AAMD guidelines at the time, the announcement was met with board resignations and industry pushback. The works were pulled just hours before the auction was scheduled to take place.
Maybe the AAMD should recognize the delayed effect that COVID has had on places like universities.
Quote from: valpo22 on March 01, 2023, 05:33:46 PM
Interesting batch of letters to the editor yesterday and today:
Laura Wehrenberg (BA 1969, descendent of university founder): http://www.valpotorch.com/opinion/article_1e0dbb68-b859-11ed-a542-2bb768ccd111.html
Logan Albright, Lee Ross, & Victoria Tiller (current students?): http://www.valpotorch.com/opinion/article_b65778da-b338-11ed-8504-7f474ff165e0.html
Gloria Ruff (former curator): http://www.valpotorch.com/opinion/article_214e7ba2-b85c-11ed-a536-87b44730dfce.html
Lilian Goss-Pierce (student) : http://www.valpotorch.com/opinion/article_7f9e4e4a-b338-11ed-9fb7-7f5eda27e187.html#tncms-source=article-nav-next
Just a quick question and a reaction to those articulated stances:
Question: How many total pieces does the Brauer hold under its auspices and what percent of the collection is represented by those three in question?
Reaction: If this proposed sale guts the Brauer and renders it totally irrelevant, I am solidly against the sale.
If, OTOH, although they are pricey pieces, their sale does not appreciably diminish the overall artistic experience for students and occasional guests that has existed over the length of the Brauer's existence, then why the explosive outcry? Viewed another way, if the Brauer had to close and the only way to save it would be to sell those three pieces, would this even be an issue? Hey, art is bought, sold and loaned all the time. Though beautiful, all art is a commodity.
I get the emotions, but the Brauer Museum is but one kinda low profile piece (IMO, cuz I have received in over 50+ years as an alum very little promotion of its incredible value to me or the world in general) of a much larger multifaceted university that, right now, needs to find ways to ensure its long term survival in a higher educational environment that is experiencing accelerating change at a rate never experienced before.
I believe that Padilla is advancing (though clumsily) pragmatic options in this regard. I believe he sees the new higher education landscape clearer than many as a result of coming to VU from institutions outside of the " Valpo Bubble."
I go back to my initial precept: Both sides of this issue are obligated to find "what they can mutually live with" to ensure the future of our beloved university.
Quote from: FWalum on March 01, 2023, 04:13:33 PM
This article suggests that vu84v2 is correct. https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/10/indiana-university-sell-georgia-okeeffe-painting-deaccession (https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/10/indiana-university-sell-georgia-okeeffe-painting-deaccession)
No, the case of the Baltimore Museum of Art actually points to the opposite conclusion. The Association of Art Museum Directors caught the Baltimore Museum of Art trying to game the system by misrepresenting its plan in order to appear within guidelines at the time and to exploit the temporary Covid exception permitted between 2020 and 2022. As an article linked in this news report indicates: ""Critically, the [AAMD] statement also states that funds from deaccession may only be used for the direct care of the collection for a limited two-year period, from April 2020 until April 2022. Thus the Baltimore Museum's plan to create a long-term endowment, to fund the museum into the future, is clearly outside the scope of permissible uses of deaccession funds." Also, "The BMA has reported that it is not squeezed financially," another key qualification for the temporary exemption.
Unfortunately, like others during the Covid crisis, the Baltimore Museum of Art unethically tried to deceptively plunder from temporary lifting of restrictions to allow access to emergency funding. Kudos to the AAMD folks for calling them out. Nevertheless, in the end the AAMD didn't prohibit the sales; instead, due to the shame of being exposed for their unethical behavior and resulting poor publicity, the museum withdrew its artworks from sale. As your article states: "The works were pulled just hours before the auction was scheduled to take place."
What if we take a photo of the painting, sell the painting, and then put the photo in the same place?
Best of both worlds. :)
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 01, 2023, 08:12:18 PMI believe that Padilla is advancing (though clumsily) pragmatic options in this regard. I believe he sees the new higher education landscape clearer than many as a result of coming to VU from institutions outside of the " Valpo Bubble."
It is good he has institutional experience from outside the VU Bubble, but the clumsiness you mention (and that of Heckler before him) is more than a Bubble issue but also an experience issue. If you look at the leadership of the university, people bring a lot of different kinds of experience and resources to the table. The Board tends to be Valpo BA alumns who then went on to become successful in business, social media influencing, or as lawyers, but for the most part have no more experience of four-year institutions beyond having been undergrads themselves once. The Upper Administration tends to be MBAs, JDs, and some people with M.Ed or D.Ed 'higher ed industry' technocrat training and degrees. The staff leading key offices like Advancement, Communications, Institutional Effectiveness etc are generally people with Associates or Bachelors degrees, either from Valpo or sometimes from other regional schools like IvyTech or PNW. All of these people bring great wisdom and hard work from their various life and educational formations.
But seems like some of the 'clumsiness' of the last few years has to do with the Board and Administration being generally unaware of how the specifics of the academic world work:
Wait, all of US academia knows that we're having financial trouble?? We were just trying to trim some labor costs...Who would have guessed that dozens of laid-off professors would go back to their masters and doctoral advisors for letters of rec and send applications to interview committees at lord-knows-how-many universities across the entire US? What, the retention rate is falling... Do you think there could be some mysterious connection between teaching load/pay and student experience? Huh, we thought we could just sell art assets... Who knew these Art Associations and their ethics judgements even existed, and that there might be a PR problem? Again, these are not moral failings, just a disconnect between training/experience and academic process.
As the university has turned more towards the corporate model of higher ed, the experience that ends up worryingly absent (with probably the exception of Eric Johnson, who did his doctorate at Notre Dame and probably as Provost gets to sit in the big office meetings), are faculty who have apprenticed all the way through the academic system esp. in the sort of private liberal arts comprehensive university that Valpo had historically been in conversation with and respected among. I really don't mean to suggest that a PhD is somehow an inherently better kind of formation since in general it's not -- but it is just a matter of relevant experience for university-specific life, of having watched and been part of the whole process. If most of the MBA/M.Ed/BA people calling the shots have never been through a traditional academic search, applied for a grant, navigated wider professional bodies and academic associations, or put together syllabi for four preps, etc., they're just going to miss a lot.... It's hard to run a successful croissant shop if you've never seen anybody make croissants.
Diaspora, that seems like a very fair and calm assessment of the players in this mix.
Padilla and the board are picking the least bad options during a time when Moody's is pinpointing the urgencies of cash flow and enrollment for VU. Naturally we would prefer they only pick "good options" instead of "least bad ones." But that is our reality.
Quote from: mj on March 01, 2023, 09:16:19 PM
What if we take a photo of the painting, sell the painting, and then put the photo in the same place?
Best of both worlds. :)
Can I do that with my cousin's diploma and just change the first name on the diploma a bit?
Quote from: valpopal on March 01, 2023, 03:46:59 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 28, 2023, 11:30:50 PM
Now the solution could be just jam the sale through (damn the torpedos etc.) but I'd much like to see compromise that puts the university, rather than narrower agendas, in a better, more stable position. The key is what can both sides live with.
Excellent comment, 62. I would not be surprised, and I'd be delighted, when a possible compromise solution is proposed that might engage and suit all parties involved. I trust it is just a matter of briefly working through a rather messy process in the meantime with hope of getting to that final point of agreement. :thumbsup:
I attended a Faculty Senate special session meeting Thursday afternoon. The Senate approved sending a resolution to Padilla and the Board that it is hoped all can find acceptable. As 62 states above, the aim was to find a path "both sides can live with." The resolution recommends a collaborative compromise solution for funding, which renovates the dorms without sale of the paintings, though leasing artworks would be allowed. The resolution also proposes participation in the process by all parties—Padilla, the Board, faculty, alumni donors, museum officials, and the national art associations who have offered to help.
That is the general overview. I cannot discuss specifics until the proposal is public, but I thought it hopeful a compromise is being sought, and I wanted to share that positive news. To give you an idea of the campus interest, the Senate has 20 members but attendance by faculty was over 80. Also, I am told the current petition circulating against the art sale has 1800 signatures thus far.
How will Valpo get the cash to keep moving? Leasing does not bring in close to enough revenue compared to selling.
That's so great Padilla is starting to consider these voices in the field! Make me think of Sunzi's Art of War, on unwise and wise generals, if Valpo's face-off against the enrollment cliff can be compared to war. He is going to need the troops, even his art troops, on his side.
12-17. There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army:--
(1) By commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army.
(2) By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier's minds.
(3) By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.
But when the army is restless and distrustful, trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes. This is simply bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging victory away. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: (1) He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. (2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. (3) He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks...'
I only read about half of them for interests of time. But Putin is violating all of the ones I read. Per these rules, he is especially unwise if he truly wants to occupy as a unified USSR.
But I certainly digressed from our paintings and battle conversation.
How much cash will Valpo get with this strategy compared to selling?
Quote from: valpopal on March 04, 2023, 09:36:05 AM
Quote from: valpopal on March 01, 2023, 03:46:59 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 28, 2023, 11:30:50 PM
Now the solution could be just jam the sale through (damn the torpedos etc.) but I'd much like to see compromise that puts the university, rather than narrower agendas, in a better, more stable position. The key is what can both sides live with.
Excellent comment, 62. I would not be surprised, and I'd be delighted, when a possible compromise solution is proposed that might engage and suit all parties involved. I trust it is just a matter of briefly working through a rather messy process in the meantime with hope of getting to that final point of agreement. :thumbsup:
I attended a Faculty Senate special session meeting Thursday afternoon. The Senate approved sending a resolution to Padilla and the Board that it is hoped all can find acceptable. As 62 states above, the aim was to find a path "both sides can live with." The resolution recommends a collaborative compromise solution for funding, which renovates the dorms without sale of the paintings, though leasing artworks would be allowed. The resolution also proposes participation in the process by all parties—Padilla, the Board, faculty, alumni donors, museum officials, and the national art associations who have offered to help.
That is the general overview. I cannot discuss specifics until the proposal is public, but I thought it hopeful a compromise is being sought, and I wanted to share that positive news. To give you an idea of the campus interest, the Senate has 20 members but attendance by faculty was over 80. Also, I am told the current petition circulating against the art sale has 1800 signatures thus far.
I'm encouraged that folks are in problem-solving mode. Maybe the acceptable compromise isn't there yet, but if there's a path towards a third way to do this (besides selling the paintings or doing nothing), then there's hope.
Quote from: valpopal on March 04, 2023, 09:36:05 AM
Quote from: valpopal on March 01, 2023, 03:46:59 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 28, 2023, 11:30:50 PM
Now the solution could be just jam the sale through (damn the torpedos etc.) but I'd much like to see compromise that puts the university, rather than narrower agendas, in a better, more stable position. The key is what can both sides live with.
Excellent comment, 62. I would not be surprised, and I'd be delighted, when a possible compromise solution is proposed that might engage and suit all parties involved. I trust it is just a matter of briefly working through a rather messy process in the meantime with hope of getting to that final point of agreement. :thumbsup:
I attended a Faculty Senate special session meeting Thursday afternoon. The Senate approved sending a resolution to Padilla and the Board that it is hoped all can find acceptable. As 62 states above, the aim was to find a path "both sides can live with." The resolution recommends a collaborative compromise solution for funding, which renovates the dorms without sale of the paintings, though leasing artworks would be allowed. The resolution also proposes participation in the process by all parties—Padilla, the Board, faculty, alumni donors, museum officials, and the national art associations who have offered to help.
That is the general overview. I cannot discuss specifics until the proposal is public, but I thought it hopeful a compromise is being sought, and I wanted to share that positive news. To give you an idea of the campus interest, the Senate has 20 members but attendance by faculty was over 80. Also, I am told the current petition circulating against the art sale has 1800 signatures thus far.
First, the art associations should not be allowed ANY involvement in university deliberations and or decisions. NONE! They are not employees, students, alumni, or meaningful donors. They would prioritize art over any university avoiding deeper financial problems.
Second, this points to the often unrealistic expectations of "shared governance" in universities. Getting input can be fine, but the reality is that President Padilla and the board are the ultimate decision-makers. Trying to find solutions that appease all parties is very likely to lead to sub-optimal solutions.
Third, it is always good to consider options (leasebacks?) - but there needs to be a realistic assessment of any option's ability to meet financial needs. An alternative that yields $1M versus the 'sale option" that yields $10M is not acceptable (though, of course, it would be to the art associations).
Lastly - and this goes back to stakeholders - why should alumni donors prioritize donating money to the university (versus many other valid options) if the university refuses to maximize its use of assets that are not related to the university's core mission and its outcomes to fund initiatives that are key to realizing its fundamental objectives?
For what it's worth I have it on good authority that there are people on the board strongly opposed to the art sale. But Padilla is pretty set on it and it will be hard to get him to listen and change his mind.
Quote from: Valpofamfan on March 06, 2023, 12:13:08 AM
For what it's worth I have it on good authority that there are people on the board strongly opposed to the art sale. But Padilla is pretty set on it and it will be hard to get him to listen and change his mind.
He would have to have the support of a majority of the board. No executive has unilateral authority to override a majority of the board.
You might as well do the sale now. The PR damage has been done. Pulling back on it just makes you look indecisive and weak.
I also agree with the guy a few posts back that said "shared governance" is a pretty silly concept generally and seems unique to higher education. Ultimately the decisions lie with the board after input at various levels.
If everyone is in charge, then no one is in charge.
Quote from: crusadermoe on March 06, 2023, 09:47:11 AM
You might as well do the sale now. The PR damage has been done.
I can assure you that Padilla is aware PR damage has barely scratched the surface thus far.
Wow. Guess I am close enough to the action. I guess someone did say over 1,000 signatures on a protest letter. And you think it is just starting rather than dying down?
Quote from: crusadermoe on March 06, 2023, 09:47:11 AM
You might as well do the sale now. The PR damage has been done. Pulling back on it just makes you look indecisive and weak.
I also agree with the guy a few posts back that said "shared governance" is a pretty silly concept generally and seems unique to higher education. Ultimately the decisions lie with the board after input at various levels.
If everyone is in charge, then no one is in charge.
"Shared governance" is not a silly concept, even if it's unique to academe. It usually applies to an active faculty voice in on-the-ground decisions, whereas board deliberations are usually at the bird's eye level. The strongest input is at the point of curriculum, and it becomes less so the further away one gets from core activities of teaching, scholarship, and service. Faculty also often have a non-binding vote at earlier stages of senior administrative hires such as deans of schools and university presidents, with final decisions appropriately reserved for boards.
On matters such as the proposed art sale, faculty may exercise academic freedom to agree, disagree, or remain silent. Those views do not bind the institution, but sometimes they will be influential. They also serve as a canary-in-the-coal mine indicator of faculty morale and weight of opinion. Just like a bad coach can lose his/her players, university presidents and deans can lose their faculty. Neither, of course, is a sustainable situation.
There's also an institutional reason why universities like to tout shared governance in appearance, if not always in substance: It helps to prevent tenured and tenure-track faculty from unionizing, because by Supreme Court precedent, faculty who are given active managerial roles are precluded from unionizing under the National Labor Relations Act. Shared governance can be cited to count as that managerial role.
Quote from: David81 on March 06, 2023, 11:06:15 AM
Quote from: crusadermoe on March 06, 2023, 09:47:11 AM
You might as well do the sale now. The PR damage has been done. Pulling back on it just makes you look indecisive and weak.
I also agree with the guy a few posts back that said "shared governance" is a pretty silly concept generally and seems unique to higher education. Ultimately the decisions lie with the board after input at various levels.
If everyone is in charge, then no one is in charge.
"Shared governance" is not a silly concept, even if it's unique to academe. It usually applies to an active faculty voice in on-the-ground decisions, whereas board deliberations are usually at the bird's eye level. The strongest input is at the point of curriculum, and it becomes less so the further away one gets from core activities of teaching, scholarship, and service. Faculty also often have a non-binding vote at earlier stages of senior administrative hires such as deans of schools and university presidents, with final decisions appropriately reserved for boards.
On matters such as the proposed art sale, faculty may exercise academic freedom to agree, disagree, or remain silent. Those views do not bind the institution, but sometimes they will be influential. They also serve as a canary-in-the-coal mine indicator of faculty morale and weight of opinion. Just like a bad coach can lose his/her players, university presidents and deans can lose their faculty. Neither, of course, is a sustainable situation.
There's also an institutional reason why universities like to tout shared governance in appearance, if not always in substance: It helps to prevent tenured and tenure-track faculty from unionizing, because by Supreme Court precedent, faculty who are given active managerial roles are precluded from unionizing under the National Labor Relations Act. Shared governance can be cited to count as that managerial role.
I am the person who previously posted about shared governance. I never said it was silly (indeed, it is not and David81 articulates why it is not silly), but I did say that some people within academia have unrealistic expectations of shared governance. These people view shared governance as a form of necessary approval by or veto power for faculty. I remember seeing that Valpo's faculty senate voted against the art sale. This is a non-binding recommendation that the university administration and board is not required to follow.
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 06, 2023, 01:27:43 PM
Quote from: David81 on March 06, 2023, 11:06:15 AM
Quote from: crusadermoe on March 06, 2023, 09:47:11 AM
You might as well do the sale now. The PR damage has been done. Pulling back on it just makes you look indecisive and weak.
I also agree with the guy a few posts back that said "shared governance" is a pretty silly concept generally and seems unique to higher education. Ultimately the decisions lie with the board after input at various levels.
If everyone is in charge, then no one is in charge.
"Shared governance" is not a silly concept, even if it's unique to academe. It usually applies to an active faculty voice in on-the-ground decisions, whereas board deliberations are usually at the bird's eye level. The strongest input is at the point of curriculum, and it becomes less so the further away one gets from core activities of teaching, scholarship, and service. Faculty also often have a non-binding vote at earlier stages of senior administrative hires such as deans of schools and university presidents, with final decisions appropriately reserved for boards.
On matters such as the proposed art sale, faculty may exercise academic freedom to agree, disagree, or remain silent. Those views do not bind the institution, but sometimes they will be influential. They also serve as a canary-in-the-coal mine indicator of faculty morale and weight of opinion. Just like a bad coach can lose his/her players, university presidents and deans can lose their faculty. Neither, of course, is a sustainable situation.
There's also an institutional reason why universities like to tout shared governance in appearance, if not always in substance: It helps to prevent tenured and tenure-track faculty from unionizing, because by Supreme Court precedent, faculty who are given active managerial roles are precluded from unionizing under the National Labor Relations Act. Shared governance can be cited to count as that managerial role.
I am the person who previously posted about shared governance. I never said it was silly (indeed, it is not and David81 articulates why it is not silly), but I did say that some people within academia have unrealistic expectations of shared governance. These people view shared governance as a form of necessary approval by or veto power for faculty. I remember seeing that Valpo's faculty senate voted against the art sale. This is a non-binding recommendation that the university administration and board is not required to follow.
I should add....heh....shared governance does get silly when faculty act silly. I've seen both wise and silly at my institution. On the wise side, I've witnessed how faculty input can improve results and policies at both the university and college-specific levels.
FWIW, I think that VU faculty input on the art sale has generally been expressed in appropriate ways, apart from whether one agrees or disagrees with the substantive opinions.
I have asked this question before, but have never received an answer. We have heard about how unethical it would be to sell the art and nothing about the ethics of holding nonproductive assets. This has probably not come up in the past because of the general Pre-Covid (pre-law school demise) stability of the university. We have seen posts saying that the paintings are loaned out and that VU gets some compensation and recognition as the owner of the loaned pieces, but unless they are generating at a minimum of $500,000 per year they would be considered nonproductive or at best under utilized assets. I have seen videos from these special showings and never heard VU mentioned. In one case that I saw the print media actually had our name misspelled as Valpariaso.
Nonprofits should be engaged in mission related investing and the prudent management of institutional funds. If VU was just a museum then what they have done, holding these pieces of art, would be part of their mission and therefore probably prudent. VU is not a museum and having an asset that is most likely extremely under utilized and therefore not viewed as a prudent investment could easily be deemed unethical. For exactly that reason my institution has turned down some donations of items such as artwork. The costs of holding these assets is not trivial. From my very limited experience, I would imagine that insurance on the Brauer Museum collection could be hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. Hopefully one of the art endowments covers this cost along with the cost of any special storage areas most museums have for their stored artwork.
Please someone tell me why it is unethical to go against the guidelines of art museum organizations, but not unethical to go against prudent mission relate rules (in some cases laws) for the management of institutional funds, especially if the situation is as dire as some posters think? I truly am looking for conversation not just argument.
FWAlum - nothing to add to the conversation from your post, other than it is very articulate and raises very important questions.
I do appreciate the debate. It seems like a fascinating case study in studying university financial crises. I guess I see the word "ethical" as not applying to the board's decision options even though I agree with it. it would be fascinating to know the board's internal dialog and what level of uproar they predicted for the sale. But we don't know so we can just speculate. That's more fun anyway.
This media story has legs because of the paintings, a relatable and emotional topic. It puts Prof. Brauer in the role of George Bailey fighting the heartless Mr. Potter. Or Scarlett O'Hare escaping the mansion trying to cling to her art and possessions.
This situation really has set the two core things a university needs against itself: Mainly it needs enough students and funds to maintain itself and continue to exist at a level that matches financial needs BUT once you exist what type of education do you offer. Valpo has often prided itself on having things that no other university of it's size has (see our great Met program or our solar furnace and now these paintings) but I wonder sometimes if that's something that becomes a large point of pride internally at the expense of what it's costing the overall university. I'd say our met program continues to prove it's worth through the amount of alums it produces out there constantly talking up Valpo but am skeptical on the worth of the paintings in comparison to just having a space with art work and opportunities for students to engage with it. Brauer himself said he never imagined they would end up this much and insurance costs could also be a factor. I think the same thing happened with the law school. Our pride in our well-established, regionally respected law school led to the reality of it's struggles as it's view and role in the larger scope of the field which maybe led to poor decisions to try to juice enrollment which led to a wounded exit vs a dignified step away. (it also might have helped us "sell" the law school like was tried in Tennessee).
One could wonder where Athletics fits into that too. Does Valpo have a tendency to hold onto things for too long? Does it fail to invest earlier and end up somewhere it could have avoided with some earlier action? All actions are often going to be mostly unpopular when it involves stopping a thing that exists. I still have friends who will not even work with the university or donate because their fraternity was closed after they left. I tend to think this is a tough spot for all and even though I fall much more on the "sell the paintings" side I get that its a serious tightrope to walk.
Quote from: FWalum on March 06, 2023, 04:24:52 PMIn one case that I saw the print media actually had our name misspelled as Valpariaso.
So now spelling is important! :P
Quote from: crusader05 on March 06, 2023, 06:58:53 PM
This situation really has set the two core things a university needs against itself: Mainly it needs enough students and funds to maintain itself and continue to exist at a level that matches financial needs BUT once you exist what type of education do you offer. Valpo has often prided itself on having things that no other university of it's size has (see our great Met program or our solar furnace and now these paintings) but I wonder sometimes if that's something that becomes a large point of pride internally at the expense of what it's costing the overall university. I'd say our met program continues to prove it's worth through the amount of alums it produces out there constantly talking up Valpo but am skeptical on the worth of the paintings in comparison to just having a space with art work and opportunities for students to engage with it. Brauer himself said he never imagined they would end up this much and insurance costs could also be a factor. I think the same thing happened with the law school. Our pride in our well-established, regionally respected law school led to the reality of it's struggles as it's view and role in the larger scope of the field which maybe led to poor decisions to try to juice enrollment which led to a wounded exit vs a dignified step away. (it also might have helped us "sell" the law school like was tried in Tennessee).
One could wonder where Athletics fits into that too. Does Valpo have a tendency to hold onto things for too long? Does it fail to invest earlier and end up somewhere it could have avoided with some earlier action? All actions are often going to be mostly unpopular when it involves stopping a thing that exists. I still have friends who will not even work with the university or donate because their fraternity was closed after they left. I tend to think this is a tough spot for all and even though I fall much more on the "sell the paintings" side I get that its a serious tightrope to walk.
These are the right questions to ask, but the answer isn't that mysterious. The university did a self-study that showed Valpo puts a notably smaller percentage of its operating budget into the "instruction" category compared to peer institutions. The peer list includes a whole lot of schools that are have lesser names and much smaller endowments than Valpo (Baldwin Wallace? Lipscomb? Misericordia University? Union University? etc.). So if these peer institutions have on average managed to put a greater percentage of budget towards instructional education than Valpo does, that's saying something. Maybe you can under-resource the undergrad core academic programs for a short while to float ancillaries -- enormous administration, debt servicing, very expensive law school, construction, etc. -- but if you do that for too many decades, the heart of it all falls out and the academic reputation will be come a joke among students about "the harvard of walmart" etc.
BTW, in those kinds of longitudinal charts, I am not sure whether the Art Museum is categorized as part of 'instructional' investment or if it is a different kind of overhead expense. I had not thought about the cost of insuring the art, which could be significant.
Lower than MISERY-Cordia?. What a terrible name for a school. Where the hell is that? I think would just skip that degree on my resume.
Quote from: crusader05 on March 06, 2023, 06:58:53 PM
I think the same thing happened with the law school. Our pride in our well-established, regionally respected law school led to the reality of it's struggles as it's view and role in the larger scope of the field which maybe led to poor decisions to try to juice enrollment which led to a wounded exit vs a dignified step away. (it also might have helped us "sell" the law school like was tried in Tennessee).
During the sharp downturn in law school applications and the post-recession legal job market, many schools -- including some fairly prominent ones -- ruthlessly sliced their entering classes and waited it out until application numbers started to recover. By contrast, VU Law tried to work miracles with incoming classes touting median LSATs so low that even the most dedicated teaching faculty (which VU Law was known for) could not overcome the demonstrated correlation between very low LSATs and slim chances of passing the bar exam. Already a small school before this crisis, it could shrink its enrollment only so much while surviving on its own revenue. And the parent university could help only so much, at the risk of starving -- budget-wise -- all the other academic units at the University. As I've said before when discussing the very sad fate of VU Law, it was like a perfect storm of dire exigent circumstances, poor internal decisions, and limited financial resources.
I don't know if this yields any lessons for the current challenges facing Valpo. Unlike VU Law, the academic credentials of incoming undergraduate classes have remained strong. While many on this board have cited the high acceptance rate (almost 90%), often lost in the discussion are the strong credentials of enrolled students: Average GPA 3.7 and average SAT 1175. Many schools would kill to have those numbers. https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/colleges/Valparaiso-University-admission-requirements) (https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/colleges/Valparaiso-University-admission-requirements))
It means that VU continues to draw strong applicants, but its application base is a cohort that will have options.
As indicated on Niche, Valpo has a ton of impressive to very impressive rankings to work from in attracting new students:
https://www.niche.com/colleges/valparaiso-university/rankings/
One of the more concerning statistics I've come across (somewhere else) is what appears to be a very low yield (% new students to total accepted applicants). There are thousands of accepted applicants, but admissions seems to have a problem "closing the deal." That tells me that Valpo still manufactures a great product, but maybe the "sales" staff needss a kick in the pants. Obviously, this is an over simplication, but it makes an important point. Business success starts and ends with a great product (which Valpo has for the most part), supported by people who know how to market and sell it. So, yes, President Padilla is in a tough spot, but he has an abundance of relative foundational strengths to work from in getting the ship righted. At least, that's how I would look at it if I were in his shoes. I would also be promoting a hopeful message that while Valpo has critical needs that must be immediately addressed, there is every reason to believe we will turn the corner and come out on the other side stronger than ever.
WH, you make a very good point: So ya have a good product. But if you can't sell it, no one will buy it. Given the continual changeover in admissions and recruitment (i.e., in the business world, it's called marketing and sales), it would seem that a couple of things might be in play.
# Perhaps the talent in the office is sub-level (maybe low salaries or something?) and people are let go for performance.
# Perhaps the funding to support performance in comparison to similar schools is below par and the talent is leaving in frustration
# Perhaps somethings else
Regardless, I'm seeing comments about excessive admin salaries in other areas. Perhaps, visible administrative (overhead) restructuring/reduction could shift expenditure emphases to more strategically valuable areas? Duh, maybe recruitment/admissions??? Maybe instruction???
Thinking bottom line: A leaner administration managing a reinforced instructional environment would do wonders in supporting the proported mission of the university. It would also lessen the faculty/admin adversarial relationship, and that is always a positive. A truly robust educational offering IMO is the most attractive recruiting tool a university can have. Valpo seems be reducing that rather than expanding it.
Quote from: crusadermoe on March 07, 2023, 11:55:24 AM
Lower than MISERY-Cordia?. What a terrible name for a school. Where the hell is that? I think would just skip that degree on my resume.
The word Misericordia means, mercy & compassion.
Yes, I guess its accurate to say its 'marketing and sales' in a situation where Valpo is actually trying to get every student.
But keep in mind that Admissions Offices ideally play a different role -- selecting for students they think will contribute the most (in curiosity, in intelligence, in athletic ability, in teachability, in various areas of intended study, etc) to the university community. At all the other private universities I've known, admissions officers thought of themselves as selection committees, not as salespeople, and they'd even get kind of offended if you suggested that. They thought of themselves as having a role in maintaining academic quality, shaping an interesting student body, and strengthening campus culture.
I get that selectivity is just not possible for Valpo, but it makes me nervous for Valpo that so many in Admin (and so many on this board) seem to have just accepted the reductive marketing logic -- we're 'selling' to whoever will 'buy' -- as though this is something normative to press into even more. But uh... isn't this a big part of the problem of how Valpo got to where it is today? Isn't this desperate selling thing something we ought to be trying to get out of, not stay in? If Valpo is going to ever turn things around, doesn't there have to be a cultural decision at some point to aim up rather than down? How can Valpo ever be a thriving school if everybody just keeps prescribing more of the mass-sales logic?
I get that Diaspora and I probably mis-lumped the two. The key is upping the numbers for the selection piece, right? Perhaps then, that is where the reallotment of administrative resources should be focused.
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 07, 2023, 11:38:10 PM
I get that Diaspora and I probably mis-lumped the two. The key is upping the numbers for the selection piece, right? Perhaps then, that is where the reallotment of administrative resources should be focused.
It's counter-intuitive, but no... I don't think the key is 'upping the numbers.' The only way to improve your blood cholesterol is to quit eating the salty chips in the break room and buy a salad for lunch. At this point, the only way to turn around the selectivity tailspin is probably to use any extra fundraising or operating margin at all (and I understand there really isn't any) to offer scholarships to 'buy better classes' over a 5-15 year horizon. That sounds kind of crude -- but if Valpo is talking about selling Georgia O'Keefe to buy some dorm renovations, then it's no cruder to talk about using resources to buy a renovated direction for the university...
It wasn't always popular, but this is what my undergrad (Washington U. in St. Louis) did to turn things around. They used to be a sort of small regional commuter school accepting everybody who applied and were really on the edge, and then in the 80s-2010s threw every extra penny they had at hiring in faculty from the Ivy Leagues onto nicer teaching loads and in offering full-tuition merit scholarship automatically to all the valedictorians high school student in the region...and now they are now super financially stable, with something crazy like a 13% admit rate. I know that George Mason University did something similar, having previously been a satellite state campus 20 years ago vying for applicants at the bottom of the Virginia system -- but again they used a lucky break with some sports wins and a little breathing room on cashflow to leverage 'up' in hiring some key superstars and offering merit scholarships in those fields to basically buy their way to becoming 'the place to go' in those areas; now GMU is no longer in the backwaters of the VA system, but as a whole is now fundamentally on the other side of the admissions dynamic, where now applicants are more eager to get admitted than the university is eager to 'sell' the school to them. Or on the flip side of having but needing to maintain selectivity ,I was just at Yale Divinity this weekend giving a lecture with some other alumni, and it was kind of interesting to hear that although they are seeing some dropping #s of applicants (typical of MDiv trends across the country right now), still the Dean there is not wavering but insisting on admitting even FEWER students than before during this worrying downturn in applications in order to keep selectivity up... It was weird to see the hallways kind of empty compared to what I remember, but I think the current Dean is probably making the right call, to become all the more concerned about making the right faculty hires and the right student admissions decisions during this dry season in theological education, and to even admit smaller classes than in the past, rather than risk dropping out out of conversation with the other div schools they've historically operated among. In five or ten years, we will be in a different situation again, and the most important thing will be to not have lost the quality student body and quality of classroom discussion when new eras of students begin to apply to Div Schools in stronger numbers again. Or at my current VU, the Dean is really intensively trying to bring faculty salaries up and course loads down, and the university is pushing a lot of money into the merit/need scholarships to have better control in shaping the student body... and it seems to be working. Though the admit rate used to be up in the 50%s, the admit rate been coming down over these last few years... 40%, 30%.. and just this past year admitted 25%, while the yield rate is going up... from the high 10s and low 20s% a couple decades ago to now yielding close to 30% of the admitted students. I know this is all anecdotal and these are all very different institutions from each other, but I am just trying to paint the picture that stable or rising universities do not think in terms of 'juicing enrollment' or 'upping the numbers' or 'selling to whoever will buy' but actually do the opposite to become more reputationally and financially stable. It just drives me up the wall that so much of the talk at Valpo is always about trying to expand enrollment and offer less scholarships to students. That's getting the recipe backwards, no?
Dont' get me wrong, I'm not trying to promote eliteness or exclusivity as the end goal (once stable, the university has an obligation to make education more accessible, not less, and to serve as a vehicle for social mobility!!!!). But I'm just talking strategies for institutional survival, since that is currently what Valpo needs to figure out, and the race-to-the-bottom strategy is clearly not working. :crazy:
If Padilla is going to sell the Art, shouldn't he at least put the cash directly towards becoming the school Valpo wants to be, which means paying the faculty & staff salaries and giving the student merit scholarships it takes to get back to a stronger 'draw'? I know it's painful to spend precious dollars on spinach when everybody in the car is grouchy and tired would rather get French fries, but it's really the only way this seems to work over the long haul. Unfortunately, "upping the numbers" to get to selectivity is like saying 'I'm going to eat a ton of fast food this week, so I'll be full and satisfied when I start the salads someday!" Actually you just give yourself a salt addiction and put too much weight on your knees in the meantime, so the turn to healthy behaviors only becomes that much harder down the road....
Sorry if I get too impassioned about the market language stuff. I know I am always worrying here about people thinking about higher ed through the wrong lenses or employing the backwards logics, so I probably sound like some language freak. But I just really want Valpo to do well. There are so many people all over the country who have done Lilly Fellowships and still think the world of the formation they got at Valpo back in the day! There will be a lot of sadness in my circles if Valpo goes under.
I think the issue was hit on the head: Valpo is getting applicants that meet it's standards but it's not getting enough of them to commit. They're going to other univeristies, probably of equal or better caliber and the answer is why? If it's not the standards of our academic departments, what is it? You can't decrease your admit raite until you increase your yield rate. And if your standard of academics hasn't significantly fallen it seems that increasing yield remains a top priority. One of the reasons Padilla has indicated for the rush to update the facilities is that it is marked often as a top reason why potential students pick other schools over us. My guess is that aid is another factor and that's why the enrollment drive was important to continue to put scholarships funds into an endowment instead of out of the operating budget.
Valpo has impressive academics and is clearly recruiting kids who can meet those standards based on average GPA and SAT scores. So why aren't they coming? As much as we may hate to say facilities, it really really might be facilities. I think it's fair to assume that if facilities has impacted our ability to recruit athletically, having sub par freshman halls might also do so.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 08, 2023, 06:02:27 AMThis is what my undergrad (Washington U. in St. Louis) had done, since they used to be a sort of small regional commuter school accepting everybody who applied, and then in the 70s and 80s threw every extra penny they had at hiring in faculty from the Ivy Leagues onto nicer teaching loads and in offering full-tuition merit scholarship automatically to all the valedictorians high school student in the region.
Probably a small point about WUSTL but I had a part time job in the early 80's that included stops at Wash U, Fontbonne, SLU, St Louis College of Pharmacy, Maryville U, Lindenwood U & Webster U among a few others. I believe Wash U's push towards the elite students and Ivy League faculty started way before in the 50's & 60's. They were hiring faculty like William Masters (of the sexy 60's fame) way back then. Wash U was in full blown Ivy League mode by the 70's and 80's.
Diaspora, thanks for the detailed "menu" of options and models. You got me hungry for change.
So what I am getting out of this piece of the discussion is we have two successful model types out there that Valpo should be addressing almost simultaneously. One, for the lack of a convenient name, let's call it the "institutional model" exemplified by the Yales, Washington Us, and GMUs. The other is the "athletic model" exemplified by Gonzaga (and apparently GMU too) where significant resources were pumped into the one flagship sport that could swiftly bring added relevance to the university as a whole.
I'm not smart enough to know which model should be addressed first, so my gut says find a way do both simultaneously. And because we are into analogies, my thought is that doing only one is like trying to climb a rope with one arm. You need both to pull hand over hand to reach the top.
Quote from: crusader05 on March 08, 2023, 08:04:27 AM
You can't decrease your admit raite until you increase your yield rate.
Yeah, thanks, that's a good point, so I do agree the dorm renovations could be key to improving yield. I guess I just heard more from students about their frustration of all the program cuts and faculty turnover during my time there, and not so much about the dorms. I often had sharp students who were frustrated in A&S , so even though I was A&S faculty, would often try to encourage them to apply to CC to get closer to the kind of quality seminar discussions they'd thought they were going to get at Valpo . I myself was on too heavy a load and the regular class caps in the GenEds were too big and the reading comprehension levels way too scattered for me to really be able to do it for them. You can pull all nighters trying to give essay comments for 100+ students a semester, and work really hard to get beyond recapping the difference between possessive versus plural 's', but still not be able to give the smart ones anywhere close to the personalized attention they'd get in CC or especially at other private universities. So even if it hurt our own upper-level course enrollments, it was better for the those really intellectual students to try to transfer into CC or elsewhere. But I hear you on the dorms... If students are saying the dorms are what prevents them from signing on to begin with, it's a problem that has to get addressed sooner than later.
But as for which to prioritize, it just seems a more direct mechanism to pay merit & athletic scholarships and directly secure yield, than to build dorms and hope that eventually translates into yield. Can you imagine if Valpo used $10 Million to send full-tuition merit offer letters to every National Merit Scholar in the country? I bet the money could incentivize a nice batch to come, and it would make for some pretty stellar headlines to make everybody perk up at take positive notice of Valpo.
WUSTL really very directly incentivized students to come. They not only offered a wide swath of their own full-tuition merit scholarships but also matched the National Merit money for all four years and let us keep any additional scholarships (Elks Club, Exchange club, whatever) even beyond tuition and fees; so if students had more scholarships that tuition and fees cost, the school would just write us checks for the difference.... truly crazy generous scholarship policies. Again, some observers might think that's a rather blunt/crude/unsavory way to buy better and better classes and they were criticized for it at times. Honestly, now its so competitive, I am not sure I could have gotten in these days at all, probably not. But my point is, the university had a kind of laser focus on doing whatever it took to climb into stronger yield and admit dynamics, and such incentives were successful in securing yield and giving the school some control over what sort of student body they want to cultivate. That does seem to me a more direct way to improve yield than the construction/renovation strategy of hoping 'if we build it hopefully somebody will come.' That may be necessary and useful to some extent but also seems to involve a lot of causal 'ifs.' Does Valpo have that much time or leeway to pray and hope there is causal follow-through?
I don't know how far 10 million would stretch when we are talking about full scholarships for 4 years. and what happens when that money is gone? you stop offering the scholarships and are in the same boat? Endowments are where good strong scholarships can come from, otherwise you offer too much of a discount in a tuition based school and you are eating into your operating budget which is where salaries come from. Even firing upper admins might help with some salaries but short of increasing enrollment I don't see how Valpo can improve on some of those things without shrinking a bit to be sure that the programs they do offer are fully funded and dedicated.
I also think the difficulty is comparing what students on campus are upset about vs what keeps students from attending. Those are two different subgroups that both matter. Increased enrollment helps improve facilities and resources but satisfying current students is also important for retention. I do think making the classroom experience more rewarding for students in the arts and sciences in particular is probably a thing to really focus on. Is CORE Still a thing? That was viewed as a "waste of time" when I was there. I recognized the writing value afterward but surely there's a way to incorporate it into the Arts and Sciences in a way that allows for more variety and maybe investment by the professors.
Yeah, true. I understand it is not sustainable to use operating budget to fund the sort of merit scholarships that other private universities do. I imagine most the non-Ivy schools that do this (Rice, Rochester, Duke, Villanova, USC, Vanderbilt, Emory, Wake Forest, Fordham, Boston College, etc) must have endowed funds to make it sustainable. I guess I still don't really understand what exactly Valpo's pretty hefty endowment is actually earmarked for, since it doesn't seem to include these kinds of operations for sustaining the sports or academic quality. Maybe too much of it is just tied up in donors wanting benches with their names on them or something? Not sure.
In reply to a recent post a few back, I don't think the names of colleges Carnegie-Mellon and Brandeis were random choices. They are three pretty notable guys in history.
I know Misery loves company, but "Misericordia" kind of puzzles me more than those two schools above. Good luck with that.
https://www.valpo.edu/forevervalpo/
This gives an idea of what was being looked for in the funding as well as some of the larger donations and what it takes to fund. One thing that stuck out to me is it takes an endowment of 850,000 to fund a single 4 year scholarship. and up to 5 million to fund a Dean position. Also, as has been noted all of the money is not money in hand. I know for a fact that large scholarship fund of 15 million is in an estate plan and the individual is still middle aged.
I think the endowment is important and should be a constant focus, especially for faculty and scholarships but it is a long game funding strategy. I also think, looking at donation sizes it really is one of those things where Valpo Alums just aren't giving at the high rate. Other schools also get big donations from local business and others for naming rights and things. Butler got a 25 million donation once from someone who didn't go there. I dont know how many Northwest Indiana people have pockets that big.
If the Misericordia University "shoe" fit as a peer chosen by Valpo in their peer studies, I guess that's fine. Doesn't seem like a public comparison I would welcome.
Ok, I will let it go.
Those selections of peer institutions are not good - Valpo should be compared to Butler, Evansville, Creighton, Drake and Bradley. Comparing to these tiny liberal arts schools make little sense.
https://www.valpo.edu/institutional-effectiveness/files/2022/10/Peer-List-for-Web_101322.pdf
All those schools are on the list as well. My guess is the other school has some specific thing that connects it to Valpo that puts it on the list. Also your peer institution list should be broad and slightly aspirational at times. There was a chronicle article out before that showed how odd the institution lists are and how few schools have "mutual" connections where they both view each other as peers.
I find the peer lists to be odd as well...though I would probably include Butler and Bradley as peers (not so sure about Creighton since it has an entirely different level of graduate students, graduate programs, and endowment).
The most important list to determine is comprised of "what schools did students choose over Valpo?" and "what other schools did current Valpo students seriously consider?" That is the way you assess advantages and disadvantages. When we did that as a university, the list was very different than the peer list.
OK, this may sound odd, but I don't want VU to look at its academic future as one of trying to compete with more elite universities.
As I mentioned above, its current averages are 3.7 gpa (OK, it's an age of rampant grade inflation, but still...) and 1175 SAT (very respectable). However, it's admitting 89% of its applicants. So yes, it would be good if the yield was higher and more students with strong credentials enrolled.
However, I don't see a need for VU to be chasing elite status, as schools like Wash U have done. Lost in that obsession are plenty of students who may lack the shinier numbers going into college, but who take advantage of what college gives them and plant seeds for a good future. I and many of my VU friends fall into that category. I now teach at a university that serves much the same purpose, and in many ways it's more rewarding than teaching at a school where paths to success are already assured unless the student screws up royally.
Quote from: crusadermoe on March 08, 2023, 09:39:49 AM
In reply to a recent post a few back, I don't think the names of colleges Carnegie-Mellon and Brandeis were random choices. They are three pretty notable guys in history.
I know Misery loves company, but "Misericordia" kind of puzzles me more than those two schools above. Good luck with that.
My favorite is Case Western Reserve University. When Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University merged on the east side of Cleveland the group from Western Reserve had it written into the merger agreement that the words Western Reserve would never be taken out of the name of the university. Most people in Cleveland call it "Case."
Quote from: David81 on March 08, 2023, 01:39:00 PM
OK, this may sound odd, but I don't want VU to look at its academic future as one of trying to compete with more elite universities.
As I mentioned above, its current averages are 3.7 gpa (OK, it's an age of rampant grade inflation, but still...) and 1175 SAT (very respectable). However, it's admitting 89% of its applicants. So yes, it would be good if the yield was higher and more students with strong credentials enrolled.
However, I don't see a need for VU to be chasing elite status, as schools like Wash U have done. Lost in that obsession are plenty of students who may lack the shinier numbers going into college, but who take advantage of what college gives them and plant seeds for a good future. I and many of my VU friends fall into that category. I now teach at a university that serves much the same purpose, and in many ways it's more rewarding than teaching at a school where paths to success are already assured unless the student screws up royally.
David, I think you're reading me slightly wrong. I actually agree with you that Valpo shouldn't strive for elite status as an ultimate endgoal, since we need colleges that cultivate a humane environment for students to grow and for things like curiosity and kindness and experimentation to thrive. There's a lot not to like about the uber-competitive cultivation of selectivity and rankings.
I'm just saying that to survive, Valpo may need to at least be *aware* of The Kinds of Things Non-Desperate Schools Do to be solvent and successful. Valpo has been in very difficult straights, so the conversations (and my comments here about schools offering merit aide etc) are unfortunately the gritty ones about how you get students to come. As a strategy for survival, Valpo needs to get the desirability and yield up.
I'm worried that in the last few years, Valpo has gotten into a place where all the aspirations are going the wrong direction... I only every heard about how to raise the student-to-faculty ratio in the classrooms and how to reduce the scholarship discount to get more cash out of paying students. The university was only ever reducing the pay for its already very under-paid employees, and did cuts with no merit/performance/curricular considerations in mind but simply according to the hasty panic of whoever could legally be cut. The faculty often complained about the precipitously dropping abilities of the students to do basic reading, writing and math work, and by the time I left, faculty were leaving in pretty significant numbers. I think for a lot of us who left for whatever sad reason - layoffs, struggles to afford living in Valpo, worries about long-term stability of the school - the most depressing thing was that Valpo didn't even seem to be trying anymore. I remember when I finally went in to tell the Dean I was leaving, Kilpinen just said his typical lines about "Well, faculty are a dime a dozen" and "at least we're not losing faculty to Elmhurst." He'd said the same thing to some colleagues the year before who went to Princeton and other more stable places, and even in some public townhalls. So in my own last conversation with him when I told him I'd accepted another position, and sure enough the dumb anti-intellectual Elmhurst comment came out, I just kind of wanted to either shake him -- 'look up, be better, dammit! come on, I moved my entire family here actually wanting to strive for Valpo excellence!' -- or to just put my head down on the desk and cry for us and for Valpo. I just don't see how the institution will survive if the conversations are always aiming downwards -- 'How can we give less personalized attention to students? How can we invest less and extract more money out of them?' 'are there any more faculty around that the Faculty Handbook will let us cut or pay less'? -- and if there is never any consideration of performance or possibility for 'could we become better at X' or 'what could we do to strengthen the quality of the student body or the quality of conversation', 'what fields and parts of the curriculum do our faculty teach in that are worth investing in' etc. The last few years, Valpo hasn't had any positive means of control at all over the sorts of faculty and students they bring or retain. On the contrary, the administration was was very clear that all the chopping and reorganizations *don't* take into account performance quality or even specific curricular area of teaching/research -- it's just a matter of chopping 'labor costs' and reducing overall program sizes. They have pretty steadfastly refused to do anything meaningful with financial aide to entice strong students to come; in contrast, even here on this board everybody seems to think the main goal is just to sell more seats and offer less scholarships to reduce the aide discounts. To me, this seems the exact opposite of how successful schools think and operate, and my worry for Valpo is that if everybody really takes this as normative, it will only send the university faster into a negative desirability tailspin which is, practically and economically, a recipe for enrollment death.
So I promise my comments above were not aimed at trying to actually make Valpo into a WUSTL or an IvyLeague. I'm more just worried that Valpo doesn't have any conception of how stable schools actually think & strategize. At no other private university I've ever been at would the Dean be caught dead saying stuff like 'faculty are a dime a dozen' or 'don't worry, we're still not losing people to [insert community college].' At no other university I've belonged to did they think about Admissions as just a sales and marketing team meant to 'sell' the school to anybody who will come, having lost most any conception of selectivity or shaping the study body. So I'm not advocating for Valpo to actually become an uber-elite institution and don't think there's really a risk of that. I'm just really worried if Valpo keeps doubling down on general culture of 'we don't factor in merit or performance' and the 'sell to whoever will buy' logic, then Valpo is only ever imagining how to become more like Elmhurst, PNW or IvyTech.
I just want Valpo to survive.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 09, 2023, 06:30:18 AM
I'm worried that in the last few years, Valpo has gotten into a place where all the aspirations are going the wrong direction... I only every heard about how to raise the student-to-faculty ratio in the classrooms and how to reduce the scholarship discount to get more cash out of paying students. The university was only ever reducing the pay for its already very under-paid employees, and did cuts with no merit/performance/curricular considerations in mind but simply according to the hasty panic of whoever could legally be cut. The faculty often complained about the precipitously dropping abilities of the students to do basic reading, writing and math work, and by the time I left, faculty were leaving in pretty significant numbers. I think for a lot of us who left for whatever sad reason - layoffs, struggles to afford living in Valpo, worries about long-term stability of the school - the most depressing thing was that Valpo didn't even seem to be trying anymore. I remember when I finally went in to tell the Dean I was leaving, Kilpinen just said his typical lines about "Well, faculty are a dime a dozen" and "at least we're not losing faculty to Elmhurst." He'd said the same thing to some colleagues the year before who went to Princeton and other more stable places, and even in some public townhalls. So in my own last conversation with him when I told him I'd accepted another position, and sure enough the dumb anti-intellectual Elmhurst comment came out, I just kind of wanted to either shake him -- 'look up, be better, dammit! come on, I moved my entire family here actually wanting to strive for Valpo excellence!' -- or to just put my head down on the desk and cry for us and for Valpo. I just don't see how the institution will survive if the conversations are always aiming downwards -- 'How can we give less personalized attention to students? How can we invest less and extract more money out of them?' 'are there any more faculty around that the Faculty Handbook will let us cut or pay less'? -- and if there is never any consideration of performance or possibility for 'could we become better at X' or 'what could we do to strengthen the quality of the student body or the quality of conversation', 'what fields and parts of the curriculum do our faculty teach in that are worth investing in' etc. The last few years, Valpo hasn't had any positive means of control at all over the sorts of faculty and students they bring or retain. On the contrary, the administration was was very clear that all the chopping and reorganizations *don't* take into account performance quality or even specific curricular area of teaching/research -- it's just a matter of chopping 'labor costs' and reducing overall program sizes. They have been very clear they're *not* trying to entice strong students to come, but even here on this board everybody seems to think the main goal is just to sell more seats and offer less scholarships to reduce the discount. To me, this seems the exact opposite of how successful schools think and operate, and my worry for Valpo is that if everybody really takes this as normative, it will only send the university faster into a negative desirability tailspin which is, practically and economically, a recipe for enrollment death.
I just want Valpo to survive.
Wow. :(
That article also mentions that they did head counts and looked at usage rates and that as more late night spaces have opened less students have used the library therefore making keeping it open a waste of money.
I think there can be a danger now of looking at anything the university does to change things up or adjust as "bad" and what worries me about that is that means any change is going to be criticized short of "spending more money" which is how you get into a place where you are pressured to over spend.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 09, 2023, 06:30:18 AMI remember when I finally went in to tell the Dean I was leaving, Kilpinen just said his typical lines about "Well, faculty are a dime a dozen" and "at least we're not losing faculty to Elmhurst."
It is more than ironic that Jon Kilpinen is now the Provost and VP of Academic Affairs at a place called Black Hills State University in South Dakota. BHSU is ranked by US News in the 127-166 range for Midwest Regional Universities. Elmhurst? Ranked #13 in the same category.
There is an article in the Detroit Free Press about Albion College. They are being investigated for misusing the endowment to hide the growing debt crisis the university faces.
I am not allowed to post external links yet, but check out the story.
Two alumni filed a complaint with the Michigan Attorney General with claims that the university is hiding its financial crisis through inappropriate uses of the endowment.
I share this article as a reminder that Valpo's Strategic Plan that looks forward to a changing academic environment is not happening in a vacuum. Small liberal arts universities and colleges are driving towards a cliff.
Wow, the Albion endowment funds are obviously serious legal terms! I would guess the deception aspect made it worse than the actual usage. Many schools have "borrowed" from or against their endowment, realizing however the unsustainable trend.
On the more typical trend, Marymount University in Virginia today said they are cutting some majors. Two were shocking; religious studies at a Catholic University and math. The first one undercuts their founding and the second one is odd because it seems like an easy by-product major from more technical studies.
This is an absolute financial tidal wave. Yes, we are not alone.
yeah the whole Elmhurst insult seems weird to me as an insult. I do think though that it can become easy for people to detach from the reality of the academic landscape if they've been at one school for too long. I've met a lot of people who don't keep up with trends in their industries and are caught flat footed when they try to find a new job or have to deal with new hires that have way different experiences/expectations
The struggles are real out there. I've even heard people in the area make comments about the main Purdue satellite campus out here that it's struggling and a lot of their recent hires in the past few years have jumped ship. I've heard both that they tried to "become something they're not" and also that under Mitch Daniel's they just were left out to dry as he focused on the main campus and dismissed the extensions. Not sure which is true but be curious to see if their struggles impact us through increased local students.
Yeah, I'd never even heard of Elmhurst until it started getting invoked as comparison or some kind of justification for the program cuts/faculty turnover, so it was extremely weird and I still don't understand whether I was supposed to be consoled or insulted by it, haha!
That's interesting about the Purdue satellites maybe struggling... I had thought the PNWs were doing well enrollment-wise and eating our lunch on that end of pool because the publics are perceived to be more affordable. So as terrible as it sounds, I hope this could be good news for Valpo if it is possible to inherit any of those students.
The main Purdue and IU campus have been growing significantly, partially due to many state schools increasing the amount of Out-Of-state and therefore full paying students they can enroll. Meanwhile ISU is down to under 10,000 students I believe. It seems that we are in a place where certain schools are doing really well and others are struggling. Butler had one of it's largest classes ever this year while University of Evansville is, I believe, lower or close to the same size as Valpo now.
One piece of news I remember coming out years ago and making a decent splash was that those that Graduated from Purdue Northwest used to have a degree that just said "purdue university" now they changed it to identify it as northwest and people were really upset. There were a lot of people went there because it was a "purdue" degree. That may have led them to lose students who felt like it didn't matter if they went to Lafayette or not and it was cheaper to stay home because the degrees were the same. The question is did they just migrate to the main campus or did they go elsewhere? Valpo has saw it's commuter population continue to increase so who knows.
I think it's going to take a few more years for things to really come into focus. I think some schools will disappear, some schools will end up a lot smaller than they were at the start of this and some schools will look completely different.
Looking for more on the Marymount Unversity story in Virginia I stumbled into the Calif. version. It closed in August 2022.
Copied from the article:
Marymount California officially closed in August 2022. The small Catholic university attempted to stay open by merging with St. Leo University in Florida, a long-running effort that was rebuffed by accreditors in April. Shortly thereafter, Marymount California announced plans to shut down.
Marymount California officials cited shrinking student enrollment, exacerbated by the pandemic, as the reason for its closure. In 2014, about 1,000 students were enrolled at Marymount; by its final year, that number had fallen to 500.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 09, 2023, 06:30:18 AM
Quote from: David81 on March 08, 2023, 01:39:00 PM
OK, this may sound odd, but I don't want VU to look at its academic future as one of trying to compete with more elite universities.
As I mentioned above, its current averages are 3.7 gpa (OK, it's an age of rampant grade inflation, but still...) and 1175 SAT (very respectable). However, it's admitting 89% of its applicants. So yes, it would be good if the yield was higher and more students with strong credentials enrolled.
However, I don't see a need for VU to be chasing elite status, as schools like Wash U have done. Lost in that obsession are plenty of students who may lack the shinier numbers going into college, but who take advantage of what college gives them and plant seeds for a good future. I and many of my VU friends fall into that category. I now teach at a university that serves much the same purpose, and in many ways it's more rewarding than teaching at a school where paths to success are already assured unless the student screws up royally.
David, I think you're reading me slightly wrong. I actually agree with you that Valpo shouldn't strive for elite status as an ultimate endgoal, since we need colleges that cultivate a humane environment for students to grow and for things like curiosity and kindness and experimentation to thrive. There's a lot not to like about the uber-competitive cultivation of selectivity and rankings.
I'm just saying that to survive, Valpo may need to at least be *aware* of The Kinds of Things Non-Desperate Schools Do to be solvent and successful. Valpo has been in very difficult straights, so the conversations (and my comments here about schools offering merit aide etc) are unfortunately the gritty ones about how you get students to come. As a strategy for survival, Valpo needs to get the desirability and yield up.
I'm worried that in the last few years, Valpo has gotten into a place where all the aspirations are going the wrong direction... I only every heard about how to raise the student-to-faculty ratio in the classrooms and how to reduce the scholarship discount to get more cash out of paying students. The university was only ever reducing the pay for its already very under-paid employees, and did cuts with no merit/performance/curricular considerations in mind but simply according to the hasty panic of whoever could legally be cut. The faculty often complained about the precipitously dropping abilities of the students to do basic reading, writing and math work, and by the time I left, faculty were leaving in pretty significant numbers. I think for a lot of us who left for whatever sad reason - layoffs, struggles to afford living in Valpo, worries about long-term stability of the school - the most depressing thing was that Valpo didn't even seem to be trying anymore. I remember when I finally went in to tell the Dean I was leaving, Kilpinen just said his typical lines about "Well, faculty are a dime a dozen" and "at least we're not losing faculty to Elmhurst." He'd said the same thing to some colleagues the year before who went to Princeton and other more stable places, and even in some public townhalls. So in my own last conversation with him when I told him I'd accepted another position, and sure enough the dumb anti-intellectual Elmhurst comment came out, I just kind of wanted to either shake him -- 'look up, be better, dammit! come on, I moved my entire family here actually wanting to strive for Valpo excellence!' -- or to just put my head down on the desk and cry for us and for Valpo. I just don't see how the institution will survive if the conversations are always aiming downwards -- 'How can we give less personalized attention to students? How can we invest less and extract more money out of them?' 'are there any more faculty around that the Faculty Handbook will let us cut or pay less'? -- and if there is never any consideration of performance or possibility for 'could we become better at X' or 'what could we do to strengthen the quality of the student body or the quality of conversation', 'what fields and parts of the curriculum do our faculty teach in that are worth investing in' etc. The last few years, Valpo hasn't had any positive means of control at all over the sorts of faculty and students they bring or retain. On the contrary, the administration was was very clear that all the chopping and reorganizations *don't* take into account performance quality or even specific curricular area of teaching/research -- it's just a matter of chopping 'labor costs' and reducing overall program sizes. They have pretty steadfastly refused to do anything meaningful with financial aide to entice strong students to come; in contrast, even here on this board everybody seems to think the main goal is just to sell more seats and offer less scholarships to reduce the aide discounts. To me, this seems the exact opposite of how successful schools think and operate, and my worry for Valpo is that if everybody really takes this as normative, it will only send the university faster into a negative desirability tailspin which is, practically and economically, a recipe for enrollment death.
So I promise my comments above were not aimed at trying to actually make Valpo into a WUSTL or an IvyLeague. I'm more just worried that Valpo doesn't have any conception of how stable schools actually think & strategize. At no other private university I've ever been at would the Dean be caught dead saying stuff like 'faculty are a dime a dozen' or 'don't worry, we're still not losing people to [insert community college].' At no other university I've belonged to did they think about Admissions as just a sales and marketing team meant to 'sell' the school to anybody who will come, having lost most any conception of selectivity or shaping the study body. So I'm not advocating for Valpo to actually become an uber-elite institution and don't think there's really a risk of that. I'm just really worried if Valpo keeps doubling down on general culture of 'we don't factor in merit or performance' and the 'sell to whoever will buy' logic, then Valpo is only ever imagining how to become more like Elmhurst, PNW or IvyTech.
I just want Valpo to survive.
Diaspora, thanks so much for your response and its, well, downright
sobering, content.
You are right that Valpo (and other schools that are struggling) can benefit by looking at other success stories in higher ed. Wash U is certainly a prime example of the latter. I think what I find dismaying in the VU context is that academic institutional success stories tend to be more along those lines, i.e., schools taking dramatic, bold steps to move up in their perceived standing, as opposed to those of regional universities somehow finding better ways to be what they are and to serve their core constituencies.
As we've discussed, I was stunned at your earlier ballpark salary figures for full-time VU faculty. Those numbers suggested to me that even though modern-day VU has managed to attract a lot of excellent faculty (due, I'm guessing, to a combination of the highly competitive academic job market and a genuine attraction to Valpo's perceived mission), it still regards faculty as it did during the 1950s-70s: Self-sacrificing educators whose missionary-like dedication to the university should overcome the stunningly inadequate pay in return for monster teaching loads.
And now, the comments from the dean that you shared reveal a disturbing absence of any sense of mission for the school other than staying open.
FWIW, when my university had its awful round of bloodletting ~8 years ago, a similar lack of care about quality came into sharp display. Among other things, they didn't care if our strongest or weakest faculty were taking the buy-out, or what those departures meant to the stability and balance of our curriculum. It was just about numbers. While more care was exercised with decisions over involuntary layoffs, the results left us a diminished institution in terms of teaching quality.
I wish the central administrators and board would scroll through the many threads in this "General VU Discussion" portion of this board. Amongst the variety of perspectives shared -- including healthy, respectful differences of opinion -- I think they'd be able to discern some very promising priorities and themes in terms of where to go from here.
I can see the morale effect on Deans and faculty when the ERIP comes equally to all on a numbers and seniority basis. It is logical for HR reasons that the same voluntary departure packages needs to go out on an equal basis. But sadly the ones most marketable and capable of leaving can often be the ones who depart and take the package.
But on the morale side my reading of Valpodiaspora implies a double effect. The most dedicated, long-serving, and perhaps most talented faculty might be the ones going away. And incentivizing the longest-serving faculty to leave also risks diluting the sense of culture, cohesion, and continuity that those faculty give the university. The human factors just aren't quantified so they don't enter the financial calculus. Sadly there are faculty whose own marketability is high but their spouse careers argue in favor of staying or leaving.
Quote from: crusadermoe on March 09, 2023, 12:41:51 PM
I can see the morale effect on Deans and faculty when the ERIP comes equally to all on a numbers and seniority basis. It is logical for HR reasons that the same voluntary departure packages needs to go out on an equal basis. But sadly the ones most marketable and capable of leaving can often be the ones who depart and take the package.
But on the morale side my reading of Valpodiaspora implies a double effect. The most dedicated, long-serving, and perhaps most talented faculty might be the ones going away. And incentivizing the longest-serving faculty to leave also risks diluting the sense of culture, cohesion, and continuity that those faculty give the university. The human factors just aren't quantified so they don't enter the financial calculus. Sadly there are faculty whose own marketability is high but their spouse careers argue in favor of staying or leaving.
Sort of, though I guess I would tweak it just a bit. Basically, in these kinds of crude cutting measures where they're doing surgery with a backhoe, it is the oldest and youngest professors who are most forced to leave but also most capable of leaving. The old ones may be offered ERIPS and already have enough in retirement to just finish their careers and retire. The newest tenure-track professors are on the one hand the most vulnerable to slash-and-burn cuts since they're contingent, but they may still be 'fresh' enough from their PhDs that they can still be viable on the tenure-track job market for assistant positions at more stable institutions. It's all the people in the middle --- who are past tenure so no longer eligible for asst jobs elsewhere nor old enough to get offered the ERIP --- who are the most locked in. Of course there are a few in that middle-age who are superstars famous enough to leave... Valpo lost one of its more well-known psych professors to become a founding director of a new center at PNW and lost a notable historian to Duke Divinity; a few other tenured/associate professors found jobs at Notre Dame or the Ohio State U or a couple others. But for the most part, the middle-age folk are in a really tough position, since they don't have either the ERIP payouts nor really much chance of getting other academic jobs unless they're really stellar teachers/scholars, since it is just so much harder to move institutions once you are associate level. Very few associate or open rank positions are posted each year. So I know a couple asst profs at Valpo who were intentionally delaying going up for tenure so they could stay 'assistant' and stay more eligible for a lateral move for another year or two of job cycles to try to get somewhere more stable. There are ways you can stop the clock in higher ed, like covid clauses or parental leave, etc, - though the decision to delay tenure is a balancing act of both risk (if Valpo does another mass cutting across the tenure-trackers, it is better to be tenured) and other risk (if Valpo cuts your whole program, its easier to get a job at another university if never tenured.) But that's a terrible sort of calculus, and these are the kind of patterns that really worry me for Valpo's sake, since good program and curricular development really requires long-term investment and continuity of teaching/admin personnel. Morale matters so that people both can stay and want to stay.
And it is not all exit strategies. As you say, sometimes there are other factors too, like caring for elderly parents or a spouse's career. And Valpo has a lot of great people trying really hard to carry the torch!
This evolving scenario is increasingly depressing me (please look at my avatar). Now, can anyone conjure up out of the myriad puzzle pieces scattered on our dialogue table an alternative universe with a positive outcome? My buddy Swami was quoted on the coaching decision thread presenting a different outcome that was kinda radical, but maybe that's what's needed.
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 09, 2023, 06:01:33 PM
This evolving scenario is increasingly depressing me (please look at my avatar). Now, can anyone conjure up out of the myriad puzzle pieces scattered on our dialogue table an alternative universe with a positive outcome? My buddy Swami was quoted on the coaching decision thread presenting a different outcome that was kinda radical, but maybe that's what's needed.
Admissions/applications turnarounds are eminently possible. It's not like VU doesn't have its genuine positives. However, as we've discussed here, it's not clear that the school has known how to integrate the reality with the message. Hopefully, someone who gets the relationship between substance and marketing can figure that out.
Put aside, for now at least, the art/dorms controversy, the fate of the MBB program, and the ongoing hurt from the big rounds of cuts. What do you have left? A school with strong, even excellent academic programs, in both the arts & sciences and professions; a good overall academic reputation; a sense of tradition, including being a place where values still count; a genuine, walkable, residential campus; and a surrounding town much more hospitable to a college campus than back in the day.
And although the financial challenges are real, they no more acute than those facing many comparable institutions. (That said, they could get worse absent effective leadership.)
Quote from: David81 on March 09, 2023, 06:57:43 PM
A school with strong, even excellent academic programs, in both the arts & sciences and professions; a good overall academic reputation; a sense of tradition, including being a place where values still count; a genuine, walkable, residential campus; and a surrounding town much more hospitable to a college campus than back in the day.
I agree! People wouldn't be fighting if there wasn't still something worth saving!!
The landscape for private universities (especially in the Midwest) is challenging. In recent days, we have seen announcements of recent closures of campuses or programs at other small universities.
Trinity International University (Deerfield, IL) closing residential and in-person undergraduate programs, moving to fully remote/online instruction for those programs. (MDiv and Seminary stay.) https://www.tiu.edu/reimagining-the-future/ (https://www.tiu.edu/reimagining-the-future/)
Finlandia University (Hancock, MI) closing. https://www.finlandia.edu/about/teachout/ (https://www.finlandia.edu/about/teachout/)
Neither of these programs are direct competitors of VU, yet they are religiously-affiliated private universities in the region. These had reasonably well-regarded academics, yet very small endowments. Finlandia is especially interesting, as it a small Lutheran University (ELCA). We also should remember that three of the Concordia (LCMS) campuses closed in recent years, including Alabama (2018), New York (2021) and Portland (2022).
Quote from: valpopal on March 06, 2023, 10:45:06 AM
Quote from: crusadermoe on March 06, 2023, 09:47:11 AM
You might as well do the sale now. The PR damage has been done.
I can assure you that Padilla is aware PR damage has barely scratched the surface thus far.
When I mentioned the PR damage is still just beginning, I already knew about additional news stories concerning the special session Faculty Senate opposition vote and the forthcoming major
New York Times article that appears today as a "top story" in my web browser (plus other upcoming developments):
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/arts/design/valparaiso-museum-paintings-sale-okeeffe.html (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/arts/design/valparaiso-museum-paintings-sale-okeeffe.html)
The New York Times has begun to circulate its feature article about the Brauer Museum on Twitter:
[tweet]1634257821775667201[/tweet]
Quote from: valpo95 on March 10, 2023, 10:45:39 AM
The landscape for private universities (especially in the Midwest) is challenging. In recent days, we have seen announcements of recent closures of campuses or programs at other small universities.
Trinity International University (Deerfield, IL) closing residential and in-person undergraduate programs, moving to fully remote/online instruction for those programs. (MDiv and Seminary stay.) https://www.tiu.edu/reimagining-the-future/ (https://www.tiu.edu/reimagining-the-future/)
Finlandia University (Hancock, MI) closing. https://www.finlandia.edu/about/teachout/ (https://www.finlandia.edu/about/teachout/)
Neither of these programs are direct competitors of VU, yet they are religiously-affiliated private universities in the region. These had reasonably well-regarded academics, yet very small endowments. Finlandia is especially interesting, as it a small Lutheran University (ELCA). We also should remember that three of the Concordia (LCMS) campuses closed in recent years, including Alabama (2018), New York (2021) and Portland (2022).
Small, insular, religiously-affiliated colleges/universities are very vulnerable right now.
Among other things, as many of us have observed, Gen Z is generally not given to identifying with specific faith traditions.
This is part of the challenging VU balance....retaining and embracing its Lutheran constituency, without messaging narrow exclusivity. I still think that appealing to the notion of values may capture a cohort of students who wish to be grounded in some aspect of deeper meaning as part of their college experience. These students may have strong vocational leanings, too, which Valpo can serve very well. Classic example would be the future nurse or engineer who is also enrolled in Christ College. Those kids are out there.
Thanks for the link, Pal. I get the online Times daily and saw it as well. Not unexpectedly, there's a heavy anti-sale slant, but can't call it a one-sided hit job either. A shame we can generate national publicity like this, yet can't generate any valuable positive exposure from our basketball program.
Hopefully, calmer minds can find a win-win way out of this. If there is any upside to this, perhaps it will help to energize the alumni base to donate more to offset the reality this has exposed.
Side observation: one student activist was interviewed and stated that she had no problems with the dorms. But, of course, she decided to come to Valpo. She doesn't get it. It's how many qualified applicants bailed on attending because of what they assessed was inadequate housing, thus contributing to the enrollment decline.
Re: selling the painting.
The Georgia O'Keeffe painting must have been the best kept secret in Valpo. Everyone I talk to was unaware that the painting was in the Brauer. The museum will remain open, we're only talking about three paintings. When you compare that to the fact that Valpo needs to attract students, it's obvious the paintings should be sold.
Instead of complaining about the leadership, those who oppose the sale need to recruit students to attend Valpo. Turn the anger into something positive.
Quote from: valpopal on March 10, 2023, 12:24:45 PM
Quote from: valpopal on March 06, 2023, 10:45:06 AM
Quote from: crusadermoe on March 06, 2023, 09:47:11 AM
You might as well do the sale now. The PR damage has been done.
I can assure you that Padilla is aware PR damage has barely scratched the surface thus far.
When I mentioned the PR damage is still just beginning, I already knew about additional news stories concerning the special session Faculty Senate opposition vote and the forthcoming major New York Times article that appears today as a "top story" in my web browser (plus other upcoming developments):
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/arts/design/valparaiso-museum-paintings-sale-okeeffe.html (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/arts/design/valparaiso-museum-paintings-sale-okeeffe.html)
It's very unfortunate that the most prominent coverage VU has received in the NYT during the past decade has been this piece capturing the difficult choices facing private regional universities not awash with case and the long feature about VU Law embodying the challenges facing private regional law schools during the applications nosedive.
Although I had a feeling that controversy over the art sale would generate unwanted publicity, I did not anticipate national media coverage.
My question is: did the Times seek this out? Or did people at Valpo seek the Times out?
Last I looked, that line was on the boards in Vegas. 5-1 Times was alerted.
Already some 290 comments to the posting of the article to the NYT Facebook page, capturing the differences of opinion here.
So, David, what's the uninformed commenter stream of consciousness?
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 10, 2023, 07:47:34 PM
So, David, what's the uninformed commenter stream of consciousness?
VULB#62, a lot of it isn't much different than the opinions being shared here. The article gave sufficient context for folks to take similar sides.
The good news is that, at least from what I read, people weren't denigrating the University. I think that a lot of folks understand that this is a tough time for a lot of schools.
Whoah. This NY times article is pretty shocking; national coverage? I admit I did not know the Georgia O'Keeffe was this big a deal.
As David81 says, the article and comments don't seem too one-sided. Now NT Times has posted it twice on FB from what I can tell, now up to 410 comments on the first and 73 on the second... but overall, no consensus.
I get that selling the artwork is a bad sign. There is nothing positive about this.
If Valpo decides to keep the art, and if they are desperate for residential facility upgrades, how can this be accomplished? Asking more cash from alums during a national economic decline and after an intense endowment fundraiser?
What happens to Valpo if they did not make upgrades in residential facilities? 62 had a interesting reply - one student thought it wasn't necessary, but does a sample of 1 response reflect what is required?
Padilla is trying to get solutions, and perhaps he is business savvy but it is a perspective Valpo desperately needs.
Also, we will see the level of desperation at Valpo. Not removing a basketball coach to prevent a $700k buyout in a Division 1 environment is a sign of desperation. Almost every Div. 1 program would accept the buyout in their decision.
This is why they should have done the ERIP first and why I believe Padilla has said he did not think that the way the first round of cuts was good for the university and hasn't been helpful int he long run. DePauw did a huge buyout when the pandemic hit because you can't fire tenure faculty but they are the best paid and are also what's going to keep you from hiring/keeping your new generation of "best and the brightest".
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 11, 2023, 05:15:22 AM
Whoah. This NY times article is pretty shocking; national coverage? I admit I did not know the Georgia O'Keeffe was this big a deal.
As David81 says, the article and comments don't seem too one-sided. Now NT Times has posted it twice on FB from what I can tell, now up to 410 comments on the first and 73 on the second... but overall, no consensus.
I just saw the actual paper edition. Front page, just below the fold. Now that, is some national exposure!
The Times article is growing more legs. This is from the PFL Fan Forum.
https://pflfan.proboards.com/thread/4362/broke
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 11, 2023, 01:20:06 PM
The Times article is growing more legs. This is from the PFL Fan Forum.
https://pflfan.proboards.com/thread/4362/broke
It's a shame that VU's finances are being mischaracterized. Regardless of one's views on the art sale, the University is not broke.
If there's a silver lining, it will be a boost in donations from alums. Let's see if that happens.
Let me start by saying I have a massive, massive amount of respect for John Ruff having had him in class and talked with him personally outside of class.
Late to party but saw times article today. Taking that interview and giving that press to Valparaiso University was downright IRRESPONSIBLE.
When you search Valparaiso University on Twitter , 10 of first 12 things on timeline are VUs art sale.
Now you go back and see the 5 year plan is linked in the article, with low wages , outdated dorms , and looking to get 10% more net revenue per student.
The only press coming out of Valparaiso University right now should be good press. Anything else could be detrimental.
Letting a 95 year old man talk on the future of a University. Irresponsible. Regardless what he had done in the previous century.
As an alum , donor, and someone trying to push forward good press about the University, I honestly can't believe this happened.
Failed decisions in the 2010s is what has hurt the University. Investing in a multi million dollar chapel before your classrooms are up to date or dorms irresponsible.
Having the second highest paid President in Indiana irresponsible.
Having a list price of 44k with the current product being offered irresponsible.
Having a 93% acceptance rate and forcing kids on campus 3 out of their 4 years. Irresponsible.
Changing a mascot to appease Muslim and Saudi Arabian students when your customer base are primarily Christian private school kids. Irresponsible.
I will continue to support the football team as I can through this 5 year plan. However a decade of terrible decisions has led to this.
And unfortunately letting this all get to The NY Times is another drop in the bucket
All of this underscores how much of a mess Heckler created during his time as President. Decisions were made regarding finances and enrollment that are...baffling. It's like everyone was asleep at the wheel.
Heckler was to Valpo, like Lottich is to the basketball program.
Quote from: valpofb16 on March 12, 2023, 08:56:07 AMFailed decisions in the 2010s is what has hurt the University. Investing in a multi million dollar chapel before your classrooms are up to date or dorms irresponsible.
The chapel addition is an interesting point to bring up. First of all, it was a specifically earmarked gift. Not much could be done to divert that money to dorms and classrooms. At virtually the same time, the Welcome Center was gifted and constructed. Of the two, one, IMO, produces an ongoing ROI as the campus gateway, the first experience for potential applicants/enrollees and it houses staff that are dedicated to recruitment as I understand. The other is a nice new space, but what does it do to provide ROI? Are classes taught there? How does it contribute to improved campus life for the entire campus community or is it just for a small campus population? I don't know enough about that and would like someone on the forum to help me out.
Anyway, how does the chapel addition get into the same conversation as the O'Keeffe? In my little mind both are examples of misaligned priorities that only focus on small elements of a much greater whole. Holding onto the O'Keeffe in the face of the ability to offset poor past decisions is irresponsible. Building onto the chapel for a limited population was similarly less than responsible unless the university was swimming in excess cash at the time. At the time, I recall thinking that it was nice but almost like gilding a lilly. Every effort at the time should (in 20/20 hindsight) have made to convince the chapel donors of a greater good that would result from using the gift differently — like, maybe a smaller addition and the bulk endowing well-paying faculty chairs (and taking some pressure off the operating budget). Similarly, I hope that any art sale compromise involves a faculty chair endowment in conjunction with the needed construction.
To add insult to injury, Ruff is retired (according to the article at least). If that's true is even worse. Giving lessons to those on the Titanic deck from the safety of the lifeboat.
Regarding the NYT article, the primary focus was on a theatre major. The dorms must be fine is she says so.
My daughter, a HS senior going to major in Chemical Engineering, went through the college search. Every college visit we went on, there was much time allotted time touring various dorms. Facilities are very important to prospective students, and according to my my and daughters, particularly women. We need to look at the needs of the current student and not base it on our experience, especially if Valpo want to boost enrollment.
Also, Valpo should focus on their strengths - engineering, business, meteorology and nursing. These majors are where students will invest extra tuition. Liberal arts are important also, but perhaps we need to continue eliminating majors/programs accommodating only a handful of students.
- they removed secondary education, how about elementary education? Generally speaking, why would someone spend $55K a year, minus scholarship, to get an elementary education degree and start a teaching career with six figure in debt? Why try to compete with teachers colleges like Ball St., Illinois State, and UNI?
Quote from: valpofb16 on March 12, 2023, 08:56:07 AMInvesting in a multi million dollar chapel before your classrooms are up to date or dorms irresponsible.
Not sure what you are referencing here. The addition to the Chapel as well as the renovations were paid in full by a contribution from the Helges. The University didn't use operating funds.
That donation is above my pay grade but someone with a pulse could have advised money needed elsewhere
From U.S.News & World Report - Two negative student reviews that match up in part with current needs the university is attempting to address:
University in death spiral
7 days ago
LewisSouth Bend
They are cutting a lot of programs and staff because the enrollment is falling. This is despite the acceptance rate being 90+% and the university letting in anybody who can mostly read and do addition. It is very bad, and there is little sense of campus community. Go to a better university.
No, I would not recommend this school to a friend
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DO NOT ATTEND THIS UNIVERSITY
4 months ago
MadelineIndiana
I have had an awful experience at this university, and I would not recommend it to anyone. I have regretted my decision to attend since my first day here. Some explanation: - VU does not care about student safety whatsoever. Anyone with a OneCard is allowed access to ANY dorm on campus. You do not have to swipe to get onto your floor. There are no cameras. This has resulted in crimes that occur in the dorms (voyeurism, theft, etc.) going completely unresolved and continuing to occur with no action or concern taken by the administration. - There is no social life on campus. If you are looking for fun parties, good bar life, etc. DO NOT come here. You won't find it. - There is hardly anything to do in the town. There are good restaurants, a farmer's market, and an ice rink. That is pretty much it. - Classes are not challenging, despite this school continuously claiming to be Ivy League level. What a joke. Since the acceptance rate is in the 90s, the academic standard is extremely low. - The dorms are extremely old and tiny. My bed freshman year was quite literally a pullout couch. Sewage leaked into my room. Things broke constantly. The only positive thing I can say is that the janitorial and maintenance staff were very kind. However, they only cleaned the bathrooms once a week. The university requires students to live on-campus for at least three years to make more money to make up for their declining student population. - The food is horrendous. I am constantly finding hair in my food. I've also found a bee. They only have two options for breakfast almost every single day, which are eggs or yogurt. The food for lunch and dinner is equally inedible. Also, there is only one dining hall and it closes for two hours in the middle of the day which is extremely inconvenient at times. The university also forces on-campus students to buy the most expensive meal plan for the first two years. And they wonder why retention is the lowest it's been in a decade.
No, I would not recommend this school to a friend
I mentioned in a post three weeks ago that Pres. Padilla strategically had made a mistake in news articles and elsewhere by pitting himself against Richard Brauer and John Ruff, two of the "most beloved and revered" figures on campus. As I said then, in public relations "Padilla will come up short every time." Anyone who now continues that path of discussion by blaming the messengers will also find themselves on the losing end of any argument. Before this issue was public—even as late as the faculty meeting with Padilla on Feb. 15—instead of alienating these two, as well as the newly-hired museum director and most of the campus community, there were various opportunities for attempts at amending the split caused by this decision and working toward a different direction through cooperation and compromise. For some reason, Padilla repeatedly chose confrontation.
Now the NY Times article has been out 48 hours, and I have yet to see a response from Padilla or a conciliatory gesture from the administration. The first rule of public relations is to "be proactive and get out ahead of a story" if possible. As I mentioned here previously, everyone involved knew for weeks this article was coming. The NY Times reporter had been on campus asking questions and gathering information, even obtaining quotes from Padilla's spokesperson. Unfortunately, my understanding is that this is not the end of the line. If the narrative continues without a change in direction, there will be further public relations problems that cannot be avoided.
If you do not get in front of the story, the second rule is to "reply immediately in an amicable manner." A third rule is to "be transparent," which also has been violated. Rule four is to "be prepared for social media backlash." A fifth rule is to "get everyone on board" with compromise. The most important rule is "stop the crisis before it happens and not to cause one."
Nevertheless, as I noted in a past post to 62, I m still hoping this messy process will lead to a compromise solution that could be viewed as a positive outcome and eventually gain some good publicity. My thought and wish is Padilla could be seen as heroic in such a situation. We will see.
The Helge Center, the new center is not a bad addition at all. It houses a lot of student programming including one of the most sought after internship programs, called CAPS.
However, it came shortly after the University was trying to raise money for it's newer dorm and got no takers. It's great to have donors to provide this extra elevation to what's offered but when the university is begging for things like basics and donors ignore them for pet projects it creates another dynamic where you now get people claiming the art is what makes Valpo when main facilities are falling apart.
As far as those reviews. I'd grain of salt them. Much like Yelp and other reviews people tend to over exaggerate or or you get general malcontents who overextrapolate normal university issues with a specific issue with their school. (ie most places you go students complain about food, parking, safety, etc).
I can just vouch for the fact that the dorms were horrible in the early 2000s while I was there and it seems amazing that hasn't been rectified at all.
Also, you need to look at actual price vs list price to assess what people are actually paying at Valpo and again, alleging decreasing academic standards when test scores have not moved seem to be more a perception issue than a reality issue.
I agree that the way the anti-art sale movment has been approaching this seems like they want to do ultimate damage to the universities reputation which makes no sense if the goal is to perserve the art. but hey maybe you can run Padilla out on a rail and hope the board finds someone else and turns things around and your blessed art doesn't get sold in a auction to keep the place open.
Madeline Indiana is not wrong.
Dorms are 8x16. Roll out beds for freshman, smaller twin beds if in beacon. Outdated showers , no cameras.
One dining hall, core class is a joke which makes it hard to transfer because other Universities don't take it.
There was social life in 2012-2016, but the freshman when I was a senior they cracked down on almost all of it.
Meal plan is outrageous when comparing to other universities. More options for breakfast when I was there.
It's a bad product right now
Quotethey removed secondary education, how about elementary education? Generally speaking, why would someone spend $55K a year, minus scholarship, to get an elementary education degree and start a teaching career with six figure in debt? Why try to compete with teachers colleges like Ball St., Illinois State, and UNI?
This is an example of the backwards thinking of Heckler. Why would Valpo get rid of professional degree programs that are making money for the university?
For example, Social Work was proposed to be cut so they could save money by cutting a few professors. But when you looked at the number of students in the program, you realized that it was a net positive. So Heckler was going to technically cut costs...while lowering profits at the same time.
The Social Work Departments response to being considered for continuance was a really positive and inspiring response to the situation at hand. They they rallied their alums and students, worked together, and made proposals to increase their valuation to the university while also defending what they already brought. It was the best of what it means to work together. My feed was filled with alums sharing and promoting and engaging and it worked. The Department remains and has joined with Education and is will hopefully be there long in the future. Man programs have been discontinued or considered for discontinuance in the past, including the Nursing school. The Social Work Department is a model of what it means to not just dig their heels in and say that the administration doesn't care about them.
CC is doing the same with calling out to their alums to help them look at what they do now and how they can improve and continue to offer the level of scholarship they do in the future. I have a friend who spent half of homecoming weekend in strategy sessions with other CC alums and faculty to plot out the future of Christ College. Too often programs become stagnant and don't want to change and are resistant to the point they become brittle and break.
It seems to add to the idea (and apparently fact) that Heckler damaged the university badly. It soundsfrom a long time on this board that the late Alan Harre and his board were frugal to a fault in refusing to take on debt. But then when money got really cheap it sounds like Heckler and his board were reckless.
And we have talked about Heckler's tin ear for the VU constituents who were not on board with woke and PC mantras. Now we are reaping the harvest of the finances and tin ear. Padilla is not a villain here. He is the messenger who is being shot by bringing unwelcome realities to the forefront. But Padilla can step to a new presidency easily because the deck was stacked so heavily against him in all financial measures. The rest of the school should prepare for that. The anger against Padilla can be directed at Heckler. How often does a school want to move on from a president (Heckler) so badly and urgently that they hire an interim Pres. with no background before they hire a new one? Will donors give more? This isn't the Red Cross. I think giving will decrease.
All I am saying is that you cannot be great in everything. If the social work program is strong and sustainable, then keep it strong. My concern is making universal solutions because of a few loud select voices, which happened at Valpo. The programs that are strong have a right to have their say on the strategy.
The student debt crisis has its genesis during the early 1980s, when student loans started to supplant grants and scholarships as a main source of financial aid, and many, many universities started increasing their tuition by fairly big chunks every year. In addition, interest rates on those loans shot up dramatically, especially when student loans became a lucrative business. I and many others saw this occurring before our very eyes. Between my graduation from VU in 1981, and my beginning law school at NYU in 1982, the financial aid landscape had changed in formative ways.
VU's tuition, room & board were dirt cheap when I matriculated. Not so any longer. Is it because faculty are getting paid a lot more? Certainly not. As I explained in an earlier post, faculty salaries at VU -- always substandard -- haven't even kept up with inflation. But do take a look around campus at all the buildings that have been constructed since my time there. Were there donors covering the full costs of those new buildings? Of course not. And look at all the new administrative positions that have been created. Where does their pay come from?
The price tag of a VU education incorporates those developments. And because VU can award only so much scholarship money, and federal/state gift aid doesn't come close to meeting demonstrated need, guess whose student loans are filling the huge gaps? Of course this is going to affect alumni/ae donation rates. Some of us have been saying this about private universities generally for decades as we've witnessed student debt service explode.
Quote from: David81 on March 12, 2023, 05:18:15 PM
The student debt crisis has its genesis during the early 1980s, when student loans started to supplant grants and scholarships as a main source of financial aid, and many, many universities started increasing their tuition by fairly big chunks every year. In addition, interest rates on those loans shot up dramatically, especially when student loans became a lucrative business. I and many others saw this occurring before our very eyes. ... Of course this is going to affect alumni/ae donation rates. Some of us have been saying this about private universities generally for decades as we've witnessed student debt service explode.
David81, I think one of the most innovative models for addressing the student debt crisis is Hope College's 'Hope Forward' give-it-forward model.
Their president is one of those rare birds who is both 1000% focused on making the economics work and 1000% committed to the liberal arts, so his whole presidency is about trying to re-think the economic model of higher ed to cut out the loan middleman and make college accessible again. Basically, the idea is that the college will raise sufficient endowment to give some and then eventually all students their liberal arts educations as a gift, and the students commit to later give forward to the next generation.
https://hope.edu/hope-forward/
https://hope.edu/offices/president/
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/07/15/hope-college-wants-trade-tuition-donations
I know this 'gift' donation model may sound nutty and unrealistic, but my sense was that Hope was in a much better position than Valpo... I had a chance to visit in Fall 2020, and it seemed morale was super high, their faculty were on a more manageable teaching load, students seemed really committed to a real integration of intellectual inquiry and professional prep, their job offers for humanities asst profs was paying about $10k/yr more than Valpo, the freshman-to-sophomore retention rate had risen over the last two decades to quite high, about 90%, and the yield rate was pretty good around 25% of admitted students. Moreover, this was the Fall after Covid hit, so it was impressive that not only were they not laying off anybody or cutting salaries... but they were hiring at a time when few schools anywhere in the country were running searches due to Covid.
Will this gift model work? Maybe it'll crash and burn, but I hope not! We really need institutions to strike out bravely like this, to try to find a different way, unless the plan in US Higher Ed is just to put the nation's young adults into indentured debt servitude for life. Not sustainable.
Berea College (founded by abolitionists before the Civil War) is another no-tuition promise school, on a worker-scholar model where the students have jobs around campus and pay no tuition. Berea is always top 5 for 'best value' and often somewhere in the Top 15 for 'national liberal arts colleges', which is pretty incredible given the no-tuition promise. Granted, they already have a huge endowment of $1.5 Billion which helps... but still, very cool what they've been able to do.
https://www.berea.edu/about/history/
So there are institutions out there that are bucking the trend and trying to battle the rising tuition & loan problem.
Has anyone brought up selling the University as an entity to Indiana, Purdue or another university with a billion dollar endowment?
Dorms are not the problem at Valpo. They are on of the many problems. And the more I look into this I'm not sure the damage hasn't been done.
The city has never accepted the University as a College in a way you would hope. There is minimal off campus housing, zero effort to build a social atmosphere / bar
Enrollment is right around 2k with a 93% acceptance rate. Dorms will not change the above issues, meal plan, list prices, dated nursing , business buildings , dropped majors.
With enrollment so low. Beacon / Werhenburg / Guild should suffice for now right? Why update Alumni, Brandt, Lenk if they will sit empty?
The rebrand in itself has already taken place alienating many donors/alums.
Very hopeful things can turn around. But it's not looking promising.
This will not be fixed by a good basketball team. And tbf I think firing Lottich and alienating loyal employees would be another dagger.
Valparaiso needs good press. Bring in a firm , find out who are the essential employees, infrastructures , etc. Cut out everything else. Start over.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 12, 2023, 08:36:25 PM
Quote from: David81 on March 12, 2023, 05:18:15 PM
The student debt crisis has its genesis during the early 1980s, when student loans started to supplant grants and scholarships as a main source of financial aid, and many, many universities started increasing their tuition by fairly big chunks every year. In addition, interest rates on those loans shot up dramatically, especially when student loans became a lucrative business. I and many others saw this occurring before our very eyes. ... Of course this is going to affect alumni/ae donation rates. Some of us have been saying this about private universities generally for decades as we've witnessed student debt service explode.
David81, I think one of the most innovative models for addressing the student debt crisis is Hope College's 'Hope Forward' give-it-forward model.
Their president is one of those rare birds who is both 1000% focused on making the economics work and 1000% committed to the liberal arts, so his whole presidency is about trying to re-think the economic model of higher ed to cut out the loan middleman and make college accessible again. Basically, the idea is that the college will raise sufficient endowment to give some and then eventually all students their liberal arts educations as a gift, and the students commit to later give forward to the next generation.
https://hope.edu/hope-forward/
https://hope.edu/offices/president/
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/07/15/hope-college-wants-trade-tuition-donations
I know this 'gift' donation model may sound nutty and unrealistic, but my sense was that Hope was in a much better position than Valpo... I had a chance to visit in Fall 2020, and it seemed morale was super high, their faculty were on a more manageable teaching load, students seemed really committed to a real integration of intellectual inquiry and professional prep, their job offers for humanities asst profs was paying about $10k/yr more than Valpo, the freshman-to-sophomore retention rate had risen over the last two decades to quite high, about 90%, and the yield rate was pretty good around 25% of admitted students. Moreover, this was the Fall after Covid hit, so it was impressive that not only were they not laying off anybody or cutting salaries... but they were hiring at a time when few schools anywhere in the country were running searches due to Covid.
Will this gift model work? Maybe it'll crash and burn, but I hope not! We really need institutions to strike out bravely like this, to try to find a different way, unless the plan in US Higher Ed is just to put the nation's young adults into indentured debt servitude for life. Not sustainable.
Berea College (founded by abolitionists before the Civil War) is another no-tuition promise school, on a worker-scholar model where the students have jobs around campus and pay no tuition. Berea is always top 5 for 'best value' and often somewhere in the Top 15 for 'national liberal arts colleges', which is pretty incredible given the no-tuition promise. Granted, they already have a huge endowment of $1.5 Billion which helps... but still, very cool what they've been able to do.
https://www.berea.edu/about/history/
So there are institutions out there that are bucking the trend and trying to battle the rising tuition & loan problem.
The Hope Pay-It-Forward model is an interesting approach with a limited cohort of exceptional students. The wider they expand it, the percentage of those who give back a commensurate amount later is likely to decline. It's just human nature. That said, it's a worthy experiment.
The Berea work-study approach is great, but that $1.5 billion endowment you mentioned is making a tuition-free school possible. Using the standard 4 percent standard, the endowment principal is throwing off some $60 million annually to serve a total enrollment of around 1,500 undergraduates. While I'm sure that the student body's work contribution is meaningful and also creates a grounded culture, the endowment enables the model.
Interestingly, while pre-Lutheran VU did charge modest tuition (when it truly was known as the "Harvard of the Midwest" in the early 1900s), it kept expenses and frills to a minimum and used extensive work-study (e.g., students working on the university farm to grow food for the dining halls) to soften the costs of attending.
David81, I think you nailed the issue in your March 12 post going back on this page.
In noting the large new buildings on campus you can summarize by saying Valpo has made itself "house poor." They took on mortgages and second mortgages. Now they can't service the debt in this new level of enrollment competition. Those were big bets.
Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams said, "if you build it they will come." But I don't think he debt-financed the field next to the corn. Building a new arena places a similar bet and financing is no longer an option according to Moody's and the reality of the Art Sale.
All is not lost. The options are just narrowing.
Quote from: crusadermoe on March 13, 2023, 10:44:16 AMKevin Costner in Field of Dreams said, "if you build it they will come." But I don't think he debt-financed the field next to the corn. Building a new arena places a similar bet and financing is no longer an option according to Moody's and the reality of the Art Sale.
Costner's character was also fictional and the story was fictional. Unfortunately Valpo is in a real life situation and the risks are very real.
Quote from: David81 on March 13, 2023, 01:04:01 AM
The Hope Pay-It-Forward model is an interesting approach with a limited cohort of exceptional students. The wider they expand it, the percentage of those who give back a commensurate amount later is likely to decline. It's just human nature. That said, it's a worthy experiment.
True, people might get jaded over time and think their contributions don't matter so much for the future students... It is something that would have to be accounted for.
But I still think the premise of giving to people rather than stuff is a good one. I've never really understood why organizations so often fundraise for buildings... are donors really that insistent on having a shiny wall with their name on it? I actually think most of my Millienial generation would much prefer to give experiences to people, to little brothers and sisters down the line -- assuming their own student experience was indeed so positive as to engender a sense of gratitude and desire for the next generation to have the same too!
Moreover, I think Scroggins is right that when we have received something as as gift, we actually do experience it in a fundamentally different way. I had my undergrad paid for by a uni scholarship, so I then basically walked around for four years marveling that they were so generous to let me be there; total grace. It never crossed my mind to complain whether the food was good enough or the professors turning their grading around fast enough, since it was quite literally a gift to be there at all.... one that I do intend to give forward. I think college students are unhappier today than in past decades when the whole experience was cheaper in the 70s and 80s... precisely *because* today they are paying so much and see themselves as customers paying through the nose. Therefore, they start and go thru their four years in constant awareness and anxiety about the high cost, feeling that such a price ought to have bought not only pristine ensuite glass showers, but also As in all their classes or at least a good GPA degree! So they are in a fundamentally conflictual relationship with the institution from the outset, worried about getting money's worth from institutions they suspect (maybe rightly) are trying to extract as much cash out of them as possible. And it leads to all these other issues, like grade inflation, and the flight of students to high ROI fields in order to retroactively justify the initial up-front cost of college. All these aspects of the defensive customer posture are totally understandable given that students and parents really are paying or taking on so much debt, but the whole dynamic is really really toxic to an actual environment of curiosity, correction, learning, experimentation, etc
So IF it works, a pay-it-forward gift model would do more than address just the loan servicing mess, and it could also perhaps help shift the fundamental relations of institutional financing and teaching & learning back into shared alignment in investment in students. That would make for qualitatively better and happier campus cultures, which is a good in itself and also useful for future alumni donations...
To tie into Diaspora's comments about feeling thankful vs. being the customer always monitoring value. Let me jump into my Way-Back Machine and push even beyond the 70s to the early 60s. Aside from your freshman year where you were required to occupy residential hall space unless you were a commuter, Valpo didn't care if you took the room & board plan as long as you paid your tuition and fees. Many of my friends [only male - no self respecting women would live off campus back then 😱] jumped right into close-to-campus apartments as sophs. It was cheaper, but yeah, some of those apartments were real dumps and/or fire traps 😀. But on campus, the meal plan in the dorms with dining rooms was really good, hearty food - definitely worthy of the freshman 15. I get the impression now that the number of dining facilities has, over time, been reduced.
I cannot speak to the present day residency requirements — FB16 mentioned that now you are required to be in university residences through your junior year. But if that is the case, dining in those residences should be totally attractive, varied and a real motivator to stay and enjoy the residence experience. Anything else does point more in the direction of revenue-generating incarceration instead of providing a bountiful university experience.
Hopefully, Padilla's dorm initiative is being done with the latter in mind.
While still sitting in my Way-Back Machine, I will reminisce. I was a Phi Delt and we took our meals in our annex at the corner of Brown and College. Ma (our cook - I'm absolutely sure that was her real name, had to be) cooked some of the best meals for 40 guys you could imagine. In those days we had a majority of the football and basketball team as brothers, so eating good was an absolute. To this day I can't figure out how she did it. Those evening dinners were part of a great college experience — along with the beer machine in the basement of the main house 😜
I absolutely do not understand why they went down to only one dining hall. The benefit of living on campus was that you had multiple places to choose from on the plan. Most weren't like, extravagant or anything but there was the ability to be like "what's X having" and also the great waffles at Berg. Also, it was nice, when the weather sucked, to just run downstairs and grab food.
I'd imagine that having one residence hall makes the cafeteria nature of the food even more difficult to stomach. Maybe they can bring some franchises on to campus to provide options? I did see in Padilla's interview he mentioned a cafeteria in the halls so hopefully they can go back to the usual.
While I agree that to an extent the state of the dorms and facilities etc did not weight much on my mind while I was there I know that things have changed. I have cousins who's children have begun the college search and what they've told me that the academic reputation definitely dictates where people apply but once that is done it can become something as simple as who has the better dorms, or the better facilities or just the shorter walk to where classes are located and a myriad of other things we use to help us make decisions (the biggest factor seems to be money, all things remaining equal)
When I attended there were three dining halls in a way.
The Union, good food, lots of seating , expensive
The Cafe , which was quick more of a fast food setting, was replaced with a scannable grab and go place my senior year, logistics and costs (talking $4.50 non pandemic chocolate milk) were the reason many completely stopped going.
The law school cafe, best food on campus, same type pricing the Union. And that shut down I believe as well.
So down to one , unless the you count the money suck grab n go.
And as of junior year that is correct, had to live three years on campus , pay extra for parking.
Meaning as an upperclassmen, you are bare minimum expected to live in a single dorm w/ roommate, on a dry campus, w/ no freedom to your car unless more fees.
Meanwhile at state schools you are able to live in houses, host parents, drive to class , live with a significant other
Honestly the living situation/rules were a big big reason I know people left.
All this being said from 2005-2015 with the high enrollment , high ticket sales , high meal prices , and students essentially forced to pay rent and infrastructure. And one non donated new facility.
How did the University come up so empty?
Either
A) few people getting an extremely large take home salary
Or
B) an excessive amount of unnecessary people on payroll
And now they miss the boat again by adding more dorms? How about that money is spent on 7-10 houses to get more juniors off campus
On top of this mess is the viral effect of social media. Regardless of how many people genuinely care about this painting, that number is inflated by the AI algorithm. Especially the younger generation that is glued to the screen and gets enraged about the topic "du jour". Not wanting to be sarcastic or unfair but lots of lots of people who feel revolutionary now for the cause of the painting never stepped foot in that museum much less were aware about a particular painting...But if so many "influencers" scream bloody murder then of course they "feel" the same.
Worse of, once a person is invested in a particular cause, it is extremely hard to change his/her mind because the more energy is spent for a cause the more painful is to admit you were (at least partially) wrong or to admit that you did not see the big picture. Padilla (again a person I do not trust has what it takes to save the ship), should ask people (Brauer, Ruff, etc...) whether they still want a campus around that precious museum. Do they want a museum without a university or a university without a museum if the thing hits the fan for real?
Regardng selling the art, would it not be beneficial to get feedback from those not in art media, theatre and creative writing? How about those in STEM, business, meteorology, nursing?
Again, we have to meet the needs of a loud select few.
In addition to the front page story about the proposed art sale at Inside Higher Ed today, there is a highly critical feature article now in The New Republic by a noted VU alum, especially devastating if the unseemly quote attributed to Padilla by a senior faculty member is accurate.
https://newrepublic.com/article/171163/georgia-okeeffe-rust-red-hills-valparaiso-battle-soul-liberal-arts-college (https://newrepublic.com/article/171163/georgia-okeeffe-rust-red-hills-valparaiso-battle-soul-liberal-arts-college)
You can tell the administration is feeling the PR heat and wavering, at least in their language. Originally, Padilla said he "intended to pay for the much needed dorm renovations by using the proceeds from the sale of select paintings from the campus art museum." But the Inside Higher Ed article says Padilla's spokesperson now indicates a final decision has not been made about selling the art. Originally, Padilla also stated the art needed to be sold quickly to have cash by summer. However, Inside Higher Ed quotes the spokesperson remarking "that the university has 'no definitive timeline at this point' for exploring a possible art sale."
Quote from: valpopal on March 15, 2023, 01:11:06 PM
In addition to the front page story about the proposed art sale at Inside Higher Ed today, there is a highly critical feature article now in The New Republic by a noted VU alum, especially devastating if the unseemly quote attributed to Padilla by a senior faculty member is accurate.
https://newrepublic.com/article/171163/georgia-okeeffe-rust-red-hills-valparaiso-battle-soul-liberal-arts-college (https://newrepublic.com/article/171163/georgia-okeeffe-rust-red-hills-valparaiso-battle-soul-liberal-arts-college)
You can tell the administration is feeling the PR heat and wavering, at least in their language. Originally, Padilla said he "intended to pay for the much needed dorm renovations by using the proceeds from the sale of select paintings from the campus art museum." But the Inside Higher Ed article says Padilla's spokesperson now indicates a final decision has not been made about selling the art. Originally, Padilla also stated the art needed to be sold quickly to have cash by summer. However, Inside Higher Ed quotes the spokesperson remarking "that the university has 'no definitive timeline at this point' for exploring a possible art sale."
The noted VU alum seems to be extremely one-sided in his article, but this seems to be the path of people who are arguing against the art sale. The only people who seem to have an opinion that they accept are those who agree with them. Further, a statement by one student that the dorms are acceptable gets taken as sacrosanct. One student! usc4valpo is right...why don't the people who write these articles ask faculty and students from STEM, business and nursing? The faculty senate vote was 13-6....what is the representation of each college on faculty senate? I'll bet that most at-large representatives are from liberal arts. One engineering faculty member on faculty senate spoke at length about how the art sale was the correct strategy - but do you see that in these articles? (No)
I will answer one of my questions above...distribution of faculty senate representatives by college (per Valpo's website). College of Arts and Sciences: 15; Christ College: 1; Business: 2; Engineering: 2; Nursing: 2; Libraries: 1. Furthermore, the governance process dictates that 14 of the 23 representatives come from Arts and Sciences with guaranteed representation from Art/Music, English, Theology/Philosophy.
https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 15, 2023, 02:06:39 PM
The faculty senate vote was 13-6....what is the representation of each college on faculty senate?
I will answer one of my questions above...distribution of faculty senate representatives by college (per Valpo's website). College of Arts and Sciences: 15; Christ College: 1; Business: 2; Engineering: 2; Nursing: 2; Libraries: 1. Furthermore, the governance process dictates that 14 of the 23 representatives come from Arts and Sciences with guaranteed representation from Art/Music, English, Theology/Philosophy.
https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/ (https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/)
Let's be fully accurate in those numbers. Of the 14 representatives from A&S, four are STEM professors (Winquist, Clark, Wolf, and Sullivan). Therefore, the representation is evenly distributed with 10 from professional schools and STEM subjects, plus 8 currently from arts subjects (2 of which are actually at-large senators), and one representative each from the Library and Christ College. The senate chair is also from a science area and the vice chair is from arts. Consequently, the present 22-member voting breakdown is 11 from professional schools or STEM subjects and 11 from the arts (if we include the Library and Christ College as arts). Additionally, the university president and the provost are ex officio members.
Quote from: valpopal on March 15, 2023, 02:54:48 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 15, 2023, 02:06:39 PM
The faculty senate vote was 13-6....what is the representation of each college on faculty senate?
I will answer one of my questions above...distribution of faculty senate representatives by college (per Valpo's website). College of Arts and Sciences: 15; Christ College: 1; Business: 2; Engineering: 2; Nursing: 2; Libraries: 1. Furthermore, the governance process dictates that 14 of the 23 representatives come from Arts and Sciences with guaranteed representation from Art/Music, English, Theology/Philosophy.
https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/ (https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/)
Let's be fully accurate in those numbers. Of the 14 representatives from A&S, four are STEM professors (Winquist, Clark, Wolf, and Sullivan). Therefore, the representation is evenly distributed with 10 from professional schools and STEM subjects, plus 8 currently from arts subjects (2 of which are actually at-large senators), and one representative each from the Library and Christ College. The senate chair is also from a science area and the vice chair is from arts. Consequently, the present 22-member voting breakdown is 11 from professional schools or STEM subjects and 11 from the arts (if we include the Library and Christ College as arts). Additionally, the university president and the provost are ex officio members.
OK...but it is clear that the number of arts faculty on faculty senate who are not at-large is equal to the total number of members from engineering, nursing, and business combined.
The idea that this painting is somehow the soul of Valpo is ridiculous. Very few people even knew it existed!
President Padilla is facing the hard task of cleaning up the financial mess of Heckler. And that means making hard decisions. Don't want Valpo to sell the painting? Then help recruit students to VU. Or start donating millions of dollars.
Quote from: mj on March 15, 2023, 03:31:38 PM
The idea that this painting is somehow the soul of Valpo is ridiculous. Very few people even knew it existed!
President Padilla is facing the hard task of cleaning up the financial mess of Heckler. And that means making hard decisions. Don't want Valpo to sell the painting? Then help recruit students to VU. Or start donating millions of dollars.
I will no longer donate or return to the university based on the name change. I am sure the name change is minor to some people but I avoid the woke world. I steered both my kids aways from VU because of what VU has become. I can't believe I still follow VU basketball. For some reason I can't pull away from it. I think the name change created a PR nightmare. It will take at least 10 years to recover from that. The painting is a small part of the issue. If VU needs to sell a painting to fund a remodel then there are bigger financial issues going on. If they feel a remodeled dorm will increase admissions then by all means sell the paintings to get more students to the university. I have been to many college campus visits with my kids and VU does lag behind in what they offer students. I graduated from VU from the business School. I don't think the VU business school is attractive as it was in the 80's/90's. Again, other schools offer more attractive facilities and learning labs than VU business school. More is needed than just a remodeled dorm.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: valpopal on March 15, 2023, 02:54:48 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 15, 2023, 02:06:39 PM
The faculty senate vote was 13-6....what is the representation of each college on faculty senate?
I will answer one of my questions above...distribution of faculty senate representatives by college (per Valpo's website). College of Arts and Sciences: 15; Christ College: 1; Business: 2; Engineering: 2; Nursing: 2; Libraries: 1. Furthermore, the governance process dictates that 14 of the 23 representatives come from Arts and Sciences with guaranteed representation from Art/Music, English, Theology/Philosophy.
https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/ (https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/)
Let's be fully accurate in those numbers. Of the 14 representatives from A&S, four are STEM professors (Winquist, Clark, Wolf, and Sullivan). Therefore, the representation is evenly distributed with 10 from professional schools and STEM subjects, plus 8 currently from arts subjects (2 of which are actually at-large senators), and one representative each from the Library and Christ College. The senate chair is also from a science area and the vice chair is from arts. Consequently, the present 22-member voting breakdown is 11 from professional schools or STEM subjects and 11 from the arts (if we include the Library and Christ College as arts). Additionally, the university president and the provost are ex officio members.
These people must have a death wish. Before this art controversy began, Valpo was just 1 of about 400 universities in the same category of financial distress. Now, thanks to a group of self-absorbed "tattle tales" taking their petty grievances to the national media, Valpo has become the national poster child of university financial desperation and despair.
Congratulations, you silly little children. You have done irreparable damage to a great institution of higher learning already teetering on the edge. Puff your little chests out and take your 15-minute victory lap.
Amen! Thank you, wh.
The only person who bears blame for the current public relations disaster is Pres. Padilla. He seemingly knew what he was doing was wrong. Therefore, he deceptively initiated his plan by not consulting the museum staff for advice about proper procedures and possible consequences in relations with other universities and museums. He dishonestly hired the new museum director by withholding information from him and the hiring committee about an action that would be deemed unethical by the national arts organizations, one of which Canning is a member, and an action likely damaging his reputation and harming his professional future as a result.
He apparently must have kept certain bits of information about these issues from the Board of Directors (perhaps "the old white guys" he references in the New Republic quote) when he approached them with his plan. I wonder what they think now. Padilla ignored outreach by members of the university community, the faculty, and the national organizations, who offered various forms of assistance. His hubris did not allow him to enlist the faculty senate or revered senior members of the university community, who advised against such a destructive path, in a positive manner. He has lost trust with much of the university community.
In my original post six weeks ago when this issue first arose, before the initial news reports happened, I sensed the temperature at the university and offered a warning. Even as an outsider viewing the circumstances, I knew this would be a national story once the arts associations issued their statement. It was obvious. I wrote on this forum then that "the plan to sell some of the highest prized and treasured artworks from the Brauer Museum is ill advised, even worse than the mascot debacle." Padilla should have known that as well.
If he continues in the same direction, the public relations fiasco could get even worse. Imagine the stories and images when the artworks are removed from the museum. Think about the news reports on an actual sale of the works. What will it look like if the museum needs to remove Brauer's name from its entrance and all materials or websites. What if the former law professor follows through with his threat of a lawsuit? Those are just a few upcoming possibilities with others also looming. Padilla needs to turn this around before it gathers even more momentum, and attempt to consolidate the goodwill of all. I pray he does.
I'm sorry, but it's insane to blame this on President Padilla. He's the president of the university; he gets to captain the ship. Furthermore, the Board approved the sale of the painting.
It's odd that Padilla faces all this vitriol but somehow the same people give Heckler a pass. Weird.
Opponents of the sale have yet to propose a solution to address the issues that Valpo faces. Apparently we should stand pat and let the university run itself into the ground.
President Padilla made 1 mistake and 1 mistake only, albeit a huge one. Once he got approval from the Board, he should have moved on selling those pieces the next day. When a child needs a dose of caster oil, force it down their throat, and get on with life. Let them cry and pout to their heart's content - after the fact. What you never do is wait until a child says they're ready, because it will never happen. What will happen is the wailing will continue non-stop, all the while they become increasingly sicker.
Quote from: mj on March 15, 2023, 09:17:20 PM
I'm sorry, but it's insane to blame this on President Padilla. He's the president of the university; he gets to captain the ship.
...so did Captain Queeg. ;)
Quote from: valpopal on March 15, 2023, 09:40:37 PM
Quote from: mj on March 15, 2023, 09:17:20 PM
I'm sorry, but it's insane to blame this on President Padilla. He's the president of the university; he gets to captain the ship.
...so did Captain Queeg. ;)
and Captain Kirk and Captain Crunch and Admiral Horatio Nelson and Admiral David Porter.
Quote from: valpopal on March 15, 2023, 08:46:59 PM
The only person who bears blame for the current public relations disaster is Pres. Padilla. He seemingly knew what he was doing was wrong. Therefore, he deceptively initiated his plan by not consulting the museum staff for advice about proper procedures and possible consequences in relations with other universities and museums. He dishonestly hired the new museum director by withholding information from him and the hiring committee about an action that would be deemed unethical by the national arts organizations, one of which Canning is a member, and an action likely damaging his reputation and harming his professional future as a result.
He apparently must have kept certain bits of information about these issues from the Board of Directors (perhaps "the old white guys" he references in the New Republic quote) when he approached them with his plan. I wonder what they think now. Padilla ignored outreach by members of the university community, the faculty, and the national organizations, who offered various forms of assistance. His hubris did not allow him to enlist the faculty senate or revered senior members of the university community, who advised against such a destructive path, in a positive manner. He has lost trust with much of the university community.
In my original post six weeks ago when this issue first arose, before the initial news reports happened, I sensed the temperature at the university and offered a warning. Even as an outsider viewing the circumstances, I knew this would be a national story once the arts associations issued their statement. It was obvious. I wrote on this forum then that "the plan to sell some of the highest prized and treasured artworks from the Brauer Museum is ill advised, even worse than the mascot debacle." Padilla should have known that as well.
If he continues in the same direction, the public relations fiasco could get even worse. Imagine the stories and images when the artworks are removed from the museum. Think about the news reports on an actual sale of the works. What will it look like if the museum needs to remove Brauer's name from its entrance and all materials or websites. What if the former law professor follows through with his threat of a lawsuit? Those are just a few upcoming possibilities with others also looming. Padilla needs to turn this around before it gathers even more momentum, and attempt to consolidate the goodwill of all. I pray he does.
The public relations problems may get worse, but it will get worse because the people within the university who disagree with the art sale will be on the phone or emailing people in the regional and national press who are likely to support their side to get them to cover the story. These people within the university will take any steps to harm the university because they do not agree.
Quote from: wh on March 15, 2023, 06:21:32 PM
Quote from: valpopal on March 15, 2023, 02:54:48 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 15, 2023, 02:06:39 PM
The faculty senate vote was 13-6....what is the representation of each college on faculty senate?
I will answer one of my questions above...distribution of faculty senate representatives by college (per Valpo's website). College of Arts and Sciences: 15; Christ College: 1; Business: 2; Engineering: 2; Nursing: 2; Libraries: 1. Furthermore, the governance process dictates that 14 of the 23 representatives come from Arts and Sciences with guaranteed representation from Art/Music, English, Theology/Philosophy.
https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/ (https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/)
Let's be fully accurate in those numbers. Of the 14 representatives from A&S, four are STEM professors (Winquist, Clark, Wolf, and Sullivan). Therefore, the representation is evenly distributed with 10 from professional schools and STEM subjects, plus 8 currently from arts subjects (2 of which are actually at-large senators), and one representative each from the Library and Christ College. The senate chair is also from a science area and the vice chair is from arts. Consequently, the present 22-member voting breakdown is 11 from professional schools or STEM subjects and 11 from the arts (if we include the Library and Christ College as arts). Additionally, the university president and the provost are ex officio members.
These people must have a death wish. Before this art controversy began, Valpo was just 1 of about 400 universities in the same category of financial distress. Now, thanks to a group of self-absorbed "tattle tales" taking their petty grievances to the national media, Valpo has become the national poster child of university financial desperation and despair.
Congratulations, you silly little children. You have done irreparable damage to a great institution of higher learning already teetering on the edge. Puff your little chests out and take your 15-minute victory lap.
WH, I think you're being over the top here, both in blaming everyone who opposes the art sale for taking the story public (when in reality it is probably a handful of individuals doing media outreach), and for presuming bad, self-absorbed intentions for opposing the sale. Can you and others who are so contemptuous or ridiculing of those who disagree with you accept that these folks may passionately believe that the art sale hurts the University in ways that they and others care deeply about?
FWIW, I signed the petition being circulated in opposition to the art sale, in hopes of spurring sufficient concern to explore viable 3rd options between selling the paintings and doing nothing to upgrade the residence halls. If the sale happens, I will be disappointed and unhappy about it. But I won't be carrying a huge chip on my shoulder about it and bringing it up every time someone either laments or celebrates the decline of the humanities. I won't cancel the modest scholarship I've committed to funding with my monthly donations and my estate gift. Everyone has their walk away point, and mine isn't about whether the art is sold or whether to keep a mascot or whether VU hires a new MBB head coach or any similar individual decision.
OK, if the school decides to abandon the liberal arts and humanities and become a professional college, then it's no longer the place that I know and care about. Not because I hate professional degree programs -- hey, I teach at a law school -- but rather because the essential character will have changed in ways that I am happy to let others support. If it ever abandons a commitment to inclusion and diversity -- problems that were painfully real during my years at VU and that Mark Heckler (who is being bashed pretty hard on this board) courageously addressed -- then I'd step away as well.
So, please understand that reasonable people can disagree on this decision. Others might question the need to prioritize the residence halls for upgrades. Indeed, [small c] conservatives and those from more modest means might question why today's young people have come to expect fancy dorm accommodations, when a couple of generations ago, the mere availability of affordable on-campus housing was considered a great opportunity. They might even toss around terms like "self-absorbed" and "snowflakes" to describe those kids who would pass on VU because the living accommodations aren't swanky enough. So I do find some irony in this sudden need for residence hall upgrades, even as I understand that VU has to respond to the marketplace of student consumerism.
Quote from: David81 on March 16, 2023, 03:43:14 AM
Quote from: wh on March 15, 2023, 06:21:32 PM
Quote from: valpopal on March 15, 2023, 02:54:48 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 15, 2023, 02:06:39 PM
The faculty senate vote was 13-6....what is the representation of each college on faculty senate?
I will answer one of my questions above...distribution of faculty senate representatives by college (per Valpo's website). College of Arts and Sciences: 15; Christ College: 1; Business: 2; Engineering: 2; Nursing: 2; Libraries: 1. Furthermore, the governance process dictates that 14 of the 23 representatives come from Arts and Sciences with guaranteed representation from Art/Music, English, Theology/Philosophy.
https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/ (https://www.valpo.edu/faculty-senate/members-2/)
Let's be fully accurate in those numbers. Of the 14 representatives from A&S, four are STEM professors (Winquist, Clark, Wolf, and Sullivan). Therefore, the representation is evenly distributed with 10 from professional schools and STEM subjects, plus 8 currently from arts subjects (2 of which are actually at-large senators), and one representative each from the Library and Christ College. The senate chair is also from a science area and the vice chair is from arts. Consequently, the present 22-member voting breakdown is 11 from professional schools or STEM subjects and 11 from the arts (if we include the Library and Christ College as arts). Additionally, the university president and the provost are ex officio members.
These people must have a death wish. Before this art controversy began, Valpo was just 1 of about 400 universities in the same category of financial distress. Now, thanks to a group of self-absorbed "tattle tales" taking their petty grievances to the national media, Valpo has become the national poster child of university financial desperation and despair.
Congratulations, you silly little children. You have done irreparable damage to a great institution of higher learning already teetering on the edge. Puff your little chests out and take your 15-minute victory lap.
WH, I think you're being over the top here, both in blaming everyone who opposes the art sale for taking the story public (when in reality it is probably a handful of individuals doing media outreach), and for presuming bad, self-absorbed intentions for opposing the sale. Can you and others who are so contemptuous or ridiculing of those who disagree with you accept that these folks may passionately believe that the art sale hurts the University in ways that they and others care deeply about?
FWIW, I signed the petition being circulated in opposition to the art sale, in hopes of spurring sufficient concern to explore viable 3rd options between selling the paintings and doing nothing to upgrade the residence halls. If the sale happens, I will be disappointed and unhappy about it. But I won't be carrying a huge chip on my shoulder about it and bringing it up every time someone either laments or celebrates the decline of the humanities. I won't cancel the modest scholarship I've committed to funding with my monthly donations and my estate gift. Everyone has their walk away point, and mine isn't about whether the art is sold or whether to keep a mascot or whether VU hires a new MBB head coach or any similar individual decision.
OK, if the school decides to abandon the liberal arts and humanities and become a professional college, then it's no longer the place that I know and care about. Not because I hate professional degree programs -- hey, I teach at a law school -- but rather because the essential character will have changed in ways that I am happy to let others support. If it ever abandons a commitment to inclusion and diversity -- problems that were painfully real during my years at VU and that Mark Heckler (who is being bashed pretty hard on this board) courageously addressed -- then I'd step away as well.
So, please understand that reasonable people can disagree on this decision. Others might question the need to prioritize the residence halls for upgrades. Indeed, [small c] conservatives and those from more modest means might question why today's young people have come to expect fancy dorm accommodations, when a couple of generations ago, the mere availability of affordable on-campus housing was considered a great opportunity. They might even toss around terms like "self-absorbed" and "snowflakes" to describe those kids who would pass on VU because the living accommodations aren't swanky enough. So I do find some irony in this sudden need for residence hall upgrades, even as I understand that VU has to respond to the marketplace of student consumerism.
David. I am not questioning anyone's sincerity or their right to take an opposing position. My criticism is over the alarming lack of discernment in engaging national media, putting Valparaiso University in a firestorm of criticism, complete with vultures circling.
Emotion is always in ample supply. Wisdom, on the other hand, resides in rarified air a layer just above where the masses reside. It's reachable, but only through persistence and intentionality.
So what is wisdom? As it applies to this situation, it is a recognition of one's own emotions and biases and the willingness to remove them from the equation. It's a willingness to accept, and even embrace, the greater good. At some point, it requires acceptance of uncertainty over which one has no control and supporting and even praying for those who have been entrusted with that responsibility. Lastly, it requires the maturity and self control to recognize when not to air one's dirty laundry in public.
It's really as simple as that. wh
Very good yet sad discussion.
I think we can all agree that selling art or the consideration of selling art to stay afloat financially is a bad thing. None of this is positive to the university. It sucks - no way anyone can place a positive spin on this.
Regarding the media and the discussion, what I ask is a fair unbiased report which is obviously not happening. I'm hearing theatre and liberal arts majors being blowhards, who probably also have no clue or care what a decent dormitory should look like. Let's get the whole story with a broad representation of faculty and students. Then again, who am I kidding.
Also, as a university, a decision has to be made on what's best to keep operations moving. Maybe the art sale is a bad idea - maybe it's a band aid solution for a bigger problem. Do we need an endowment in the $250M - $300M range? Is there a way to transfer funds from that or what are the ramifications of that?
Also, we are not alone in this situation, there are hundreds of private schools strapped for cash. What actions are they taking to resolve financial gaps. What can we learn from them?
Regarding facilities - they are very important to bring in students. I would not underestimate this. My daughter, who is going to Rice to major in Chemical engineering, visited several colleges, and for each tour they spend sufficient time showing the facilities. I did a tour with my other daughter at Valpo, and they are way behind - they looked the same as it did in the mid 80s!
Also, and this really pissed me off. What got me upset at the start of this fiasco was a creative writing major going off the deep end referring that Valpo was becoming a technical school. An engineering education with some liberal classes can be pretty powerful, but overall I'm proud of what the college of engineering is all about. They have an identity (an obvious overall gap at Valpo), they know what they are about, they provide a challenging, comprehensive curriculum and prepare students and graduates for the real world. If we're a technical school and the Valpo College of Engineering represents that, then I'm pretty proud of that.
VU needs to get into high end alumni's deep pockets. Maybe they need to hire a high end fundraiser. Get funding for a Redenbacher School of Business. The Homer Drew School of Education. If the Brandt family can't donate to remodel the dorm than find an alumni who will and rename it.
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Quote from: usc4valpo on March 16, 2023, 06:46:00 AMI think we can all agree that selling art or the consideration of selling art to stay afloat financially is a bad thing
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 16, 2023, 06:46:00 AMDo we need an endowment in the $250M - $300M range? Is there a way to transfer funds from that or what are the ramifications of that?
First off, the art isn't being sold to "keep afloat financially". It is being sold so we can move quickly with dorm renovations deemed critical to improved recruitment and retention. We need to move now, not five years down the line after yet another fund raising drive. We just completed a $302 million dollar drive. Do you really think our somewhat small alumni base is ready to do another one quite yet? So the alternative is possibly raise more money via another bond sale. Our credit rating was just lowered and intererst rates are much higher than a few years ago. This would just add more stress to the annual budget. The enrollment cliff is coming in three years! We have to be ready. Show us an alternative!!!!
As for the endowment, we've covered this numerous times before. Those funds have a dedicated purpose, many of which support the financial well being of the university via things like scholarships which reduce the need of further discounting to attract students. Finally, if your discounted price is less than your cost of goods sold, higher volume isn't going to keep you from bankruptcy.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 16, 2023, 06:46:00 AM
Regarding the media and the discussion, what I ask is a fair unbiased report which is obviously not happening. I'm hearing theatre and liberal arts majors being blowhards, who probably also have no clue or care what a decent dormitory should look like. Let's get the whole story with a broad representation of faculty and students...
Also, and this really pissed me off. What got me upset at the start of this fiasco was a creative writing major going off the deep end referring that Valpo was becoming a technical school. An engineering education with some liberal classes can be pretty powerful, but overall I'm proud of what the college of engineering is all about. They have an identity (an obvious overall gap at Valpo), they know what they are about, they provide a challenging, comprehensive curriculum and prepare students and graduates for the real world. If we're a technical school and the Valpo College of Engineering represents that, then I'm pretty proud of that.
USC, I admit, this latest article was a little more hyped up in tone than I personally think is helpful. But keep in mind, it's not as though the arts/humanities/professional school dilemmas are somehow otherwise rhetorically neutral!
On the contrary, if we want to talk about markets, there is a lot of market manipulation from Valpo administrators and especially parents in the typical Valpo parent pool who very heavily push for the professional training as the good or successful way to go, while denigrating the humanities and arts as not worth the high tuition. (Or USC, would have you been totally neutral if your daughter had opted not for engineering but become one of those theatre majors you detest so much? ;)) I chatted with plenty of Engineering and Business students who would have liked to major in the humanities but would have lost their parents' financial support if they did that; so the choice was already forced and foregone. These cultural pressures are what they are, and surely the liberal arts do need to step up the game on recruiting and big time to convince parents and students otherwise! But the irony is that these same pro-professional voices then want to turn around and blame the humanities and arts programs for their struggles in recruiting, and the institution then uses the metrics on majors as the rationale for cutting the humanities and arts course offerings and instructors. So the deck is pretty stacked these days when it comes to way the institution and parents and the broader culture looks down on the liberal arts, and the narrative about the failing liberal arts just becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Can you understand why faculty and students who do care about the liberal arts might look to institutional leadership to do something more than just reactively reproduce or double down on market slant? Throughout these news articles, there have been mentions of additional cuts to the arts, so that is clearly in the background of the activist students' concern about all this. Granted, I am a little baffled that these paintings have become THE flashpoint for the deeper issue and this article is definitely slanted in the anti-sale direction. But it's clear people are upset about what is happening to the overall profile of the university, and maybe that's legitimate. The administration does not seem interested or capable to maintain a truly comprehensive university, and why wouldn't the departments who stand to lose put up a fight, when all they've seen these last few years is devastating cuts in which (aside from the program discontinuances) the liberal arts departments had zero knowledge of what was happening to their staffing and course offerings until the cuts were already done? From a PR standpoint, it is really stunning that Padilla seems not to have understood what a powder-keg he was sitting on.
Finally, this concern for the profile of the university is not all partisan defensiveness or childish artsy-fartsy ideals as some of you are characterizing, but also a legitimate and practical concern that Valpo probably *cannot survive* as a STEM/tech school in the way that an MIT with other benefits (like location!) can do. As much as we all might love Valpo, NWI is pretty grim and just does not have a lot going for it in the big scheme of things. So -- as the article notes rightly -- Valpo with its $40+K tuition has a very fine line to tread in terms pitching itself to students who will stay local rather than go to Boston and also differentiate itself as private from the cheaper public options in the Region. What we never seem to hear, from those voices who are pushing so hard to just lean into the professional schools and make/let the liberal arts die, is an answer to the question of 'how is Valpo going to recruit students to a $40+K private technical school education in rustbelt Indiana when they can no longer pitch the allure of the rest of it?' Somebody please explain why students wouldn't just go to Purdue or IUPUI for engineering?
Note: on the art sale itself, I am kind of agnostic and recognize the university is in a time-sensitive position on a lot of fronts and having to make tough calls. But clearly, the art has become the controversy it is because of these wider issues of comprehensive profile viability, which are more important.
If my daughter was going to major in theatre, she knows better not to go to a private school and be in massive debt after graduation. Liberal arts are great and important, but you better have a plan on what you going to do with your degree and how your will pay off your debt.
But on my last question, is it even worth going to a private school to just to major in Engineering? I still feel like if we really carry your utilitarian logic on market practicalities and debt to its full conclusion, then honestly neither the theatre nor the engineering major should opt for Valpo since they'll be better off at IvyTech, Purdue, IUPUI.
I guess I'm curious.... If Valpo was basically the same as it is on the Engineering side but with even fewer liberal arts offerings, would have that somehow made you/her more inclined to send her?
My sense is either people care about a liberal arts core comprehensive university or they don't, and those who don't are going to be very practical in just looking at benefits of location, cost and debt where plenty other schools will come out ahead of Valpo.
I hope that the wiser and calmer heads at Valpo are looking into alternatives to the sale of significant pieces of the Brauer collection to fund dorm improvements. Such alternatives could include (1) scaling back the possible improvements to the dorms to the absolute essential fixes thereby reducing the potential cost, (2) selling a partial ownership interest in the art, much like they did for Fisk University's Georgia O'Keeffe's collection, (3) developing an alternate funding scheme not requiring the sale of art such as a short term loan from the recently enlarged endowment to be replenished with a longer term fund raising campaign, (4) raising funds through leases of unused buildings (ie, old law building) and/or land. I'm sure there are numerous other funding options that could be considered. Senior management at Valpo familiar with the interworking of the University, its supporters and its financial resources should develop more acceptable funding alternatives.
It's a shame that Padilla and the Board did not foresee the negative consequences that a proposed sale of art would create. After all, this is not the first time a university proposed to do this. The record of public backlash resulting when such actions have been proposed or implemented has been available for all to see. Just do a google search for "college art museum sales". It's greatly disappointing that Padilla's proposal has caused so much negative publicity. A creative solution could partially mitigate the damage this planned action has caused.
My daughter is pretty bright, and Rice was her dream school for chemical engineering. Rice is not a bad school to attend. It's in the middle of the medical district of Houston and has tremendous opportunities to grow. Rice also has ok programs in the humanities. But my daughter has a plan on what she wants to do with her life. It may change, but she at least she has an idea of the debt she will have and what it will take to pay it off.
There you go, USC! Exactly! Rice is a top15 national research institution, a comprehensive university with really top notch STEM and humanities programs on both sides, that is known for offering some fantastic full-tuition merit scholarships to keep the applicant pool strong and keep the incoming students' declared majors diverse, and able to do that because of their $6 billion dollar endowment. I guarantee you they are not cutting humanities programs or selling art; and are actually especially known for really great departments in English and History, where faculty are probably on a 1-2 teaching load and able to give really personalized attention to students... I'm happy for your daughter, since she's going to a great place, and I'm sure she'll be a very happy Engineering student while also getting to benefit from the whole, rich well-rounded experience that Rice provides. Indeed, that's what parents actually want for their kids when they send them off to a four-year private school.
And so I think we just have to recognize that even the 'practical' option some voices want to pursue for Valpo (a slimmed down, tech/STEM/prof-focused institution, with a $40K+ private tuition bill) is actually not that viable of a way forward for enrollment, when there are other schools that will offer it all...
I don't think that Valpo can and should survive as a Stem school. I also don't think the sale of the art or the closure of some programs indicate that the university thinks it should or that this means the university doesn't care about liberal arts.
I have been a bit uncomfortable with some of the invective coming from the anti-sale section that seems to take what could be an ethical argument and is using it to ramp up the attacks on Padilla as a person implying some pretty intense things including now that he perhaps liked or manipulated board of directors to get this result.
We have been promised more and more but at the end it just ends up being the same article, with the same names, making the same arguments. I have seen some solutions bandied about that make me think many people have no idea what the actual situation is in higher ed. Lots of "there's got to be a better way to raise 10 million) ignoring a lot of the factors that the big driver for this is Time and Also that our alums only have so much money and at the end of the day Valpo cannot just sit there and beg a lot of our (most likely) old white men donors to fund everything. Other options that include selling something else ignore that you need a buyer for those other things and scaling down is not always good because the main things that are wrong with the dorms are probably the big money drivers (no air, old plumbing, bad windows etc) it's not sustainable. We need to use the assets we have, fundraising, and go aggressively after gov't and grant related funds as well as city partnerships to do this. They tried to lease out old buildings and they're trying to sell land. I'd imagine if they could just sell land for 10 million they would do it, the fact that they haven't might indicate it's not an option at this point.
A museum organization that we are not an official member of (because we are not a real museum) sanctioning us means less to me than a downgrade in our bond rating. I get this is existential in a lot of ways but this is starting to feel like a personal vendetta against the president and that is making me a bit more uncomfortable in this whole thing.
How about this - can we learn from other schools on how they are handling this kind of situation?
Quote from: crusader05 on March 16, 2023, 09:43:28 AM
They tried to lease out old buildings and they're trying to sell land. I'd imagine if they could just sell land for 10 million they would do it, the fact that they haven't might indicate it's not an option at this point.
very curious about this too
LOUDER FOR THE FOLKS IN THE BACK
Quote from: crusader05 on March 16, 2023, 09:43:28 AM
I don't think that Valpo can and should survive as a Stem school. I also don't think the sale of the art or the closure of some programs indicate that the university thinks it should or that this means the university doesn't care about liberal arts.
I have been a bit uncomfortable with some of the invective coming from the anti-sale section that seems to take what could be an ethical argument and is using it to ramp up the attacks on Padilla as a person implying some pretty intense things including now that he perhaps liked or manipulated board of directors to get this result.
We have been promised more and more but at the end it just ends up being the same article, with the same names, making the same arguments. I have seen some solutions bandied about that make me think many people have no idea what the actual situation is in higher ed. Lots of "there's got to be a better way to raise 10 million) ignoring a lot of the factors that the big driver for this is Time and Also that our alums only have so much money and at the end of the day Valpo cannot just sit there and beg a lot of our (most likely) old white men donors to fund everything. Other options that include selling something else ignore that you need a buyer for those other things and scaling down is not always good because the main things that are wrong with the dorms are probably the big money drivers (no air, old plumbing, bad windows etc) it's not sustainable. We need to use the assets we have, fundraising, and go aggressively after gov't and grant related funds as well as city partnerships to do this. They tried to lease out old buildings and they're trying to sell land. I'd imagine if they could just sell land for 10 million they would do it, the fact that they haven't might indicate it's not an option at this point.
A museum organization that we are not an official member of (because we are not a real museum) sanctioning us means less to me than a downgrade in our bond rating. I get this is existential in a lot of ways but this is starting to feel like a personal vendetta against the president and that is making me a bit more uncomfortable in this whole thing.
With apologies for my broken record mantra, at schools like Valparaiso -- those categorized as "comprehensive" universities, i.e., regionally oriented schools that embrace both liberal arts and professional programs -- the two "sides" need each other. The duality itself is a core part of the school's identity. Greatly diminish one or the other, and it's questionable -- as Diaspora suggests -- that the institution can survive.
USC4valpo, c'mon now, are you really going to let one creative writing undergraduate unburdening herself get under your skin? Of course not. Even with our honest disagreements, we both know that the discussion has to take place at a higher level of analysis and engagement.
As for the theatre major dig, here's a (true) story: The daughter of one of my friends (a fellow VU grad), went to one of VU's competitors and majored in theatre while minoring in business. While her parents wondered what she had in mind, it turned out that she would open a store in Valpo with a marvelously creative and entrepreneurial spin, including theme weekends in theatrical regalia. Take a look at what that combo can do: https://www.alleykatshoppe.com (https://www.alleykatshoppe.com)
The School of Engineering has earned its reputation, and anyone who puts it down is simply wrong. It can draw on a genuine bootstrapping legacy of how students raised the money for the engineering building, to a place where it's one of the most highly regarded undergraduate engineering schools in the country.
In a higher ed world increasingly driven by extremes, VU can be among those institutions that strives for a healthier balance, including a curricular one. Liberal arts and professional training have been a part of universities going back to their "modern" origins over a half century ago. At times, this has meant resisting market forces in order to maintain that balance, to preserve a greater whole worth preserving.
If VU can find a way to embrace that duality -- like the theatre major who minors in business, or the engineering student who also is in Christ College -- then it will be all the stronger and more distinctive for it.
Quote from: crusader05 on March 16, 2023, 09:43:28 AM
I have been a bit uncomfortable with some of the invective coming from the anti-sale section that seems to take what could be an ethical argument and is using it to ramp up the attacks on Padilla as a person implying some pretty intense things including now that he perhaps liked or manipulated board of directors to get this result.
Clearly, Padilla could not be fully informative when he addressed the Board with his proposal since he unethically concealed the plan from the incoming museum director and the committee who hired him. Therefore, Padilla did not present the board with the museum director's analysis, opinions, and advice, as well as likely detrimental professional consequences for the university. Likewise, I doubt he did due diligence by chronicling for the Board details of the disastrous consequences in public relations and other areas when a similar sale was tried at three other universities in the past. Obviously, since he did not reach out to others in cooperation, he could not have guided the Board on the strong responses by faculty, students, donors, national institutions, etc. Therefore, the only conclusion can be that the Board made its decision without being fully informed, and I have heard some may now have second thoughts about this plan.
David81 - well put and you need balance, but the media is unfortunately biasing these decisions at the liberal arts end and not on all sides. Maybe Valpo should not be a tech school, but without technical, professional degrees I don't think Valpo can exist, and people from ALL areas need to be heard.
I think Padilla is doing what he can with an awful situation. We would not want to be in his position, and good leaders need to make tough decisions. We don't need a Neville Chamberlain approach.
Ironically, in 2016 when Padilla was Vice President and General Counsel at DePaul University, they published rules for sale of artworks from their university museum. Interestingly, it states: "Profits from any sale associated with deaccessioning are to be placed in the Art Endowment Fund and used for future purchases."
https://offices.depaul.edu/secretary/policies-procedures/policies/Documents/DePaul%20Art%20Museum%20Collection%20Deaccession.pdf (https://offices.depaul.edu/secretary/policies-procedures/policies/Documents/DePaul%20Art%20Museum%20Collection%20Deaccession.pdf)
Quote from: valpo22 on March 16, 2023, 11:25:25 AM
Quote from: valpopal on March 16, 2023, 11:08:50 AM
Quote from: crusader05 on March 16, 2023, 09:43:28 AM
I have been a bit uncomfortable with some of the invective coming from the anti-sale section that seems to take what could be an ethical argument and is using it to ramp up the attacks on Padilla as a person implying some pretty intense things including now that he perhaps liked or manipulated board of directors to get this result.
Clearly, Padilla could not be fully informative when he addressed the Board with his proposal since he unethically concealed the plan from the incoming museum director and the committee who hired him. Therefore, Padilla did not present the board with the museum director's analysis, opinions, and advice, as well as likely detrimental professional consequences for the university. Likewise, I doubt he did due diligence by chronicling for the Board details of the disastrous consequences in public relations and other areas when a similar sale was tried at three other universities in the past. Obviously, since he did not reach out to others in cooperation, he could not have guided the Board on the strong responses by faculty, students, donors, national institutions, etc. Therefore, the only conclusion can be that the Board made its decision without being fully informed, and I have heard some may now have second thoughts about this plan.
Can we agree that the leadership's pattern of not consulting any of the relevant people these past couple years has been pretty dumb, but not necessarily a moral failure? there's a difference between dumb & counter-productive processes vs. vicious & duplicitous processes
I agree, but sometimes "dumb" is a result of being "duplicitous." In this case, not disclosing information concerning serious ethical issues to a hiring committee and a job applicant making a major move in his life, then continuing to conceal that information after the museum director has assumed his position, would be regarded as "duplicitous"...or "deceitful" if you prefer that word.
I saw this article that St. Johns / St. Benedicts in Minnesota are phasing out 8 majors / minors. This is a well-regarded liberal arts institution (a merger of the men's and women's colleges). For the athletically inclined, St. Johns had one of the top D-III football programs in the USA, said to be the winningest football program in D-III history. (St. Thomas was its major sports rival.)
Incidentally, Mark Schwehn (former Dean of Christ College) had been a resident scholar and guest at St. Johns Collegeville Institute during his sabbaticals and visits.
Like VU, the majors being cut include the following:
Asian Studies
Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Classical Languages
French Studies
Gender Studies
German Studies
Peace Studies
Theater
Here is another example of an academically-focused university with a modest endowment (in this case $80M) cutting back on traditional liberal arts majors and minors due to declining enrollment.
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/saint-johns-and-saint-benedicts-phasing-out-8-majors-9-minors/ (https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/saint-johns-and-saint-benedicts-phasing-out-8-majors-9-minors/)
Quote from: valpo95 on March 16, 2023, 01:20:20 PM
I saw this article that St. Johns / St. Benedicts in Minnesota are phasing out 8 majors / minors. ...
Here is another example of an academically-focused university with a modest endowment (in this case $80M) cutting back on traditional liberal arts majors and minors due to declining enrollment.
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/saint-johns-and-saint-benedicts-phasing-out-8-majors-9-minors/ (https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/saint-johns-and-saint-benedicts-phasing-out-8-majors-9-minors/)
Gahh, another one. It's sad it seems often a matter of pre-existing wealth. It's like there's this line getting drawn across American higher ed, where the rich institutions above it are fine but everybody <$300 million endowment is selling a kidney or two. Maybe we really are returning to some Victorian era future where it is just the rich, or those who get to be beneficiaries of rich institutions, who have the chance to study the liberal arts.
Folks needs to be a return out of their investments, especially with skyrocketing costs.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 16, 2023, 02:33:33 PM
Folks needs to be a return out of their investments, especially with skyrocketing costs.
This board has beat this horse really dead. The same camps are just going to keep disagreeing on the extent to which university leadership is supposed to take parents' ROI market investment logic as a curricular guide or not, and whether that is a recipe for institutional survival or suicide.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 16, 2023, 02:09:21 PMMaybe we really are returning to some Victorian era future where it is just the rich, or those who get to be beneficiaries of rich institutions, who have the chance to study the liberal arts.
Perhaps as majors but as a Business college grad at Valpo I was required to have classes like English literature-- or maybe that was an elective--but i doubt I would have signed up for it deliberately! :lol:
Valpo Diaspora - be practical, it's the reality of the times. Most can't afford big dollars at a private school with the intent to explore one's passion. Maybe so 30 or 40 years ago, but not in 2023.
Another option is explore at a community college first and find what you want to do.
As to ROI, it is clear that if you are in a STEM program, or a well-defined and in-demand major like Nursing or Accounting, there is a clear value proposition and thus an ROI. Then, it is easy to say, "you are an (engineering/science/business) major, you need to take these courses in (literature/art/history etc.) so that you are a well-rounded individual. It is more problematic for someone to be passionate about ancient Greece, art history, or philosophy - those can be great passions, yet much harder to define the ROI.
As an Engineering and Christ College grad myself, I had a wonderful education at Valpo.
I also remember a wise engineering professor remarking to the class of freshmen or sophomores something like this: "You are studying engineering, and some of your liberal arts friends might look down on you or dismiss you for studying something practical or technical, all the while they are studying art, music, theology or philosophy, the liberal arts. You will have the opportunity to pursue any of those liberal arts topics throughout your lifetime. However, your classmates who are studying those other topics now will never have the opportunity to study engineering. Your hard work now opens up many opportunities later." I didn't realize how true he was, and again how much I value both the engineering and humanities education I received.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 16, 2023, 03:01:41 PM
Valpo Diaspora - be practical, it's the reality of the times. Most can't afford big dollars at a private school with the intent to explore one's passion. Maybe so 30 or 40 years ago, but not in 2023.
Another option is explore at a community college first and find what you want to do.
But invoking broad statements about practicality and implying that the notion of pursuing one's passion is an indulgence overlooks a multiplicity of variables, including, but hardly limited to: (1) the actual cost of the degree, when factoring all non-loan sources of financing it; (2) the real possibility that some of these liberal arts passions are deeply intentional and can lead to viable careers (imagine that); and (3) the common pattern of following a liberal arts degree with a more "practical" professional or graduate degree, such as JD, MBA, or MD.
Furthermore, not everyone defines ROI in purely financial terms. Yes, all things being equal, having more money beats having less money, and being able to pay off student loans relatively easily beats struggling to make those payments every month. But all things aren't equal. Accordingly, some define ROI much more broadly, to include whether that degree program helped lead to a meaningful vocation that may not pay much, but brings enormous satisfaction.
I think it's also important to remember that there are many degrees under the Liberal Arts that are required or necessary or hep in further graduate work including law school, therapists or social workers, and many many in business have a degree in some sort of Liberal Arts. Also, even some of the science based degrees will benefit from a liberal arts background while applying to medical school or working in science or other lab based work.
I understand the importance of a liberal arts education, I also understand that Valparaiso is a private expensive school. Something to consider of course is the number of students in various majors. I noticed the secondary education is not available, but how many students at Valpo were majoring in secondary education before they eliminated that degree?
If there is a market or interests for various types of study and it aligns with the identity of the university, then it is sensible to invest in staffing and provide a quality program.
Quote from: DuneHwx on March 16, 2023, 10:41:06 AMLOUDER FOR THE FOLKS IN THE BACK
Quotethink that Valpo can and should survive as a Stem school. I also don't think the sale of the art or the closure of some programs indicate that the university thinks it should or that this means the university doesn't care about liberal arts.
I have been a bit uncomfortable with some of the invective coming from the anti-sale section that seems to take what could be an ethical argument and is using it to ramp up the attacks on Padilla as a person implying some pretty intense things including now that he perhaps liked or manipulated board of directors to get this result.
We have been promised more and more but at the end it just ends up being the same article, with the same names, making the same arguments. I have seen some solutions bandied about that make me think many people have no idea what the actual situation is in higher ed. Lots of "there's got to be a better way to raise 10 million) ignoring a lot of the factors that the big driver for this is Time and Also that our alums only have so much money and at the end of the day Valpo cannot just sit there and beg a lot of our (most likely) old white men donors to fund everything. Other options that include selling something else ignore that you need a buyer for those other things and scaling down is not always good because the main things that are wrong with the dorms are probably the big money drivers (no air, old plumbing, bad windows etc) it's not sustainable. We need to use the assets we have, fundraising, and go aggressively after gov't and grant related funds as well as city partnerships to do this. They tried to lease out old buildings and they're trying to sell land. I'd imagine if they could just sell land for 10 million they would do it, the fact that they haven't might indicate it's not an option at this point.
A museum organization that we are not an official member of (because we are not a real museum) sanctioning us means less to me than a downgrade in our bond rating. I get this is existential in a lot of ways but this is starting to feel like a personal vendetta against the president and that is making me a bit more uncomfortable in this whole thing.
Padilla "...has insisted that any proceeds he raises through more traditional fundraising measures will support the creation of a new athletics center and nursing building. He believes those buildings, alongside the newly renovated dorms, will attract more students. (And yet, he also allegedly told one senior faculty member, who prefers to remain anonymous, that he will "not fundraise by asking old white guys for money." The potential donor pool for a Lutheran university in Indiana is,like the board of directors that hired Padilla, full of old, white guys.)"
How ironic that those who are so highly offended by the sale of art from the museum on ethical grounds are conspicuously silent about the blatant attempt at character assassination directed toward the president of the university you purport to care so deeply about. Unnamed sources? How convenient.
Have any of you taken the time to vet the source publication The New Republic, a militant, far left rag with an earned reputation for yellow journalism? Or, do you just glom onto anything that tickles your fancy?
With popcorn in hand, I await your replies.
https://newrepublic.com/article/171163/georgia-okeeffe-rust-red-hills-valparaiso-battle-soul-liberal-arts-college
Incredibly biased article which is insanely unfair. Padilla needs some rope to make tough decisions.
My theory is that he was probably stressing that at the end of the day just constantly asking our reliable donors( most likely older white men) for more money isn't viable as our only fundraising strategy. But the way it is cut off really allows it to sound like he has something against white men which is another one of those attacks that feels like the goal is to make people hate Padilla.
I have heard that he has been relentless in pursuing federal and state money and just will continue to ask no matter how many times he hears no. I get people may not agree with the art decision but it seems odd to think he is working towards anything but the future relevance and success of the university.
Given that this was a cowardly anonymous quote, I'm guessing something was lost in translation or else it was interpreted in the worst possible way.
Perhaps President Padilla said something in a one-on-one meeting something like the following, "It is very difficult for our current donor pool to support more fundraising, especially for dorm renovations. Our pool of donors is not diverse nor fantastically wealthy, and they stayed in those same dorms when they were students here. They have been very generous in the past, and have pledged a significant amount of their estates to VU in the Forever Valpo campaign... I can't keep going back to the same donors hoping they will pay for central air conditioning when there is no more they can give...Look, I know you are upset that the Theatre major was cut, yet I can't keep raising more funds from the same old donors."
Just to supply information in regards to the use of an anonymous source, the general rules for journalism ethics as quoted from AP are:
1. The material is information and not opinion or speculation, and is vital to the report.
2. The information is not available except under the conditions of anonymity imposed by the source.
3. The source is reliable, and in a position to have direct knowledge of the information.
We have journalists on this board who can verify the ethical use of anonymous sources.
Nevertheless, curious and knowing there would be questions, I personally verified the source and that all three of the items above qualified. Therefore, there is nothing unethical in use of the quote, which was shared with Padilla, giving him an opportunity to comment. Additionally, I was informed there was nothing "lost in translation," neither in the content or the tone, which also was not out of character.
In regards to the bias of the article. I agree with those on here who say that the story leans in a certain way, but that is because this is obviously a personal essay in first person, not a news story. The author is a respected writer of various books, a VU alum, and someone who has been a guest speaker at Valpo a number of times, including being a featured speaker at this year's MLK celebration on campus. Obviously, he is highly regarded by the VU community as credible. Based upon his knowledge from evidence and experiences, the article represents his informed perception. My understanding is that he contacted Padilla with the article, and even gave him an opportunity to deny the quote under discussion or say anything he wanted about the contents. Padilla chose not to do so.
To be honest, I am less concerned about the specifics of the article or the various prominent news stories that have been published recently. I am bothered more by the fact these damaging consequences were all predictable, yet this questionable course of action was taken by the university anyway without due diligence.
so valpopal, if the article is a biased personal essay and not a news source, then in "good spirit" does it have to meet journalistic standards? Can you have it both ways? The answer is of course, look at CNN, FoxNews and MSNBC.
Valpopal - Masciotra is not a journalist. He is an English major who found a way to monetize his essentially useless degree by becoming a radical left provocateur with a poison pen. His forte lies not in truth, but in the perversion of truth. He is accountable to no one but himself in adhering to journalistic standards. Any reference he makes to an "unnamed source" is almost assuredly fabricated, despite your highly suspect claim to the contrary.
You might find the reference to Masciotra below educational:
The left's radical agenda to sexualize our public schools
https://amp.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/nov/5/lefts-radical-agenda-to-sexualize-our-public-schoo/
Pieces like this appear all the time in periodicals given to publishing news commentary with political slants, whether it's The New Republic on the left, The National Review on the right, and all places in-between and beyond. By their very nature -- as opinion pieces designed to persuade -- they are "biased," just as any piece favoring the art sale would be aptly tagged. The piece posted by WH is a biased opinion piece in a newspaper associated with far right points of view. Hey, it's expected that the writer has an opinion.
The unfortunate thing is that Valpo does not have enough of a national footprint for folks to be able to regard a piece like this without discomfort. If this controversy was brewing at Notre Dame or Indiana University or some other institution used to being in the news, it wouldn't be quite as unsettling to see institutional vulnerabilities and the sausage making process of academic decision making displayed for all to see.
In that sense, I'm not overly concerned about this particular national coverage. The art sale decision clearly reflects some of the challenges facing higher education today. And while representations of VU's overall financial circumstances are not fun to read, VU's challenges are shared with literally hundreds of other private colleges and universities across the U.S. (By contrast, the 2016 NYT article about the Law School basically revealed an institution bordering on a state of in extremis.)
Do these articles change many minds? Maybe not, especially when they are published in periodicals that play to the biases of their regular readers. It doesn't make the situation any more pleasant for President Padilla and the board, however. Indeed, once the sides starting lining up on this one, I knew they had boxed themselves into a difficult situation.
Quote from: wh on March 17, 2023, 03:04:01 PM
Valpopal - Masciotra is not a journalist. He is an English major who found a way to monetize his essentially useless degree by becoming a radical left provocateur with a poison pen. His forte lies not in truth, but in the perversion of truth. He is accountable to no one but himself in adhering to journalistic standards. Any reference he makes to an "unnamed source" is almost assuredly fabricated, despite your highly suspect claim to the contrary.
You do not get to determine who is a journalist, nor do I. Just like neither of us gets to decide what is ethical, whether it be in journalism or art sales. Those categorizations are set by the professional institutions themselves. You might not like what David writes. Indeed, I disagree with his politics almost all of the time as well. But if I disagree with Woodward or Bernstein does that eliminate them as journalists?
Also, excuse me if your evaluation of David as an author is outweighed by those of the numerous editors who have published his books or included his articles in major publications. Again, even if you and I completely disagree with his opinions almost all the time, and we likely do, that doesn't lessen his skills as a writer. In fact, your dismissal of David's credentials as a journalist apparently differs from those of Valparaiso University, including President Padilla, who have invited him multiple times as an honored speaker, even as a featured presenter at the MLK campus celebration this year.
Finally, as to his unnamed source, I can guarantee you 100% beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was not fabricated and is completely accurate. I checked it out for myself fully so that there is no question remaining. Indeed, David also gave Padilla an opportunity to deny the quote. Had Padilla done so, ethics would have prevented David from including it in the article. Padilla knew that yet did not deny the quote or raise any objection to its characterization.
Pal - How could you validate the provocateur's "unnamed" source unless he unethically revealed his "unnamed" source to you, who in turn unethically asked the "unnamed" source, or some other rendition of the same story? This simply isn't credible.
People in this guy's industry lie about phantom sources all the time without worry one about being called on it. Are you familiar with the recent NY Times phantom unnamed government sources scandal? That happened at a place where real journalism is practiced with real journalistic standards.
The bad PR train just needs to stop. When businesses go south you let the people who bring in new profitable business stay and cut dead weight.
Padilla needs to get in front of this. Tell the loud and proud liberal arts majors / old professors that a private institution is a business and you can either hop on the train or hop off.
Too many cooks in the kitchen. There are leaders for peaceful times and for war times. Valpo needs a war time leader to start making necessary decisions.
Anything but this lens I can appreciate from the humanitarian side of me. I get why Ruff wants to preserve the art he showed many students and Brauer wants to maintain his museum. I'm human and can be sympathetic. I think Gen Z loves cancel culture and finding "the greater good". Perfect storm.
Unfortunately in America. This is capitalism, and it operates in profits and losses. Would be happy to talk with anyone about this.
Quote from: wh on March 17, 2023, 05:17:47 PM
Pal - How could you validate the provocateur's "unnamed" source unless he unethically revealed his "unnamed" source to you, who in turn unethically asked the "unnamed" source, or some other rendition of the same story? This simply isn't credible.
wh: I don't care if you think it is "credible" or not, and I don't have to disclose how I know 100% without question that the quote is accurately sourced. To do that would be unethical. To ease your mind, I will tell you that David did not unethically reveal his unnamed source to me nor did I do anything unethical to verify the source and the quote. There are other scenarios for obtaining the information; however, you will either have to trust me or call me a liar. I'm fine with either.
Nevertheless, I stand by my record a number of times on this board of only accurately reporting information that I have first verified as true over the past years, whether that be transfer signings, recruiting candidates on campus, the administration's plan to remove the Crusader, or warning everyone weeks ago that the bad pr from this issue had "only scratched the surface" because I knew in advance of upcoming newspaper reports (including the
NY Times) and articles. I respect those on this forum, including you, so I would never post false or unreliable information.
Quote from: valpofb16 on March 17, 2023, 05:33:52 PM
The bad PR train just needs to stop. When businesses go south you let the people who bring in new profitable business stay and cut dead weight.
Padilla needs to get in front of this. Tell the loud and proud liberal arts majors / old professors that a private institution is a business and you can either hop on the train or hop off.
Too many cooks in the kitchen. There are leaders for peaceful times and for war times. Valpo needs a war time leader to start making necessary decisions.
Anything but this lens I can appreciate from the humanitarian side of me. I get why Ruff wants to preserve the art he showed many students and Brauer wants to maintain his museum. I'm human and can be sympathetic. I think Gen Z loves cancel culture and finding "the greater good". Perfect storm.
Unfortunately in America. This is capitalism, and it operates in profits and losses. Would be happy to talk with anyone about this.
But valpofb16, the University is not a business, it is a private, non-profit organization that gets special privileges because of that status. (Among other things, that status allows people to deduct contributions from their tax exposure.)
In our current economic structure (which, in general, I happen to like), we have a tripartite mix of private, for-profit businesses, private non-profit organizations, and public sector agencies/bodies. In the context of higher education, VU's non-profit status separates it from for-profit universities, which have been the disproportionate sources of predatory student recruitment practices (with an eye towards profits) and (ironically) awful business practices.
Now, if you want to say that non-profit organizations can benefit from following some of the best practices coming out of the private sector, we're in general agreement. Sound management principles can apply across the spectrum of private, non-profit, and public entities. But it's simply wrong to say that Valparaiso University is a business, to be measured by profits and losses. By dint of both mission and legal status, it is not. It does, however, have to be very mindful of budgets, like any other organization that wishes to be sustainable.
So...how does this relate to the art sale and VU leadership in general? Invoking your war time leadership frame, while I'm generally supportive of President Padilla and understanding of the challenges he faces, I don't think this has been his Finest Hour, to channel Churchill. He and his team badly underestimated the degree of opposition to this proposed sale, when at least some of it should've been readily anticipated. What is just "three paintings out of thousands" to some, has been interpreted very differently by others. To take an extreme, but illustrative example, what if the University decided to sell off three buildings to some non-Lutheran religious order, and one of them was the Chapel, because it would bring in the most cash? "Hey, it's just one building, and shouldn't people be able to worship God from anywhere?" Point being, this controversy is one of both substance and symbol. When you set up those battles, you can win the "war" by selling the paintings, but the casualties on VU's own side will be considerable. The apparent failure to do that calculus has resulted in a very divisive situation that, absent an agreeable third option between selling the art and no dorm renovations, will not end well.
Using an unnamed source is weak journalism.
David, that was a fantastic response. I was talking more that the University in order to survive needs to adhere to and eventually end up profiting at a sustainable level. (Even if a non profit need funds).
I appreciate your view and response. I think there is no third course at this point. Either need to move on the paintings or publicly saying the sale will not happen.
Quote from: valpofb16 on March 17, 2023, 07:40:22 PM
David, that was a fantastic response. I was talking more that the University in order to survive needs to adhere to and eventually end up profiting at a sustainable level. (Even if a non profit need funds).
I appreciate your view and response. I think there is no third course at this point. Either need to move on the paintings or publicly saying the sale will not happen.
valpofb16, thank you for your response. I haven't given up on some 3rd option. If they can develop a viable one, it will be a win-win and a testament to the ability to work through differences, respect valid differences of opinion, and attract resources that weren't within sight when the original decision was made. This is a time when the University needs all hands on deck (to change the metaphor), rather than bad feelings created by either of the two options on the table. Fingers crossed....
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 17, 2023, 07:36:04 PM
Using an unnamed source is weak journalism.
usc: You have incoming calls from a couple of gentlemen named Woodward and Bernstein. ;)
Quote from: David81 on March 17, 2023, 07:51:56 PM
I haven't given up on some 3rd option. If they can develop a viable one, it will be a win-win and a testament to the ability to work through differences, respect valid differences of opinion, and attract resources that weren't within sight when the original decision was made. This is a time when the University needs all hands on deck (to change the metaphor), rather than bad feelings created by either of the two options on the table. Fingers crossed....
Well stated, David. This is still my hope as well.
Regarding whether Valparaiso (or any university) is a business...
Is a family a business? is a hospital a business? is a church a business? They are obviously different than a for-profit business, but (and I realize this may be semantics) all of these are businesses. They have different outcomes that they seek, but nonetheless they not only need to be conscious of expenses but also need to attain revenues to cover expenses and invest to achieve future outcomes. People who argue that universities, as well as any of these other examples, are not businesses often miss or undervalue the importance of the revenue side. For Valpo, attaining necessary revenues means attracting and retaining students, as well as reducing the necessary discount rate, far more than anything else. Thus, it becomes imperative to invest in areas that shore up any challenges to revenue - and the greatest priority for Valpo is dorms, the nursing building, and the business school (I think it is a big mistake that the business building has fallen off of the priorities). Additionally (and building on what others have said on various sides of the art sale argument), the professors in all disciplines drive the experience (and thus retention), so attention needs to be given to having market competitive salaries (I do not have data on this for Valpo, but my suspicion is that it is low). I realize that this is not how universities work, but I would like Valpo to consider an incentive structure in which increases to faculty and staff salaries are specifically tied to student enrollment (with potential increases much larger than they have historically been).
By the way, I would invest in changing the men's bb coach, but would not invest (for now) in the facility. The return from investing in a coach who changes the performance of the team has a far greater likelihood for near-term return.
Regarding the hypothetical of "what if Valpo were considering selling the chapel?"...
I had also thought of this, but I believe this is fundamentally different than the art. As Valpo has a religious affiliation, the chapel is core to the university achieving its mission and objectives (note here that I am not Lutheran and have never identified or connected with anything associated with the chapel). Valpo should have great religious programs for those who choose to engage in a religiously-oriented direction. Thus, I would be strongly against selling the chapel. Valpo is not an art museum or an art collector - if you disagree, look at the mission and objectives of the university. Thus, the art, as much as it may be cherished by some, should not be considered a core asset and should be considered as an asset that can be used to fund investment to drive sufficient revenues.
Regarding a "compromise"...
I am not optimistic this is possible. In reading the various articles and comments on this forum, I frame the acceptable compromise position from people opposed to the art sale as follows: the university agrees not to sell the art and "we" agree to stop contacting regional and national media sources to have them cast Valpo in a negative light. Further, the university agrees that they will go find other revenue sources to make the necessary investments to achieve revenues, but "we" reserve the right to veto any direction that is not aligned with our views. This is not tenable.
Regarding the actions of people within the university who do not agree with the art sale...
First, protests on-campus by students and others who had petitions signed and marched to meet President Padilla are fully within their rights and, indeed, should be commended for presenting their concerns. That is how a healthy university (and organization) should work. On the other hand, people going to outside media sources who are likely to be sympathetic to their position and then getting them to write articles that highlight their direction as righteous (and themselves as heroes) and the university as a villain is irresponsible and dangerous. It creates a lose-lose scenario. Tenure rightfully protects faculty from being "punished" for, within the university, questioning university actions - but it should not protect them from taking actions that are intended to be directly harmful to the university. I sense that many of these people are thinking, "hmmmm, look at all the power we are creating", but a healthy organization cannot allow this. Indeed, if you took these steps while working for most any profit or non-profit organization, you would be immediately fired (and should be).
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 18, 2023, 11:45:15 AM
Regarding the actions of people within the university who do not agree with the art sale...
First, protests on-campus by students and others who had petitions signed and marched to meet President Padilla are fully within their rights and, indeed, should be commended for presenting their concerns. That is how a healthy university (and organization) should work. On the other hand, people going to outside media sources who are likely to be sympathetic to their position and then getting them to write articles that highlight their direction as righteous (and themselves as heroes) and the university as a villain is irresponsible and dangerous. It creates a lose-lose scenario. Tenure rightfully protects faculty from being "punished" for, within the university, questioning university actions - but it should not protect them from taking actions that are intended to be directly harmful to the university. I sense that many of these people are thinking, "hmmmm, look at all the power we are creating", but a healthy organization cannot allow this. Indeed, if you took these steps while working for most any profit or non-profit organization, you would be immediately fired (and should be).
But taking issues public has long been deemed a part of academic freedom, including questioning university leadership. In some cases it can put sunlight on situations crying out for it. This is a narrower matter, and as I suggested in an earlier comment, the public nature of this dispute wouldn't seem so unusual if Valpo was more of a visible player in the higher ed world. On the scale of academic disputes that go public, this isn't a momentous one (see the controversy at U.Penn over law professor Amy Wax for a truly ugly brouhaha gone public that involves the extraordinary protections of tenure), and online comments to these various pieces suggest a division of opinion roughly equivalent to views expressed here.
Is VU's reputation truly suffering because if this public attention? I doubt it, even if folks have strong opinions on this matter. As for the accompanying reporting on the school's financial challenges, that potential impact is more concerning, though it also presumes that folks pay close attention to the news, which these days is questionable.
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 18, 2023, 11:45:15 AM
if you took these steps while working for most any profit or non-profit organization, you would be immediately fired (and should be).
The following comments are meant as informative, especially for those not in Valparaiso. I want everyone to fully understand the current situation in Valpo. I hope you accept the remarks as describing the environment here, and not as argumentative.
The two figures most prominently featured in all the news stories as central spokespersons against the art sale, John Ruff and Richard Brauer, are both retired. They have continued to work for the university for free over the years. They do volunteer work for the art museum, on committees, and in tasks elsewhere on campus at the request and blessing of department officials. At the museum, they work with the approval of the new director, Jonathan Canning, who was hired in deceptive circumstances and also opposes the art sale. You cannot "fire" Ruff or Brauer, and I think you would open a whole new can of worms if the administration tried to fire Canning.
So you could ban Ruff and Brauer from campus participation, I guess. However, these are two of the most beloved members of the campus community. I have said it before, the biggest mistake made in public comments and private meetings was when Padilla pit himself against a pair of individuals the faculty and students revere and would choose to fully support every time. Together, their service to the university is almost 95 years. Ruff continues to organize and host the prominent weekly series of lectures at the museum. (In fact, on Thursday he will be introducing Canning for a presentation.) The museum is named after Richard Brauer, without whom it wouldn't exist because funding from the community was with the stipulation it be named after him. Banning Brauer from the museum would be like banning Michael Jordan from attending Bulls games. In another analogy appropriate in this forum, Brauer is like Homer Drew to the academic community, and that might be understating it.
Indeed, both Ruff and Brauer are equally beloved and have been honored in the outside communities at Valparaiso. Just last week Ruff was honored in Valparaiso by being celebrated in a "Life in the Spotlight" feature at
Valpo Life. If you think proposing a sale of the artworks is creating negative public relations, banning Ruff and Brauer would cause damaging consequences far greater.
If Valpo were truly a business, they would have to pay taxes on their assets. Since they, and all the other non-profit universities, do not, can you imagine how much worse off they would all be it they had to pay taxes. Why are there exceptions for any non-profits such as universities, churches, hospitals, think tanks, etc...
Quote from: valpo22 on March 18, 2023, 03:16:40 PM
Did J Ruff not take the buy-out? i thought the retirement buyout people got research prof status and two years of salary so are still receiving pay and benefits from Valpo... Or did he retire normally?
That's not how the buy-out works. The early retirement payment was a lump sum at termination date (6/30/22). No pay checks are issued afterwards. Employment and health or pension benefits also ended with the retirement, as in any normal retirement. The research professor status is an elective titular alternative to emeritus status and chosen by a professor who continues to do unpaid work for the university. It is not a salary position. All work Ruff is doing for the university is gratis.
Quote from: valpo22 on March 18, 2023, 03:16:40 PMDid J Ruff not take the buy-out? i thought the retirement buyout people got research prof status and two years of salary so are still receiving pay and benefits from Valpo... Or did he retire normally?
It does not matter. Don't want to stir an argument , especially since I do not know Ruff personally, but I can't help thinking of VU retired people as those lucky ones to catch a seat in the lifeboats. And here they are now giving lectures and tough love to those still on the deck of Titanic. Just to be clear, I don't know if Padilla's attempt to sell the paintings to fix the dorms is the correct thing to do in an emergency situation (and mark my word, VU and many other places are in emergencies). But what if he is right? Let's say the sell won't take place, alternative funding cannot be found (notice how many anti-sale say "find a different way" without getting into credible specifics) and then 2-3 years down the line VU declines further and entertains the possibility of closure.
Would John Ruff and other VU retired folks for that matter help people find a different job? MAybe I am unfair and I don't want to belittle retired people because I am sure they earned their status. But I cannot help thinking that ultimately they are not in the firing line. This is why I don't understand why Padilla is not stronger with counter-arguments like: "Ok, no sale, give me your solution that I can implement NOW so I can avoid catastrophe in 5 years". He did say in a meeting that half of colleges like VU may not exist in 20 years...I want to hear people like Ruff and Brauer say what they think about the risk of VU closing in 10 years...
Now, I know that in their mind, they may think that precisely the sell of the art jeopardizes VU existence. But people with that level of education should at least entertain the possibility that they are wrong and that the danger lies elsewhere. What about the wave of resignations? Was that due to a lack of enough original paintings? What if in 1-2 years you will have at VU only people who could NOT leave for one reason or another? Is that a problem? And if it is, is it greater than losing the painting? Nobody talks in these terms...nobody cares...
Quote from: DejaVU on March 18, 2023, 03:57:27 PM
Nobody talks in these terms...nobody cares...
DejaVU, I hear your pain. When I first got my own budget layoff notification, it was very painful to me that it seemed all the alumni cared about was the mascot debate. I wasn't a huge fan of the crusader mascot myself, but it seemed utterly weird to see all the energy around that, while the careers of so many of my peers were being thrown into upheaval or just destruction, and we were dealing with the sadness of students' whose programs or course offerings were cut so severely they had to face the prospect of transferring.
My hero will always be my department chair, who resigned his own tenured position (with no ERIP on the table, in those early days of the pandemic) in opposition to the hastiness of the cuts and in order to try to get the administration to do a quid-pro-quo to save my position at Valpo if it stabilized, or at least buy me more time to find a lifeboat. Truly self-sacrificial on his part.
I deeply hope there's a way to save the art and the whole university.
Quote from: valpopal on March 18, 2023, 01:31:08 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 18, 2023, 11:45:15 AM
if you took these steps while working for most any profit or non-profit organization, you would be immediately fired (and should be).
The following comments are meant as informative, especially for those not in Valparaiso. I want everyone to fully understand the current situation in Valpo. I hope you accept the remarks as describing the environment here, and not as argumentative.
The two figures most prominently featured in all the news stories as central spokespersons against the art sale, John Ruff and Richard Brauer, are both retired. They have continued to work for the university for free over the years. They do volunteer work for the art museum, on committees, and in tasks elsewhere on campus at the request and blessing of department officials. At the museum, they work with the approval of the new director, Jonathan Canning, who was hired in deceptive circumstances and also opposes the art sale. You cannot "fire" Ruff or Brauer, and I think you would open a whole new can of worms if the administration tried to fire Canning.
So you could ban Ruff and Brauer from campus participation, I guess. However, these are two of the most beloved members of the campus community. I have said it before, the biggest mistake made in public comments and private meetings was when Padilla pit himself against a pair of individuals the faculty and students revere and would choose to fully support every time. Together, their service to the university is almost 95 years. Ruff continues to organize and host the prominent weekly series of lectures at the museum. (In fact, on Thursday he will be introducing Canning for a presentation.) The museum is named after Richard Brauer, without whom it wouldn't exist because funding from the community was with the stipulation it be named after him. Banning Brauer from the museum would be like banning Michael Jordan from attending Bulls games. In another analogy appropriate in this forum, Brauer is like Homer Drew to the academic community, and that might be understating it.
Indeed, both Ruff and Brauer are equally beloved and have been honored in the outside communities at Valparaiso. Just last week Ruff was honored in Valparaiso by being celebrated in a "Life in the Spotlight" feature at Valpo Life. If you think proposing a sale of the artworks is creating negative public relations, banning Ruff and Brauer would cause damaging consequences far greater.
valpopal, thank you for sharing those perspectives. I've been away from VU for many years, so it helps to understand how Ruff and Brauer are so revered within the campus community today.
Personally, I would be stunned if the President banned them from campus. He strikes me as being a pragmatist who understands that you lose a lot by being seen as engaging in retribution. However, I did sense, early on, that VU thought they could make the issue disappear when it appeared to be Brauer fighting a more-or-less solitary battle. Its response to Brauer's threat about removing his name from the building was Bad PR 101 in the most condescending way.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 18, 2023, 04:10:25 PM
Quote from: DejaVU on March 18, 2023, 03:57:27 PM
Nobody talks in these terms...nobody cares...
DejaVU, I hear your pain. When I first got my own budget layoff notification, it was very painful to me that it seemed all the alumni cared about was the mascot debate. I wasn't a huge fan of the crusader mascot myself, but it seemed utterly weird to see all the energy around that, while the careers of so many of my peers were being thrown into upheaval or just destruction, and we were dealing with the sadness of students' whose programs or course offerings were cut so severely they had to face the prospect of transferring.
My hero will always be my department chair, who resigned his own tenured position (with no ERIP on the table, in those early days of the pandemic) in opposition to the hastiness of the cuts and in order to try to get the administration to do a quid-pro-quo to save my position at Valpo if it stabilized, or at least buy me more time to find a lifeboat. Truly self-sacrificial on his part.
I deeply hope there's a way to save the art and the whole university.
Diaspora, thank you for sharing that very personal (and difficult) memory of what was dominating the campus dialogue as you and others were getting awful news. It does say something about what kind of stuff gets everyone's attention on a college campus, and often it isn't the most important topics.
And what a story about your department chair. I'm sure he was disappointed when his decision could not safeguard your position. That said, I will simply tip my hat to him. As much as I am grateful for an academic career, one of my disappointments is how infrequently people in protected and advantaged positions are willing to sacrifice even the smallest amounts of their privilege on behalf of anything or anyone outside of their own narrow self-interests. What he did was extraordinary.
Quote from: valpopal on March 18, 2023, 01:31:08 PMThe following comments are meant as informative
And I assume that you are informing us of your opinion with this statement.
Quote from: valpopal on March 18, 2023, 01:31:08 PMAt the museum, they work with the approval of the new director, Jonathan Canning, who was hired in deceptive circumstances and also opposes the art sale.
And also the statements that have been made, not only by you, but by others quoted in the media about the terms and restrictions of the funds and endowments that would be completely unknown unless you where part of Advancement or VU's legal team. This is the area in which I work and it always amazes me the misconceptions surrounding the administration of endowments.
Quote from: FWalum on March 18, 2023, 07:58:33 PM
Quote from: valpopal on March 18, 2023, 01:31:08 PMThe following comments are meant as informative
And I assume that you are informing us of your opinion with this statement.
Quote from: valpopal on March 18, 2023, 01:31:08 PMAt the museum, they work with the approval of the new director, Jonathan Canning, who was hired in deceptive circumstances and also opposes the art sale.
FW: Yes, that was informational and not opinion. Padilla has admitted he was not fully forthcoming during the hiring process. He did not inform the hiring committee or the candidate that the plan was to sell the museum's most prominent artworks. Also, you omitted the following sentence which gives context for why I included that detail. ("At the museum, they work with the approval of the new director, Jonathan Canning, who was hired in deceptive circumstances and also opposes the art sale. You cannot 'fire' Ruff or Brauer, and I think
you would open a whole new can of worms if the administration tried to fire Canning.")
I get that Brauer and Ruff are very revered in the community, it's almost a microcosm of what goes on in everyday society (large can of worms don't touch)
Why not name the new dorm Eddie Brauer alumni Hall and have a John Ruff learning center within that hall? And have display cases of copy of the previous artwork owned by the university?
Make it a dorm for liberal arts students. And put it on southeast of union with limited travel to the VUCA / theater / union, more enticing for liberal arts students.
Brauer and Ruff name lives on, Artwork on display as is Valpos history of owning work, it appeases the liberal arts and gives them their own community. Ruff and Brauer go down as heroes for the Department with unlimited access to the art museum.
Why stop there? Give Ruff and Brauer scholarships providing free living expenses for students who provide top essays / presentations / art work for the University?
Rename Core Class to John Ruff Core class.
Quote from: valpopal on March 18, 2023, 09:17:19 PM
Quote from: FWalum on March 18, 2023, 07:58:33 PM
Quote from: valpopal on March 18, 2023, 01:31:08 PMThe following comments are meant as informative
And I assume that you are informing us of your opinion with this statement.
Quote from: valpopal on March 18, 2023, 01:31:08 PMAt the museum, they work with the approval of the new director, Jonathan Canning, who was hired in deceptive circumstances and also opposes the art sale.
FW: Yes, that was informational and not opinion. Padilla has admitted he was not fully forthcoming during the hiring process. He did not inform the hiring committee or the candidate that the plan was to sell the museum's most prominent artworks. Also, you omitted the following sentence which gives context for why I included that detail. ("At the museum, they work with the approval of the new director, Jonathan Canning, who was hired in deceptive circumstances and also opposes the art sale. You cannot 'fire' Ruff or Brauer, and I think you would open a whole new can of worms if the administration tried to fire Canning.")
I'm sorry,
but it is your opinion, and the sentence you say I omitted has absolutely nothing to do with my point. Are you saying that the Board had already voted last spring or early summer to sell the paintings and that Padilla knew while interviewing director candidates in the spring and summer of last year that the paintings would be sold? Even if that was the case, which I highly doubt, he has no obligation to disclose that information to any prospective employees. As a matter of fact, that would have been reckless. Was Canning guaranteed that the O'Keeffe and the other two paintings would always be part of the collection? Are they not paying him the agreed amount? Is he not getting benefits or perhaps his title is different than what was agreed upon? It might be your perception that he was somehow deceived, but that does not make it so.
Quote from: FWalum on March 18, 2023, 11:39:03 PM
Quote from: valpopal on March 18, 2023, 09:17:19 PM
FW: Yes, that was informational and not opinion. Padilla has admitted he was not fully forthcoming during the hiring process. He did not inform the hiring committee or the candidate that the plan was to sell the museum's most prominent artworks. Also, you omitted the following sentence which gives context for why I included that detail. ("At the museum, they work with the approval of the new director, Jonathan Canning, who was hired in deceptive circumstances and also opposes the art sale. You cannot 'fire' Ruff or Brauer, and I think you would open a whole new can of worms if the administration tried to fire Canning.")
I'm sorry, but it is your opinion, and the sentence you say I omitted has absolutely nothing to do with my point. Are you saying that the Board had already voted last spring or early summer to sell the paintings and that Padilla knew while interviewing director candidates in the spring and summer of last year that the paintings would be sold? Even if that was the case, which I highly doubt, he has no obligation to disclose that information to any prospective employees. As a matter of fact, that would have been reckless. Was Canning guaranteed that the O'Keeffe and the other two paintings would always be part of the collection? Are they not paying him the agreed amount? Is he not getting benefits or perhaps his title is different than what was agreed upon? It might be your perception that he was somehow deceived, but that does not make it so.
It is not just my opinion when members of the hiring committee responsible have openly stated they were deceived, so consequently they acknowledge inadvertently and unknowingly deceiving Canning. That makes it factual. "Was Canning guaranteed that the O'Keeffe and the other two paintings would always be part of the collection?" Are you serious? These were the prime works proudly displayed by the hiring committee and Padilla as the jewels of the collection, that made the museum highly regarded throughout the world and attractive as a place to come and be its director, luring Canning from a prestigious job to come here. These paintings are the museum's most famous works around which the collection has been arrayed since its inception, and as a professional curator for more than a dozen years, Canning knew it would be unethical to sell them, just as the curators' association has since declared. Padilla didn't tell Canning or the hiring committee that the process for selling the art had already begun, which it had. In fact, auction house people had already visited campus months before Canning arrived on campus. This has been documented. And you believe that was all right? Where were you when ethics were taught in your Valpo classes? Sure, it was not illegal to conceal the information; I never said it was. However, the university president should exhibit higher scruples than a shady used car salesman trying to pull a fast one, and members of the university community also should expect nothing less than honorable behavior. If the university tried to fire Canning for objecting to the sale and encouraging everyone to speak out against the sale "to preserve the dignity of the Brauer Museum," as he does on his web page, they would further be embarrassed by additional exposure of their unseemly practice, thus the point of my second sentence being connected to the first.
QuoteHowever, the university president should exhibit higher scruples than a shady used car salesman trying to pull a fast one, and members of the university community also should expect nothing less than honorable behavior.
I get that the art sale makes you upset, but you're crossing the line here. You talk about "honorable behavior" but then make personal attacks that have no basis in fact. You actually weaken your argument when you reveal your bias against President Padilla.
Quote from: mj on March 19, 2023, 07:36:48 AM
QuoteHowever, the university president should exhibit higher scruples than a shady used car salesman trying to pull a fast one, and members of the university community also should expect nothing less than honorable behavior.
I get that the art sale makes you upset, but you're crossing the line here. You talk about "honorable behavior" but then make personal attacks that have no basis in fact. You actually weaken your argument when you reveal your bias against President Padilla.
mj: I was responding to FW's claim that it would be all right for the university president to conceal the sales from the incoming director of the museum, because there is "no obligation to disclose that information to any prospective employees," and his comment that Canning wasn't "guaranteed that the O'Keeffe and the other two paintings would always be part of the collection," as well as his assertion that this was fine as long as Canning got paid "the agreed amount." That is shady behavior.
Honestly and unbiasedly, How many people visit the art museum weekly?
Also, Ruff and Brauer, two very respected dudes, are not on the Valpo payroll. They should not be part of the final decision. When they do after the decision is certainly their call, but Padilla and the board make the decision.
Valpo hired Padilla to do a job and his decisions will hopefully not result in "peace at all costs" resolutions. At a holistic level, Valparaiso University needs tough, effective solutions to stay afloat. At the end, I feel someone will be pissed off if a solid decision is made; if not, the decision is weak and ineffective.
Pal - in the interview process, did Canning, who already had a prestigious job, ask about the status of the O'Keefe painting an other art?
I hate to see the art sold, but Padilla and the board have a big problem to solve and perhaps that should be respected.
First, Canning is an employee of VU. He was hired as the museums director. He still gets to keep his job after the sale. It's not as though Valpo hired him and then 6 months later said we're closing the Brauer and you're fired. Circumstances in jobs change all the time. He's free to leave if he doesn't like it. And Valpo can use the savings to increase the salaries of professors.
Second, this whole thing boils down to "who gets to own the painting." It's superficial and materialistic. It's not as though the university is going to light the painting on fire. The Brauer could display a high quality picture or replica of the painting for teaching purposes. I fail to see why we need the real thing.
Finally, the money is going back into the university. If Valpo said it was going to donate the proceeds to Lutheran World Relief, would we see the same outrage? If Valpo was going to use the money to buy out Lottich's contract, then I could maybe see why people might be upset. But the money is being used to increase enrollment. Which is the purpose of the school.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 19, 2023, 09:07:32 AM
Pal - in the interview process, did Canning, who already had a prestigious job, ask about the status of the O'Keefe painting an other art?
You're kidding, right? The O'Keeffe painting was a major selling point used by Padilla and the hiring committee to entice Canning to the university from his prestigious job. It has been the centerpiece of the whole museum collection for more than 60 years. If you go to the museum's website, you will see a smiling Canning standing in front of the O"Keeffe for his first picture as the museum director. It was also used as the cover photograph for
Valparaiso Magazine. Finally, as a professional curator, he would know to sell the O'Keeffe painting would be deemed unethical by accepted standards in the field.
No, I'm actually serious. Valpo, as well as many others, is a school that is financially strapped. He should have been aware of the environment in the interview, especially where he already had a decent job and was not desperate for employment.
BTW, not being Lutheran, if Valpo sold paintings for a Lutheran world relief fund, I would be protesting. I was protesting Meese, the master of bagging student loans, getting an honorary degree back in 1982.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 19, 2023, 10:29:07 AM
He should have been aware of the environment in the interview, especially where he already had a decent job and was not desperate for employment.
Canning was aware of the environment in the interview through the way it was portrayed to him by Padilla and the hiring committee. That is why members of the hiring committee, kept in the dark about the sale being contemplated, highlighted the O'Keeffe but now regretfully confess they inadvertently and unknowingly deceived him. They were offering him a valuable car not knowing the engine would be removed. They, like Canning, also knew no museum ethically could use its artwork as assets to fund projects outside the development of the collection.
QuoteThey, like Canning, also knew no museum ethically could use its artwork as assets to fund projects outside the development of the collection.
These ethics could lead to the school closing and the paintings being sold anyways.
I was reviewing a discussion on this topic on a different (I think, Lutheran affiliated) board. A professor of Theology at Valpo, Matt Becker, posted the following.
--------------------------------
The Sloan Trust agreement includes the signature of the person who was Valpo's board chairman back in 1953, when the agreement was signed. I believe O. P. Kretzmann also signed that agreement. That agreement is at the heart of the possible lawsuit. The agreement states that artwork can only be sold to purchase new artwork for the Brauer Museum.
--------------------------------
What I find very interesting is that this argument is not pressed by people advocating against the art sale. If I were building an argument against selling the art, I would show this document and use it as my hammer as it would be far more powerful and persuasive than any arguments associated with ethics and the importance of liberal arts. The ethics argument seems to be based on "rules" set by people in the art world who expect everyone to agree with them (the "art has infinite value" argument) and the importance of liberal arts argument rests on an extensive continuum (I personally think liberal arts is important, but feel that owning art is not core to Valpo's mission).
My point here is that, because no one has produced the document (wouldn't the Brauer Museum curator have a copy? wouldn't Brauer have a copy?), the document as summarized likely does not exist. As I said when this argument started, Valpo should not violate an agreement that was signed by duly appointed heads of Valpo - specifically the board chairman and/or the university President (no one else would have the authority to sign such an agreement for the university).
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 19, 2023, 12:34:24 PMThat agreement is at the heart of the possible lawsuit. The agreement states that artwork can only be sold to purchase new artwork for the Brauer Museum.
Maybe that is the reason Padilla is silent in the midst of this storm: because of pending litigation. Hopefully the litigation and the bad press won't cancel any benefit from the sell (if that ends up happening)
But, on a different point, as I said before I am not competent to actually judge the impact of the possible sell. Can someone though explain to me (like you would do for an art illiterate) what would happen in the following analogous scenario: say Louvre sells Mona Lisa. I am sure that would be a big deal and enough French people would start a revolution and raise a guillotine or two. But when the dust settles, how diminished would Louvre become? It's pretty big. How many people go there just to see Mona Lisa original? MOre importantly, aside from taking their entrance money, do art lovers in Paris should really cater to only those going there for Mona Lisa and ignoring the rest?
I am just trying to separate, on the anti-sale side, how much is emotion and how much is objective harm from the sale.
The Sloan trust was mentioned early on and I believe it has taken a backseat over the ethics and "core resource" and just general attacks on the president. Padilla has indicated that they feels they are solid legal footing but that doesn't mean a court would see it the same way if someone sues. Has a suit been filed yet? If not I wonder why as it's been several weeks. It would have been better for all if this had stayed a legal matter vs becoming about pushing the negative PR strategy.
I don't know that selling the Mona Lisa is analogous because that's the jewel of like art collections as a whole.
I think the bigger question would be more along the lines of if they sold the best piece in a lesser collection. People would miss it and had probably take the time to see it but a majority of the people who keep coming to see the Mona Lisa would still come much as the belief in the Art is that while it has been nice and advantageous to have and a nice Perk it's not the main reason students choose to come or not to come to the university.
Quote from: DejaVU on March 19, 2023, 01:07:48 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 19, 2023, 12:34:24 PMThat agreement is at the heart of the possible lawsuit. The agreement states that artwork can only be sold to purchase new artwork for the Brauer Museum.
Maybe that is the reason Padilla is silent in the midst of this storm: because of pending litigation. Hopefully the litigation and the bad press won't cancel any benefit from the sell (if that ends up happening)
But, on a different point, as I said before I am not competent to actually judge the impact of the possible sell. Can someone though explain to me (like you would do for an art illiterate) what would happen in the following analogous scenario: say Louvre sells Mona Lisa. I am sure that would be a big deal and enough French people would start a revolution and raise a guillotine or two. But when the dust settles, how diminished would Louvre become? It's pretty big. How many people go there just to see Mona Lisa original? MOre importantly, aside from taking their entrance money, do art lovers in Paris should really cater to only those going there for Mona Lisa and ignoring the rest?
I am just trying to separate, on the anti-sale side, how much is emotion and how much is objective harm from the sale.
A long-time, current member of the VU faculty remarked early on during this controversy that the art sale question would likely be settled in court. As a lawyer and law professor, I've come to dislike civil litigation intensely, as it can bring out the worst of everyone, especially when feelings are running hot even before any papers are filed.
President Padilla has experience as university general counsel. He knows how destructive an intramural lawsuit would be, regardless of the result. Now is the time to put that experience into good use, hopefully avoiding this situation becoming litigious.
I have never seen a more tone deaf group of employees than these liberal arts faculty malcontents.
The organization that provides their means of existence is in dire straights. It has operated at a loss for 3 years and counting, despite multiple RIF's, program eliminations, and other painful cost reduction measures. Its credit rating has been downgraded. It is in a stranglehold of fixed costs that can no longer be supported by an outdated 9-month revenue model. It is liquidating assets in a desperate attempt to play catch-up with campus housing. Other facility needs - nursing and basketball venue - remain in limbo for lack of resources. Short of a miracle increase in revenues, additional cost cutting measures are inevitable. That means more program and people cuts ahead.
Typically during such periods, the workforce becomes shrouded in eerie silence, as employees hunker down in fear of becoming the next sacrificial lamb. But not with this brave group! They have a greater good much too important to be silenced, regardless of the damage it causes!
When the grim reaper comes again, and he will come again, I would not want to be anywhere near those who have chosen to take their president head on during the most critical time in the university's history, assassinating his character and exposing Valpo to national scorn and criticism.
Meanwhile, back to the more important things - like red herrings and straw men.
Quote from: wh on March 19, 2023, 04:42:00 PM
I have never seen a more tone deaf group of employees than these liberal arts faculty malcontents.
The organization that provides their means of existence is in dire straights. It has operated at a loss for 3 years and counting, despite multiple RIF's, program eliminations, and other painful cost reduction measures. Its credit rating has been downgraded. It is in a stranglehold of fixed costs that can no longer be supported by an outdated 9-month revenue model. It is liquidating assets in a desperate attempt to play catch-up with campus housing. Other facility needs - nursing and basketball venue - remain in limbo for lack of resources. Short of a miracle increase in revenues, additional cost cutting measures are inevitable. That means more program and people cuts ahead.
Typically during such periods, the workforce becomes shrouded in eerie silence, as employees hunker down in fear of becoming the next sacrificial lamb. But not with this brave group! They have a greater good much too important to be silenced, regardless of the damage it causes!
When the grim reaper comes again, and he will come again, I would not want to be anywhere near those who have chosen to take their president head on during the most critical time in the university's history, assassinating his character and exposing Valpo to national scorn and criticism.
Meanwhile, back to the more important things - like red herrings and straw men.
WH, I don't quite get the hostility towards VU faculty who might disagree with you on this matter, to the point of slamming them with a very broad brush and issuing something of a taunt about the possibility of some losing their jobs.
First, if I recall correctly, those who have opposed the art sale include members of the business and engineering faculties, as well as arts & sciences. Let's at least be ecumenical about which faculty are "tone deaf."
Second, I'm not sure what "red herrings" and "straw men" happen to be present here. While conceding that such rhetorical devices are all too frequently deployed in controversial situations, I find that most of the debate on this topic has been pretty on point, reflecting honest, principled differences of opinion. That's what makes this hard. Both "sides" are sincere and raise important points.
Third, while I agree that some of the criticism has become personal, I don't see character "assassination" of President Padilla occurring here, and I don't see the institution becoming a lightning rod of widespread scorn. Yeah, Padilla is taking some public licks, and it's uncomfortable to see VU in the news like this, when otherwise it rarely gets national attention for the many good things going on there. However, what is being put out in public is an example of stark decisions facing universities like VU, in this case the selling off of precious assets being proposed as a fundraising approach. In that sense, it's newsworthy.
So, I'd just raise the possibility of dialing down the hostility and bad presumptions about a group of people who have already been through the ringer. It's not an easy time to be at Valpo right now, and there are few easy decisions to be made.
Wh, I imagine the context for this distrust of the administration is arising from a history of concerns about promises being reneged.
For people to respond in the way you're assuming would be logical (ie, stay quiet and try to avoid administrative ire, try to be cooperative for the sake of self preservation in dicey times), it would require some sense that being a compliant citizen actually garners some kind of safety. But that's just not how anything has worked in the murkiness and randomness and confusion of the mass layoffs and salary& benefit cuts during the last few years.
For instance, when Covid hit, many staff and faculty had worked at Valpo for pretty low pay for decades in order to be eligible for the tuition remission to send their kids to Valpo, .....but then they got cut while their dependents were halfway through college or just about to age into it in Fall of '20. As you can imagine, some of the facilities and secretarial workers etc were hardly wealthy (former Bosnian/Yugo refugees, black first-gen families, or just local white Midwestern staff trying to find a way to send their kids to college). So it was a terrible blow to staff and faculty to have not only their jobs cut but also their high school/college kids become suddenly ineligible. If I recall correctly, the Staff Council or Faculty Senate had a role in trying to get the administration to honor that.
And keep in mind most of the Artsci departments, even if they weren't discontinued in toto, nonetheless lost some or all of their lecturer or tenure track colleagues (whom they may have been involved in hiring... a terrible feeling if you had been involved in search committees to bring them in, only to watch them to get cut.) So any impulse to duck and let the torpedo hits somebody else would come with a heavy dose of survivors guilt.
So in these and other cases, I think there arose a deep doubt about whether Valpo board/ administration would care for anybody. For comparison, at other universities (like my current one) the top administrators took temporary 20% pay cuts in order to just get the community through the early days of Covid without having to do salary cuts or layoffs on the ordinary people, in order to buy time to figure out what was going on and reassess. But in addition to the mass layoffs, Valpo immediately cut all benefits and applied the same 5% paycuts whether you were a CFO making $250k+ or somebody lowly trying to raises family on 1/5 of that... and the loss of benefits like health care contribution and retirement match and tuition eligibility all hit families hard in different ways. These benefits wouldn't matter so much except that pay at Valpo tends to be so low that people really were relying on the other stuff.
Now we're on the other side of Covid, but all this this was during one of the scariest and most uncertain times... so it seemed to many that the university was hanging people out to dry at their and the world's most vulnerable...It looked really bad to the whole campus community that during the pandemic, Valpo seemed to be reneging on everything, pulling the rug out from people in ways that made the pandemic so much harder on people.
Of course, this recent history from before Padilla's arrival isn't his fault, but my point is the mixed and heightened employee responses on the art issue should probably be understood in this larger context of low trust, where people still probably don't imagine there's much safety anyways... like, does it really help to hide under the desks in a nuclear attack?' As in the tuition remission issue, a lot of people had put in decades of quiet, loyal work in devotion to the institution..... and overnight it became clear that meant little to nothing, (unless somebody like Staff Council or Faculty Senate pushed back).
This is all to say, I don't think this opposition to the sale is necessarily a function of everybody being naive and self righteous about art. Maybe for some it is simply that. But people know the situation is bad, and for most it's probably much more complex than mere contrarian pettiness. Padilla inherited a verrry low trust environment and his time trying to earn back trust was very short before all this art stuff blew up.
Quote from: David81 on March 19, 2023, 06:18:24 PM
Quote from: wh on March 19, 2023, 04:42:00 PM
I have never seen a more tone deaf group of employees than these liberal arts faculty malcontents.
The organization that provides their means of existence is in dire straights. It has operated at a loss for 3 years and counting, despite multiple RIF's, program eliminations, and other painful cost reduction measures. Its credit rating has been downgraded. It is in a stranglehold of fixed costs that can no longer be supported by an outdated 9-month revenue model. It is liquidating assets in a desperate attempt to play catch-up with campus housing. Other facility needs - nursing and basketball venue - remain in limbo for lack of resources. Short of a miracle increase in revenues, additional cost cutting measures are inevitable. That means more program and people cuts ahead.
Typically during such periods, the workforce becomes shrouded in eerie silence, as employees hunker down in fear of becoming the next sacrificial lamb. But not with this brave group! They have a greater good much too important to be silenced, regardless of the damage it causes!
When the grim reaper comes again, and he will come again, I would not want to be anywhere near those who have chosen to take their president head on during the most critical time in the university's history, assassinating his character and exposing Valpo to national scorn and criticism.
Meanwhile, back to the more important things - like red herrings and straw men.
WH, I don't quite get the hostility towards VU faculty who might disagree with you on this matter, to the point of slamming them with a very broad brush and issuing something of a taunt about the possibility of some losing their jobs.
First, if I recall correctly, those who have opposed the art sale include members of the business and engineering faculties, as well as arts & sciences. Let's at least be ecumenical about which faculty are "tone deaf."
Second, I'm not sure what "red herrings" and "straw men" happen to be present here. While conceding that such rhetorical devices are all too frequently deployed in controversial situations, I find that most of the debate on this topic has been pretty on point, reflecting honest, principled differences of opinion. That's what makes this hard. Both "sides" are sincere and raise important points.
Third, while I agree that some of the criticism has become personal, I don't see character "assassination" of President Padilla occurring here, and I don't see the institution becoming a lightning rod of widespread scorn. Yeah, Padilla is taking some public licks, and it's uncomfortable to see VU in the news like this, when otherwise it rarely gets national attention for the many good things going on there. However, what is being put out in public is an example of stark decisions facing universities like VU, in this case the selling off of precious assets being proposed as a fundraising approach. In that sense, it's newsworthy.
So, I'd just raise the possibility of dialing down the hostility and bad presumptions about a group of people who have already been through the wringer. It's not an easy time to be at Valpo right now, and there are few easy decisions to be made.
President Padilla is taking "public licks" because employees who work under his leadership are doing everything in their power to sabotage his effort to sell 3 paintings to raise ten million critically needed freaking dollars. Do you understand that? They are not simply expressing disagreement, which I said in an earlier post they are welcome to do until the cows come home. They are working with contacts outside the confines of the university to turn this into a highly negative, embarrassing national news story. They are intentionally attempting to damage President Padilla's standing and reputation, portray him as insensitive and manipulative, and render him impotent to act unilaterally or on board approval alone. This is a dangerous faction of workforce laggards and losers (look up the term) that need to be stopped before they bring the house down. It is impossible to turn back the clock. The damage has been done.
Someone said they don't trust President Padilla. Let me assure you that Padilla will never trust this collective of backstabbers. This is not going to end well. Divisiveness never does.
Lastly, if you would be so kind, stop inaccurately reframing my contempt for these people as an overreaction to honorable people respectfully expressing their 1st amendment rights to express their opinion. You know full well the shenanigans this bunch is pulling and that any reasonable person could find contemptible. Thank you.
Quote from: wh on March 19, 2023, 10:09:24 PM
Quote from: David81 on March 19, 2023, 06:18:24 PM
Quote from: wh on March 19, 2023, 04:42:00 PM
I have never seen a more tone deaf group of employees than these liberal arts faculty malcontents.
The organization that provides their means of existence is in dire straights. It has operated at a loss for 3 years and counting, despite multiple RIF's, program eliminations, and other painful cost reduction measures. Its credit rating has been downgraded. It is in a stranglehold of fixed costs that can no longer be supported by an outdated 9-month revenue model. It is liquidating assets in a desperate attempt to play catch-up with campus housing. Other facility needs - nursing and basketball venue - remain in limbo for lack of resources. Short of a miracle increase in revenues, additional cost cutting measures are inevitable. That means more program and people cuts ahead.
Typically during such periods, the workforce becomes shrouded in eerie silence, as employees hunker down in fear of becoming the next sacrificial lamb. But not with this brave group! They have a greater good much too important to be silenced, regardless of the damage it causes!
When the grim reaper comes again, and he will come again, I would not want to be anywhere near those who have chosen to take their president head on during the most critical time in the university's history, assassinating his character and exposing Valpo to national scorn and criticism.
Meanwhile, back to the more important things - like red herrings and straw men.
WH, I don't quite get the hostility towards VU faculty who might disagree with you on this matter, to the point of slamming them with a very broad brush and issuing something of a taunt about the possibility of some losing their jobs.
First, if I recall correctly, those who have opposed the art sale include members of the business and engineering faculties, as well as arts & sciences. Let's at least be ecumenical about which faculty are "tone deaf."
Second, I'm not sure what "red herrings" and "straw men" happen to be present here. While conceding that such rhetorical devices are all too frequently deployed in controversial situations, I find that most of the debate on this topic has been pretty on point, reflecting honest, principled differences of opinion. That's what makes this hard. Both "sides" are sincere and raise important points.
Third, while I agree that some of the criticism has become personal, I don't see character "assassination" of President Padilla occurring here, and I don't see the institution becoming a lightning rod of widespread scorn. Yeah, Padilla is taking some public licks, and it's uncomfortable to see VU in the news like this, when otherwise it rarely gets national attention for the many good things going on there. However, what is being put out in public is an example of stark decisions facing universities like VU, in this case the selling off of precious assets being proposed as a fundraising approach. In that sense, it's newsworthy.
So, I'd just raise the possibility of dialing down the hostility and bad presumptions about a group of people who have already been through the wringer. It's not an easy time to be at Valpo right now, and there are few easy decisions to be made.
President Padilla is taking "public licks" because employees who work under his leadership are doing everything in their power to sabotage his effort to sell 3 paintings to raise ten million critically needed freaking dollars. Do you understand that? They are not simply expressing disagreement, which I said in an earlier post they are welcome to do until the cows come home. They are working with contacts outside the confines of the university to turn this into a highly negative, embarrassing national news story. They are intentionally attempting to damage President Padilla's standing and reputation, portray him as insensitive and manipulative, and render him impotent to act unilaterally or on board approval alone. This is a dangerous faction of workforce laggards and losers (look up the term) that need to be stopped before they bring the house down. It is impossible to turn back the clock. The damage has been done.
Someone said they don't trust President Padilla. Let me assure you that Padilla will never trust this collective of backstabbers. This is not going to end well. Divisiveness never does.
Lastly, if you would be so kind, stop inaccurately reframing my contempt for these people as an overreaction to honorable people respectfully expressing their 1st amendment rights to express their opinion. You know full well the shenanigans this bunch is pulling and that any reasonable person could find contemptible. Thank you.
Well WH, I guess this will have to be one of those agree to disagree things. I respect your right to have your opinions and interpretations about this situation. If a viable 3rd option appears, then there will be much more room for the parties to move towards reconciliation in the aftermath. But if either of the two options currently on the table is the outcome, then I agree that this is not going to end well.
As a sidebar, I am reminded that it was roughly a century ago that Valparaiso was facing a major crisis that could be described as being at the existential level. By the 1920s, VU's "Harvard of the Midwest" meme had largely run its course, and the school was in dire financial circumstances. It had been rejected for accreditation. VU also had to remove a president whose sterling academic credentials and deep well of experience turned out to be overwhelmingly fabricated -- a sort of early George Santos of the academic world -- a discovery made largely by enterprising VU students who smelled something fishy about the guy.
By the mid-20s, the situation was sufficiently awful that VU's president at the time made a tentative deal with the devil, agreeing to sell VU to the Ku Klux Klan for some $340k and another $1m for an endowment fund. (For those unhappy over the media publicity about the art sale proposal, you ain't nothin' yet in terms of the national publicity generated by this possible purchase by the KKK!) Fortunately, the happy-go-lucky white hooded ones couldn't come up with the cash, and the deal fell through. Soon afterward, the Lutherans saw an opportunity and entered the picture. And that, as they say, is history.
***
In no way am I suggesting that VU circa 2023 is facing circumstances as dire as VU circa 1923. But it does say something about the resilience of the place that it overcame a terrible situation, in a way that would plant the seeds for the next, most significant incarnation of the University. The next major threat to VU came during WWII, when enlistments basically drained the campus of its young men. Thus, while O.P. Kretzmann managed to electrify the small campus with his 1940 installation speech painting a grand future for VU's role as an influential Christian university, he spent much of the war planning for a post-war VU, anticipating the return of those who had been in the armed forces and others who no longer would be called to serve.
Want to learn more? I strongly recommend the late Dr. Richard Baepler's history of the university running up to the turn of the century,
Flame of Faith, Lamp of Learning (2002). It's one of the most well-written university histories among the many that I've read or at least closely skimmed.
Quote from: David81 on March 20, 2023, 12:14:13 AMBy the mid-20s, the situation was sufficiently awful that VU's president at the time made a tentative deal with the devil, agreeing to sell VU to the Ku Klux Klan for some $340k and another $1m for an endowment fund. (For those unhappy over the media publicity about the art sale proposal, you ain't nothin' yet in terms of the national publicity generated by this possible purchase by the KKK!) Fortunately, the happy-go-lucky white hooded ones couldn't come up with the cash, and the deal fell through. Soon afterward, the Lutherans saw an opportunity and entered the picture. And that, as they say, is history.
I would say your history is a bit murky. The Klan at the time of the proposed purchase of VU by the Indiana Klan was all over civilized Indiana society.
https://www.wrtv.com/longform/the-ku-klux-klan-ran-indiana-once-could-it-happen-again (https://www.wrtv.com/longform/the-ku-klux-klan-ran-indiana-once-could-it-happen-again)
It was the fall of National Grand Dragon DC Stephenson that really was the end of the influence of the Klan in Indiana and the end of the Klan's attempt to make Valpo the size of Purdue and turn it into a Klan University. If they didn't have the money it was because DC Stephenson was going on trial for murder of a woman on a train and the Klan influence, including having the governor as a member, was dropping significantly and I assume the member numbers were down and the money in the Klan coffers were down too.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/murder-wasnt-very-pretty-the-rise-and-fall-of-dc-stephenson-18935042/ (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/murder-wasnt-very-pretty-the-rise-and-fall-of-dc-stephenson-18935042/)
Quote from: David81 on March 20, 2023, 12:14:13 AMIn no way am I suggesting that VU circa 2023 is facing circumstances as dire as VU circa 1923.
Actually, it may well be that dire, we shall see. And it if is, who's going to be the current version of Lutheran financial savior?
Quote from: historyman on March 20, 2023, 02:13:35 AM
Quote from: David81 on March 20, 2023, 12:14:13 AMBy the mid-20s, the situation was sufficiently awful that VU's president at the time made a tentative deal with the devil, agreeing to sell VU to the Ku Klux Klan for some $340k and another $1m for an endowment fund. (For those unhappy over the media publicity about the art sale proposal, you ain't nothin' yet in terms of the national publicity generated by this possible purchase by the KKK!) Fortunately, the happy-go-lucky white hooded ones couldn't come up with the cash, and the deal fell through. Soon afterward, the Lutherans saw an opportunity and entered the picture. And that, as they say, is history.
I would say your history is a bit murky. The Klan at the time of the proposed purchase of VU by the Indiana Klan was all over civilized Indiana society.
https://www.wrtv.com/longform/the-ku-klux-klan-ran-indiana-once-could-it-happen-again (https://www.wrtv.com/longform/the-ku-klux-klan-ran-indiana-once-could-it-happen-again)
It was the fall of National Grand Dragon DC Stephenson that really was the end of the influence of the Klan in Indiana and the end of the Klan's attempt to make Valpo the size of Purdue and turn it into a Klan University. If they didn't have the money it was because DC Stephenson was going on trial for murder of a woman on a train and the Klan influence, including having the governor as a member, was dropping significantly and I assume the member numbers were down and the money in the Klan coffers were down too.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/murder-wasnt-very-pretty-the-rise-and-fall-of-dc-stephenson-18935042/ (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/murder-wasnt-very-pretty-the-rise-and-fall-of-dc-stephenson-18935042/)
Man, it sounds like you know your history.
Several folks have posed variations of, is there a savior out there? Or, at the very least, are there some folks who can donate seven or eight figure amounts now, rather than an amount tucked away in a bequest?
An interesting question is whether VU has alums out there who have quietly (or not so quietly) earned a boatload of money during their lives and are now in a position to be very generous. I won't presume that the Forever Valpo fundraising campaign exhausted all of those possibilities. You just never know when folks are suddenly in a better position to offer a major gift.
Quote from: David81 on March 20, 2023, 12:05:32 PM
Several folks have posed variations of, is there a savior out there? Or, at the very least, are there some folks who can donate seven or eight figure amounts now, rather than an amount tucked away in a bequest?
An interesting question is whether VU has alums out there who have quietly (or not so quietly) earned a boatload of money during their lives and are now in a position to be very generous. I won't presume that the Forever Valpo fundraising campaign exhausted all of those possibilities. You just never know when folks are suddenly in a better position to offer a major gift.
From what I understand, I do believe the Valpo's advancement people keep pretty close tabs on potential large donors.
I also think that it is very dangerous for people in a university to just assume that issues get solved by someone else. For a university, its biggest revenue source is tuition and related revenues like housing, etc. Faculty and staff can affect that greatly - not only by offering great learning value in their classrooms and developing great relationships with their students, but also by substantially engaging with prospective students and their families. From what I understand, Valpo may be relying too heavily on the admissions team and a central common message. Prospective students and their parents are making a decision to attend a premium pricing school and, thus, they need to see value in their desired area(s) of study. Any prospective student and his/her family should have the opportunity to meet with at least one faculty member in their desired discipline(s) - regardless of the discipline.
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 20, 2023, 02:06:03 PM
Quote from: David81 on March 20, 2023, 12:05:32 PM
Several folks have posed variations of, is there a savior out there? Or, at the very least, are there some folks who can donate seven or eight figure amounts now, rather than an amount tucked away in a bequest?
An interesting question is whether VU has alums out there who have quietly (or not so quietly) earned a boatload of money during their lives and are now in a position to be very generous. I won't presume that the Forever Valpo fundraising campaign exhausted all of those possibilities. You just never know when folks are suddenly in a better position to offer a major gift.
From what I understand, I do believe the Valpo's advancement people keep pretty close tabs on potential large donors.
I also think that it is very dangerous for people in a university to just assume that issues get solved by someone else. For a university, its biggest revenue source is tuition and related revenues like housing, etc. Faculty and staff can affect that greatly - not only by offering great learning value in their classrooms and developing great relationships with their students, but also by substantially engaging with prospective students and their families. From what I understand, Valpo may be relying too heavily on the admissions team and a central common message. Prospective students and their parents are making a decision to attend a premium pricing school and, thus, they need to see value in their desired area(s) of study. Any prospective student and his/her family should have the opportunity to meet with at least one faculty member in their desired discipline(s) - regardless of the discipline.
A coordinated admissions team should be able to set up these contact opportunities fairly easily, especially if there's a system that makes it easy. Plus, I assume that the University is back to doing face-to-face admissions open houses, which I recall from way back when typically included faculty from the various departments giving brief remarks about their offerings.
Quote from: David81 on March 20, 2023, 02:59:09 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 20, 2023, 02:06:03 PM
Quote from: David81 on March 20, 2023, 12:05:32 PM
Several folks have posed variations of, is there a savior out there? Or, at the very least, are there some folks who can donate seven or eight figure amounts now, rather than an amount tucked away in a bequest?
An interesting question is whether VU has alums out there who have quietly (or not so quietly) earned a boatload of money during their lives and are now in a position to be very generous. I won't presume that the Forever Valpo fundraising campaign exhausted all of those possibilities. You just never know when folks are suddenly in a better position to offer a major gift.
From what I understand, I do believe the Valpo's advancement people keep pretty close tabs on potential large donors.
I also think that it is very dangerous for people in a university to just assume that issues get solved by someone else. For a university, its biggest revenue source is tuition and related revenues like housing, etc. Faculty and staff can affect that greatly - not only by offering great learning value in their classrooms and developing great relationships with their students, but also by substantially engaging with prospective students and their families. From what I understand, Valpo may be relying too heavily on the admissions team and a central common message. Prospective students and their parents are making a decision to attend a premium pricing school and, thus, they need to see value in their desired area(s) of study. Any prospective student and his/her family should have the opportunity to meet with at least one faculty member in their desired discipline(s) - regardless of the discipline.
A coordinated admissions team should be able to set up these contact opportunities fairly easily, especially if there's a system that makes it easy. Plus, I assume that the University is back to doing face-to-face admissions open houses, which I recall from way back when typically included faculty from the various departments giving brief remarks about their offerings.
While those activities are valuable, I do not feel that they are sufficient. If a prospective student is interested in nursing, the student and his or her family should be able to have a one-on-one or (at least) a one-on-a few discussion. The College of Nursing in this case should be following up with the prospective nursing student. Same thing for engineering, the various business disciplines, and probably everything else.
Your comment 84 prompted me to ask a quick question preceded by some extra words.
THE EXTRA WORDS: In athletics, if a kid expresses an interest in participating in a sport on the collegiate level and that interest is communicated to that sporting discipline, that discipline's staff initiates communications and begins "recruiting" (I just made up that word 😜) that kid to Valpo. And the game is on. The staff is in competition with numerous other colleges for that kid's attention and, hopefully, a signed NLI.
MORE EXTRA WORDS: A kid with good grades and a desire to study, say, engineering, nursing, meteorology, Irish literature, pre-med, pre-dent, etc., is an athlete as well, but an academic athlete.
AND NOW THE QUESTION: Are the same (or even close) strategies and tactics that are used by each sport to get a jock (that, despite what you may think, is a genderless term in this conversation) to sign an NLI employed by the various colleges and schools at Valpo to "recruit" their athletes and where the "coaches" are the instructors and professors?
Hey, college admissions is a competition. So is volleyball and football. An athletic coach, besides doing their "classroom" preparation, "research" and "lectures" is expected to spend a ton of time recruiting. It's part of the job because if they don't their teams lose and they get fired. Does a history professor or an assistant dean of engineering, or whatever proportionally put in the same time recruiting, or do they find an ivory tower more suitable for introspection and academic contemplation?
Sorry if I lumped some great outgoing academics who are doing what I am describing into a stereotype. Also sorry for all the quotation marks, but it was the only way I could think of to draw the very close analogies I see.
It differs by program, but I think most liberal arts and sciences departments do some recruiting efforts.
In my humanities dept, I know the chair regularly communicated with potential students who'd expressed an interest in our two majors. Admissions gave us faculty cards & envelopes and addresses to write and send hand-written notes encouraging them to come, etc. Whenever prospective students came to visit, they'd meet with the chair and often have at least one meeting with another faculty member, plus get toured down the hallway to meet others.
In other programs, they did even more. For instance, I know the Music faculty were expected to do a lot in terms of recruiting their own instrument-specific students from local teachers, high schools, etc. And the Language profs were definitely out in the high schools trying to cultivate relations with the those area high schools teaching their respective languages and giving presentations at those high schools.
Honestly, it seemed not to matter at all in terms of the university choosing to keep faculty or not. For instance, the classics (Greek and Roman) professor had recruited super successfully for Classics and really grown the program especially in drawing African American students to her classes (rather remarkably for a pretty stereotypically majority-culture Western field). But they cut her anyways.
I guess for universities to have faculty operate more like recruiting coaches, maybe they could free up faculty from some of their teaching responsibilities or reimburse some of the travel costs? I did some weekend promoting but it was pretty hard most semesters if I was teaching 4 courses a week x 3 classes = 12 actual sessions of face-time classes per week, plus all the prep to prepare for each class and then grade all the essays. It was also pretty expensive to recruit as a volunteer at churches and such on the weekend, since babysitters in valpo are not cheap, easily $15+/hour. I was already hiring a lot of babysitters on the weekend just to keep up with the course prep and grading & going into a financial hole trying to pay full-time daycare plus the additional evening/weekend hours to keep up with grading. So unfortunately I could only rarely hire babysitters on the weekends to do additional recruitment outreaches or events though I did really care about trying to bring in majors. And once the pandemic hit, it was all too hard.. I gave up doing anything beyond the Admissions-arranged stuff.
I think faculty might be open to the 'coach' recruiting model if there was a sort of reconfiguration of compensation. My sense is the coaches make a lot more, they are probably doing less than 12 games or practices per week (not sure though, and not sure how much lesson prep it requires), their time recruiting is built into the job rather than add-on time, and they are reimbursed for travel expenses for traveling around to region high schools and the like. I think that might attractive to a lot of faculty if the incorporation of recruitment could lighten their teaching load, so it could definitely help everybody and be a kind of win-win.
From learning on this board, I've been kind of shocked honestly to see how much the coaches make, so I think most professors would stand to see a pretty significant raise in quality of life and pay if the uni shifted to the coach model, and it could be pretty popular.
Thanks, Diaspora. The head coaches make decent wages (with MBB an aberration). The assistants not really. That's why there is a lot of assistant turnover. Think dean/department head vs. instructor disparity.
Also thank you for clarifying how on the academic side faculty are actually involved in the recruitment process. And I would like to think that applying some of the recruiting tricks done on the athletics side could benefit the academic side as well. I'm not talking travel (they pay admissions, marketing and recruitment for that) just maintaining ongoing contact with individual prospects to build bonds.
As we discuss value and viability of university assets, I believe the most interesting aspect of the Valpo Strategic Plan is the Vitalize Valpo Property Overview, which has some curious details. Especially significant is the Eastgate / Sturdy Road section for which an RFP (Request for Proposal) has already been done. While we are understandably and rightfully distracted by possibilities of a new ARC or Nursing School, my hunch is this could be the administration's more immediate main focus for near future economic development by the university.
https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/ (https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/)
Yes, that's true... the structures/incentives for formally expecting and compensating recruitment would probably need to differ slightly for different ranks and types of programs.
For instance, let's say currently the typical humanities department chair is a full prof making $60-68K with some bump for chairing that gives them a bit extra (not sure how much more). They are often under a lot of time-pressure since they may still be teaching 2 courses a semester if they have a partial load -- but are also managing the other faculty's reviews, dealing with curriculum issues or updates, dealing with students of concern, doing the existing recruitment work, having chairs' meetings with the dean, uni service, etc. For them, time is definitely the biggest crunch, so probably the most realistic way to buy them time to do the Admissions recruiting is to give them additional course releases, like only teach 1 class per semester while the university hires other faculty to cover the difference if necessary.
For the regular lower rank faculty members making perhaps $50-55K, they are probably teaching 3 or 4 courses per semester but its a toss-up whether course release or stipend would be more helpful. For faculty teaching big gen ed courses with heavy writing/essay components and fairly high caps (like 30 students), most of them would probably also prefer the course release of the time to do the recruiting. But if they are small courses (like music classes that are fundamentally tutorial-oriented or small-group or something), maybe then maybe cash would matter more, and it could make more sense to give them a stipend or something to do additional Admissions work, so they can afford to give up their weekend income gigs and focus more on recruitment.
Another creative option would be to more formally set up a trade-off between Admissions and the departments, like if faculty could trade hours spent in the cultivation/communication with prospective students for hours where the Admissions staff could help serve as TAs to help tackle the grading. Obviously there's a lot that the admissions staff couldn't help with if it's really content-specific. But definitely they should be capable of grading multiple-choice exams, create an assignment prompts and rubrics, or mark up essay drafts for basic grammar etc to help free up the faculty to recruit. Valpo always stresses that there are no TAs and professors do everything.... but so long as they weren't actually prepping and teaching the classes, the advertising would still be true and meanwhile these 'admissions assistants' could still make a huge difference to the faculty in taking off some of the back-end load so they can take up this additional Admissions recruiting work instead.
Right now, faculty are just doing the recruiting entirely on top of their normal workload, so even if it doesn't mean raises, I think any shift towards the sports 'coach' model in this area could be a good idea to help make it more formally factored in as an expectation of faculty duty and compensation
Diaspora's descriptions of the still brutal teaching loads at VU, matched by the truly inadequate salaries, calls into question just how much more student recruiting outreach can reasonably be expected of them.
I had assumed that, over the years, the considerable increases in tuition and expenses had at least brought the faculty into an era of slightly gentler teaching loads and better salaries. Wrongo!!! The faculty workload/salary situation hasn't improved much from the time I matriculated at VU, several decades ago.
In ways that are becoming clearer to me -- and thank you, Diaspora, for sharing these faculty experiences -- VU's sustainability continues to be carried on the backs of a very dedicated, overworked, and underpaid faculty.
....and I will add this to what I just wrote, above. This understanding of the current state of faculty workload and compensation makes it much harder for me to justify a potential buyout of the men's basketball coach at a tag that could run between $350k-$700k.
If Valpo cannot buyout Lottich because of insufficient, how can we stay Division 1 in athletics at this day and age? There is no justification on keeping him based on performance, and the school need to strive on being successful rather being existent.
Also, if the faculty is overworked and underpaid, why stay?
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 21, 2023, 05:38:43 AMAlso, if the faculty is overworked and underpaid, why stay?
Personal circumstances can be very complicated (I hope this does not require further explanations).
A person stays on the job because he/she wants to and/or no other options. When I say no other options I don't mean in a strict mathematical sense. I mean options that fit that personal slate of circumstances. By the way, I am not alluding to me on this. I am not in the worst position with respect to VU.
But let's put it differently: if the administration counts and rests only on those trapped into their position of VU who would otherwise leave if they could, would that kind of workforce save the university? Professors hating their lives before showing up for class? GIving up slowly and steadily and maybe work just enough to not get fired? Do you know how many times I heard "why bother?" in the last couple of years? And do you think students cannot tell? This is why I don't trust Padilla. Not because he wants to sell the paintings but because I believe the human capital is where the existential crisis is right NOW. He hopes to repair the dorm which MAY bring money in 2-3 years from which he MAY give him a way to address the compensation issues which MAY start to recover in maybe, what, 7-8 years? that's an enternity. By then there will be another president with another crisis and another brilliant idea
So anyway, yes, if you don't like it don't take it. That's fine. Have fun with a school where everybody does not like it but must take it. Let's see how they can sell the product to increase enrollment then.
It was not always obvious, yet when I was a student at VU, many (if not most) of the faculty I had in Engineering and Christ College had a strong sense of mission. They had PhDs from the best universities (Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Purdue, Notre Dame, Minnesota, MIT, Chicago) yet were at VU because they wanted to teach, and they were at the Lutheran version of Notre Dame or Chicago. Many also had Lutheran roots. The were paid well enough to have a good living (at or above most teachers, pastors or nurses for example) yet not enough to be wealthy; they could have made more if they would have been at one of those research universities or in the public sector.
How much of the current faculty has a sense of mission, and is that mission shared by most of the faculty? Have the salaries fallen so much that they no longer are able to make a reasonable living? Or, is it that more adjuncts and part time instructors are covering the load yet have far less buy in to the mission? Does this differ by college Arts & Sciences versus Business and Engineering? Has the decline of the Lutheran ethos hit the faculty even more than the student body?
Valpo95, I think it's a combo of the explanations you offer... Yes, salaries have become unlivable in a situation where daycare and housing costs have skyrocketed so much. Yes, the uni relies more and more on VAP/temporary type instructors who may or may not have much long-term buy-in. But also, and this is the one that makes me saddest, I think most faculty and staff (even if they believe in the mission) are fairly certain that the board and administration (at least the 2020s versions) don't.
When I came to Valpo, I was really excited about teaching well, trying to make a difference in personalized attention to students, about the integration of faith and intellect, in service to the world, etc. But over time, it just became clear that the "Lutheran" mission of the institution wasn't about investing in students or trying to be some kind of leaven in the world... but rather than it just meant being really cheap.... a sort of midwestern 'cultural christianity' or corporate efficiency ideal based less in any vision of the kingdom of God and more in a kind of spindthrift effort to extract as much out of people before driving them into the ground. As faculty, I felt it in all the tumult of the salary cuts, layoffs, rising teaching loads, etc. But the students also felt and resented it in their own ways too. One of the big controversies during my time there was that the uni took away the microwaves that commuter students were using to heat up lunches in order to push more of them onto the (expensive) on-campus meal plan -- though the uni backtracked and the microwaves came back. Just an example, but that sort of cheapness and pettiness just seemed everywhere, and as a Christian, even I felt it kind of awkward to talk about 'mission.' I think things were better in CC and in Engineering where there was a greater sense of professionalism and generosity to community members, so maybe talking about Christian witness and mission made more sense there.
This is not to say there weren't real Christians or dedicated teachers committed to an educational, student-focused mission there... As I noted in an earlier post, my (Lutheran) department chair resigned his job in trying to get mine restored -- which is THE most stunning act of kenotic care for another that I've been on the receiving end of! And most the faculty I worked with on a day-to-day basis, whether religious or not, were killing themselves and burning the midnight oil trying to give students the quality education they deserved, in genuine hope that those students would grow up more thoughtful and more capable as they headed off into employed adult life.
But unfortunately, that was just not how the uni-level administration operated, and the institution overall seemed much more secular/corporate.... mostly interested in extracting more classes out of faculty being paid very little and extracting more cash out of students taking on high debt, and focused on real estate development as its main thing. Obviously the teaching faculty see education as the point of the school, but most the people in charge are working on other endeavors, so who knows if they even know what the uni mission statement is? I know in faculty hiring, people have to write up a statement and interview on commitment to the mission. But I think most the board members and top-level administrators are brought in because of their qualifications in legal counsel or real estate investing or fundraising, so they may not have to read or adhere to the mission/vision material as much if it is not part of their hiring or review process. Not sure.
Thus I think many of the faculty in the trenches, both Lutheran and of other denominations, did get pretty discouraged or dubious about the educational mission. This is probably in the background of why some are so mad about Padilla buying these new sections of land while selling the art & cutting academic programs
Quote from: valpo95 on March 21, 2023, 07:46:35 AMHave the salaries fallen so much that they no longer are able to make a reasonable living?
It's not about making the living (not necessarily at least). If you define making living meaning having enough to eat and having shelter then yes you can live...But that's missing the point.
Let me tell you a reliable information: right now, across the board pretty much every faculty makes around 25-35 % less than the MEDIAN salary of peer institutions...For full professors it is about 30%. We need 30% increase just to make the median of peer institution salaries...And if you look at the peer list it's not like you see Harvard's there....
Some departments cannot hire foreign faculty because H1B visa regulations apparently require a minimum income for certain professions and if they meet that minimum it would create unethical inversions: new hire earning more than the senior colleagues...I could go on...But you get the gist...
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 21, 2023, 05:38:43 AM
If Valpo cannot buyout Lottich because of insufficient, how can we stay Division 1 in athletics at this day and age? There is no justification on keeping him based on performance, and the school need to strive on being successful rather being existent.
The question about staying Div I is one I've been thinking about for a while since Valpo can't afford the needed facility upgrades for such a long period.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 21, 2023, 08:55:25 AMThis is probably in the background of why some are so mad about Padilla buying these new sections of land while selling the art & cutting academic programs
What?
Valpo is selling land not buying it.
Not sure of the land buy. But clearly the finances and the morale are both dire.
Even though this is a sports-driven message board, we really do need to be open-minded about staying Division I in athletics without some massive donations from donors who see the marketing benefits of D-1 and have that passion. Perhaps that clock is being given a start (now) and end date. If not, perhaps it should. Padilla clearly indicated in the New Republic article that he is publicly aiming at Nursing and and athletic facility for donor gifts.
I would recommend that the course be kept with Lottich for two more years unless he takes another job. In the meanwhile approach any donor over the next 12 months who backs the facilities vision and see if you also have the budget to raise the bar over Lottich will require $500k+ head coach and the high assistant salaries he will demand. The clock is ticking on Valpo to take or leave that Division I fork in the road. I may be naive, but I would guess that a great young D3 head coach might take $175-200k.
Well, this ratio of coaching pay is far worse than I thought.
It took me only 5 minutes to find DePauw University's IRS Form 990 listing their top 16 salaries. Only 14 people make more than $100,000. About half are professors with a few over $200,000. The head basketball coach must make less than $100,000.
DePauw is a highly ranked school and an enrollment of 2,161. Valpo's enrollment is around 2,500. Ouch!
Quote from: valpo tundra on March 21, 2023, 11:22:10 AM
Valpo is selling land not buying it.
As I suggested in previous posts (see below), I would not be so sure about that.
***
Just to clarify for those without subscriptions, the
NWI Times statement by Padilla about potential future projects is not a news story but an editorial, part of the administration's current PR campaign. I applaud the words, and I think the content sounds great.
Nevertheless, just like the president's original statement on the morning of Feb. 8 about the paintings sale, which was a PR release to get ahead of the news report in the
Tribune published that day, it is possible this commentary by Padilla also might be timed to get ahead of another property-related announcement that has been rumored for weeks among faculty, in the local Valparaiso community, and in conversations with journalists. I anticipate updates, and look forward with curiosity to hearing more.
***
As we discuss value and viability of university assets, I believe the most interesting aspect of the Valpo Strategic Plan is the Vitalize Valpo Property Overview, which has some curious details. Especially significant is the Eastgate / Sturdy Road section for which an RFP (Request for Proposal) has already been done. While we are understandably and rightfully distracted by possibilities of a new ARC or Nursing School, my hunch is this could be the administration's more immediate main focus for near future economic development by the university.
https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/ (https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/)
Valpo undergrad professor salaries look to be highly competitive when compared to the broad spectrum of 4-year universities.
Average Faculty Salary
Valparaiso University $66,206
National Average $64,272
Four-years Colleges $68,196
Master's College And University (larger Programs) Colleges $75,240
Indiana Average $59,386
Four-years Indiana Colleges $65,182
Master's College And University (larger Programs) Indiana Colleges $69,579
https://www.univstats.com/salary/valparaiso-university/faculty/#:~:text=For%20the%20academic%20year%202021-2022%2C%20at%20Valparaiso%20University%2C,from%20%2469%2C328%20to%20%2465%2C804%20over%2083%20Associate%20professors.
Quote from: wh on March 21, 2023, 12:41:26 PM
Valpo undergrad professor salaries look to be highly competitive when compared to the broad spectrum of 4-year universities.
Average Faculty Salary
Valparaiso University $66,206
Master's College And University (larger Programs) Colleges $75,240
Master's College And University (larger Programs) Indiana Colleges $69,579
I admit I am not sure what goes into those averages, and of course they vary widely between disciplines/schools. I know for certain that new asst profs in A&S were coming in at around 50-52 these last few years (with the 5% cut and salary reduction clawback, then went down to around $48.5K for me in a humanities disciplines). I know some of the A&S meteorology folk who'd reached associate and been there a dozen or so years had over the years inched up to around the $59/60K mark through promotions. But the going rater for engineering and business school profs is a lot higher, and there are also some specialty faculty (like university level chairs) who have much nicer packages that probably pull the averages up on an institutional level.
I am not trying to argue about the internal differential between humanities vs professional schools here, just noting that the lower end can indeed be low and the averages can be higher, and both those things can be mathematically true. It can also depend on whether they submit deans as 'faculty' salaries to these syndicating websites, since obviously a couple deans making $150k+ can really help 'up' the overall institutional salary averages. And I don't think they count the adjuncts paid more like $3K per course w no benefits or the lecturers.
Reminds me a joke: if Elon Musk enters our room we will all be on average billionaires 😀
Quote from: valpopal on March 21, 2023, 12:20:15 PM
Quote from: valpo tundra on March 21, 2023, 11:22:10 AM
Valpo is selling land not buying it.
As I suggested in previous posts (see below), I would not be so sure about that.
ValpoPal, you're sounding cryptic and I don't really understand what you're saying. So Valpo is currently trying to buy *more* land? or sell land?
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 21, 2023, 12:51:50 PM
I admit I am not sure what goes into those averages, and of course they vary widely between schools. I know for certain that new asst profs in A&S were coming in at around 50-52 these last few years (with the 5% cut and salary reduction clawback, then went down to around $48.5K for me in a humanities disciplines). I know some of the A&S meteorology folk who'd reached associate and been there a dozen or so years had over the years inched up to around the $59/60K mark through promotions.
But the going rater for engineering and business profs is a lot higher, and there are also some specialty faculty (like university level chairs) who have much nicer packages that probably pull the averages up on an institutional level.
I am not trying to argue about the differential between humanities vs professional schools here, just noting that the lower end can be low and the averages can be higher, and both those things can be mathematically true. It can also depend on whether they are counting deans as faculty salaries, since obviously a couple of those making $150k+ can really help 'up' the institutional salary averages
Hopefully, this additional information answers some of your remaining questions:
Faculty Salary By Academic RankA total 214 faculties (full-time instructional staffs) work at Valparaiso University, and the 2022 average salary for all faculty members is $66,206 based on a 9-month contract. VU's faculty salary decreased by 3.18% compared to 2021 salary.
For the academic year 2021-2022, at Valparaiso University:
The Professor salary is decreased by -9.01 % from $83,368 to $75,856 over 59 Professors.
The Associate professor salary is decreased by -5.08 % from $69,328 to $65,804 over 83 Associate professors.
The Assistant professor salary is increased by 1.42 % from $59,053 to $59,890 over 63 Assistant professors.
The Lecturer salary is increased by 6.28 % from $47,857 to $50,862 over 9 Lecturers.
Please refer to the link I posted above for more relevant information, such as professors on 12-month contracts are making nearly $90,000.
One of the problems that Valpo has gotten into that is not unique to them. They have long tenured and serving faculty who have good paychecks but not the extra income to keep new faculty on par with their peer institutions so they gap between the have and have nots have gotten much bigger. Without some of our older faculty retiring or moving on the ability to increase the pay at the lower levels (which seem to be where you have significant underpayment) remains difficult. Combine that with the fact that tenured positions are safe from being let go short of a closing down of their program and you have a situation that make it hard to deal with that problem without spending a lot of money you don't have at the moment. I know several people who work at the institution still although the number has definitely dwindled and one say that there were head of departments making more than double what the next person made and that them leaving freed up a ton of money to help level some salary issues. This is why I don't know why they didn't do the ERIP first like DePauw did vs go for the cuts that really seem to have left a lot of the bitter taste in people's mouths.
Also, buying some land for 2 million if it will be used to develop a new college is not necessarily a problem for me. The university is not "broke" and any plan to move forward is likely to require both cutting and spending in different ways and areas. It also means nothing to me in relation to the art sale because 2 million is nowhere near 10 million and proof the university can spare one is not proof it can spare the other.
Wh, thanks for sharing this data. Really interesting to see. Yes, the differentials still vary a lot between disciplines so for instance, to get an average of $59K for Assistant Profs across the institution, you're going to have most the liberal arts and sciences profs below that and lots of Business/Engineering School faculty above that. Anyways, what's most interesting (maybe hopeful?) about the data here is you can see how it looks like the ERIP did achieve getting some high-rollers off the books, as evidenced in that -9% change in the average salaries for the Full Professors.
Anyways, the uni struggles to keep up with the reality that people at all levels are facing the heightened living and housing costs. For instance, I was paying $26K per year for daycare for two toddlers at a preschool near the old law school campus in Valpo, which was a real strain on the $50 and then $48K tenure-track salary. Or to rent now in Valpo is easily $2K+/month for a two-bedroom apartment or even a small 2 bed/2bath house that's not a foreclosure will easily run $250K if you can save enough to try to buy. Other universities are facing this housing problem in much more extreme ways, like Santa Clara U, LMU and others in HCOL areas that now offer rental assistance or forgivable loan downpayment assistance programs, or sometimes childcare DCA contributions, as part of the benefits package so faculty and staff can get a foothold and stay, and be able to afford food and clothes after the housing and daycare is paid for. It is not that bad yet in Valpo, but housing did get pretty expensive these last couple years. Not VU's fault, but part of the reality why the stagnated salaries have become such a turnover problem.
And yet, if you look at the faculty for Engineering, you don't see a bunch of Geezers, but rather a bunch of good looking folks with highly regarded PhD's.
I founds 10 from Big Ten schools, 2 from Georgia Tech, 2 from Notre Dame, 1 from McGill and others from places like Iowa State, Florida, NC State, Marquette and Virginia Polytech.
I do wonder how much the boom in Valpo has also had an effect. Costs have skyrocketed there and I don't believe they're slowing down. I know young professionals who chose to live in Lake County and commute to Valpo due to the cost issue. I wonder if looking into faculty housing might be another way to move forward, Mabye using some of the land on McIntyre street to build some low cost town homes that can rented out to faculty below market rate.
I support what Diaspora is saying: Do we really want a university to be such an unpleasant, stressed out place to work that people are miserable, whereby those with options may well take them and depart, and those who remain are profoundly unhappy? That seems to be the implicit logic behind the take-it-or-leave sentiment -- or, as one posted meme quips, the beatings will continue until morale improves.
It also makes for an odd juxtaposition of attitudes and values expressed on this board: Many are calling for VU to buy out its current men's basketball coach, at a price tag of up to $700k or more, so it can engage in the dice roll of hiring someone new -- at a similar or higher salary -- in hopes that the change will allow them to root for alma mater in more winning ways. Meanwhile, there's a puzzling indifference toward those who are at the heart of the school's mission -- providing a high quality education to its students -- upon learning that so many faculty are barely making ends meet, while being loaded up with brutal teaching schedules that often turn their jobs into a 7-days-a-week endeavor.
Furthermore, if you care about the reputation of the University beyond its more tightly drawn circle, then understand that those brutal teaching loads and low salaries make engaging in scholarship and related activities (such as presenting papers at national conferences) very difficult. Yet, that engagement with the scholarly enterprise is also at the core of building institutional reputation. It can also be a source of positive media exposure when said scholarship is newsworthy or carries public significance. And being seen as a player in that larger realm -- perhaps with media coverage of faculty achievements to back it up -- can take the sting out of news coverage about a controversy over a proposed art sale.
ValpoDiaspora - sorry dude, but we are all dealing with expenses. Blame the government, blame someone, but don't blame Valpo for rent and daycare woes. I don't think Padilla can fix the rising cost of Cheerios and Crown Royal. We are going through tough times.
Also, the 30% less salary for Valpo staffing seems to be exaggerated. Overall, is Valpo 30% below average or are we competitive?
Also, with its success, could the college of engineering share any practices or pearls of wisdom with the rest of the university which may help them get up to speed? Maybe the creative writing major degrading us a tech school can understand the other point of view.
Hello dude to you too! ;D
Read the last line...
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 21, 2023, 01:20:56 PM
Not VU's fault, but part of the reality why the stagnated salaries have become such a turnover problem.
Not blaming Padilla.... just trying to note that the affordability problem exists and Valpo isn't immune to it. More creative & successful universities than Valpo have found ways to make it work for their employees, and not just in W-2 cost-of-living adjustments but in all kinds of housing assistance and HSA and DCA benefits where it was necessary to maintain the workforce. It's just not good for any institution, whether school or business, to have a constantly revolving door.
I get it my dude friend, but we are seeing the revolving door in industry also.
As to the assertion that faculty members are overworked to the point of discouragement and possible burn out:
Faculty members signed to 9-month contracts have 22 weeks off every calendar year, not including sick and personal days. Add in weekends, and they are on the job approximately 150 days per calendar year, give or take. That equates to 215 days off. Thus, what is inarguably a demanding, high stress role in higher education with pressures above and below is hopefully offset by time to rejuvenate. It seems like an equitable tradeoff IMO.
By frame of reference, I just congratulated one of our IT service engineers on his 5th anniversary and reminded him that he is eligible for an additional week of vacation, which gives him 3. On his 10th anniversary, he'll earn a fourth. In addition, we all get 10 paid holidays; thus, that's 47 of 52 weeks that he walks through that front door, positive attitude in tow, ready to conquer the world. Do we pay him well? Absolutely. In return, he has limited time away from the job. This also seems like an equitable tradeoff., IMO.
Lastly, let me say that I hold educators at every level in high esteem. I have an extended family of teachers and administrators. I am proud of each and every one.
remember, it's a job, and there will be something that will piss you off.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 21, 2023, 02:30:49 PMAlso, the 30% less salary for Valpo staffing seems to be exaggerated. Overall, is Valpo 30% below average or are we competitive?
It is real but, as I said, in comparison with the mean salaries of our peer institutions. And it is pretty accurate (distilled to the level of college, rank etc...) It is as close to apple vs. apples. Now, of course, if we change the peer list this difference may change up or down (who knows). Let's have a list made of bottom of the pit schools for purposes of salary comparison and another peer list with the most prestigious ones for purposes of demands on the faculty.
Also, about having 200 days off a year. That's not how this works. But I don't blame people thinking this way it is a common perception. It's just that it will take too much time to explain and I did it too many times on other occasions. Let's just say I should be so lucky. Hey, I might get a second degree and a second job in a more lucrative field. Pretty much everything needed to actually promote from assistant to full professor will fill in those days no worries.
Put it differently: people would kill to earn 60K for working less than half year no?
But this does raise a valid point: what is the fair salary compared to how much is demanded from faculty? I am going to speak for my field only (which I won't disclose for now). LOng time ago I knew an insider at Colby College. I learned about their tenure process and also about a tenure denial. Altogether, I came to the conclusion that more is expected from a typical Colby faculty than VU faculty at least in my field. Especially if you want to earn tenure (which you have to in order to stay on the job). I think I could have earned tenure at Colby but only because I did far more than I needed to here at VU (and feel stupid for it now).
However, Assistant Professors at Colby earn on average 90K or so (at least according to Glassdoor). I don't know about full profs but for sure is 6 figures. I can assure you they don't have 200 day off. But it does raise a question about whether VU faculty is paid enough for what they do. Of course it varies (some did far more others the bare minimum) but maybe the solution is to find a different peer list not just for salaries but also for other expectations. For example many teaching colleges have a 4-4 teaching load but next to no research expectation. Here at VU you need research to promote and get tenure on top of excellent teaching. What for? So that you advance to high ranked and be told you are a burden?
You might be surprised but 5-6 years ago, a certain Provost said we need to increase the pay bump for promotion because we have too few full professors and that does not look good. This now sounds like a joke. So, maybe if we drop the research expectation (too late for me but maybe for the newcomers) and just ask for efficient teaching then maybe the current salaries will be justified. As I said before, you just can't make high cuisine with MacDonalds ingredients
From the various posts, let me clarify a few things. My basis is the university that I work for, but its practices are pretty common to most universities.
-Tenure-track faculty have an annual 12 month contract that is connected to tenure status. Clinical (non-PhD) full time faculty typically also have an annual contract that both parties can choose whether to renew each year (sometimes these are two or three year contracts). For these people, they have a choice of whether they are paid on a nine month basis or a 12 month basis (with a year starting on July 1st). If you choose being paid on a nine months basis, you are still employed by the university for the entire 12 months...it is not reasonable to assume that tenure-track faculty have 2 1/2 months off in the summer (see points below on research and service).
-Any other faculty (i.e. part-time adjuncts) are usually paid per class that they teach.
-For all faculty other than adjuncts, the contract states how many classes a faculty member teaches in a given year. For Valpo, I think it is six 3-credit classes in an academic year for tenure-track faculty. It is probably 8 to 10 for non-tenure track faculty.
-I am not aware of any university, including Valpo, demanding that faculty teach additional classes for free. Any additional teaching load is compensated (I will speculate that Valpo pays a tenure-track faculty member ~$7K to teach an additional 3-credit class.
-There is no such thing as tracked vacation time for tenure-track faculty. You are required to teach your classes at the times assigned, and you probably are required to have regular office hours and need to attend some meetings. After that, you manage your schedule completely on your own.
-What fills the time after time required for teaching (not only classes, but grading, preparation, etc.)? Research and service. Service is anything to support the operation of the university and anything to support your academic field (serving as an editor or reviewer, involvement in national/international academic organizations, etc.). The research side is the one that is most 'distant' to people not in academia. A complete research study - planning, data gathering, analysis, writing, editing - takes hundreds of hours for each person involved. Faculty at Valpo do less research than those at an R1 or R2, but they still need to do research. Tenure-track faculty at Valpo need published research to get tenure (else they lose their job). If you have tenure, you may want to get promoted to full professor, keep yourself marketable to other universities, engage in research with students, or just like doing research for any number of reasons. Some liberal arts disciplines have different research-oriented endeavors (writing a book, for instance), but they are no less time-consuming. The point is that being a professor is a full-time job.
Lastly, as mentioned by others, pay is dramatically different across disciplines. The primary reason for this is basic economics - there is a huge supply of liberal arts faculty versus the number of jobs and there is a much lower supply of faculty for engineering, nursing, many business disciplines, and others versus the number of jobs. This has been the case for many years, but external factors (high inflation, parents and prospective students placing greater value in professional studies than liberal arts studies) have made this situation untenable for liberal arts faculty.
There are many good points here about tenure and expectations. If the salaries are indeed as low as has been indicated, that is a huge structural problem. Someone with a PhD from a good school and who is an effective teacher at Valpo could get hired at a school like Notre Dame and become a teaching faculty / clinical professor, at least in fields where there is demand. That person might get paid 50% more, and have a 3 + 3 teaching load, and no research expectations. (This does not count fields like English where there might be 100+applicants for a teaching position, so the salary differential might be less.) Almost certainly, the college deans at Valpo make less than a tenured Associate professor in their comparable field at Notre Dame, IU, or Purdue.
so vu84v2 - are Valpo faculty well underpaid compared to other schools?
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 21, 2023, 04:14:49 PMFor Valpo, I think it is six 3-credit classes in an academic year for tenure-track faculty.
Good point summary. I would only add a small correction: the standard teaching load that I am aware of is 21 teaching credits a year so more like 3-4. There may be variations across departments or colleges (I am a little vague because I want to remain anonymous). There are individual exceptions (some service positions come with reduced teaching load). So during those good old times when higher ups wanted to increase the research output and the number of full professors, wanted to move gradually to a 3-3 load (i.e. 18 credit hours).
To those outside academia, there are, generally speaking, three types of universities/colleges when it comes to teaching and research expectation
1. Research intensive universities: teaching is usually 2-1 or 2-2 (i.e. 9 or 12 credit hours a year) with very high research expectation, grant writing, etc...People fail tenure primarily due to lack of research/grants, teaching matters much less
2. Middle of the ground: teaching is 3-3 (i.e. 18 credit hours a year) with serious research expectations but at a lower level than R1 universities and without pressure to get grants, etc... People still fail tenure and promotion for lack of research though teaching is the primary consideration
3. Teaching schools: teaching is 4-4 (24 credits) research expectation is minimal and often in a more holistic form (i.e. not necessarily in the form of peer review papers)
AS you can expect the salaries are typically in the decreasing order of this list.
Quote from: wh on March 21, 2023, 03:06:36 PM
As to the assertion that faculty members are overworked to the point of discouragement and possible burn out:
Faculty members signed to 9-month contracts have 22 weeks off every calendar year, not including sick and personal days. Add in weekends, and they are on the job approximately 150 days per calendar year, give or take. That equates to 215 days off. Thus, what is inarguably a demanding, high stress role in higher education with pressures above and below is hopefully offset by time to rejuvenate. It seems like an equitable tradeoff IMO.
By frame of reference, I just congratulated one of our IT service engineers on his 5th anniversary and reminded him that he is eligible for an additional week of vacation, which gives him 3. On his 10th anniversary, he'll earn a fourth. In addition, we all get 10 paid holidays; thus, that's 47 of 52 weeks that he walks through that front door, positive attitude in tow, ready to conquer the world. Do we pay him well? Absolutely. In return, he has limited time away from the job. This also seems like an equitable tradeoff., IMO.
Lastly, let me say that I hold educators at every level in high esteem. I have an extended family of teachers and administrators. I am proud of each and every one.
Oh WH, if only the presumptions about the workload you describe were true in reality! But I must jump in here, too, with a necessary corrective to those who believe that most college and university teaching gigs, especially at a place like VU, are about long periods of thinking big thoughts or spending summers languishing around or taking the family on long trips. What's not seen or commonly understood is all the work that occurs beyond the classroom.
First, I don't know if you read Diaspora's very detailed explanation of her experiences as a VU professor, but all that supposed "time off" quickly dissolves into duties that spread throughout the week and not infrequently into the weekend. The "breaks" that you suppose are Miller Time are often used to finish grading, read for and update courses, squeeze in some time for scholarly work, catch up on committee tasks, and attend and present at conferences (which are often scheduled to coincide with weeks between terms and during summers).
Second, the 9-month vs. 12-month contract is oftentimes a matter of administrative classification, not an actual reflection when work is being done. (Believe me, I'm on a joint faculty-administration committee that looked at this from a legal and practical standpoint. It's not about that.) I don't know many fully engaged academics, regardless of whether on a 9-month or 12-month contract, who truly have summers off. Oftentimes that is the best time for doing scholarly work and/or doing course revisions. And by the way, if someone has a completely new course prep, it's not a matter of picking a book or two and then going along for a ride with the students. That prep work can eat up many weeks over the summer and/or a semester break, and during the semester be a source of late nights (or early mornings) and weekends spent trying to master the content in order to best facilitate student learning.
Third, once a new faculty member gets their sea legs (and sometimes before), other tasks get added to the plate. Time-intensive faculty roles in advising/mentoring/supervising student groups, uncompensated work for scholarly and learned organizations (thereby also enhancing institutional reputation), significant committee responsibilities that go well beyond occasional meetings, serving on non-profit boards related to one's expertise, and a lot more.
I will say this: What you may have mistaken for "free time" is actually the significant, comparative flexibility that many professors enjoy in scheduling their time and arranging the order in which tasks are performed. Believe me, I spent six years in legal practice before I started teaching, and I know the difference. Beyond classes and certain meetings, the flexibility is considerable. Very unlike navigating litigation and filing due dates, court appearances, and what not.
Anyhoo, if you want to believe your math about the time demands on professors who take their responsibilities seriously, then it's your right to have that opinion. But I can attest that the actual facts are different for the strong majority of professors that I know. Speaking personally, the opportunity to be a professor is a great privilege, and I am exceedingly grateful for it. I don't take that opportunity and the range of choices it offers for granted. But a life of leisure has not been part of that equation.
By the way, one of the latest commentaries about the art sale question, written from the perspective of Christian higher education and the interdisciplinary importance of art, as well as the possible impacts of the sale on VU as an institution.
https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2023/03/88166/ (https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2023/03/88166/)
To me what's been missing in these discussions is class load.
Teaching four 200-400 level classes and seminars with a max of ~20 students per semester vs. four 100 level survey classes with a ~100+ each is a major factor. The former validates the instructor and supplies the juices an educator loves. The latter produces burn-out on an afterburner. And for a couple of reasons: grading time is increased by a factor of five and personal contact, which most good educators thrive on, is diminished by the same factor but in reverse.
Any of you who are/were in academia care to comment?
usc4valpo asked if faculty at Valpo are underpaid. I don't have specific data, but my opinion is "yes, with a clarification". My view is that faculty who go to a school like Valpo choose to because they value spending their time doing teaching (and associated things like building student relationships) more and research less. This choice means accepting that you make less pay than faculty at other universities who are expected to do a lot more research (or, in some fields, engage in equally challenging scholarly work). They are not underpaid because of this. Faculty also choose what field they want to work in. A new PhD in psychology or theology might make $50K to $60K at Valpo, while an new PhD in accounting might make $110K to $125K (note, these are just educated guesses). Again, on this factor alone, faculty at Valpo are not underpaid. Where I think they are underpaid is from Valpo not being able to adjust salaries based on overall increases to market salaries (over the last five + years) in most disciplines and recent high inflation.
To vulb#62's points - I would say the cutoff for having closer relationships with students and providing extensive feedback is about 30 to 35 students in a class within a semester. I agree with your points about "survey" classes, but these are the exception at a school like Valpo (to my knowledge).
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 21, 2023, 05:10:41 PM
To me what's been missing in these discussions is class load.
Teaching four 200-400 level classes and seminars with a max of ~20 students per semester vs. four 100 level survey classes with a ~100+ each is a major factor. The former validates the instructor and supplies the juices an educator loves. The latter produces burn-out on an afterburner. And for a couple of reasons: grading time is increased by a factor of five and personal contact, which most good educators thrive on, is diminished by the same factor but in reverse.
Any of you who are/were in academia care to comment?
Course enrollments alone don't fully equate to workload.
Large classes evaluated by multiple-choice, true-false, and similar "objective" tests & quizzes require little grading time. The number of students can be irrelevant.
If the 20-30 student courses include a lot of writing assignments, especially 1st year composition courses, 4x that won't leave you with much gas in the tank by the end of the term. It also likely includes a lot more individual meetings with students. Overall, the inherently subjective nature of evaluating and grading writing is also much more, frankly, emotionally taxing than seeing how the MC tests turned out, and superimposing a grade distribution. The latter is a comparatively bloodless task.
I'm speaking of liberal arts-type courses, which seem to be an implicit focus in this thread. Though I'll also note that the hardest I've worked as a
teacher in a law school setting was as an entry-level legal skills instructor for first-year students. Two groups of 20 students doesn't sound like much until you add in the frequent grading of analytically complex writing assignments, multiple planned individual conferences, and -- in that especially sophisticated program -- reviewing videotaped simulation exercises involving lawyering skills. Boy did I envy the tenure-track classroom professors in terms of flexibility of time, while we were on the clock until the term was over!
[I should add that on pedagogical principle, I've never used MC, T-F, yes-no tests, even when I had one of the very heaviest teaching & student loads at my school. But unlike others who did so with their larger classes, I paid a heavy price when it came to grading time, one that the institution never distinguished compared to those who took the easier way on evaluating students.]
Quote from: valpo22 on March 21, 2023, 04:40:57 PM
My department officially 4-4 so eight courses per year... but in good times with allow people to teach a 3-4 in order to give them three units of research time, since it is an expectation for tenure - a book or a handful of articles.... Those good times are mostly gone though, so you just need to pull the research how to sweat and air if you want to keep your job.. "if" being the key question these days
Valpo22 raises an important point. 4-4 yikes! Teaching four courses in a semester properly, and we'll assume it is two sections each of two different classes, probably takes about 40-50 hours per week (prep, teaching, grading, etc.). More if either class is new for you. If you don't like your salary (justified or not), the most realistic way to move to another school is to develop your reputation from research (it is much easier to distinguish someone who excels in research than it is to distinguish someone who excels in teaching). But with a 4-4, you can't devote enough time to publish higher tier work. Thus, you get really frustrated in this situation.
David81 - What you are saying is not unique to liberal arts. For the subject I teach, I can test concepts using objective questions - but I expect students to learn to use concepts to develop compelling analyses and arguments, which can only be assessed via essays. Further, good faculty in areas like statistics and engineering assess not just the answer, but the process to get to that answer...and that type of grading takes a lot of time.
Where my comment came from:
Out of Valpo and a year of grad study I joined the faculty at Concordia College, NY, as a history instructor. I had a 4x4 load. Most classes were 25ish with one survey at about 50. The survey requied two papers. Was there for four years. Loved it, every day was a trip, but........ I was basically living off my wife's salary who was a public health nurse and doubled what I was pulling in. After 4 years, I jumped to a public HS in Massachusetts and immediately doubled my salary. But that educational jump also had a down side — more students now, and 5x a week instead of 3 (and one period a day of bathroom patrol). It was the first time in my life I experienced the Sunday Night Dreads.
I lasted 9 years then bailed. Moved to corporate training at a major nuclear engineering firm in Boston. Doubled my salary again. Piece of cake in comparison and never suffered Sunday Night Dreads again. I remained in the business world for 34 more years eventually retiring as an Senior IT project manager (similar to HS and potty patrol 😉), but I have always looked back with fondness on those four years at Concordia — if they could only have paid me enough to raise a family...............
I believe many of the lower level Valpo faculty can identify with my early experience. I wish them well whether they stay or move on. Teaching at places like Valpo or a Concordia is special.
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to educate us outsiders about roles, responsibilities, and time commitments. Clearly, the workload is greater than I had ever considered. If I may, let me respectfully ask I final question to help me fully appreciate what you are saying. Anytime I drive through campus in the summer, it looks like a ghost town. What are faculty members doing behind the scenes over that "silent" period, when I don't see any students?
Quote from: wh on March 21, 2023, 06:06:35 PM
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to educate us outsiders about roles, responsibilities, and time commitments. Clearly, the workload is greater than I had ever considered. If I may, let me respectfully ask I final question to help me fully appreciate what you are saying. Anytime I drive through campus in the summer, it looks like a ghost town. What are faculty members doing behind the scenes over that "silent" period, when I don't see any students?
For me, Summers at Valpo were indeed lighter in work. The 3-4 or 4-4 loads we had in my (humanities) discipline were always during the year and I only once taught Summer I and II sessions since kind of desperate for extra $3k or whatever it was.
On
non-teaching Summers, I would usually end up working about 30 hours a week...
-- preparing for the next semester, since you have to have everything ready to go on the first day of classes and so you spend Summer or Winter break doing that (selecting readings, scanning things in, drafting assignments and rubrics, arranging any guest speakers or field trips, etc.) In some fields like 'intro to bio' or 'statistics' there may be pretty set content and a textbook you can just use, so it's not like you have to recreate the wheel; but in a lot of the disciplines like political science or theology you really do have to sort of create a lot from scratch in terms of pulling together thinkers around the course theme or central question with case studies, etc. The Summer course prep does take significant time, since you can't just say to students, 'write an essay' but you need to plan ahead a good connection between course content and assessments, build them around good questions, and then provide clear directions for the students so the expectations are clear.
- writing letters of recommendation for students applying to internships or grad school -- or I know at Valpo I know senior colleagues actually spent a lot of their summer time writing letters of rec for junior colleagues who were trying to find positions at more stable institutions :/
- some minimal ongoing support to students (say, if they were carrying a capstone project from junior to senior year with some work over the Summer on it)
- preparing presentations and going to conferences (for instance, two of main conferences in my field are in late May and then in June, so that's easily a month of work if I'm preparing new research to present at those)
- trying to write/publish articles, reviewing other articles, etc.
- once everything got so unstable, applying for jobs (putting together cover letter, teaching statement, research statement, and sometimes mission statement or DEI statement, teaching evals, asking for letters of rec, etc)
I think a lot of people do so much teaching at Valpo on the 3-4 or 4-4 loads with 2 or often 3 different preps a semester, that they are tempted to basically give up on the research side of it... but that is dangerous for them in a couple ways. It's important to keep up the research even at a teaching-focused institution like Valpo, since the tenure requirements for plenty of departments still expect multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals even if they're on 3-4 or 4-4 loads on the 'teacher-scholar' model that the university expects from them. And as somebody earlier mentioned, it is actually the research profile that is usually the ticket to a better job, weirdly, even in trying to transfer to another teaching-centered institution. If you haven't published a lot when your program or position is cut, it's very, very hard to get another job elsewhere.
So faculty were generally using the Summers for course prep and to make up for the scholarship and conference or service-to-the-academy duties they weren't able to get to during the year.
Quote from: wh on March 21, 2023, 06:06:35 PM
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to educate us outsiders about roles, responsibilities, and time commitments. Clearly, the workload is greater than I had ever considered. If I may, let me respectfully ask I final question to help me fully appreciate what you are saying. Anytime I drive through campus in the summer, it looks like a ghost town. What are faculty members doing behind the scenes over that "silent" period, when I don't see any students?
For better or worse, for me that "behind the scenes" work is usually in front of a laptop screen -- even more so these days because of meetings increasingly held by Zoom. You won't see me on campus every day because I may be squirreled away at home, at the local public library, or at a coffee shop. And with laptop in tow, I can be productive even while traveling. One Friday earlier this year, I participated in a 90 minute committee meeting from a hotel lobby. So it's not only the business jet setters who can do a lot of their work from anywhere! (Hence, the another example of the flexibility that I'm grateful for.)
My summer work hours may vary widely, at least in terms of reasonably productive investments of time, because the work typically involves reading, research, and writing towards publication. Call me lacking in self-discipline, but that can mean a week where I'm feeling guilty for having little to show for it, and others where I'm cranking out the prose and working into the wee hours of the morning.
Folks who are used to inputs = consistent outputs understandably may find investments of time not leading to useful "product" hard to grasp, even a "waste" of time. But scholarship, especially, is a process of stops and starts and some failed efforts. And while some scholarly writing is fairly predictable in process and product, more cutting-edge, creative, or ambitious scholarly work is sometimes hard to fit into a timetable.
I would strongly assume some of the engineering professors will do contract work in industry during the summer.
So according to vu84v2, after factoring relative things in, Valpo professor compensation is as low as the 30 percent below the norm. This was a very interesting discussion.
It also seems to me that the college of engineering have their act together which makes me proud.
SC, yes, contract work should be a staple, and that can be the case with most disciplines (for example, Doris Kerns Goodwin in history) once a person has developed (see David's and Diaspora's comments below) the bona fides to warrant such additional work. For its own sake, the university should be encouraging, facilitating and promoting this.
I consulted in a different world (IT financial controls and IT security), but it comes down to: credentials/presentation/performance + proper exposure (publications/conferences/symposia/seminars) + focused, targeted audience + confidence (balls) = contract. That contract then begets subsequent contracts.
Many of the top level profs (the old farts 😀) have earned that opportunity over time. But the disparity is at the lower levels where the bona fides and exposure have yet to develop. It takes time and experience which, in a nurturing environment can produce some great results. But I am hearing here that such nurturing at Valpo is shrinking (caveat - I may be misreading posts here) due to tough financial conditions, ergo, a downward spiral might be developing.
Is this a good question to ponder? What is the proper/optimum ratio of administrators to instructional staff at effectively operating universities?
And where does Valpo fall on the continuum? In the middle would be great.
Quote from: wh on March 21, 2023, 06:06:35 PM
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to educate us outsiders about roles, responsibilities, and time commitments. Clearly, the workload is greater than I had ever considered. If I may, let me respectfully ask I final question to help me fully appreciate what you are saying. Anytime I drive through campus in the summer, it looks like a ghost town. What are faculty members doing behind the scenes over that "silent" period, when I don't see any students?
My answer to this is similar to the other answers. With powerful personal computers and the internet, most faculty do research work from home or in another location. Unlike 15-20 years ago, I can access all research in the history of my field via Google Scholar and a series of subscriptions. I have powerful data gathering and statistics tools on my personal computers. Additionally, much of the work a researcher does is in solitude (regardless of where they are). I can write in my home office, a coffee shop, at a hotel while traveling on vacation, or anyplace else. I do work with co-authors, but while some are at my university a majority of them are at other universities around the US. Personally, I do like to go into the office some anyway...but it is certainly not required.
To be fully honest, there are people in academia who abuse this freedom. This is the exception, but it is not extremely rare (I should note that from the comments of other academics on this forum, I doubt that any of them abuse this freedom). Once a professor has tenure, they cannot be fired for not doing (and publishing) research - though they likely will get their teaching load increased. Like most workplace environments, academia is not perfect.
Quote from: valpo22 on March 21, 2023, 09:47:59 PM
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 21, 2023, 08:47:01 PM
So according to vu84v2, after factoring relative things in, Valpo professor compensation is as low as the 30 percent below the norm. This was a very interesting discussion.
It also seems to me that the college of engineering have their act together which makes me proud.
Yes, and part of what has historically made the College of Engineering well-liked too on campus is that they don't usually go around thumping their chests or making fun of the other disciplines or reveling in other's suffering. obviously there are going to be some engineering students or instructors or alumni with the 'we're better than you' assholery. But that's not the norm, and one thing that gives hope for Valpo is that the provost is from Engineering but he doesn't denigrate and actually may have greater than average respect for the other divisions. When it was time for a new provost and the competition was Kilpinen (Arts and Sciences) vs Johnson (Engineering), i heard thee entire College of Arts and Sciences voted for Johnson/Engineering, giving him a total landslide... for artsci had basically sunk into depressed dysfunction under fifteen years of derision and undermining from their own dean and were not happy about it; whereas ironically the engineering dean had more than a modicum of undersatnding about what the liberal arts and sciences are. This doesn't mean Johnson will be able to hold it all together in these tough times. as provost, he is probably surrounded by about two dozen non-academic administrators who have never taught a single class session and are totally clueless about what faculty even do and therefore will keep throwing grenades in places they've never looked. But a decent provost in the mix means something at least. Haven't met him... but if its true he is a teacher and a thoughtful person, that's one possibly functional figure on the leadership chessboard that the university still has going for it. At the very least, he will understand these connections between teaching, course/student load, pay,incentives, the costs of turnover and the importance of long-term program cultivation that we're talking about here :thumbsup:
valpo22. I have been involved, in varying ways, with the College of Engineering for decades. I have had some minimal interactions with Provost Johnson and have previously worked with the current Dean (Doug Tougaw). I am very glad to have you say that the Engineering Dean recognizes the importance of Arts and Sciences...because everyone that I have known in the College of Engineering believes that is true. Most of us engineering graduates benefitted greatly from the complementary arts and science courses that we took (note here that I first met usc4valpo in a philosophy class and the most valuable class I took at Valpo for my subsequent first career was a theology class).
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 21, 2023, 11:31:56 PM
To be fully honest, there are people in academia who abuse this freedom. This is the exception, but it is not extremely rare (I should note that from the comments of other academics on this forum, I doubt that any of them abuse this freedom). Once a professor has tenure, they cannot be fired for not doing (and publishing) research - though they likely will get their teaching load increased. Like most workplace environments, academia is not perfect.
Indeed, though in a distinct minority (in my observation), some tenured faculty just phone it in after getting tenure. They do just enough work, and kiss just enough **s, to keep their jobs. Usually, as VU84 suggests, the productivity deficiencies manifest in a lack of scholarship, after doing just enough to make it over the tenure line. But sometimes the teaching settles into a sort of just-good-enough mediocrity as well.
I will add, though, that given the heavy teaching loads at VU, maintaining sustained scholarly productivity is very hard for most faculty, absent superhuman effort and efficiency. Learning that VU continues to heap these teaching loads on even its entering faculty has been a revelation to me. It is to their enormous credit that some of the junior profs who received layoff notices generated sufficient bodies of work across the board to land new tenure-track positions elsewhere, in some cases at more prestigious schools offering higher salaries and lighter teaching loads.
Quote from: valpo22 on March 21, 2023, 02:51:02 PM
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 21, 2023, 02:30:49 PM
Also, with its success, could the college of engineering share any practices or pearls of wisdom with the rest of the university which may help them get up to speed?
sure.... 'don't treat your people like crap.' generally a good rule of thumb , no?
From what I hear from their drivers there couldn't be a worse company than Uber. Their drivers disparage that company more than any other employees but they just love complaining and their passengers are the ones they really like complaining to.
22 and 84v2: I want to be clear that a liberal arts education is very important in engineering as it makes you more well rounded and enables you to be a better collaborator to solve problems. I see this with my co-workers and interns I work with. I may sound wacked out and what else is new, but a Valpo education with enhanced communication and writing skills also enables holistic thinking in innovation and product development.
That philosophy class with vu84v2 (logic?) was excellent and influenced my writing and critical thinking skills. I forgot who the professor was but he was very interesting. The geography classes, especially with Ferencz Kallay instructing who was phenomenal, really opened up my views on things. I actually thought about a minor in geography, but I had no time.
Regarding theology, I had mixed thoughts. I did not grow up as a Lutheran and a regular church goer. The intro class was pretty good. The second class was painful and uninspiring, especially with the 18 hour heavy course load with Calc 3, Intro to electricity and magnetism, Chem and engineering dynamics. This is blasphemy to some, I would require one theology class for engineering and maybe 2 for other majors. Use the extra 3 hours to take an arts/humanities/sciences class - wow, a intro to meteorology or a history class would have been cool!
High tuition , underpaid faculty, outdated facilities (sans 3 buildings)
We should really audit who made what and who was on pay roll in the 2010s.
Something isn't adding up.
Too gratuitous financial aid packages
Quote from: valpofb16 on March 22, 2023, 06:56:09 AM
High tuition , underpaid faculty, outdated facilities (sans 3 buildings)
We should really audit who made what and who was on pay roll in the 2010s.
Something isn't adding up.
Good questions...and I'll speculate:
Low faculty pay has always been an issue at VU. Alas, it appears to be part of its business model. Nothin' different during the 10s.
Look at debt service on newer buildings and rate of new administrative hires.
Was higher tuition used to bump up gift aid?
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 21, 2023, 11:38:49 PM
valpo22. I have been involved, in varying ways, with the College of Engineering for decades. I have had some minimal interactions with Provost Johnson and have previously worked with the current Dean (Doug Tougaw). I am very glad to have you say that the Engineering Dean recognizes the importance of Arts and Sciences...because everyone that I have known in the College of Engineering believes that is true. Most of us engineering graduates benefitted greatly from the complementary arts and science courses that we took (note here that I first met usc4valpo in a philosophy class and the most valuable class I took at Valpo for my subsequent first career was a theology class).
This reinforces my earlier point that the professional and liberal arts "sides" of the university need each other to maintain part of VU's essential balance, rather than squaring off versus each other. For individual students, it may be an integrated blend of courses, or perhaps it looks like a compartmentalized TV dinner, or maybe it's just a sampling.
Whereas some might perceive the duality as a weakness of identity, the "comprehensive" university model sees the duality AS the identity.
BTW, these liberal arts vs. professions debates have been going on for centuries, tracing back to the origins of "modern" European universities: The liberal arts on one end, and law/theology/medicine on the other. (Yeah, theo was in the professional column back then!) So our digital exchanges here have been continuing a conversation that has crossed the centuries.
I appreciate the frustration of feeling undervalued, and wanting to vent about it. If nothing else, it's good for the soul. You almost always feel better—and "lighter"—after sharing some perceived threat, indignity, misfortune, or injustice.
Beyond its cleansing effect, I'm left wondering what the connection is to the larger issue of Valparaiso University losing money and struggling to survive. Under those circumstances, I would expect there would be force reductions, as well as pay and benefit cuts. That may sound heartless to some, but true heartlessness is a leader that doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to lighten a sinking ship to keep it afloat before everyone on board dies.
With changing demographics in the 18-22 age group, and the national debate surrounding student debt, I expect a long, bumpy ride to recovery. Current employees have 2 choices - ride it out or find another job in a declining market where none of the competition is in hiring mode.
Quote from: wh on March 22, 2023, 01:15:19 PM
I appreciate the frustration of feeling undervalued, and wanting to vent about it. If nothing else, it's good for the soul. You almost always feel better—and "lighter"—after sharing some perceived threat, indignity, misfortune, or injustice.
Beyond its cleansing effect, I'm left wondering what the connection is to the larger issue of Valparaiso University losing money and struggling to survive. Under those circumstances, I would expect there would be force reductions, as well as pay and benefit cuts. That may sound heartless to some, but true heartlessness is a leader that doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to lighten a sinking ship to keep it afloat before everyone on board dies.
With changing demographics in the 18-22 age group, and the national debate surrounding student debt, I expect a long, bumpy ride to recovery. Current employees have 2 choices - ride it out or find another job in a declining market where none of the competition is in hiring mode.
Yup, the demographics are shifting, and money is still an issue. A major wild card, based on discussions here, is whether VU can be doing a much better job at marketing itself to prospective applicants. The advantage of being a smaller school is that you don't have to dominate the market, you just have to attract a larger share of it and, perhaps, expand your reach a bit, to where you're attracting a larger group of students who can thrive at the University.
I've poked around VU's website, for example, and it doesn't quite sell the school for me. And, frankly, "where passion meets purpose" sounds safe and superficial to me. So maybe there's a way of expanding the pie.
Good point. There isn't one magic bullet. There are several facets.
What has to frustrate our for-profit business friends on this board as much as it does me is that you can really only mark revenue changes every 12 months and you can't rush enrollment income any faster. And a small class stays in your revenue stream as a dominant piece of revenue shortfall for four full years. You don't get to rinse out your losses for a one year cycle and start over. In terms of the tuition revenue, it's a battleship not a speedboat.
One more revenue stream I asked about in the campaign thread is the endowment. Hopefully that keeps steady or increasing.
Quote from: valpo22 on March 22, 2023, 01:48:24 PM
Quote from: wh on March 22, 2023, 01:15:19 PM
That may sound heartless to some, but true heartlessness is a leader that doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to lighten a sinking ship to keep it afloat before everyone on board dies.
I hear ya, wh. The prospect of the sinking ship IS clearly serious, and the captain needs to do what he can to lighten it while the crew members need to look seriously at finding raftboats before they're sucked under. both those movements are happening
but i just don't understand why, if on some level the goal is to try to save the boat and get it to shore, there's not more concern about the falling retention rate -- which is not unrelated to all these problems of program cuts, faculty turnover, confusion in programs due to lack of continuity, etc. Now with the retention rate falling down to 77%, that means nearly 1 out of 4 students who initially commit to the university leave before they finish their degree or pay the expected years of tuition. that is a pretty big hole in the bottom of the boat. why is VU not more concerned about this? for all the talk about college experience as the businesses's 'product,' you'd think VU would care more about so many students trying the product and returning it to the store as not worth it! The student dissatisfaction and transfer rate makes me worry about a death spiral as much as the enrollment drops do. i don't know for sure, but it seems from long-term community members and from you all here on this board was that Valpo was a much better experience for students in decades or centuries past?
Edit: I am not trying to bash VU, but to ask about the sincerity of trying to save VU if all the bets are on 'build it and they will come' and not much on 'keep the ones we have'. We are missing major dollars off in both areas that would be helpful for long-term survival, and maybe ValpoU's responsibility should even be slightly slanted towards those students we already have and are be failing (??) more than prospectives who are real mystery boxes, in terms of whether they will stay for a semester, or two years, or four years...
You are 100% correct. The road to sustainability will be determined by revenue generation. Cutting expenses is a necessary stop-gap measure to buy more time, but that's all it is.
retention rate is easy to identify the problems
1. Freshman dorms outdated by roughly 40 years to the state schools
2. Student life is absolutely laughable compared to state schools
3. Sophomores don't want to live in dry dorms again
4. Valpo isn't pay for credit hour flat fee
In conclusion, this world is very connected now, if students see their companions having a much better experience at a state school for sometimes 1/2 the cost. It's a no brainer.
Also it's not like Valpo grads guaranty a job , Valpo grads on average make 55k/year coming out. Can do that at a state school without crippling themselves
I personally think this is a much larger issue than any faculty , paintings , facilities etc etc. if butts aren't being put in the seats to keep the doors open then who cares about the rest.
Fb16 just made a key point. Most of this dialogue is happening at a generation or more above the students who are the point of all this.
Duh, these kids communicate differently from most of us here. They network faster and plainer than most of us. Good stuff gets passed fast. Bad stuff faster. And sad to say, much of it's about the superficialities. "My dorm room has A/C; Mine doesn't." "I can work out in my dorm workout space downstairs; I have to go across campus to a cramped converted dorm to get on a treadmill and there are no showers." "Every dorm here has both fast food and full cafeteria choices; there are only a couple of places to get a full meal on campus."
How do you adjust to that dynamic? First you query and listen closely to the students. You find ways to provide what is missing to the best of your budget and ability. You find other ways to get your students to start sending out good things texts.
My question, however, is whether students are also texting about the education they are receiving? Remember: Good= fast. Bad = faster. Gotta do that too.
Logic would assume good things + good things = customer (student) satisfaction. And isn't what we are talking about ensuring and improving customer satisfaction? Customer satisfaction, value for the buck, and a great emotional experience = student retention, great word of mouth, improved enrollment.
Choir dismissed.
62 - this goes back to the residential facility upgrades and the potential art sale.
In reality - selling art sucks. What is the most appropriate action Valpo can take? What will suck less? Yes, the creative writing major can partake in the conversation, perhaps in collaboration with an opposing view from Gellersen. Bring the popcorn.
Tbh I don't think a dorm renovation will fix anything. Beacon Memorial opened and enrollment went down 30% since its opening.
Valpo needs a full on makeover on how it's student body operates in order to survive.
There is not even a place for parents to stay over with their kids for homecoming , graduation, etc. minus the lone holiday inn.
Valpo has gotten worlds behind in several factors from the 3 state schools and Butler/Notre Dame just here in Indiana.
Proof is in the pudding. And I'm not being doom and gloom. But when I see old timers arguing about keeping artwork vs progress. Or when the proposed progress doesn't really fix anything. Im not hopeful at all.
Just drove by Saint Joes in Rensselaer ironically. Similar infrastructure. On pace for same results.
Valpo has a healthy endowment however compared to St. Joe's, for which is a bad comparison.
One way or another, Valpo's gotta do the right thing for sustainability in the near and long term. Selling artwork is a band aid to the longer issue, although I think it's the right decision as well as getting a new basketball coach if you want to really be D1.
Valpo 22, I disagree as I'd imagine 95% of the student body knows they have a division 1 basketball team.
Not really sure what dropping to D3 would do for school. Roughly 45 more kids pay tuition?
Football just received 450k to play New Mexico State. I'd imagine non conference looks similar in at least basketball
I hate to stay D1 if Valpo commits and accepts being a product with the recent apathy and sub mediocrity. Paying out Lottich is crumbs compared to the big picture.
Quote from: valpo22 on March 22, 2023, 08:35:24 PM
Good point about the social media making it very clear what sort of experience people at other institutions are having. Had not thought of that as a game changer, but it's probable true for both students and staff
As someone on the front lines of all this, I can absolutely state this is a huge part of everything that is happening.
While acknowledging the reality of the student-as-consumer mentality that now dominates U.S. higher education, the social media dynamics that are driving this particular brand of it are very unfortunate. It's mainly about superficial comparisons and which school has the best and most creature comforts.
By contrast, it's hard to capture on TikTok a semester-long learning experience in a fascinating course taught by a stimulating teacher. How do you convey on Instagram the stimulation of a great conversation with friends over an ordinary dorm meal? And what about the impossibility of showing on FaceTime the process of intellectual or creative growth in working through an absorbing project? Guess what? Attending a college that remains committed to quality undergraduate education, smaller classes, and full-time faculty who care about teaching...really, really matters, comparatively speaking, on measures such as these. VU isn't the only school that holds such a commitment, but if someone is passing up VU for a school with more plush dorms and less personalized education so they can brag about their dorm room in a text message, that's kinda sad.
Don't get me wrong: As is obvious here, I use social media all the time in my work and personal life. But when the substance of comparing one's college experience to others boils down to such superficial measures, the priorities have become very screwed up.
"Most don't know Valpo is D1" is just grossly inaccurate.
David it's not just a TikTok.
These kids go to Illinois , Wisconsin , Indiana for the weekend and say. "Wow , I don't want to go back"
And it's different if Valpo is a prestigious school that guarantees a job on wall street or Silicon Valley. But they don't and it's the reality of the situation.
not being 240k in debt is not a superficial argument, also enjoying your collegiate experience as it's a once in a lifetime deal, also not superficial.
These are not World renounced professors walking the halls. Reality is you are probably getting same/better experience at a lot of other higher paying Universities.
Instead of more griping. I am trying to build a network of Valpo football contacts to help alumni secure jobs post graduation ( think Wabash)
If anyone is a football alum would like to talk
Quote from: valpofb16 on March 23, 2023, 04:33:30 PM
Instead of more griping. I am trying to build a network of Valpo football contacts to help alumni secure jobs post graduation ( think Wabash)
If anyone is a football alum would like to talk
This effort is value-added for a particular program. It can draw in prospects. 👍
Quote from: valpofb16 on March 23, 2023, 04:24:20 PM
David it's not just a TikTok.
These kids go to Illinois , Wisconsin , Indiana for the weekend and say. "Wow , I don't want to go back"
And it's different if Valpo is a prestigious school that guarantees a job on wall street or Silicon Valley. But they don't and it's the reality of the situation.
not being 240k in debt is not a superficial argument, also enjoying your collegiate experience as it's a once in a lifetime deal, also not superficial.
These are not World renounced professors walking the halls. Reality is you are probably getting same/better experience at a lot of other higher paying Universities.
valpofb16, I was replying more specifically to posts talking about the instant impact of social media, but I understand your overall points. I do offer some responses, however.
On the quality of the VU faculty and educational program, let me share a little insight that I didn't fully appreciate way back when: Despite my issues with VU as a student generally, I nevertheless knew that I was getting a quality classroom education, at a school where you actually knew your professors and vice versa. However, after graduating from VU and finding myself at NYU Law, a nationally ranked law school where at least a quarter of my classmates came from Ivy League schools and most of the rest from other prestigious colleges, I assumed that (1) the NYU profs must leave VU's in the dust; and (2) I was surrounded by peers who had received a superior undergraduate education. Well, I was quickly disabused of #1, when I soon discovered that a sterling reputation as a scholar did not necessarily equate into outstanding classroom teaching. But not until I returned to NYU six years after graduation as an entry-level instructor in its first-year legal writing/legal skills program and closely evaluated and graded the work of all of these Ivy League graduates did I realize that VU had prepared me well for the rigors of legal writing & analysis.
Many years later, I can't imagine that the quality of instruction at VU isn't at least comparable to what it was back then. The only problem, well documented here over the past few days, is the punishing teaching load still heaped upon its dedicated faculty.
As for the 240k in debt, that must be an extreme outlier figure. The last time I looked, the average total debt service for those in the 3 VU schools who took out loans was around 35-40k. That's still way too high than it should be, in my view, but 240k cannot be typical.
Now, as to VU kids doing road trips to IU or Illinois or Madison and wishing they could stay, of course that doesn't surprise me. Valparaiso -- the university and the town -- can't match the energy and variety of a Big 10 campus and its surroundings. But I'm betting that it's less about the dorms and more about the parties, hoopla, revelry and all the rest that goes with those big school settings. And, of course, a Big 10 school will have its share of famous faculty, big name speakers, concerts, entertainers, and all the rest.
So I understand why some students get a taste of other schools and find Valpo rather constricted by comparison. Indeed, while I was never a big partying guy, I was so ready to leave VU that I spent my final semester at its Cambridge program (where I did have the experience of a lifetime). And I was so excited to leave NW Indiana that, when NYU sent me an acceptance letter, I enthusiastically mailed in a deposit even though I'd never been to New York City.
But with the gift of hindsight, I understand that I received a very good education at VU, participated in rewarding extracurricular activities, spent a life-changing semester studying abroad, and made a significant cadre of lifelong friends. Against those measures, the dilapidated buildings, pull-out dorm beds, limited on-campus dining options, and sleepy surrounding town (Valparaiso has picked up since then) don't seem like big deals. So maybe it's with that ability to look back at what has endured about my education at VU that causes some sadness over what many students deem important in a college experience, to the point where those factors are sometimes determinative on college choice.
Quote from: valpofb16 on March 23, 2023, 04:33:30 PM
Instead of more griping. I am trying to build a network of Valpo football contacts to help alumni secure jobs post graduation ( think Wabash)
If anyone is a football alum would like to talk
If you haven't already, you might want to try getting contacts & resources from the athletics office or VU Alumni Association and from the Career Center. I know at least the Career person is a new interim this year as they were trying to rehire, but I'm guessing somebody somewhere at Valpo should have a list of past football students or maybe possible job networks that athletics students have found helpful? Maybe if you have energy around this and can make friends with one of these offices, they can help you get data from the other offices..
Must be nice to get some of the donations that Wash U StL got in this example.
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2023/03/24/enterprise-holdings-chairman-gift-washington-u.html (https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2023/03/24/enterprise-holdings-chairman-gift-washington-u.html)
Enterprise Holdings chairman, wife gift $15M to Washington U to boost student success
Andrew Taylor, executive chairman of car rental giant Enterprise Holdings, and his wife, Barbara, continued their family's support of Washington University with a $15 million gift to establish a center to support student success.
Probably apples and oranges, just different kinds of institutions.
I know I originally raised the comparison earlier in this thread since back in the day Wustl had been a local commuter school in the mid 20th century and then got a lot more financially stable. But this comparison is probably a red herring in the big picture they are just different type of universities. They're still both comprehensive universities, but WashU is only Division III for sports and isn't really known for any of the teams, though it is #1 in the US for investment metrics like "instructional wages per full time student" ($68,315). Valpo has Division I sports and a more lofty sports profile, though is #282 for instructional wages per full time student ($7,911).
So they are just engaging different kinds of priorities from student and alumni populations, which shows up in who applies for which kind of place and also what sort of donations come back on the other end.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 25, 2023, 06:14:44 AM
Probably apples and oranges, just different kinds of institutions.
I know I originally raised the comparison earlier in this thread since back in the day Wustl had been a local commuter school in the mid 20th century and then got a lot more financially stable. But this comparison is probably a red herring in the big picture they are just different type of universities. They're still both comprehensive universities, but WashU is only Division III for sports and isn't really known for any of the teams, though it is #1 in the US for investment metrics like "instructional wages per full time student" ($68,315). Valpo has Division I sports and a more lofty sports profile, though is #282 for instructional wages per full time student ($7,911).
So they are just engaging different kinds of priorities from student and alumni populations, which shows up in who applies for which kind of place and also what sort of donations come back on the other end.
I totally understand what you are saying about the differences between Wash U & Valpo but $15M is $15M and I just wish Valpo had someone wanting to give to Valpo that kind of money from a place like Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
BTW, Enterprise is a company that advertises or at least used to advertise that they employed many former Div I athletes and a member of the Enterprise family bought the St Louis soccer entry in the MLS, who just won their 4th match in a row, an MLS expansion team record. The Enterprise Holdings group certainly has tied themselves to sports in general and St Louis sports in particular. They have the arena where Arch Madness & the St Louis Blues play, the Enterprise Center, named for them.
Quote from: historyman on March 25, 2023, 08:22:10 AMI totally understand what you are saying about the differences between Wash U & Valpo but $15M is $15M and I just wish Valpo had someone wanting to give to Valpo that kind of money from a place like Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
There was a $15 million dollar pledge near the end of the Forever Valpo campaign.
https://www.valpo.edu/forevervalpo/2020/02/06/historic-gift/
Cost of Living in Valparaiso, Indiana
Our cost of living indices are based on a US average of 100. An amount below 100 means Valparaiso is cheaper than the US average. A cost of living index above 100 means Valparaiso, Indiana is more expensive.
Valparaiso cost of living is 100.8
https://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/city/indiana/valparaiso
Faculty salaries at the midpoint nationally = Equity
Cost of living Valparaiso IN at the midpoint nationally = Equity
Combination of equitable factors = Symmetrical Equity
Can we now conclude that the faculty salaries are not that out of line as stated earlier that it was 30% below normal.
Anywhere you work, there is going to be issues, especially regarding compensation.
Quote from: wh on March 25, 2023, 12:16:38 PM
Cost of Living in Valparaiso, Indiana
Our cost of living indices are based on a US average of 100. An amount below 100 means Valparaiso is cheaper than the US average. A cost of living index above 100 means Valparaiso, Indiana is more expensive.
Valparaiso cost of living is 100.8
https://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/city/indiana/valparaiso
Faculty salaries at the midpoint nationally = Equity
Cost of living Valparaiso IN at the midpoint nationally = Equity
Combination of equitable factors = Symmetrical Equity
I'm not sure where this discussion concluded that VU faculty salaries were at a point of national equity, especially when considering teaching load. Anyway, a key statistic from the "best places" site is that Valparaiso housing prices (averaging ~$301k) are about 35% over the state average. Practically speaking, saving to buy a home in Valparaiso on a $50k salary for new faculty -- as Diaspora has explained -- is very difficult, especially in view of what appears to be a low ceiling on what one can expect to earn even as a tenured professor.
vufb16 noted that the average entry-level salary for a VU grad is $55,000, in the context of his point that someone going to a state school could do just as well at a much lower cost. What does it say when VU is paying entry-level, full-time, tenure-track faculty, most of whom have a Ph.D. in hand, less than the average VU graduate with a bachelor's degree?
David81 - in this discussion there needs to be comparable metrics and evaluate the responsibilities. Working as a professor at Valpo to primarily educate is much different than a position in industry. In my career and experiences I saw coworkers leaving industry to go to academia because they were tired and frustrated with the politics and stress. However, I have seen the opposite of people employed in academia goin to industry for different political reasons and in cases more pay or a new challenge.
Back to employment as a professor, not in industry - are Valparaiso professors compensation way below the norm?
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 26, 2023, 07:11:40 AM
David81 - in this discussion there needs to be comparable metrics and evaluate the responsibilities. Working as a professor at Valpo to primarily educate is much different than a position in industry. In my career and experiences I saw coworkers leaving industry to go to academia because they were tired and frustrated with the politics and stress. However, I have seen the opposite of people employed in academia goin to industry for different political reasons and in cases more pay or a new challenge.
Back to employment as a professor, not in industry - are Valparaiso professors compensation way below the norm?
usc4valpo, no one is suggesting a corporate-type salary for full-time academics. Nor is the $55k average salary for new VU grads limited to those in high-paying vocations. It includes both the entry-level engineering graduate and the entry-level theatre major. The juxtaposition is a fair one.
In any event, wouldn't you agree that VU, as a Christian university embracing values and ethics, should pay entering full-time faculty a salary that anticipates at least a serviceable middle-class lifestyle, assuming satisfactory performance and accompanying raises? Or is this where suddenly the "market" supplants values and ethics as the only factor considered? If so, VU professors on that market in both the liberal arts and the professional disciplines have found better salaries and lighter teaching loads elsewhere. Thus, unless Valpo wants to be a proverbial "starter school" or "farm system," giving up on the idea of a base of dedicated, tenured faculty, maybe it should think about paying better salaries to its faculty.
Keep in mind that we're not talking about Wall Street raises & bonuses here. A whopping 20% salary adjustment for profs earning $50k translates into a $60k salary the next year, hardly the stuff of lives of luxury.
I guess I am lost, which is nothing new. Are Valpo professors, based on their specialty, significantly (30%) underpaid compared to the national average? I also believe compensation should be primarily market based for that position.
Perhaps we should compare salaries to those at Drake, Bradley, Evansville and Creighton.
Regarding cost of living factors, I understand, and this challenge is present everywhere. Valparaiso is in the middle of the road for cost of living.
The personnel expenses for faculty is an interesting one (sort of....) and yes, those schools seem like good peers for faculty. But from non-university business world I don't have much to say.
It seems like that issue size (maybe a $5k-10k variance per faculty member for maybe an estimate of 70-80 non-professional relevant faculty affected?) might pale next to the freshman dorm, the paintings sale, and the coach buyout. I agree with WH that the approximate $1m cost of the coach buyout seems out of line with the severity of those other issues if it was NOT donor funded. Most of the revenue gains from a coaching change could be gradual over 3-4 years even though our fellow board members live and breathe VU basketball sometimes. In terms of benchmarking the dorm commitment it seems we should compare ourselves to the same peer schools as competitors in academics and assess their realistic enrollment forecasts.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 27, 2023, 08:12:09 AMI guess I am lost, which is nothing new. Are Valpo professors, based on their specialty, significantly (30%) underpaid compared to the national average? I also believe compensation should be primarily market based for that position.
I am not sure who mentioned this 30% underpay first but I know I did in an earlier post. And again, to clarify it one more time, the figure 30% is correct, I can vouch for that BUT in comparison not to the national average but with the average of our peer institutions. There is a list of peer institutions which our administration uses as a benchmark for many things such as: teaching load, student/faculty ratio, percentage of tenured professors versus adjuncts, research expectations etc...A national average is not really fair because you will have in that basket completely different type of institutions. By that metric a full prof pulling 150K at Purdue University is criminally overpaid when in comparison to Big Ten schools (which is the correct comparison given what is expected of him) he earns close to the average.
This peer list exists for a reason. I am sick and tired to look at the best and brightest on that list when it comes to demands and then look at the bottom when it comes to compensation. In fact, I know of a colleague who said something along the lines "you can't pay more then how about ask us to do less".
Also the cost of living adjustment is taken into account and we are still around 30% under. Several years ago they did use the cost of living adjustment to show that the underpay is not that bad. Now even with that correction we are still that much under, again, compared to peers.
In any case, the reality is that this is not Padilla fault. This is a problem neglected for decades which now with the bad economy (inflation, etc) on top of that it shows now a very ugly face. If they had addressed this issue gradually over the last decades maybe we would have been now say 10% below the mean and people would have accepted that these are just bad economic times.
Whoever wants this university to NOT fail must understand that we already have stuff (I don't know how many) that qualifies for food stamps. If we continue this lousy approach (come up with a plan in a year, implemented in 3 years and maybe we see some uptick in 5 years, etc...) I would not be surprised to hear about even junior faculty qualifying for assistance...Who knows...Would there be people still working at VU then? Sure. Would you send your kid to that kind of school?
As I mentioned in earlier posts, it's not about me here. I am not in the worst position. What riles me up is the embarrassing aspect of the whole thing for many years now. This is what I hate. I even refused long time ago to participate in search committees. We cater and lure the best possible, we snatch them for an interview and then we embarrass ourselves when the conversation gets to the compensation part.
Put it differently, if 15 or so of our peer are 30% above us, it is us doing something fundamentally wrong not them and not nature.
Quote from: valpo22 on March 27, 2023, 08:55:23 PMDejavu, do you think there is still time to change tack? I agree with you on all of this but where it gets discouraging is that the university ought to have put some effort into catching up in the 90s and early 2000s when there was still applicant energy bolstering from below and some good PR wind from the Drews etc. That was the time to invest in bringing the university up to par with peer institutions and to press into hiring and keeping the best ... But now after so many years, it will be much harder to do since the effects of all the mediocrity have set in so much and everything feels to be in a tailspin. So I worry the window has closed or is nearly closed — since is it really possible for a university to bring itself up to par when the enrollment is already in such steep decline? Now everything is contracting, and even if the university had a lightbulb moment about how to be a functional institution that incentivizes excellence and commitment, unfortunately the speed of everything swirling round the drain has a gravity to it that makes it harder to pop free of . Do you think it can still be done?
I really don't know but I lost completely my trust in those leading this institution. If they will prove me wrong I will be the first to knock on their doors, give thanks and raise money for their statues. My status, my seniority and many other factors converge into me probably staying here and, hopefully, the time horizon is in such a way that I will retire before the ship sinks. But that is a bet like any other.
There are still solutions but I don't think there are people determined and capable to implement them. What needs to be done is an emergency one time across the board raise to bring it above the embarrassing level. Something substantial that restores some faith in this place. Even if it means increasing the debt, selling more stuff, I don't know. See, if those in power really believe the place is in danger to be closed they may have a different sense of urgency...
I don't see this sense of urgency...Instead is the same old thing: let's have a committee look at the issue, in 3-4 months that committee reports something on a bunch of slides, then we propose some plan and discuss that plan some more, then we have target to start that plan 5 years from now. That's what they do right now.
I also believe the faculty as a whole are to blame. In this place I don't see many holding the higher ups feet on the fire. Except maybe to painting issue. But ask yourself this: if an entire department (a critical one) comes at the president door and says: give us 10% raise now or we all resign today. Something tells me solutions will be found at least partial ones. Now, if only 1-2 resign in the middle of year (that happened) they don't care as long as the remaining suckers pick up the slack.
But, see, professors, by the nature of their profession, are not the kind of people who are comfortable having this type of blackmail negotiations. Instead they are good at dialogue, arguments, making committees and lots and lots of discussions.
Quote from: DejaVU on March 27, 2023, 09:38:44 PM
I really don't know but I lost completely my trust in those leading this institution. If they will prove me wrong I will be the first to knock on their doors, give thanks and raise money for their statues. My status, my seniority and many other factors converge into me probably staying here and, hopefully, the time horizon is in such a way that I will retire before the ship sinks. But that is a bet like any other.
There are still solutions but I don't think there are people determined and capable to implement them. What needs to be done is an emergency one time across the board raise to bring it above the embarrassing level. Something substantial that restores some faith in this place. Even if it means increasing the debt, selling more stuff, I don't know. See, if those in power really believe the place is in danger to be closed they may have a different sense of urgency...
I don't see this sense of urgency...Instead is the same old thing: let's have a committee look at the issue, in 3-4 months that committee reports something on a bunch of slides, then we propose some plan and discuss that plan some more, then we have target to start that plan 5 years from now. That's what they do right now.
I also believe the faculty as a whole are to blame. In this place I don't see many holding the higher ups feet on the fire. Except maybe to painting issue. But ask yourself this: if an entire department (a critical one) comes at the president door and says: give us 10% raise now or we all resign today. Something tells me solutions will be found at least partial ones. Now, if only 1-2 resign in the middle of year (that happened) they don't care as long as the remaining suckers pick up the slack.
But, see, professors, by the nature of their profession, are not the kind of people who are comfortable having this type of blackmail negotiations. Instead they are good at dialogue, arguments, making committees and lots and lots of discussions.
Outside of a circle of prestigious schools where, basically, faculty entitlement tends to run high, higher ed faculty are often not great advocates. The skills that make them dedicated, effective educators and scholars are not the skills that translate into being effective at institutional boxing when it's called for. In such settings, the ones who stand up, often stand out.
22 - I understand your frustration and I would not want to be in Padilla's position right now. However, don't make conclusions on the coaching buyout on how it was conducted. The coaching change was imperative, and it not, Valpo's perspective makes us look very weak regarding a commitment to success. listen to Small's video on YouTube to understand the importance.
Dude, that's cold.
Here's my point regarding the basketball program - if you want to be a successful D1 program, you need to operate it as such. Padilla and Small are taking the necessary actions to improve the program, which is required for success. If not, then do not have a D1 program. Historically, the basketball program has done much in name and recognition to Valparaiso University, and the commitment from the university to the program has not been mutual.
Second - regarding declining enrollment at mid size private universities and Valpo in particular, it's a big problem, and monetarily far, far more than any payout to ML. The payout is crumbs compared to the big picture.
Fourth, there's a $250M endowment so Valpo is going to stay afloat for awhile.
How do you keep the university or a business sustainable? Determine your identity and focus and build on your strengths.
Also, as a point of comparison, a new Valparaiso public school educator now earns $51,000, which is more than many entering VU full-time professors. A 22-year old with a bachelors degree earns more than a 30-year old with doctorate in tow.
There's no plausible defense for the faculty pay scale at VU, especially with the super heavy teaching loads. It's basically the same attitude that has prevailed for decades: The privilege of teaching (and more teaching) is compensation in and of itself, and if you don't agree, there's the door. That may have been defensible during the days of a ramshackle physical plant and dirt-cheap tuition and a fundraising operation so inadequate that engineering students had to raise $$$ for their own building. Genteel academic poverty is more acceptable when it's the norm across the board. But it's a shinier campus with hefty tuition, and somehow the latter isn't translating into more respectable salaries.
what is a ballpark salary for a 30-year old with doctorate in tow? and what is tow?
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 28, 2023, 09:43:41 AM
How do you keep the university or a business sustainable? Determine your identity and focus and build on your strengths.
VU's identity as a private, Lutheran, comprehensive university dedicated especially to quality, undergraduate teaching has been well-established for some time. Building on that strength means compensating the most important employees as if they matter. That's not the case with VU and its faculty.
By contrast, one could argue that — aside from a legendary Sweet 16 run and the legacy of the Drew family — VU's overall D1 performance and revenue-generation record are not institutional strengths, competitively speaking. And yet folks here will argue that it's part of the core mission of the university.
Personally, I think it's worth seeing if a new head MBB coach will return VU to a place of relevance and if Coach Fox can reverse decades of losing seasons. But five years from now, if it's just more of the same, then it's time to pull the plug on D1 sports.
I tend to agree with your statement. I also think college athletics are going to change drastically in a rapid fashion. Valpo needs to follow the trend if they really want to commit to D1.
Charles Barkley is outspoken but has a point...
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/charles-barkley-nil-college-basketball/tyxtkzbhaenuvo3fneyo4v3b
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 28, 2023, 10:13:47 AM
what is a ballpark salary for a 30-year old with doctorate in tow? and what is tow?
I can't say for sure, yet I doubt that VU is hiring tenured or tenure-track faculty in any discipline for less that $50K. They might offer part-time or fixed-term renewable instructors for that in certain fields - for example, hiring a one-year instructor of English at low salary just because there dozens or hundreds of English PhDs looking for positions.
In terms of ballpark salaries, the range is incredibly wide. It depends on the discipline and the university. If it is Business, Purdue, Indiana and Notre Dame would hire a newly-minted PhD for a tenure track position for perhaps $200K, including salary and summer research support. As to the high end, just this year, the University of Rochester made an offer for a newly-minted PhD in Finance at $275K. Clearly, VU is not paying that much, yet if they want to hire faculty in business, they probably have to offer at least in the low six figure range. The last numbers I have available showed the Jim Brodzinski, the former Dean of Business, made $214K in 2020.
Quote from: valpo95 on March 28, 2023, 10:51:06 AM
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 28, 2023, 10:13:47 AM
I can't say for sure, yet I doubt that VU is hiring tenured or tenure-track faculty in any discipline for less that $50K. They might offer part-time or fixed-term renewable instructors for that in certain fields - for example, hiring a one-year instructor of English at low salary just because there dozens or hundreds of English PhDs looking for positions.
In terms of ballpark salaries, the range is incredibly wide. It depends on the discipline and the university. If it is Business, Purdue, Indiana and Notre Dame would hire a newly-minted PhD for a tenure track position for perhaps $200K, including salary and summer research support. As to the high end, just this year, the University of Rochester made an offer for a newly-minted PhD in Finance at $275K. Clearly, VU is not paying that much, yet if they want to hire faculty in business, they probably have to offer at least in the low six figure range. The last numbers I have available showed the Jim Brodzinski, the former Dean of Business, made $214K in 2020.
Read back to posts by Diaspora (former VU tenure-track faculty member, now happily at another, more prestigious school, earning a much higher salary, with a lighter teaching load) for entry-level salary figures. Your doubts will be answered. I was stunned by those figures.
Quote from: David81 on March 28, 2023, 12:59:52 PM
Read back to posts by Diaspora (former VU tenure-track faculty member, now happily at another, more prestigious school, earning a much higher salary, with a lighter teaching load) for entry-level salary figures. Your doubts will be answered. I was stunned by those figures.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 21, 2023, 12:51:50 PM
...
I admit I am not sure what goes into those averages, and of course they vary widely between disciplines/schools. I know for certain that new asst profs in A&S were coming in at around 50-52 these last few years (with the 5% cut and salary reduction clawback, then went down to around $48.5K for me in a humanities disciplines). I know some of the A&S meteorology folk who'd reached associate and been there a dozen or so years had over the years inched up to around the $59/60K mark through promotions. But the going rater for engineering and business school profs is a lot higher, and there are also some specialty faculty (like university level chairs) who have much nicer packages that probably pull the averages up on an institutional level.
...
Is that what you had in mind? If so, it shows that the bottom end of the pay scale is right at $50K, at least for tenured or tenure-track professors (and I suppose after the 5% pay cut). This is still very low, yet is discipline dependent. VU could not possibly hire tenure-track Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering or Business PhDs for that kind of money.
Quote from: valpo95 on March 28, 2023, 03:48:29 PM
Quote from: David81 on March 28, 2023, 12:59:52 PM
Read back to posts by Diaspora (former VU tenure-track faculty member, now happily at another, more prestigious school, earning a much higher salary, with a lighter teaching load) for entry-level salary figures. Your doubts will be answered. I was stunned by those figures.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 21, 2023, 12:51:50 PM
...
I admit I am not sure what goes into those averages, and of course they vary widely between disciplines/schools. I know for certain that new asst profs in A&S were coming in at around 50-52 these last few years (with the 5% cut and salary reduction clawback, then went down to around $48.5K for me in a humanities disciplines). I know some of the A&S meteorology folk who'd reached associate and been there a dozen or so years had over the years inched up to around the $59/60K mark through promotions. But the going rater for engineering and business school profs is a lot higher, and there are also some specialty faculty (like university level chairs) who have much nicer packages that probably pull the averages up on an institutional level.
...
Is that what you had in mind? If so, it shows that the bottom end of the pay scale is right at $50K, at least for tenured or tenure-track professors (and I suppose after the 5% pay cut). This is still very low, yet is discipline dependent. VU could not possibly hire tenure-track Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering or Business PhDs for that kind of money.
Her observations on more senior salaries in Meteorology -- topping out around $60k -- yet one of the most popular A&S departments, says a lot about how the university regards those faculty.
Quote from: valpo95 on March 28, 2023, 03:48:29 PM
Quote from: David81 on March 28, 2023, 12:59:52 PM
Read back to posts by Diaspora (former VU tenure-track faculty member, now happily at another, more prestigious school, earning a much higher salary, with a lighter teaching load) for entry-level salary figures. Your doubts will be answered. I was stunned by those figures.
Quote from: ValpoDiaspora on March 21, 2023, 12:51:50 PM
...
I admit I am not sure what goes into those averages, and of course they vary widely between disciplines/schools. I know for certain that new asst profs in A&S were coming in at around 50-52 these last few years (with the 5% cut and salary reduction clawback, then went down to around $48.5K for me in a humanities disciplines). I know some of the A&S meteorology folk who'd reached associate and been there a dozen or so years had over the years inched up to around the $59/60K mark through promotions. But the going rater for engineering and business school profs is a lot higher, and there are also some specialty faculty (like university level chairs) who have much nicer packages that probably pull the averages up on an institutional level.
...
Is that what you had in mind? If so, it shows that the bottom end of the pay scale is right at $50K, at least for tenured or tenure-track professors (and I suppose after the 5% pay cut). This is still very low, yet is discipline dependent. VU could not possibly hire tenure-track Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering or Business PhDs for that kind of money.
You could not hire a business PhD for a tenure track faculty position for under $90K - and the floor would probably be about $110K for finance or accounting.
IMO the frustration being expressed over faculty salaries at Valpo is emblematic of a larger issue, i.e., are educators undervalued relative to other vocations in American society? It's a big topic, maybe too big for a message board discussion. I just thought I would throw it out there.
wh, great general, high-level point that you brought up. I am sure faculty at Valpo are underpaid, and they are employed at a university that is struggling financially. Maybe their compensation is not 30% below par with all thing being taken into consideration, but certainly underpaid. Who really knows the real numbers.
I think I upset someone who disagrees, and please don't take this stuff personal. Disagreeing on the coaching situation and the buyout should not result in an environment similar to what we see in Congress.
I will say this - if an employee is unhappy about their situation, seeking other employment opportunities should always be considered. You always need to determine your market value. I see some being loyal to Valpo and what they are about, but is Valpo being loyal to them? This is similar to what goes on in industry - we just saw the great resignation during COVID and now we are seeing the quiet quitter. in today's world, people need to do what's best for them. Most universities and companies won't think twice about laying off employees for the almighty dollar or to stay afloat.
Quote from: wh on March 30, 2023, 06:45:45 AM
IMO the frustration being expressed over faculty salaries at Valpo is emblematic of a larger issue, i.e., are educators undervalued relative to other vocations in American society? It's a big topic, maybe too big for a message board discussion. I just thought I would throw it out there.
I think the pay scale at Valpo may be more reflective of (1) a longstanding practice of underpaying faculty; and (2) the university's financial challenges overall.
However, unless things have changed dramatically, VU does not rely on the very exploitative practice of repeatedly paying part-time faculty tiny, stipend-level "salaries" for teaching time-intensive core courses. This is where the undervaluing of educators in higher ed really becomes evident.
At the risk of oversimplifying with one example, let's say that instead of 3 universities in the same geographic area each paying one full-time faculty $60,000 + benefits to cover 6 courses, each university covers the same 6 courses by paying the same 3 faculty members as part-timers teaching 2 courses at $4,000 per course + no benefits.
In the latter example, they get the same amount of course coverage for $24,000. Each part-time faculty member earning a total of $24,000 + no benefits, while working full-time between the three universities.
That's basically how the adjunct system works, and it is running rampant in the liberal arts, especially in covering heavy-lifting core courses like basic first-year writing and large-enrollment survey courses.
I'm a grad student at a big 10 university, and most of the first and second year courses in my scientific discipline are taught by adjuncts (and the lab supervision and grading done by grad students like myself). I definitely had it pretty good at valpo in regards to being taught by actual faculty. It seems to be a higher ed problem in general where universities hire adjuncts to squeeze a few more bucks out since you can both pay them less and cut a tenure track position at the same time...which leads to the devaluation of educators. I'm not sure what the fix would be for increasing faculty salaries at valpo, but it could be worse as they could eliminate more faculty and replace them with adjuncts, which would tarnish VU forever and remove any incentive to go there
David81 raises great points about the adjunct system where people teach classes at multiple universities. From my understanding, the going rate per course is a little higher than $4K - but the arguments hold and also occur outside of liberal arts. The difference for areas like business and engineering is that their accreditation boards require a percentage of classes be taught by tenured or tenure-track faculty, so that curbs overuse of adjunct faculty (note here that Valpo's engineering and business programs are accredited by the highest tier accreditation bodies). I should also note that some adjuncts in areas like engineering and business are experienced professionals (recently retired or still working) who want to give back to their field. These adjuncts are happy to receive some compensation for their efforts, do not need benefits, and can be excellent teachers in a specific field. Lastly, universities do hire full-time adjuncts to teach 4-4 loads. These adjuncts (often referred to as clinical faculty) are paid about 75% of what tenure/tenure-track faculty are paid (and receive full benefits). My view is that good universities emphasize these latter two types of non-tenure-track faculty and sparingly use 'traveling' adjuncts.
To Valpo22's points, I feel that Valpo needs to emphasize that more of its classes are taught by faculty (tenure-track or the latter two types of adjuncts). - not TAs, not traveling adjuncts, etc.
Quote from: DejaVU on March 21, 2023, 04:01:38 PM
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 21, 2023, 02:30:49 PMAlso, the 30% less salary for Valpo staffing seems to be exaggerated. Overall, is Valpo 30% below average or are we competitive?
It is real but, as I said, in comparison with the mean salaries of our peer institutions. And it is pretty accurate (distilled to the level of college, rank etc...) It is as close to apple vs. apples. Now, of course, if we change the peer list this difference may change up or down (who knows). Let's have a list made of bottom of the pit schools for purposes of salary comparison and another peer list with the most prestigious ones for purposes of demands on the faculty.
Also, about having 200 days off a year. That's not how this works. But I don't blame people thinking this way it is a common perception. It's just that it will take too much time to explain and I did it too many times on other occasions. Let's just say I should be so lucky. Hey, I might get a second degree and a second job in a more lucrative field. Pretty much everything needed to actually promote from assistant to full professor will fill in those days no worries.
Put it differently: people would kill to earn 60K for working less than half year no?
But this does raise a valid point: what is the fair salary compared to how much is demanded from faculty? I am going to speak for my field only (which I won't disclose for now). LOng time ago I knew an insider at Colby College. I learned about their tenure process and also about a tenure denial. Altogether, I came to the conclusion that more is expected from a typical Colby faculty than VU faculty at least in my field. Especially if you want to earn tenure (which you have to in order to stay on the job). I think I could have earned tenure at Colby but only because I did far more than I needed to here at VU (and feel stupid for it now).
However, Assistant Professors at Colby earn on average 90K or so (at least according to Glassdoor). I don't know about full profs but for sure is 6 figures. I can assure you they don't have 200 day off. But it does raise a question about whether VU faculty is paid enough for what they do. Of course it varies (some did far more others the bare minimum) but maybe the solution is to find a different peer list not just for salaries but also for other expectations. For example many teaching colleges have a 4-4 teaching load but next to no research expectation. Here at VU you need research to promote and get tenure on top of excellent teaching. What for? So that you advance to high ranked and be told you are a burden?
You might be surprised but 5-6 years ago, a certain Provost said we need to increase the pay bump for promotion because we have too few full professors and that does not look good. This now sounds like a joke. So, maybe if we drop the research expectation (too late for me but maybe for the newcomers) and just ask for efficient teaching then maybe the current salaries will be justified. As I said before, you just can't make high cuisine with MacDonalds ingredients
Sorry, I have not been keeping up, I guess I have board burn-out with all of the negativity lately. Was catching up yesterday on this thread and have to chime in. I work on the development/money administrative side of Lutheran higher education. I do not mean in any way to demean or devalue anyone's opinion regarding this topic. I do not know what the salaries are at VU because they do not report information to the LCMS. I can tell you that Lutheran higher ed has a history of underpaying faculty, and I can also state that many Concordia University System professors would love to make what profs make at VU. The highest endowment in all of the LCMS CUS schools is Concordia Wisconsin coming in at $109.3 Million. VU's endowment is more than the combined endowment of all of the CUS schools.
Do the salary numbers everyone is quoting include benefits and other perks? Are the numbers gross or net? I find that those not working on the financial side of things don't always state true compensation accurately. I also wanted to point out that comparing Colby College to VU is not exactly apples to apples. Colby has a FY22 endowment of $1.122 Billion compared with VU's FY22 endowment of $326.7 Million. I am sure they have many more endowed faculty postions than VU.
Quote from: vu72 on March 25, 2023, 10:20:23 AM
Quote from: historyman on March 25, 2023, 08:22:10 AMI totally understand what you are saying about the differences between Wash U & Valpo but $15M is $15M and I just wish Valpo had someone wanting to give to Valpo that kind of money from a place like Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
There was a $15 million dollar pledge near the end of the Forever Valpo campaign.
https://www.valpo.edu/forevervalpo/2020/02/06/historic-gift/
I have to note that this is a "deferred" gift, meaning that VU will not get the money until the will is executed and will only get that amount of money if the estate supports the gift at the time the will is executed. Our institution was just informed this week of the death of a donor in who's will we are to receive a multi million dollar gift. We will only get the full amount of the stated gift if it is supported by the value of the estate. Don't count your chickens before they are hatched!
Concordia (at least Concordia-Wisconsin) follows a model very different than Valpo for many of its areas. Take business, for example. They are not accredited by the top accreditation body (AACSB). On their webpage, they list their faculty - and they probably have 10 adjunct faculty for every professor. Why does this matter? Simple...their graduates get less pay because companies do look at reputation and accreditation when hiring new graduates. Further, many of their professors do not have PhDs - they have EdDs or or DBAs (Doctorate of Business). Without a PhD, a professor's marketability to most universities is very poor...so they make less than professors at Valpo and have worse mobility prospects.
Note that this does not apply to all areas within CUW - specifically, programs for physician assistants and pharmacy.
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 01, 2023, 12:34:21 PM
Concordia's (at least Concordia-Wisconsin) follows a model very different than Valpo for many of its areas. Take business, for example. They are not accredited by the top accreditation body (AACSB). On their webpage, they list their faculty - and they probably have 10 adjunct faculty for every professor. Why does this matter? Simple...their graduates get less pay because companies do look at reputation and accreditation when hiring new graduates. Note that this does not apply to all areas within CUW - specifically, physical therapy and pharmacy.
This is absolutely correct, many of my colleagues get upset when I tout the superiority of my VU education. ;D All of the Concordia's follow similar models.
The Concordia's are
extremely tuition driven and, in my opinion, in denial of their continued viability. Maybe working in conjunction with institutions that should be in much worse shape is why I don't truly believe VU is in the dire financial crisis being stated on this board.
Quote from: FWalum on April 01, 2023, 12:47:02 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 01, 2023, 12:34:21 PM
Concordia's (at least Concordia-Wisconsin) follows a model very different than Valpo for many of its areas. Take business, for example. They are not accredited by the top accreditation body (AACSB). On their webpage, they list their faculty - and they probably have 10 adjunct faculty for every professor. Why does this matter? Simple...their graduates get less pay because companies do look at reputation and accreditation when hiring new graduates. Note that this does not apply to all areas within CUW - specifically, physical therapy and pharmacy.
This is absolutely correct, many of my colleagues get upset when I tout the superiority of my VU education. ;D All of the Concordia's follow similar models.
The Concordia's are extremely tuition driven and, in my opinion, in denial of their continued viability. Maybe working in conjunction with institutions that should be in much worse shape is why I don't truly believe VU is in the dire financial crisis being stated on this board.
I guess I'd rather have Padilla & the board sounding the alarm early and making sure Valpo doesn't end up like MacMurray and St Joe (IN) than not be alarmed at all
Quote from: FWalum on April 01, 2023, 12:05:23 PMI also wanted to point out that comparing Colby College to VU is not exactly apples to apples. Colby has a FY22 endowment of $1.122 Billion compared with VU's FY22 endowment of $326.7 Million. I am sure they have many more endowed faculty postions than VU.
Actually, the only comparison between D-I Valpo and D-III Colby is the enrollment numbers (around 2,500 +/-).
In addition to the $Billion+ endowment, Colby just completed a separate $200 million athletic complex that replaced old facilities that Valpo could only hope for. There are no revenue sports among the 30 sports teams they sponsor, because there is no admission charged to any events. They do, however, compete in D-I Alpine Skiing and came in 16th in the country at the NCAAs last month. Their acceptance rate right now is around 9%. It used to be around 15% several years ago. 32% of students participate on varsity teams. Graduation rate is 90.5%.
As FWAlum mentioned about Concordia-WI, sure they have an enrollment of 5,000, taught largely by a ton of adjuncts, and they generate a good tuition revenue stream. But, as a result, their graduates' pay is lower. At Colby, Wall Street and Fortune 200 companies are regular visitors on their campus in rural Maine, 3 hours northeast of Boston. It's an amazing dynamic that seems to be self-sustaining.
But, I will say one thing about that dynamic. The teaching is superb - it seems to be the #1 priority over pure research (but I'll bet publishing is still important). Truly bright kids (see acceptance rate) are challenged every class by brilliant professors. And the universal theme in all classes, whether STEM or Anthropology, is critical thinking, writing skill development and problem solving. For instance, you can major in "American Studies" which is a blend of history and literature, and get a job offer from Goldman Sachs to trade futures on Wall Street without a single econ course on your transcript (of course, if you had some econ and finance, you'd be even more heavily recruited).
And the alumni base generally plows money back almost from the day they graduate. Quite the culture.
Money begets money. Different world from Valpo's.
Quote from: FWalum on April 01, 2023, 12:05:23 PMI can tell you that Lutheran higher ed has a history of underpaying faculty,
Is that a sin or a virtue? I'm not a Lutheran so I have to ask :) Just kidding.
[quote Do the salary numbers everyone is quoting include benefits and other perks? Are the numbers gross or net? These are gross salaries. Do not include the benefits. But even in this area the benefits are sup par with peers (though, as with many things, you can find worse examples). Health insurance got more and more expensive but this, let's say, is not really VU fault. But the contribution to retirement came down from 7.5% of salary to 6%. For those outside academia these seem to be high benefits but it is under the norm (which is usually around 10%). [quote I find that those not working on the financial side of things don't always state true compensation accurately. As far as I am concerned, true compensation is my salary plus 6% of it that represents the Univ contribution toward my retirement. Then the university covers about 75% of the health insurance premium. There is also a disability coverage that pays 60% of my salary until I reach retirement age in case I become disabled (one benefit that I would gladly hope not to "enjoy"). There might be other perks that I am not aware of but that is the gist of it. [quote I also wanted to point out that comparing Colby College to VU is not exactly apples to apples. Colby has a FY22 endowment of $1.122 Billion compared with VU's FY22 endowment of $326.7 Million. I am sure they have many more endowed faculty postions than VU. The only reason I used Colby as an example is to actually point out that there is a correlation between the demand on faculty and compensation. It is harder to be a profesor at Colby than at VU (just my opinion). So if VU does not have money to pay as its peers then it should at least lower the expectations from the faculty for example lowering research expectations. Especially for promotion. You need good research to earn tenure and especially to promote to full professor. YOu need in fact an external reviewer to vouch for the research value of the applicant for full professor. And then you promote only to realize that the pay gap compared to peers is the greatest for full professors...As I said in earlier posts. It's the pitiful attitude toward the whole matter not the actual dollar amount. You would think Lutheran morality would include directives such as "hey, we are small and poor, maybe we can have reasonable demands such as being an excellent teacher and maybe a paper or two". But, I think it's just market rules. If they still have people teaching classes they will continue on this course. I just hate the facade they put forward.
Two observations:
Where Lutheran education has survived internationally, it has been within state tax-supported public institutions as in Germany and Denmark. In such Northern European countries, the state funds public universities, often including a Protestant and / or Catholic theology unit, and sets all public employees in higher ed across the country on roughly the same pay scale and benefits (ie, W-3, W-3 class, etc). In the US, however, the Lutheran presence in higher ed is instead in private Lutheran institutions that have neither the state's financial support nor the state's regulations on compensation.
In the US, the ability to hire adjuncts cheaply depends mainly on location and proximity of other institutions. Many Concordias are located in places where they are more easily able to find adjunct workers than Valpo can, though access to dirt-cheap labor has not saved the CUS institutions from financial straights. Although Lutheran institutions have long underpaid faculty relative to the rest of US higher ed, they are in varying degrees of precarity, so Valpo's endowment puts it on the relatively more secure end of Lutheran institutions today.
Indeed, the endowment funds have stabilized Valpo in a place where they don't re-create a faculty year-to-year like schools on the brink constantly.
The only looming issue is the assumption that investments will rise steadily enough to distribute their current level annually. The new Fed Reserve climate would tell you that if you rely on endowment, you better hustle your money into fixed income pronto. Last year's market took a dive.
Quote from: crusadermoe on April 03, 2023, 09:29:04 AM
Indeed, the endowment funds have stabilized Valpo in a place where they don't re-create a faculty year-to-year like schools on the brink constantly.
The only looming issue is the assumption that investments will rise steadily enough to distribute their current level annually. The new Fed Reserve climate would tell you that if you rely on endowment, you better hustle your money into fixed income pronto. Last year's market took a dive.
When I have talked with people associated with endowment, they have told me that they plan around a 5 percent annual return. With inflation, they probably need to plan a bit higher - but if you look at the long-term return of the market it would seem that target will continue to be quite achievable.
Endowment funds are fairly conservative in their investment specifically to maintain stability. Extra money is gravy or can go back in to increase the size but generally they want to have it be as reliable as possible for annual funding.
Quote from: valpopal on March 21, 2023, 12:20:15 PM
Quote from: valpo tundra on March 21, 2023, 11:22:10 AM
Valpo is selling land not buying it.
As I suggested in previous posts (see below), I would not be so sure about that.
***
As we discuss value and viability of university assets, I believe the most interesting aspect of the Valpo Strategic Plan is the Vitalize Valpo Property Overview, which has some curious details. Especially significant is the Eastgate / Sturdy Road section for which an RFP (Request for Proposal) has already been done. While we are understandably and rightfully distracted by possibilities of a new ARC or Nursing School, my hunch is this could be the administration's more immediate main focus for near future economic development by the university.
https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/ (https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/)
The news I was referencing last month is now public. VU has purchased the Strongbow Inn for $2.2 million cash. Faculty knew about this and it strengthened the opposition to the art sale when they voted their resolution in the Faculty Senate on March 15.
What's their reasoning for the purchase?
Quote from: valpopal on April 04, 2023, 06:15:14 PM
Quote from: valpopal on March 21, 2023, 12:20:15 PM
Quote from: valpo tundra on March 21, 2023, 11:22:10 AM
Valpo is selling land not buying it.
As I suggested in previous posts (see below), I would not be so sure about that.
***
As we discuss value and viability of university assets, I believe the most interesting aspect of the Valpo Strategic Plan is the Vitalize Valpo Property Overview, which has some curious details. Especially significant is the Eastgate / Sturdy Road section for which an RFP (Request for Proposal) has already been done. While we are understandably and rightfully distracted by possibilities of a new ARC or Nursing School, my hunch is this could be the administration's more immediate main focus for near future economic development by the university.
https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/ (https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/)
The news I was referencing last month is now public. VU has purchased the Strongbow Inn for $2.2 million cash. Faculty knew about this and it strengthened the opposition to the art sale when they voted their resolution in the Faculty Senate on March 15.
As per another post, the endowment purchased this property - not the university. For now, this means that the land purchase is the same as buying shares of a mutual fund with endowment money. I have no idea if the university will eventually bring this land into university operations (which would require the university essentially buying it from the endowment, the use of unrestricted funds from the endowment, or donors agreeing that their endowment donations could go for the land), but it is not a valid argument that this money could be used to replace proceeds from the art sale.
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 04, 2023, 10:54:57 PM
Quote from: valpopal on April 04, 2023, 06:15:14 PM
Quote from: valpopal on March 21, 2023, 12:20:15 PM
Quote from: valpo tundra on March 21, 2023, 11:22:10 AM
Valpo is selling land not buying it.
As I suggested in previous posts (see below), I would not be so sure about that.
***
As we discuss value and viability of university assets, I believe the most interesting aspect of the Valpo Strategic Plan is the Vitalize Valpo Property Overview, which has some curious details. Especially significant is the Eastgate / Sturdy Road section for which an RFP (Request for Proposal) has already been done. While we are understandably and rightfully distracted by possibilities of a new ARC or Nursing School, my hunch is this could be the administration's more immediate main focus for near future economic development by the university.
https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/ (https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/)
The news I was referencing last month is now public. VU has purchased the Strongbow Inn for $2.2 million cash. Faculty knew about this and it strengthened the opposition to the art sale when they voted their resolution in the Faculty Senate on March 15.
As per another post, the endowment purchased this property - not the university. For now, this means that the land purchase is the same as buying shares of a mutual fund with endowment money. I have no idea if the university will eventually bring this land into university operations (which would require the university essentially buying it from the endowment, the use of unrestricted funds from the endowment, or donors agreeing that their endowment donations could go for the land), but it is not a valid argument that this money could be used to replace proceeds from the art sale.
I agree with you, and as I mentioned in a previous post, I think the purchase could be a good future economic development. I do not object at all, nor do I argue this money should "replace proceeds from the art sale." We are on the same page here. However, the faculty's position would be that while the university respects the established guidelines for spending boundaries in this transaction, the administration does not respect the established guidelines for museum proceeds boundaries in the proposed art sale.
"the administration does not respect the established guidelines for museum proceeds boundaries in the proposed art sale."
valpopal - I respect the passion that you and others have for the art. But from the many posts and articles, I have never seen anything that says guidelines were established (meaning written and signed) by those duly designated to represent the university (i.e. university President, board of trustees chairman). One party cannot create guidelines and then just assume that all parties have agreed to those guidelines.
Interestingly (and in the same context as the land purchase), VU endowment could buy the art as an investment (I have no idea if this would be a good or bad investment). However, if such a direction were to be pursued VU endowment would not (and should not) agree that they would never sell the art...since it would be an investment. Like the university itself, VU endowment's mission is not to be an art collector.
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 05, 2023, 08:08:46 AM
"the administration does not respect the established guidelines for museum proceeds boundaries in the proposed art sale."
valpopal - I respect the passion that you and others have for the art. But from the many posts and articles, I have never seen anything that says guidelines were established (meaning written and signed) by those duly designated to represent the university (i.e. university President, board of trustees chairman). One party cannot create guidelines and then just assume that all parties have agreed to those guidelines.
Interestingly (and in the same context as the land purchase), VU endowment could buy the art as an investment (I have no idea if this would be a good or bad investment). However, if such a direction were to be pursued VU endowment would not (and should not) agree that they would never sell the art...since it would be an investment. Like the university itself, VU endowment's mission is not to be an art collector.
The artworks were obtained through the Sloan Fund, donated in 1953 as part of the irrevocable Sloan Trust Agreement, ironically signed by Paul Brandt, President of the Valparaiso University Association, with the approval of O.P. Kretzmann. The agreement's deaccessioning policy required any funds created from sales be placed back into this art endowment fund for future development of the collection, as is general practice universally at museums and universities. This has been the established authoritative and unquestioned principle in the 70 years since then, faithfully followed by each of the museum directors (Brauer, Hertzlieb, Canning) and every member who has served on the university's museum collection committee, all of whom oppose the university's art sale proposal.
The deaccessioning process has similarly been recognized as established policy at universities and museums across the country, and has been detailed in documents by each of the various professional oversight organizations, including the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Art Museum Curators, the Association of Art Museum Directors, and the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, all of whom have publicly denounced as unethical the Valparaiso University proposed sale. Even President Padilla, when General Counsel at Depaul, specifically supported and enforced this policy in the wording of that university's deaccessioning policy documents. The VU administration is the "one party" not abiding by these long established guidelines.
In regards to your first paragraph, I would want to see the document (i.e., the Sloan Agreement) and who from the university signed the agreement. Signed with specific terms is binding. However, one group (museum directors, etc.) is not authorized to set or unquestionably interpret university policy. I am dubious that the Sloan Agreement has specific terms and was signed by the university president or board chairman because no one has produced the document. If I were making that argument, I would publicly show the agreement and point to the relevant passages.
In regards to your second paragraph, Valpo is not obliged to follow practices at other universities or set by outside bodies (i.e., the museum associations).
Going back to the Strongbow purchase, I found it interesting to see that the Endowment, as an entity, purchased the property. I guess that is fine and probably explained well by another person on the board who said it is like buying a mutual fund (simply another type of investment.) I don't know any legalities, but I would guess that this is the same concept as a Trust or a Pension Fund buying oroperty rather than a person buying it.
That seems creative, largely in a good sense. I wonder how much precedent there is in other schools. They would have studied this at length so a risk of loss in a growing Valparaiso metro area and probably found a good forecast.
Kudos on creativity. But let's hope we right the ship on an annual operating basis and buy things the old fashioned way.
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 05, 2023, 01:22:30 PM
In regards to your first paragraph, I would want to see the document (i.e., the Sloan Agreement) and who from the university signed the agreement. Signed with specific terms is binding. However, one group (museum directors, etc.) is not authorized to set or unquestionably interpret university policy. I am dubious that the Sloan Agreement has specific terms and was signed by the university president or board chairman because no one has produced the document. If I were making that argument, I would publicly show the agreement and point to the relevant passages.
In regards to your second paragraph, Valpo is not obliged to follow practices at other universities or set by outside bodies (i.e., the museum associations).
In regards to your first paragraph, I have already reported the agreement was signed by Paul Brandt of the Valparaiso University Association. I don't know all the exact language in the agreement, but I don't care because I am sure it is porous and not airtight, since neither Brandt nor Percy Sloan could ever imagine the university selling artworks as assets to fund dorm renovations. I know the university's lawyers could easily find verbal ways to get around the spirit of the agreement. That is why I have never made a legal argument and have made the case on ethical grounds, where there is little doubt. The historical context over the past 70 years—as seen in the practice of the Brauer Museum's directors and the members of the university's art collection committee, as well as the national history of deaccession at university museums—clearly indicates the art sale is unethical. The various professional oversight organizations have all condemned the sale as unethical. The university's faculty senate has issued a resolution declaring the sale as unethical. Padilla's own policy as General Counsel at DePaul stated art deaccession could only ethically be used to enhance a collection.
Consequently, the university will stand isolated, but you are correct that there is no legal obligation "to follow practices at other universities or outside bodies" (or the guidelines of the campus community groups, for that matter), if the administration is comfortable standing alone on a limb as an outcast (despite the VU's emphasis on ethics in its mission) with hands over ears to block the criticism of being unethical, much like when I spoke to a senior official in a conversation about the university administration's practice; he responded that they euphemistically "don't use the word 'unethical' and prefer to call it 'nuanced.'"
Quote from: valpopal on April 05, 2023, 02:58:00 PMConsequently, the university will stand isolated, but you are correct that there is no legal obligation "to follow practices at other universities or outside bodies" (or the guidelines of the campus community groups, for that matter), if the administration is comfortable standing alone on a limb as an outcast (despite the VU's emphasis on ethics in its mission) with hands over ears to block the criticism of being unethical, much like when I spoke to a senior official in a conversation about the university administration's practice; he responded that they euphemistically "don't use the word 'unethical' and prefer to call it 'nuanced.'"
Ethics, practices, outside bodies, campus community group opinions, etc etc etc, all should be taken into account, in a stable, well balanced situation, like for example, might be the case at DePaul University. What continues to be overlooked/ignored is that in the well educated, feet to the fire board and administration members,carefully considered opinions,(for all we know) Valpo is facing an existential threat from continuing reduced enrollment. Their judgement, it would appear, is that the negative reaction from groups who view the proposed sale of art work, from their respective "ivory towers", have zero idea what the guys in the trenches are facing. When the discussion changes from "ethics, practices and guidelines" to cold hard cash survival decisions on Valpo's future, then and only then can concerns about what others might think or, God forbid, sanctions from art societies, be taken as anything other than interesting observations.
So who owns the university? If it were ever liquidated who receives the money? Is there a beneficiary in the same manner that a life insurance proceeds goes to beneficiaries?
At one point there was a rumor that a "Lutheran University Association" owned the university in that name. Did the charter specify a way to elect the board of directors? Are they a self-electing board? The Concordias, to their frequent dismay as managers as administrators, are owned by the Lutheran Church. The ownership of VU may not be clear to most people. Does anyone know the charter for governance and any changes along the way? The "Alumni Association" seems self-electing as well. States own their universities. Who owns the private ones?
Quote from: vu72 on April 05, 2023, 03:36:16 PM
...God forbid, sanctions from art societies, be taken as anything other than interesting observations.
I got it, 72. In the manner of
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: "Ethics? We ain't got no ethics! We don't need no ethics! We don't have to show you any stinkin' ethics!" ;)
With the Strongbow site purchase, VU is playing an option pioneered by elite universities:
https://www.caliberco.com/what-elite-university-endowments-know-about-real-estate-investing/ (https://www.caliberco.com/what-elite-university-endowments-know-about-real-estate-investing/)
This is basically using endowment principal to buy a different kind of endowment asset. I'm no investment expert (though talk to me if you're interested in some Borders bookstore stock 🤣), but it strikes me as being a smart move.
Quote from: valpopal on April 05, 2023, 02:58:00 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 05, 2023, 01:22:30 PM
In regards to your first paragraph, I would want to see the document (i.e., the Sloan Agreement) and who from the university signed the agreement. Signed with specific terms is binding. However, one group (museum directors, etc.) is not authorized to set or unquestionably interpret university policy. I am dubious that the Sloan Agreement has specific terms and was signed by the university president or board chairman because no one has produced the document. If I were making that argument, I would publicly show the agreement and point to the relevant passages.
In regards to your second paragraph, Valpo is not obliged to follow practices at other universities or set by outside bodies (i.e., the museum associations).
In regards to your first paragraph, I have already reported the agreement was signed by Paul Brandt of the Valparaiso University Association. I don't know all the exact language in the agreement, but I don't care because I am sure it is porous and not airtight, since neither Brandt nor Percy Sloan could ever imagine the university selling artworks as assets to fund dorm renovations. I know the university's lawyers could easily find verbal ways to get around the spirit of the agreement. That is why I have never made a legal argument and have made the case on ethical grounds, where there is little doubt. The historical context over the past 70 years—as seen in the practice of the Brauer Museum's directors and the members of the university's art collection committee, as well as the national history of deaccession at university museums—clearly indicates the art sale is unethical. The various professional oversight organizations have all condemned the sale as unethical. The university's faculty senate has issued a resolution declaring the sale as unethical. Padilla's own policy as General Counsel at DePaul stated art deaccession could only ethically be used to enhance a collection.
Consequently, the university will stand isolated, but you are correct that there is no legal obligation "to follow practices at other universities or outside bodies" (or the guidelines of the campus community groups, for that matter), if the administration is comfortable standing alone on a limb as an outcast (despite the VU's emphasis on ethics in its mission) with hands over ears to block the criticism of being unethical, much like when I spoke to a senior official in a conversation about the university administration's practice; he responded that they euphemistically "don't use the word 'unethical' and prefer to call it 'nuanced.'"
I think it is interesting that in the previous post you seemed to emphasize that the Sloan Trust was irrevocable. That sounds impressive, but the irrevocable part generally refers to the fact that the
grantor has received some benefit (most generally a tax benefit). Here is the legal definition of an irrevocable trust:
An irrevocable trust is a type of trust typically created for asset protection and reduced federal estate taxes. They are designed so the creator of the trust (the grantor), can designate assets of their choosing to transfer over to a recipient (the beneficiary).
Once established, irrevocable trusts can't be changed or canceled by the grantor (hence the "irrevocable" in their name). The grantor forfeits ownership and authority over the trust and is unable to make any changes or amendments to the terms of the trust without permission from the beneficiary or a court order. A third-party member called a trustee is responsible for managing and overseeing an irrevocable trust. I don't know that the trustee has ever been revealed, I am guessing that VU is the beneficiary and that the LUA board may now be the trustee because named trustees may all be deceased.
I still would like to hear views on why the ethical stance of other third parties is more ethical than the widely accepted ethical practice (backed by legal requirements) that nonprofits, especially education nonprofits, should engage in Mission Related Investing. I would prefer that VU not have to sell the art, but lets face facts, these are assets held by VU that are, for the most part, nonperforming assets and as you stated:
Quoteneither Brandt nor Percy Sloan could ever imagine the university selling artworks as assets to fund dorm renovations.
Because in their wildest dreams they would have never foreseen that the value of just the O'Keeffe would increase at least 142,900%. These paintings were purchased by VU using money given to the university. They are unique in that they are both academic and monetary assets that have
greatly increased in value.
Quote from: valpopal on April 05, 2023, 02:58:00 PMI know the university's lawyers could easily find verbal ways to get around the spirit of the agreement. That is why I have never made a legal argument and have made the case on ethical grounds, where there is little doubt.
I think there is a lot of doubt as to who's ethics should take president. Should the widely accepted ethical museum practices trump the widely accepted ethical nonprofit Mission Related Investing practices that would dictate that holding a nonperforming high value asset is unethical??? Would the Sloan's, who had some regard and perhaps even love for VU, hold the value of these pieces of art above VU's mission and the potential demise of the university??
One other note, I don't believe the endowment could purchase the art because the art is already owned by the university. The endowment could buy the Strongbow property because it must be deemed a prudent investment and obviously was not already owned by VU.
Quote from: crusadermoe on April 05, 2023, 03:44:54 PM
So who owns the university? If it were ever liquidated who receives the money? Is there a beneficiary in the same manner that a life insurance proceeds goes to beneficiaries?
At one point there was a rumor that a "Lutheran University Association" owned the university in that name. Did the charter specify a way to elect the board of directors? Are they a self-electing board? The Concordias, to their frequent dismay as managers as administrators, are owned by the Lutheran Church. The ownership of VU may not be clear to most people. Does anyone know the charter for governance and any changes along the way? The "Alumni Association" seems self-electing as well. States own their universities. Who owns the private ones?
I can only make an educated guess, based on the fact that many of the same people/congregations were involved with the Lutheran University Association's purchase of VU as were involved with the establishment of Lutheran Hospital here in Fort Wayne in the early 1900's. When Lutheran Hospital was sold in 1995 for 137 million the money went back to the founding congregations, forming the Lutheran Foundation. The Lutheran Foundation is governed by a board elected by delegates from the congregations. I believe that LUA owns the university. This is pure speculation based on how a similar/related group was organized.
Quote from: FWalum on April 06, 2023, 11:18:57 AM
I think there is a lot of doubt as to who's ethics should take president. Should the widely accepted ethical museum practices trump the widely accepted ethical nonprofit Mission Related Investing practices that would dictate that holding a nonperforming high value asset is unethical??? Would the Sloan's, who had some regard and perhaps even love for VU, hold the value of these pieces of art above VU's mission and the potential demise of the university??
It seems your argument comes down to the single premise that some vague mission related investing practice, in which I see no reference to the category of university museum art, should take precedence over very specific art deaccession policies clearly stated in numerous statements by universities, museums, and cultural associations across the country. I'd also like to see a definition of "nonperforming" that would apply to the university museum collection. In fact, if you want to seek precedents, search museum deaccessioning and discover the fiascos created in the few times when such art sales for purposes other than collection enhancement were tried. There is a good reason we don't see any other universities bartering their art collections. Additionally, your premise assumes "the potential demise of the university" if the paintings aren't sold, which is a totally false dichotomy that implies if VU didn't have these three pieces the doors of the university would be closed.
These articles may have been presented in this thread. Searched and couldn't find the name of the author, so here they are:
https://www.artsjournal.com/worth/2023/03/it-is-ok-for-a-college-to-sell-art/
https://www.artsjournal.com/worth/2023/03/really-it-is-ok-for-a-college-to-sell-art/
Quote from: valpopal on April 06, 2023, 12:58:19 PM
Quote from: FWalum on April 06, 2023, 11:18:57 AM
I think there is a lot of doubt as to who's ethics should take president. Should the widely accepted ethical museum practices trump the widely accepted ethical nonprofit Mission Related Investing practices that would dictate that holding a nonperforming high value asset is unethical??? Would the Sloan's, who had some regard and perhaps even love for VU, hold the value of these pieces of art above VU's mission and the potential demise of the university??
It seems your argument comes down to the single premise that some vague mission related investing practice, in which I see no reference to the category of university museum art, should take precedence over very specific art deaccession policies clearly stated in numerous statements by universities, museums, and cultural associations across the country. I'd also like to see a definition of "nonperforming" that would apply to the university museum collection. In fact, if you want to seek precedents, search museum deaccessioning and discover the fiascos created in the few times when such art sales for purposes other than collection enhancement were tried. There is a good reason we don't see any other universities bartering their art collections. Additionally, your premise assumes "the potential demise of the university" if the paintings aren't sold, which is a totally false dichotomy that implies if VU didn't have these three pieces the doors of the university would be closed.
"Randolph College's Maier Museum of Art in Virginia sold a George Bellows painting for $25.5 million to help fund its operations in 2014."
QuoteIn an interview Saturday, Bradley W. Bateman, the president of Randolph (who is new to the college and wasn't involved in the decision), defended the sale.
He said flatly that Randolph may operate an art museum, but that the college "is a college, not a museum," and has no obligation to abide by the guidelines of organizations that focus on academic or non-academic museums and galleries.
"I have to say that the primary fiduciary responsibility of the college's Board of Trustees is to provide the highest quality liberal education available," he said. "The college has to be financially sustainable," he said. The college's endowment is currently $136 million, so a $25 million boost will be considerable. "It will help us meet our financial objectives," he said.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/02/10/college-sells-painting-25-million-build-endowment#:~:text=More%20than%20six%20years%20after,%2425.5%20million%20for%20its%20endowment.
Quite interesting about Randolph College art sale in 2014. It's hard to argue with the idea that the "tail (art) cannot wag the dog" (core mission and viability.)
On the Randolph standard, Valpo is actually to be commended for protecting the asset of a sale windfall for creation of a new asset (the dorm.) It looks like Randolph just decided to bail out their operating revenue in some fashion. Or did they put it into their endowment to yield annually?
Quote from: crusadermoe on April 06, 2023, 03:33:42 PM
Quite interesting about Randolph College art sale in 2014. It's hard to argue with the idea that the "tail (art) cannot wag the dog" (core mission and viability.)
On the Randolph standard, Valpo is actually to be commended for protecting the asset of a sale windfall for creation of a new asset (the dorm.) It looks like Randolph just decided to bail out their operating revenue in some fashion. Or did they put it into their endowment to yield annually?
I don't know. It appears they have done this before in 2007. The then president said:
QuoteThe college's goal is to raise at least $32 million over all to shore up its endowment and reduce a steep operating deficit.
"This has been a lengthy, soul-searching process," John E. Klein, Randolph's president, said in a telephone interview yesterday. The college changed its name and began admitting men this fall in hopes of arresting a decline in enrollment. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/arts/design/02gallery.html
Quote from: valpopal on April 06, 2023, 12:58:19 PM
Quote from: FWalum on April 06, 2023, 11:18:57 AM
I think there is a lot of doubt as to who's ethics should take president. Should the widely accepted ethical museum practices trump the widely accepted ethical nonprofit Mission Related Investing practices that would dictate that holding a nonperforming high value asset is unethical??? Would the Sloan's, who had some regard and perhaps even love for VU, hold the value of these pieces of art above VU's mission and the potential demise of the university??
It seems your argument comes down to the single premise that some vague mission related investing practice, in which I see no reference to the category of university museum art, should take precedence over very specific art deaccession policies clearly stated in numerous statements by universities, museums, and cultural associations across the country. I'd also like to see a definition of "nonperforming" that would apply to the university museum collection. In fact, if you want to seek precedents, search museum deaccessioning and discover the fiascos created in the few times when such art sales for purposes other than collection enhancement were tried. There is a good reason we don't see any other universities bartering their art collections. Additionally, your premise assumes "the potential demise of the university" if the paintings aren't sold, which is a totally false dichotomy that implies if VU didn't have these three pieces the doors of the university would be closed.
I almost don't know why I bother. I ask a question and all you do is reword my question in a manner to fit your narrative and then throw it back in my face without nary an answer. MRI is not some vague practice, if it is I spend a lot of time at investment and financial committee meetings discussing this vague practice. I doubt if our auditors think it is a vague practice.
You are correct, I should have called the art an under performing asset, the art in question is an asset that incurs costs such as insurance, security and storage. I am sure those aren't the only costs involved with maintaining a very expensive piece of artwork. The artwork generates notoriety, acclaim, appreciates in value, and lending revenue for VU. I believe that the artwork costs VU a significant amount of money each year, which one can swallow for a time with most assets because there is generally the opportunity to sell an asset at its appreciated value. Because the art only costs the university money and presumably can not be sold, it under performs when compared to other assets the university has prudently invested.
5 years ago we had donors that wanted to give us a significant piece of art, worth approximately 20 times less than the Rust Red Hills, to be hung in our library. There is other artwork in this space, but nothing worth more than $20,000. After researching how much additional it would cost for insurance, security and an appropriate display area we politely declined the donation explaining to the donors that this did not fit our mission of training church workers. It would have actually cost us money to accept the donation and fund raise for an endowment to care for the painting. Eventually they agreed.
I do not believe that VU is in immediate jeopardy of closing its doors, although it seems that a number of people on this forum are sounding the death knell. crusadermoe is asking questions about liquidation. Comments to the Tribune and Times articles wonder who would even attend this basically bankrupt university.
Breaking News... this is not true. My point is that most donors with an affinity for an institution would be happy that an asset they donated had risen in value 142,000%, and for that asset to be used to further the mission of the institution. Brauer museum may be part of that mission, but it is not the most important part.
Please answer these questions, is holding on to the art more important than the financial health of the university?? How bad would it have to get before these assets can be used?? If these types of assets had been held by Concordia Selma, Bronxville or Portland they would have been sold to try and save those universities, museum associations be dammed. Have you felt the pain of these types of closures? I can assure you that closing a university is more of a fiasco than anything a museum association can dish out.
Quote from: FWalum on April 06, 2023, 05:05:11 PM
Quote from: valpopal on April 06, 2023, 12:58:19 PM
Quote from: FWalum on April 06, 2023, 11:18:57 AM
I think there is a lot of doubt as to who's ethics should take president. Should the widely accepted ethical museum practices trump the widely accepted ethical nonprofit Mission Related Investing practices that would dictate that holding a nonperforming high value asset is unethical??? Would the Sloan's, who had some regard and perhaps even love for VU, hold the value of these pieces of art above VU's mission and the potential demise of the university??
It seems your argument comes down to the single premise that some vague mission related investing practice, in which I see no reference to the category of university museum art, should take precedence over very specific art deaccession policies clearly stated in numerous statements by universities, museums, and cultural associations across the country. I'd also like to see a definition of "nonperforming" that would apply to the university museum collection. In fact, if you want to seek precedents, search museum deaccessioning and discover the fiascos created in the few times when such art sales for purposes other than collection enhancement were tried. There is a good reason we don't see any other universities bartering their art collections. Additionally, your premise assumes "the potential demise of the university" if the paintings aren't sold, which is a totally false dichotomy that implies if VU didn't have these three pieces the doors of the university would be closed.
I almost don't know why I bother. I ask a question and all you do is reword my question in a manner to fit your narrative and then throw it back in my face without nary an answer. MRI is not some vague practice, if it is I spend a lot of time at investment and financial committee meetings discussing this vague practice. I doubt if our auditors think it is a vague practice.
You are correct, I should have called the art an under performing asset, the art in question is an asset that incurs costs such as insurance, security and storage. I am sure those aren't the only costs involved with maintaining a very expensive piece of artwork. The artwork generates notoriety, acclaim, appreciates in value, and lending revenue for VU. I believe that the artwork costs VU a significant amount of money each year, which one can swallow for a time with most assets because there is generally the opportunity to sell an asset at its appreciated value. Because the art only costs the university money and presumably can not be sold, it under performs when compared to other assets the university has prudently invested.
5 years ago we had donors that wanted to give us a significant piece of art, worth approximately 20 times less than the Rust Red Hills, to be hung in our library. There is other artwork in this space, but nothing worth more than $20,000. After researching how much additional it would cost for insurance, security and an appropriate display area we politely declined the donation explaining to the donors that this did not fit our mission of training church workers. It would have actually cost us money to accept the donation and fund raise for an endowment to care for the painting. Eventually they agreed.
I do not believe that VU is in immediate jeopardy of closing its doors, although it seems that a number of people on this forum are sounding the death knell. crusadermoe is asking questions about liquidation. Comments to the Tribune and Times articles wonder who would even attend this basically bankrupt university. Breaking News... this is not true. My point is that most donors with an affinity for an institution would be happy that an asset they donated had risen in value 142,000%, and for that asset to be used to further the mission of the institution. Brauer museum may be part of that mission, but it is not the most important part.
Please answer these questions, is holding on to the art more important than the financial health of the university?? How bad would it have to get before these assets can be used?? If these types of assets had been held by Concordia Selma, Bronxville or Portland they would have been sold to try and save those universities, museum associations be dammed. Have you felt the pain of these types of closures? I can assure you that closing a university is more of a fiasco than anything a museum association can dish out.
First, I didn't suggest that MRI in general is vague. You omitted that I stated "I see no reference to the category of university museum art" in your comment about MRI, which makes your point vague for this topic, especially when the deaccession policies for university museums are clearly documented and have been previously quoted in this discussion. As for your question,
"is holding on to the art more important than the financial health of the university?" That is a false equivalence that has been used as a talking point by some but has no relevance unless you really believe not selling the paintings would consequently result in the university closing down. I find that conclusion to be a logical fallacy. Before the sale proposal was raised by Padilla, was anyone going around and saying "Oh, my God, if we don't sell the museum's most prestigious works we're going to be shut down like Bronxville and it's the fault of those damn art lovers"? Even you acknowledge you "do not believe that VU is in immediate jeopardy of closing its doors." Finally, I wish every aspect of the university was so "underperforming" that it appreciated its value consistently each year to the "142,000%" increase you cite.
If I may chime in. Again, full disclaimer, I am not competent to form an opinion on whether the art sale is warranted or not. But with regards to that dichotomy of selling the stuff to save the university. Perhaps this can be reformulated like this:
The University needs money TODAY to prevent the risk of going under tomorrow. If there is no money (again, today) aside from selling assets then is it ethical to hold on to them and risk, if not closure, a dramatic further decline in size, value, people etc? So it is not about whether keeping the painting CAUSES the university to decline. It's just that we need money TODAY. Do we have other assets to sell that are less of a sacred cow? I don't know. Padilla should explain this.
I went to one of those meetings where Padilla was grilled over the art sale. And someone told him, literally, "find another way to obtain money for the dorms". Wouldn't be great if someone from the anti-sale team find that other way and come up with 10 millions $ ?
I have this feeling that all this is like fighting for who gets the best first class cabin on Titanic.
Well, I have to give pal credit for creativity. By last count, he has found 47 different ways of making the same claim - "selling donated art to help save the university is wrong." lol
Quote from: wh on April 06, 2023, 10:02:46 PM
Well, I have to give pal credit for creativity. By last count, he has found 47 different ways of making the same claim - "selling donated art to help save the university is wrong." lol
If VU was so desperate that it had to sell off the art to cover operating expenses, then "help save the university" might be a more appropriate characterization. But this is about upgrading residence halls, not about keeping the lights on.
That said, I'm persuaded that dorm upgrades are an important priority, because the heightened living expectations of today's prospective VU students are a market reality. But I'm not yet persuaded of the pressing immediacy of that priority, because this also has the flavor of plundering the art museum of its most valuable pieces as an easy cash grab to cover a capital expenditure, without actually having to fundraise. (Of course, it's possible that extensive efforts to raise money for the dorm upgrades failed miserably, in which case VU stakeholders deserve to be informed that things are that bad. It makes the art sale proposal more defensible.)
Anyway, it's possible that the relative silence about the art sale proposal is due to some revisiting of whether that's the best funding mechanism, hopefully accompanied by the identification of alternate funding sources. I'm still holding on to that hope for a win-win, along with the right choice for a new basketball coach.
None of us have a way to assess the university's financial position relative to sustainability. We either take President Padilla and the Board at their word, or we don't. Those who say they're not convinced probably don't want to be convinced. They're locked into an emotionally charged position based not on the "what," but how the what makes them feel.
Practically speaking - revamping the dorms at Valparaiso is imperative. Students today take residential facilities seriously, and if Valpo wants to be competitive, this renovation has to be done.
In the past four years, my daughters and I went on college tours, and a significant amount of time on the tours is spent on dorm facilities. It has significant importance in influencing their decision. This is an issue that has to be addressed. I saw comments from student responses in past articles that the dorms are adequate - that is wrong a copout to keep things status quo. Dorms needs to be upgraded, and it is high on the list.
Whether or not to sell the art, dorms renovations need to be addressed now - not 10 years from now - but starting in the summer of 2023. Tough decisions have to be made.
22 - I think there appears to be a buyout agreement between Valpo and Lottich where the result was not as bad as it appears. I think this is why the firing took an extended period after the season was over. I will still contest it is crumbs compared to the big picture, particularly if the basketball program hired the right coach, commits to the program and has expectations that a win over Chicago State is a no brainer.
I'll say it again, in today's Division 1 basketball, to stay competitive, this move had to be made. If the buyout was not made, Valpo should not compete in D1 basketball. If the university does not consider a successful basketball program to be important, then get out of D1. It's a matter of priorities.
Quote from: David81 on April 07, 2023, 01:03:23 AMBut I'm not yet persuaded of the pressing immediacy of that priority
The alternative is a fund raising drive for dorm improvements. How long might that take? Years, in all likelihood, particularly given the recently completed drive for endowment funds, which I'm sure all here can agree was a very high priority need. Given our relatively small alumni base, could it reasonably be assumed that $10 million could be raised quickly when most certainly donors are being hit up for a new nursing school as well as a new basketball arena.
So we choose the fund raising drive and it takes three years to complete. So now it is 2026 and we start the renovations. Only one problem--that is the year colleges hit the pending enrollment cliff brought on by the 2008 banking/financial crisis. Valpo then is in a declings enrollment spiral, to put it politely or, more bluntly, we are circling the bowl.
I think part of the issue is that day to day functions, including salary, are extremely tuition dependent which means enrollment and retention dependent. However, long-term investment and endowment money decisions are generally not. Your ultimate goal is that you have a strong endowment that takes more and more of the tuition dependent stuff and moves it to being endowed but Valpo is not there yet (but will be in a better situation eventually). Therefore you see this seemingly two sides of the mouth argument. We need to cut budgets or close programs but we also need to invest in dorms so we don't have to cut more programs. There are really no good options here: you either cut until you hit a size that's manageable for your current enrollment but that's gonna be :censored: for morale. Or you work to increase enrollment and move money around to make investments that you think will do that. BUT that looks like you have plenty of money that you're refusing to use on salaries OR it leaves you at the whims of whatever the next class is coming in.
The other piece is that salary are always going to be the most expensive thing to fund because they are an annual cost that can grow exponentially vs a fixed one time cost that is easily budgeted for. You can say oh look we have "x for this but not for that" but the question is does, say 10 million in salaries go far? or if that's a one time, non-renewable fee, do you see a far greater ROI that doesn't set you up for cuts?
I think that the board also made some stupid decisions during COVID(but then a lot of people did) that created a sense of bad blood. Those 5% cuts, the seemingly arbitrary way they cut faculty vs offering an ERIP first all did a lot of damage to morale. It also is unfortunate that there's a sense of distrust because as it trickles down to the students you are going to see a tendency to see the worst or see things normal universities do as proof there's something wrong with Valpo. That sort of Malaise is hard to shake BUT it could also be temporary as new students come in and if changes bare fruit newer staff may begin to have a more positive view. I do think that once enrollment stabilizes a bit salary needs to be the place where all extra money goes as soon and as much as possible.
Gift Acceptance Guidelines
Santa Clara University
"Tangible Personal Property. Tangible personal property is acceptable, provided that the University, at its discretion determines (1) it may practically use the property in carrying out its mission or sell the marketable property to generate revenue; (2) any restrictions on the use, display, or sale of the property; (3) the gift will not entail substantial storage, insurance, or transportation costs; (4) any carrying costs or potential liabilities associated with the ownership of the property; and (5) for gifts with an estimated value of $ 5,000 or more, the donor signs a statement of ownership and assignment, discloses any liens on the property and provides a qualified, independent third-party appraisal of the property. Gifts of this type may include art, furniture, coins, stamps, and vehicles."
IMO this makes perfect sense. To suggest that a university should have to track down the former owner and ask their permission to liquidate their tangible gift is a ridiculous thought.
Question: Would the Valpo faculty members who acted appalled over the university's decision to sell valuable art pieces find it acceptable if Valpo had a clause similar to Santa Clara's?
Quote from: wh on April 08, 2023, 10:03:30 AM
Gift Acceptance Guidelines
Santa Clara University
"Tangible Personal Property. Tangible personal property is acceptable, provided that the University, at its discretion determines (1) it may practically use the property in carrying out its mission or sell the marketable property to generate revenue; (2) any restrictions on the use, display, or sale of the property; (3) the gift will not entail substantial storage, insurance, or transportation costs; (4) any carrying costs or potential liabilities associated with the ownership of the property; and (5) for gifts with an estimated value of $ 5,000 or more, the donor signs a statement of ownership and assignment, discloses any liens on the property and provides a qualified, independent third-party appraisal of the property. Gifts of this type may include art, furniture, coins, stamps, and vehicles."
IMO this makes perfect sense. To suggest that a university should have to track down the former owner and ask their permission to liquidate their tangible gift is a ridiculous thought.
Question: Would the Valpo faculty members who acted appalled over the university's decision to sell valuable art pieces find it acceptable if Valpo had a clause similar to Santa Clara's?
Hi, wh. You knew I'd respond, right? The policy you quote applies only to general gifts to the university, which is separate from gifts offered to the Santa Clara University Art Museum. Valparaiso already has similar policies, delineating between gifts to the university and gifts to the museum that have further restrictions for acceptance and limitations on later sales that could be made only to enhance the collection, not to be used as a common university asset, known as the Collection Management Policy. Museum acquisition and sales are managed at Valparaiso University by a museum collections committee. Indeed, here is a quote from the Santa Clara University Art Museum on acquisitions: "All potential gifts to the collection are reviewed and voted upon by the museum's Collections Committee. The Committee meets 2-3 times annually to consider potential gifts within the context of the museum's Collections Management Policy." So, in response to your question, we already have similar policies.
SC's official Acquisition Process makes no reference to a process for selling donated art, only acquiring art. As university employees they would have no authority over the sale of university-owned assets. Moreover, SC's general rule on art donations makes no distinction about museum donations.
Thus, this whole issue remains a tempest in a teapot, complete with grossly exaggerated claims and misleading information that cannot be supported.
Quote from: wh on April 08, 2023, 11:44:13 AM
SC's official Acquisition Process makes no reference to a process for selling donated art, only acquiring art. As university employees they would have no authority over the sale of university-owned assets. Moreover, SC's general rule on art donations makes no distinction about museum donations.
Thus, this whole issue remains a tempest in a teapot, complete with grossly exaggerated claims and misleading information that cannot be supported.
You are correct, wh, about general donations of artwork to the university, which merely have to meet the guidelines you quoted, and the university can sell any of those pieces whenever and however they wish. For instance, if you donate a painting of Christ College, the dean might want it on a wall in her office or in a hallway for students to see. Nevertheless, if a new dean wants to redecorate, that painting is subject to removal and sale. However, if you wish to donate an artwork to the university museum, it is only accepted if its quality and style fits the collections' aims or needs as specified in the Collections Management Policy. Likewise, for an artwork in the museum to be sold, that action must meet the deaccession stipulations in the Collections Management Policy. Both Santa Clara and Valparaiso have museum collections committees for oversight and to make those decisions. I say this from knowledge as someone who has donated work to the university.
Also, as someone who has served on almost every committee at the university over the years, I can tell you that other areas on campus also have oversight bodies supervising them as well. An example from years ago, when I served on what was then called the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee and men's basketball wanted to participate in an activity requiring travel that slightly infringed on the period set aside for final exams, they had to obtain our approval, which we could have denied.
Information about Collections Management Policy:
https://www.aam-us.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/developing-a-cmp-final.pdf (https://www.aam-us.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/developing-a-cmp-final.pdf)
So we are discussing the terms under which we can accept or sell the first-class cabins on the Titanic? The board acted to authorize the sale of the art. Turn the page.
valpopal has consistently and articulately opposed the art sale, and it's in a spirit of honest dialogue that others can take a different view. But on a board where some folks still take a swipe at the name change at every opportunity, I think it's a little ironic to be telling valpopal (or anyone else, for that matter), in essence, to "get over it," when the sale itself has yet to take place. This remains a live decision, and the arguments both for and against are credible and heartfelt.
Personally, I'm still hoping that an alternative funding source emerges that allows VU to pull back on the art sale and still upgrade the residence halls. If that happens, then the Padilla Administration comes out of this with a win-win here and a lot of happy people about the new men's basketball team. That would be a great way to finish up the academic year.
Ok. I thought the board acted to allow the art sale. But yes, if it has still not been sold it's a live topic.
An alternative funding source would need to be immediate - not something that takes 2-3 years. Delay is unacceptable. Further, it would not be acceptable that an alternative funding source (donor) would be sold on donating money to the dorms instead of planned donations to one or several other critical needs (nursing building, business building).
I realize that valpopal and others are very passionate about the art. Further, I respect many of the points valpopal has raised (though I don't agree with most of them). Maybe "get over it" is not the right phrase, but it is very frustrating that many of the people against selling the art seem determined to seriously harm the university as much as possible if they do not get their way.
I'm glad David brought "hypocrisy" into the discussion, as this art sale kerfuffle is oozing with it. Imagine if President Padilla had announced that the university was selling art pieces to award significant pay and benefit increases and improved working conditions for the lifeblood of our very existence, the straw that stirs the drink, our silent heroes - our amazing faculty.
I can just picture these protectors of great art saying thanks kindly sir, but what you are doing, kind sir, is highly unethical. We cannot accept this money. And, kind sir, we feel so strongly about it that if you continue to go forward with this, we will be left with no choice but to stir up the students and turn this into a national story that will severely damage this university's reputation. Nothing personal, kind sir.
Actually, that is a good great approach, WH. Use the art sale to improve faculty salaries and attract great minds. Find another way (possibly real estate sales) to renovate dorms. Across the spectrum of thoughts about a Valpo experience it should be a fabulous FACULTY. They are its greatest asset. Make them the center piece of our applicant recruitment effort. Right now that is the theme if you read the strategic plan string, but it is a lie. Put money into faculty, make Valpo a place where academics want to work, and reduce admin costs. There is so much promise in the setting that is Valpo, but underpaying the heart of what makes a Valpo education so valuable is counterproductive.
Happy Easter to everyone!
Quote from: wh on April 08, 2023, 06:32:48 PM
I'm glad David brought "hypocrisy" into the discussion, as this art sale kerfuffle is oozing with it. Imagine if President Padilla had announced that the university was selling art pieces to award significant pay and benefit increases and improved working conditions for the lifeblood of our very existence, the straw that stirs the drink, our silent heroes - our amazing faculty.
I can just picture these protectors of great art saying thanks kindly sir, but what you are doing, kind sir, is highly unethical. We cannot accept this money. And, kind sir, we feel so strongly about it that if you continue to go forward with this, we will be left with no choice but to stir up the students and turn this into a national story that will severely damage this university's reputation. Nothing personal, kind sir.
wh, yikes, are you so enraged at faculty who oppose the art sale that you're now mocking them for assumed responses to a hypothetical event?
Furthermore, is this story (the real one about selling art for dorm upgrades) severely damaging VU's reputation? I think it's more accurate to say that it's putting us in the national conversation about financial challenges and hard choices facing private universities outside of the charmed circle of wealthy schools.
And if the alumni base is reading about the controversy and cares about the institution overall, then we'll see an uptick in donations -- such as during the upcoming Giving Day. Maybe not enough to cover the dorm upgrades, but at least a tangible response to support the University.
David81 - Maybe the steps taken by the people against the art sale harm the university and maybe they do not. But it is clear to me that the actions taken by these people - calling the media, engaging the art museum institutions - are intended to harm the university if the university does not take the actions that they desire (i.e., not selling the art). It is really hard to buy into an argument that the people against the art sale are trying to bring light to a larger argument regarding financial challenges for private universities. I also don't think that a majority of donating alumni are going to be thrilled by the controversy and will, thus, be donating more money. Most alumni who donate money understand and want to help (within their limits) regarding financial challenges. But, (1) many alumni will not like instability happening from within and (2) some alumni will wonder why they should donate money when the university is choosing not to leverage highly valuable assets that are not core to the university's mission. On the latter point, it essentially can be perceived as "if I donate more money, then I am effectively donating money to preserve the art."
I liken myself to Valpo. We have modest assets — e.g., both of our well maintained vehicles are over 10 years old and have over 120k miles on them; we don't own a motorhome, vacation home on a lake or a boat (but we do have two kayaks!). I have a comparably modest retirement portfolio (analogous to an endowment) that's getting clobbered lately :(. Our house and property (facilities) are adequate, right-sized, but also modest. We reasonably invest in upkeep annually to maintain their value (our next project is for me to repaint our solarium which hasn't seen a coat of paint in much too long). We have to follow a budget in order to ensure we meet expenses. A big part of our financial strategy is to limit debt and debt service. And we constantly are faced with choices regarding money management. These choices almost always come down to "Must Haves" vs. "Nice to Haves." Essential to our family lifestyle (analogous to campus culture) is travel. That, within some flexibility and fiscal restraint, is a "Must Have" — it is who we are. We occasionally give up, and in some cases have sold, "Nice to Haves" to enable us to travel.
I would suggest that Valpo also has " Must Haves" and "Nice to Haves." And the museum of art is without question part of Valpo's "Must Have" list, because it helps to complete what Valpo is. Without the Brauer, there would be a hole in the overall campus culture.
HOWEVER, I would also suggest that, with hundreds of works of art in its portfolio, each individual piece is a "Nice too Have." So, if the greater good can be reinforced or improved to the benefit of the University as a whole, the sale of a "Nice to Have" asset enables the University to maintain what it is.
Quote from: VULB#62 on April 10, 2023, 08:26:21 AM
I liken myself to Valpo. We have modest assets — e.g., both of our vehicles are over 10 years old and have over 120k miles on them; we don't own a vacation home on a lake or a boat (but we do have two kayaks). I have a comparably modest retirement portfolio (analogous to an endowment) that's getting clobbered lately :( . Our house and property (facilities) are adequate, right-sized, but also modest. We reasonably invest in upkeep annually to maintain their value (our next project is for me to repaint our solarium which hasn't seen a coat of paint in too long). We have to follow a budget in order to ensure we meet expenses. A big part of our financial strategy is to limit debt and debt service. And we constantly are faced with choices regarding money management. These choices almost always come down to "Must Haves" vs. "Nice to Haves." Essential to our family lifestyle (analogous to campus culture) is travel. That, within some flexibility, is a "Must Have" — it is who we are. We occasionally give up and in some cases have sold "Nice to Haves" to enable us to travel.
I would suggest that Valpo also has " Must Haves" and "Nice to Haves." And a museum of art is without question part of Valpo's "Must Have" list, because it helps to complete what Valpo is. Without the Brauer, there would be a hole in the overall campus culture. HOWEVER, I would also suggest that, with hundreds of works of art in its portfolio, each individual piece is a "Nice too Have." So, if the greater good can be reinforced or improved to the benefit of the University as a whole, the sale of a " Nice to Have" asset enables the University to maintain what is.
Using your analogy I would say my own situation is very likened to Camp Wakahoma in Wakahoma, Washington. Extremely modest entity of excelled learning that can't exist without help from devine intervention on many more than a few occasions.
(https://goldarrowcamp.com/app/uploads/2017/05/C02-Bee-9168-1024x683.jpg)
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 09, 2023, 11:16:08 PM
David81 - Maybe the steps taken by the people against the art sale harm the university and maybe they do not. But it is clear to me that the actions taken by these people - calling the media, engaging the art museum institutions - are intended to harm the university if the university does not take the actions that they desire (i.e., not selling the art). It is really hard to buy into an argument that the people against the art sale are trying to bring light to a larger argument regarding financial challenges for private universities. I also don't think that a majority of donating alumni are going to be thrilled by the controversy and will, thus, be donating more money. Most alumni who donate money understand and want to help (within their limits) regarding financial challenges. But, (1) many alumni will not like instability happening from within and (2) some alumni will wonder why they should donate money when the university is choosing not to leverage highly valuable assets that are not core to the university's mission. On the latter point, it essentially can be perceived as "if I donate more money, then I am effectively donating money to preserve the art."
vu84v2, we may simply have a difference of opinion about intent to "harm the university." I think going public with this is within the realm of academic freedom and fair advocacy. And if it wasn't newsworthy, then it wouldn't be attracting so much interest.
Indeed, rather than making VU look like a bunch of fools or rubes, the national media attention makes the school more of a big league university, with a story meriting coverage and commentary. It places the school in the heart of debates over defining mission (what is the place of the fine arts in an age of vocational prioritization)and modernizing facilities (how can a cash-modest private university fund needed capital improvements) at a fraught time for higher education.
The stronger feelings may be just talk, borne of anger and a deep sense of betrayal -- all valid reactions if your life's work and devotion to an institution are being treated like just another disposable asset. I dearly hope that it doesn't get any worse than that. But if the art is sold, the price paid will be one of morale and loyalty.
David81, clearly going public is permissible within the limits of academic freedom, and within the limits of advocacy for the benefit of the Brauer museum. However, I cannot see any likely circumstance where the the public airing of these grievances is helpful to the reputation or status of the university. If a prospective student is choosing between Valpo and another location, does the public controversy make it more likely the student chooses Valpo? Similarly, if a prospective faculty member has an offer from Valpo and other peer affiliate, does the controversy make it more likely the faculty member takes the offer from Valpo? No, and No.
It is possible that a few students who are especially interested in art would be more likely pick Valpo if the paintings are in the collection, yet the vast majority of high schoolers might know more about George O'Connor rather than Georgia O'Keeffe. At least in the next 3-5 years, a new dorm would be more important than keeping the painting, especially if it means another 25 students per year pick Valpo. If it is 25 more per year, that aligns with an enrollment increase of 100 students or so in the long run.
That said, this is the first major strategic blunder I have seen from President Padilla. He had to have known that selling the art would be controversial at best, and damaging at worst; the damage seems to be in the goodwill of key stakeholders and in attracting students/faculty. The only possible benefits could be that this might raise the urgency in order to make meaningful reforms that put VU on a more sustainable financial footing. Or, perhaps a donor(s) step up to fund important priorities. Yet for now, it does not help the reputation or financial footing of the University.
Quote from: David81 on April 10, 2023, 11:15:11 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 09, 2023, 11:16:08 PM
David81 - Maybe the steps taken by the people against the art sale harm the university and maybe they do not. But it is clear to me that the actions taken by these people - calling the media, engaging the art museum institutions - are intended to harm the university if the university does not take the actions that they desire (i.e., not selling the art). It is really hard to buy into an argument that the people against the art sale are trying to bring light to a larger argument regarding financial challenges for private universities. I also don't think that a majority of donating alumni are going to be thrilled by the controversy and will, thus, be donating more money. Most alumni who donate money understand and want to help (within their limits) regarding financial challenges. But, (1) many alumni will not like instability happening from within and (2) some alumni will wonder why they should donate money when the university is choosing not to leverage highly valuable assets that are not core to the university's mission. On the latter point, it essentially can be perceived as "if I donate more money, then I am effectively donating money to preserve the art."
vu84v2, we may simply have a difference of opinion about intent to "harm the university." I think going public with this is within the realm of academic freedom and fair advocacy. And if it wasn't newsworthy, then it wouldn't be attracting so much interest.
Indeed, rather than making VU look like a bunch of fools or rubes, the national media attention makes the school more of a big league university, with a story meriting coverage and commentary. It places the school in the heart of debates over defining mission (what is the place of the fine arts in an age of vocational prioritization)and modernizing facilities (how can a cash-modest private university fund needed capital improvements) at a fraught time for higher education.
The stronger feelings may be just talk, borne of anger and a deep sense of betrayal -- all valid reactions if your life's work and devotion to an institution are being treated like just another disposable asset. I dearly hope that it doesn't get any worse than that. But if the art is sold, the price paid will be one of morale and loyalty.
So, positive news is good news, and negative news is good news? Or, in short, all news is good news? Is that how it works?
It has become abundantly clear that the collective 'we' are living in 2 parallel universes of thought - 'inward' or 'employee' focused and 'outward' or 'customer' focused - with no ability to traverse from one dimension to the other.
Words from the Pink Floyd classic 'Comfortably Numb' never seemed more appropriate:
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move, but I can't hear what you're saying
That's a fair summation WH. When you boil it all away, it is an internal perspective vs. an external customer one.
I agree with VU84v2 on one set of customers. The alumni and donors, no longer affected by the actual campus internal forces, will act like investors, who are customers. As he says, giving will probably decrease due to the perceived VU instability rather than increase.
Only the Red Cross and other Aid Groups see increases when disasters hit. Padilla is aiming at the investor mindset in proving he has a turnaround plan even if there are valid opinions on both sides of the internal vs. external clash. The big money donors will want a plan.
regarding job as professors in the liberal arts - is it an employees or employers market? If the first, why haven't the faculty fought for higher pay?
Also - if there are a few students majoring in something, does it makes sense to sustain that major? Is it economically feasible with a decreasing enrollment?
I like the metaphor. a family restaurant competing on the amenities, but more importantly on word-of-mouth compliments on the service. Indeed STUDENTS are the key both to the health of that atmosphere and to the revenue they bring.
Great post!
I second the metaphor. In my town there are a lot of corner bars and a couple of family restaurants. They all pretty much succeed if success is defined as staying in business. Of course, the majority of my town's population also thinks that a drive to the big city (Manitowoc) to get more than a butter burger is a big deal.
But there are some who value well prepared, healthy meals and more drink options than five types of draft beer, two which end in Lite. We're not talking Michelin 5* here, just a cut or two above basic. That is what private educational institutions provide. The extra cost is justified by an extra special educational experience.
Back to the metaphor, the chefs are trained beyond short order cooks, the ambiance is devoid of electronic poker machines, and you can hear yourself think. But such restaurants cost money to build out, open and survive. And the menu is more expensive as a result. That's where Valpo is, but evidently seatings for dinner seem to be declining. Time to juice up the menu, put a fresh coat of paint on the walls, perhaps refresh your social media, and replace those older steel chairs with some nice wood chairs. Oh, and replace that stained carpet that's been on the floor for a few too many years.
I've been through a period of major leadership controversies at my own university 7-8 years ago that became very public, including regular coverage in major Boston news media. We had a very problematic board of trustees (which included alleged conflicts of interest, awarding contracts to "friends," etc.), a revolving door of University presidents....something like 6 in 7 years (or was it 5 in 6 years?), and a major attempt by one short-lived administration to undermine tenure, employment contract rights, and academic freedom.
Meanwhile, the place kept going. It was chaotic and stressful to be an employee there, and those of us who were taking part in faculty governance activities were especially wary and concerned. Some of us responded to media inquiries, others chose not to.
But student recruitment and the student experience weren't nearly as affected (if at all within the Law School, where I teach), and to most applicants and students it was just a lot of noise outside of their earshot. This despite the news coverage being much more negative about the institution and its integrity than the news coverage of VU's art sale controversy.
It was a lesson learned about how perceptions of a university are formed or not formed by controversies in the news. Sometimes even the stuff that makes you wince as an insider is a nothingburger to many others.
All of which is to say: If the art sale controversy is a deal breaker for some applicants and their college choices, well then, I wonder how capable they are of making wise decisions about where to go to school. Others will emphasize what they can learn here, how much financial aid they can get, etc. Same goes for prospective faculty. It's the $50k starting salary, the teaching load, etc., not the art sale (yes or no), that will be the difference maker.
Some folks are posting as if the whole world is watching VU and its art sale controversy, as a referendum on the quality of the University. Now, some people are paying attention, but mostly because of what the controversy represents, not because they think poorly of VU. (By contrast, the long NYT profile on VU Law in 2016 did put the school in a very bad light, although by then much of the damage -- some of it sadly self-inflicted -- had already been done, and the school was entering its last gasps.)
22 - excellent and insightful reply, I completely agree that the middle management jobs, and yes some of them tend to be cushy, need to be reduced as enrolled and faculty are reduced.
Let me add a few comments to valpo22's excellent insights:
In regards to why faculty do not "fight" for higher pay...unionization efforts and unions at universities are problematic because you have wildly different market salaries across disciplines. Many unionization efforts that I have seen have called for a pay scale in which everyone with similar experience and accomplishments receives the same pay. This clearly does not work because the market rate for an engineering professor is going to be higher than the market rate for a liberal arts professor. The university cannot agree to pay the liberal arts professor what it pays an engineering professor and an engineering professor is not going to agree to have his or her pay stifled. You can't even do this by college, since (for example) in business the market rate for a finance or accounting professor is different than it is for a marketing or management professor. I know one public university that does this and all they end up doing is having infinite exceptions (which makes the union fairly moot).
The method that faculty have historically used to fight for greater pay is to get a legitimate better offer at another university and then ask the university to match the offer. This is difficult for Valpo professors for several reasons. First, universities are not hiring like they have previously - thus few, if any, offers are made. Second, the most common way to gain interest from another university is to have strong research or other scholarly work (teaching is great and important, but it is much harder to distinguish excellent teachers from the overall population of professors). As Valpo is more of a teaching school, faculty members spend less time doing research and scholarly work - thus they do not have the productivity to sell themselves to other universities. Beyond that, I also think Valpo would probably consider it easier to hire a replacement than they have previously.
In regards to overhead and administration...I agree that this can get very bloated, but keep in mind that you need some people in these areas.
I think Valpo has some "faculty chairs," whatever those are.
Are those attractive to star faculty or a good retention tool? How is a "chair" different than a regular faculty job?
Quote from: crusadermoe on April 11, 2023, 09:38:56 AM
I think Valpo has some "faculty chairs," whatever those are.
Are those attractive to star faculty or a good retention tool? How is a "chair" different than a regular faculty job?
Chairs are usually fully or (more often) partially funded by an endowed gift. The donor will decide that they highly value a specific field - say chemistry - and will setup an endowment that provides money each year to fund a top faculty member in that discipline. Additionally, sometimes a company who benefits from a discipline may fund a chair in that field - for instance, an accounting firm may hire accounting graduates from the college and will fund a chair for a leading accounting professor. For some chairs, there is also an expectation of research or other scholarly work in that discipline.
So yes, that can be a very good retention tool.
Folks, just a legal point/clarification on faculty unionization at private universities, including VU: Tenured and tenure-track faculty at private universities are not permitted to unionize under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the federal law that governs unionization and collective bargaining, via a 1980 U.S. Supreme Court decision, National Labor Relations Board v. Yeshiva University. The Court observed that the NLRA excludes from its protections those deemed managerial employees, and then held that tenured and tenure-track faculty are too managerial in function to escape that exclusion.
Thus, at VU, it's possible that non-tenure track full-time and part-time faculty could unionize. However, unlike many institutions, the lion's share of the VU faculty remains tenured or tenure-track. So....it's not passivity or weakness that prevents the heart of the faculty from talking about unionization, but rather established Supreme Court precedent.
Those who strongly oppose the concepts and practices of shared governance between faculty and administration and of academic freedom that safeguards faculty ability to participate in internal governance should keep in mind that without them, the "managerial" functions of tenured and tenure-track faculty would be sufficiently diminished to justify a judicial revisiting of that legal ruling.
David81 - I did not know that, thank you for posting that. As I think about it, I have only known unions for faculty at public universities.
Stand up and be proud gang, and don't take crap from the administration!
There are 3 essential elements to effective communication - the right message, delivered by the right messenger, at the right time.
I would encourage you to ponder that for a moment.
Quote from: valpo95 on March 10, 2023, 10:45:39 AM
The landscape for private universities (especially in the Midwest) is challenging. In recent days, we have seen announcements of recent closures of campuses or programs at other small universities.
Trinity International University (Deerfield, IL) closing residential and in-person undergraduate programs, moving to fully remote/online instruction for those programs. (MDiv and Seminary stay.) https://www.tiu.edu/reimagining-the-future/ (https://www.tiu.edu/reimagining-the-future/)
Finlandia University (Hancock, MI) closing. https://www.finlandia.edu/about/teachout/ (https://www.finlandia.edu/about/teachout/)
Neither of these programs are direct competitors of VU, yet they are religiously-affiliated private universities in the region. These had reasonably well-regarded academics, yet very small endowments. Finlandia is especially interesting, as it a small Lutheran University (ELCA). We also should remember that three of the Concordia (LCMS) campuses closed in recent years, including Alabama (2018), New York (2021) and Portland (2022).
OK, here is another closure. Cardinal Stritch University, a Catholic University in Milwaukee, announced it is closing at the end of the semester. It had a modest endowment (about $28M) and had seen enrollment substantially decline in recent years. https://www.wisn.com/article/cardinal-stritch-university-closing-in-may-milwaukee-wisconsin/43557980 (https://www.wisn.com/article/cardinal-stritch-university-closing-in-may-milwaukee-wisconsin/43557980)
Quote from: valpo22 on April 11, 2023, 11:08:41 AM
thanks david, so how can faculty in private universities 'fight for higher pay' as usc was saying? if there are non-unionizing strategies, what are they?
That's where these somewhat fluid notions of shared governance and academic freedom come into play. Although not hardcore legal rights (such as a specific law creating a right to unionize and collectively bargain), they have some implied contractual protection.
Accordingly, if VU tenured and tenure-track faculty wanted to use internal governance processes (e.g., faculty senate, other internal committees) to advocate for better pay, they presumably could do so. They could also organize outside of governance structures and agree to address pay issues as a group. This is a little chancier, but also very likely seen as within the boundaries of academic freedom. It's possible that variations of these two options have occurred already, though rounds of layoffs can put a stop on those efforts rather quickly.
In my observation, cultures of faculty engagement on such issues tend to vary widely among private universities. At more elite institutions, you may encounter more raw entitlement and outspokenness at times, especially when it comes to advocating for one's own interests. You're more likely to encounter diva-like behaviors at such institutions, though I hasten to add that you can find individual instances at just about any school.
At other institutions, faculty passivity on these issues is not unusual, with a lot of grousing and resentment shared privately, and perhaps with a smaller group willing to stick their necks out to call for changes. Fears over being targeted for layoffs can understandably influence this dynamic as well. I've frequently quipped that one reason why tenure survives as an employment status at schools like mine is that most tenured faculty have the good sense not to test the academic freedom that it provides. :lol:
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 11, 2023, 10:36:06 AM
Quote from: crusadermoe on April 11, 2023, 09:38:56 AM
I think Valpo has some "faculty chairs," whatever those are.
Are those attractive to star faculty or a good retention tool? How is a "chair" different than a regular faculty job?
Chairs are usually fully or (more often) partially funded by an endowed gift. The donor will decide that they highly value a specific field - say chemistry - and will setup an endowment that provides money each year to fund a top faculty member in that discipline. Additionally, sometimes a company who benefits from a discipline may fund a chair in that field - for instance, an accounting firm may hire accounting graduates from the college and will fund a chair for a leading accounting professor. For some chairs, there is also an expectation of research or other scholarly work in that discipline.
So yes, that can be a very good retention tool.
Right now, at our institution, a full faculty chair requires an endowment of $2.5 Million dollars. I would expect that at Valpo a chair would require at least $3 Million.
Quote from: FWalum on April 11, 2023, 04:04:47 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 11, 2023, 10:36:06 AM
Quote from: crusadermoe on April 11, 2023, 09:38:56 AM
I think Valpo has some "faculty chairs," whatever those are.
Are those attractive to star faculty or a good retention tool? How is a "chair" different than a regular faculty job?
Chairs are usually fully or (more often) partially funded by an endowed gift. The donor will decide that they highly value a specific field - say chemistry - and will setup an endowment that provides money each year to fund a top faculty member in that discipline. Additionally, sometimes a company who benefits from a discipline may fund a chair in that field - for instance, an accounting firm may hire accounting graduates from the college and will fund a chair for a leading accounting professor. For some chairs, there is also an expectation of research or other scholarly work in that discipline.
So yes, that can be a very good retention tool.
Right now, at our institution, a full faculty chair requires an endowment of $2.5 Million dollars. I would expect that at Valpo a chair would require at least $3 Million.
But a chair can be partially funded. The balance is paid as normal salary.
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 11, 2023, 04:30:10 PM
Quote from: FWalum on April 11, 2023, 04:04:47 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 11, 2023, 10:36:06 AM
Quote from: crusadermoe on April 11, 2023, 09:38:56 AM
I think Valpo has some "faculty chairs," whatever those are.
Are those attractive to star faculty or a good retention tool? How is a "chair" different than a regular faculty job?
Chairs are usually fully or (more often) partially funded by an endowed gift. The donor will decide that they highly value a specific field - say chemistry - and will setup an endowment that provides money each year to fund a top faculty member in that discipline. Additionally, sometimes a company who benefits from a discipline may fund a chair in that field - for instance, an accounting firm may hire accounting graduates from the college and will fund a chair for a leading accounting professor. For some chairs, there is also an expectation of research or other scholarly work in that discipline.
So yes, that can be a very good retention tool.
Right now, at our institution, a full faculty chair requires an endowment of $2.5 Million dollars. I would expect that at Valpo a chair would require at least $3 Million.
But a chair can be partially funded. The balance is paid as normal salary.
That is true, but for a number of reasons, I won't go into here, we prefer to not to partially fund chairs. Typically if they are partially funded the tend to remain that way.
Based on the Forever Valpo website a Dean is funded at 5 million, a chair at 3 and a standard faculty at 1.
https://www.valpo.edu/forevervalpo/funding-priorities/
Quote from: valpo22 on April 12, 2023, 03:57:16 AM
Quote from: wh on April 11, 2023, 12:51:13 PMThere are 3 essential elements to effective communication - the right message, delivered by the right messenger, at the right time. I would encourage you to ponder that for a moment.
not sure exactly what you have in mind in terms of better timing, but this seems as crucial a time as any. i was initially pissed about the bball coaching change and expense because of the privileging of sports over academics, but powell is a good choice and maybe the academic side of the house just need to take a pg out of the sports book. on the basketball side, stakeholders basically said, 'our team sucks, do something about it NOW if you want the university to survive' and VU ponied up the money somehow. so the only way you get university leadership to invest in core operations like academics or sports, rather than getting distracted with other shiny things, is probably to just insist on it. that probably becomes even more essential when budgets are tight. i was utterly shocked they agreed to the coach buyout, but there is a pragmatism that some groups seem to understand well; ie Social Work, Valpo Basketball, AVRO, etc. As they say, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease." sometimes it is actually healthy and necessary for an institution that some wheels squeak so the drivers know to tune up the alignment. i bet if meteorology really raised some rabble over broken equipment, the admin could pull up some lottich-type money to get the job done
You've had a lot of great posts. This may not be one of them.
Quote from: valpo22 on April 12, 2023, 11:58:05 AM
sorry to disappoint, wh. i guess i can still muster some outrage about the coach buyout if you like.
Touché '22 lol. Don't let me slow you down. I love your passion! My best, wh
I attended a meeting last fall at Homecoming. President Padilla shared his vision of a new basketball arena and a new nursing building - perhaps located side by side on the old Porter Memorial Hospital site.
He estimated the cost of each structure would be $50M (he also mentioned that a new nursing building could be located off campus, which IMO would be a mistake).
Unpopular opinion time - but I think a new nursing/health sciences facility should top the list rather than a new arena. Nursing/health sciences is one or our strongest programs and LeBien, which in now over 50 years old, does not measure up to the nursing facilities of many community colleges, let alone four-year schools.
The applicant pool crunch is coming in a couple years. A new academic facility - on campus - would be a big selling point for admissions. We haven't turned the first shovel of dirt on a new academic building since 2015 (I believe this is longest period without a new facility of any kind since the '80s; maybe longer). President Padilla and the BOD obviously share a sense of urgency - witness the art sale.
Raising the funds to build one new facility in the next 3-4 years will be tough. Raising the money for two such facilities in that timeframe seems out of our reach.
Paul
All things being equal I would highly agree with that priority. But big donors' interests are not always the most strategic ones.
.......agree with nursing building over an arena as suggested by 78.
I would agree the Nursing Building would be priority and I believe the Strategic plan had it so that both that building and the Arena would have proposals ready to go in a short amount of time (maybe by the end of this academic year) but funding and collaboration will dictate what comes first.
Padilla seems to be a very large proponent of shaking the money tree of state and federal funds and community partnerships. If there are grants/corporate sponsorships to be had for nursing than it will happen first. If it's for Athletics, that will happen first. You go where the money is.
I also think that the idea that buildings like the welcome center or arts and science don't do much for connect is not really true. As someone who had to do meetings with professors in Huegli hall where they were shoved in basements etc, it was never welcoming their professors. Having nice places to work/sit in between classes, or a building that is comfortable to study in or have meetings in helps with community and increases the likelihood that different types of students will find a "place" that they can carve out as home as well.
I think a lot of the funds needed will come from the land sales. In total, there are 122 acres under control and available. I'm far from a real estate expert let alone one with knowledge of the Valpo market. But...the planned us layout available here:
https://vitalizevalpo.com/property-overview/
would indicate a "mixed use" property/properties available for development. So I found a few "mixed use" properties for sale in the Valpo market as follows:
https://www.landsearch.com/properties/1000-vale-parks-rd-valparaiso-in-46383/2145895 (1.7 acres for $659,000) So that is $387,647 per acre.
The land in question is in highly desireable locations. What's it worth? Well beyond my pay grade--but--my guess is that it is worth in the area of $25 million.
One potential benefit of both of those buildings is the opportunity for maybe getting more funds from companies vs just alums. You can start to chip away at costs if you maybe have the "luries pediatric lab" for the nursing school that they fund or the "XX steel mill Basketball Suite" in the arena. That can also help you move the quality of the building up without increasing costs and create more community stakeholders in your programs.
I would guess that Padilla, as a high level, is more business savvy in terms of those partnerships and businesses at a high level than some prior presidents. And yet you probably need $25-30 million in personal charity to rack up the bucks that he and all of you will want to spend on an arena.
Quote from: 78crusader on April 13, 2023, 02:41:31 PM
I attended a meeting last fall at Homecoming. President Padilla shared his vision of a new basketball arena and a new nursing building - perhaps located side by side on the old Porter Memorial Hospital site.
He estimated the cost of each structure would be $50M (he also mentioned that a new nursing building could be located off campus, which IMO would be a mistake).
Unpopular opinion time - but I think a new nursing/health sciences facility should top the list rather than a new arena. Nursing/health sciences is one or our strongest programs and LeBien, which in now over 50 years old, does not measure up to the nursing facilities of many community colleges, let alone four-year schools.
The applicant pool crunch is coming in a couple years. A new academic facility - on campus - would be a big selling point for admissions. We haven't turned the first shovel of dirt on a new academic building since 2015 (I believe this is longest period without a new facility of any kind since the '80s; maybe longer). President Padilla and the BOD obviously share a sense of urgency - witness the art sale.
Raising the funds to build one new facility in the next 3-4 years will be tough. Raising the money for two such facilities in that timeframe seems out of our reach.
Paul
My heart is with a new arena first, but I agree wholeheartedly that nursing should come first. One reason nursing is so popular at Valpo is because the healthcare vertical continues to show strong growth., nurses, PA's, NP's, techs, etc. are in great demand nationwide, potential 6-figure incomes, etc. make it easier for parents to justify private schools over less expensive options. It's Valpo's most successful target market. It should have every bell and whistle.
Agree fully that a new nursing building should be priority #1. And while I know this won't be popular here, the second priority should be a new business building rather than a new basketball arena. That is another building that is 40+ years old for programs that can clearly attract more students (based on market demand).
I said this many years ago, but I will say it again. The "Welcome Center" should not have been a priority. Facilities for students (and in many ways, for those who directly work with students) should always be the priority versus administrative offices.
Am I right on this?
Somewhere I saw where health/medical sciences would have a separate campus closer to Chicago and interact with Chicago medical centers. From a learning perspective, that is a positive game changer that can have significant leverage with prospective students wishing to pursue that career path if promoted correctly. From a Valpo campus perspective, not so much. But an enrollee, regardless of where they are located is an enrollee. The other benefit is that it spreads Valpo's geographical footprint and that also can be a good thing.
Quote from: VULB#62 on April 13, 2023, 10:08:15 PM
Am I right on this?
Somewhere I saw where health/medical sciences would have a separate campus closer to Chicago and interact with Chicago medical centers. From a learning perspective, that is a positive game changer that can have significant leverage with prospective students wishing to pursue that career path if promoted correctly. From a Valpo campus perspective, not so much. But an enrollee, regardless of where they are located is an enrollee. The other benefit is that it spreads Valpo's geographical footprint and that also can be a good thing.
Not sure if I saw this for Valpo, but this is a common practice for many universities with nursing and other medical programs. Have a main facility for the program(s) on campus and then have one or a few satellite facilities that are closer to potential students and/or partner hospitals. However, finding faculty to teach nursing is really challenging right now and it becomes even harder to find part-time faculty for these facilities (they never have as many students) or find full-time faculty at the main facility who agree to commute to other facilities. Keep in mind, the overall labor market for faculty might be weak (resulting in lower salaries and more difficulty finding jobs), but it is almost the opposite for nursing.
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 13, 2023, 09:53:44 PMI said this many years ago, but I will say it again. The "Welcome Center" should not have been a priority.
Have to disagree on this. Before, students and their parents had to wind their way around until they finally found admission people in, I believe, Kretzman Hall. The welcome Center is kinda like a hotel lobby. You can't expect fancy room prices with a dingy lobby! Also, the funds were donated in full.
I think the $15 million addition to the chapel was a pretty lame priority (worse than the welcome center) since it holds almost entirely administrators and some larger spaces of dubious need after building the union across the street and the library a few hundred feet away. Hindsight, but painful hindsight.
To me, the Welcome Center is 25% "welcome center" and 75% administrative offices for the university's senior administration. No problem with the 25% and I can see a donor wanting to donate for that, but I think it is unlikely that a donor said, "I really want to donate so that administrators have really nice offices and meeting spaces". This, of course, is water under the bridge (since it is already built) - but lots of universities prioritize building fancy administrative offices (mine did) and it just seems to not be in line with the university's mission.
In regards to buildings and programs, Valpo22 makes some really good points. I would add that you also need people with specific expertise and connections to run those programs...so you also need funding for that. However, most programs require physical space and equipment - obviously engineering and nursing programs, but this is also true in less obvious for programs in areas like business. To me, a good fundraising strategy would be to promote a new building that will house both existing and new programs...with the facility, equipment and people for the new programs specifically included in the plan (not just the building).
Quote from: crusadermoe on April 14, 2023, 09:59:55 AM
I think the $15 million addition to the chapel was a pretty lame priority (worse than the welcome center) since it holds almost entirely administrators and some larger spaces of dubious need after building the union across the street and the library a few hundred feet away. Hindsight, but painful hindsight.
Not to the two Lutheran pastors who met there and were married there and who paid for it. It IS, the center piece of the university. The windows were single pane and falling out, the heating system was shot and the pastors officed in the basement. In any event, it was donor financed in its entirety. It was their money, their desire and their result. It doesn't detract from the university in any way so why was it "lame"?
Quote from: vu72 on April 14, 2023, 10:14:37 AM
Quote from: crusadermoe on April 14, 2023, 09:59:55 AM
I think the $15 million addition to the chapel was a pretty lame priority (worse than the welcome center) since it holds almost entirely administrators and some larger spaces of dubious need after building the union across the street and the library a few hundred feet away. Hindsight, but painful hindsight.
Not to the two Lutheran pastors who met there and were married there and who paid for it. It IS, the center piece of the university. The windows were single pane and falling out, the heating system was shot and the pastors officed in the basement. In any event, it was donor financed in its entirety. It was their money, their desire and their result. It doesn't detract from the university in any way so why was it "lame"?
In a "macro sense", I do agree that the chapel is central to Valpo's mission and the renovation made sense. Admittedly, I am a bit dubious that two pastors would have $15M to donate for anything...but who knows.
Would be nice if VU could get into a partnership with Urschel for future development as well. However, since Urschel has been a big supporter of art at Valpo and paid for the art museum with the stipulation it be named after Dick Brauer, there might be a need for some mending of fences first.
[tweet]1646883897139945472[/tweet]
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 14, 2023, 10:41:56 AMAdmittedly, I am a bit dubious that two pastors would have $15M to donate for anything...but who knows.
We should have gone to the Seminary! It is true, they also were lead donors on the Union. They didn't make their money from being part of the Clergy. Mark Helge inherited the money from his aunt. They both are classmates of mine, though I didn't know them.
https://www.rrstar.com/story/special/2019/12/04/rockford-couple-donates-1-million/2156656007/
We recently had the opportunity to host a dinner get-together with some of our friends who, previously, did not know each other. One was a Brown grad and Harvard PhD with 41 years of university teaching under his belt. One was a former dean at UW-Oshkosh with a CV that included faculty and admin positions at three other large universities. The third held an MA in communications, worked in a small, private college development office, and lived through the recent closing of this Wisconsin LA institution, because it had next to nothing in the way of an endowment cushion.
I brought up the current higher ed environment and mentioned a little of what Valpo was experiencing (yes, including the art sale kerfluffle). Quite the conversation ensued. I was surprised at some of the thoughts that were voiced. Without any comment, here are a couple of pearls agreed upon by our guests:
>> Faculty, as a whole, typically have their heads in the sand (or someplace else ::)) and are generally myopic when it comes to the business of running a university.
>> Deans generally are in a no-win situation (except they get paid more). Consensus was that curriculum-focused deans usually don't have the business acumen to lead a "profitable" organization and therefore incur the wrath of the administration. Business-focused deans have believability problems trying to lead curriculum change - and therefore generate faculty displeasure. It is unusual to see a dean who excels at both (but even they are still disliked by someone).
>> Working in a university environment is intensely political.
>> Given my description of the art sale controversy (I tried my best to explain both sides objectively), all three guests expressed sadness that the sale of three works of art became a flash point, but all concurred that, in the grander scheme of things, the ongoing viability of an institution and its ability to be agile in meeting accelerating change trumps holding onto such assets.
It was a fun, energy-filled evening. In vino veritas.
Quote from: VULB#62 on April 15, 2023, 12:19:09 PM
We recently had the opportunity to host a dinner get-together with some of our friends who, previously, did not know each other. One was a Brown grad and Harvard PhD with 41 years of university teaching under his belt. One was a former dean at UW-Oshkosh with a CV that included faculty and admin positions at three other large universities. The third held an MA in communications, worked in a small, private college development office, and lived through the recent closing of this Wisconsin LA institution, because it had next to nothing in the way of an endowment cushion.
I brought up the current higher ed environment and mentioned a little of what Valpo was experiencing (yes, including the art sale kerfluffle). Quite the conversation ensued. I was surprised at some of the thoughts that were voiced. Without any comment, here are a couple of pearls agreed upon by our guests:
>> Faculty, as a whole, typically have their heads in the sand (or someplace else ::)) and are generally myopic when it comes to the business of running a university.
>> Deans generally are in a no-win situation (except they get paid more). Consensus was that curriculum-focused deans usually don't have the business acumen to lead a "profitable" organization and therefore incur the wrath of the administration. Business-focused deans have believability problems trying to lead curriculum change - and therefore generate faculty displeasure. It is unusual to see a dean who excels at both (but even they are still disliked by someone).
>> Working in a university environment is intensely political.
>> Given my description of the art sale controversy (I tried my best to explain both sides objectively), all three guests expressed sadness that the sale of three works of art became a flash point, but all concurred that, in the grander scheme of things, the ongoing viability of an institution and its ability to be agile in meeting accelerating change trumps holding onto such assets.
It was a fun, energy-filled evening. In vino veritas.
VULB#62, my friend, you heard only one side of the story. Thus, a necessary clarification: If you get a group of faculty members together to talk frankly, then you will likely hear about administrators, who "as a whole, typically have their heads in the sand (or someplace else ::)) and are generally myopic when it comes to the business of running a university."
This includes, among other things:
(1) admins cozy with the board arranging to get huge raises, even when the university is in a pay and hiring freeze mode for faculty and staff;
(2) admins hiring more and more mid-level administrators, especially those who help other admins, which often results in more and more bureaucracy and meetings;
(3) even while getting raises and hiring more admins, admins reducing staff by contracting out everyday admin functions (budget, online training, travel booking, etc.) to pricey 3rd party vendors who bring their clumsy online management platforms that drain precious hours of staff, faculty, and lower-level admins figuring out how to use them.
This gathering, however, is more likely to be potluck, with cheaper wine, or maybe at a nearby pub.
FWIW, neither admins nor faculty (nor boards nor staff, for that matter) corner the market on wisdom or foolishness in academe. Distributions of said qualities vary widely among institutions.
🤓😊😜
Another very interesting and lengthy article about VU appeared in the Chicago Tribune this weekend. New Brauer Director Jonathan Canning has instituted an exhibition now on display in the Education Gallery of the museum that focuses on the ethics of museum art sales. It includes Padilla's letter to the campus community alongside other documents, such as deaccessioning practices, as well as artworks in the museum that are deemed appropriate for sale, such as two Salvador Dali works and an 18th-century German print that doesn't fit the museum's mission. It also quotes the deaccessioning policy articulated "when Padilla was the university's general counsel, that calls for any proceeds from jettisoned works 'to be placed in the Art Endowment Fund and used for future purchases.'"
The article closes with a quote by the president of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, of which Canning is a member: "Deaccessioning is conducted transparently, and for academic museums, often involves an advisory committee composed of campus and/or community stakeholders. The process requires a rigorous re-evaluation of an organization's collection with the goal of improving it by removing works of art or cultural objects that fall outside of the collecting scope and mission of the institution."
I like to think Padilla and Canning could reach a compromise, including input from the museum collections committee, by establishing a list of artworks eligible for deaccessioning that could be sold according to deaccession rules. The proceeds ethically could go to specific museum support needs, perhaps freeing some funds the university otherwise would contribute to the museum for other purposes, like an initial downpayment for dorm renovation while additional funding is sought elsewhere as well. Like David81, I believe a compromise could be a win for all involved.
[tweet]1647578108482945025[/tweet]
I see it very unlikely that there can be any compromise if Canning has developed an exhibit that essentially is "giving the finger" to Padilla. And as I have stated perviously, any of these Associations has no authority to tell Valpo what it can do with its assets that are not related to its core mission.
My guess is that the compromise you suggest would raise "a few tens of thousands" for the dorms....far from anything significant, thus not any sort of meaningful compromise.
It would seem that Mr. Canning wants to be a martyr after being fired.
Quote from: vu72 on April 16, 2023, 12:37:29 PM
It would seem that Mr. Canning wants to be a martyr after being fired.
He is building his capital with the "Associations" and those who fully embrace those associations having power, so that he is in line for his next job. To my knowledge, he is not protected under any tenure policy - thus my guess is that this action will hasten his dismissal or resignation.
Quote from: David81 on April 16, 2023, 10:54:23 AM
Quote from: VULB#62 on April 15, 2023, 12:19:09 PM
We recently had the opportunity to host a dinner get-together with some of our friends who, previously, did not know each other. One was a Brown grad and Harvard PhD with 41 years of university teaching under his belt. One was a former dean at UW-Oshkosh with a CV that included faculty and admin positions at three other large universities. The third held an MA in communications, worked in a small, private college development office, and lived through the recent closing of this Wisconsin LA institution, because it had next to nothing in the way of an endowment cushion.
I brought up the current higher ed environment and mentioned a little of what Valpo was experiencing (yes, including the art sale kerfluffle). Quite the conversation ensued. I was surprised at some of the thoughts that were voiced. Without any comment, here are a couple of pearls agreed upon by our guests:
>> Faculty, as a whole, typically have their heads in the sand (or someplace else ::)) and are generally myopic when it comes to the business of running a university.
>> Deans generally are in a no-win situation (except they get paid more). Consensus was that curriculum-focused deans usually don't have the business acumen to lead a "profitable" organization and therefore incur the wrath of the administration. Business-focused deans have believability problems trying to lead curriculum change - and therefore generate faculty displeasure. It is unusual to see a dean who excels at both (but even they are still disliked by someone).
>> Working in a university environment is intensely political.
>> Given my description of the art sale controversy (I tried my best to explain both sides objectively), all three guests expressed sadness that the sale of three works of art became a flash point, but all concurred that, in the grander scheme of things, the ongoing viability of an institution and its ability to be agile in meeting accelerating change trumps holding onto such assets.
It was a fun, energy-filled evening. In vino veritas.
VULB#62, my friend, you heard only one side of the story. Thus, a necessary clarification: If you get a group of faculty members together to talk frankly, then you will likely hear about administrators, who "as a whole, typically have their heads in the sand (or someplace else ::)) and are generally myopic when it comes to the business of running a university."
This includes, among other things:
(1) admins cozy with the board arranging to get huge raises, even when the university is in a pay and hiring freeze mode for faculty and staff;
(2) admins hiring more and more mid-level administrators, especially those who help other admins, which often results in more and more bureaucracy and meetings;
(3) even while getting raises and hiring more admins, admins reducing staff by contracting out everyday admin functions (budget, online training, travel booking, etc.) to pricey 3rd party vendors who bring their clumsy online management platforms that drain precious hours of staff, faculty, and lower-level admins figuring out how to use them.
This gathering, however, is more likely to be potluck, with cheaper wine, or maybe at a nearby pub.
FWIW, neither admins nor faculty (nor boards nor staff, for that matter) corner the market on wisdom or foolishness in academe. Distributions of said qualities vary widely among institutions.
🤓😊😜
Um.... All I did was sit back and then relate to our forum a conversation between our friends. But I think you missed my point, David. Both professors were tenured faculty, now retired (with one winding up at the end of his career as a dean before retiring), who made the "myopic" comment in general about their fellow faculty colleagues, not career, non-academic admins. Ergo, my surprise at their comments. But, as you point out, in addition I'm sure both factions view the other with some measure of suspicion. ;)
But thank you for going off on the dark side of professional non-academic administrators which we didn't get to in our conversation.
Quote from: VULB#62 on April 16, 2023, 04:44:13 PM
Quote from: David81 on April 16, 2023, 10:54:23 AM
Quote from: VULB#62 on April 15, 2023, 12:19:09 PM
We recently had the opportunity to host a dinner get-together with some of our friends who, previously, did not know each other. One was a Brown grad and Harvard PhD with 41 years of university teaching under his belt. One was a former dean at UW-Oshkosh with a CV that included faculty and admin positions at three other large universities. The third held an MA in communications, worked in a small, private college development office, and lived through the recent closing of this Wisconsin LA institution, because it had next to nothing in the way of an endowment cushion.
I brought up the current higher ed environment and mentioned a little of what Valpo was experiencing (yes, including the art sale kerfluffle). Quite the conversation ensued. I was surprised at some of the thoughts that were voiced. Without any comment, here are a couple of pearls agreed upon by our guests:
>> Faculty, as a whole, typically have their heads in the sand (or someplace else ::)) and are generally myopic when it comes to the business of running a university.
>> Deans generally are in a no-win situation (except they get paid more). Consensus was that curriculum-focused deans usually don't have the business acumen to lead a "profitable" organization and therefore incur the wrath of the administration. Business-focused deans have believability problems trying to lead curriculum change - and therefore generate faculty displeasure. It is unusual to see a dean who excels at both (but even they are still disliked by someone).
>> Working in a university environment is intensely political.
>> Given my description of the art sale controversy (I tried my best to explain both sides objectively), all three guests expressed sadness that the sale of three works of art became a flash point, but all concurred that, in the grander scheme of things, the ongoing viability of an institution and its ability to be agile in meeting accelerating change trumps holding onto such assets.
It was a fun, energy-filled evening. In vino veritas.
VULB#62, my friend, you heard only one side of the story. Thus, a necessary clarification: If you get a group of faculty members together to talk frankly, then you will likely hear about administrators, who "as a whole, typically have their heads in the sand (or someplace else ::)) and are generally myopic when it comes to the business of running a university."
This includes, among other things:
(1) admins cozy with the board arranging to get huge raises, even when the university is in a pay and hiring freeze mode for faculty and staff;
(2) admins hiring more and more mid-level administrators, especially those who help other admins, which often results in more and more bureaucracy and meetings;
(3) even while getting raises and hiring more admins, admins reducing staff by contracting out everyday admin functions (budget, online training, travel booking, etc.) to pricey 3rd party vendors who bring their clumsy online management platforms that drain precious hours of staff, faculty, and lower-level admins figuring out how to use them.
This gathering, however, is more likely to be potluck, with cheaper wine, or maybe at a nearby pub.
FWIW, neither admins nor faculty (nor boards nor staff, for that matter) corner the market on wisdom or foolishness in academe. Distributions of said qualities vary widely among institutions.
🤓😊😜
Um.... All I did was sit back and then relate to our forum a conversation between our friends. But I think you missed my point, David. Both professors were tenured faculty, now retired (with one winding up at the end of his career as a dean before retiring), who made the "myopic" comment in general about their fellow faculty colleagues, not career, non-academic admins. Ergo, my surprise at their comments. But, as you point out, in addition I'm sure both factions view the other with some measure of suspicion. ;)
But thank you for going off on the dark side of professional non-academic administrators which we didn't get to in our conversation.
Thank you for that clarification! Given that many academic admins are drawn from the faculty, with some becoming "career" admins and others "returning" to the faculty, I think we're often drawing both faculty and admins from the same gene pool, so to speak. My observation is that many are good at what they were trained to do, which usually means immersing themselves in a disciplinary subject matter and then teaching and writing about it.
I also find that real-world common sense and leadership ability in academe comes by accident, not by design. Some have it, others don't. It cuts across faculty, lead admins, and boards. When you think about it, it's pretty amazing that universities are among the most resilient of institutions, cutting across decades and even centuries.
Quote from: vu72 on April 16, 2023, 12:37:29 PM
It would seem that Mr. Canning wants to be a martyr after being fired.
Someone needs to lift up the hood on Canning's brain and check for a control system. There is no human explanation for this. The cost of "stupid" is becoming overwhelming. It's time for President Padilla to put this armed camp of resistance out of its misery.
Quote from: wh on April 17, 2023, 02:22:39 AM
Quote from: vu72 on April 16, 2023, 12:37:29 PM
It would seem that Mr. Canning wants to be a martyr after being fired.
Someone needs to lift up the hood on Canning's brain and check for a control system. There is no human explanation for this. The cost of "stupid" is becoming overwhelming. It's time for President Padilla to put this armed camp of resistance out of its misery.
:rotfl:
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 16, 2023, 12:40:35 PM
Quote from: vu72 on April 16, 2023, 12:37:29 PM
It would seem that Mr. Canning wants to be a martyr after being fired.
He is building his capital with the "Associations" and those who fully embrace those associations having power, so that he is in line for his next job. To my knowledge, he is not protected under any tenure policy - thus my guess is that this action will hasten his dismissal or resignation.
I have to say that I got a chuckle out of this news about the exhibit. Yes, I know the art sale proposal is a serious matter, but this response could only happen in a university. 🤣 And really, it's not going to hurt VU's reputation, so no one should be grinding their teeth about it.
While it may help him to get his next job (though not with a university! LOL.), it feels like a decision to go out with a bang more than anything else.
The art exhibit is fine to me. Universities have academic freedom for a reason and people invested in the art museum and the arts have a right to be mad about this and to pushback.
I think many of the people wanting to sell the art don't feel great about it (I sure don't even though I come down on the side that it's the right decision). A tendency to thumb their nose at Goliath on a college campus is a good thing for faculty and staff to have generally.
Of the ways the anti-sale arguments have been made these are not the types that I find counter-productive.
I would love a compromise but I don't thin one exists that will involve not selling unless a donor or grant of some kind falls in the universities lap. I'd imagine some sort of compromise would have to maybe involve some sort of decision to more firmly finance/protect art work from this is in the future or some of the money going towards some sort of investment in the arts, maybe even withn the renovation themselves.
I suggested some time ago that President Padilla reach out to the Director and (former Director) with a compromise - If the paintings could be sold for $20M, endow the position of Director with $1M of the permanent endowment, plus an additional $100K for 10 years going to funds to purchase new pieces for the collection. That would assure the future viability of the museum, and make it more attractive to whoever would be the next director. President Padilla would get to spend almost $19M right now on the needed renovations, some of the existing expenses associated with the director's salary are offset by the $1M endowment, and future committed expenses are capped with a ten year payout. Obviously this could be pro-rated if the sales were more or less than $20M, yet it would give the Director and all of the vocal supporters of the Brauer an incentive to see that the sales were made at the maximum possible amount.
95 - no way that a compromise would happen with these stubborn dudes. Canning is acting like a clown making his feelings known before the inevitable - I have seen this scenario many times in industry for a long time. At least the creative writing major will get a warm fuzzy seeing this.
I cannot believe the animosity by some here toward fellow members of our Valparaiso community, calling for the firing of Director Canning for standing on the principles of his profession, the very criteria for which he was admired in his hiring. Labelling a highly respected scholar with twenty years experience as "stupid" and "wanting to be a martyr" or "acting like a clown" for defending those principles, which is the Director of the Museum's duty. Referencing those who support the arts or major in certain fields and believe in following prescribed professional ethics, including a majority of the VU faculty and reflected in the Faculty Senate resolution, as "stubborn dudes" and suggesting they should "be put out of their misery" for their "resistance." Please cite the class at Valparaiso University that taught the use of such non sequitur and ad hominem in productive discussion.
A lot of folks have been ripping Padilla to keep this university moving in the right direction, and many don't understand the need to upgrade facilities to stay afloat.
It would be wonderful for media to report on both sides of the story.
Quote from: usc4valpo on April 17, 2023, 04:06:35 PM
A lot of folks have been ripping Padilla to keep this university moving in the right direction, and many don't understand the need to upgrade facilities to stay afloat.
It would be wonderful for media to report on both sides of the story.
But to ValpoPal's point, I think the criticisms of President Padilla on this board have been measured and specific, for the most part. I think he's doing a very good job overall, under very challenging circumstances. The faculty statement opposing the art sale was careful to explain that this is not a broadside challenge to his leadership.
Also, many of us who are hoping for an alternative option to the art sale happen to recognize the need for upgraded facilities. But we're also questioning how it suddenly became a "must have" only when the art sale proposal surfaced.
Anyway, of course a reporter is going to pick up on the cheekiness of setting up an exhibition on deaccession. It's newsworthy in that regard. And given the stakes involved, the exhibit is a fair expression of academic freedom to be raising the issues in this manner.
Those who are used to, and/or favor, top-down, vertical decision making sometimes have trouble with the ways in which universities try to resolve their internal issues. At times it's messy, contentious, inefficient, and revealing of the dirty laundry. But the irony is that compared to the come and go of private businesses, universities have a lot of staying power, notwithstanding said inefficiencies. At times during its history, it has stumbled and bumbled along, but guess what? It's still here.
If Padilla can resolve this controversy effectively and without a lot of bad feelings in its wake, then we have further confirmation that he is the right guy for Valpo. He already helped foster the change in head coaches in a way that was respectful to the outgoing guy and created a ton of enthusiasm and excitement over the incoming guy -- a big win for the VU community and a lesson in how to do it right.
Pal is right. Your wife could have sex with 3 guys at the same time while you're at work, and if you get mad and call her the "c" word, she immediately becomes the victim. Is it too late to take back calling the art guy stupid - in quotes? I hope so. If it helps, stupid in quotes means what he did actually was not stupid because no one could be that ignorant. Obviously, it was cunning and calculated, with the intent of doing irreparable damage to Valparaiso University's otherwise highly respected president and board.
As someone who has loved Valparaiso University my entire adult life and am deeply concerned about its future existence, I do hope this individual and his ilk fail miserably in their dirty deed and are held properly accountable.
Quote from: wh on April 18, 2023, 06:10:16 PM
Pal is right. Your wife could have sex with 3 guys at the same time while you're at work, and if you get mad and call her the "c" word, she immediately becomes the victim. Is it too late to take back calling the art guy stupid - in quotes? I hope so. If it helps, stupid in quotes means what he did actually was not stupid because no one could be that ignorant. Obviously, it was cunning and calculated, with the intent of doing irreparable damage to Valparaiso University's otherwise highly respected president and board.
As someone who has loved Valparaiso University my entire adult life and am deeply concerned about its future existence, I do hope this individual and his ilk fail miserably in their dirty deed and are held properly accountable.
For the sake of comity, I will proceed under the assumption your account has been hacked. ::)
valpo22 - Please don't generalize the entire population of alumni from a very small sample (in this case one, who may or may not be an alum).
I do think that Canning's actions increase the likelihood of his dismissal or his resignation. Reasons:
-To my knowledge, he is classified as an administrator...not a tenured faculty member. Thus, his employment agreement is considered for renewal every one, two or three years.
-From the same assumption as the prior point, Canning is not protected by academic freedom. Only tenured faculty are protected (I am also assuming that Valpo's employee handbook is similar to most universities).
-Canning used university resources to create his protest.
-Such actions are likely to impress the people in the arena he is most concerned about - the art museum associations and other similar groups.
Some may view his actions as courageous. I can see that argument, but again have never been convinced at all that the art is anything more than highly valuable assets which are not directly related to the university's mission.
A lot of this string's content talks about enrollment decline ramifications. FWIW, columnist George Will had a few words to share about it in the Washington Post today. Catchy headline if nothing else. I hope my link works.
[The Washington Post] As enrollment plummets, academia gets schooled about where it went wrong
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/19/declining-college-enrollment-value/
Ouch. A very concise commentary.
Merciless comments on the business model of higher eduation, the race among mid-range colleges to offer mongolian barbecue, and the politicization of professors is ruining the humanities.
Quote from: VULB#62 on April 19, 2023, 12:54:45 PM
A lot of this string's content talks about enrollment decline ramifications. FWIW, columnist George Will had a few words to share about it in the Washington Post today. Catchy headline if nothing else. I hope my link works.
[The Washington Post] As enrollment plummets, academia gets schooled about where it went wrong
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/19/declining-college-enrollment-value/
Ahhhh....George Will. As is often the case, he mixes some sharp, insightful points -- the kinds that should make liberals like me sit up straight and think -- with some dubious swings and misses.
To wit on the latter, his trashing of a 1971 Supreme Court opinion that, in essence, held that employers cannot use testing instruments that discriminate statistically against protected groups (sex, race, etc.) UNLESS they can show that these tests are job-related. Makes sense, right? The opinion was NOT written by one of the left-leaning judges, but rather by one Warren Burger, a solidly conservative Nixon appointee. What Burger was actually getting at was concern over the growing use of standardized tests being used as gatekeeping devices. And why was Burger, hardly a social justice warrior, writing this opinion? Probably because he was and remains one of the very few SCOTUS justices who didn't go to an elite law school. Instead, he attended the St. Paul College of Law in Minnesota.
And yet Will blames this opinion for pushing employers to require bachelor's degrees instead of using employment tests, and thus pushing more and more young folks to get bachelor's degrees in order to qualify for good jobs. It's a nonsensical point. Employers can still use tests for applicants, so long as the content relates to the job in question. Many still do.
But I did like his point about schools outside the elite circle loading up on bells & whistles to attract applicants, i.e., making the "'student experience' more enticing — fancier dorms, better football, Mongolian barbecues in the food courts, etc." It's that very challenge that has prompted the art sale controversy. Harvard and Co. can still fill their seats and sell the student experience with the crappiest of dorms, but everyone else has to scramble to get the pitch right.
Agreed with '81 on some points about Warren Burger and the employment tests. Yes, I forgot there were centrist judges in a time long ago. There was also a need to compensate more than a bit for history. Other federal programs did generate momentum for minorities to enter the middle class in the 1970s and 1980s, especially in coastal and southern cities. So the pendulum seemed to be swinging in the right direction and people seemed to be gradually moving toward the MLK vision. (Ironically the supposedly racist south became the "new south" of the 1970s-1980s and handled integration much more readily than the northern cities.)
But now we have reversed all the 1970s-1980s progress and colleges deserve the primary blame. Senior faculty and college leaders grew nostalgic for the good old days of student activism in the 1960s and contrived updated grievances against what they had known. "Multi-culturalism" was a solution in search of a problem; a ludicrous idea that assumed that a race equated to a culture. Does a two-generation American middle class minority group of kids comprise a "culture?" It was a stupid contrivance that took deeper root in politics and then money followed it for political gain. MLK's goal suddenly went in reverse as we sadly were taught to judge an individual not by his/her character but by their identity group. Congratulations to all the M-C devotees. Mission accomplished. I suspect people like '81 are not the enthusiasts who led this. They graduated in 1981 into a more normal world that had recovered from the 60s and LSD. Their seniors were the goofballs.
George Will had a few good points, but we need liberal arts collegiate education to solve world problems in a holistic fashion.
For the class of 2027 not going to elite schools, Will is correct about the importance of amenities to entice students to enroll. After visiting college with my daughters the past few year, I strongly feel Valpo needs these facility upgrades drastically to stay marketable. If this involves selling assets and pissing off a creative writing major and a director trying to hold on to power grab, then so be it.
On the other hand, facility upgrades and other amenities drive costs. This makes me wonder if students enrolling to these colleges generally care about costs and debt they will eventually pay after graduation. My feeling, for any degree, is that students need to have some plan or long term objective on what they want to do with that degree or college experience. This plan or objective can change, but they need to keep this in mind when going to college.
I found George Will's final note of interest:
"Almost three-quarters of Democrats think colleges have a positive impact on the nation; 37 percent of Republicans do."
When looking at the education backgrounds of the two parties it makes all the sense in the world. Here is an article from Pew Research that does a deeper dive into the views of various groups within these parties. Specifically, the article points out that 96% of Republicans ages 65 and older who think higher education is headed in the wrong direction say professors bringing their views into the classroom is a major reason for this. Only 58% of Republicans ages 18 to 34 share that view.
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/08/19/the-growing-partisan-divide-in-views-of-higher-education-2/
Overall, education and gender play a big part in voter choice. This 2020 Pew article shows that 62% of white men without a college degree voted republican while the same article shows that 62% of white women WITH a college degree voted democratic. It also points out the 57% of republican voters do not have a college degree.
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2020/06/02/in-changing-u-s-electorate-race-and-education-remain-stark-dividing-lines/
That's consistent with what I have read over the last 10 years too.
The incredible irony, for better or for worse, is that the very non-degreed white men who vote Republican now were once the backbone of the Democratic party as laborers in unions. They work with their hands and experience the day-to-day physical realities of the market for goods.
Conversely, for better or for worse, the educated now have the freedom and good health to muse and opine (like me) on the fate of the world. The technology boon seems to have turbo-charged the age gap. Since most of their friends are liberal it just spreads on and on.
Quote from: crusadermoe on April 19, 2023, 07:04:45 PM
Agreed with '81 on some points about Warren Burger and the employment tests. Yes, I forgot there were centrist judges in a time long ago. There was also a need to compensate more than a bit for history. Other federal programs did generate momentum for minorities to enter the middle class in the 1970s and 1980s, especially in coastal and southern cities. So the pendulum seemed to be swinging in the right direction and people seemed to be gradually moving toward the MLK vision. (Ironically the supposedly racist south became the "new south" of the 1970s-1980s and handled integration much more readily than the northern cities.)
But now we have reversed all the 1970s-1980s progress and colleges deserve the primary blame. Senior faculty and college leaders grew nostalgic for the good old days of student activism in the 1960s and contrived updated grievances against what they had known. "Multi-culturalism" was a solution in search of a problem; a ludicrous idea that assumed that a race equated to a culture. Does a two-generation American middle class minority group of kids comprise a "culture?" It was a stupid contrivance that took deeper root in politics and then money followed it for political gain. MLK's goal suddenly went in reverse as we sadly were taught to judge an individual not by his/her character but by their identity group. Congratulations to all the M-C devotees. Mission accomplished. I suspect people like '81 are not the enthusiasts who led this. They graduated in 1981 into a more normal world that had recovered from the 60s and LSD. Their seniors were the goofballs.
Crusadermoe, I'm an old-fashioned liberal (safety net, civil rights, labor movement, strong national defense, no fan of authoritarians right or left). At my university I've been at odds with the more parochial old boys as well as the DEI/woke hardliners, though interestingly, more of the former came to respect my willingness to challenge the institution, while many of the latter see me as being disloyal because I'm not part of their cohort.
On a different tack, locally to me, UWGB just announced a corporate-sponsored endowment that fully supports a women's career leadership institute. The chair or whatever it is, boldly carries the corporate name. Does Valpo look for corporate alliances for this type of thing? And what might be the upside of doing this sort of thing?
Quote from: VULB#62 on April 20, 2023, 10:34:19 PM
On a different tack, locally to me, UWGB just announced a corporate-sponsored endowment that fully supports a women's career leadership institute. The chair or whatever it is, boldly carries the corporate name. Does Valpo look for corporate alliances for this type of thing? And what might be the upside of doing this sort of thing?
I know the law school had some arrangements like that, e.g., a lecture series underwritten by Monsanto.
It's definitely a good thing, so long as the University has full authority on running the program or staffing the position.
I ran a funded and later endowed public service law fellowship program at my school for several years, and the donors (big name real estate family) were very involved in insisting upon quality, but hands off on admin and policy decisions. I really respected their approach -- accountability on positive results, but you run it as you see fit -- and found it to be an enjoyable challenge.
The business building at the University of Kansas is named for the firm owned by the primary donor family. Further, it is not uncommon for lecture series or endowed chairs to be named for firms and is a good practice.
David81 raises an excellent and very important point, however, regarding demands of corporate (or any) donors. If their involvement is to insist on quality (e.g., the aforementioned Kansas donation) or adhering to the agreed mission (e.g., women's career leadership), great and they can bring a great deal of valuable support. But universities need to be very careful not to let donors (corporate or otherwise) drive a particular ideology. I have experience with two specific donors (one of each side of the political spectrum) attempting to require, in the terms of their major donation, teaching a series of courses in a manner that is consistent with their political ideology. Unfortunately, some universities have accepted donations with those terms - but it is wrong to do so.
I know I would love it if universities also didn't sell their soul to the Chinese to create...oh hypothetically...the Penn Biden Center.
and all of God's children said "AMEN"!
I was specifically referring to attempts by the Koch brothers and George Soros. They offer seven or eight figure donations over time, but require the university create programs that preach their economic ideologies in exchange for their donations.
I wonder if Oklahoma State University sold their soul to T. Boone Pickens when he donated $500m for primarily athletics and investments.
To my knowledge, T. Boone Pickens has only demanded that the athletics teams win. His expectations on the academic side are simply that OSU achieve high quality and be nationally recognized - no demands on a specific ideology to be followed in academic programs.
T. Boone Pickens died September 11, 2019.
Quote from: valpo22 on April 24, 2023, 01:10:08 PM
Didn't know this was in the works, but saw the Torch published an article on salaries (remove 2 spaces after http for it to work):
http: //www.valpotorch.com/news/article_963e20b6-df94-11ed-875b-1b3c3896ae2a.html
Valpo22, thank you for sharing that link. The peer school salary study findings appear to be very consistent with Diapora's personal observations about VU salaries as a former A&S faculty member.
So we know Valpo faculty are paid below the norm. There is no denying this. The question is how this can be addressed. How about cutting some more majors for a handful or less of enrolled students, resulting in cuts, where the revenue saved can bolster salaries?
Any solution will result in pain.
Valpo22 speaks wisely about the likely impact of more cuts. At some point, you look around and see mostly crushed spirits and a lack of trust in the institution. It takes years to recover from that, if at all.
Basically, for decades upon decades, the University has balanced its books on the backs of an underpaid faculty. When an institution's very financial model has been grounded in low pay for the people doing its core work, a few more cuts here and there aren't going to make a difference anyway. This is a structural failure; thus, the fix won't be easy.
Absent digging into the art museum basement in search of a forgotten Picasso or Monet, there are only two ways to address this: Revenue and fundraising.
My confidence in the possibility of a compromise that would save the artworks from sale and allow an alternative to prevail has been increased a bit. Yesterday, a former VU law professor and major donor to VU brought the university to court requesting a temporary restraining order on any sale. The situation is also being examined by the state Attorney General who predicted the art sale could not take place before the fall at the earliest. The representative for the Attorney General also said the sale would likely need court approval before moving forward. During the proceedings, VU's lawyer, apparently contradicting Padilla's previous statements about a need to move quickly, assured the court that the university had revised its emphasis on urgency of the sale, saying "There is no immediacy to this at all." I have also been told the Board of Directors will likely revisit this issue in an upcoming meeting, perhaps to seek an alternative move forward.
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I think I have noted earlier that Padilla's arrival and statements have all predicted a "Go Big or Go Home" mentality. That is probably the best strategy for Valpo now. The Roger Powell hire went big. The purchase of Strongbows went big (at least in Valpo's world.) The Art Sale went big both in size and in risk. I have also pointed out that there is really no downside for Padilla at this point in his career. on a big bet. If he wins on these big bets he puts a huge win on his resume. At that point he can stay at Valpo and enjoy a career finale.
If the big bets fail, he can move on to another job having attempted a turnaround against extremely long odds. His background as an attorney and passionate, decisive guy suits him well for a presidency somewhere else in this turbulent time in higher education. Or he can return to a corporate attorney role. I respect his commitment to Valpo's mission and his decisiveness. But you are not looking at a person with Valpo at the center of his life story, viewing VU through an 8-15 year lens who will go down with the ship. Fall 2025 or bust.
The more I learn, the more this is laid at the feet of President Heckler. It is appropriate that his background is in theatre, as his leadership (or lack thereof) during 2008-2020 set the stage for this circumstance.
President Heckler (who led "the most comprehensive and ambitious strategic plan in Valpo's history") set out a plan to grow the university to 6,000 students in the face of demographic headwinds. He was in charge when the Law School imploded, where the tuition likely covered up some structural deficits. He saw the fraction of Lutheran undergrads go from 31% in 2009 to 18% in 2020 (and LCMS undergrads go from 16% (465 students) to 6.7% (184 students) in the same period); this is the fraction of students who indicated a religious affiliation. In addition, during Heckler's tenure, the sticker price tuition went from $26,070 in 2008 to $41,940 in 2020 (I do not know the net price, net of discounts). He did oversee several new buildings, and a seemingly successful fundraising effort even a portion is in future pledges/estate gifts. However, that seems to be offset by stagnating salaries that seem to have been more acute during his time as president.
President Padilla has been given a difficult task, though other than a foreseeable uproar with respect to the proposed art sale he seems to be doing a good job.
Quote from: David81 on April 25, 2023, 10:48:41 AMAbsent digging into the art museum basement in search of a forgotten Picasso or Monet, there are only two ways to address this: Revenue and fundraising.
Or in other words, increase the number of students in attendance.
Quote from: valpopal on April 25, 2023, 11:56:24 AM
My confidence in the possibility of a compromise that would save the artworks from sale and allow an alternative to prevail has been increased a bit. Yesterday, a former VU law professor and major donor to VU brought the university to court requesting a temporary restraining order on any sale. The situation is also being examined by the state Attorney General who predicted the art sale could not take place before the fall at the earliest. The representative for the Attorney General also said the sale would likely need court approval before moving forward. During the proceedings, VU's lawyer, apparently contradicting Padilla's previous statements about a need to move quickly, assured the court that the university had revised its emphasis on urgency of the sale, saying "There is no immediacy to this at all." I have also been told the Board of Directors will likely revisit this issue in an upcoming meeting, perhaps to seek an alternative move forward.
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How is this a compromise? It looks like steps are being taken for people opposed to the art sale to win and people who feel it is necessary to sell the art as it is not central to Valpo's mission to lose. I am sure, of course, that the people opposed to the art sale might be able to find a way to get 1% of the money that the art sale would raise...so they'll rationalize that they compromised.
I should feel good about the art sale being potentially blocked. The organization that we donate the most to is Valpo. If an organization does not use non-core assets to fund its advancement and revitalization, it seems clear that it does not need donations (or, alternatively, that donations indirectly fund the non-core assets). Other universities and organizations that we are affiliated with would be glad to have our donations.
Tenured and tenure-track faculty members at Valparaiso University are legally considered managerial employees, correct?
The Attorney General sticking his nose into Valpo's affairs? More Big Government overreach.
Yes, that seems like a poor use of his time. He must be a bit bored.
Left off about page 28, did we sell the art?
In all seriousness, has anyone suggested recreating the art as a reprint? Is there that much learning , emphasis on learning, value in having the real thing vs a replica?
Also can anyone name the three pieces of artwork off the top of their head?
Bet you can name the dorms though!
Quote from: valpofb16 on April 25, 2023, 07:59:30 PMAlso can anyone name the three pieces of artwork off the top of their head?
Bet you can name the dorms though!
Dorm A
Dorm B
Dorm C
The dorms are named.
Painting A off the top of my head
Painting B off the top of my head
Painting C off the top of my head
Now the art work is named.
I won't back and look but the big one was "Red Rust...etc..."
Looking at the Red Rust Hills painting, and I know folks will be upset so I apologize early, for some reason it reminds me of a South Park episode regarding accomplishing a world record.
Quote from: valpopal on April 25, 2023, 11:56:24 AM
My confidence in the possibility of a compromise that would save the artworks from sale and allow an alternative to prevail has been increased a bit. Yesterday, a former VU law professor and major donor to VU brought the university to court requesting a temporary restraining order on any sale. The situation is also being examined by the state Attorney General who predicted the art sale could not take place before the fall at the earliest. The representative for the Attorney General also said the sale would likely need court approval before moving forward. During the proceedings, VU's lawyer, apparently contradicting Padilla's previous statements about a need to move quickly, assured the court that the university had revised its emphasis on urgency of the sale, saying "There is no immediacy to this at all." I have also been told the Board of Directors will likely revisit this issue in an upcoming meeting, perhaps to seek an alternative move forward.
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The
Chicago Tribune coverage of the court case repeats the above points but also adds interesting tidbits. The university attorney, Darron Farha, acknowledges the state Attorney General will need to okay the sale as not violating trust terms. Also, Darron reveals that the university has refrained from entering into a contract agreement with Sotheby's and confirms any sale could not take place before fall. "The university has been in contact with Sotheby's about selling the paintings but doesn't have a contract with the auction house because university officials don't have an answer yet from Rokita's office, and even then, a sale would be one to two months out." Darron's comment further undercuts previous assertions by Padilla that the art sale was an urgent matter that needed to be completed by end of spring, and since the university has not contracted with Sotheby's, reconsideration of the art sale plan remains a possibility.
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I do not agree with the conclusion on urgency. It could certainly be considered urgent while also needing to delay a contract with Sotheby's due to pre-requisites to resolve legal issues/approval. But it does seem clear that the people opposed to the art sale want to focus on any language, regardless of context, that strengthens their position or damages the reputation or position of those who favor the art sale.
Quote from: valpo95 on April 25, 2023, 01:02:51 PM
The more I learn, the more this is laid at the feet of President Heckler. It is appropriate that his background is in theatre, as his leadership (or lack thereof) during 2008-2020 set the stage for this circumstance.
President Heckler (who led "the most comprehensive and ambitious strategic plan in Valpo's history") set out a plan to grow the university to 6,000 students in the face of demographic headwinds. He was in charge when the Law School imploded, where the tuition likely covered up some structural deficits. He saw the fraction of Lutheran undergrads go from 31% in 2009 to 18% in 2020 (and LCMS undergrads go from 16% (465 students) to 6.7% (184 students) in the same period); this is the fraction of students who indicated a religious affiliation. In addition, during Heckler's tenure, the sticker price tuition went from $26,070 in 2008 to $41,940 in 2020 (I do not know the net price, net of discounts). He did oversee several new buildings, and a seemingly successful fundraising effort even a portion is in future pledges/estate gifts. However, that seems to be offset by stagnating salaries that seem to have been more acute during his time as president.
President Padilla has been given a difficult task, though other than a foreseeable uproar with respect to the proposed art sale he seems to be doing a good job.
It appears that you're looking for a scapegoat, which often happens when things become very challenging. But the figures and facts you cite need to be considered in the context of comparative data and specific circumstances covered by the period of Heckler's administration:
First, VU's decline in the % of declared Lutheran students paralleled one of the biggest historical declines in the % of declared religiously-affiliated students generally, as this
Scientific American piece explains:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/college-freshmen-are-less-religious-than-ever/ (https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/college-freshmen-are-less-religious-than-ever/).
Second, while the demise of the Law School did indeed occur under his watch, consider some realities: (1) Law schools traditionally are given considerable leeway in plotting their paths, with much authority given to law school deans and faculty, and VU Law was no exception; (2) Heckler's tenure overlapped with the worst bloodletting and sharpest application drop in law school applications nationally ever experienced in legal education, thanks to ripple effects of the 2008 recession; (3) Saving the Law School likely would have required heavily taxing other, already cash-poor units of the University to pay for super-generous law school scholarships to attract stronger applicants and to make up for a significantly smaller law enrollment.
Third, VU's overall sticker-price tuition and annual tuition increases, while certainly not a good thing given the impact on students and eventual graduates, are remarkably similar to the overall averages for the U.S. News category of private National Universities (VU's grouping), as this chart shows:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/see-20-years-of-tuition-growth-at-national-universities (https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/see-20-years-of-tuition-growth-at-national-universities)
Fourth, VU's faculty salary problem has been a baked-in problem stretching back to waaaaaaaaay before Heckler. It was very much an issue when I attended VU c. 1980, when a comparative salary study showed VU lagging well behind most of its Lutheran-affiliated peers, not exactly a financially robust group to start with.
On the other hand, the goal of enrolling 6,000 students was clearly unrealistic. Also, in light of the decline of religiously affiliated students, the school probably should've done a better job of recruiting from that narrower pool. And his commitment to intercollegiate sports was, at best, obligatory. But every university president will have a mix of successes and miscues.
So...piling onto Heckler seems to be a convenient, but ultimately unfair gesture. I suggest that for some of his critics, and without presuming that valpo95 is among them, it's a pretext for disagreeing with his political orientation and/or for not embracing sports with sufficient gusto. As for me, I liked him and thought he helped VU become a more interesting and cosmopolitan institution. Furthermore, he is the third successive VU president, following predecessors Schnabel and Harre, to spearhead a successful major fundraising campaign as part of his presidency. I think he did a good job overall, especially given how his VU tenure was significantly bookended by a global recession and a global pandemic.
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 26, 2023, 01:57:05 PM
I do not agree with the conclusion on urgency. It could certainly be considered urgent while also needing to delay a contract with Sotheby's due to pre-requisites to resolve legal issues/approval.
I would agree with you except that Padilla made timing a point when expressing his reasoning for the art sale plan. He asserted selling the paintings was the only way he could get funds by the end of spring to begin renovation of the dorms over the summer. He said there was a tight schedule and that was why he eliminated some other alternatives. However, that urgency rationalization for the art sale by end of spring option no longer applies.
The points are very fair about Heckler in having no control of the law school trends and Lutheran demographics.
But Heckler's fund-raising constantly gets touted for the "biggest campaign in history." If you find the numbers somewhere you will see that Harre ran two campaigns in the second 10 years of his 20 totaling more money than Heckler raised in his 13 years. Just tired of that myth about Heckler. In 10 years Harre did two and combined for over $325M in a lower stock market.
Quote from: crusadermoe on April 26, 2023, 03:12:00 PM
The points are very fair about Heckler in having no control of the law school trends and Lutheran demographics.
But Heckler's fund-raising constantly gets touted for the "biggest campaign in history." If you find the numbers somewhere you will see that Harre ran two campaigns in the second 10 years of his 20 totaling more money than Heckler raised in his 13 years. Just tired of that myth about Heckler. In 10 years Harre did two and combined for over $325M in a lower stock market.
Quote from: crusadermoe on April 26, 2023, 03:12:00 PM
The points are very fair about Heckler in having no control of the law school trends and Lutheran demographics.
But Heckler's fund-raising constantly gets touted for the "biggest campaign in history." If you find the numbers somewhere you will see that Harre ran two campaigns in the second 10 years of his 20 totaling more money than Heckler raised in his 13 years. Just tired of that myth about Heckler. In 10 years Harre did two and combined for over $325M in a lower stock market.
I hold President Harre in high esteem. I'm sure that President Heckler did good things, as well, but the thing that truly sticks out in my mind was his irrational strategic plan "Project 6000," or whatever it was called. I knew then and there that the university was in desperate need of a highly skilled business leader, not an educator with business training.
David81:
I appreciate your response - I'm not trying to pile on, nor am I trying to be unfair.
I looked back at the calculation, and realized a quick error in Point #1 as I mixed two values in the denominator - the reports I have are not especially user-friendly. In 2009 there were 2892 undergrads, of which 325 indicated no religious affiliation. So the percentage Lutheran was 901/2892 = 31.1%, and if you exclude the numbers who indicated no affiliation the numbers are 901 / (2892-325) = 35.1%. The 465 LCMS students would be 16.1% of the total undergrads, or 18.1% of the students who indicated an affiliation. In 2020, there were 2737 undergrads, and 427 indicated no affiliation. So the 2020 percentage Lutheran was 18.4% of all undergrads, and excluding those who indicated no affiliation it would be 21.8%. The 184 LCMS students would be 6.7% of all undergrads, or 8.0% of those who indicated an affiliation. So, yes the fraction of undergrads who indicated no affiliation increased 11.2% to 15.6% consistent with the broad trends, yet the fraction of LCMS students at VU dropped by much more than that.
To put it another way, in 2006 (before President Heckler arrived), there were 603 LCMS undergrads (which would an average incoming class of 151 if we conveniently assume constant enrollment over four years), and in 2020 when he left, there were 184 students (an average incoming class of 46 if constant over four years). Although the fraction of religiously-affiliated students is going down, the decline in enrollment of VU's traditional Lutheran students was far steeper. Those missing students would make (and would have made) a big difference in VUs budget circumstance.
As to the law school, I get that this was a difficult circumstance for many universities, and ultimately the Law School might not have survived. However, the way this was handled, especially the dramatic decline in quality and bar passage rates, was an unnecessary hit to VU's academic reputation. The President in particular (and the Board in general) should have been paying closer attention to this, and clearly they did not.
On the sticker price, I agree VU was not alone in raising prices - private tuition was and is expensive. However, VU had a reputation of being more modestly priced that some of its private university competition (at least through the mid-1990s), and that seems to have disappeared. In addition, the dramatic increase in sticker price likely covered up some of the structural deficits. In addition, there is no possibility of continuing dramatic tuition increases going forward - that may work for Harvard or Yale, yet not for VU. It also would be interesting to see the admissions rates during his tenure, yet I'm guessing that the percentage of admitted applicants also went up.
It would be unfair to blame all of the ills facing VU on President Heckler - yes, VU faculty were underpaid for some time. However, my sense is that this got worse during his tenure, not better.
I'm not trying to pile on, and I did not mention anything about athletics. President Heckler had twelve years at the helm. In that sense, President Padilla has a much harder task and I'm willing to give him much more of the benefit of the doubt in having to make tough choices on a shorter timeline.
How critical is it that Valpo has a significant enrollment of Lutheran students? Why not have a broad base of Christian and non-Christian students? Get the enrollment up with quality students, and not focus on the maintaining a percentage of Lutheran students!
Also, I see Valpo is increasing tuition by 4 percent, which is below the current rate of inflation. In reality to keep up with costs, Valpo should actually increase it by more. Here is the thing - if you want to increase salaries to the median, you need to have generate cash. I totally disagree with valpo22 here - there is concern about low salaries below norm and I respect that, but then he complains about a 4 percent tuition increase that is below inflation. With that reasoning, you will never catch up.
Is Valpo possibly being too generous regarding aid? Is there too much middle management at Valpo? These are important questions whose financial impact is far beyond the coaching situation.
Quote from: usc4valpo on April 26, 2023, 04:02:13 PM
How critical is it that Valpo has a significant enrollment of Lutheran students? Why not have a broad base of Christian and non-Christian students? Get the enrollment up with quality students, and not focus on the maintaining a percentage of Lutheran students!
USC, I agree with you. I'm not arguing for only focusing on Lutheran students and would very much like to see increasing enrollment of high-quality students regardless of their background. However, the facts are that one source of VU's traditional student enrollment declined precipitously under President Heckler's presidency. Of course, it did not help that he was the first non-LCMS (and non-clergy) to be President in VU's modern history.
Quote from: valpopal on April 26, 2023, 02:49:21 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 26, 2023, 01:57:05 PM
I do not agree with the conclusion on urgency. It could certainly be considered urgent while also needing to delay a contract with Sotheby's due to pre-requisites to resolve legal issues/approval.
I would agree with you except that Padilla made timing a point when expressing his reasoning for the art sale plan. He asserted selling the paintings was the only way he could get funds by the end of spring to begin renovation of the dorms over the summer. He said there was a tight schedule and that was why he eliminated some other alternatives. However, that urgency rationalization for the art sale by end of spring option no longer applies.
If they are starting the dorm renovations, then your arguments have some validity. If they are delaying starting the dorm renovations (which is my understanding), your arguments are not valid....its just that everything is delayed (and Valpo will continue to fall short of parity on first and second year dorms when trying to attract new students).
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 26, 2023, 05:05:15 PM
Quote from: valpopal on April 26, 2023, 02:49:21 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 26, 2023, 01:57:05 PM
I do not agree with the conclusion on urgency. It could certainly be considered urgent while also needing to delay a contract with Sotheby's due to pre-requisites to resolve legal issues/approval.
I would agree with you except that Padilla made timing a point when expressing his reasoning for the art sale plan. He asserted selling the paintings was the only way he could get funds by the end of spring to begin renovation of the dorms over the summer. He said there was a tight schedule and that was why he eliminated some other alternatives. However, that urgency rationalization for the art sale by end of spring option no longer applies.
If they are starting the dorm renovations, then your arguments have some validity. If they are delaying starting the dorm renovations (which is my understanding), your arguments are not valid....its just that everything is delayed (and Valpo will continue to fall short of parity on first and second year dorms when trying to attract new students).
Exactly my point. I couldn't state it clearer myself. Thank you. If they start the dorm renovations this summer, then they obviously didn't need the urgent sale of the artwork to make that happen. If they delay the renovations, then Padilla's argument for the art sale—that they couldn't wait for alternative possible options (like a limited fundraising initiative) that might take a little longer and had no choice but to immediately sell the paintings—doesn't hold water.
I just read a glowing industry article about how Purdue is on the cutting edge of change in higher education - no tuition increases for 10 consecutive years, Purdue Global popping with new on-line options, enrollment up 30% in the last decade, a new branding concept adopting the MIT "institute" model rather than the Harvard "college" model for their STEM and business programs, new buildings christened as " institutes," etc., etc.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we have faculty members and an art room attendant locking horns with their university's president and board of trustees over the price of tea in China. It's truly incredible.
One step closer to midnight.
My opinion is clear, these renovated dorms for Valpo to sustain and grow take priority over art. If you keep the art, how do you build the dorms, knowing that they are high need for the university?
Quote from: valpo95 on April 26, 2023, 04:23:11 PM
Quote from: usc4valpo on April 26, 2023, 04:02:13 PM
How critical is it that Valpo has a significant enrollment of Lutheran students? Why not have a broad base of Christian and non-Christian students? Get the enrollment up with quality students, and not focus on the maintaining a percentage of Lutheran students!
USC, I agree with you. I'm not arguing for only focusing on Lutheran students and would very much like to see increasing enrollment of high-quality students regardless of their background. However, the facts are that one source of VU's traditional student enrollment declined precipitously under President Heckler's presidency. Of course, it did not help that he was the first non-LCMS (and non-clergy) to be President in VU's modern history.
President Schnabel attended the Seminary but was not an ordained Lutheran clergy.
If we're looking for people/parts of the organization who should shoulder the blame for where valpo is now, I think we can look no further than the former people in charge of recruiting (falls on heckler too of course being tje president). Under their direction, enrollment not only didn't increase each year but even decreased despite other big schools seeing an increase (even during COVID and with the beginning demographic crunch). It was a massive failure on all levels. They did not adequately communicate to high schoolers the reasons to go to valpo (great STEM programs, small class sizes, small and safe city, but still a good college atmosphere with plenty of social activities). I speak from experience as a Chicagoland high school student at the time, whose classmates either didn't know what valpo was, or said things like "that's such a small school, why would anyone want to there over a school with higher rankings and that I can have fun at, like (insert big 10 school)", not realizing that rankings aren't everything and that valpo isnt BYU or Wheaton. there was no reason that valpo wasn't more well known in the Chicagoland area than it was, and there was no reason for the marketing not to emphasize that valpo, while a religious institution compared to a state school, is not a controlling, strict place like some other religious schools are. From my perspective as a former student, things definitely began to change for the better my senior year under Padilla. Bolstering athletics, the tailgating/social scene on campus, the push to renovate the dorms, and the emphasis on the opportunities available only at a school like valpo because of its small size and faculty focus on undergraduates are all things that will bolster recruiting and retention. These are things that could have (and really should have) been done sooner. At the end of the day, if each graduating class at valpo since 2018 had just 200 more students (and that's conservative), that's 800 more students paying tuition, spreading the word about valpo to friends, family, and communities, (increasing awareness and interest!) and becoming potential future donors to the school. The situation now wouldn't look nearly as bleak if this were the case....nevertheless we cannot change the past, we can only focus on what is being done now, and the main thing that matters now is increasing enrollment by convincing the youth of today that going to valpo is a better choice for them than the competition
Quote from: valpopal on April 26, 2023, 05:53:19 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 26, 2023, 05:05:15 PM
Quote from: valpopal on April 26, 2023, 02:49:21 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 26, 2023, 01:57:05 PM
I do not agree with the conclusion on urgency. It could certainly be considered urgent while also needing to delay a contract with Sotheby's due to pre-requisites to resolve legal issues/approval.
I would agree with you except that Padilla made timing a point when expressing his reasoning for the art sale plan. He asserted selling the paintings was the only way he could get funds by the end of spring to begin renovation of the dorms over the summer. He said there was a tight schedule and that was why he eliminated some other alternatives. However, that urgency rationalization for the art sale by end of spring option no longer applies.
If they are starting the dorm renovations, then your arguments have some validity. If they are delaying starting the dorm renovations (which is my understanding), your arguments are not valid....its just that everything is delayed (and Valpo will continue to fall short of parity on first and second year dorms when trying to attract new students).
Exactly my point. I couldn't state it clearer myself. Thank you. If they start the dorm renovations this summer, then they obviously didn't need the urgent sale of the artwork to make that happen. If they delay the renovations, then Padilla's argument for the art sale—that they couldn't wait for alternative possible options (like a limited fundraising initiative) that might take a little longer and had no choice but to immediately sell the paintings—doesn't hold water.
I meant to say that my understanding was that they
are not starting the dorm renovations this summer...but I honestly do not know.
Quote from: vu72 on April 25, 2023, 02:45:16 PM
The Attorney General sticking his nose into Valpo's affairs? More Big Government overreach.
Just a clarification for those who aren't aware of the details: the Attorney General has no choice in this matter. He is legally required to become involved. He was named in the lawsuit as a defendant (alongside Padilla and Valparaiso University), so his office must respond and take a position before any resolution is reached. The Attorney General is characterized as a defendant because he has responsibility in the state of Indiana to guarantee charitable corporations comply with legal obligations, properly manage assets, and do not violate agreements according to possible stated or implied restrictions in a donor's intent.
VU2022 nailed it. Enrollment was never led skillfully under Heckler and also declined under Harre, who I praise sometimes.
That is the heart of the revenue stream. Everything else is noise and a distraction from that central point. Moody's agrees with you, VU2022. May 1 is the big day?
Quote from: valpo95 on April 26, 2023, 03:43:12 PM
David81:
I appreciate your response - I'm not trying to pile on, nor am I trying to be unfair.
I looked back at the calculation, and realized a quick error in Point #1 as I mixed two values in the denominator - the reports I have are not especially user-friendly. In 2009 there were 2892 undergrads, of which 325 indicated no religious affiliation. So the percentage Lutheran was 901/2892 = 31.1%, and if you exclude the numbers who indicated no affiliation the numbers are 901 / (2892-325) = 35.1%. The 465 LCMS students would be 16.1% of the total undergrads, or 18.1% of the students who indicated an affiliation. In 2020, there were 2737 undergrads, and 427 indicated no affiliation. So the 2020 percentage Lutheran was 18.4% of all undergrads, and excluding those who indicated no affiliation it would be 21.8%. The 184 LCMS students would be 6.7% of all undergrads, or 8.0% of those who indicated an affiliation. So, yes the fraction of undergrads who indicated no affiliation increased 11.2% to 15.6% consistent with the broad trends, yet the fraction of LCMS students at VU dropped by much more than that.
To put it another way, in 2006 (before President Heckler arrived), there were 603 LCMS undergrads (which would an average incoming class of 151 if we conveniently assume constant enrollment over four years), and in 2020 when he left, there were 184 students (an average incoming class of 46 if constant over four years). Although the fraction of religiously-affiliated students is going down, the decline in enrollment of VU's traditional Lutheran students was far steeper. Those missing students would make (and would have made) a big difference in VUs budget circumstance.
As to the law school, I get that this was a difficult circumstance for many universities, and ultimately the Law School might not have survived. However, the way this was handled, especially the dramatic decline in quality and bar passage rates, was an unnecessary hit to VU's academic reputation. The President in particular (and the Board in general) should have been paying closer attention to this, and clearly they did not.
On the sticker price, I agree VU was not alone in raising prices - private tuition was and is expensive. However, VU had a reputation of being more modestly priced that some of its private university competition (at least through the mid-1990s), and that seems to have disappeared. In addition, the dramatic increase in sticker price likely covered up some of the structural deficits. In addition, there is no possibility of continuing dramatic tuition increases going forward - that may work for Harvard or Yale, yet not for VU. It also would be interesting to see the admissions rates during his tenure, yet I'm guessing that the percentage of admitted applicants also went up.
It would be unfair to blame all of the ills facing VU on President Heckler - yes, VU faculty were underpaid for some time. However, my sense is that this got worse during his tenure, not better.
I'm not trying to pile on, and I did not mention anything about athletics. President Heckler had twelve years at the helm. In that sense, President Padilla has a much harder task and I'm willing to give him much more of the benefit of the doubt in having to make tough choices on a shorter timeline.
Valpo95, thank you for your responses to my comments.
Yes, others here have brought up a downturn in VU's recruiting at Lutheran high schools during Heckler's watch and has to be seen as a bad move. I know there's another thread here raising the question of how Lutheran does VU have to be in terms of student body, and even as a non-Lutheran I feel like this is part of the school's historic and substantive identity and thus should remain a priority.
On the Law School. From accounts I've read, when applications were falling, the law faculty opted to take in an entering class with very, very weak LSAT scores on average, reasoning that their personal, student-centered approach to legal education (which, compared to many other law schools, was certainly the case) could help those students overcome their academic shortcomings. However, while the LSAT is a far from perfect indicator of future academic or professional success in the legal profession, scores at a certain low level are very predictive of extreme difficulty in passing bar exam. VU's entering classes were averaging at that LSAT threshold, and at that point even the most dedicated teaching faculty in the world would not be able to bring those students over the line.
Now, if President Heckler knew about the predictive data between very low LSAT scores and very low bar exam pass rates, then yes, he must share responsibility for what happened at VU Law. But it does appear that the law faculty mistakenly believed that they could turn chaff into wheat, and by the time those classes took the bar exam, it was too late to do much about it. A good number of law schools closed or lost their American Bar Association accreditation during that long post-recession period, and of all of the casualties, I consider VU Law to be the saddest of them. The Little Engine that Could finally hit a perfect storm of circumstances that it couldn't survive, absent being a huge drain on the rest of the University.
On rising tuition: Yes, VU at one time was seen as a comparative bargain for a private university education. The fact that it kept up with the Joneses as far as consistent tuition hikes, similar to comparable institutions, meant that it lost that competitive advantages. We know it didn't translate into higher faculty salaries. I'm guessing, based on my university's similar financing challenges, that much of the extra tuition cash went into capital expenditures (new/renovated buildings) or debt service on the same.
If you google "Bradley shrinks deficit" you will find an article of May 2021 saying they faced a $10 million budget deficit. By 2023 they ran a surplus.
Send some administrators on a field trip? Those decisions could not have been easy.
I had someone ask me yesterday if the Brauer Museum was an accredited museum our just a museum in name only, they thought it was the later. I did not know the answer and even wondered if it was a legitimate question. Can anyone give me an answer?
Is the Brauer Museum an accredited museum??
I did not follow this thread lately but I heard three more people from the same Department will not return next Fall. I really believe that compensation is the most urgent matter. In my private conversations I keep hearing that we need to increase revenue before we can do that. NOrmally I would agree but there is a fatal flaw here. The present conditions (economic crises, inflation, rapid rising costs, apparently Valparaiso is the third most expensive city in Indiana) make so that I am not certain if the measures implemented to increase revenue bear fruit quickly enough. If they bear fruit in 6-7 years, that is an eternity
It is better to go into even greater debt now in order to address the compensation NOW and then pay the debt with increased revenue. Put it this way: would you max your credit card and carry a balance in order to buy a TV? Probably and hopefully not. Would you max your credit card and carry a balance to pay for a hole in the roof? Yes because without urgent action the damage is greater than high APR credit card balance. It's called emergency for a reason.
To make matters worse, Torch the student newspaper had an extensive article on the compensation and I got to tell you I am not so sure I liked that because I don't necessarily want my students to be acutely aware of this issue. It can be humiliating...
http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_963e20b6-df94-11ed-875b-1b3c3896ae2a.html
Quote from: DejaVU on April 27, 2023, 05:08:58 PM
I did not follow this thread lately but I heard three more people from the same Department will not return next Fall. I really believe that compensation is the most urgent matter. In my private conversations I keep hearing that we need to increase revenue before we can do that. NOrmally I would agree but there is a fatal flaw here. The present conditions (economic crises, inflation, rapid rising costs, apparently Valparaiso is the third most expensive city in Indiana) make so that I am not certain if the measures implemented to increase revenue bear fruit quickly enough. If they bear fruit in 6-7 years, that is an eternity
It is better to go into even greater debt now in order to address the compensation NOW and then pay the debt with increased revenue. Put it this way: would you max your credit card and carry a balance in order to buy a TV? Probably and hopefully not. Would you max your credit card and carry a balance to pay for a hole in the roof? Yes because without urgent action the damage is greater than high APR credit card balance. It's called emergency for a reason.
To make matters worse, Torch the student newspaper had an extensive article on the compensation and I got to tell you I am not so sure I liked that because I don't necessarily want my students to be acutely aware of this issue. It can be humiliating...
http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_963e20b6-df94-11ed-875b-1b3c3896ae2a.html
When I wrote an article for The Torch documenting low faculty salaries compared to other Lutheran-affiliated schools in early 1981, I had a few faculty actually thanking me for highlighting their situation. Faculty pay has been a significant, longstanding problem at VU.
I am sorry to hear this DejaVU. Indeed it seems like the time horizon for morale might not bear an uptick in freshmen only. And I don't know how fast a dorm of quality is built in these days of scarce construction labor. It just sucks.
David81: don't get me wrong, it is good for people to signal the issue but there is also a psychological negative aspect when students are reminded of this issue (not that there is a secret of some sort but when it appears in Torch it is probably more in their minds for a while at least).
To put it bluntly, I don't like students to wonder how much I am underpaid and why am I still here. That kind of thing. But that's just me.
By the way, this will be a non issue at state schools where salaries are public information. Purdue Exponent (the student paper at Purdue) every year publishes all salaries. That's how I found recently their football coach makes over 5 millions and their President just under 1 million :)
DejaVU makes great points about the visibility of faculty pay to current and prospective students...and I agree about signaling the importance of the issue nonetheless.
To my knowledge, salaries of all employees of state universities are publicly available (you just have to find the website). These listing don't include "special pay" like grants.
My rough calculation is that Valpo is short about $4M to $5M per year on total faculty pay versus the average among peers. That is a big number that needs to be addressed...frankly, you could argue that it is of greater urgency than dorms and other infrastructure., but raising salaries is not going to attract new students. In my view (unrealistic as it may be), there should be a specific plan that ties net new student enrollment above a certain amount to immediate increases in faculty pay.
Yes, the transparency is a good thing.
And a student paper standing independently on first amendment principles brings good credibility for the student paper and the university for not censoring the newspaper. I admire the student research. On a net basis it seems to bring more good than harm anyway.
Valpo needs to increase tuition by more than 4 perecent. It should be more like 8 perecent.
Also, is there too much middle management or any ways to improve efficiency?
Quote from: valpo22 on April 28, 2023, 08:55:37 AM
i understand heckler had tough economic conditions both at the start and end of his presidency, but what puzzles me about the early 2010s era (Board & Heckler administration) is that they let the yield rate fall so precipitously, and in fact did the opposite of fixing it by trying to expand enrollment. i'm not sure what admission yield rate Heckler inherited in 2010 from Harre, but in 2013 the IPEDS data shows the uni secured commitment from around 18% of admitted students and anectodally it seems the university still drew pretty healthily from around the nation especially with Lutherans. But the yield rate had dropped consitently every single year of his presidency so that by 2020 it was only 11 or 12% of admitted students commiting even as the distribution became more regional....
valpo22, one of the things that changed the landscape in the 2010s was the adaptation of the Common Application, the online application that lets students apply once and send the same application materials to many colleges. I don't know when VU adopted it. However, in general use of the common app has tended to increase the number of applicants, yet decrease overall yield rates of students who show up on campus. I do not work in Admissions, but the order of magnitude I have heard is that once a college adopts the common app, it might show a first year increase of 5-10% in applications, yet a 3-6% decrease in yield of admitted students. This probably varies quite a bit by institution, yet VU's admission rate (the fraction of applications admitted) is very high. Think of it this way - With the common app, more students apply to VU than in the past (which makes Admissions look good!) yet more of those students also applied to other universities and may select from a bigger set.
I remember a former staff member who worked there during Heckler's Strategic Plan told me that Hecker went to the Board and other campus stakeholders and they talked about how Valpo would either need to grow to 6000 or shrink down to be sustainable and financially stable for the future and he would pursue whichever strategy was decided on and the decision from the Board was to go for 6,000. That clearly is a big turning point. The enrollment strategy moved to a wide net one and larger classes were brought in for awhile but it also stretched university resources at the seams.
Now we are maybe being forced to shrink and do it painfully vs instead choosing a more stable path focused on building on our strongest programs
For the resident "save our paintings" jags, try reflecting on this for a brief moment:
Regardless of what time of the day or what day of the week you are reading this, your university lost $42,000 over the previous 24 hours.
Jag
An irritating individual with no sense of a social filter and no realization of the implication of his actions; socially inept.
Agree 100% with those observing how the Common App lowered yield rates everywhere, including mid-level and popular "safety" schools. When you hear about high school kids boasting of being admitted to dozens of schools, rest assured that most of them took a shotgun approach via the Common App and included a lot of schools at which they were competitive for admission. Some do this to play financial aid offers against each other.
Some schools have tried to "fight" the Common App yield drop by being much more judicious about extending offers, including withholding offers from students who somehow appear to be playing the field. This can include students with very strong credentials who are likely using a school as a safety. Don't know if Valpo is doing that, but it illustrates the degree to which schools are trying to manage perceptions of selectivity.
I can confirm that indeed during Heckler time there was this discussion about should we shrink or go big to 6000 students. But I remember a more laborious process whereby Heckler wasted nearly 2 years creating super-committees and sub-committees of committees in order to get the input from all constituencies on what to do etc...and then most faculty chose: sure let's keep all programs but become more sustainable by increasing the enrollment. As if the two choices were equally likely.
As a faculty member I have to stress that, as much as I distrust the administration, sometimes faculty as a whole can have a career suicide wish. Padilla at least looks like he does not have the same tendency to waste time like Heckler.
Another thing I remember, Heckler mentioned in a meeting during the Great Recession deflation with near zero interest rates, that this was great time to get more loans for strategic projects in order to secure historically low interest rates. I am saying this because I keep hearing folks talking about the problems with servicing debt during these time of big interest rates. So I don't really know one way or another, but if Heckler was true to his words we should have loans with ultra low fixed interest rates now. However if those loans were with variable interests then...party over.
Quote from: DejaVU on April 27, 2023, 07:15:23 PM
David81: don't get me wrong, it is good for people to signal the issue but there is also a psychological negative aspect when students are reminded of this issue (not that there is a secret of some sort but when it appears in Torch it is probably more in their minds for a while at least).
To put it bluntly, I don't like students to wonder how much I am underpaid and why am I still here. That kind of thing. But that's just me.
By the way, this will be a non issue at state schools where salaries are public information. Purdue Exponent (the student paper at Purdue) every year publishes all salaries. That's how I found recently their football coach makes over 5 millions and their President just under 1 million :)
DejaVU, points taken. Especially given the challenging academic job market, I don't think anyone should feel self-conscious about remaining at a school where they are relatively underpaid, especially if the institution offers some positive qualities. And I don't think that students look negatively upon those faculty. Rather, if they value those professors, then they, too, become educated in the sometime perverse compensation schemes of higher education. That said, your feelings about this are yours to own and must be honored.
The football coach at Purdue making 5 million is not a shock, that's in the ballpark of the market rate.
Kind of tacky of him but I respect his decision. At least he's upfront about it!
My natural human tendency is to empathize with those in the education field and the seemingly unfair pay gap relative to numerous other career paths. Where higher education leaves me cold is its pervasive, non-meritocratic, Marxist influence on closing societal gaps by flattening the curve from the top down rather than the bottom up.
I'm not going to ask you to answer for your industry, but I will ask this. In establishing a resolution baseline, is your general feeling that educators are underpaid, or other career paths are overpaid?
Quote from: wh on April 30, 2023, 01:24:51 PM
My natural human tendency is to empathize with those in the education field and the seemingly unfair pay gap relative to numerous other career paths. Where higher education leaves me cold is its pervasive, non-meritocratic, Marxist influence on closing societal gaps by flattening the curve from the top down rather than the bottom up.
I'm not going to ask you to answer for your industry, but I will ask this. In establishing a resolution baseline, is your general feeling that educators are underpaid, or other career paths are overpaid?
Marxist influence???? You mean all the commies taking over Valpo so they can be paid $50k for what at many other universities would be considered course overloads? wh, seriously, when you stick to points grounded in reality, you bring a lot of insight to the table. But here it sounds like you're superimposing a common far right broadside over a university whose faculty is not exactly fomenting revolution.
BTW, I would agree wholeheartedly that the academy tends to lean to the left, at some places to excess from a standpoint of valuing open dialogue and genuine academic freedom. And, at times, faculties can be very demanding and entitled. But interestingly, one sees this dynamic more in elite institutions than in places where faculty don't take themselves so seriously.
Quote from: David81 on April 30, 2023, 06:25:58 PM
Quote from: wh on April 30, 2023, 01:24:51 PM
My natural human tendency is to empathize with those in the education field and the seemingly unfair pay gap relative to numerous other career paths. Where higher education leaves me cold is its pervasive, non-meritocratic, Marxist influence on closing societal gaps by flattening the curve from the top down rather than the bottom up.
I'm not going to ask you to answer for your industry, but I will ask this. In establishing a resolution baseline, is your general feeling that educators are underpaid, or other career paths are overpaid?
Marxist influence???? You mean all the commies taking over Valpo so they can be paid $50k for what at many other universities would be considered course overloads? wh, seriously, when you stick to points grounded in reality, you bring a lot of insight to the table. But here it sounds like you're superimposing a common far right broadside over a university whose faculty is not exactly fomenting revolution.
BTW, I would agree wholeheartedly that the academy tends to lean to the left, at some places to excess from a standpoint of valuing open dialogue and genuine academic freedom. And, at times, faculties can be very demanding and entitled. But interestingly, one sees this dynamic more in elite institutions than in places where faculty don't take themselves so seriously.
"...the academy tends to lean to the left, at some places to excess from a standpoint of valuing open dialogue and genuine academic?"
Naive, or disingenuous? Open dialogue, or cancel culture? Lean to the left, or hard left ideologues? Instruction or indoctrination? Columbia University, or little old Valpo?
The public knows what Valpo is selling these days, and it's being increasingly rejected. There are far less expensive alternatives, if that's what you're looking for. Fortunately, I believe we have the right guy at the right time to clean up this self-inflicted mess.
Quote from: wh on April 30, 2023, 08:17:13 PM
Quote from: David81 on April 30, 2023, 06:25:58 PM
Quote from: wh on April 30, 2023, 01:24:51 PM
My natural human tendency is to empathize with those in the education field and the seemingly unfair pay gap relative to numerous other career paths. Where higher education leaves me cold is its pervasive, non-meritocratic, Marxist influence on closing societal gaps by flattening the curve from the top down rather than the bottom up.
I'm not going to ask you to answer for your industry, but I will ask this. In establishing a resolution baseline, is your general feeling that educators are underpaid, or other career paths are overpaid?
Marxist influence???? You mean all the commies taking over Valpo so they can be paid $50k for what at many other universities would be considered course overloads? wh, seriously, when you stick to points grounded in reality, you bring a lot of insight to the table. But here it sounds like you're superimposing a common far right broadside over a university whose faculty is not exactly fomenting revolution.
BTW, I would agree wholeheartedly that the academy tends to lean to the left, at some places to excess from a standpoint of valuing open dialogue and genuine academic freedom. And, at times, faculties can be very demanding and entitled. But interestingly, one sees this dynamic more in elite institutions than in places where faculty don't take themselves so seriously.
"...the academy tends to lean to the left, at some places to excess from a standpoint of valuing open dialogue and genuine academic?"
Naive, or disingenuous? Open dialogue, or cancel culture? Lean to the left, or hard left ideologues? Instruction or indoctrination? Columbia University, or little old Valpo?
The public knows what Valpo is selling these days, and it's being increasingly rejected. There are far less expensive alternatives, if that's what you're looking for. Fortunately, I believe we have the right guy at the right time to clean up this self-inflicted mess.
I'm sorry, but this increasing sounds like a rant, and I can't discern the point(s) you're trying to make.
We do happen to share an overall optimism about Padilla's presidency. I think he's a good leader who understands VU's strengths and challenges, a smart pragmatist rather than an ideologue, martinet, or foolhardy dreamer.
I also happen to believe that with the right outreach, VU can draw a larger and very interesting group of students each fall. Even with the cuts over the years, there's a lot of substance that can appeal to a wide swath of students. But its messaging needs work.
I wonder if there is a way to shore up the humanities through revisiting the CORE Program. Maybe instead of it all being the same class that students take their freshman year certain humanities classes can be labeled as "CORE" and they need to take at least 2 that don't count towards other Gen Eds. They can be different topics and in different arenas and students can use them to explore different areas of study and who knows, maybe they lead into extra majors or minors. You get rid of profs teaching more classes to provide it or hiring extra adjuncts to teach it. You can even create courses that can be modified. For instance when I was there several of my psych classes doubled as grad school classes but those in the grad school component had extra papers. Maybe some of these classes can double as for the major but those taking it for CORE have a little less work or are graded on a scale so they're not being impacted by it not being their main area of study.
I'd also imagine students would much rather take a humanities course that interests them than one that they HAVE to take that is the same for everyone
Thanks for the info Valpo22. In my time, the only bonding experience around CORE was most of us hating it so I definitely think there can be a better way. I was always envious of both CC and the Met program for how united their cohort seemed to be. Nowadays it definitely seems that exists within social work as well and at least the PA Program and the Engineering College seems to do a good job. I wonder if more cohort models within departments or other areas could be a good way to increase connection/retention and still be academically focused. I feel you already have other segments of campus life that help with that including OMP, Chapel, athletics, and Greek Life but it couldn't hurt to hae more. Valpo's small enough that you'd think a cohort model would work and than even students who are less outgoing or don't find their niche in some of the bigger social areas of campus would still have a spot to be connected.
Yes, the CORE seems to have borrowed the concept from the Christ College integrated freshman class of 8 credits.
The more idealistic faculty in the balance of the university probably understood the integration of subject matter much better than the 18 and 19 year olds who were enrolled. Students who don't have a high curiosity for the humanities can't really be forced to pursue it much like you can lead a horse to water but can't make him drink.
The CORE program. doesn't seem to work for the kids who may not have the ability or the time to read voluminous texts. Perhaps there is a big enrollment deterrent to enrollment from the CORE ambiguity and transfer snarls. The parents may be walking away from the visit thinking that Valpo is an intriguing place, but is the CORE approach one that will bind my undecided kid into a school that he later might leave in a transfer.
Quote from: DejaVU on April 28, 2023, 04:06:13 PM
Another thing I remember, Heckler mentioned in a meeting during the Great Recession deflation with near zero interest rates, that this was great time to get more loans for strategic projects in order to secure historically low interest rates. I am saying this because I keep hearing folks talking about the problems with servicing debt during these time of big interest rates. So I don't really know one way or another, but if Heckler was true to his words we should have loans with ultra low fixed interest rates now. However if those loans were with variable interests then...party over.
According to the 2022 financial statements (as of 6/30/22), VU spent $4.32M in interest payments in 2022.
I summarize the debts as follows:
1) $42.1M at interest rates of 4-5% (2014 IFA Educational Facilities Revenue Bond)
2) $38.1M at interest rates of 3-5% (2017 IFA Educational Facilities Revenue Bond)
3) $15.9M at interest rates of 4-5% (2021 IFA Educational Facilities Revenue Bond)
4) $1.8M two small mortgage notes at 3.5-4%.
5) $21M drawn on two lines of credit at LIBOR + 60 basis points, which was 2.05% in 2022.
With respect to the loans, there appear to be three big problems facing VU:
First, items 1-3 have varying payment schedules, such that in the first years the principal payments were zero going up to $7.8M and and $4.8M per year (as in loans 1-2). What this means is that the loan balance of $42.1M on item 1 was the same in 2014 as it is today (no principal repaid so far). Loans 2 and 3 appear to have some principal paid. Without knowing the exact schedule, it is hard to say, yet usually the principal repayment requirements go up over time. So, the good news is that the interest rate on those items is fixed at an attractive rate, the bad news is that bigger principal repayments are on the way.
Second, the lines of credit (presumably renewed) went from interest rates of 2.05% to likely 5.6% in 2023. (LIBOR-equivalent is about 5% as of now). Of course, I don't know what the average balance is throughout the year - if it remained a constant $21M, it would cause an increase in interest costs from about $430K to $1.2M just on that value. This a big cash flow hit.
Third, with the reduction in VU's bond rating discussed elsewhere, it is unlikely that VU could as easily borrow more money, either for dorms, a new nursing building, or to fund other priorities.
CORE came way after my time at VU. I've read a couple of reviews of it in college guidebooks, reporting that it can be an uneven learning experience for some and -- as mentioned here -- its more opaque curricular profile caused difficulties for students wanting to transfer after 1st year.
The concept seems great to my late middle-aged self who values the humanities and interdisciplinary learning much more than I did back then. But my 18-year-old self might not have been so appreciative. I preferred courses in their identifiable boxes.
Still, there should be some way to tweak the CORE approach and to create more of a cohort experience as part of it.
Sell those paintings, Valpo!
ERIC ZORN, former opinion columnist for the Chicago Tribune
To serve its core mission, sure, Valparaiso University should sell its art
https://ericzorn.substack.com/p/sell-those-paintings-valpo#§to-serve-its-core-mission-sure-valparaiso-university-should-sell-its-art
Every professor and student is opposed to the art sale? Where did this professor in the article reach that conclusion? I saw some students this weekend and they thought the art sale was a good idea - the school needs upgrades and the cash. That professor is looking at this with blinders.
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 26, 2023, 05:05:15 PM
Quote from: valpopal on April 26, 2023, 02:49:21 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 26, 2023, 01:57:05 PM
I do not agree with the conclusion on urgency. It could certainly be considered urgent while also needing to delay a contract with Sotheby's due to pre-requisites to resolve legal issues/approval.
I would agree with you except that Padilla made timing a point when expressing his reasoning for the art sale plan. He asserted selling the paintings was the only way he could get funds by the end of spring to begin renovation of the dorms over the summer. He said there was a tight schedule and that was why he eliminated some other alternatives. However, that urgency rationalization for the art sale by end of spring option no longer applies.
If they are starting the dorm renovations, then your arguments have some validity. If they are delaying starting the dorm renovations (which is my understanding), your arguments are not valid....its just that everything is delayed (and Valpo will continue to fall short of parity on first and second year dorms when trying to attract new students).
According to an article in this week's
Torch, the Director for Residential Life states: "As of right now, the plan is to have Brandt and Wehrenberg Halls renovated" during the 2023-24 academic year for fall 2024. This would be good news.
Glad to hear the renovations are starting! Loved my time in Brandt, but man was it bad without AC during the fall and spring. Additionally, the heat and humidity lead to the thermal paste in my brand new at the time PC melting and destroying the motherboard...
This from The Torch article dated May 1:
"The on-campus housing selection process looked different this year for returning Valpo students with the notable absence of Wehrenberg Hall and single occupancy rooms.
For upperclassmen, Beacon Hall, Guild-Memorial Hall, the Kade-Duesenberg German House, Promenade Apartments and the Sorority Housing Complex will be in operation for the 2023-24 academic year. Incoming first year students will be housed in Alumni and Lankenau Halls.
This set-up leaves Brandt and Wehrenberg Halls — which housed first years and upperclassmen, respectively — unoccupied for the upcoming academic year. As of late April, university administration is planning to renovate the two halls, which are connected by a rotunda on the ground floor, during the 2023-24 academic year."
Quote from: vu72 on May 03, 2023, 11:16:53 AM
This from The Torch article dated May 1:
"The on-campus housing selection process looked different this year for returning Valpo students with the notable absence of Wehrenberg Hall and single occupancy rooms.
For upperclassmen, Beacon Hall, Guild-Memorial Hall, the Kade-Duesenberg German House, Promenade Apartments and the Sorority Housing Complex will be in operation for the 2023-24 academic year. Incoming first year students will be housed in Alumni and Lankenau Halls.
This set-up leaves Brandt and Wehrenberg Halls — which housed first years and upperclassmen, respectively — unoccupied for the upcoming academic year. As of late April, university administration is planning to renovate the two halls, which are connected by a rotunda on the ground floor, during the 2023-24 academic year."
As I mentioned in my post yesterday referencing this article, I think we can all agree that this is good news.
Scheele, the former home of VU sororities, is not mentioned. What's its status?
What are the long-range plans for it?
Pretty sure the only reason Scheele hasn't been razed is cause it's connected to Lank.
I don't have a "scratching my head" emoji, so I will use my words.
Aside from the years they were built (Brandt and Scheele opened in the early 60s. I was there. Then Lankenau followed by Alumni), if you open the Webster's Dictionary app and search under cookie cutter images, those dorms will be the first to appear. So why is just Scheele singled out?
A fond retrospective: Anyone who was on campus in the early, mid and late 60s can relate — the parking lot traffic jam in front of Scheele on weekend nights when every last second was squeezed out of the women's dorm curfew hour. If you were just standing there, you'd see 50 or more car dome lights going on in parked cars about 2 minutes before the witching hour and then girls running to the doors. I often wondered what was going on in those parked cars for so long before curfew ::)
Scheele was singled out I think because it was the main form of sorority housing on campus before the newer, townhome style dorms were built for each chapter. When I was there Scheele always seemed to be the least taken care of dorms, or maybe it was just lived in a little harder. Since it's residents were moved from one building to another there was no one to fill it and it has just sat empty for the most part. Not sure how much internal upkeep has been going on at this point.
Scheele has been empty. We need more students, 90% acceptance rate or better. We need more applicants and students, period.
Why and dorm experience don't matter.
We
Need
More
Students
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Pretty clear from this article - specifically the quote from President Padilla - that the university has no intention of moving away from selling the art.
http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_0cb0810a-ea9c-11ed-9d07-a79892e852e5.html
Quote from: vu84v2 on May 09, 2023, 08:38:25 PM
Pretty clear from this article - specifically the quote from President Padilla - that the university has no intention of moving away from selling the art.
http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_0cb0810a-ea9c-11ed-9d07-a79892e852e5.html
A well written article.
Thoughts:
---President Padilla and the Board have dug their heels in, which isn't surprising. It's pretty obvious that this is no longer about art, but who is going to run Valparaiso University - leadership or faculty.
---Since there is no middle ground, this will go to full litigation unless the plaintiffs give up. The odds of that are probably slim to none, as I assume they're being funded by "outside" sources with deep pockets.
---I can only imagine the legal fees the university will incur by the time this is over. I can easily envision upper 6 figures, or more, depending how long it drags out.
---A couple of classic comments:
The student who said 2500 people signed the petition, then added 'anyone can sign, give it to your family and friends.' I'll take the under on 57 legitimate signatures.
The faculty rep calling "no fair" if they sell the paintings during quiet time. lol
Good point wh about the legal fees. I have no clue why the art sale is being fought tooth and nail. It's a tough decision, sure, but there is no alternative and there was no point in contesting once the decision was made. All this dragging of the feet is only going to make it truly pointless, win or lose, and will harm valpo in the long run
Quote from: covufan on May 04, 2023, 08:38:00 PM
Scheele has been empty.
There are 2 dorm buildings that were torn down much earlier by the names of Dau & Kreinheder. Those two dorms had drain pipes encased in cement and whenever there was a stoppage in the drain line the maintenance dept had to get a jackhammer and dig up the concrete until they found the problem. There was great joy in the maintenance dept when those dorms came down.
Padilla is doing the right thing. Leaders have to make tough decisions and you will never, ever, please everyone. Time to move forward. It a bad situation, but Valpo needs these renovations to stay competitive.
My favorite moment of course was the creative writing major whining that Valpo was becoming a tech school.
Quote from: historyman on May 12, 2023, 06:11:20 AM
Quote from: covufan on May 04, 2023, 08:38:00 PM
Scheele has been empty.
There are 2 dorm buildings that were torn down much earlier by the names of Dau & Kreinheder. Those two dorms had drain pipes encased in cement and whenever there was a stoppage in the drain line the maintenance dept had to get a jackhammer and dig up the concrete until they found the problem. There was great joy in the maintenance dept when those dorms came down.
I believe the current Student Fitness Center was the cafeteria between D and K
Quote from: vu72 on May 12, 2023, 12:53:17 PM
Quote from: historyman on May 12, 2023, 06:11:20 AM
Quote from: covufan on May 04, 2023, 08:38:00 PM
Scheele has been empty.
There are 2 dorm buildings that were torn down much earlier by the names of Dau & Kreinheder. Those two dorms had drain pipes encased in cement and whenever there was a stoppage in the drain line the maintenance dept had to get a jackhammer and dig up the concrete until they found the problem. There was great joy in the maintenance dept when those dorms came down.
I believe the current Student Fitness Center was the cafeteria between D and K
Yes, when I was on campus, we were told that was the leftover cafeteria, but it was the Bookstore during my time, and now the SFC.
It seems like the administration isn't satisfied with creating a dust gathering plan, but rather is attempting to move it forward with accountability. (a novel idea!)
I'm wondering how folks like valpopal interpret this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIS5FH9tskY
Quote from: vu72 on May 17, 2023, 07:57:50 AM
I'm wondering how folks like valpopal interpret this video:
Not sure what kind of response you expect from me. Since I and many of my colleagues, a number of whom appear in the video, participated in the creation of the plan, I would say I'm fine with it. :)
Quote from: valpopal on May 17, 2023, 09:37:38 AM
Quote from: vu72 on May 17, 2023, 07:57:50 AM
I'm wondering how folks like valpopal interpret this video:
Not sure what kind of response you expect from me. Since I and many of my colleagues, a number of whom appear in the video, participated in the creation of the plan, I would say I'm fine with it. :)
Didn't know that. Was wondering how the faculty feels about whether or not this is just smoke or if the administration is actually moving forward in a positive fashion.
Quote from: vu72 on May 17, 2023, 09:54:43 AM
Quote from: valpopal on May 17, 2023, 09:37:38 AM
Quote from: vu72 on May 17, 2023, 07:57:50 AM
I'm wondering how folks like valpopal interpret this video:
Not sure what kind of response you expect from me. Since I and many of my colleagues, a number of whom appear in the video, participated in the creation of the plan, I would say I'm fine with it. :)
Didn't know that. Was wondering how the faculty feels about whether or not this is just smoke or if the administration is actually moving forward in a positive fashion.
The briefing on the enrollment expectations and proposed definition of Valpo as a 3000-student institution that I attended and reported here was a part of this 3-5 year plan. If you go to the Uplift website, you will see the leadership for each of the initiatives is listed, a mixture of faculty and administrators. The success thus far in the planning can be attributed to this cooperative sense of the plan as a joint venture. Of course, as with all general academic plans, the amicable partnership between administration and faculty will need to continue without impediment, and a consensus on implementation of details will be necessary to maintain current support.
These are great themes. Hopefully they coalesce into a winning attitude and hopefully lead to more enrollment.
For Moody's and the sharp eyes on this board the proof will be in the pudding on the 3-5 year trajectory. The true measurable is quieter than the number of students enrolled. It is revenue from student enrollment. So I will hang out in the enrollment thread.
This Uplift Valpo initiative looks promising. It's targeted and specific, it's got an optimistic energy to it, and it's on the ground level, looking at the student experience and what kind of graduate VU wants to call an alum. The website is designed to be updated, not remain a static outline. It seems to be what a good Strategic Plan should be about.
Quote from: valpo22 on May 18, 2023, 06:21:08 AM
In general, everybody wants a functional Strategic Plan. You will definitely hear the typical faculty grumbling about the Christian identity of the institution seeming pretty thin, or worrying about the genericness of claiming student-centeredness and these four values (since what university would say they're not into learning, service, leading, and thriving, haha.) But in general, staff and facutly do want the university to figure out a viable way forward, address major problems where they exist, and find a more functional way to operate, etc. So the strategic plan feels necessary for survival, and buy-in is probabably as good as you could expect in the big scheme of things in a complex institution that has been through what Valpo's been through.
VU is walking a tightrope as far as its religious identity goes. That identity is central to the University's history, important to a big share of its most loyal alumni/ae base, and a still meaningful part of its present. And yet we are at a point where the current generation of prospective students is less likely to indicate a religious affiliation than any generation in recent memory.
FWIW, each of the four prongs -- Learn, Serve, Lead, Thrive -- can include a faith element for those who seek it. I think it's about getting blend and balance right. As with so many other things we've discussed here, VU cannot afford to burrow down in one aspect of its existence, to the exclusion of others. Different pieces of this University need each other for the whole to survive and hopefully thrive.
So......this Uplift Valpo thing seems to have a strong enough frame without being banal edu-speak, but flexible enough to create room for variety. It's a lot sharper than the Strategic Plan itself, IMO.
One thing that I think the University has done regarding it's balance is the Institute for Leadership and Service being tied to Chapel operations. They offer Fellowships and programming and other things that appeal to a broad demographic and highlight the idea of vocation and service to others. Yes some fellowships are with specifically Lutheran organizations but others are not or with other, broadly religious groups.
You still have the chapel life of service and praise bands and other things to partake in but, if Lutheran dogma isn't your cup of tea but religion or spirituality is you can still find that supported in a way directly tied to the religious roots of the university.
This may have been quoted before, yet I came across Richard John Neuhaus' lecture given at Valpo in 2007. Those involved in deciding the future of Valpo would be wise to consider what he had to say.
https://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/04/004-a-university-of-a-particular-kind (https://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/04/004-a-university-of-a-particular-kind)
Today the Christian university is in crisis. At least in many institutions, there is a dying of the light. The crisis is often described as a crisis of secularization. But that, I would suggest, is not quite right. The secular, the saeculum , is the world of God's creation and redeeming love. The crisis of the Christian university is more accurately described as a crisis created by the ambition to imitate other kinds of universities that falsely claim to be universities pure and simple. It is a crisis created by competing to belong to the second tier, or even the third tier, of schools that do not aspire to be Christian universities. It is a crisis created by envying excellence divorced from truth. Enough can never be said in favor of excellence, but it is small comfort for a Christian university to be recognized as being moderately good at being what it did not set out to be in the first place.
The crisis is most accurately described, I believe, as a crisis of faith. The question that those who lead a Christian university must answer, and answer again every day, is whether the Christian proposal limits or illumines the university's calling to seek and to serve veritas "to seek and to serve the truth."
Quote from: valpo22 on May 18, 2023, 02:47:13 PM
i think i agree with you on all this David.
maybe what seems like a tough nut to crack, though, is the reality that the religious faith isn't easy to simply include in wider values conversations. it seems easier for universities to either go kind of hard-core on the religion piece and define really specifically what it means in ways that will appeal to some and turn off others; or to just be private and secular and therefore not have to answer the expectations of religious ideals at all. i worry that the lukewarm in-between thing is what often makes everybody dissatisfied since they think the university *ought* to be more authentically Christian, though you never know what anybody has in mind. That happens both on the left, when they're disgusted that the university is too sold out to corporate/elitist interests instead of 'least of these' grace-and-inclusion sorts of Christian values at every turn. And it happens on the right, when they're disgusted that the the university is too sold out to diversity instead of a more narrow euro-american lutheranism. So there is a risk that the religious affiliation, when it is retained but sweeped in as a more generic value, actually becomes toxic to social cohesion in every direction because of all these various senses that the value isn't being honored authentically and that 'a real Christian university would look like x or y.' Universities that never claimed any particular religious identity or ethic to begin with do not have to deal with this particular kind of dissatisfaction and disillusionment from students staff and faculty. i guess this is part of the 'tightrope' you're talking about.
valpo22, your response is why I've been touting the theme of values for VU, because it's meaningful enough to speak to us individually, while flexible enough to allow for different perspectives and beliefs. I strongly believe that a university like VU can be an honest broker in encouraging the lifelong development and evolution of values, without prescribing what those values must be.
In some cases, a focus on values will bring students closer to faith. If not, it's okay, and that path remains open to them the rest of their lives, as does the possibility of breaking with one's faith. But as long as students believe this is important stuff, they and others will benefit. And as long as we preach (ba dum) the importance of creating space for dialogue and individual choice (generically speaking; not a cloaked reference to pro choice!), the University has room for a lot of thoughtful students who don't get bent out of shape because they're too close in proximity to those who look at things differently.
That video wasn't anything to make me feel better about the direction or future of the university. Padilla and administration doesn't have a go getter at the head of Enrollment or realistic goals. They dropped the ball in not retaining Dr Welch, whom by the way, has made immediate strides and impact in Ohio. Her knowledge in retention has now become well known all over in Higher Education.
You've got some good insights. Come meet us on the enrollment numbers thread?
Moe who are you replying to?
You. Maybe you are in that thread already.
Sent you a pm
I don't know how to get one of those. Would prefer to just stay on the board.
I'm not in the mood to ruffle feathers or get in a pissing contest, so good luck
Quote from: valpo22 on May 20, 2023, 06:57:40 AM
Quote from: David81 on May 18, 2023, 07:51:03 PM
valpo22, your response is why I've been touting the theme of values for VU, because it's meaningful enough to speak to us individually, while flexible enough to allow for different perspectives and beliefs. I strongly believe that a university like VU can be an honest broker in encouraging the lifelong development and evolution of values, without prescribing what those values must be.
this seems like this ought to be the right way to go, but i think a lot of us are grasping these days trying to figure out why it hasn't worked. there was so much idealism in the 90s and early 2000s about this sort of classically liberal/free approach to ed. Multiculturalism was supposed to allow difference while still affirming larger ideals of the American civic melting pot. Reckoning with the reality of pluralism was supposed to challenge us to engage different beliefs and engage in civic conversations across difference. Values-based learning was supposed to free us up from particular tribalisms in commitment to a larger common good. i think most educators still sort of believe in the ideals of all that. it would be nice to have a society where people can actually bring real differences of experience and perspective (political/religious/class) to the table and come out with some sort of consensus about how to operate that isn't just raw self-interest. BUT the reality is that it doesn't seem to have worked. it's no longer 1995, and society seems deeper embeeded in ideologies than ever. Multiculturalism did nothing to stem the racial violence on minoritized groups we've seen continue in society, while seeming to actually super-charge society with unhelpful retrenchment into identity politics on all sides. The pluralism and civic dialogue stuff got hijacked by people screaming at each other on Facebook in digital political silos. And values-based approach became kind of a joke once universities and corporations got a hold of it and turned it into a marketing tool; you get stuff like Shake Shack touting 'hospitality' and 'family' as a core value while paying their employees crap and being really no different than McDonalds. it is in that context, i think it is an open question of whether the Christian/Lutheran identity wars --- even if left more vaguely as 'values' --- do more net good or net harm to institutional efforts to broker real conversation.
Sorry to be so depressing, but i just can't help but feel like society tried all this, and it sadly didn't work. s i see most the Millenial and GenZ students really retreating from the notion that engagement in conversation about 'values' does much at all; instead they putting greater trust in economic class analysis again. It is like a return to the Cold War/Reagan era. Either students want to be at the top of the corporate pile and make as much $$$$$ as they can; or they feel the economy/society is fundamentally stacked and broken and they some kind of socialist reform.... So in a freshman class of students born in 2005 or 2006, somem are going to be aiming to become masters at extracting as many assets as possible from society and otheres are going to be activists aiming to deconstruct society as much as possible. But all of them are pretty allergic to identity/values talk, and neither is really interested in conversation and dialogue. In both cases, they are pretty convinced that way forward is not to talk about or across different values because the task is the much grittier one of navigating winners and losers. I can kind of understand why they feel that way, since i have seen higher ed preach all the civic values stuff for a while, and it sadly just seems not to have worked. Hence it feels like most of higher ed is graspring to figure out what to say instead now in 2023
Ya know something, I don't find your thoughtful comments
necessarily depressing. Why? Because in an era where extreme views are getting a lot of air time and a lot of folks seem to gravitate toward one end or the other, therein lies the opportunity for certain schools to strike more of a balance, to be centered somewhere in the middle range (perhaps leaning right or left), while creating room for many different beliefs, perspectives, and points of view. Schools like Valpo are among them. So, rather than saying the civic values stuff "sadly just seems not to have worked," perhaps we can say instead, "it hasn't worked
yet."
I would not have identified such a balancing/sorting/dialogue role for the VU of my time on campus, when it was a rather constrictive, homogeneous institution. It is a more diverse and inclusive place today. Nevertheless, while I understand that some folks here bristle at any campus initiative that smacks of being woke, I can assure everyone that Valpo is not turning into a hotbed of left activism, even if more such students are enrolled than back in my day. The core of the institution remains solidly traditional.
Point is, one of VU's central strengths is that it is well positioned to wrestle with questions of left and right, values and vocation, liberal arts and the professions, identity and cohesion, and, yes, Athens and Jerusalem. I think some people feel that VU will become a better place only if certain of these competing dimensions "win," whereas I think its distinctiveness is in holding space for them to co-exist in sort of a pleasantly uncomfortable (or uncomfortably pleasant) teetering balance.
David81 - As has been the case in some of your prior posts, you articulate my perspective more effectively than I might be able to do. Frankly, whenever I see someone post some version of "Valpo has lost its identity", I immediately think that they feel that Valpo should adopt their ideology. Valpo needs to be a place, as you suggest, where different and often opposing perspectives are welcomed...because that creates highly valuable learning and respect which will serve students well in their lives.
Projection.
Quote from: vu84v2 on May 21, 2023, 12:24:40 PM
David81 - As has been the case in some of your prior posts, you articulate my perspective more effectively than I might be able to do. Frankly, whenever I see someone post some version of "Valpo has lost its identity", I immediately think that they feel that Valpo should adopt their ideology. Valpo needs to be a place, as you suggest, where different and often opposing perspectives are welcomed...because that creates highly valuable learning and respect which will serve students well in their lives.
vu84v2, thank you for the kind words. While I'm fully ok with an array of higher ed institutions that spans the social and political spectrum, more and more I'm coming to believe that the schools providing space for different interests and points of view are the ones that can help to rescue us from the brink of extremism (on both ends). It's not that I think that everything should be safely and blandly in the middle. Rather, it's calling for the big tent approach in higher ed. So, let's say, if a school leans left (however one defines that), then it should be sure to welcome and make space for those coming from the other direction, and vice versa.
Plus, imagine the sense of relief in feeling like you don't have to win an ideological battle -- politically, pedagogically, spiritually, whatever -- at your university of choice. Rather, if the commitment is to true diversity, then folks aren't trying to trounce and cancel each other. VU can be one of those places, without losing its traditional core.
Yeesh on the A.I. and tech idiocy. Could someone please zap me into the 50s when things weren't so screwed up in universities and in our country in general. I would even settle for the 80s.
The Bay area (and now silicon valley) has generally been a destructive influence on the country dating back for a very long time. Oakland is overtly fighting its police and expecting 7-figure reparations money. I predict that aFter the movie industry leaves for Texas, Colorado, and many southern states, and the tech workers all insist on remote housing in cheaper states, the state of California will essentially become a beautiful, but impoverished "sanctuary country." The larger state can then thank the bay area culture and its movie industry that is warped so far outside societal norms and positive themes.
Quote from: crusadermoe on May 23, 2023, 09:33:21 AM
Yeesh on the A.I. and tech idiocy. Could someone please zap me into the 50s when things weren't so screwed up in universities and in our country in general. I would even settle for the 80s.
The Bay area (and now silicon valley) has generally been a destructive influence on the country dating back for a very long time. Oakland is overtly fighting its police and expecting 7-figure reparations money. I predict that aFter the movie industry leaves for Texas, Colorado, and many southern states, and the tech workers all insist on remote housing in cheaper states, the state of California will essentially become a beautiful, but impoverished "sanctuary country." The larger state can then thank the bay area culture and its movie industry that is warped so far outside societal norms and positive themes.
Progressives have destroyed California. And California is still a bellwether state unfortunately.
"Valpo is not turning into a hotbed of left activism, even if more such students are enrolled than back in my day. The core of the institution remains solidly traditional."
David,
There isn't time for an Engrg. Prof in an Embedded Microcontrollers class or a Nursing instructor in a Complex Nursing Situations Theory class to sit around and pontificate about the meaning of life. The political views of these people are irrelevant.
The only "core" that matters relative to promoting specific ideologies are humanities and social sciences. If you think this group is "solidly traditional," you need to take a deeper dive. Higher education is the epicenter for the promotion of cultural Marxism and Humanities/Social Sciences is the vehicle that drives it.
Valpo is anything but "well suited" to strike an ideological balance. Thankfully, President Padilla is well suited to "re-center" Valpo's current skewed position as part of his heroic effort to save a ship taking on water to the tune of $40k a day. Talking "values" is only step-1 in cleaning up a mishmash that "traditional" families across the United States are wise to and find off putting when selecting the proper fit for their child.
Quote from: wh on May 23, 2023, 06:12:19 PM
"Valpo is not turning into a hotbed of left activism, even if more such students are enrolled than back in my day. The core of the institution remains solidly traditional."
David,
There isn't time for an Engrg. Prof in an Embedded Microcontrollers class or a Nursing instructor in a Complex Nursing Situations Theory class to sit around and pontificate about the meaning of life. The political views of these people are irrelevant.
The only "core" that matters relative to promoting specific ideologies are humanities and social sciences. If you think this group is "solidly traditional," you need to take a deeper dive. Higher education is the epa center for the promotion of cultural Marxism and Humanities/Social Sciences is the vehicle that drives it.
Valpo is anything but "well suited" to strike an ideological balance. Thankfully, President Padilla is well suited to "re-center" Valpo's current skewed position as part of his heroic effort to save a ship taking on water to the tune of $40k a day. Talking "values" is only step-1 in cleaning up a mishmash that "traditional" families across the United States are wise to and find off putting when selecting the proper fit for their child.
Oy......
Great article on the enrollment problems facing Northwest indiana. Sounds to me like Jill Schur, Valpo's new Vice President for Enrollment, is a very good fit for the job.
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/education/northwest-indiana-universities-are-headed-for-a-cliff/article_fdef08fe-f332-11ed-8ac3-b795c27882bf.html
I know beating up California seems over the top to you. But I "think," though unsure, that the in-state tuitions at California are still dirt cheap and subsidized by the state budget very heavily. Until the late 70s and into the 80s or even 90s, in-state tuition was FREE in California.
It would not surprise me greatly if undocumented residents of CA are being given in-state tuition rates. It may not be true. But if so, they will reap what they sow fiscally.
If my two assumptions are correct then the big inflow and nearly free tuition are a big factors in their enrollment.
California State University System -- Campus Costs of Attendance
All students enrolled at a CSU campus pay the same systemwide tuition fee, which is currently $5,742 per academic year for undergraduate students enrolling in more than six units per term and $3,330 for undergraduates enrolling in six or fewer units.
LUNACY --
California Dream Act
The California Dream ActExternal Link, authored by Assembly Member Gil Cedillo (Los Angeles), became law through the passage of two Assembly Bills, AB 130 and AB 131.
AB 130 allows students who meet AB 540 criteria (California Education Code 68130.5(a)) to apply for and receive non-state funded scholarships for public colleges and universities.
AB 131 allows students who meet AB 540 criteria to apply for and receive state-funded financial aid such as institutional grants, community college fee waivers, Cal Grant and Chafee Grant. For more information about the types of financial aid Dream Act students can access, please visit the California Student CommissionExternal Link.
Assembly Bill 540
Assembly Bill 540 (AB540) or California Education Code Section 68130.5 is a California state law that allows qualifying undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at state colleges (University of California System, California State University System, and California Community College System).
Quote from: vu72 on May 24, 2023, 09:48:44 AM
Great article on the enrollment problems facing Northwest indiana. Sounds to me like Jill Schur, Valpo's new Vice President for Enrollment, is a very good fit for the job.
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/education/northwest-indiana-universities-are-headed-for-a-cliff/article_fdef08fe-f332-11ed-8ac3-b795c27882bf.html
I was pleasantly surprised by the length, breadth and depth of the article. This could have just as easily been posted in the Positive News or the Enrollment strings. I learned a lot reading about the approaches being taken by Valpo, PNW and IUN. No one's sticking their head in the sand on the enrollment issue, that's fer sure. I did note that PNW is a regional competitor to Valpo in the heath sciences, but with lower tuition. Also, Padilla's Hispanic Services Institution initiative is not a one-off thing — he's following IUN which already is certified and has received federal funds as a result. PNW is going for certification as well.
Quote from: vu72 on May 24, 2023, 09:48:44 AM
Great article on the enrollment problems facing Northwest indiana. Sounds to me like Jill Schur, Valpo's new Vice President for Enrollment, is a very good fit for the job.
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/education/northwest-indiana-universities-are-headed-for-a-cliff/article_fdef08fe-f332-11ed-8ac3-b795c27882bf.html
I just speed-read through a demographic analysis for Metropolitan Chicago, which includes NWI and SE WI. Total population is 10 million, which is the 3rd largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Probably to no one's surprise, the Hispanic population is the fastest growing demographic by far. They represented 17% of the metro population in 2000, 23% in 2020, and are projected to rise to 30% by 2040.
I also found interesting a Pew study indicating that Latino college participation is on the rise:
Hispanic enrollment at colleges and universities in the U.S. has more than doubled in the last two decades:https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ft_2022.10.07_hispaniceducation_01a.png?w=554
In a world of unfavorable demographic trends that are biting universities in the butt, it appears that Valpo may have found the 1 outlier that could turn the trend in its favor. Obviously, there is a lot of work ahead and no guarantee of success, but I applaud the effort by President Padilla, Jill Schur, and presumably countless others to seize the moment and turn a problem into an opportunity.
I don't know that catholic vs. Lutheran has much to do with a Hispanic draw.
But it won't hurt that the name Valparaiso, from its Chillean origin sounds spanish and catholic. If we were Heidelberg, Wartburg, Saint Olaf, or Luther, we might need a harder brand pivot. ;D
The main issue that I have with the HSI goal is that it is unachievable, since getting certification requires 25% of all students be Hispanic. In a general sense, unrealistic goals combined with executive leadership that drives to meet those unrealistic goals can lead to investments, incentives, and behaviors that are not good for the organization.
On the other hand, the university where I work (which is better positioned to achieve HSI) also set this goal and improved to about half of the required percentage. Many very positive initiatives were created that increased the likelihood of Hispanic students succeeding (especially those from first generation college student households)...initiatives that also helped a wider range of students. As senior administration did not excessively drive for HSI (they dropped it 3 years after announcing the goal), it did create positives for student recruitment and retention while avoiding the negatives that can come with unrealistic goals.
Yeah I think the idea that we can become an HSI is a possible achievement but maybe not probably but I also don't see anything wrong with a goal that pushes you towards ensuring you are preparing yourself to recruit and educate the fastest growing college aged demographic in your area.
Quote from: crusader05 on May 28, 2023, 11:39:12 AM
Yeah I think the idea that we can become an HSI is a possible achievement but maybe not probably but I also don't see anything wrong with a goal that pushes you towards ensuring you are preparing yourself to recruit and educate the fastest growing college aged demographic in your area.
I'm all for that goal as long as there is no preferential treatment given over better qualified students who are not Hispanic. Not that Valpo will ever have the problem of more students wanting to enroll over its maximum student capacity which many top-notch universities experience.
The word "Hispanic" has a pretty wide berth. As an example, my granddaughter, who has one grandmother who is Columbian and no other Latin heritage, got a Hispanic scholarship to Fordham.
Interesting piece about Monmouth College in New Jersey, which has managed to pursue a largely debt-free financing strategy. It's not a rich school; the endowment is around $135m.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/business/financial-health/2023/05/09/rare-debt-free-college (https://www.insidehighered.com/news/business/financial-health/2023/05/09/rare-debt-free-college)
Morning chapel service from Feb. 2022
https://youtube.com/live/qR7Hkawn3rE?feature=share
This has to be the most pathetic representation of a religious service from a religious-affiliated university in America. Some thoughts:
• I feel sorry for "Pastor Jim," whoever he is. Wakes up in the morning, prepares to share a Godly message of hope that everyone everywhere could benefit by hearing, heads out the door toward one of the nation's most iconic Protestant university worship centers where he will deliver it, and finally turns to face maybe 20 students at max.
• He monotones a few paragraphs, the "audience" mumbles through a couple hymns, and everyone walks out fired up and ready to take on the world.
• Even sadder is knowing that he had enough spiritual wisdom to quote from the writings of O. P. Kretzmann, one of the greatest Biblical scholars of the 20th century, IMO. He retired before I became an adult, but many years ago I was introduced to his various writings and bulletins by a dear Lutheran friend. What an amazing man of God. Everything he wrote came straight from his heart. His memory deserves better than a 20-student audience.
• A religious-affiliated university that tries to become all things to all people becomes nothing to anyone. Welcome to present day Valpo. Can I get an "oy" to that?
Quote from: wh on May 29, 2023, 06:01:20 PM
Morning chapel service from Feb. 2022
https://youtube.com/live/qR7Hkawn3rE?feature=share
This has to be the most pathetic representation of a religious service from a religious-affiliated university in America. Some thoughts:
• I feel sorry for "Pastor Jim," whoever he is. Wakes up in the morning, prepares to share a Godly message of hope that everyone everywhere could benefit by hearing, heads out the door toward one of the nation's most iconic Protestant university worship centers where he will deliver it, and finally turns to face maybe 20 students at max.
• He monotones a few paragraphs, the "audience" mumbles through a couple hymns, and everyone walks out fired up and ready to take on the world.
• Even sadder is knowing that he had enough spiritual wisdom to quote from the writings of O. P. Kretzmann, one of the greatest Biblical scholars of the 20th century, IMO. He retired before I became an adult, but many years ago I was introduced to his various writings and bulletins by a dear Lutheran friend. What an amazing man of God. Everything he wrote came straight from his heart. His memory deserves better than a 20-student audience.
• A religious-affiliated university that tries to become all things to all people becomes nothing to anyone. Welcome to present day Valpo. Can I get an "oy" to that?
https://www.facebook.com/ValpoFanZone
I agree with much of what you have written but Pastor Jim is a long standing Missouri Lutheran pastor who has delivered many well thought out, powerful messages, as has Pastor Kate of the ELCA.
What you missed (no doubt because of lack of knowledge on the subject) is that students in today's world don't choose to worship on Sunday mornings. More likely they will attend candlelight services Sunday night at 9, or Celebrate, Wednesday at 10.
Agreed that the overall attendance is indicative of cultural changes to be sure. But, nonetheless, Valpo provides many worship opportunities.
https://www.valpo.edu/chapel/worship/celebrate/
https://www.valpo.edu/chapel/worship/candlelight/
Quote from: wh on May 29, 2023, 06:01:20 PM
• A religious-affiliated university that tries to become all things to all people becomes nothing to anyone.
Perhaps you should check out most of the Jesuit universities, whose model is extremely similar to Valpo's. They do just fine by offering a quality religiously-oriented program to those who desire it, while also avoiding dogma and expected adherence that would turn off other students. These universities align by values that are inspired by faith (cura personalis), but do not require or expect adherence to any faith.
Quote from: vu84v2 on May 30, 2023, 12:01:54 AM
Quote from: wh on May 29, 2023, 06:01:20 PM
• A religious-affiliated university that tries to become all things to all people becomes nothing to anyone.
Perhaps you should check out most of the Jesuit universities, whose model is extremely similar to Valpo's. They do just fine by offering a quality religiously-oriented program to those who desire it, while also avoiding dogma and expected adherence that would turn off other students. These universities align by values that are inspired by faith (cura personalis), but do not require or expect adherence to any faith.
Indeed, there are many other successful, religiously-affiliated universities that manage to hold true to their specific faith traditions while creating welcoming spaces for others. It's a challenging balancing act that requires ongoing, thoughtful care and attention, but it can be done.
In any event, in response to wh's suggestion, VU is hardly trying to become all things to all people, nor should it. While the University has experienced some identity uncertainties over the decades, its Lutheran connection has remained strong from the beginning of that affiliation in the 1920s.
While there's not much it can do about the demographics of declining faith affiliation among the current generation, I think there's strong consensus on this board, including those of us who are not Lutheran, that VU can and should do a better job of recruiting graduates of Lutheran high schools. Furthermore, VU has a lot to offer young folks for whom personal values and building an ethic of care in one's vocation are important. If it can find more effective ways to reach and recruit those kids, then its entering classes should grow.
In the 80s it was probably a mid-point in the decline of Sunday chapel. Worship seemed to go about 25-30 rows deep on both sides with half full pews. Maybe 250-350 with a lot of faculty. It did ebb and flow with winter down a bit after an exciting fall season. Vespers in December were packed despite finals. Even with a robust greek life several dozen showed up Sunday. Drs. Nagel and Neidner were good preachers and there was always communion in the rollling "merging traffic" model.
Compared to now, I guess that number that is stellar. I am guessing it was even higher in the 50s and 60s and possibly in the 70s. There was a Sunday night folk service that I never went to.
I was pretty shocked at the sparseness in the 00s when I visited, but I had heard from others already. Yes, read the "Dying of the Light" of you want to see where Valpo was headed. It sounds like we have arrived, at least in Sunday morning terms.
Quote from: valpo22 on May 30, 2023, 06:52:14 AM
i am not so optimistic that valpo can emulate the Jesuit way. while people at those schools quibble over the relationship of 'Jesuit' and 'Catholic,' the fact is that the Jesuits can and do draw on the whole rationale/language of Catholic Social Teaching over the last hundred years-- the 1890s papal discussions of industrializatation and labor, the mid-20th century discussions of eugenics, coldwar era Catholic fight against Communism, to the late 20th century discussions of nuclear warfare, to present-day stuff on environmentalism and business ethics and beginning/end of life issues. While those universities fight perennially over whether the official Catholic teaching is too lefty or too rightist, it does provide grounds for discussing issues of faith and society in a modern way. Meanwhile, i am less clear on what lutheran resources there are for staging a university conversation or debate about contemporary topics. although there are probably positive Lutheran values of some sort as D81 is saying, there doesn't seem to be any analogous body of 'Lutheran Social Teaching' to engage or debate. it feels like it got kind of stuck on the Athens and Jerusalem question, though unfortunately 'faith' and 'reason' is just not really the dilemma today. It just kind of feels like a false dichotomy, since people don't necessarily trust the objectivity of scientific 'reason' nor do they necessarily assume that myth/faith/narrative isn't its own kind of legitimate reasoning. Plenty of these far-right techie young dude college students today are totally into the modern paganism and see no tension between STEM and all the Nordic pagan iconography and ritual. Definitely not the majority, of course... .But the point is, they are not worried about whether Athens and Jerusalem relate. Or in the latest thing, a good chunk of the GenZers come in already already assuming that math and "manifesting" go together for a successful life. if you look up 'manifest' on tiktok or youtube, you will understand what i am talking about. i had no idea what they were talking about at first, when I had a student tell me they were going to "manifest" an A, and it made me feel old and curmudgeony
anwyays, maybe all this makes the case FOR why valpo values can hold open the space for reflection or something. i guess i am just saying that gestures at faith identity and values are not necessarily going to hit a bulls eye because the assumptions and concerns of society change over time. People are not really worried about the post-Darwin version of the Athens Jerusalem question anymore, since its been two hundred years since him and other things become more pressing or perplexing. So the particular resources & ways of framing this stuff probably does matter for whether it 'works' or not as an enrollment draw and student experience retention aide.
valpo22, thank you for once again raising very thought provoking points.
I think I see a slightly revised Athens-Jerusalem frame in play here. Version 2.0 regards Athens as being not only the world of practical reasoning, but also of commerce, government, and everyday community. Think the images of the Athenian marketplace, streams of commerce, practical inventiveness, and halls of government. Version 2.0 regards Jerusalem not only in faith terms, but also in more generalized values and wisdom. Here the big picture questions are raised and interact with everyday life.
Ok, so you'd be right in saying that even this "expanded" notion of the Kretzmann frame still doesn't necessarily speak to the heart of Gen Z. However, VU doesn't have to recruit from the full spectrum of Gen Z. It does have to be more effective at tapping into that cohort of prospective students who may welcome a dual focus on vocation and values, which actually does appeal to the sense of balance and practical idealism that I see from a good number of folks from this generation.
Equally important, it makes a normative statement about what higher education can and should provide to students. It transcends generational leanings and fads, as opposed to all the branding and rebranding B.S. that results in some schools becoming nothingburgers beyond delivering shifting assortments of content and degrees. Of course, any university that wishes to stay open for business must make ongoing adjustments to appeal to its market population, but a meaningful university has and is aware of its deeper purpose, even if that purpose isn't all the current rage, and doesn't bend itself out of shape to attract more bodies.
Might I recommend the two kingdoms doctrine taught by Martin Luther. It lines up with Athens and Jerusalem and could speak to modern issues. He distinguished between Christians' dual citizenship in a "Kingdom of the Left Hand" (Secular government and courts etc.) and the "Kingdom of the Left Hand" (Spiritual guidance to yourself and others on a personal basis.) The critical idea is that Christians should adhere to reasonable government for the order of things and use persuasion to influence individual people and policy in spiritual directions.
He would not be an advocate for imposing a Christian ruler and even might be surprised trying "return us" to a "Christian nation." Certain a clear majority of of the founding fathers were believers and you can read that assumption into our documents. But the colonies were all formed to avoid the imposition of a religion. Stay in your lane governmentally. Sharia law is an example of not staying in your lane. So it tests the hope for stable pluralism. But this Lutheran concept seems appealing to young people
I don't know how Luther would want us to act when truly strong forces start antagonizing reasonable people in that doctrine by overt anti-Christian cultural agendas. These wokesters are powerful now. In the past they were just ludicrous protesters or cartoonish riders of floats in pride parades. They could simply be ignored and allowed. They hold powerful roles in government and business. The latter is an astonishing achievement by liberals since corporations would by definition prioriitize profit rather than ESG and cultural evangelism. This behavior ruins the responsible pluralism that would persuade people respectly from both sides. The whole idea of Christians going out to purposely antagonize the left is no longer plausible. They are merely reacting to the deluge of idiocy and evil.
.....oops meant "kingdom of right hand" for spiritual realm.
I can't help but shake my head sometimes at the depth of discussion on this "fans" forum. Today has been a real education.
Quote from: crusadermoe on May 30, 2023, 03:55:01 PM
Might I recommend the two kingdoms doctrine taught by Martin Luther. It lines up with Athens and Jerusalem and could speak to modern issues. He distinguished between Christians' dual citizenship in a "Kingdom of the Left Hand" (Secular government and courts etc.) and the "Kingdom of the Left Hand" (Spiritual guidance to yourself and others on a personal basis.) The critical idea is that Christians should adhere to reasonable government for the order of things and use persuasion to influence individual people and policy in spiritual directions.
He would not be an advocate for imposing a Christian ruler and even might be surprised trying "return us" to a "Christian nation." Certain a clear majority of of the founding fathers were believers and you can read that assumption into our documents. But the colonies were all formed to avoid the imposition of a religion. Stay in your lane governmentally. Sharia law is an example of not staying in your lane. So it tests the hope for stable pluralism. But this Lutheran concept seems appealing to young people
I don't know how Luther would want us to act when truly strong forces start antagonizing reasonable people in that doctrine by overt anti-Christian cultural agendas. These wokesters are powerful now. In the past they were just ludicrous protesters or cartoonish riders of floats in pride parades. They could simply be ignored and allowed. They hold powerful roles in government and business. The latter is an astonishing achievement by liberals since corporations would by definition prioriitize profit rather than ESG and cultural evangelism. This behavior ruins the responsible pluralism that would persuade people respectly from both sides. The whole idea of Christians going out to purposely antagonize the left is no longer plausible. They are merely reacting to the deluge of idiocy and evil.
Crusadermoe, I respectfully suggest that conflating liberals and extreme "wokesters" paints with a very broad brush, and I count myself among the former. In fact, at my own university, I have openly opposed proposed measures from our very left leaning faculty diversity committee that I consider to be violative of academic freedom. This includes measures that I would support on a voluntary basis, with no penalties for those opting not to participate. I have also urged that we honor students who demonstrate a commitment to open dialogue on public issues and to creating room for honest, respectful differences of opinion. In fact, I strongly supported giving a major graduation award to the President of our law school's Federalist Society (prominent conservative legal/bar association), in part because of his demonstrated commitment along those lines. (Fortunately, he was indeed chosen to receive the award.)
That said, I also find it disturbing when people reactively apply the "woke" tag to any discussions of diversity and difference and to anyone who initiates such discussions, because oftentimes the objective is to shut down the conversation, rather than engage topics that are very difficult, sometimes downright unpleasant, but very important. By the same token, I also disagree with those coming from the far left who, say, automatically label anyone who favors the pro-choice position a misogynist or anyone who supports ending affirmative action a racist or sexist, because that gambit, too, usually is meant to shut down a discussion rather than to encourage dialogue.
It is in maintaining space for those differences of opinion to be discussed and tested that some universities can play a significant role in restoring sanity and civility to our public dialogue. And while I'm fine with the existence of schools that adopt strong ideological, religious, or social views in any direction, I think it's the institutions in the wide middle that may better prepare their students for participating and succeeding in that pluralistic society to which you refer.
Quote from: crusadermoe on May 30, 2023, 03:55:01 PM
Might I recommend the two kingdoms doctrine taught by Martin Luther. It lines up with Athens and Jerusalem and could speak to modern issues. He distinguished between Christians' dual citizenship in a "Kingdom of the Left Hand" (Secular government and courts etc.) and the "Kingdom of the Left Hand" (Spiritual guidance to yourself and others on a personal basis.) The critical idea is that Christians should adhere to reasonable government for the order of things and use persuasion to influence individual people and policy in spiritual directions.
He would not be an advocate for imposing a Christian ruler and even might be surprised trying "return us" to a "Christian nation." Certain a clear majority of of the founding fathers were believers and you can read that assumption into our documents. But the colonies were all formed to avoid the imposition of a religion. Stay in your lane governmentally. Sharia law is an example of not staying in your lane. So it tests the hope for stable pluralism. But this Lutheran concept seems appealing to young people
I don't know how Luther would want us to act when truly strong forces start antagonizing reasonable people in that doctrine by overt anti-Christian cultural agendas. These wokesters are powerful now. In the past they were just ludicrous protesters or cartoonish riders of floats in pride parades. They could simply be ignored and allowed. They hold powerful roles in government and business. The latter is an astonishing achievement by liberals since corporations would by definition prioriitize profit rather than ESG and cultural evangelism. This behavior ruins the responsible pluralism that would persuade people respectly from both sides. The whole idea of Christians going out to purposely antagonize the left is no longer plausible. They are merely reacting to the deluge of idiocy and evil.
Artificial Intelligence weighed on this question:
Userwhat would Martin Luther teach to his followers about how to respond when truly strong opposing forces of luthern doctrine started antagonizing reasonable Lutherans and that doctrine by overt anti-Christian cultural agendas.
ChatGPTQuoteMartin Luther emphasized the importance of responding to opposition and challenges with steadfastness and a commitment to the truth of the Gospel. If faced with strong opposing forces and anti-Christian cultural agendas, Luther would likely encourage his followers to respond in the following ways:
Remain Firm in the Truth: Luther would urge his followers to remain grounded in the teachings of Scripture and the core principles of Lutheran doctrine. He would emphasize the importance of understanding and articulating the foundational truths of the Gospel, such as justification by faith alone and the authority of Scripture.
Defend the Faith with Reason and Love: Luther was known for his sharp intellect and his ability to engage in theological debates. He would likely encourage his followers to defend the Lutheran doctrine through reasoned arguments and engage in respectful dialogue with those who hold opposing views. He would emphasize the importance of speaking the truth in love, seeking to persuade others rather than resorting to hostility or aggression.
Educate and Equip the Faithful: Luther would stress the importance of educating and equipping his followers to understand and articulate their faith. He would encourage the study of Scripture, theology, and the writings of the early Church Fathers. Luther believed in the priesthood of all believers, empowering individuals to actively engage with their faith and defend it when necessary.
Trust in God's Providence: Luther firmly believed in God's sovereignty and providence. In the face of opposition, he would encourage his followers to trust in God's guidance and to rely on Him for strength and wisdom. Luther often found comfort and encouragement in prayer, and he would likely encourage his followers to turn to God in times of difficulty and seek His guidance.
Engage in Peaceful Proclamation: Luther was committed to the peaceful proclamation of the Gospel and the reform of the Church. He advocated for using the printing press to spread his teachings and engaged in writing numerous treatises and pamphlets. Luther would likely encourage his followers to use every available means to peacefully promote and defend the Lutheran doctrine in the face of opposition.
It is important to note that these responses are based on an understanding of Luther's historical context and his approach to challenges during the Reformation. Luther's actual teachings and specific guidance on such matters may vary, but the principles of remaining grounded in the Gospel, defending the faith with reason and love, and relying on God's guidance would likely resonate with his approach.
What a strange world in which we now live. ;)
Oh good grief, is this true? Never mind that last AI point:
QuoteLuther regarded the Anabaptist and radical leaders of the 1525 Peasants' Revolt as heretics. He wrote a pamphlet, "Against the murdering, thieving hordes of peasants" urging the German princes to put down the peasants' rebellion. They should be "sliced, choked, stabbed, secretly and publicly" by anyone who could, as one would treat "a rabid dog."
Quote from: valpo22 on May 31, 2023, 08:20:22 AM
Yes, maybe the 'two kingdoms' thing has legs on it. It sounds super European and medieval, but it could raise interesting discussions about contemporary issues of religion- state-society relations.
Maybe Athens&Jerusalem can indeed be updated and expanded as D81 says, but my impression is that it is pretty stuck in the Lutheran world on the Genesis/evolution issue. Valpo lutherans explained to me that the Lutheran world basically split these last 2 decades into camps going totally different directions... Post 2000, one wing basically started becoming fundamentalist baptist in starting to insist on 7 day creationism and stuff, and the other wing becoming mostly social justice activism and BLM/LGTBTQ stuff. So the faith & reason conversations are embattled and gojng nowhere because they aren't even talking about the same stuff.
The lutheran 'two kingdoms' notion could be maybe more viable and interesting to get at the questions of value and public life. i know in Core they used to teach a book 'The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down' about a Hmong epileptic girl and the family's navigation of the Western/Christian medical system. I read it to understand what they were doing in core, and that book was actually an interesting puzzle of the Hmong religious beliefs vs social worker values, medical intervention vs parental rights, and government regulation vs the religious sacrifice practices of the immigrant population. It would have been interesting to discuss it in a two kingdoms frame, and maybe also in reverse the case study to also interrogate the utility of the 'two kingdoms' notion
True, the extremes seem to be getting a lot of the attention right now, but they don't speak for the vast majority of people. What is particularly damaging, however, is the cancel culture dynamic, which comes from both left and right extremes and affects us all. (OK, there are differences: The far left extremists often prefer to be performative, e.g., shouting down speakers, whereas the far right extremists often prefer to be policy driven, e.g., instituting book bans. However, they come together, tactically speaking, when it comes to calling for the instant job termination of individuals who say something that offends their sensibilities, even for relatively mild or moderate transgressions.)
Universities that take a non-ideological stand for freedom of expression and embrace values of respect, understanding, character, individual dignity, and trying to give each other the benefit of the doubt can help to fashion a norm that we badly need right now.
Quote from: valpo22 on June 01, 2023, 08:43:49 AM
Haha, i asked chatgpt AI to make a strategic plan for Valpo that would prioritize intellectual freedom, financial stability and fair compensation, and commitment to Christian values. Whadda ya think? It only took it about 20 seconds to pop this out:
Strategic Plan for Valparaiso University (2023-2028) (CHAT GPT)
Mission Statement:
Valparaiso University is a comprehensive, independent Lutheran institution rooted in the liberal arts and sciences. Guided by our commitment to academic freedom, free thinking, and Christian faith, we strive to inspire personal growth, develop critical thinking skills, and promote academic excellence, social responsibility, and service to others. Through our dedication to fostering an environment of intellectual inquiry, financial stability, fair wages, and Christian values, we aim to prepare students to lead and serve in a diverse and changing world.
Vision Statement:
Valparaiso University aspires to be a globally recognized institution of higher learning, renowned for its transformative education, innovative research, and commitment to community engagement. We envision a future where our graduates are equipped with the intellectual tools, ethical grounding, and Christian faith to make positive contributions in their professions, communities, and the world at large. We strive to be an inclusive and intellectually vibrant community that values academic freedom, financial stability, fair wages, and the exploration of diverse perspectives.
Core Values:
Academic Freedom and Free Thinking: We foster an environment that encourages intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and the pursuit of knowledge, while respecting diverse viewpoints and the principles of academic freedom.
Financial Stability: We prioritize responsible financial management to ensure the long-term stability and sustainability of the university, enabling us to deliver high-quality education and support services.
Fair Wages and Merit Performance: We recognize and reward the contributions of our employees based on their merit, providing fair wages that reflect performance and achievement.
Christian Faith: Grounded in our Lutheran heritage, we promote a Christian community that embraces compassion, forgiveness, social justice, and respect for all individuals.
Commitment to Excellence: We strive for academic rigor, innovation, and continuous improvement in all aspects of university life, including teaching, research, and service.
Strategic Goals:
Goal 1: Academic Excellence and Intellectual Inquiry
Objective 1: Promote academic freedom, free thinking, and open dialogue as foundational principles of the university, encouraging the exploration of diverse perspectives and ideas.
Objective 2: Enhance and expand undergraduate and graduate programs, incorporating interdisciplinary approaches and emerging fields of study.
Objective 3: Invest in faculty development and research opportunities to foster a culture of scholarly inquiry and innovative teaching practices.
Objective 4: Support and encourage student research, creative endeavors, and experiential learning opportunities that deepen their understanding and application of knowledge.
Goal 2: Financial Stability and Responsible Resource Management
Objective 1: Develop and implement long-term financial plans that prioritize fiscal responsibility, sustainable growth, and prudent resource allocation.
Objective 2: Strengthen partnerships and collaborations with external stakeholders, including alumni, donors, and community partners, to diversify and expand revenue streams.
Objective 3: Optimize operational efficiency and streamline administrative processes to ensure effective resource utilization and cost-effectiveness.
Objective 4: Continuously monitor and assess financial performance to identify potential risks and opportunities for strategic investments.
Goal 3: Fair Wages and Merit-Based Compensation
Objective 1: Conduct regular evaluations and assessments to ensure that employee compensation is fair, competitive, and based on merit, performance, and contributions.
Objective 2: Implement transparent and equitable policies and processes for evaluating employee performance, providing opportunities for professional growth and advancement.
Objective 3: Enhance employee benefits and support programs that promote overall well-being, work-life balance, and professional development.
Objective 4: Foster a culture of recognition and appreciation that values and rewards the achievements and contributions of all employees.
Goal 4: Integration of Christian Faith and Values
Objective 1: Integrate Christian faith and values throughout the curriculum, ensuring that students have opportunities to explore and deepen their spiritual lives.
Objective 2: Foster a campus environment that supports worship, prayer, and religious dialogue, promoting understanding and respect for diverse faith traditions.
Objective 3: Provide ongoing opportunities for faculty and staff to deepen their understanding of Christian faith and its relevance to their roles within the university.
Objective 4: Engage in service-learning and community engagement initiatives that exemplify our commitment to Christian values and care.
By prioritizing academic freedom, free thinking, financial stability, fair wages reflecting merit performance, and commitment to Christian faith, Valparaiso University will continue to excel in providing a transformative education that prepares students to make positive contributions in their communities and the world.
Very interesting...a fun inquiry...for what it says and doesn't say.
It gets the values/faith/liberal arts part. In that sense, you could save folks a lot of time spent in dreary strategic planning meetings and just cut & paste this into your Word file.
It largely misses on the "other" side of the comprehensive university model, the professional and vocational part. Is it because ChatGPT didn't recognize that
comprehensive university is a higher ed term of art, typically referring to more regionally oriented universities that offer instruction and programs in both the liberal arts and the professions?
Love your idea of just skipping through the whole "generative" exercises with faculty by using the Chat draft.
And yes, per your point I did get a bit snarky on the Luther treatment of the "wokesters. I really don't conflate the reasonable democrats with the hard left woke folk. I just find fewer and fewer of the Truman, Scoop Jackson, blue dog types like you as I scan the congress names. I think that is somewhat like your concession that conservative faculty (dodo birds) do engage you as a moderate more readily that the liberals.
I know I am biased, but I find the right wings irritating. But I don't think they are irrationale like several of the squad type of blue state nut jobs. MTG does embarrass the right though. Congressional districts have been gerrymandered so much that 80-90% of the U.S. House districts are safe red or safe blue, meaning they have no incentive to moderate.
Unfortunately the Senate now is divided almost fully into into 2-blue or 2-red states. There are fewer than 10 states that have one red and one blue Senator. So the Senate is now polarized. The problems with the Senate was sewn in the early 20th century when they changed the Senate elections to direct elections rather than the state's U.S. If Representatives picked the Senators rather than out-of-state campaign money. you could avoid the John Fettermans, a Dr. Oz, or a Herschel Walkers being nominated for a six-year term that approves supreme court appointments and cabinet picks. That needs to roll back to the old process.
Quote from: crusadermoe on June 01, 2023, 12:06:27 PM
Love your idea of just skipping through the whole "generative" exercises with faculty by using the Chat draft.
And yes, per your point I did get a bit snarky on the Luther treatment of the "wokesters. I really don't conflate the reasonable democrats with the hard left woke folk. I just find fewer and fewer of the Truman, Scoop Jackson, blue dog types like you as I scan the congress names. I think that is somewhat like your concession that conservative faculty (dodo birds) do engage you as a moderate more readily that the liberals.
I know I am biased, but I find the right wings irritating. But I don't think they are irrationale like several of the squad type of blue state nut jobs. MTG does embarrass the right though. Congressional districts have been gerrymandered so much that 80-90% of the U.S. House districts are safe red or safe blue, meaning they have no incentive to moderate.
Unfortunately the Senate now is divided almost fully into into 2-blue or 2-red states. There are fewer than 10 states that have one red and one blue Senator. So the Senate is now polarized. The problems with the Senate was sewn in the early 20th century when they changed the Senate elections to direct elections rather than the state's U.S. If Representatives picked the Senators rather than out-of-state campaign money. you could avoid the John Fettermans, a Dr. Oz, or a Herschel Walkers being nominated for a six-year term that approves supreme court appointments and cabinet picks. That needs to roll back to the old process.
The weirdness of certain academic circles is such that by most standards, I'm a traditional liberal Democrat (somewhere between the blue dogs and The Squad), including a strong commitment to civil rights. But because I'm not primarily immersed in identity politics, I'm looked at as suspect by some on the far left of academe. Interestingly, years ago I did manage to win the respect of some of the old boy conservatives at my school (which used to be the dominant group), because I was willing to wage some lonely battles on diversity issues that were quite alarming when I started there in the mid-90s. (And just to point out, these old conservatives would be regarded as too liberal for today's far right.)
My apologies for so blatantly using political labels, which I know can be button-pushing and understandably wearying for folks, but I do think this is relevant to the future of academe and to schools like VU, which hopefully can play a role in softening some of that polarization.
Quote from: David81 on June 01, 2023, 03:06:58 PMbut I find the right wings irritating. But I don't think they are irrationale like several of the squad type of blue state nut jobs. MTG does embarrass the right though.
Paul Gosar, Lauren Boebert, Chip Roy, Matt Gaetz, Andy Biggs, Louie Gohmert, Tommy Tuberville, should I go on??
Let me offer the suggestion that we don't let this discussion evolve into a political debate. Let's try to keep it relevant to Valpo or at least universities overall.
Quote from: vu84v2 on June 02, 2023, 08:34:54 AM
Let me offer the suggestion that we don't let this discussion evolve into a political debate. Let's try to keep it relevant to Valpo or at least universities overall.
Yes, good reminder, and I plead guilty for straying in that direction. I'm not sure how to acknowledge the impact of our current civic environment on universities without getting at least mildly specific about political views, but I also know there's a point at which it becomes a discussion about politics and not higher ed.
How many students at Valpo major in creative writing?
Quote from: usc4valpo on June 03, 2023, 07:46:08 AM
How many students at Valpo major in creative writing?
According to most recent data, there are 50 declared undergraduate majors or minors in English, 12 majors and 6 minors specify creative writing as the primary concentration for their degrees. The most recent survey of graduating students at Valparaiso University (2021) showed creative writing as tied with economics as the 27th most popular major (out of 63 listed), while English literature was 20th, tied with both communication and criminology. Nursing was way ahead as the #1 major, and each nursing student was required to take an English course taught by the department's writing faculty: Writing in the Health Sciences.
Creative writing (or English) is a great example of how liberal arts can be complementary to the professional disciplines. For instance, think about how valuable creative writing would be with marketing.
One of the things that universities could do better - which points to a possible opportunity for Valpo - is to provide clearer paths for double majors across colleges. Double majoring can be relatively easy within a college, since core courses within the college apply to both majors. But doing something like marketing/English ends up requiring a lot more courses to meet the core requirements for each college (most of which are independent from university core requirements). There are reasons for this (especially accreditation requirements for each college), but a university could develop an advantage if they could develop cross-college double major requirements that still allow a good student to finish in four years.
Is it really hard to do this anymore? even when I was in school a large portion of my friends were double majoring with the exception of Nursing and Engineering and even they had minors available. I knew people who had two majors and a minor. I think it definitely could always be easier but flexibility can often be hampered less by the structure of gen eds and more by students changing majors late or not realizing until later they want a minor. One other piece though is that just because it doesn't say it on your diploma you still get to keep the knowledge and skills learned in those courses and apply them in ways that are beneficial
Admittedly, I do not know Valpo's curriculum in detail, though I know the curriculum at my university really well (I am on the curriculum planning committee) and have a fair degree of familiarity with accreditation for my college. Students who double major across colleges need to meet the core requirements for both colleges - which are not the same. All business majors, for instance, must take something like 54 credit hours from core business courses (e.g., all take accounting, all take economics, all take intro courses into each business discipline). When you add on the required courses for the specific discipline, required business electives, and the university core requirements, there is not a lot of room left. The end result is that students who want to do a double major (a business discipline and a foreign language is common) will need to take 5-10 classes beyond what a traditional four-year student would take. My guess is that Valpo has a similar challenge, since it is the college's associated accreditation board that drives these requirements (Valpo's accreditation is at the same high level for most or all colleges as the university where I work).
Students who do cross-college majors in four years almost always entered college with credit for at least three classes (via AP or classes with dual credit for high school and college).
Before I recently retired, I was an IT Project Manager for a Fortune 200 company. My biggest frustration was most young people (many of whom were extremely talented and quite bright) coming into the business with terrible writing skills. Like .... no clue on basic punctuation or grammar rules, inability to cogently present a logical thought progression in written words, throwing texting abbreviations into formal writing or corporate-wide emails, and on and on. So many talented young people get off-ramped because they poorly communicate at the next level.
I grew up on the Valpo Paragraph in freshman English. It required discipline and forethought. I both loved and hated the class. But it forced me to be a good writer. Thank you, Valpo.
My point: A distinguishing characteristic of every Valpo graduate going into the business world, medicine, social work, engineering (especially engineering), etc. should must be the ability to clearly express thought via the written word. If it is not already, this has to be a major pillar of a Valpo education.
62, you nailed it!
This made me curious about if Valpo was doing anything regarding the issue with writing and I Found this:https://www.valpo.edu/university-writing-program/
Looks like a lot of it was funded through the last endowment drive so that's good to see as it means it's funding is most likely protected.
Quote from: vu84v2 on May 30, 2023, 12:01:54 AM
Quote from: wh on May 29, 2023, 06:01:20 PM
• A religious-affiliated university that tries to become all things to all people becomes nothing to anyone.
Perhaps you should check out most of the Jesuit universities, whose model is extremely similar to Valpo's. They do just fine by offering a quality religiously-oriented program to those who desire it, while also avoiding dogma and expected adherence that would turn off other students. These universities align by values that are inspired by faith (cura personalis), but do not require or expect adherence to any faith.
I took your advice and took a look at how effective Jesuit universities have been in balancing their religious values and priorities in an increasingly more secularized world. Following is an article written by Charles C. Camosy, a professor at (Jesuit) Creighton University. I think you'll find it interesting. To your point, the "balancing act" is very similar for Valpo and Jesuit schools. To the professor's point, Jesuit schools are doing anything but "just fine" handling it.
Will Catholic universities survive the upheaval in higher education? The next 10 years will tell.Charles C. Camosy is a professor of medical humanities at the Creighton University School of Medicine and holds the Monsignor Curran Fellowship in Moral Theology at St. Joseph Seminary in New York. He is the author of seven books, including, most recently, Bioethics for Nurses. "For decades, many Catholic institutions of higher education have been slouching gradually toward the least common denominator in U.S. higher education and in the process following Princeton's path toward losing their identity as religious institutions.
But if Catholic higher education is going to compete in the medium and longer term, the marketplace over the next 10 years will push us to embrace what makes us distinctive. For what makes us distinctive will be in demand."
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2022/01/19/catholic-college-future-culture-war-242214
I think the good professor would agree with my assertion above that " a religious-affiliated university that tries to become all things to all people becomes nothing to anyone." In fact, it could be argued that it is indeed the premise of his article.
Quote from: VULB#62 on June 03, 2023, 06:17:51 PM
Before I recently retired, I was an IT Project Manager for a Fortune 200 company. My biggest frustration was most young people (many of whom were extremely talented and quite bright) coming into the business with terrible writing skills. Like .... no clue on basic punctuation or grammar rules, inability to cogently present a logical thought progression in written words, throwing texting abbreviations into formal writing or corporate-wide emails, and on and on. So many talented young people get off-ramped because they poorly communicate at the next level.
I grew up on the Valpo Paragraph in freshman English. It required discipline and forethought. I both loved and hated the class. But it forced me to be a good writer. Thank you, Valpo.
My point: A distinguishing characteristic of every Valpo graduate going into the business world, medicine, social work, engineering (especially engineering), etc. should must be the ability to clearly express thought via the written word. If it is not already, this has to be a major pillar of a Valpo education.
Let me chime in on the importance of insisting that students learn how to write clearly in college, regardless of major or future career intentions.
At my law school, most students did at least respectably in college (with many earning undergraduate honors) and on the LSAT. Some, especially in our evening division, have mind-blowing academic credentials and are seeking a law degree to support their current career path. The differences in writing abilities are all over the place. The weaker law students have real difficulty expressing themselves in a logical, organized, and grammatically correct way.
I appreciate more and more that much of my VU education was about writing. Papers, research projects, written exams, and so forth. And then there was
The Torch student newspaper. If you want to learn how to write clean, well-organized, easy-to-follow prose, then working on the student newspaper + taking an intro news writing course is a great teaching combo. Work on
The Torch involved both writing articles and -- as a department editor -- editing the work of others. Invaluable experience.
Quote from: wh on June 04, 2023, 11:05:05 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on May 30, 2023, 12:01:54 AM
Quote from: wh on May 29, 2023, 06:01:20 PM
• A religious-affiliated university that tries to become all things to all people becomes nothing to anyone.
Perhaps you should check out most of the Jesuit universities, whose model is extremely similar to Valpo's. They do just fine by offering a quality religiously-oriented program to those who desire it, while also avoiding dogma and expected adherence that would turn off other students. These universities align by values that are inspired by faith (cura personalis), but do not require or expect adherence to any faith.
I took your advice and took a look at how effective Jesuit universities have been in balancing their religious values and priorities in an increasingly more secularized world. Following is an article written by Charles C. Camosy, a professor at (Jesuit) Creighton University. I think you'll find it interesting. To your point, the "balancing act" is very similar for Valpo and Jesuit schools. To the professor's point, Jesuit schools are doing anything but "just fine" handling it.
Will Catholic universities survive the upheaval in higher education? The next 10 years will tell.
Charles C. Camosy is a professor of medical humanities at the Creighton University School of Medicine and holds the Monsignor Curran Fellowship in Moral Theology at St. Joseph Seminary in New York. He is the author of seven books, including, most recently, Bioethics for Nurses.
"For decades, many Catholic institutions of higher education have been slouching gradually toward the least common denominator in U.S. higher education and in the process following Princeton's path toward losing their identity as religious institutions. But if Catholic higher education is going to compete in the medium and longer term, the marketplace over the next 10 years will push us to embrace what makes us distinctive. For what makes us distinctive will be in demand."
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2022/01/19/catholic-college-future-culture-war-242214
I think the good professor would agree with my assertion above that " a religious-affiliated university that tries to become all things to all people becomes nothing to anyone." In fact, it could be argued that it is indeed the premise of his article.
An interesting and thought-provoking article, for sure.
As you may have already realized, I am also a professor at a Jesuit university (you'll figure out which one by looking at where I am from). I frankly don't quite get Prof. Camosy's bottom line, though he makes quite a few good points about student expectations and challenges going forward. He acts like students in today's Jesuit universities don't get what the Jesuits are all about - citing an example of a student graduating who didn't know what Jesuits are. In a given academic year, I teach 100-140 senior-level undergraduates and from exercises that I have done in class each year I can honestly say that nearly 100% know the nature and values of the Jesuits (and I teach in one of those 'evil' vocationally-oriented colleges). My students get that the Jesuit foundation is all about cura personalis - care for the whole person, including family, friends, community, and one's self. This form of 'values oriented' education should resonate with everyone and my students cite this as a competitive advantage for our university (in attracting new students and readying graduates for meaningful lives). Prof. Camosy seems to venture a little towards 'teaching the faith to a degree that seeks adherence' (which I am against and think is a very bad idea for my university and Valpo), but also encourages open argument and debate - with respect for all viewpoints (which is a major purpose of a university).
It is the 'values oriented' model that I believe works and will continue to work for Valpo. Given trends associated with this generation of students, it is very reasonable to assume that 'values' will resonate with them - with programs like study abroad trips seeking to improve peoples' lives - but that seeking a homogenous environment where everyone has the same beliefs and/or ideologies are expected to be followed is likely to fail for most that take this approach. Still, it is important for universities like Valpo to have strong religiously-oriented program for those who value them...and also feel that the university is enhanced when the people from those programs work in the wider university community. I am not Catholic, but have always valued working with our university's priests and nuns.
Lastly, I will point out that Jesuit universities are like any groups in society, in that there are wide range of perspectives. I have no doubt that we have people who feel the same as Prof. Camosy, but I also know that we have faculty who feel that the university is not secular enough (which I do not agree with). Like any university, we are not perfect...but I do feel that we do a pretty good job of managing the balance (and I think Valpo does this pretty well too). Should a university tell a student (or faculty member) that has a certain belief that he or she has is wrong and is not allowed to exercise their belief? I propose that a university should introduce students to a wide range of perspectives and allow views to be respected, openly considered, and exercised (with some very carefully considered limits).
Quote from: David81 on June 04, 2023, 10:46:08 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on June 03, 2023, 06:17:51 PM
Before I recently retired, I was an IT Project Manager for a Fortune 200 company. My biggest frustration was most young people (many of whom were extremely talented and quite bright) coming into the business with terrible writing skills. Like .... no clue on basic punctuation or grammar rules, inability to cogently present a logical thought progression in written words, throwing texting abbreviations into formal writing or corporate-wide emails, and on and on. So many talented young people get off-ramped because they poorly communicate at the next level.
I grew up on the Valpo Paragraph in freshman English. It required discipline and forethought. I both loved and hated the class. But it forced me to be a good writer. Thank you, Valpo.
My point: A distinguishing characteristic of every Valpo graduate going into the business world, medicine, social work, engineering (especially engineering), etc. should must be the ability to clearly express thought via the written word. If it is not already, this has to be a major pillar of a Valpo education.
Let me chime in on the importance of insisting that students learn how to write clearly in college, regardless of major or future career intentions.
At my law school, most students did at least respectably in college (with many earning undergraduate honors) and on the LSAT. Some, especially in our evening division, have mind-blowing academic credentials and are seeking a law degree to support their current career path. The differences in writing abilities are all over the place. The weaker law students have real difficulty expressing themselves in a logical, organized, and grammatically correct way.
I appreciate more and more that much of my VU education was about writing. Papers, research projects, written exams, and so forth. And then there was The Torch student newspaper. If you want to learn how to write clean, well-organized, easy-to-follow prose, then working on the student newspaper + taking an intro news writing course is a great teaching combo. Work on The Torch involved both writing articles and -- as a department editor -- editing the work of others. Invaluable experience.
I will also chime in on issues with students' quality of writing.
In a given undergraduate class, I have two exams that include essay questions that are prepared in advance, two major analyses, another paper, and a final project that includes a 20-page paper from groups. When the first of these is submitted, I will always have about 10-15 percent of submissions with poor writing and/or poor development of arguments. I reduce their grade and remind them of my expectations. Most improve dramatically after that. My view is that a lot of this is laziness on the part of some students...but also some faculty who let them get away with poor writing.
Quote from: wh on May 29, 2023, 06:01:20 PM
Morning chapel service from Feb. 2022
https://youtube.com/live/qR7Hkawn3rE?feature=share (https://youtube.com/live/qR7Hkawn3rE?feature=share)
This has to be the most pathetic representation of a religious service from a religious-affiliated university in America. Some thoughts:
• I feel sorry for "Pastor Jim," whoever he is. Wakes up in the morning, prepares to share a Godly message of hope that everyone everywhere could benefit by hearing, heads out the door toward one of the nation's most iconic Protestant university worship centers where he will deliver it, and finally turns to face maybe 20 students at max.
• He monotones a few paragraphs, the "audience" mumbles through a couple hymns, and everyone walks out fired up and ready to take on the world.
• Even sadder is knowing that he had enough spiritual wisdom to quote from the writings of O. P. Kretzmann, one of the greatest Biblical scholars of the 20th century, IMO. He retired before I became an adult, but many years ago I was introduced to his various writings and bulletins by a dear Lutheran friend. What an amazing man of God. Everything he wrote came straight from his heart. His memory deserves better than a 20-student audience.
• A religious-affiliated university that tries to become all things to all people becomes nothing to anyone. Welcome to present day Valpo. Can I get an "oy" to that?
My relative took me to visit O. P. in the nursing home, I couldn't tell you which one, in Valpo, during the early 70's when I was anywhere from 10-13 years old. He was fairly feeble but when I read his writings later on in life I thought what a great man and prolific writer and so educated. He knew how to lead. He still spoke very well for an old guy in a wheelchair and he really didn't have a lot of visitors like my relative. There were a few university employees that visited him at first my relative said but that dwindled a lot after he was there 3 or 4 years.
Quote from: valpo95 on April 11, 2023, 01:04:49 PM
Quote from: valpo95 on March 10, 2023, 10:45:39 AM
The landscape for private universities (especially in the Midwest) is challenging. In recent days, we have seen announcements of recent closures of campuses or programs at other small universities.
Trinity International University (Deerfield, IL) closing residential and in-person undergraduate programs, moving to fully remote/online instruction for those programs. (MDiv and Seminary stay.) https://www.tiu.edu/reimagining-the-future/ (https://www.tiu.edu/reimagining-the-future/)
Finlandia University (Hancock, MI) closing. https://www.finlandia.edu/about/teachout/ (https://www.finlandia.edu/about/teachout/)
Neither of these programs are direct competitors of VU, yet they are religiously-affiliated private universities in the region. These had reasonably well-regarded academics, yet very small endowments. Finlandia is especially interesting, as it a small Lutheran University (ELCA). We also should remember that three of the Concordia (LCMS) campuses closed in recent years, including Alabama (2018), New York (2021) and Portland (2022).
OK, here is another closure. Cardinal Stritch University, a Catholic University in Milwaukee, announced it is closing at the end of the semester. It had a modest endowment (about $28M) and had seen enrollment substantially decline in recent years. https://www.wisn.com/article/cardinal-stritch-university-closing-in-may-milwaukee-wisconsin/43557980 (https://www.wisn.com/article/cardinal-stritch-university-closing-in-may-milwaukee-wisconsin/43557980)
Saw this article in the Chronicle of Higher Education https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-college-that-mortgaged-everything (https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-college-that-mortgaged-everything) with a whole lot more detail about the closure of
Finlandia University in Michigan. As it turns out, they had been having financial problems for several decades. Crucially, they had $10.6M of debt, secured largely on the physical assets of the property. What is especially interesting is that the new president did not know that their property had been used to secure the loans - although Finlandia supposedly had recently balanced their budget, there were no reserves or borrowing capacity to invest in upgrading programs for future growth.
As evidenced in a recent New Yorker article, student interest in arts and humanities is in free fall across the United States, even at prestigious Ivy League schools like Columbia and Harvard.
Annals of Higher Education
March 6, 2023 Issue
The End of the English Major
Enrollment in the humanities is in free fall at colleges around the country. What happened?
By Nathan Heller
February 27, 2023
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/03/06/the-end-of-the-english-major
Of the many important takeaways, I'll point out 3 highly relevant to Valpo:
• From the VU website: "The College of Arts and Sciences is the heart of Valpo. It's where you can pursue the dreams you've had since childhood—or find a new passion that will last a lifetime..." As the New Yorker article indicates, that message doesn't sell in 2023. It's outdated academic marketing speak from a bygone era.
• Note the article makes reference to those in arts and sciences helping to create their own demise by railing on colonial capitalism, white privilege, and Western culture. As the article indicates there is no way to romanticize great literature and art created by a bunch of dead old white guys who were part of a tyrannical patriarchy and resided in lands stolen from indigenous populations.
• Meanwhile, we have Arts and Sciences faculty members engaged in Custer's last stand with their own President and Board over paintings in a pretend museum that is essentially useless.
Sounds like an astute writer. But I hate that they seem to be more and more mutually exclusive. I certainly mourn the idea that we will have so few well-educated people who appreciate the contributions of the west to the world.
Yes, the I know that horse is dead or barely breathing on this board. But it seems that we have for three decades allowed the country's self-hate 1960s protest generation to run our universities since the 1990s. Yes, colonialism stripped vast resources and mistreated many populations. But it simply isn't honest to omit the contributions of the west to overall global wealth and the progress toward self-governance by other nations. Valpo took that bait in Christ College when they abandoned the 8-credit course titled "Western Civilization." It could be a 24-credit course to capture the depth of that topic.
Perhaps we could recall that an eastern civilization in Japan was exceptionally cruel when they invaded China in the 1930s. Genghis Khan and the tribal middle east cultures were even known to occupy and persecute other nations and show a little violence now and then. But who knew?
Check in with some 20-somethings (heck even through 40-somethings) in a university town coffee shop and ask how the USA and Europe in total have influenced the world in a positive way. I would love for my cynicism to be proven wrong. We lost the G.I. generation from our electorate who saw true evil and replaced them with clueless idealists who just want their phones and video games from China.
Ironies abound here.
A generation or two ago, studying the humanities -- especially the Western canon -- was considered by some to be affirming of intellectual, literary, and cultural oppression. The "Great Books" were regarded by many as being (small c) conservative in orientation, and many who identified with that orientation felt the need to defend the canon against folks they regarded as radical extremists.
Today, studying the humanities is regarded by some as a self-indulgent, impractical course of instruction, often associated with views of (drum roll....) radical extremists. The "Great Books" have now been tagged as being on the more (small l) liberal side, even if there are a handful of religiously conservative schools (e.g., Hillsdale) that embrace them.
As someone who is studying the Great Books in a venerable four-year, adult education program offered by the University of Chicago -- the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults (https://graham.uchicago.edu/programs-courses/basic-program (https://graham.uchicago.edu/programs-courses/basic-program)) -- I'm happy to report that the Great Books, properly framed, do not dictate a given point of view. Rather they invite differing interpretations, and, equally important, promote the development of analytical thinking skills that can contribute to success in just about any vocation.
Quote from: David81 on June 16, 2023, 04:14:22 PM
Ironies abound here.
A generation or two ago, studying the humanities -- especially the Western canon -- was considered by some to be affirming of intellectual, literary, and cultural oppression. The "Great Books" were regarded by many as being (small c) conservative in orientation, and many who identified with that orientation felt the need to defend the canon against folks they regarded as radical extremists.
Today, studying the humanities is regarded by some as a self-indulgent, impractical course of instruction, often associated with views of (drum roll....) radical extremists. The "Great Books" have now been tagged as being on the more (small l) liberal side, even if there are a handful of religiously conservative schools (e.g., Hillsdale) that embrace them.
As someone who is studying the Great Books in a venerable four-year, adult education program offered by the University of Chicago -- the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults (https://graham.uchicago.edu/programs-courses/basic-program (https://graham.uchicago.edu/programs-courses/basic-program)) -- I'm happy to report that the Great Books, properly framed, do not dictate a given point of view. Rather they invite differing interpretations, and, equally important, promote the development of analytical thinking skills that can contribute to success in just about any vocation.
My mandatory academic exposure to the Great Books of the Western World would be best described as 'you don't have to like it, you just have to do it.' If only I had known about Cliff's Notes back then. lol
Quote from: wh on June 16, 2023, 04:58:51 PM
Quote from: David81 on June 16, 2023, 04:14:22 PM
Ironies abound here.
A generation or two ago, studying the humanities -- especially the Western canon -- was considered by some to be affirming of intellectual, literary, and cultural oppression. The "Great Books" were regarded by many as being (small c) conservative in orientation, and many who identified with that orientation felt the need to defend the canon against folks they regarded as radical extremists.
Today, studying the humanities is regarded by some as a self-indulgent, impractical course of instruction, often associated with views of (drum roll....) radical extremists. The "Great Books" have now been tagged as being on the more (small l) liberal side, even if there are a handful of religiously conservative schools (e.g., Hillsdale) that embrace them.
As someone who is studying the Great Books in a venerable four-year, adult education program offered by the University of Chicago -- the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults (https://graham.uchicago.edu/programs-courses/basic-program (https://graham.uchicago.edu/programs-courses/basic-program)) -- I'm happy to report that the Great Books, properly framed, do not dictate a given point of view. Rather they invite differing interpretations, and, equally important, promote the development of analytical thinking skills that can contribute to success in just about any vocation.
My mandatory academic exposure to the Great Books of the Western World would be best described as 'you don't have to like it, you just have to do it.' If only I had known about Cliff's Notes back then. lol
I was not part of Christ College as a freshman, but VU had an option where you could join as a sophomore. I gave it a try -- a two-course sequence called "Masterpieces of Literature" -- but was too interested in other topics to stick with it. However, friends who did the full CC program got a lot out of it, and they eventually would enter varied professions, including law, journalism, finance, computer programming, teaching at all levels, engineering, and so forth.
I also took a CC theology class and did show the professor, a very good-natured man named Dale Lasky, my copy of Cliff's Notes for the New Testament. :lol:
Everything you didn't want to know about the art world view on deaccessioning, but probably should:
(Includes a reference to the Valpo dispute)
Why the Whitney Museum sale at Sotheby's is controversial in the art world
By Georgina Adam
May 13, 2023 | 10:00am
https://nypost.com/2023/05/13/the-whitney-museum-of-sothebys-art-sale-is-a-scandal/amp/
Fascinating information. Thanks for finding and posting it.
What surprised me more than what I learned was the source of this info — The NY Post :o. As a former New Yorker (a long time and a few lives ago) I always considered this tabloid on a par with a lot of the British tabloids, and if you look at some of the ancillary articles about porn queens and weird stuff, that assumption is supported. But this article was well written, had depth and was longer than the standard Post article that usually runs just long enough to read between two subway stops.
I still don't agree with how Valpo's faculty turned the dispute here into a public spectacle, but admittedly the article gave me a better appreciation for the importance of guardianship standards.
IMO, the Valpo opposition group would have been much better served by providing this type of context to help stakeholders such as myself (and the public) better understand their position.
One more observation. As the article contends, paintings with great intrinsic value today could be essentially worthless 5 or 10 years from now, i.e., those painted by privileged white guys from the "tyrannical patriarchy."
Assuming this contention is accurate, university leadership has a fiduciary responsibility to sell the paintings in question before they become worthless wall hangers. That's the problem with listening to faculty. They have no more accountability than an armchair quarterback watching a football game on TV.
Quote from: wh on June 17, 2023, 05:43:46 PM
One more observation. As the article contends, paintings with great intrinsic value today could be essentially worthless 5 or 10 years from now, i.e., those painted by privileged white guys from the "tyrannical patriarchy."
Assuming this contention is accurate, university leadership has a fiduciary responsibility to sell the paintings in question before they become worthless wall hangers. That's the problem with listening to faculty. They have no more accountability than an armchair quarterback watching a football game on TV.
Since the primary piece among "the paintings in question" was created by the most prominent woman American artist, I don't think its value will decrease or "become worthless" because it was "painted by privileged white guys." Indeed, it will only increase further for that very reason. Also, "listening to faculty" who know what they are doing, the university's art collection grew from a few unknown pieces gathering dust in the library basement or on an office wall to a world class museum with about 3,000 artworks that is likely the most valuable and enviable asset at the university. Those faculty you disparage were wise enough to purchase individual works for hundreds or thousands of dollars that are currently worth millions each. Now that is what I call "accountability"!
Quote from: valpopal on June 17, 2023, 08:19:51 PM
Quote from: wh on June 17, 2023, 05:43:46 PM
One more observation. As the article contends, paintings with great intrinsic value today could be essentially worthless 5 or 10 years from now, i.e., those painted by privileged white guys from the "tyrannical patriarchy."
Assuming this contention is accurate, university leadership has a fiduciary responsibility to sell the paintings in question before they become worthless wall hangers. That's the problem with listening to faculty. They have no more accountability than an armchair quarterback watching a football game on TV.
Since the primary piece among "the paintings in question" was created by the most prominent woman American artist, I don't think its value will decrease or "become worthless" because it was "painted by privileged white guys." Indeed, it will only increase further for that very reason. Also, "listening to faculty" who know what they are doing, the university's art collection grew from a few unknown pieces gathering dust in the library basement or on an office wall to a world class museum with about 3,000 artworks that is likely the most valuable and enviable asset at the university. Those faculty you disparsge were wise enough to purchase individual works for hundreds or thousands of dollars that are currently worth millions each. Now that is what I call "accountability"!
Pal, your point on the O'Keeffe painting is well made and, yes, it will hold if not grow in value. In that respect, it fits within the perimeter of a modern view of how art should be valued. And the fact that these pieces were collected over time and gained incredible value is to be commended.
However, I'd like to address what I've bolded in your response.
I consider myself a more than an average involved alum. I actually read everything I receive in the mail from Valpo. I have bookmarked as favorites, not only this site, but numerous other Valpo sites that I check pretty regularly. And now for the first time, I'm informed that the campus of my alma mater houses a
world class art museum with over 3,000 pieces of great art? Really? Well, that's probably been a better kept secret than the nuke codes in Biden's "football."
If true, and I have no reason not to believe your statement, I am incredibly disappointed in my university's lack of vision and inability to forcefully communicate this extremely important message to, not only alums like me, but the world in general. And, to think, none of this would have come to light had it not been for the art sale kerfuffle.
My gut reaction to what I've learned is that that a small circle of people collected something unique over time and failed miserably to adequately share and promote it with the full and extended Valpo community as well as the rest of us in the regular world (not just a limited and often pompous art aficionado cadre). Why? Maybe something in the Lord of the Rings has the answer..... my precious.
I will add to 62's comments, by also noting that I read much of the literature sent from Valpo (perhaps not as diligently as 62) and I never knew about the depth of the art museum (I knew about the museum and had been in the building for other reasons).
We have been around this debate for some time, but I still do not agree with any arguments regarding the value going forward. If one makes the argument that "art will continue to increase in value" and, thus, this art is a wise investment - that argument does not hold if the assumption is made that the art will never be sold. Relatedly, the return on investment from the art, while it is in Valpo's possession, is a small fraction of the return from selling the art (and, no, you cannot make the argument that intangible value is therefore infinite). For Valpo (and most other universities), retaining or investing further in an asset needs to consider the forward-looking value of the asset versus other alternatives. And those alternatives create greater value for Valpo that retaining the art.
I confess that I underestimated the size of the Brauer collection, which according to its website apparently now contains over 5,000 artworks rather than the 3,000 I suggested.
'62 and '84: I am not sure how to respond to your comments that you have read much of the literature from Valparaiso University but were unaware of the art holdings. The premier publication for VU over the decades has been The Cresset, and just about every issue since the 1970s has included pieces from the Brauer (before the museum they were listed as works from "the Valparaiso University art collection") as its cover artwork with descriptive notes. In fact, I just checked the archives and saw that issues back in the 1960s had articles about art at VU written by Richard Brauer, though of course that was well before the museum was established and the attributions simply state Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. W. Brauer. Many of The Cresset issues shared stories about current exhibits at the museum. Additionally, features about the Brauer Museum and its collection have been published regularly over the years in VALPO magazine. For instance, the Winter 2019 had a section titled "Winter Exhibits at the Brauer." Of course, the Brauer was closed in spring 2020 because of Covid and only reopened this year.
Additionally, introductory tours of the Brauer Museum appear online. At YouTube you can find some of the video tours, including one that has been there for more than twelve years. One of the best videos focuses on the museum's preeminent Georgia O'Keeffe painting. Finally, I recommend taking the virtual tour of all 7 galleries in the museum at its main web page, which displays one of my favorite and one of the most popular exhibitions, the Frank Dudley retrospective.
A sampling of the world class artists whose work is included in the permanent collection (see the Permanent Collections page): Adams, Anderson, Bechtle, Bolotowsky, Burchfield, Chase, Church, Close, de Kooning, Dine, Dove, Dudley, Durand, Frankenthaler, Frank Stella, Glackens, Harrison, Hassam, Hunt, John Sloan, Joseph Stella, Junius Sloan, Kensett, Kuhn, Marshall, Mitchell, Nourse, O'Keeffe, Paschke, Pasin, Sloan, Pearlstein, Reid, Richards, Sanderson, Soyer, Steele, Stieglitz, Walker, and Warhol. For some of these artists, the museum has multiple examples of their work. For instance, there are various silkscreens by Andy Warhol, as well as more than 150 of his photographs. A number of Brauer holdings have also exhibited on loan at famous museums throughout the United States and Europe. Moreover, exchange agreements have allowed celebrated art from those museums to be exhibited at the Brauer Museum.
And, Pal, I confess that my familiarity with the VU publications I mentioned is at the common, superficial level. For instance, I've not been on distribution for the Cresset. I'm sure there is lots of stuff below the surface that, if triggered, I would have delved into. And that's my point. My point is an average alum would have to have had something pretty much "in your face" multiple times to really appreciate the significance of the museum and its holdings, and until the kerfluffle, I, and I bet a majority of alums and a great portion of the world outside of Valpo, had no clue. And that bothered me.
Quote from: VULB#62 on June 18, 2023, 11:04:43 AMI confess that my familiarity with the VU publications I mentioned is at the common, superficial level. For instance, I've not been on distribution for the Cresset.
With good reason, as it is a subscription based publication:
http://www.thecresset.org/subscriptions.php
Quote from: vu72 on June 18, 2023, 12:16:42 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on June 18, 2023, 11:04:43 AMI confess that my familiarity with the VU publications I mentioned is at the common, superficial level. For instance, I've not been on distribution for the Cresset.
With good reason, as it is a subscription based publication:
http://www.thecresset.org/subscriptions.php (http://www.thecresset.org/subscriptions.php)
The Cresset went on hiatus in spring 2020 at the start of Covid. Its issues, from Spring 2020 back to 1937, are available for viewing online:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cresset_archive/ (https://scholar.valpo.edu/cresset_archive/)VALPO magazine is published annually, and its issues are available online:
https://www.valpo.edu/valpomag/ (https://www.valpo.edu/valpomag/)
Quote from: valpopal on June 18, 2023, 12:33:25 PM
Quote from: vu72 on June 18, 2023, 12:16:42 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on June 18, 2023, 11:04:43 AMI confess that my familiarity with the VU publications I mentioned is at the common, superficial level. For instance, I've not been on distribution for the Cresset.
With good reason, as it is a subscription based publication:
http://www.thecresset.org/subscriptions.php (http://www.thecresset.org/subscriptions.php)
The Cresset went on hiatus in spring 2020 at the start of Covid. Its issues, from Spring 2020 back to 1937, are available for viewing online: https://scholar.valpo.edu/cresset_archive/ (https://scholar.valpo.edu/cresset_archive/)
VALPO magazine is published annually, and its issues are available online:
https://www.valpo.edu/valpomag/ (https://www.valpo.edu/valpomag/)
The indefinite hiatus status of
The Cresset is one of the unfortunate COVID casualties that hits VU at the core of its intellectual orientation on faith, values, the humanities, and reflective thinking. This was a significant forum for O.P. Kretzmann and other VU stalwarts. It managed to continue publishing during WWII, and it helped to forge VU's institutional identity in the post-war period during O.P.'s presidency.
Quote from: David81 on June 18, 2023, 01:49:31 PM
The indefinite hiatus status of The Cresset is one of the unfortunate COVID casualties that hits VU at the core of its intellectual orientation on faith, values, the humanities, and reflective thinking. This was a significant forum for O.P. Kretzmann and other VU stalwarts. It managed to continue publishing during WWII, and it helped to forge VU's institutional identity in the post-war period during O.P.'s presidency.
I served seven years as a columnist for
The Cresset. I always appreciated the range of topics and variety of voices included in the contemporary issues. As well, I appreciated the tradition from which the publication's revered reputation had risen.
"The Cresset went on hiatus in spring 2020 at the start of Covid."
I've never heard of The Cresset until this weekend. Having little to no personal interest in the subject matter, presumably I would not have looked at it even if I was aware. I mean no disrespect in any way. It's just not something that would have piqued my curiosity.
That said, I do find it somewhat curious that a magazine published for more than 80 years before it was temporarily suspended in the spring of 2020 "due to COVID" hasn't been resumed in the 3+ years since. I'm guessing that there is more to the explanation?
With great respect for all our posters on this forum, the previous posts by David, Pal and WH underscore what I feel is an area of challenge that the current administration needs to address for the university's own suvival: PROMOTION (or perhaps a lack thereof in the context of the current information age).
A world class art museum, a run to the sweet 16 in D-I MBB, a precedent-setting curriculum, blah, blah, blah has to be leveraged and intensely promoted in this new age of education. And so many times Valpo has missed the boat. This has to turn around sooner, not in a while. Our administration and our faculty have to at least get together on this one page. And funding has to be increased to support getting more positive information out to mainstream America. For it's own good we've gotta kick it up a notch or two or more.
With that freshly in mind, I will say that the promotion around the MBB change is quite impressive. Shouldn't the same energy be invested elsewhere as well? We are talking survival here.
That all makes sense. It just signifies further the unfortunate needs to pull back on things that make an education like Valpo unique. Unfortunately it feels like moving up in car size to keep program breadth, but not being able to afford the normal cost-added feature "packages."
Quote from: valpo22 on June 20, 2023, 06:00:07 AM
Quote from: wh on June 18, 2023, 05:59:04 PM
"The Cresset went on hiatus in spring 2020 at the start of Covid.... That said, I do find it somewhat curious that a magazine published for more than 80 years before it was temporarily suspended in the spring of 2020 "due to COVID" hasn't been resumed in the 3+ years since. I'm guessing that there is more to the explanation?
There wasn't anything particularly unusual about the end of the Cresset in 2020. The end of it was simply that the (part time?) staff member who used to run and edit it got laid off during Summer 2020 like 200+ other staff. It was a budget casualty like a lot of other things, and the person who used to run it just didn't turn up again the next Fall.
Sure, it used to be a significant means by which Valpo cultivated its reputation in the humanities and public-discourse sorts of spaces on the national level (sort of like Commonweal or First Things), so I heard sadness from Christ College faculty over the loss of it. But at the time, I admit, (to me) it didn't seem as damaging as some of the other cuts going down, and I don't remember anybody fighting as hard for the journal as they did for some of the faculty and program staff cuts or student support center cuts. I mean, for perspective, the uni had also laid off the Director of the Writing Center that saw a gazillion students a semester in the heart of Christopher Center, and laid off the Language Resources Center people who were right there on the first floor of ArtSci and normally a key stop on the admissions tours... so prospectives were coming through to see that display area just totally dark and out of commission for those years. And whole programs, even pretty popular pre-professional ones like Social Work and Education, were going through the discontinuance process/defense. People were realizing that with the loss of so many language faculty and courses, leaving only French/German/Spanish left, the "World Languages and Cultures" department might have to rebrand much more parochially as 'European languages' or something. So with bigger fish to fry, what faculty member is going to waste precious social capital on trying to fight the Admins over a Christian/Lutheran journal that probably none of the upper-admins ever read?
The Cresset was a nice feather in Valpo's cap and helped with inter-institutional reputation in the 'Christian higher ed' world, but the reality is that subscription journals on the whole are on the decline, the Cresset always helped more with peer impressions than with immediate recruitment of high schoolers, and everyone just seemed to accept that Valpo was just past the point of being able to foster that sort of public intellectual/ reputational kind of stuff anymore.
Of course those faculty members are going to fight harder to keep colleagues and programs. But if the loss of The Cresset becomes permanent, now we're talking about the demise of intellectual traditions that go to the core mission of the University. And while I agree 100% that The Cresset was not a student recruitment mechanism for VU (nor was it ever intended to be), peer impressions continue to count in academe, even if for the very mercenary purposes of rankings that include peer-review input (as do the U.S. News higher ed rankings). I've said before that at some point, cuts become a race to the bottom, when there's not a lot left of the hollowed-out self.
From today's Chicago Tribune:
Indiana AG files for dismissal of artwork lawsuit against Valpo U
By Amy Lavalley Post-Tribune
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is backing up Valparaiso University's contention that a lawsuit to stop the sale of three of the Brauer Museum's most valuable pieces of artwork to fund dorm renovations for first-year students should be dismissed because the plaintiffs who filed the suit don't have standing to do so.
In a Tuesday filing, Rokita reiterates the university's claim that Richard Brauer, the museum's founding director and for whom the museum is named, and Philipp Brockington, a retired law professor from the university and one of the museum's benefactors, cannot file the suit because they are not directly connected to the charitable trust, the Percy Sloan Fund, that provided the museum the artwork with the stipulation that proceeds from any sale of the works be reinvested in the museum and its collection.
Further, Rokita said in the filing that the attorney general's office "is the proper party to maintain litigation involving questions of public charitable trust. And an individual member of the public has no right as such to maintain a suit of such character."
Patrick McEuen, attorney for Brauer and Brockington, disagrees.
"This is such an egregious case. There really is no question that the university is ignoring its obligation to maintain and preserve the Sloan artwork donation. It's as plain as the nose on my face, and I wonder whether Todd Rokita's office really intends to oversee this charitable trust," McEuen said. "I have a ton of respect for our attorney general but I wonder whether his minions have already decided and the fix is in."
The university filed a motion to dismiss the case over a lack of standing on May 25. In a response filed June 19, McEuen cites case law about a "special interest" exception to grant standing to enforce a public interest charitable trust, which he said applies to both Brockington and Brauer.
"By destroying the reputation of the recipient of Sloan's donation, the Brauer Museum of Art, the sale will also ignore the donative intent of Brockington's public trust," the filing notes.
Brauer's "special interest," meanwhile, is even more compelling, according to the filing.
"Brauer's dedication to advancing the interests of the museum created by Percy Sloan's donation(s) resulted in the museum bearing his name," the document states. "As the 'art world' denigrates President (Jose) Padilla for its plan, it harms the reputation of the institution to which Brauer has lent his name."
The controversy, as first reported in the Post-Tribune, erupted in February with an announcement by Padilla that the university's board had approved the sale of three cornerstone pieces from the museum, "Rust Red Hills" by Georgia O'Keeffe, Frederic E. Church's "Mountain Landscape" and "The Silver Vale and the Golden Gate" by Childe Hassam, to raise funds to renovate the dorms for first-year students.
Collectively, the pieces are worth millions of dollars and the O'Keeffe painting in particular has been lent to museums across the globe for display.
Students, faculty, alumni and art museum associations have all decried the sale as a violation of the trust agreement that provided the paintings, established museum protocol and the will of museum's benefactors.
University officials have held firm, noting that renovating the dorms is necessary to attract students at a critical juncture for the university's enrollment.
Brauer and Brockington filed the suit, along with a request for a temporary restraining order to halt the sale of the paintings, in late April. They dropped the restraining order request during a hearing in which they learned the sale of the paintings was not imminent.
The complaint alleges that Brauer and Brockington both have standing to challenge the sale of the artwork because of Brauer's longtime association with the museum and personal stake in it, and because of an endowment for the museum established by Brockington to "acquire, restore, and preserve" works of art and artifacts for the museum.
The proposal to sell the artwork for renovating dorms, the documents note, is "as if the Percy H. Sloan donation is a mere ATM to be used irrespective of donor intent."
The case was first assigned to Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer, but he recused himself because he taught on a part-time basis for 20 years at the university's now-closed law school. The case has since been assigned to Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Thode.
Thode gave the university until June 26 to respond to McEuen's filing on behalf of Brauer and Brockington.
Quote from: valpo22 on June 21, 2023, 05:45:08 AM
Quote from: David81 on June 20, 2023, 09:23:20 PM
Of course those faculty members are going to fight harder to keep colleagues and programs. But if the loss of The Cresset becomes permanent, now we're talking about the demise of intellectual traditions that go to the core mission of the University. And while I agree 100% that The Cresset was not a student recruitment mechanism for VU (nor was it ever intended to be), peer impressions continue to count in academe, even if for the very mercenary purposes of rankings that include peer-review input (as do the U.S. News higher ed rankings). I've said before that at some point, cuts become a race to the bottom, when there's not a lot left of the hollowed-out self.
Who knows what to think anymore. The ideal of "intellectual traditions that go to the core mission of the University" sounds lofty, but you really know the core values of a place by where it puts its money, and that is how you know its actual mission or deep strategy. At the end of the day, either you trust that the CFOs know what they're doing, or you don't. If Cresset was part-time, what could that possibly cost... like <$15,000 or <$25,000 a year for that position? (just guessing) And meanwhile how much is Valpo shelling out for basketball coaches or restaurant properties? There we're talking millions of dollars, with a heck of a lot more zeros on the end. The point is just that on some of these things, you can't really logically reason it out by looking at dollar signs and the "mission" or "vision" of the university. The mission to institutionally survive does become the only one that matters, and it seems pretty clear the Board has elected a strategy for survival based less on academic reputation, public intellectualism, & Christian higher ed, and instead more on sports reputation & real-estate. They're even cutting back the already mostly token awards for teaching and research since there's no money for those sorts of academic functions anymore. As Julius Caesar said, leading his troops on the route across the Rubicon, alea iacta est [the die is cast]. Once you're in the river, the troops must go forward. Even if the Cresset is pennies compared to other stuff, im not sure it makes sense for them to resuscitate it after-the-fact. Honestly, it's probably best just to quit worrying about the rest, and everybody should pray hard hard for the basketball team to do well this year. A lot now rests on their shoulders, and I don't envy the sort of pressure they must be under to make the gamble worth it and DELIVER
Valpo22 - While I see the merit in some of your points regarding the intellectual mission of a university, your arguments omit the revenue side of the equation. You seem to look at everything as a cost, but in reality you need to look at the degree that those expenditures generate revenues. I am specifically referencing the basketball program. You state that Valpo is spending in the millions and indeed it is (in the 2021-2022 academic year Valpo's men's basketball expenses were about $2.6M). But, the university reported revenues of $2.58M, and that is incremental revenue from TV, NCAA tournament share, buy games, ticket sales, etc. Valpo posted a loss of about $140K in the prior year, but a gain of about $170K in the year before that. Given that there is a lot of upside (from better performance and subsequently greater interest), this seems like a pretty good investment in which the costs are confidently covered by the revenues over time (especially since a majority of the revenue has minimal risk associated with it).
I think that the same thing probably applies to the real estate - and Valpo may have an alternative plan for how to use that land which fits with the university's mission.
Which brings me back to The Cresset. You are likely correct that the cost was very low, but there are two questions that would need to be considered for whether Valpo should start it again. 1. What was the subscription revenue prior to The Cresset being stopped? (note here that I am not even saying the revenues need to cover costs, I am really just trying to judge the interest...1000 subscribers has a much greater impact than 100 subscribers, 2. Are there people willing to regularly write content for free? On this second point, I have seen great periodicals in which faculty write articles (University of Chicago), but I have seen many more cases where faculty don't consider it a priority. Admittedly, my perspective is on the engineering and business sides - so maybe motivations are different in liberal arts.
I want to jump in here with some observations concerning athletics and D1 specifically, as it relates to student attraction and the overall success of the University.
I was recently going over some news posted on Valpo's Athletic site, specifically looking for news of new players coming into probably Valpo's least successful programs--at the present--that being the softball program. Last year we were forced to replace a coach well after the recruiting time had past and because the coach left so late we lost some players who had committed to that coach. As a result we played the season with less than a full roster and ended up not only in last place but games weren't really even close contests. Thus, my reason to see if we might expect some improvement via new players.
What I found was what is present across all sports at Valpo. Players come from all across the nation because of two things--the academic reputation of Valpo and, MOST importantly, playing D1 athletics. Valpo has athletes from over 30 states. I seriously doubt we would draw from out of the serounding states were we not in D1.
When asked why one softball player from California chose Valpo, she said: "I selected Valpo for the small-town feel and the opportunity to continue playing softball while obtaining an education from one of the best-rated colleges for computer science! I am excited to be part of the Valpo family and play Division I softball!"
Valpo athletes represent about 20% of the entire student population.
Quote from: vu84v2 on June 21, 2023, 07:42:56 AM
Which brings me back to The Cresset. You are likely correct that the cost was very low, but there are two questions that would need to be considered for whether Valpo should start it again. 1. What was the subscription revenue prior to The Cresset being stopped? (note here that I am not even saying the revenues need to cover costs, I am really just trying to judge the interest...1000 subscribers has a much greater impact than 100 subscribers, 2. Are there people willing to regularly write content for free? On this second point, I have seen great periodicals in which faculty write articles (University of Chicago), but I have seen many more cases where faculty don't consider it a priority. Admittedly, my perspective is on the engineering and business sides - so maybe motivations are different in liberal arts.
I have edited university journals, print and online, for more than 40 years. I also served as a columnist for
The Cresset for 7 years. I can assure you that the cost of resuming publication of the journal would be minimal, and the decision to restart
The Cresset is merely a matter of will.
It would return as an online journal, which would eliminate the major costs of paper, printing, distribution, mailing, etc. The Valparaiso University e-publication precedent and program are already in place at no cost to
The Cresset (see https://scholar.valpo.edu/ (https://scholar.valpo.edu/)).
The Cresset was already publishing companion online versions of its issues when the hiatus happened, and the journal's entire archives are available through Valpo Scholar as well. Check
The Cresset Valpo Scholar page: https://scholar.valpo.edu/cresset_archive/ (https://scholar.valpo.edu/cresset_archive/)
The editor could be compensated with a reduction in teaching load and a small stipend. In the academic arts and literature fields, it is commonplace for authors to submit articles to publications for no pay, merely for the prestige and credit, which can be added to a curriculum vita. The same is often true for assistant editors willing to serve as peer readers. Students can even be added as interns to help with everyday matters.
To view some other journals at Valparaiso University following this model:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/peer_review_list.html (https://scholar.valpo.edu/peer_review_list.html)
Quote from: valpopal on June 21, 2023, 10:05:20 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on June 21, 2023, 07:42:56 AM
Which brings me back to The Cresset. You are likely correct that the cost was very low, but there are two questions that would need to be considered for whether Valpo should start it again. 1. What was the subscription revenue prior to The Cresset being stopped? (note here that I am not even saying the revenues need to cover costs, I am really just trying to judge the interest...1000 subscribers has a much greater impact than 100 subscribers, 2. Are there people willing to regularly write content for free? On this second point, I have seen great periodicals in which faculty write articles (University of Chicago), but I have seen many more cases where faculty don't consider it a priority. Admittedly, my perspective is on the engineering and business sides - so maybe motivations are different in liberal arts.
I have edited university journals, print and online, for more than 40 years. I also served as a columnist for The Cresset for 7 years. I can assure you that the cost of resuming publication of the journal would be minimal, and the decision to restart The Cresset is merely a matter of will.
It would return as an online journal, which would eliminate the major costs of paper, printing, distribution, mailing, etc. The Valparaiso University e-publication precedent and program are already in place at no cost to The Cresset (see https://scholar.valpo.edu/ (https://scholar.valpo.edu/)). The Cresset was already publishing companion online versions of its issues when the hiatus happened, and the journal's entire archives are available through Valpo Scholar as well. Check The Cresset Valpo Scholar page: https://scholar.valpo.edu/cresset_archive/ (https://scholar.valpo.edu/cresset_archive/)
The editor could be compensated with a reduction in teaching load and a small stipend. In the academic arts and literature fields, it is commonplace for authors to submit articles to publications for no pay, merely for the prestige and credit, which can be added to a curriculum vita. The same is often true for assistant editors willing to serve as peer readers. Students can even be added as interns to help with everyday matters.
To view some other journals at Valparaiso University following this model: https://scholar.valpo.edu/peer_review_list.html (https://scholar.valpo.edu/peer_review_list.html)
valpopal - If you have someone willing to be the editor, I recommend making that pitch. It does sound like academics in your areas are a little more willing to write articles for no pay (just prestige and credit) than in my areas (note: in my areas, there are a lot of other options for contribution that do not generate additional pay - editorships and reviewing for academic journals, articles in media or practitioner-oriented periodicals, etc.).
I will point out that the PlumX metrics on the link you provided show total downloads for articles ranging from 8 to 35 (35 for the last edition). My guess is that the low counts are because the vast majority of access has been via hard copies, but you need to address perceptions regarding interest.
Quote from: vu84v2 on June 21, 2023, 10:32:10 AM
Quote from: valpopal on June 21, 2023, 10:05:20 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on June 21, 2023, 07:42:56 AM
Which brings me back to The Cresset. You are likely correct that the cost was very low, but there are two questions that would need to be considered for whether Valpo should start it again. 1. What was the subscription revenue prior to The Cresset being stopped? (note here that I am not even saying the revenues need to cover costs, I am really just trying to judge the interest...1000 subscribers has a much greater impact than 100 subscribers, 2. Are there people willing to regularly write content for free? On this second point, I have seen great periodicals in which faculty write articles (University of Chicago), but I have seen many more cases where faculty don't consider it a priority. Admittedly, my perspective is on the engineering and business sides - so maybe motivations are different in liberal arts.
I have edited university journals, print and online, for more than 40 years. I also served as a columnist for The Cresset for 7 years. I can assure you that the cost of resuming publication of the journal would be minimal, and the decision to restart The Cresset is merely a matter of will.
It would return as an online journal, which would eliminate the major costs of paper, printing, distribution, mailing, etc. The Valparaiso University e-publication precedent and program are already in place at no cost to The Cresset (see https://scholar.valpo.edu/ (https://scholar.valpo.edu/)). The Cresset was already publishing companion online versions of its issues when the hiatus happened, and the journal's entire archives are available through Valpo Scholar as well. Check The Cresset Valpo Scholar page: https://scholar.valpo.edu/cresset_archive/ (https://scholar.valpo.edu/cresset_archive/)
The editor could be compensated with a reduction in teaching load and a small stipend. In the academic arts and literature fields, it is commonplace for authors to submit articles to publications for no pay, merely for the prestige and credit, which can be added to a curriculum vita. The same is often true for assistant editors willing to serve as peer readers. Students can even be added as interns to help with everyday matters.
To view some other journals at Valparaiso University following this model: https://scholar.valpo.edu/peer_review_list.html (https://scholar.valpo.edu/peer_review_list.html)
valpopal - If you have someone willing to be the editor, I recommend making that pitch. It does sound like academics in your areas are a little more willing to write articles for no pay (just prestige and credit) than in my areas (note: in my areas, there are a lot of other options for contribution that do not generate additional pay - editorships and reviewing for academic journals, articles in media or practitioner-oriented periodicals, etc.).
I will point out that the PlumX metrics on the link you provided show total downloads for articles ranging from 8 to 35 (35 for the last edition). My guess is that the low counts are because the vast majority of access has been via hard copies, but you need to address perceptions regarding interest.
I can assure you that the administration is aware of the above information and about campus candidates willing to serve as editor. As for the download counts, the 36 I see for the last issue is only downloads since 2/10/22 for an issue that was published in February of 2020. The ongoing downloads for
The Cresset are 138 in the last 30 days and more than 2,500 in the last year, again for a journal that hasn't published a new issue in more than 3 years and when subscribers received print copies. On the other hand, Valpo Scholar journals overall have had about 750,000 downloads in the past year and more than 6,250,000 total.
valpopal - Thanks for the added detail. I suspected that the download data that I saw was incomplete.
Quote from: valpopal on June 21, 2023, 11:10:06 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on June 21, 2023, 10:32:10 AM
Quote from: valpopal on June 21, 2023, 10:05:20 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on June 21, 2023, 07:42:56 AM
Which brings me back to The Cresset. You are likely correct that the cost was very low, but there are two questions that would need to be considered for whether Valpo should start it again. 1. What was the subscription revenue prior to The Cresset being stopped? (note here that I am not even saying the revenues need to cover costs, I am really just trying to judge the interest...1000 subscribers has a much greater impact than 100 subscribers, 2. Are there people willing to regularly write content for free? On this second point, I have seen great periodicals in which faculty write articles (University of Chicago), but I have seen many more cases where faculty don't consider it a priority. Admittedly, my perspective is on the engineering and business sides - so maybe motivations are different in liberal arts.
I have edited university journals, print and online, for more than 40 years. I also served as a columnist for The Cresset for 7 years. I can assure you that the cost of resuming publication of the journal would be minimal, and the decision to restart The Cresset is merely a matter of will.
It would return as an online journal, which would eliminate the major costs of paper, printing, distribution, mailing, etc. The Valparaiso University e-publication precedent and program are already in place at no cost to The Cresset (see https://scholar.valpo.edu/ (https://scholar.valpo.edu/)). The Cresset was already publishing companion online versions of its issues when the hiatus happened, and the journal's entire archives are available through Valpo Scholar as well. Check The Cresset Valpo Scholar page: https://scholar.valpo.edu/cresset_archive/ (https://scholar.valpo.edu/cresset_archive/)
The editor could be compensated with a reduction in teaching load and a small stipend. In the academic arts and literature fields, it is commonplace for authors to submit articles to publications for no pay, merely for the prestige and credit, which can be added to a curriculum vita. The same is often true for assistant editors willing to serve as peer readers. Students can even be added as interns to help with everyday matters.
To view some other journals at Valparaiso University following this model: https://scholar.valpo.edu/peer_review_list.html (https://scholar.valpo.edu/peer_review_list.html)
valpopal - If you have someone willing to be the editor, I recommend making that pitch. It does sound like academics in your areas are a little more willing to write articles for no pay (just prestige and credit) than in my areas (note: in my areas, there are a lot of other options for contribution that do not generate additional pay - editorships and reviewing for academic journals, articles in media or practitioner-oriented periodicals, etc.).
I will point out that the PlumX metrics on the link you provided show total downloads for articles ranging from 8 to 35 (35 for the last edition). My guess is that the low counts are because the vast majority of access has been via hard copies, but you need to address perceptions regarding interest.
I can assure you that the administration is aware of the above information and about campus candidates willing to serve as editor. As for the download counts, the 36 I see for the last issue is only downloads since 2/10/22 for an issue that was published in February of 2020. The ongoing downloads for The Cresset are 138 in the last 30 days and more than 2,500 in the last year, again for a journal that hasn't published a new issue in more than 3 years and when subscribers received print copies. On the other hand, Valpo Scholar journals overall have had about 750,000 downloads in the past year and more than 6,250,000 total.
A few points to supplement those above, especially valpopal's helpful explanations, on The Cresset and intellectual/literary journals like it:
1. Even before much of its content was also available without charge online, paid subscription revenue has never been the yardstick by which these publications are evaluated. They typically have subscriber bases in the hundreds, and they're not always on top of sending out renewals. Plus, a lot of copies tend to be distributed without charge. The key question -- a very subjective one -- is whether the journal contributes to a conversation important to the school. And in that regard, The Cresset has long played that role for decades.
For those who haven't heard of it, that doesn't render it unimportant. Hey, there are students and faculty at VU who couldn't tell you a thing about the basketball team. That doesn't mean it isn't a very important part of the University. At virtually any school, people will pay attention to what draws their interest, and often be completely unaware of that which does not.
2. Reviving The Cresset as a completely online publication, as valpopal suggests, should be eminently doable if at least a small core of faculty (or even emeriti) are committed to making it happen. The University should offer appropriate course reductions and stipends were that the case. Even in an online format, publishing the journal is a significant commitment.
The B-School's Journal of Values-Based Leadership (https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/ (https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/)), under Prof. Elizabeth Gingerich's ongoing leadership, has transitioned to a fully online platform some time ago and continues to publish. I think it's a good example of how an online format can work well.
3. Payment for contributions was never the incentive to publish in The Cresset. When I contributed a piece in 2017, I was surprised to be offered a $250 honorarium. (I declined it and asked for some extra copies of the issue instead, which they were happy to provide.) I'm confident that if The Cresset is revived, people will submit quality articles and not expect payment in return.
4. I would be very, very happy if The Cresset returned. I also understand why faculty may feel reluctant to take on a significant responsibility in view of current workloads and lingering shell shock over all of the cuts and program closures. Having experienced this at my university several years ago, I can attest that resentment and distrust are normal amongst those who remain. Perhaps revival of the publication could signal a modest reclaiming of some intellectual territory.
From an article in Quillette - "After College - the Coming Cultural Collapse of American Higher Education"
"The members of the public on the other side of this chasm are still willing to consider college as the surest path to a career, but they are growing skeptical. That skepticism, however, turns into outright disaffection when they ponder how our colleges and universities often foster what is worst in young people: ingratitude to their families and their nation, self-centeredness, and aimless alienation. Colleges ignite group resentment, unwarranted pride, or equally unwarranted shame. And the education that colleges provide has been hollowed to near pointlessness. Students graduate with a veneer of knowledge rather than a core. An increasingly obsolescent institution has wedded itself to an increasingly noisome cultural stance.
The braver students are already finding viable alternatives to college. More and more will follow. A substantial number of Americans now look at college as something that menaces the psychological wellbeing of their children. If they send their sons and daughters to college, it is with well-warranted apprehension, and because they cannot yet think of what else to do."
I hope our new president gets this. I think he does but not sure yet.
Paul
ps I still think he's wrong to prioritize a new basketball arena over a new health sciences building. The ARC was built in 1984. LeBien went online in 1970.
is a new basketball arena in the works or just upgrades as discussed earlier?
Quote from: usc4valpo on June 28, 2023, 10:11:23 AM
is a new basketball arena in the works or just upgrades as discussed earlier?
Not sure where 78 got that other than the fact that the hiring of Roger Powell and the President's comments about the new arena at that time.
The actually Strategic Plan states the following with no priority per se:
Build to our Future — Evaluate the construction of a new building for the College of Nursing and Health Professions and a facility for a nationally competitive NCAA Division I athletics program.
This is a very fair hedge in a strategic plan even though it is frustrating to not know more.
The word "evaluate" really only means they will study the costs and then evaluate early donor reactions before any type of timetable even sees the light of day in public. I would guess you are talking 1-2 years of planning and top donor testing, 2-3 years to meet the full gift goal and 2 years to build? If so, you play your first game in the arena in the fall of 2028 to 2030.
And of course the nursing project has a timetable of its own in tandem even though it would be a smaller goal and a shorter time.
At Homecoming last year President Padilla said that each project would have a $50 million+ price tag.
It is true that he did not say which building would come first. My impression from his comments was that the arena would have priority - but of course I could be wrong.
Paul
Quote from: 78crusader on June 28, 2023, 09:10:09 AM
From an article in Quillette - "After College - the Coming Cultural Collapse of American Higher Education"
"The members of the public on the other side of this chasm are still willing to consider college as the surest path to a career, but they are growing skeptical. That skepticism, however, turns into outright disaffection when they ponder how our colleges and universities often foster what is worst in young people: ingratitude to their families and their nation, self-centeredness, and aimless alienation. Colleges ignite group resentment, unwarranted pride, or equally unwarranted shame. And the education that colleges provide has been hollowed to near pointlessness. Students graduate with a veneer of knowledge rather than a core. An increasingly obsolescent institution has wedded itself to an increasingly noisome cultural stance.
The braver students are already finding viable alternatives to college. More and more will follow. A substantial number of Americans now look at college as something that menaces the psychological wellbeing of their children. If they send their sons and daughters to college, it is with well-warranted apprehension, and because they cannot yet think of what else to do."
I hope our new president gets this. I think he does but not sure yet.
Paul
ps I still think he's wrong to prioritize a new basketball arena over a new health sciences building. The ARC was built in 1984. LeBien went online in 1970.
I dunno, the full piece reads like variations on ideological claptrap that have been regularly lodged at universities from the both political extremes for decades. There is so much distortion here, often twisting out of shape important topics worthy of discussion, but I'll just look at a few:
On college as a "menace" to psychological well-being and fomenting all of these terrible qualities: First, I'm sorry to say this, but many schools are finding that many of their students are arriving with a lot of psychological and emotional issues already. Add to this the specter of helicopter parents and you've got huge challenges for faculty and administrators at the ground levels.
I don't know what schools this fellow is familiar with, but at mine we do not have the time, energy, or motivation to inflame our students with "ingratitude to their families and their nation, self-centeredness, and aimless alienation." Sheesh. Indeed, I'm happy to teach at a school whose students are generally pretty grounded and unspoiled, and most leave that way as well, with hopefully some value added that we provided.
The full piece challenges left-wing raging with some right-wing raging of his own:
QuoteIt is a place where certain ideologies are so far in ascendency that they cannot be discussed let alone criticized: America's endemic racism, climate-change catastrophism, and patriarchy lead the list. These should be understood not as systems of belief so much as symptoms of cultural confusion. Contemporary college is so lacking in a coherent intellectual core that anything that students run into that rings of passionate advocacy wins admiration. Black Lives Matter zealotry, transgender raving, antisemitic bloodlust, and postcolonial or indigenous fabulism each attract cultic worshippers who mistake their idols for "critical thinking." Why not? They have been brought up to believe that "critical thinking" means attacking whatever stands in the way of today's version of "social justice."
Really? While even I find many of the cultural/identity wars to be somewhat overwrought and even tiresome, this guy might be so busy raging against "climate-change catastrophism" that he may miss the flood waters or wildfires threatening his home or those of people he cares about.
If someone wants to skip college because they'd rather learn a skilled trade, or join the military (though recruitment numbers are falling short of goals), or sign a huge bonus to jump from high school to the NBA, then we shouldn't have any problems with that. But even with all of the issues, challenges, and excesses facing the higher ed sector, a bachelor's degree from a solid school remains one of the more solid entry or maintenance points for America's middle class.
I agree with the wise comments from Valpo22 and David81, but will add comments on a few areas.
The article states that colleges foster "ingratitude to their families and their nation, self-centeredness, and aimless alienation". I have worked and taught at two universities now for a total of 12 years. Beyond getting to know many of my students, I have a few assignments that I have used that offer the opportunity for personal reflection and life planning using course concepts. What has been surprising (to me) is how much gratitude students express - especially towards their families. I did not expect ingratitude, but the degree of gratitude has always been amazing. I also do not see self-centeredness, as many students express a desire to first reach financial independence and freedom and then pursue endeavors that help society - while starting families and being loving and caring parents (often seeking to emulate their parents).
Frankly, when I see these types of articles I wonder if the writers have been on a college campus or, if they have, spent time seeing the many aspects of a college campus. Between students, faculty and staff, my university is a community of over 14000 people. Combine this with an environment where people are free to express and explore their views and you could write an article arguing that it is heavily associated with any ideology across a spectrum. For the writers of these articles, it is fairly easy to conclude that they are telling their audience what they want to hear.
Quote from: vu84v2 on May 28, 2023, 08:00:44 AM
The main issue that I have with the HSI goal is that it is unachievable, since getting certification requires 25% of all students be Hispanic. In a general sense, unrealistic goals combined with executive leadership that drives to meet those unrealistic goals can lead to investments, incentives, and behaviors that are not good for the organization.
On the other hand, the university where I work (which is better positioned to achieve HSI) also set this goal and improved to about half of the required percentage. Many very positive initiatives were created that increased the likelihood of Hispanic students succeeding (especially those from first generation college student households)...initiatives that also helped a wider range of students. As senior administration did not excessively drive for HSI (they dropped it 3 years after announcing the goal), it did create positives for student recruitment and retention while avoiding the negatives that can come with unrealistic goals.
Today's decision by the Supreme Court striking down race-based admission at universities could further hinder Pres. Padilla's already improbable goal for VU to become an official HSI. As 84 mentions, a student fte population of 25% Hispanic already was likely unachievable and unrealistic for a school like Valparaiso, which currently is 10% Hispanic.
Quote from: valpopal on June 29, 2023, 09:44:02 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on May 28, 2023, 08:00:44 AM
The main issue that I have with the HSI goal is that it is unachievable, since getting certification requires 25% of all students be Hispanic. In a general sense, unrealistic goals combined with executive leadership that drives to meet those unrealistic goals can lead to investments, incentives, and behaviors that are not good for the organization.
On the other hand, the university where I work (which is better positioned to achieve HSI) also set this goal and improved to about half of the required percentage. Many very positive initiatives were created that increased the likelihood of Hispanic students succeeding (especially those from first generation college student households)...initiatives that also helped a wider range of students. As senior administration did not excessively drive for HSI (they dropped it 3 years after announcing the goal), it did create positives for student recruitment and retention while avoiding the negatives that can come with unrealistic goals.
Today's decision by the Supreme Court striking down race-based admission at universities could further hinder Pres. Padilla's already improbable goal for VU to become an official HSI. As 84 mentions, a student fte population of 25% Hispanic already was likely unachievable and unrealistic for a school like Valparaiso, which currently is 10% Hispanic.
Good! "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." MLK
Quote"The Harvard and UNC admissions programs cannot be reconciled with the guarantees of the Equal Protection Clause. Both programs lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful end points. We have never permitted admissions programs to work in that way, and we will not do so today," wrote Chief Justice John Roberts for the six-justice majority.
Pal,
I don't see how it would. Having a desire to increase more students to your population is not the same as using race as a reason not to accept someone. The Supreme Court case specifically indicated that it was about the negative use of race but still okayed other ways where an individual's race could be considered such as in essay format. The HSI initiative is not about admitting more Hispanic students but about encouraging more that meet our standards to choose to attend Valpo over other schools.
I think this case is interesting but will have little to no effect on most colleges who do not have an affirmative action program because they accept 2/3 or more of their applicants. This will only effect the most elite which will find other ways to ensure they maintain the diversity of students that they value.
Valpo is also not atypical in that. These Elite schools have so many applications and so many spots taken up with legacy/athletes etc that they really have to figure out what to do with the other half of the class to make sure there is some semblance of balance.
My guess is what you will see is a switch to class based/need based decisions around this which will once again mean that the person that gets squeezed in this is the same person who gets squeezed in most college admissions in some way or another. Upper Middle class people who will still be predominately white with no social pull and will be very indistinguishable from their peer (all of whom will have high test scores/extras etc) but also would have to take out a large amount of loans to afford an elite school.
Honestly the biggest problem here is how the mentality around universities has turned into things like "high rejection rates mean quality" or "you must only go to fancy name brand school"
Quote from: crusader05 on June 29, 2023, 10:30:58 AM
Pal,
I don't see how it would. Having a desire to increase more students to your population is not the same as using race as a reason not to accept someone. The Supreme Court case specifically indicated that it was about the negative use of race but still okayed other ways where an individual's race could be considered such as in essay format. The HSI initiative is not about admitting more Hispanic students but about encouraging more that meet our standards to choose to attend Valpo over other schools.
I think this case is interesting but will have little to no effect on most colleges who do not have an affirmative action program because they accept 2/3 or more of their applicants. This will only effect the most elite which will find other ways to ensure they maintain the diversity of students that they value.
My comment suggested Pres. Padilla's HSI goal "could be hindered" by the Supreme Court decision. Three points. First, you state "the HSI initiative is not about admitting more Hispanic students"; however, to match the goal to be an HSI university, Valpo would need to increase Hispanic enrollment from the current 10% to 25%, which means admitting many more. Secondly, you imply that Valpo is already admitting almost all applicants, but that undercuts the suggestion that many Hispanic students applying to Valpo are not accepted because they do not "meet our standards." Finally, the Supreme Court decision will need to be examined closely because it seems to prohibit race-based admission "programs" and "processes." If viewed comprehensively, this might additionally inhibit universities like VU from race-based considerations in financial aid packages, which could reduce the number of Hispanic applicants to VU who receive decision-making assistance coming from substantially higher amounts of economic support and tuition relief.
I think the bigger point is that we are not an HSI because we do not have enough students of Hispanic heritage choosing to apply or accept their admittance to Valpo both of which can be achieved without employing an affirmative action that prioritizes their admittance over others or leads to the denial of another person's admittance.
I did not mean to suggest we are not admitting them because they don't meet our standards but just that in general our pool needs to grow and we need to increase our yield on those students. Neither of which are an affirmative action issue.
05 and 22: Do you really think VU can achieve the HSI goal set by Pres. Padilla without the assistance of race-based admissions programs and processes? If the modest targeted campus student population long-term level of 3,000 recently proposed becomes reality, the number of designated Hispanic/Latino students needed to achieve HSI status of 25% from today's 10% would be 750, about 500 more than now and easily more than the current entire freshman class enrollment. As 84 mentioned about his university, which apparently is better situated to attract Hispanic students, they dropped the HSI goal, seemingly deeming it unrealistic and unachievable three years after announcing it.
Quote from: valpopal on June 29, 2023, 11:30:50 AMthis might additionally inhibit universities like VU from race-based considerations in financial aid packages
I was wondering the same thing. One of my granddaughters is getting a scholarship from Fordham in part because she has a Columbian grandmother, thus making her a latina. I presume the high court's ruling will outlaw this sort of thing. As usual these sort of decisions add more questions than they remove.
Quote from: valpopal on June 29, 2023, 12:49:07 PM
05 and 22: Do you really think VU can achieve the HSI goal set by Pres. Padilla without the assistance of race-based admissions programs and processes? If the modest targeted campus student population long-term level of 3,000 recently proposed becomes reality, the number of designated Hispanic/Latino students needed to achieve HSI status of 25% from today's 10% would be 750, about 500 more than now and easily more than the current entire freshman class enrollment. As 84 mentioned about his university, which apparently is better situated to attract Hispanic students, they dropped the HSI goal, seemingly deeming it unrealistic and unachievable three years after announcing it.
What's with all the nitpicking? If I made the same comments about what President Padilla is trying to do, you and David would be labeling me a racist or Hispaniphobe or some other made up leftist term by now. You say reaching 25% is not doable. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Is there any downside to getting say halfway there and adding millions of dollars to the coffers of a university struggling to keep its head above water?
Your negativity makes no sense, unless...Are you and your buds resistant to learning to speak, read, and write Spanish, like STEM faculty is doing? I know you're all tired, discouraged, and feel betrayed by your president, so I can understand if that's the case.
It also occurred to me that maybe you have a much better plan. If so, please lay that out for me.
I agree with WH. When we know that the Latino population is the fastest growing demographic in the area and will make up over a quarter of our college aged population soon it seems silly to not work to make yourself stand out by showing you are prepared to meet their needs. Even if we don't make it to 25% increasing our population by increasing the number of applicants or those that pick Valpo over another school would help us reach that 3000.
Universities have always found ways to give scholarships to the students they want to give scholarships too and honestly this opens up what I think is going to be a massive legal headache for lots of universities: unless you have a direct paper trail indicating that X student was picked over X specifically for their race there is still going to be a lot of discretion on universities to be able to pick their classes. Are we going to want the legal system to decide whether a university didn't' pick the right student based on how they weighted their essay response? or if they have another skill like say, speaks another language, or meets their scholarship requirements for first generation. A lot of people who are bringing these law suits are going to be people mad they didn't get into a school they decided they deserved to attend and that therefore someone "underserving" got in for another less valid reason
I feel the Supreme Court decision will not completely stop racial discrimination or disable university diversity in their enrollment. For many cases, the applicants race can be identified based on their name, location, zip code, etc. Based on that information, colleges can still maintain racial diversity without explicit inquiries about an applicant's race.
Quote from: usc4valpo on June 29, 2023, 05:12:13 PM
I feel the Supreme Court decision will not completely stop racial discrimination or disable university diversity in their enrollment. For many cases, the applicants race can be identified based on their name, location, zip code, etc. Based on that information, colleges can still maintain racial diversity without explicit inquiries about an applicant's race.
Not so fast.
Quote
Yesterday, I wrote:
QuoteI am aware that, even if it does, colleges that want to keep discriminating will probably find a way. Certainly, Congress can prevent universities from asking applicants their race, or from instituting quotas, or from publicly admitting that they favor candidates from one group over another. But it cannot stop admissions offices from signaling that they will consider the "applicant as a whole," and from making it abundantly obvious that an aspirant who begins a cover letter with "as an immigrant from Ghana" or "as the descendent of slaves" or "as a poor woman from Appalachia" will benefit from having done so. We are, I suspect, about to see an onslaught of clandestine resistance from our universities.
But, in today's decision striking down affirmative action, the Court made it clear that it would not accept that:
But, despite the dissent's assertion to the contrary, universities may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today. (A dissenting opinion is generally not the best source of legal advice on how to comply with the majority opinion.) "[W]hat can- not be done directly cannot be done indirectly. The Constitution deals with substance, not shadows," and the prohibition against racial discrimination is "levelled at the thing, not the name." Cummings v. Missouri, 4 Wall. 277, 325 (1867). A benefit to a student who overcame racial discrimination, for example, must be tied to that student's courage and determination. Or a benefit to a student whose heritage or culture motivated him or her to assume a leadership role or attain a particular goal must be tied to that student's unique ability to contribute to the university. In other words, the student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/a-key-provision-in-the-affirmative-action-decision/?utm_source=recirc-desktop&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=river&utm_content=next-article&utm_term=first
The editorial board from today's Chicago Tribune offered an editorial about the impacts of yesterday's ruling, which I agree with. There will be quite a few public comments about the ruling, but universities will find ways to continue to have a diverse population. The ruling stated that race cannot be used in the college application review process. What it did not say was that overcoming challenges, specifically socioeconomic challenges, could not be used as a criteria. Indeed, overcoming challenges should be considered as merit-based criteria. Beyond adjustments to recruiting, I expect that there will be an even greater emphasis on essays describing how the applicant overcame challenges.
Additionally, the ruling essentially only applies to highly selective schools - top state universities (e.g., Michigan) who offer the best combination of price and perceived prestige and prestigious private universities (e.g., Ivy League, Northwestern, Stanford).
My daughter is attending Rice this fall and I can certainly see the potential impact on this decision.
The "3-D" parking lot is listed for sale.
1201 LINCOLNWAY
VALPARAISO, IN 46383
$3,489,139
https://www.remax.com/in/valparaiso/home-details/1201-lincolnway-valparaiso-in-46383/12641218509165810594/M00000259/531821
A blow to the strategic plan IMO. Following is an opinion piece, but I think it makes some important points that many consumers agree with.
What happens now that Supreme Court struck down Biden's student loan handout scheme
Biden can't forgive student loan debt, so it's time for Congress to hold colleges accountable
1. "A student debt jubilee would have let colleges off the hook for their role in this crisis and given them a blank check to keep on raising costs, secure in the knowledge that the federal government will step in when debts get out of hand."
2. "With this ruling, the Supreme Court has protected hardworking Americans who have paid back their student loans or never went to college from having to unfairly cover the college debt of others."
2. "Colleges have launched dozens of expensive humanities degree programs that don't provide students with marketable skills. These sociology-adjacent majors generally teach postmodernism, identity politics and a victim mentality that leave students unprepared to succeed in today's competitive economy. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to end such low-value degrees in his country."
My takeaways - Universities have to reengineer their business models to survive. President Padilla's goal of increasing tuition in the future defies the law of supply and demand. Those days are over. If anything, private universities will need to lower tuition long term unless they can demonstrate unique tangible value.
More specifically, IMO righting the Valpo ship will require elimination of more administrative positions and academic programs with limited student participation. It's the only way to make a 3000 student enrollment baseline work. Otherwise, that number would need to be much higher to eliminate current operating deficits. So, for those who are surmising from President Padilla's recent presentation that we need only add a few more students and we're good to go may want to reconsider.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/what-happens-supreme-court-struck-down-biden-student-loan-handout-scheme
The SCOTUS decision on affirmative action hurts diversity admissions and enrollment at elite schools more than any other part of the higher ed sector. (I speak as a supporter of some types of affirmative action who is not surprised, but nonetheless saddened, by the ruling.)
To the extent that two identifiable racial groups have lower aggregate test scores, applicants in those groups who had very strong, but not superlative test scores benefited from the "bump" that AA gave them, sometimes automatically in the calculus of inner elite circle schools. That cohort may have more trouble gaining admission to Inner Elite Circle U after the SCOTUS decision. They will likely fall to the outer circle of elite schools.
And falling from the outer circle of elite schools will be some very qualified racially diverse applicants who no longer got the AA bump. Schools like Valpo and schools like it -- very solid academically, but not elite -- will have a chance at some of these students, and if they enroll they could do very well at these institutions.
It will be interesting to see what happens outside of the elite circles of higher ed.
(In the meantime, Black and Latino/Hispanic candidates who present sterling credentials will be sorting through letters of acceptance with full scholarships -- regardless of financial need, somewhat ironically -- from the most highly ranked schools. The SCOTUS decision basically turned diversity student recruitment at those schools into something resembling P5 athlete recruiting. It will likely be one of the major unintended, ground-level consequences of the ruling.)
Regarding high revenue sport athletes, it won't mater. When Brian Kelly was head football coach at Notre Dame, he commented that no scholarship players would have been accepted based on academic admissions standards. Same with Michigan, USC, Cal, Stanford, etc. This will continue everywhere.
Sorry if this was mentioned already but, as an already senior faculty member, my experience tells me that, at the end of the day, the SCOTUS decision against Affirmative Action will have little impact. In fact it will have the opposite impact for those anti-AA as myself (more on this below).
Why? There is an endless list of proxies for race AND the hardline supporters of AA already prepared for this with changes in their application process that somehow obey the SCOTUS ruling while still using race as a factor in admission. Just as most faculty positions ads require now a "diversity statement" (a litmus test for the "correct" ideology) so will the applications packages for students will require a "special essay". Since John Roberts explicitly left this backdoor open, the only way to show that universities clandestinely use these essays as race proxies is to investigate and sue them. Good luck with this million dollars, decade long endeavor.
AA is going to be live and well at the end of the day (in practice but not in name) and the proponents of it now have the additional benefit of having another reason to label the other side as racist.
My personal take is multifold:
1. I am against considering attributes such as race (a poorly defined concept anyway), sex, gender, ethnicity etc...in any professional setting for which these attributes are irrelevant. In my own job I absolutely hate when I am "forced" one way or another to notice these attributes. It actually increases the likelihood of stereotyping and actually breeds racism in my opinion. I could go on but it's too long a story
2. NOBODY can stop an institution and/or a group of people from taking race into consideration even if illegal. There are too many proxies, you cannot read minds and you can only eliminate the blatant aspects of racism (such as legislated segregation in the Jim Crow era). But mark my word, if Harvard wants a certain number of people of a certain race, they will find a "legal" way. The only way this pestilential politics that poisons both the "unprotected" and "protected" classes will end is when people will simply treat race as other attributes such as the color of eyes. Which is to say we ignore them for 99% of the time and certainly we don't assign positive and negative points to it.
However, I will be long dead before that happens. Ideology is too deeply entrenched to see a change in this matter. Myself, the only thing I can do is to just opt out when I can.
On a funny note, I can't wait to read the letters the Presidents will send to the campus communities decrying this decision and providing safe spaces for those emotionally damaged by those 6 evildoers in the SCOTUS :)
Quote from: DejaVU on July 01, 2023, 09:39:49 AMI am against considering attributes such as race (a poorly defined concept anyway), sex, gender, ethnicity etc...in any professional setting for which these attributes are irrelevant.
I'm confused by those who would write that "attributes" are irrelevant when obvious discrimination has/is occurring to this day in spite of new (relatively) laws protecting women and people of color etc. These "woke" laws have had a great and very positive effects even on old white guys like me. Though it is, "government intervention", things the Jim Crow laws would no doubt still be in effect failing these laws/rulings.
Though not related to race, let me explain two situations that actually happened in my life. The first happened shortly after graduating from Valpo at one of my first professional jobs. I got a raise which I shared with a female employee who did THE EXACTLY same job with the same length of experience. When she asked the boss about a raise if was explained to her that I needed to earn more money because eventually I would be supporting a wife and family. This was out in the open, nothing subtle about it.
The next actually happened to me while applying for my first job at a major bank in Chicago. I was given the job initially but then was asked if I had any systemic illnesses. When I explained that I was a diabetic, the job offer was withdrawn. I even offered to race the staff doctor around the block but to no avail.
These results seem unimaginable in today's world but so in integration to some old souls in the deepest south.
I think it is important to note we are approaching the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits anyone from failing or refusing to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual because of such individual's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This was expanded 55 years ago in the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to include housing. The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified 155 years ago, already enshrined equal protection guarantees. Also, Affirmative Action was originally instituted with the intention of encouraging expanded outreach and opportunity, not as a rationale for further discrimination, and with the vision of an end point when its measures would sunset at some future date, which is addressed in the Supreme Court decision and was even cited in the Grutter case in 2003 that upheld Affirmative Action in university admissions at that time.
Perhaps this is merely the logical beginning of a movement toward that end point, mentioned repeatedly in this week's Supreme Court document. I have taken the time to read the syllabus of the Supreme Court decision in this week's case and browse the 237-page document with concurring and dissenting opinions, and it makes complete sense to me: the universities' "use of race, employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful end points, those admission programs cannot be reconciled with the guarantees of the Equal Protection Clause." Indeed, in his concurring statement, Kavanaugh quotes a past opinion by Antonin Scalia that universities can "act to undo the effects of past discrimination in many permissable ways that do not involve classification by race."
Nevertheless, as others have suggested, I am sure universities will seek to exploit loopholes that enable racial identification and influence admission or financial assistance in additional ways. This will lead to more Affirmative Action cases in the future, but it also might get us closer to that end point.
vu72: It is a very complex and long discussion impossible to confine in a thread. I know I seem to cowardly avoid the debate but this is one of those issues where (like many other topics) population is completely entrenched. The debate will never end and it will not move the opinion needle. I learned this the hard way in discussions with my leftist colleagues (which is to say the vast majority of faculty). I was worse off after. Life is simply too short for fighting unwinnable battles
I am going to answer your question about "attributes" in a vague way (by necessity). If I told you in great details what it took for me personally to go from point A (my childhood) to point B (senior professor with respectable credentials) you would probably cry or not believe me. Or not even understand certain things. However, on this path from A to B I had zero "attributes" that AA or other policies care about. Not the right skin color, not the right genitalia, ethnicity etc..
Everybody knows injustices are countless and often personal. AA policies simply choose some winners in this horrible misery poker. Everybody else is invisible.
Whatever everyone thinks of the legitimacy of AA know this: it drives resentment (a destructive feeling that actually caused wars in the past), damages also the protected classes (how does it feel to be Black at Harvard and wonder if people look at you as if you did not deserve your spot) and ultimately perpetuates and even cause racism
But hey, as I said before, AA will be live and well under different name(s). So my rant does not matter
Quote from: DejaVU on July 01, 2023, 03:29:15 PMwith my leftist colleagues (which is to say the vast majority of faculty). I was worse off after. Life is simply too short for fighting unwinnable battles
Perhaps you might open your opinions, just slightly, to hear a different approach to these difficult issues though I fully understand the bull headedness of intrenched thinking. GO BEACONS!!
We already have a pretty good example of what happens when voluntary affirmative action plans are banned by law, due to the California law that did so in 1996:
The ban first took effect with the incoming class of '98. Subsequently, diversity plummeted at UC's most competitive campuses. That year, enrollment among Black and Latino students at UCLA and UC Berkeley fell by 40%, according to a 2020 study by Bleemer. As a result of the ban, Bleemer found that Black and Latino students who might have gotten into those two top schools enrolled at less competitive campuses.
"Black and Hispanic students saw substantially poorer long-run labor market prospects as a result of losing access to these very selective universities," Bleemer told NPR. "But there was no commensurate gain in long-run outcomes for the white and Asian students who took their place."
https://www.npr.org/2023/06/30/1185226895/heres-what-happened-when-affirmative-action-ended-at-california-public-colleges (https://www.npr.org/2023/06/30/1185226895/heres-what-happened-when-affirmative-action-ended-at-california-public-colleges)
This buttresses what I suggested earlier: That the AA ban will be more of a challenge for elite universities who rely heavily on top GPA and test scores. It may well mean that very solid schools like Valpo will receive serious applications from some very good, racially diverse young folks who otherwise might've been looking a rung higher up the rankings ladder. But make no mistake about it, the recruiting competition will be brutal for schools that are trying to build a racially diverse student body, while looking over their shoulders for potential legal challenges.
From a litigation standpoint, it may get ugly. But it could also prompt a closer look at how closely we make decisions based on standardized test scores, which at best are rough predictors of academic performance but hardly destiny. At my law school, we've seen consistent streams of outliers who score well on the LSAT and are not strong law students and those who score poorly on the LSAT and perform quite well. As Justice Warren Burger -- a white male, mainstream conservative Chief Justice -- wrote in Griggs v. Duke Power Co. (https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/401/424/), a 1971 SCOTUS opinion concerning employment discrimination:
The facts of this case demonstrate the inadequacy of broad and general testing devices, as well as the infirmity of using diplomas or degrees as fixed measures of capability. History is filled with examples of men and women who rendered highly effective performance without the conventional badges of accomplishment in terms of certificates, diplomas, or degrees. Diplomas and tests are useful servants, but Congress has mandated the common sense proposition that they are not to become masters of reality.
Burger likely was writing from experience. He is the only SCOTUS justice in the modern era to have graduated from a law school outside of the elite circle, having received his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, MN. No one will ever confuse him with your standard social justice warrior, but on this piece of lived experience, he knew that the evolving meritocracy based on test scores and fancy universities wasn't all it was hyped up to be.
Quote from: vu72 on July 01, 2023, 09:03:49 PM
Quote from: DejaVU on July 01, 2023, 03:29:15 PMwith my leftist colleagues (which is to say the vast majority of faculty). I was worse off after. Life is simply too short for fighting unwinnable battles
Perhaps you might open your opinions, just slightly, to hear a different approach to these difficult issues though I fully understand the bull headedness of intrenched thinking. GO BEACONS!!
Be careful what you reveal about yourself, DejaVU. You are a voice of Valpo Christmas past. Remember Ronald Reagan's "Trust, but verify" reference to the Soviets. Interpretation: "Trust no one."
David81: I appreciate your reasoned response, which as usual is supported by correctly cited passages. Nevertheless, I do come to a differing conclusion when reading those examples. Yes, the removal of Affirmative Action quotas and subsequent loss of supplemental elevation for African American and Hispanic students did result in a lower enrollment by those groups in certain universities, namely UCLA and Berkeley. However, that California law passed in 1996. I would strongly suggest society, politics, academia, and admission tactics have evolved greatly in the nearly three decades that have intervened.
In fact, the NPR article acknowledges recent measures taken, including eliminating standardized test scores, and that lately "UC schools have begun to catch up to the racial diversity numbers lost in the wake of the affirmative action ban." The problem is not the university standard but the unreal expectations. The article laments that at its elite schools the UC "still enrolls far fewer Black and Latino students than their share of California high school graduates." There is the difficulty: the determining factor for enrollment should not be quotas based merely upon percentage of high school graduates. Further, the perspective in the quote you include that states "white and Asian students" took the place of "Black and Hispanic students," could easily have said some Black and Hispanic students had been taking the place of white and Asian students who had higher objective qualifications.
As for the quote by Justice Burger: it comes from a 1971 decision, over fifty years ago, even more outdated than the case above, and has been addressed by the elimination of standardized test scores that he suspects in his comment. Even in the 2003 Grutter case I quoted, which upheld Affirmative Action at that time, the majority opinions acknowledged an end point to Affirmative Action must be reached within the next "25 years" and a future court should "terminate its use of racial preferences as soon as possible." As I noted, I believe this court may be indicating the beginning of that end point.
I am actually prepared to be de-anonymized at any time online in the sense that, while I prefer not to, I am OK, at the end of the day, to stand behind what I say.
I studied, on the side, the concept of correlation attacks online (i.e. taking bits of information that don't seem revealing yet they narrow down quite a lot the field of suspects)
For example, just the fact that I am a senior VU faculty with right leanings narrows it down quite a lot (I think). In any case, I read somewhere that if one chooses complete openness and honesty to the extreme, it has the effect of quickly eliminating the fake friends and gaining real ones. I am not ready to take that route yet since I have a hunch that some of those fake friends still have some power over me :)
Quote from: wh on June 30, 2023, 10:51:48 AM
The "3-D" parking lot is listed for sale.
1201 LINCOLNWAY
VALPARAISO, IN 46383
$3,489,139
https://www.remax.com/in/valparaiso/home-details/1201-lincolnway-valparaiso-in-46383/12641218509165810594/M00000259/531821
Is this the lot that had a liquor store and furniture store, many years ago?
Quote from: valpotx on July 02, 2023, 07:56:18 PM
Quote from: wh on June 30, 2023, 10:51:48 AM
The "3-D" parking lot is listed for sale.
1201 LINCOLNWAY
VALPARAISO, IN 46383
$3,489,139
https://www.remax.com/in/valparaiso/home-details/1201-lincolnway-valparaiso-in-46383/12641218509165810594/M00000259/531821
Is this the lot that had a liquor store and furniture store, many years ago?
Trail Inn Liquors is to the immediate east. I think it used to be another name. Valparaiso Furniture was on the south side, maybe a little farther east. Rough's Appliance Store was next door. Both buildings were there for many years before being demolished and replaced by Uptown East.
Quote from: valpopal on July 02, 2023, 04:49:44 PM
David81: I appreciate your reasoned response, which as usual is supported by correctly cited passages. Nevertheless, I do come to a differing conclusion when reading those examples. Yes, the removal of Affirmative Action quotas and subsequent loss of supplemental elevation for African American and Hispanic students did result in a lower enrollment by those groups in certain universities, namely UCLA and Berkeley. However, that California law passed in 1996. I would strongly suggest society, politics, academia, and admission tactics have evolved greatly in the nearly three decades that have intervened.
In fact, the NPR article acknowledges recent measures taken, including eliminating standardized test scores, and that lately "UC schools have begun to catch up to the racial diversity numbers lost in the wake of the affirmative action ban." The problem is not the university standard but the unreal expectations. The article laments that at its elite schools the UC "still enrolls far fewer Black and Latino students than their share of California high school graduates." There is the difficulty: the determining factor for enrollment should not be quotas based merely upon percentage of high school graduates. Further, the perspective in the quote you include that states "white and Asian students" took the place of "Black and Hispanic students," could easily have said some Black and Hispanic students had been taking the place of white and Asian students who had higher objective qualifications.
As for the quote by Justice Burger: it comes from a 1971 decision, over fifty years ago, even more outdated than the case above, and has been addressed by the elimination of standardized test scores that he suspects in his comment. Even in the 2003 Grutter case I quoted, which upheld Affirmative Action at that time, the majority opinions acknowledged an end point to Affirmative Action must be reached within the next "25 years" and a future court should "terminate its use of racial preferences as soon as possible." As I noted, I believe this court may be indicating the beginning of that end point.
valpopal, thanks for your responses. I wanted to clarify that I was not arguing a legal point in quoting that passage by Justice Burger, but rather endorsing his prescience in anticipating an educational and occupational world in which the results of standardized tests and certain degrees are too often regarded as destiny rather than indicators of promise.
On the legal side, I did want to point out that the legal theory grounded in the 1971 decision I quoted from,
Griggs v. Duke Power Co., remains good law via its incorporation into the Civil Rights Act of 1991. The 2003
Grutter case you cited has been largely overturned by this most recent SCOTUS decision on affirmative action, though I think it was less about Justice O'Connor's much-discussed 25-year timeline in her
Grutter opinion than it was about the present conservative majority's general dislike of affirmative action in the first place. Despite all the purportedly deep analysis in these opinions, these SCOTUS affirmative action decisions -- in favor or against -- have been largely policy choices dressed up as legal theorizing to justify the outcome.
Quote from: David81 on July 03, 2023, 10:42:33 AM
On the legal side, I did want to point out that the legal theory grounded in the 1971 decision I quoted from, Griggs v. Duke Power Co., remains good law via its incorporation into the Civil Rights Act of 1991. The 2003 Grutter case you cited has been largely overturned by this most recent SCOTUS decision on affirmative action, though I think it was less about Justice O'Connor's much-discussed 25-year timeline in her Grutter opinion than it was about the present conservative majority's general dislike of affirmative action in the first place. Despite all the purportedly deep analysis in these opinions, these SCOTUS affirmative action decisions -- in favor or against -- have been largely policy choices dressed up as legal theorizing to justify the outcome.
I think we are in agreement though I would quibble a bit with the language. Rather than "largely overturned," I would prefer to consider last week's Supreme Court decision as a furthering of the Grutter majority opinion by Justice O'Connor as she had hoped would occur. In her statement, O'Connor constantly references the Bakke plurality decision by Justice Powell, upholding but narrowing his conclusions, and she reiterates that race-based options should not be used to achieve quotas. Similarly, the Students for Fair Admissions decision upholds but narrows O'Connor's conclusions. O'Connor emphasizes that her opinion was based upon contemporary conditions at the time, just as Powell's decision was based upon conditions 25 years prior. For instance, she specifies the lack of representation in public office by African Americans and the increasing qualifications displayed by minority students.
Last week's decision considers the evolution of these conditions for minorities since 2003 and acknowledges times have changed as both of those concerns have improved. O'Connor also narrows her opinion by declaring it is intended for graduate education and should not be applied to undergraduate admission programs that have numerous alternative tactics that are not race-based. This seems in step with Justice Roberts' opinion. Indeed, the last four paragraphs of Section III in Justice O'Connor's opinion seem prescient and predictive. She offers "the requirement that all race-conscious admissions programs have a termination point." Finally, she recommends: "We expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today." The Roberts majority opinion agrees with those comments and fulfills their intention. I agree with your last sentence about policy preferences and individual likes or dislikes, but I believe the Roberts decision is a sound one and advanced in the progression proposed by O'Connor.
President Padilla's message this morning to the university community about last week's Supreme Court decision reflects comments made in our thread discussing possible future directions for undergraduate admissions:
Dear Campus Community,
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively ended the use of race as among the many factors to consider in the admissions process. Our University is duty bound to comply with all federal laws and, accordingly, will comply with this ruling.
Martin Luther attempted to make education accessible to all, including and especially those who would not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue it. Just one example of our commitment is shown through our creation of our two-year Access College. The Access College offers alternative pathways to all low income, first generation students who deserve a first-rate associate's degree in an intimate, faith based setting.
We will look for other avenues through which we can legally promote diversity on campus. We will continue to work hard to recruit diverse and talented prospective students, with the goal of having all our students live and study in an environment that reflects the richness of our society and remains faithful to our calling as a welcoming Lutheran university.
Thank you for everything you do for Valparaiso University.
May God love you,
José D. Padilla
President
1) My wife and I think income/assets should be the sole criteria for any aid. Hispanic-Asian-Black-White race is not a proxy.
2) I greatly dislike the Ivies and wokeness. But the constitution gives them freedom of speech and to assemble, I think private colleges should be allowed to use any admissions criteria they wish, even if deemed too woke and/or too privileged. The market will decide. Societal norms have evolved since the 60s. Private schools will stay wary of being stereotyped too easily.
3) But public universities should admit students on pure achievement in order to improve our world and to justify state taxation of all citizens. State university costs are attainable with financial aid driven by income. FAFSA and IRS (no matter their race) can be verified. For personal safety, I prefer my surgeon, airline pilot, or bridge builder to be hired on merit.
I'm getting the idea that most people on this board and elsewhere just assume VU is not doing a good job of bringing in diverse freshman classes. But is that actually true? Honest question here.
Paul
Quote from: crusadermoe on July 05, 2023, 04:10:03 PMI greatly dislike the Ivies and wokeness.
Well, there's a shock! ;)
Quote from: 78crusader on July 05, 2023, 04:42:29 PM
I'm getting the idea that most people on this board and elsewhere just assume VU is not doing a good job of bringing in diverse freshman classes. But is that actually true? Honest question here.
Paul
Here's the demographic breakdown:
The enrolled student population at Valparaiso University, both undergraduate and graduate, is 70.6% White, 10.9% Hispanic or Latino, 5.61% Black or African American, 3.07% Two or More Races, 2.4% Asian, 0.128% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.
The U.S. is 58% white, so nationally we are lagging some. However, understanding that historically the enrollment was driven by Lutherans, until more recent years, from a diversity standpoint, Valpo started with one foot tied to the floor.
In reality, only highly selective universities will be potentially impacted by the elimination of AA. Valpo is desperate for new students, as evidenced by a nearly 1:1 ratio between applicants and approved applicants. People are getting worked up over nothing.
Now, if the Supreme Court ever finds AA in the workplace to be unconstitutional, look out. That said, racial discrimination by employers is covered by a completely different Title of the Civil Rights Act, Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination for protected classes, including race.
Quote from: vu72 on July 05, 2023, 07:41:38 PM
Here's the demographic breakdown:
The enrolled student population at Valparaiso University, both undergraduate and graduate, is 70.6% White, 10.9% Hispanic or Latino, 5.61% Black or African American, 3.07% Two or More Races, 2.4% Asian, 0.128% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.
The U.S. is 58% white, so nationally we are lagging some. However, understanding that historically the enrollment was driven by Lutherans, until more recent years, from a diversity standpoint, Valpo started with one foot tied to the floor.
I think we need to be careful when using such statistics. For instance, the most recent numbers for all students at VU show the percentage of whites at 63.4% (1880 out of 2964). if we look at the most recent new student enrollment class (Fall 2022) at VU, then we find that the breakdown is different and reflects progress. Undergraduate and graduate population is 56.8% white, actually less than the national number quoted above. However, this is influenced by a large number of international non-white graduate students (154). If we consider only undergraduate new students in Fall 2022, then the percentage of whites rises to 65.3%, 481 out of 737, still lower than the 70.6% cited above. Black and Hispanic/Latino portions are about 9% each, while nonwhite international students are 7% and Asian-American students are 4%. Those who report being multiracial equal 5%.
Valpo's enrollment difficulties are enhanced when we consider that the traditional pool of students for Valparaiso University would be drawn from Lutherans and residents of Indiana, both of which are predominantly white—the most recent census figure I have seen for Indiana is 84% white—and we add that Valpo might be described as an academically rigorous, expensive, non-urban university in a politically conservative state. Considering all these factors, the latest numbers of new students, which I expect at least to be matched in Fall 2023, seem respectable.
Quote from: wh on July 05, 2023, 08:49:46 PM
Now, if the Supreme Court ever finds AA in the workplace to be unconstitutional, look out. That said, racial discrimination by employers is covered by a completely different Title of the Civil Rights Act, Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination for protected classes, including race.
According to the
Chronicle of Higher Education, this might be the next Affirmative Action case about universities as employers to keep an eye on: "Diversity Statements Violate First Amendment, Professor Says in Suing U. of California."
https://pacificlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023-05-18-JD-Haltigan-v-michael-drake-stamped-Complaint.pdf (https://pacificlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023-05-18-JD-Haltigan-v-michael-drake-stamped-Complaint.pdf)
The latest issue of
The Atlantic has an article as well: "The Hypocrisy of Mandatory Diversity Statements"
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/07/hypocrisy-mandatory-diversity-statements/674611/ (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/07/hypocrisy-mandatory-diversity-statements/674611/)
22- what about below par compensation?
Quote from: valpo22 on July 06, 2023, 08:29:48 AM
I understand the diversity statements for applications get people riled up, but I think it doesn't matter much whether the university tries to give targetted attention to faculty demographics that helps minoritized faculty on the front end...
However, the diversity statements required by universities are not really to identify and assist minority applicants for jobs, who are already included for consideration by their status as minorities. The documents are intended to assure white applicants who move forward in the process all share the same politically correct DEI philosophy and prioritize them in the selection. Ironically, they are meant to guarantee a lack of diversity in thought.
As the article in
The Atlantic mentions, diversity statements "violate the First Amendment by imposing an ideological litmus test on prospective hires." Years ago when I was on a hiring committee considering finalists for a job, and long before diversity statements, I remember a well-respected committee member warning others: "I think this candidate might be Republican." I could tell others were thinking the same and nodded or smiled along with the speaker. Today's diversity statements provide a similar warning in the hiring process.
So I just took a look at the faculty around campus and only counted Professor, Assistant or Associate Professors.
What I found is the College of Business is by far the most diverse with 10 of 15 qualifying as "diverse"
In the College of Engineering, just the opposite: Only 4 of 23 in this category.
The College of nursing and Health Professions was even worse at 4 of 30.
In Christ College, all of the nine permanent faculty are white.
Arts and Sciences was too big a task but at least two of the four listed as Leaders were people of color.
So of the people I counted the total is 20 of 81 or 25%. No doubt the total in Arts and Sciences would reduce this number back into single digits.
Quote from: vu72 on July 06, 2023, 11:03:25 AM
So of the people I counted the total is 20 of 81 or 25%. No doubt the total in Arts and Sciences would reduce this number back into single digits.
As someone who has served on a number of hiring committees, I can assure everyone there is no lack of effort or desire at Valparaiso in seeking minority candidates. Unfortunately, VU is often a victim of supply and demand. Almost all Asst. Prof., Assoc. Prof, and Prof. positions require a PhD. or equivalent (plus the upper ranks normally need at least 7 to 14 years of experience, research, and publishing). According to statistics for the year 2020-2021 and reported in fall 2022, the national percentage of those earning PhDs for African Americans was about 8.7% and for Hispanics about 8.5%. Previous years showed much lower percentages. In some areas or specialties, minority candidates with doctorate degrees are almost nonexistent. Therefore, even for the limited pool of eligible candidates, universities engage in a form of bidding war in which Valpo frankly cannot compete.
Valpopal reports that 65.3% of new undergraduate students who enrolled last fall are white.
VU gets most of its undergraduate students from Indiana and Illinois. Indiana is 84% white and Illinois is 76% white, according to the latest Census statistics I could find.
The efforts to recruit a diverse student population are laudable - and appear to be working. I just wish some of the same concentrated effort would be made to recruit, you know, Lutheran students. Last time I looked we billed ourselves as an "Independent Comprehensive Lutheran University." The class of 2022 had all of 55 kids who identified as Lutheran.
Paul
Quote from: 78crusader on July 06, 2023, 11:57:29 AM
Valpopal reports that 65.3% of new undergraduate students who enrolled last fall are white.
VU gets most of its undergraduate students from Indiana and Illinois. Indiana is 84% white and Illinois is 76% white, according to the latest Census statistics I could find.
The efforts to recruit a diverse student population are laudable - and appear to be working. I just wish some of the same concentrated effort would be made to recruit, you know, Lutheran students. Last time I looked we billed ourselves as an "Independent Comprehensive Lutheran University." The class of 2022 had all of 55 kids who identified as Lutheran.
Paul
Wow! :(
Quote from: 78crusader on July 06, 2023, 11:57:29 AMThe class of 2022 had all of 55 kids who identified as Lutheran.
Again, not sure where this information is coming from.
This data, from Valpo's website, for Fall of 2022, shows 340 students identifying as Lutheran. That's 11.5% of the 2964 students. I have asked the question many times about Lutheran recruiting. What ever effort is being done is failing. Concordia Chicago, as an example, has a significantly less white student enrollment yet claims 17.1% of students identify as Lutheran.
https://www.valpo.edu/institutional-effectiveness/files/2022/09/Denominations_All_Students_FA22.pdf
I would think it would be easier for Valpo, on a national scale, to kick Lutheran enrollment up over 20% than it would be to meet the HSI threshold.
Quote from: VULB#62 on July 06, 2023, 03:30:34 PM
I would think it would be easier for Valpo, on a national scale, to kick Lutheran enrollment up over 20% than it would be to meet the HSI threshold.
Someone would have to explain to me what value Valpo provides to Lutheran students that they couldn't find anywhere. For instance, why would a Christian university of any denomination have a Muslim professor from the Middle East who writes favorable reviews on articles about Sharia law teaching a plethora of Christianity courses? What, are the Lutheran ministers on the payroll too busy preaching to no one over at the Chapel to be bothered? Just asking.
vu72, I got the 55 Lutheran kids number straight from the horse's mouth - President Padilla gave out this figure at a gathering I attended at Homecoming last fall.
What has riled me up for years is VU's attitude that it now must look for students in every nook and cranny except Lutheran schools and churches. Yes, there are fewer Lutheran kids now - but VU seems to think they are as rare as Republican aldermen in Chicago.
This is an old table - from the US Department of Education, 2015 - but the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (just one synod, mind you) ranked 5th out of all religious affiliations in the number of students enrolled in private schools, with 158,300 (Catholic #1, non denominational #2, Jewish #3, Baptist #4).
55 Lutheran kids out of a class of over 700 is a joke.
We live in a time in which even an extra 20 kids per class would make a big financial difference. Yet the numbers strongly suggest that VU doesn't make a serious effort to get Lutheran kids to enroll in a university that markets itself as a "Comprehensive Independent Lutheran University."
Maybe I'm dead wrong. Wouldn't be the first time. But before you call me out, first check with Concordia Lutheran in Ft. Wayne - a mere two hours from the VU campus - and see what kind of a recruiting effort/presence VU has had in the last 5-10 years with that school.
Paul
A part of the challenge in recruiting a more diverse student body remains the location. Valparaiso the city was a "sundown" town with no African American residents until 1969. It was still overwhelmingly white when I matriculated in 1977. Among students of color, Black students, in particular, often felt isolated and not welcomed in the area.
Yes, things have gotten better, but not to the degree where VU can compete easily with peer schools that have enjoyed better success on minority student recruitment. The Black and Asian student population is still very low, among other things. And because of the increasingly conservative political lean of Indiana overall, a lot of racially diverse young folks are simply going to opt out of applying.
I do think that VU offers advantages as an educational experience that can make it worth the while of a minority applicant to consider it, but this requires an extra effort to communicate and offer in substance a welcoming space.
Quote from: wh on July 06, 2023, 03:54:59 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on July 06, 2023, 03:30:34 PM
I would think it would be easier for Valpo, on a national scale, to kick Lutheran enrollment up over 20% than it would be to meet the HSI threshold.
* Someone would have to explain to me what value Valpo [a Comprehensive Lutheran University] provides to Lutheran students that they couldn't find anywhere. ** For instance, why would a Christian university of any denomination have a Muslim professor from the Middle East who writes favorable reviews on articles about Sharia law teaching a plethora of Christianity courses? What, are the Lutheran ministers on the payroll too busy preaching to no one over at the Chapel to be bothered? Just asking.
* Duh.
** Huh?
From wh:
For instance, why would a Christian university of any denomination have a Muslim professor from the Middle East who writes favorable reviews on articles about Sharia law teaching a plethora of Christianity courses?
[/quote]
Please provide the following evidence:
1. If you are arguing that this is occurring at Valpo, please provide specific information associated with this.
2. If you are arguing that prospective students may perceive this for any university, please provide data that shows that something like this happens at a meaningful number of universities. I can see that it is possible that it could happen at one or two universities in the United States (because there are so many universities), so I suggest you provide data that this is happening at, say, .5 percent of U.S. universities. Alternatively, you couid argue that prospective students and their families are irrational, meaning that they assume one or two instances in the United States means that it is systemic across all universities (other than a few).
Please remember in providing any support for your argument that a non-Christian faculty member (Muslim or otherwise) can effectively teach theology in any university. When I was at Valpo, I had a course on the history of religions that was absolutely brilliant and would ultimately be incredibly valuable for my career. I also had the basic theology class at Valpo taught by a Lutheran professor who knew what was right or wrong to believe and reduced grades for submissions that were contrary to his beliefs (without commenting on the strength or validity of the arguments). Thus, being a Lutheran professor (or a professor who aligns with any religion) does not inherently mean you are an effective professor.
I'm not going to write a research paper for you, but I guess I'll spoon feed you enough info so you can make a coherent counter argument, if that's what you're trying to do. BTW, maybe we can stay on point. Again, exactly what would motivate a Lutheran family to send their child to today's Valparaiso University that has spent the last 20 years running away from its identity, as opposed to Butler, for example, or any private secular university? This isn't complicated. The answer is - nothing, as evidenced by the reality that Lutheran students are all but extinct at Lutheran-affiliated Valpo.
https://www.valpo.edu/theology/about/faculty/ossama-abdelgawwad/
https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2556435
http://www.valpovic.org/?p=2101
https://www.ajis.org/index.php/ajiss/article/download/606/86/743
Let's separate your points about if and how Valpo can differentiate its theology/religiously-oriented programs from your attack on a professor at Valpo.
You made the point that he writes favorable reviews on articles about Sharia law teaching. I read the article that you attached and it is a literature review of other scholars' discussions of the degree that systems (mainly legal systems) in various muslim countries have adapted across a variety of contexts. The article organizes and summarizes the other authors' points and the Valpo professor offers none of his own viewpoints on Sharia law (which is appropriate for any literature review). He merely critiques whether the other scholars have covered the points that they intended to cover.
Otherwise, the other three links essentially say that he is a tenure-track professor, got his PhD at Indiana, and is generally liked by the few students who wrote reviews in Ratemyprofessor (which, for the most part, is a lousy tool to assess professors' teaching). He teaches introduction to Christian Theology and teaches courses in Islam. I have no idea (nor do you) how he teaches a course in Christian Theology, but I would speculate that the department chair (if he or she is an effective department chair) reviews the syllabus to ensure that the course objectives are being met. Academic freedom does not allow a professor to set his or her own objectives for a course (they can propose new courses with new objectives, but it is highly doubtful that an Assistant Professor is creating new courses - no time, given other requirements for tenure). And if he or she did create a new course (or significantly modified the objectives of an existing course), it would need to be approved at the department, college and university level.
On the other point, what do you propose Valpo should do to strengthen its theology and religiously-oriented programs? Many here (myself included) and many at Valpo would seem to welcome such suggestions. However, my guess is that most would reject any ideas that move Valpo in a more homogeneous direction. Perhaps that means that differentiation is not possible - just parity versus other religiously affiliated universities....but I do think that religiously-oriented service programs can be very valuable regardless of the degree they differentiate. Same thing with study-abroad programs, such as one in which students understand the roots of christianity (or other faiths) by studying in places like Jerusalem, Germany, Rome, etc.
Quote from: vu72 on July 06, 2023, 01:30:04 PM
Quote from: 78crusader on July 06, 2023, 11:57:29 AMThe class of 2022 had all of 55 kids who identified as Lutheran.
Again, not sure where this information is coming from.
This data, from Valpo's website, for Fall of 2022, shows 340 students identifying as Lutheran. That's 11.5% of the 2964 students. I have asked the question many times about Lutheran recruiting. What ever effort is being done is failing. Concordia Chicago, as an example, has a significantly less white student enrollment yet claims 17.1% of students identify as Lutheran.
https://www.valpo.edu/institutional-effectiveness/files/2022/09/Denominations_All_Students_FA22.pdf
72, you correctly quote the percentage of students identifying as Lutheran as of fall 2022.
However, 78 is 100% correct (and consistent with the number provided by President Padilla) in terms of the number of incoming students who identified as Lutheran. This report shows that there were in fact 55 new undergraduate students identifying as Lutheran. This works out to about 7.5% of the new incoming class (55 out of 737).
http://www.valpo.edu/institutional-effectiveness/files/2022/09/Denominations_New_Students_FA22.pdf (http://www.valpo.edu/institutional-effectiveness/files/2022/09/Denominations_New_Students_FA22.pdf)
Quote from: valpo22 on July 07, 2023, 09:57:07 AM
ValpoPal, I am not really sure what you are talking minority phds being pracitcally 'nonexistent' and Valpo just not being able to compete for them. Come on, it's not like they've never existed or come. At least in A&S, we have had a decent number hired, but Valpo's lost so many of them in just the last <5 years...
valpo22, I think you are misrepresenting what ValpoPal said. ValpoPal's quote was, "
In some areas or specialties, minority candidates with doctorate degrees are almost nonexistent."
Although there are minority candidates in general and perhaps more for jobs in A&S, in some of areas it is exceptionally difficult to find them.
Anecdotally, I served on our hiring committee last year, and we had about 100 applicants. As far as I could tell, there was exactly one African American applicant. In May, I attended an academic conference for a major professional society (full of professors and PhD students). Announced registrations were about 1,600, and I would guess there were less than 50 traditional minorities in attendance. More generally, of the PhD students graduating and entering the job market, I would estimate that more than 75% are of Chinese, Indian, Turkish or Korean heritage.
In sum, the challenges of recruiting and retaining diverse faculty is not unique to VU. Couple the lack of candidates in some fields with the budgetary limitations facing VU, and it is a difficult problem.
Quote from: valpo22 on July 07, 2023, 09:57:07 AM
ValpoPal, I am not really sure what you are talking about re: minority phds being pracitcally 'nonexistent' and Valpo just not being able to compete for them. Come on, it's not like they've never existed or come. At least in A&S, we have had a decent number hired, but Valpo's lost so many of them (maybe almost all?) in just the last <5 years...
22: I was speaking about hiring and not about the budget cuts, which you emphasize. [However, even in your roster of faculty let go, remember that universities do not include international or Asian American individuals as underrepresented minorities among students and faculty for enrollment or hiring; therefore, only a few that you list would fit that definition as African American or Hispanic/Latino.]
I was making an observation from my experiences sitting on about 20 hiring committees in A&S over the years. As part of the process, we examined the demographics of PhD graduates in various areas of the field. The percentage for African Americans with PhDs in these specialties ranged from 1-3%, and the highest for Hispanics was 3.5%. In all those cases, which were six-month nationwide searches with every possible avenue of outreach to minority candidates, I recall only two qualified applicants who were African American or Hispanic. Both were viable candidates and both were added to the finalist list for invitations to campus interviews. Both were also offered the positions at VU. I was aware of the competition from other universities seeking these minority PhDs. Valparaiso simply could not compete with the salaries and lower teaching loads available elsewhere.
One issue that universities face is that by the time they are hiring and/or working to build a diverse class they are often at the narrowest/er end of a pipeline.
It's why Diversity programs were created. Because by the time you get to PhD Candidates you are looking at the end of a process that is not always great at identifying and building programs that those of different backgrounds can access/succeed in. It's why it's always been susceptible to complaints about affirmative action et al. It's often times the end goal of years or decades of work for people and everyone is very invested in their end option.
The reality is, especially for elite schools there are entire feeder private high schools and test tutoring programs designed to provide a much easier route into a certain school. But those go to people who can pay or live in an area to access them or to even know about it. I know my parents just though "oh you need good grades and you can go wherever you want" and as we got closer to college applications did they realize how not true that was. Elite universities or just every day universities know how this works and know how that squeezes a lot of students with potential but less of the concrete scores/extra curriculars out and they know that when you add in racism and other markers like that it gets even harder. So policies exist to push back against it and those that feel like they have "played the game right" and invested time and energy and money are mad because its' hard to say spending thousands of dollars and hours of your youth in curated activities and tutoring is a "privilege" when what people mean it's the knowledge and ability to access that at all that's the privilege and they're trying not to punish the students who didn't know or couldn't do it by locking one other gate.
Oh they do, but it's also why there are struggles when admissions criteria that aren't just pure "test scores/gpa/involvement" etc matter.
It's also hard because the way a lot colleges are designed, success is actually not just on whether you can "do the work" it's on if you have the soft skills or knowledge needed to know how to utilize your resources, schedule your own time etc.
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 07, 2023, 08:42:33 AM
Let's separate your points about if and how Valpo can differentiate its theology/religiously-oriented programs from your attack on a professor at Valpo.
You made the point that he writes favorable reviews on articles about Sharia law teaching. I read the article that you attached and it is a literature review of other scholars' discussions of the degree that systems (mainly legal systems) in various muslim countries have adapted across a variety of contexts. The article organizes and summarizes the other authors' points and the Valpo professor offers none of his own viewpoints on Sharia law (which is appropriate for any literature review). He merely critiques whether the other scholars have covered the points that they intended to cover.
Otherwise, the other three links essentially say that he is a tenure-track professor, got his PhD at Indiana, and is generally liked by the few students who wrote reviews in Ratemyprofessor (which, for the most part, is a lousy tool to assess professors' teaching). He teaches introduction to Christian Theology and teaches courses in Islam. I have no idea (nor do you) how he teaches a course in Christian Theology, but I would speculate that the department chair (if he or she is an effective department chair) reviews the syllabus to ensure that the course objectives are being met. Academic freedom does not allow a professor to set his or her own objectives for a course (they can propose new courses with new objectives, but it is highly doubtful that an Assistant Professor is creating new courses - no time, given other requirements for tenure). And if he or she did create a new course (or significantly modified the objectives of an existing course), it would need to be approved at the department, college and university level.
On the other point, what do you propose Valpo should do to strengthen its theology and religiously-oriented programs? Many here (myself included) and many at Valpo would seem to welcome such suggestions. However, my guess is that most would reject any ideas that move Valpo in a more homogeneous direction. Perhaps that means that differentiation is not possible - just parity versus other religiously affiliated universities....but I do think that religiously-oriented service programs can be very valuable regardless of the degree they differentiate. Same thing with study-abroad programs, such as one in which students understand the roots of Christianity (or other faiths) by studying in places like Jerusalem, Germany, Rome, etc.
I'm not suggesting that Valpo should "strengthen its theology and religiously-oriented programs." That ship has sailed, and it's not going to return. What was for generations Valpo's key differentiator, its religiosity, took a back seat to a new, wholly secular initiative - increasing enrollment by up to one-third through an influx of foreign students from Asia and the Middle East. Over night Valpo's religiosity became a burden instead of an asset out of fear of offending foreign Muslims, Hindus, Atheists, collectivists, the CCP, etc. Add in a Confucius Institute paid for by the CCP, an Islamic center, foreign student associations, etc., and Valparaiso University was officially serving 2 masters - something that you know, as well as I do, NEVER succeeds. So, here we are. Lutheran (and other Protestant) families no longer consider Valpo as a university of choice for their children and what was once a foreign student goldrush is a ghost town.
As Valpo sits today, it has no tried-and-true competitive advantage to build from. It is a rudderless ship with a plan - in the most turbulent of times for higher education in modern history. The challenge President Padilla has is enormous - ENORMOUS.
valpo22, thank you for that telling summary of the faculty losses due to the budget and COVID. That represents the loss of many racially diverse faculty. It is also noteworthy that many have ended up at higher-ranked schools and appear to be doing quite well in their new venues. One of those faculty members posted eloquently in the General Discussion section of this board, explaining the experience of simultaneously juggling classes at VU, raising a family with a spouse who had also relocated to Valparaiso, vying for decent housing on a paltry VU salary, and looking for another tenure-track position.
In response to the overall discussion of faculty diversity at VU, I suggest that Indiana's turn from being a more mainstream conservative state into one that is perceived by some as being at the far right is, and increasingly will be, a disincentive for many potential minority candidates, as well as many women candidates. There are increasing signs of such trending in Florida -- especially within the state university system (including the flagship U. of Florida at Gainesville) -- where concerns about academic freedom, personal bodily autonomy, and LGBTQ inclusion are at play. I raise these points only to illustrate that whenever political extremes (left or right) start to overwhelm the civic culture, there are consequences, including people voting with their feet.
Quote from: David81 on July 08, 2023, 03:53:00 PM
valpo22, thank you for that telling summary of the faculty losses due to the budget and COVID. That represents the loss of many racially diverse faculty. It is also noteworthy that many have ended up at higher-ranked schools and appear to be doing quite well in their new venues. One of those faculty members posted eloquently in the General Discussion section of this board, explaining the experience of simultaneously juggling classes at VU, raising a family with a spouse who had also relocated to Valparaiso, vying for decent housing on a paltry VU salary, and looking for another tenure-track position.
In response to the overall discussion of faculty diversity at VU, I suggest that Indiana's turn from being a more mainstream conservative state into one that is perceived by some as being at the far right is, and increasingly will be, a disincentive for many potential minority candidates, as well as many women candidates. There are increasing signs of such trending in Florida -- especially within the state university system (including the flagship U. of Florida at Gainesville) -- where concerns about academic freedom, personal bodily autonomy, and LGBTQ inclusion are at play. I raise these points only to illustrate that whenever political extremes (left or right) start to overwhelm the civic culture, there are consequences, including people voting with their feet.
"Personal bodily autonomy?" Is that the new catch-phrase now for abortion-on demand? Speaking of which, would you consider abortion-on-demand an "extremist" view, or just an "extremist" result?
Contemplate this my "moderate" friend in reference to leftists' use of catch-phrases:
The Definition of "Slogan."
A slogan is an attractive or catchy phrase that represents a prepackaged idea or set of ideas. Its purpose is to allow a person to summarize or 'buy into' a particular position without critically examining it or thinking about it.
People unthinkingly accept slogans for two reasons: (1) because they do not want to think about the issue they are supporting, or (2) because they do not want to be seen as backwards or reactionary by questioning the slogans, even if they do not fully understand them. People also use slogans for two reasons: (1) to conceal their ignorance of the topic being discussed, or (2) to divert attention away from the topic being discussed because they know that their moral or ethical position is weak.
It therefore logically follows that the density of slogans used by a person or movement is inversely proportional to their knowledge of the topic and the strength of the moral position that they support.
Quote from: wh on July 09, 2023, 04:38:53 PMwould you consider abortion-on-demand an "extremist" view, or just an "extremist" result?
Yes, as would having a bunch of white haired men decide the best medical course of action for women.
Quote from: wh on July 08, 2023, 12:55:04 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 07, 2023, 08:42:33 AM
On the other point, what do you propose Valpo should do to strengthen its theology and religiously-oriented programs? Many here (myself included) and many at Valpo would seem to welcome such suggestions. However, my guess is that most would reject any ideas that move Valpo in a more homogeneous direction. Perhaps that means that differentiation is not possible - just parity versus other religiously affiliated universities....but I do think that religiously-oriented service programs can be very valuable regardless of the degree they differentiate. Same thing with study-abroad programs, such as one in which students understand the roots of Christianity (or other faiths) by studying in places like Jerusalem, Germany, Rome, etc.
I'm not suggesting that Valpo should "strengthen its theology and religiously-oriented programs." That ship has sailed, and it's not going to return. What was for generations Valpo's key differentiator, its religiosity, took a back seat to a new, wholly secular initiative - increasing enrollment by up to one-third through an influx of foreign students from Asia and the Middle East. Over night Valpo's religiosity became a burden instead of an asset out of fear of offending foreign Muslims, Hindus, Atheists, collectivists, the CCP, etc. Add in a Confucius Institute paid for by the CCP, an Islamic center, foreign student associations, etc., and Valparaiso University was officially serving 2 masters - something that you know, as well as I do, NEVER succeeds. So, here we are. Lutheran (and other Protestant) families no longer consider Valpo as a university of choice for their children and what was once a foreign student goldrush is a ghost town.
As Valpo sits today, it has no tried-and-true competitive advantage to build from. It is a rudderless ship with a plan - in the most turbulent of times for higher education in modern history. The challenge President Padilla has is enormous - ENORMOUS.
While I agree that developing competitive advantages for any university - especially private universities - is an enormous challenge today, we live in a heterogeneous world. Put aside a program funded by another government (which is not a good idea). After that, I see no problem with Valpo (or any other university) having an Islamic Center, foreign student organizations, etc. Indeed, this is healthy because (I hope) it promotes understanding different perspectives. When students leave college, they will work and live amongst people from different faiths, different nations, different lifestyles, different ideological beliefs, etc. I do not see promoting heterogeneity as being a weakness for a religiously affiliated university. Indeed, look at most Jesuit universities - the one that I work at has: pro-choice and pro-life organizations, robust Democratic and Republican student organizations, LGBTQ organizations, non-christian-based faith organizations, etc. It gets messy sometimes and there are incidents of conflict, but that is the real world and, overall, it is healthy and students get exposed to different perspectives and learn to respect and make their own choices (isn't a university's mission to teach students how to think - not what to think?). Further, the existence of a wide range of perspectives does not reduce the faith orientation (though students, of course, are free to engage in the religious side as much or as little as they want). 60% of our students identify as Catholic and many come from Catholic high schools. Yet, what binds people together is caring for the whole person and it is striking how many of my students identify with that and see it as a real difference.
Quote from: wh on July 09, 2023, 04:38:53 PM
Quote from: David81 on July 08, 2023, 03:53:00 PM
valpo22, thank you for that telling summary of the faculty losses due to the budget and COVID. That represents the loss of many racially diverse faculty. It is also noteworthy that many have ended up at higher-ranked schools and appear to be doing quite well in their new venues. One of those faculty members posted eloquently in the General Discussion section of this board, explaining the experience of simultaneously juggling classes at VU, raising a family with a spouse who had also relocated to Valparaiso, vying for decent housing on a paltry VU salary, and looking for another tenure-track position.
In response to the overall discussion of faculty diversity at VU, I suggest that Indiana's turn from being a more mainstream conservative state into one that is perceived by some as being at the far right is, and increasingly will be, a disincentive for many potential minority candidates, as well as many women candidates. There are increasing signs of such trending in Florida -- especially within the state university system (including the flagship U. of Florida at Gainesville) -- where concerns about academic freedom, personal bodily autonomy, and LGBTQ inclusion are at play. I raise these points only to illustrate that whenever political extremes (left or right) start to overwhelm the civic culture, there are consequences, including people voting with their feet.
"Personal bodily autonomy?" Is that the new catch-phrase now for abortion-on demand? Speaking of which, would you consider abortion-on-demand an "extremist" view, or just an "extremist" result?
Contemplate this my "moderate" friend in reference to leftists' use of catch-phrases:
The Definition of "Slogan."
A slogan is an attractive or catchy phrase that represents a prepackaged idea or set of ideas. Its purpose is to allow a person to summarize or 'buy into' a particular position without critically examining it or thinking about it.
People unthinkingly accept slogans for two reasons: (1) because they do not want to think about the issue they are supporting, or (2) because they do not want to be seen as backwards or reactionary by questioning the slogans, even if they do not fully understand them. People also use slogans for two reasons: (1) to conceal their ignorance of the topic being discussed, or (2) to divert attention away from the topic being discussed because they know that their moral or ethical position is weak.
It therefore logically follows that the density of slogans used by a person or movement is inversely proportional to their knowledge of the topic and the strength of the moral position that they support.
Sigh. There you go again, wh, defining terms for others in hostile, knee-jerk fashion and then insulting them based on the definition you applied. It must be hard to always be thinking that way. But if you want an explanation that I'm under no obligation to provide, the reason I happen to be pro-choice is because I believe that I have no business dictating these limitations for and to women. I further object to a bunch of men, in this context mostly older white men, legislating these decisions as well. And more to the point, the pro-choice women I know are not pounding their fists on the table demanding "abortion on demand." (Talk about use of slogans, sheesh.) But some, including younger academics, may regard living in Indiana as a possible threat to their personal autonomy and safety and opt not to move there for that reason.
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 10, 2023, 09:27:10 AM
Quote from: wh on July 08, 2023, 12:55:04 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 07, 2023, 08:42:33 AM
On the other point, what do you propose Valpo should do to strengthen its theology and religiously-oriented programs? Many here (myself included) and many at Valpo would seem to welcome such suggestions. However, my guess is that most would reject any ideas that move Valpo in a more homogeneous direction. Perhaps that means that differentiation is not possible - just parity versus other religiously affiliated universities....but I do think that religiously-oriented service programs can be very valuable regardless of the degree they differentiate. Same thing with study-abroad programs, such as one in which students understand the roots of Christianity (or other faiths) by studying in places like Jerusalem, Germany, Rome, etc.
I'm not suggesting that Valpo should "strengthen its theology and religiously-oriented programs." That ship has sailed, and it's not going to return. What was for generations Valpo's key differentiator, its religiosity, took a back seat to a new, wholly secular initiative - increasing enrollment by up to one-third through an influx of foreign students from Asia and the Middle East. Over night Valpo's religiosity became a burden instead of an asset out of fear of offending foreign Muslims, Hindus, Atheists, collectivists, the CCP, etc. Add in a Confucius Institute paid for by the CCP, an Islamic center, foreign student associations, etc., and Valparaiso University was officially serving 2 masters - something that you know, as well as I do, NEVER succeeds. So, here we are. Lutheran (and other Protestant) families no longer consider Valpo as a university of choice for their children and what was once a foreign student goldrush is a ghost town.
As Valpo sits today, it has no tried-and-true competitive advantage to build from. It is a rudderless ship with a plan - in the most turbulent of times for higher education in modern history. The challenge President Padilla has is enormous - ENORMOUS.
While I agree that developing competitive advantages for any university - especially private universities - is an enormous challenge today, we live in a heterogeneous world. Put aside a program funded by another government (which is not a good idea). After that, I see no problem with Valpo (or any other university) having an Islamic Center, foreign student organizations, etc. Indeed, this is healthy because (I hope) it promotes understanding different perspectives. When students leave college, they will work and live amongst people from different faiths, different nations, different lifestyles, different ideological beliefs, etc. I do not see promoting heterogeneity as being a weakness for a religiously affiliated university. Indeed, look at most Jesuit universities - the one that I work at has: pro-choice and pro-life organizations, robust Democratic and Republican student organizations, LGBTQ organizations, non-christian-based faith organizations, etc. It gets messy sometimes and there are incidents of conflict, but that is the real world and, overall, it is healthy and students get exposed to different perspectives and learn to respect and make their own choices (isn't a university's mission to teach students how to think - not what to think?). Further, the existence of a wide range of perspectives does not reduce the faith orientation (though students, of course, are free to engage in the religious side as much or as little as they want). 60% of our students identify as Catholic and many come from Catholic high schools. Yet, what binds people together is caring for the whole person and it is striking how many of my students identify with that and see it as a real difference.
That's a great description of how a religiously-affiliated university can remain true to its own faith tradition and create welcoming room for others. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Getting the blend and balance right is tricky at times, but in that healthy tension is a more interesting and vibrant learning environment.
I think VU has definitely moved in that direction since my days there, and that change is among the reasons why I support it as an alumnus. As a non-Lutheran, I nevertheless would also be happy if VU could attract a larger cohort of Lutheran-affiliated students. Again, building on a Lutheran tradition and attracting a diverse student body are not zero-sum, competing goals -- especially at a university that would benefit from larger entering classes of qualified students, period.
Universities that engage in big, painful rounds of program closures and layoffs can easily develop a mentality of internal competition for limited attention and resources, especially when the higher education world generally seems to be in crisis mode. I fear that VU is at that point right now. Even our discussions and debates on this board about how to deploy those resources often reflect that way of thinking.
During this time of shakeout in higher ed, some universities like VU may not make it. Most will manage to survive, though many in a diminished way. After all, universities tend to be pretty resilient institutions. And a few will genuinely thrive. For VU, I think the question is surviving (very likely) vs. thriving (possible, but the road there isn't yet clear to me).
I am not going to enter the abortion debate on either side in this discussion. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, of course, and as a whole the nation is split on this subject. However, I do object to two contributors stating the false premise that they do not want decisions about women's bodies determined by old white men. If the allusion is to the Supreme Court, recall that Roe v. Wade was made law by seven older men on the court, and only one was non-white. The recent Supreme Court case sending the decision-making back to the states had a majority that included a few arguably middle-age men, a black man, and a woman. Nevertheless, since the decision-making is now determined by state legislatures whose members reflect the constituencies who elected them, and the last I looked the majority of voters are female, then the decisions on this, like other topics, could be considered in the hands of those women who chose the legislators at the ballot box.
Yes, Thank you ValpoPal!
I am sick of people treating court decisions like policy decisions handed down on student loans or other policies from a "Republican/Conservative" court or a Democrat/Liberal" court. The courts rule on process not on policy impact.
We need to teach more civics in school. That would mean fewer class hours focused on telling them that 4+4 can equal 9 if it feels that way to them or how to recognize a micro-aggression behind every tree.
Quote from: crusadermoe on July 10, 2023, 04:34:01 PM
Yes, Thank you ValpoPal!
I am sick of people treating court decisions like policy decisions handed down on student loans or other policies from a "Republican/Conservative" court or a Democrat/Liberal" court. The courts rule on process not on policy impact.
We need to teach more civics in school. That would mean fewer class hours focused on telling them that 4+4 can equal 9 if it feels that way to them or how to recognize a micro-aggression behind every tree.
In response to Valpopal and Crusadermoe, it would be incorrect to classify the Dobbs decision as one of legal process or deferring to the states (the latter an argument used to defend the Confederacy in the Civil War), not when a constitutional right is at stake. Substantive constitutional law is usually about making policy choices, even when it's cloaked as a ruling on process. Text, subtext, and pretext have been used by judges of all political stripes, and this is no different. And we happen to have liberal justices, conservative justices, and variations in between. This happens to be a very conservative Supreme Court, as just about any student of judicial history -- regardless of their own political leanings -- will readily acknowledge. If it wasn't about partisanship, then you wouldn't have such fraught battles over confirming justices.
I agree wholeheartedly that we need more civics training and that our public dialogue would be enriched and informed by it. Indeed, I think there's a case to be made that any set of college distribution requirements should include a course about the basic functions and history of the U.S. government. I think back to some of the poli sci and history courses I took at VU as building that kind of knowledge base. If we had something like that, people would graduate knowing, for example, that the debate over abortion should not be confused with mere feelings or micro-aggressions or 4+4=9. Such instruction might also teach others that laws and protections probably shouldn't be enacted in response to feelings and micro-aggressions, without something a lot more substantive to justify that.
Quote from: David81 on July 10, 2023, 05:25:32 PM
In response to Valpopal and Crusadermoe, it would be incorrect to classify the Dobbs decision as one of legal process or deferring to the states (the latter an argument used to defend the Confederacy in the Civil War), not when a constitutional right is at stake. Substantive constitutional law is usually about making policy choices, even when it's cloaked as a ruling on process. Text, subtext, and pretext have been used by judges of all political stripes, and this is no different. And we happen to have liberal justices, conservative justices, and variations in between.
David: I have already agreed with you in past discussions that there are liberal courts and conservative courts, and the justices usually make decisions through the filters of their philosophies. Additionally, we must all live with judgments on controversial issues unless or until they are reversed. This was displayed in the 1972 and 1976 death penalty decisions by the court. However, I do not agree the Dobbs decision is without a constitutional foundation or that a constitutional right is at stake. Nor do I accept your attempt to diminish the 10th Amendment with a reference to a defense of the Confederacy, which was found lacking.
The Dobbs decision states: "The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion." The 10th Amendment clearly declares: "The Powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people." Properly, just like the death penalty, abortion is now a matter for each state to decide as its people wish through their representatives. Will states differ and will the social consequences be messy in some cases? Yes, but that is the result sometimes in a Democratic Republic, and I am fine with it, just as I am with numerous other laws that differ from state to state.
Quote from: valpopal on July 10, 2023, 03:08:31 PMthe false premise that they do not want decisions about women's bodies determined by old white men. If the allusion is to the Supreme Court, recall that Roe v. Wade was made law by seven older men on the court, and only one was non-white.
Actually, I wasn't referencing the Supreme Court but rather State Legislatures where old white men dominate the discussion increasingly because of gerrymandered districts or otherwise a lack of female/people of color representation. Which isn't necessarily the Old White guy's fault, just facts. So states like Ohio, where the legislatures is trying to raise the percentage of votes necessary to change the state constitution because they recognize that most voters (witness Kansas) prefer some level of legal abortion and are trying to stop it. A couple of examples are Indiana, where 24% of legislators are female while the state wide population is slightly more female. In a even more conservative state like Tennessee, it is even worse, where 16 of 100 legislators are female while again, the state wide population favors women.
As for the old white men statement, in 2015 the makeup of the Indiana legislators was 71% Baby Boomers or Silent generation. Tennessee also had the same demographic breakdown.
There is just some form of panic showing up across the nation by those whose views may be different than current demographics. My answer: put it to a state wide vote and leave the legislations out of it for obvious reasons stated above.
Quote from: vu72 on July 10, 2023, 07:40:05 PM
Quote from: valpopal on July 10, 2023, 03:08:31 PMthe false premise that they do not want decisions about women's bodies determined by old white men. If the allusion is to the Supreme Court, recall that Roe v. Wade was made law by seven older men on the court, and only one was non-white.
Actually, I wasn't referencing the Supreme Court but rather State Legislatures where old white men dominate the discussion increasingly because of gerrymandered districts or otherwise a lack of female/people of color representation. Which isn't necessarily the Old White guy's fault, just facts. So states like Ohio, where the legislatures is trying to raise the percentage of votes necessary to change the state constitution because they recognize that most voters (witness Kansas) prefer some level of legal abortion and are trying to stop it. A couple of examples are Indiana, where 24% of legislators are female while the state wide population is slightly more female. In a even more conservative state like Tennessee, it is even worse, where 16 of 100 legislators are female while again, the state wide population favors women.
As for the old white men statement, in 2015 the makeup of the Indiana legislators was 71% Baby Boomers or Silent generation. Tennessee also had the same demographic breakdown.
There is just some form of panic showing up across the nation by those whose views may be different than current demographics. My answer: put it to a state wide vote and leave the legislations out of it for obvious reasons stated above.
72: I addressed the state legislatures in the part of my message you cut. I mentioned that the decision-making is now determined by state legislatures, as it should be, whose members reflect the views of the constituencies who elected them. The last I looked the majority of voters are female; therefore, decisions on this issue, like other topics, could be considered in the hands of those women who choose the legislators at the ballot box. Often, state-wide votes are counter to the concept of a Democratic Republic, the wise system in which we live.
Quote from: David81 on July 10, 2023, 05:25:32 PMIn response to Valpopal and Crusadermoe, it would be incorrect to classify the Dobbs decision as one of legal process or deferring to the states (the latter an argument used to defend the Confederacy in the Civil War), not when a constitutional right is at stake. Substantive constitutional law is usually about making policy choices, even when it's cloaked as a ruling on process. Text, subtext, and pretext have been used by judges of all political stripes, and this is no different. And we happen to have liberal justices, conservative justices, and variations in between. This happens to be a very conservative Supreme Court, as just about any student of judicial history -- regardless of their own political leanings -- will readily acknowledge. If it wasn't about partisanship, then you wouldn't have such fraught battles over confirming justices.
This Supreme Court has definitely been "unusual" to quote someone. And "unusual" was a guarded response.
Although the contributions of this message board offer some good reviews/critiques of current issues, these most recent topics have little to do with Valpo and VU's strategic plan. Can we get this back on topic?
Working with donors can be really frustrating because you both want some leeway with what they're asking for but you also don't want something to become a random pot of money that can be pulled in too many directions if you really want it to accomplish a specific thing.
One thing I've heard is that the difficulty comes when donors start to get weird about specific things that make events harder to do or programs harder to success uch as you must have x specific type of scholar or you must only hold events in x type of places. So I think minute details are bad but targeted funds can be good too if done right.
I'd say the Helge Center is actually a good example of it being done right. It has helped spawn a lot of good academic presentations and is the home of what the more coveted internship/fellowship programs on campus as well as just creating a space for students to be and create on their own (something I think is a good thing for smaller campuses in particular). I think that the way we go is one that the Helge Center models. Lutheran but also just faith based leadership and calling. The chapel remains the home of many different organizations some very related to the church such as Praise Band and some that allow students to serve others, such as SALT which is one of the strongest student groups on campus.
I do think one issue Valpo is experiencing is that the older and more established and well-off donors are from an era where the faith based aspect of the university was strong. So they are giving back to the university based on what they valued about their time. We are reaching a point where hopefully some later generations might step up to start funding other areas. I know they have recently received funding for things like Mental Health and other supports on campus but you need more.
Several years ago the Alumni Engagement office did focus groups with alums from my area and talked about needing to cultivate our generations. The issue that popped up was both the beginning of the student loan issues and maybe some generational frustration with the university that had taken a pretty draconian hand around alcohol enforcement and other things that had left a bad taste in people's mouths.
Yes, thank you Valpo95 for steering the thread back to Valpo's future and away from the roles of SCOTUS! Haha.
I don't recall specific big gifts, but it seems like many of them came for the purpose of anchoring Valpo in its founding purpose. I think that was probably intentional to avoid mission creep. It that priority holds the stated historical mission stated by Presidents Dau and Kretzmann, is that a bad thing? If the founding mission of the university is under question then let's have that honest conversation. I wonder when Harvard had that conversation?
It seem like donors deserve that conversation. Again, to ask again after asking perhaps a dozen times before, "How does the mission of the university differentiate its posture on the religious aspect of our mission from hundreds of liberal arts colleges or from the theological departments of true "universities?"
Quote from: valpo22 on July 11, 2023, 08:53:50 AM
Okay, a little more in the footprint of Strategic Plan, it seems to me that the real question for universities in all these cultural/political discussions is how donations for centers, institutes, etc. tend to work in terms of shaping the space for student support and civic discussion.
In my anecdotal observation, it seems less about a top-down vision, and more about big donors deciding to give towards something or other.
- For instance, at one of my alma maters, some retiring administrator had donated a gazillion dollars to found an LGBTQ resource center at what was otherwise a kind of middle-of-the-road religious school, because they had a child of their own who identified as queer in some way.
But at a different alma mater, I remember my undergrad uni had a very right-leaning debate center/program that was funded by some rich Republican donors.
At Valpo (though I don't actually know the state of a Muslim worship space/center and am out of the loop on any developments), I thought I'd heard a couple of years back that it was a possibility in the works because of a Muslim parent of a recent Muslim VU student who was going to donate big $$$$ to have some kind of Muslim space since they thought VU could do better to support Muslim students.
Or even already existing at Valpo, most the fundraising already is already quite sector and religiously specific, with Lutheran families like the Helge's donating for Helge Center. I have even heard some lamenting among staff that the uni historically cultivated so much Church ministry-specific endowment, since it left the uni in a weird uneven place where the Chapel and its programs are always flush with religiously-earmarked endowment funds, while the rest of the uni can't run basic operating expenses (staff and faculty payroll, dorm maintenance, professional develoment funds, COLA, etc).... though I don't know the numbers to say whether its really that skewed, or just a narrative that gets told about why the uni struggles to keep up with basic university functions despite a supposedly decent endowment
But that brings me to the larger question. Do universities just kind of haphazardly host different kinds of intellectual or relational spaces based on whatever rich donors happened to want to give towards? I'd think this impulse to take the money and its implications gets even stronger when a school is generally cash-strapped. Or does Valpo have some other body or operating mechanism for discerning what centers or institutes to host?
Like, at what point could Valpo step in and tell the Lutheran donors they need to give a little more generically and quit tying up everything in the Chapel so that the rest of the university can take care of nuts-and-bolts kind of basics? Or turn down donations earmarked for students of other religions based on institutional identity reasons? Or politically, at what point could Valpo say 'no, we don't want a X Left-wing Institute or Y Right-wing Institute or X Religious Resource Center, even thought you (parent/alumn) are willing to donate big money for it' becuase the uni has a responsibility to cultivate some kind of open dialogue space?
These questions of managing donors' social, religious, and political preferences are very, very challenging for just about any university, regardless of whatever its own institutional "lean" might be.
Rather than even attempt to define hard line rules or standards, I favor a more subjective analysis that examines how this potential gift complements or fits into the school's overall mission and programming. To take an obvious example, if someone wants to establish, say, a center for the study of Lutheran history, that's great. But if the express purpose of the center is to develop a historical critique of Catholicism, well, it's time to negotiate with the potential donor to see if they can be swayed. In any event, establishing that strong initial understanding and sense of respective boundaries can make all the difference.
From my own experience as a faculty member establishing a program funded by a big donor, my own sense is that it's best if the donor's role is advisory and ceremonial, and not supervisory or possessing veto power at the granular level. Of course, if it's not an endowment gift, but rather ongoing funding, then the donor can walk away at some point if they wish.
The experience I had was a positive one, with a donor that had very high performance expectations but left it to us to prove we were worthy of the support. And when the donor saw that we were using their money well, it led to more trust and eventually an endowment gift. It was, I might add, the kind of program that could've easily been undermined by political differences: a summer fellowship program to support law students interested in public service, with the donor being a prominent Republican family and real estate developer, and me, the liberal Democrat, as the initial program director. My approach was to engage them in a spirit of complete openness, to be scrupulously fair in my decisions, and to continually request their input and take it seriously. We worked well together.
I believe that I previously posted on this, but I am repeating some points because it further addresses valpo22's question and adds to the insightful discussion.
There are hugely wealthy donors (individuals and organizations) that look to make seven or (or even eight) figure donations to advance their specific agendas. They seek universities who are struggling financially. The Koch Brothers and George Soros are notorious for this. They offer a large donation in exchange for developing a program which advances their social, political, etc. agenda. They specifically demand curriculum that advances their views and structure the payments over time so that they are only made if programs are taught the way that they demand (i.e. never endowment, but seed funding and then annual payments over years to get to the complete donation). In some cases, they want the right to approve who is hired to teach the program. While I am not aware that Valpo has ever had such an offer, I know of universities who have accepted such donations with these types of terms and universities who have rejected such donations with these types of terms.
Beyond teaching, I am aware of one case in which the major donor also required academic research be pursued that advanced/supported their agenda.
In my view, a university should be very flexible who they accept donations from, but very critical of the terms. A donation to start a focused theology program or an entrepreneurship program, for instance, would be fine from almost anyone. But any terms on curriculum, hiring, etc. must be agreed to by the university administration AND the faculty within the applicable college. Universities cannot let donors try to 'recraft' the university towards their worldview (regardless of their worldview). This is one of the many ways in which universities advance the mission of teaching how to think...not what to think.
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 11, 2023, 12:21:00 PM
I believe that I previously posted on this, but I am repeating some points because it further addresses valpo22's question and adds to the insightful discussion.
There are hugely wealthy donors (individuals and organizations) that look to make seven or (or even eight) figure donations to advance their specific agendas. They seek universities who are struggling financially. The Koch Brothers and George Soros are notorious for this. They offer a large donation in exchange for developing a program which advances their social, political, etc. agenda. They specifically demand curriculum that advances their views and structure the payments over time so that they are only made if programs are taught the way that they demand (i.e. never endowment, but seed funding and then annual payments over years to get to the complete donation). In some cases, they want the right to approve who is hired to teach the program. While I am not aware that Valpo has ever had such an offer, I know of universities who have accepted such donations with these types of terms and universities who have rejected such donations with these types of terms.
Beyond teaching, I am aware of one case in which the major donor also required academic research be pursued that advanced/supported their agenda.
In my view, a university should be very flexible who they accept donations from, but very critical of the terms. A donation to start a focused theology program or an entrepreneurship program, for instance, would be fine from almost anyone. But any terms on curriculum, hiring, etc. must be agreed to by the university administration AND the faculty within the applicable college. Universities cannot let donors try to 'recraft' the university towards their worldview (regardless of their worldview). This is one of the many ways in which universities advance the mission of teaching how to think...not what to think.
When the donor has an agenda AND has program/hiring veto, directive, or approval power, it's a recipe for a blow-up unless the donor's agenda and the university's agenda are in very close sync. Even in such cases, any results of funded research in this context are instantly suspect.
I'm OK with initial seed funding followed by an endowment decision, so long as it doesn't include on-the-ground veto, directive, or approval power, as that "tryout" puts the university on notice that it has to demonstrate wise and responsible use of that funding.
Quote from: David81 on July 12, 2023, 11:22:55 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 11, 2023, 12:21:00 PM
I believe that I previously posted on this, but I am repeating some points because it further addresses valpo22's question and adds to the insightful discussion.
There are hugely wealthy donors (individuals and organizations) that look to make seven or (or even eight) figure donations to advance their specific agendas. They seek universities who are struggling financially. The Koch Brothers and George Soros are notorious for this. They offer a large donation in exchange for developing a program which advances their social, political, etc. agenda. They specifically demand curriculum that advances their views and structure the payments over time so that they are only made if programs are taught the way that they demand (i.e. never endowment, but seed funding and then annual payments over years to get to the complete donation). In some cases, they want the right to approve who is hired to teach the program. While I am not aware that Valpo has ever had such an offer, I know of universities who have accepted such donations with these types of terms and universities who have rejected such donations with these types of terms.
Beyond teaching, I am aware of one case in which the major donor also required academic research be pursued that advanced/supported their agenda.
In my view, a university should be very flexible who they accept donations from, but very critical of the terms. A donation to start a focused theology program or an entrepreneurship program, for instance, would be fine from almost anyone. But any terms on curriculum, hiring, etc. must be agreed to by the university administration AND the faculty within the applicable college. Universities cannot let donors try to 'recraft' the university towards their worldview (regardless of their worldview). This is one of the many ways in which universities advance the mission of teaching how to think...not what to think.
When the donor has an agenda AND has program/hiring veto, directive, or approval power, it's a recipe for a blow-up unless the donor's agenda and the university's agenda are in very close sync. Even in such cases, any results of funded research in this context are instantly suspect.
I'm OK with initial seed funding followed by an endowment decision, so long as it doesn't include on-the-ground veto, directive, or approval power, as that "tryout" puts the university on notice that it has to demonstrate wise and responsible use of that funding.
What a Cadillac problem that would be right now.
American universities have been bastions of liberalism for decades. There may have been a time when they were close enough to center that a conservative with deep pockets could influence change, but liberal ideology has shifted too far left in recent years to bridge what has become a chasm between "the 2 Americas." Instead, donor money is pouring in to build up conservative bastions such as Liberty and Grand Canyon, two of the fastest growing universities in the United States.
Agree.
You can put at the forefront Hillsdale which teaches U.S. Constitutional history and takes no government loans, even student loans. You can get really great history lessons free from Victor David Hanson and other giants in the teaching of U.S. history. Check him out.
It seems like some of the elite schools keep a token conservative like Hanson. Let's make a list of schools where the constitution is celebrated and is a focal point of history instruction. Maybe I am missing some places and that that question doesn't draw crickets.
Quote from: wh on July 15, 2023, 02:46:37 PM
American universities have been bastions of liberalism for decades. There may have been a time when they were close enough to center that a conservative with deep pockets could influence change, but liberal ideology has shifted too far left in recent years to bridge what has become a chasm between "the 2 Americas." Instead, donor money is pouring in to build up conservative bastions such as Liberty and Grand Canyon, two of the fastest growing universities in the United States.
In regards to the donation issue being a 'Cadillac problem', I guess you would be fine with Valpo accepting a large donation from George Soros in which Valpo agrees to teach courses emphasizing his economic principles. However, I certainly would not be in favor of such a deal.
Grand Canyon is a fraudulent university run by fraudulent people. Beyond the clearly fraudulent financial dealings of its senior executives (which I have discussed in prior postings), almost all of their classes are taught by instructors - not tenured and tenure-track professors and not full time clinical professors with years of professional experience. Their colleges seek accreditation from the bodies with the lowest standards. Imagine going to university for four years to study a field like accounting and then no mid- or large-tier accounting firms or no established firms will hire you because your degree has little credibility...that is the Grand Canyon experience.
For Hillsdale and Liberty, they seem very effective at preparing people to live in a bubble...an imaginary homogenous world where everyone has the same worldview. However, we will always live in a world with people of many beliefs, backgrounds, ideologies.
Underestimate Liberty at your own peril. 95,000 total students - undergrad and graduate, 50% acceptance rate, 21% minority enrollment, medical school, law school, commercial aviation school, private air strip & planes, shooting range/lessons on "2nd Amendment Av," concealed carry, fully stocked private lake, mountainside bike trails, ice hockey arena, football stadium, ranked among best college dorms in America, simulated ski slopes and toboggan runs, etc., etc.
Quote from: wh on July 15, 2023, 11:18:26 PM
Underestimate Liberty at your own peril. 95,000 total students - undergrad and graduate, 50% acceptance rate, 21% minority enrollment, medical school, law school, commercial aviation school, private air strip & planes, shooting range/lessons on "2nd Amendment Av," concealed carry, fully stocked private lake, mountainside bike trails, ice hockey arena, football stadium, ranked among best college dorms in America, simulated ski slopes and toboggan runs, etc., etc.
I was not underestimating Liberty in my comments, though the quality of their programs varies widely. For instance, their engineering school is highly accredited with seemingly strong faculty (PhDs from very good engineering schools), but their business school is accredited like Grand Canyon and has a very weak group of faculty (very little depth in any area, heavy reliance on people with very general experience - which makes the quality of upper level classes very questionable).
My issue with Liberty (and Hillsdale, as well as BYU) is that they demand adherence to their ideology. Here is an excerpt from Liberty's Student Honor Code:
Every student is expected to respect Liberty's Statement of Doctrine and Purpose and should avoid any activity, on or
off campus, which would contradict the university's mission or purpose, compromise the testimony or reputation of
the university, or disrupt Liberty's Christian learning environment. All members of the Liberty University community
are asked to affirm the following: "We have a responsibility to uphold the moral and ethical standards of Liberty University and personally
confront those who do not."
It then goes on to detail a long list of potential violations of things its administration has deemed immoral and a point system for incurred violations that is tied to fines and further punitive action.
You can call this a lot of things, but you certainly cannot call it freedom, nor can you say that it prepares people to enter a world with a wide range of beliefs and background.
Quote from: crusadermoe on July 15, 2023, 04:23:56 PM. Let's make a list of schools where the constitution is celebrated and is a focal point of history instruction. Maybe I am missing some places and that that question doesn't draw crickets.
Yes, let's do that. Oh, wait. Wouldn't that list include just about any college with a history department? While not every college graduation requirement includes a course on constitutional law, most history departments across the board do offer a course or two where the constitution is a focal point of study. But I get the subtle dig in your comment — a constitution filtered through one set of lenses is to be celebrated. The same constitution viewed through another set is to be condemned. That's not the way it's supposed to work.
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 15, 2023, 10:11:19 PM
Quote from: wh on July 15, 2023, 02:46:37 PM
American universities have been bastions of liberalism for decades. There may have been a time when they were close enough to center that a conservative with deep pockets could influence change, but liberal ideology has shifted too far left in recent years to bridge what has become a chasm between "the 2 Americas." Instead, donor money is pouring in to build up conservative bastions such as Liberty and Grand Canyon, two of the fastest growing universities in the United States.
In regards to the donation issue being a 'Cadillac problem', I guess you would be fine with Valpo accepting a large donation from George Soros in which Valpo agrees to teach courses emphasizing his economic principles. However, I certainly would not be in favor of such a deal.
Grand Canyon is a fraudulent university run by fraudulent people. Beyond the clearly fraudulent financial dealings of its senior executives (which I have discussed in prior postings), almost all of their classes are taught by instructors - not tenured and tenure-track professors and not full time clinical professors with years of professional experience. Their colleges seek accreditation from the bodies with the lowest standards. Imagine going to university for four years to study a field like accounting and then no mid- or large-tier accounting firms or no established firms will hire you because your degree has little credibility...that is the Grand Canyon experience.
For Hillsdale and Liberty, they seem very effective at preparing people to live in a bubble...an imaginary homogenous world where everyone has the same worldview. However, we will always live in a world with people of many beliefs, backgrounds, ideologies.
:rotfl:
IMO Liberty University is no farther right than today's typical university is left - polar opposites on an ideological distribution curve.
As for Soros, what would he try to leverage that Marquette, for instance, hasn't already embraced free of charge?
Try reading Liberty's Student Honor Code before making that statement. There are some pretty extreme guidelines, especially for dress, entertainment, and sexuality/relationships. But I will readily admit that students choose to go to school there and live under such rules. I just abhor it because it fosters homogeneity and thus rejects open dialog and acceptance. This is direction that Valpo should never purse - and thankfully won't because the majority of its alumni will not permit it.
I am very confident that any of our (Marquette's) curriculum in macroeconomics, finance, real estate, etc. is far more pro-capitalist than people like George Soros would prefer. There are those within the university community who don't like that - and they are entitled to express their opinion in a community that welcomes debate from all sides - but they do not dictate the curriculum.
Enrollment is clearly important, but is not the only bottom line:
Graduation Rate within 8 years of starting (national median for 4-yr schools: 58%)
Grand Canyon: 42%
Liberty: 36%
Valparaiso: 71%
Median Earnings 10 yrs after starting (national median for 4-yr schools: $50.4K)
Grand Canyon: $38.3K
Liberty: $45.1K
Valparaiso: $60.8K
Interestingly, the average annual costs after discounts (Grand Canyon: $21.2K; Liberty: $28.6; Valpo: $25.8K) and the median total debt for a student after graduating (Grand Canyon: $22.1K; Liberty: $24.5K ; Valpo: $26.9K) for these three schools are fairly similar. Obviously, you have many more students who have debt and did not get a degree at Liberty and Grand Canyon.
Frankly (and as I have stated in prior posts), an area where Valpo clearly needs to improve is marketing. Valpo's outcomes are good and the average annual cost (after discounts) is modestly competitive.
Unlike Christian-affiliated universities that have embraced ever changing secular values, culture, and world views, Liberty has unapologetically stayed true to its biblical world view. And, they are being rewarded for it.
At a time when the student market is in severe decline nationally and 25% of universities are at risk of closing within 5 years, Liberty is growing by leaps and bounds.
Enrollment
Total enrollment exceeds 130,000
Over 27,000+ military students
Over 700 international students
Academic Programs
Over 700 unique programs of study (some available both residentially and online)
Over 350+ residential programs
Over 200 undergraduate
45 graduate with 100+ specializations
7 doctoral
Over 600 online programs
Over 150 undergraduate
Nearly 300 graduate
16 postgraduate
Over 100 doctoral
15 colleges and schools
To avoid falling victim to mission creep, they hire faculty and staff that hold the same values and and embrace Liberty's biblical world view. Their primary target market is Evangelical Christianity. Their messaging is crystal clear; no confusing mixture of seemingly random words and phrases (marketing speak) you find in "The About" section of most university websites.
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 17, 2023, 07:29:41 AM
Enrollment is clearly important, but is not the only bottom line:
Graduation Rate within 8 years of starting (national median for 4-yr schools: 58%)
Grand Canyon: 42%
Liberty: 36%
Valparaiso: 71%
Median Earnings 10 yrs after starting (national median for 4-yr schools: $50.4K)
Grand Canyon: $38.3K
Liberty: $45.1K
Valparaiso: $60.8K
Interestingly, the average annual costs after discounts (Grand Canyon: $21.2K; Liberty: $28.6; Valpo: $25.8K) and the median total debt for a student after graduating (Grand Canyon: $22.1K; Liberty: $24.5K ; Valpo: $26.9K) for these three schools are fairly similar. Obviously, you have many more students who have debt and did not get a degree at Liberty and Grand Canyon.
Frankly (and as I have stated in prior posts), an area where Valpo clearly needs to improve is marketing. Valpo's outcomes are good and the average annual cost (after discounts) is modestly competitive.
Apples and oranges. Valpo has no on-line programs that cater to working adults taking a class or 2 at a time.
Graduation Rate at Liberty
Graduation Rate Transfer-out Rate
62% 6%
At Liberty University, the graduation rate is 62 % within 150% normal time, the retention rate is 79 %, and the transfer-out rate is 6 %, as of August 31, 2021.
Liberty University Salaries
33 verified profiles
Last updated on Jul 15, 2023
Employees who graduate from Liberty University earn an average base salary of $53k, mostly ranging from $41k to $102k based on 33 profiles.
To a degree, I understand your point about apples and oranges - but Liberty's average annual costs - with a high percentage of online students - is $3K per year higher than Valpo. And what do they get from those online degrees? Jobs in poorly paying positions (if they graduate) with an equal amount of debt as people who go to more traditional four-year schools. The ROI (investment of time and money) is not good...which is not surprising because the ROI for online education is poor.
Quote from: wh on July 17, 2023, 08:09:54 AMLiberty has unapologetically stayed true to its biblical world view
To avoid falling victim to mission creep, they hire faculty and staff that hold the same values and and embrace Liberty's biblical world view.
Well, they did have that Falwell guy! Maybe he should have read the requirements!
Quote from: wh on July 17, 2023, 08:09:54 AM
Unlike Christian-affiliated universities that have embraced ever changing secular values, culture, and world views, Liberty has unapologetically stayed true to its biblical world view. And, they are being rewarded for it.
To avoid falling victim to mission creep, they hire faculty and staff that hold the same values and and embrace Liberty's biblical world view. Their primary target market is Evangelical Christianity. Their messaging is crystal clear; no confusing mixture of seemingly random words and phrases (marketing speak) you find in "The About" section of most university websites.
Their President from 2007 to 2020, Jerry Falwell, Jr., clearly embodied these principles.
Quote from: vu72 on July 17, 2023, 08:51:41 AM
Quote from: wh on July 17, 2023, 08:09:54 AMLiberty has unapologetically stayed true to its biblical world view
To avoid falling victim to mission creep, they hire faculty and staff that hold the same values and and embrace Liberty's biblical world view.
Well, they did have that Falwell guy! Maybe he should have read the requirements!
I forgot about him. lol
The point that comes across to me in this Liberty/Grand Canyon discussion is that there is still a market, and a pretty good size one at that, for conservative, faith-based students - a market that VU unwisely has not prioritized (at least from what I can see) in the last 10 years or so.
That has cost us in the short term, and will continue to cost us in the long run.
VU is now viewed as too liberal for most conservative kids, and too conservative for most liberal kids. Perhaps this would have happened anyway, but VU's "try to please everyone" approach sure didn't help.
Side note: the attendance at morning chapel is, to say the least, sad and pathetic - at least from what I can gather from some photos posted online. Do we even have a morning service anymore? And does anyone attend?
Paul
Lutherans by continent:
Europe 33,733,309
Africa 24,135,469
Asia 11,376,400
N.America 3,672,858
Rather than Heckler's get rich quick scheme of jumping in bed with radical Muslim nations and Communist China, Valpo should have been tapping into Lutheran hotbeds all over the world.
Nations with significant Lutheran populations:
Germany
10,814,631
Ethiopia
10,404,128
Tanzania
7,916,253
Sweden
5,900,000
Indonesia
5,705,589
India
4,386,957
Denmark
4,339,511
Madagascar
4,000,000
Finland
3,800,000
Norway
3,746,308
United States
3,563,842
Nigeria
2,321,000
Netherlands
1,849,202
Papua New Guinea
1,349,869
Namibia
1,238,695
"Don't forget that you can only sell a thing that you have proficiency in."
17 Reasons That Businesses Fail
Unfortunately, wh's analysis only includes Lutherans part of the Lutheran World Federation. The 3.5M Lutherans listed for the USA only includes the ELCA, and many of the "confessional" Lutheran bodies are not part of it.
In the USA, church bodies NOT part of the LWF would include the LCMS (about 1.8M members), WELS (340K), NALC (142K) and several other smaller denominations.
Quote from: 78crusader on July 17, 2023, 12:59:14 PM
The point that comes across to me in this Liberty/Grand Canyon discussion is that there is still a market, and a pretty good size one at that, for conservative, faith-based students - a market that VU unwisely has not prioritized (at least from what I can see) in the last 10 years or so.
Let's take a little trip down memory lane, back to the early 80s when I was an undergraduate student and Valpo had not become the secular disgrace you seem to believe it is. But first, let's review Liberty's Student Honor Code.
I imagine more people went to services at the Chapel. But I can also say that about two-thirds of the student population would have been in violation of Liberty's Student Honor Code on any given Friday or Saturday night (and some Mondays, and some Wednesdays, and some Thursdays). Some of those violations were legal, some were illegal but shouldn't have been, and a few were illegal and should have been. Some of these were stupid and, in retrospect, some were dangerous - but many were safe, fun and a vital part of the experience. Beyond that there were protests against a member of the Reagan administration (Edwin Meese) speaking at graduation. There were gay students. There were liberal arts faculty who were excellent because they encouraged students to find their own philosophical and spiritual direction. My point: Valpo has probably been more secular over a much longer period of time than you imagine.
Quote from: wh on July 17, 2023, 08:20:48 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 17, 2023, 07:29:41 AM
Enrollment is clearly important, but is not the only bottom line:
Graduation Rate within 8 years of starting (national median for 4-yr schools: 58%)
Grand Canyon: 42%
Liberty: 36%
Valparaiso: 71%
Median Earnings 10 yrs after starting (national median for 4-yr schools: $50.4K)
Grand Canyon: $38.3K
Liberty: $45.1K
Valparaiso: $60.8K
Interestingly, the average annual costs after discounts (Grand Canyon: $21.2K; Liberty: $28.6; Valpo: $25.8K) and the median total debt for a student after graduating (Grand Canyon: $22.1K; Liberty: $24.5K ; Valpo: $26.9K) for these three schools are fairly similar. Obviously, you have many more students who have debt and did not get a degree at Liberty and Grand Canyon.
Frankly (and as I have stated in prior posts), an area where Valpo clearly needs to improve is marketing. Valpo's outcomes are good and the average annual cost (after discounts) is modestly competitive.
Apples and oranges. Valpo has no on-line programs that cater to working adults taking a class or 2 at a time.
Graduation Rate at Liberty
Graduation Rate Transfer-out Rate
62% 6%
At Liberty University, the graduation rate is 62 % within 150% normal time, the retention rate is 79 %, and the transfer-out rate is 6 %, as of August 31, 2021.
Liberty University Salaries
33 verified profiles
Last updated on Jul 15, 2023
Employees who graduate from Liberty University earn an average base salary of $53k, mostly ranging from $41k to $102k based on 33 profiles.
Universities are required, by law, to report outcome data to the US Dept. of Education. The data that I showed was what was reported by Liberty, Grand Canyon and Valpo and is available in the US Dept. of Education's College Scorecard. Thus, Liberty reported that the median salary of its students ten years after starting college is $45.1K and reported that 36% of its students graduated within 8 years of starting.
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 17, 2023, 04:08:21 PM
Quote from: wh on July 17, 2023, 08:20:48 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 17, 2023, 07:29:41 AM
Enrollment is clearly important, but is not the only bottom line:
Graduation Rate within 8 years of starting (national median for 4-yr schools: 58%)
Grand Canyon: 42%
Liberty: 36%
Valparaiso: 71%
Median Earnings 10 yrs after starting (national median for 4-yr schools: $50.4K)
Grand Canyon: $38.3K
Liberty: $45.1K
Valparaiso: $60.8K
Interestingly, the average annual costs after discounts (Grand Canyon: $21.2K; Liberty: $28.6; Valpo: $25.8K) and the median total debt for a student after graduating (Grand Canyon: $22.1K; Liberty: $24.5K ; Valpo: $26.9K) for these three schools are fairly similar. Obviously, you have many more students who have debt and did not get a degree at Liberty and Grand Canyon.
Frankly (and as I have stated in prior posts), an area where Valpo clearly needs to improve is marketing. Valpo's outcomes are good and the average annual cost (after discounts) is modestly competitive.
Apples and oranges. Valpo has no on-line programs that cater to working adults taking a class or 2 at a time.
Graduation Rate at Liberty
Graduation Rate Transfer-out Rate
62% 6%
At Liberty University, the graduation rate is 62 % within 150% normal time, the retention rate is 79 %, and the transfer-out rate is 6 %, as of August 31, 2021.
Liberty University Salaries
33 verified profiles
Last updated on Jul 15, 2023
Employees who graduate from Liberty University earn an average base salary of $53k, mostly ranging from $41k to $102k based on 33 profiles.
Universities are required, by law, to report outcome data to the US Dept. of Education. The data that I showed was what was reported by Liberty, Grand Canyon and Valpo and is available in the US Dept. of Education's College Scorecard. Thus, Liberty reported that the median salary of its students ten years after starting college is $45.1K and reported that 36% of its students graduated within 8 years of starting.
I'm not sure what your point is. You seem to be defending something I'm not questioning - the relative value of a Valparaiso University education. Unfortunately, that is no longer sufficient to drive enough student enrollment to pay the bills. Despite accepting anyone and everyone that fills out an application, it still isn't enough. Obviously, there are dominant offsetting negative factors in play that are turning people off and killing student growth.
Echoing your point, Liberty costs more and yields less value, and yet they are tearing down old dining centers and dorms to make room for bigger ones with amazing creature comforts as we speak. They are turning down half of their applicants for lack of room.
I can only draw 2 conclusions from this dichotomy - more people are seeing higher education as a commodity and are looking instead for external factors like values alignment as a primary determinant. And, therein lies Valpo's paradox in trying to serve 2 masters.
To build on WH's point....
If you sharpen your mission and your market niche, you can direct resources more directly to students who fit your niche mission. When that strategy lacks clarity, Valpo finds itself facing a bowlers' 7-10 split and risks missing both targets.
Quote from: crusadermoe on July 18, 2023, 01:21:27 PM
To build on WH's point....
If you sharpen your mission and your market niche, you can direct resources more directly to students who fit your niche mission. When that strategy lacks clarity, Valpo finds itself facing a bowlers' 7-10 split and risks missing both targets.
Yes, but your targeted direction needs to match your mission. You don't develop a strategy and then develop the mission. Valpo's mission is not to be a narrow-minded faith-oriented university. It is to be a welcoming open-minded faith-oriented university (far more like Jesuit universities and not like universities like Liberty). Strategy needs to be consistent with that.
I want to believe VU is still a faith-oriented university, but photos of weekday morning chapel, with perhaps half a dozen students in attendance, makes for a rebuttal argument difficult to ignore.
Paul
I'm not suggesting that Valpo become Liberty University. Both universities are what they are. The difference is Liberty is what they are - and, what they were. Jerry Falwell, Sr. founded LU in 1971. If he returned from the grave today, he would see the same place doing the same thing the same way, only on a mega scale.
Conversely, what would the spiritual giant O.P. Kretzmann think about Valpo today? I think he would be shocked to see how Valpo has continually watered down its biblical world view in a desperate attempt to stay relevant in today's Godless society. Secularism wags the dog at Valpo, just as it wags the dog in today's Lutheran Church.
Following is an article about ELCA's disgraceful "radically liberal" belief system and practices. What would O.P. Kretzmann think? Infinitely more important, what does Jesus Christ think?
A Lutheran denomination becomes radically liberal
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/a-lutheran-denomination-becomes-radically-liberal.html
My bottom line is this relative to this thread title. If Valparaiso University is going to survive, and it's critically important to myriad stakeholder groups that it does, it needs to shed any and all attachment to religion. It needs to follow Butler's successful model. Find a workable competitive advantage and build a foundation around it. Stop wasting money on religiosity that no longer attracts anyone. Invest instead in new, cutting edge programs and majors. Do things that generate excitement.
So, there it is. What I've been trying NOT to say for weeks. Reinvent yourself and move forward, President Padilla. I will now go into hiding while my Lutheran friends (and Butler haters) tar and feather me (hopefully figuratively).
wh
From article in previous post:
QuoteThe ELCA pays for abortion for any reason in the denomination's healthcare plan which is funded by offering dollars.
The ELCA ordains practicing homosexuals and now also transgender pastors.
Popular ELCA pastor Nadia Bolz-Webber led the students to say after her "I renounce the lie that queerness is anything other than beauty." At the youth gathering an 11-year-old boy who thinks he is a girl was put on stage to promote transgenderism.
A Chicago newspaper asked ELCA head bishop Elizabeth Eaton if Hell exists. Her response: "It may, but I think it is empty."
Recently The Christian Post reported on the ELCA promoting a prayer to "Mother God." If you go to herchurch.org, you will find an ELCA congregation in California which worships "Our Mother who is within us..." The church's pastor led the women on a retreat in which she gave each a lump of clay to fashion their own Asheroth goddess statue so they could worship the "forbidden divine feminine." My alma mater, the ELCA's Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, held a commemoration service for the Transgender Day of Remembrance in which the transgender preacher led the students in the Lord's Prayer, saying "Our Mother in heaven."
Like I said, ELCA is lukewarm and has conformed itself to the pattern of this world. Of the world, not in the world.
Quote from: 78crusader on July 18, 2023, 05:01:26 PMbut photos of weekday morning chapel, with perhaps half a dozen students in attendance, makes for a rebuttal argument difficult to ignore.
Paul
No doubt that Students today worship in a different way then we did (though I wasn't exactly the model attendee by any means!) Sunday morning is not the selection of choice for many, but rather Sunday evening at "Candlelight"--at 9 pm. or "Celebrate", every Wednesday at 10 pm. And yes, there remains a daily service from 10:10 to 10:30 during weekdays.
Rather than just making seemingly uninformed comments, perhaps exploring the worship options given to students and faculty might be a better option.
Here is the Worship options: https://www.valpo.edu/chapel/worship/worship-opportunities/
I didn't say Valpo is radically liberal. In fact, I'm certain it's no more or less liberal than Butler, or most any other small, secular midwestern university. You're missing my point.
I could be wrong, but I don't think wh was saying VU has become "radically liberal". (Edit - I missed wh's reply above!)
I think wh was pointing out that the ELCA has become increasingly "radically liberal" which was in the title of the article provided. It is also likely that the average ELCA pastor is far more liberal than the average member of the ELCA.
The demographic challenges also show a decline in college-age students in the Midwest and in all of the Lutheran churches. That said, as has been discussed before, Mark Heckler was the first ELCA president of VU and seemed to steer VU away from its traditional constituency, if not in practice at least in perception. It bears repeating that all of the prior presidents in VUs modern history were ordained LCMS pastors or had deep and longstanding ties to the LCMS. The result is that the LCMS students and families have voted with their feet and are going elsewhere. Just look at Concordia Lutheran High School Fort Wayne - they had 132 seniors this year, and as far as I could tell, NONE of them are going to VU.
78crusader has it right: VU is viewed too liberal for the conservative students and too conservative (or religious) for the liberal students.
From my somewhat limited knowledge, Butler's strategy is right for Butler. However, I believe the Jesuit-style direction (of which I am much more familiar) is the right direction for Valpo. Beyond it being more consistent with what Valpo's mission is and should be, it would take decades to transition Valpo to a position with no religious orientation (for the reasons articulated by Valpo22). Valpo's survival would be at risk with such long-term upheaval.
Just FYI. I might add something about Butler maybe everyone knows already: that Butler started off as a Christian college in 1854 as North-West Christian College and as late as 1924 it's religion department ran a theological seminary that in 1954 became independent as Christian Theological Seminary. Today, the former Christian emphasis has, IMO, evaporated.
Yes, it does seem like Valpo has reached a fork in the road.
1) Focus on its founding mission under Kretzmann and his predecessors.
2) Just collapse any mention of Christianity in our mission and go the "Butler route"(several authors note that a great majority of private colleges no longer mention their founding church bodies and rarely speak much of their beliefs.
Note: Option #2 can easily digest secular ELCA messaging of 2023. Google "Edina Minnesota pastor + Sparkle Creed + prayer to non-binary God." Its fair to ask the percent of VU faculty who are ELCA even though they may be offended by this.
Quote from: crusadermoe on July 19, 2023, 10:24:15 AM
Yes, it does seem like Valpo has reached a fork in the road.
1) Focus on its founding mission under Kretzmann and his predecessors.
2) Just collapse any mention of Christianity in our mission and go the "Butler route"(several authors note that a great majority of private colleges no longer mention their founding church bodies and rarely speak much of their beliefs.
Note: Option #2 can easily digest secular ELCA messaging of 2023. Google "Edina Minnesota pastor + Sparkle Creed + prayer to non-binary God." Its fair to ask the percent of VU faculty who are ELCA even though they may be offended by this.
I reject that there are only two choices (I won't repeat my arguments why the Jesuit-style approach is best).
In regards to Option #1, consider universities that have a very focused religiously-oriented ideology. What do Liberty, BYU, Oral Roberts, etc. all have in common? One person or a very small group who solely determines the ideology of the university. Yeah, most have boards - but you are not allowed to be on the board unless your beliefs are consistent with the single person or small group. But ideologies in the real world operate on a continuum - not in one or a few distinct buckets. Take Lutheranism, for example. Posts have noted more liberal ideologies within ELCA...but are all ELCA churches that way? No, they vary greatly within a fairly wide range (you are taking one or a few examples that support your points on ELCA, rather than looking at the vastly larger sample). OK, then you have LCMS - more conservative than ELCA, but still Lutheran. And I have little doubt that they operate on a continuum, driven by region, congregation, etc. And don't you have other groups like Wisconsin synod, which would think the ideology of LCMS is too liberal? Indeed, you have continuums in most other faiths - Catholicism, Baptist, Judaism, etc. So, how does the person or very small group who runs the aforementioned universities attain homogeneity? By edict, strict rules, and substantial loss from not adhering to the beliefs that they decided are right for all people in the university. That cannot and will not happen at Valpo.
Quote from: valpo95 on July 19, 2023, 09:22:15 AMIt is also likely that the average ELCA pastor is far more liberal than the average member of the ELCA.
Well, as a person raised in the Missouri Synod and having left in about 1980 for the ELCA, I might have some insight here. I have had several ELCA pastors, some male and some female and none were selling what you might consider "Liberal doctrine". Other than the fact that some were female (suspect some here might consider that "too liberal"), all taught biblically and I never had a discussion with any of them concerning homosexuals, gay marriage or transgender folks.
The article referenced above by wh is written by Tom Brock, a controversial guy, to say the least. He has admitted to being attracted to men, though also saying he never acted on it and that he is a virgin. Much of his efforts are to develop a following for a tv/radio network. He believes in "conversion therapy" for those having "homosexual urges"
Clearly the ELCA is more "liberal" than Missouri--remember that Alan Harre was "brought up on charges" for praying with others who were not Missouri Synod members, after 911. Other Valpo professors have been forced out of Missouri, like Matthew Becker. https://www.valpo.edu/theology/about/faculty/matthew-becker/
Rather than brand the ELCA as "radically liberal", I would suggest it is more open to the "Samaritans" of Jesus' day and that is what Christians are called to do rather than put up barriers to entry to protect the "pure" nature of one sect. Just my view of things.
Have a chat with Pastor Katherine Museus over at the Chapel. She doesn't have horns or make blood sacrifices of children!
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 19, 2023, 10:55:07 AM
I won't repeat my arguments why the Jesuit-style approach is best.
I must have missed the reasoning that Jesuit-style approach to education is best. I apologize. I do not have any objection to Jesuit schools, since I am a product of a Jesuit educational institution. However, even when I was a student, Jesuits were viewed by fellow Catholics as the most liberal and activist order, often in defiance of traditional Catholic teachings. Pope Francis is the first Jesuit to hold that position, and he has displayed a fondness for activist left politics that reflects Jesuit philosophy and has alienated many Catholics.
Quote from: valpopal on July 19, 2023, 11:24:20 AM
Quote from: vu84v2 on July 19, 2023, 10:55:07 AM
I won't repeat my arguments why the Jesuit-style approach is best.
I must have missed the reasoning that Jesuit-style approach to education is best. I apologize. I do not have any objection to Jesuit schools, since I am a product of a Jesuit educational institution. However, even when I was a student, Jesuits were viewed by fellow Catholics as the most liberal and activist order, often in defiance of traditional Catholic teachings. Pope Francis is the first Jesuit to hold that position, and he has displayed a fondness for activist left politics that reflects Jesuit philosophy and has alienated many Catholics.
There is a lot of truth in this, though I am unsure to what degree the entire population of Catholics have been alienated (i.e. "many" may be too strong and or vague). Nonetheless, most of the Jesuit universities overall are doing quite well (Marquette, Boston College, Loyola, Creighton, etc.) in a challenging time for universities and they welcome and respect people who have more traditional Catholic beliefs. Admittedly, they would turn off Catholics who only want others around them who believe as they do - but over 60% of Marquette students, for instance, identify as Catholic. A big difference between the Jesuit universities and Valpo, however, is that the Jesuit universities really engage with and recruit students from Catholic high schools.
84v2 -
• There are 70 million Catholics in the U.S., 20% of the total population.
• Latin America is home to more than 425 million Catholics – nearly 40% of the world's total Catholic population.
• Total Catholic elementary/middle and high school enrollment for the 2016-2017 academic year is 1,878,824. Elementary/middle schools: 5,224 schools educating 1,309,429 students. High schools: 1,205 schools educating 569,395 students. 6,429 total Catholic (elementary/middle and high) schools in the United States.
• Jesuit society is engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations. Jesuits work in education, research, and cultural pursuits. Jesuits also conduct retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes, sponsor direct social and humanitarian ministries, and promote ecumenical dialogue.
• Marquette University, et al., is not "affiliated" with the Roman Catholic Church, it's "owned" by the Church. It's no less important to the mission of Catholicism than its churches are. It is under the authority of the Vatican.
If Lutheran-affiliated Valpo had anything close to this level of sponsorship, support, and protection, and an endless educational feeder system of K-12 schools, we wouldn't be having this discussion. To suggest that independent Valpo should follow the Jesuit model is like saying the local independent hardware store should follow the Walmart model.
Being a faith-based school and being a sharply ideological school are not necessarily one in the same, unless the faith is defined very narrowly in terms of acceptable personal behavior & beliefs, and only those who subscribe to it are welcomed to become part of the campus community. I'd classify Liberty University in that latter category, based on many of vu84v2's points. That's not a judgment, but rather an observation that most would agree with.
As for Grand Canyon University, I find that school puzzling and interesting. Its status (for-profit vs. non-profit) appears to be something of muddle even to those versed in the law of non-profit organizations (go to https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/nonprofit/2023/03/grand-canyon-university-overthinking-complexity-in-for-profit-nonprofit-conversions.html (https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/nonprofit/2023/03/grand-canyon-university-overthinking-complexity-in-for-profit-nonprofit-conversions.html) and https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/nonprofit/2023/03/grand-canyon-universitys-long-road-home-non-profit-to-for-profit-and-back-again-or-not-ii.html (https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/nonprofit/2023/03/grand-canyon-universitys-long-road-home-non-profit-to-for-profit-and-back-again-or-not-ii.html) for a two-part legal analysis). In any event, it has grown tremendously, while not projecting the same level of religious messaging as Liberty U.
Both schools have tapped into the demand for online graduate degrees in order to fund their operations. Their online enrollments are humongous. On a qualitative, not ideological, level, I will assert that schools that have gone in this direction (and that includes some big state universities as well, such as Purdue Global) have basically created two universities within one: (1) a traditional, on-campus operation; (2) a huge, sort of mass-produced online operation, taught mainly by part-time faculty, that helps to fund the on-campus operation.
Unless folks really think that Valpo should try to become the next Liberty or Grand Canyon, I don't see why those schools should be comparators in terms of what VU is or can/should become.
Personally, I favor a more pluralistic campus community that embraces its Lutheran heritage but welcomes the presence of others and offers an education valuing both the arts & sciences and professional training. Maybe that doesn't appeal to prospective applicants who lean very strongly in a certain faith-based or social/political direction, or who want only a liberal arts or vocational education. But for the many others who seek a more balanced undergraduate experience, VU is a possibility. Add the University's traditional emphasis on smaller classes taught by full-time faculty and a culture that believes in the importance of developing personal values, and you've got the basis of the school's appeal.
I think that we also have to understand that despite the noise coming from the social/political/religious extremes in the current edition of this country, most prospective students are not looking for a college experience that tracks those extremes. And if we feel that a residential, undergraduate college experience should include some constructive exposure to different points of view, then schools like VU can offer that in a quality way.
valpo22 - as someone who is a professor at a Jesuit university, this is very well stated. Having dealt with people at all levels of the university, I have never seen dogma drive any strategies, decision-making, policies, etc. As you stated, its structure and governance is not very different than Valpo, other than oversight from the Society of Jesus...who really acts in more of an accreditation and support role.
wh - you make good points in your comments and you are correct that Valpo will never have the embedded connections that a Jesuit university has. But there are steps that can be taken. Get people from Valpo engaged with Lutheran high schools and even middle schools. You don't get there by having a Valpo representative just turn up one day and say, "hey, we're Valpo - want to talk with us?" Instead, Valpo needs to establish long term relationships with the students, teachers and administration. I have seen a few inklings that Pres. Padilla is taking steps in this direction, but far more is needed.
What if Purdue bought Valpo and closed and consolidated their Westville and Hammond campuses? That'd be weird, huh?
Quote from: wh on July 15, 2023, 11:18:26 PM
Underestimate Liberty at your own peril. 95,000 total students - undergrad and graduate, 50% acceptance rate, 21% minority enrollment, medical school, law school, commercial aviation school, private air strip & planes, shooting range/lessons on "2nd Amendment Av," concealed carry, fully stocked private lake, mountainside bike trails, ice hockey arena, football stadium, ranked among best college dorms in America, simulated ski slopes and toboggan runs, etc., etc.
I know a medical student that grew up in Valparaiso who attended Liberty's medical school. He said there are good doctors there who are dedicated to teaching medicine but as for the university he couldn't get away from it fast enough because they don't teach reality. They make up things much like the conservative media. This is just me reporting the facts that this student, now doing his internship in the real world, reported to me.
And then there is the Jerry Falwell Jr. and wife scandal at Liberty
Arguments presented in Jerry Falwell Jr.'s suit for retirement benefits against LU (newsadvance.com) (https://newsadvance.com/news/local/liberty-university/arguments-presented-in-jerry-falwell-jr-s-suit-for-retirement-benefits-against-lu/article_24a5f2c8-25a6-11ee-84a3-cf7f710421a3.html)
A new documentary follows an affair that felled evangelist Jerry Falwell Jr.'s career : NPR (https://www.npr.org/2022/10/30/1132658614/a-new-movie-follows-an-affair-that-felled-evangelist-jerry-falwell-jr-s-career)
Former pool attendant details alleged relationship with Becki and Jerry Falwell Jr. l GMA - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEOPb7t_CRg)
The Untold Story of the Jerry Falwell Jr. Sex Scandal - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXe-imYdfZg)
Academically, Liberty is nothing spectacular.
Valpo is not a radically liberal school as a national scale. But the dog mascots are still embarrassing.
If this were a discussion regarding sex scandals in the Church, I'd start with Catholicism - but it isn't. The discussion centers on finding a workable strategy for stemming the tide of declining enrollment at Valparaiso University and moving forward in a positive direction.
Relative to this discussion, statistics show that Liberty and GCU have leveraged a faith-centered approach to achieve incredible levels of success, in a severely declining market, no less. From a business perspective that's truly a remarkable achievement. In contrast, Valpo's faith-centric business approach is failing. This is a problem in need of a solution.
Ridiculing these other faith-based universities, their belief systems, GCU's profit model, or whatever else, is pointless. The fact remains that GCU's and Liberty's residential student populations are growing by leaps and bounds; Valpo's is in decline. As I mentioned above, the fact that they are accomplishing it in a market in severe decline is remarkable. Between the two, they have over 200,000 students enrolled in their on-line programs; Valpo has no online program. A lot of talk about it during the Heckler regime, but nothing to show for it.
An important process step in business strategy development is assessing the competitive landscape, including benchmarking. Who are your best competitors? What do they excel at? Can we "steal" some of their ideas and adapt them for our use? Do they have weaknesses we can exploit? Etc. That's my exclusive purpose in looking at GCU and Liberty. I have no personal feelings for them one way or the other, other than general admiration for finding a secret sauce for success. I know how difficult it is to become a market leader, so I certainly give them their just due for that.
Quote from: valpo22 on July 20, 2023, 08:30:10 AM
I wonder if Valpo's struggle is less the ideological 'bowler's split' and more a size-and-feel type of bowler's split.
Perhaps in higher ed going forward there are going to be a) the really big and increasingly enormous state schools and mega-privates like Liberty/GCU that operate on having enormous programs, tons of students, a lot of de-personalized online content, lots of adjunct teaching, but generally cheap and with lively campuses in the party or music concert type of scenes, & b) the small universities that focus on personalized attention and quality of conversation, real felt community, long-term faculty presence and curricular development, cheering on friends you actually know in the sports teams, dinners at prof's houses, small class sizes, high retention rate in terms of your friends sticking around the full four years, etc.
It seems to me the real problem of the Heckler years is that he and his Board sort of wanted it both ways, though its not clear you can do both scales simultaneously. So even though Valpo just wasn't ever that big or well-resourced and simply doesn't have the enrollment or mega-campus vibe of a big university, Heckler and Board kept trying to push for everything bigger and thinner. And so that sort of damaged the odds of the other approach. Although the small personalized education and community feel used to be Valpo's hallmark and reputation/draw in the local NWI area, Heckler & Board undermined that experience and reputation during the 2010s and early 2020s by trying to raise class sizes, raise course loads, lay people off, cut pay and resources, and just generally spread everybody thinner to do 'more with less'... though it has often just felt to staff, parents and students like 'less with less', etc. Maybe I'm being too critical. And yet I think some of the recent alumni comments on here have spoken to the dissatisfaction on the student experience side, with people wondering why not just go to a cheaper state school with more dining halls and a tailgating scene if the staff are all teaching 5 courses or distracted driving Doordash anyways. If Valpo is going to advertise itself on personalized education, that has to be an actual priority in terms of resource allocation.
P0int is, scale is key. I think the useful comparative aspirational peers are going to be universities with enrollments under 4,000 or 6,000... not the dozens or hundreds of thousands. Somebody earlier posted about Merrimack College's recent rise in enrollment gains and academic reputation, and most of us seemed to agree that was an intriguing and useful case study not just because of the religious nature of the university but also because of the size and comprehensive uni model.
I was among those who dug into Merrimack (hey, it's practically around the corner from me, relatively speaking) and found a school that was succeeding on a scale compatible with VU's overall profile. I was a little embarrassed that I had not taken earlier notice of Merrimack, as my own university (Suffolk U. in downtown Boston) could learn a few lessons from them. These small-to-medium sized, residential, comprehensive private universities can succeed because they offer desirable things that others cannot.
I may be yearning to preserve a model for an undergraduate education that is going by the wayside -- the one described by Valpo22 that I bolded above -- but it captures part of the post-WWII ideal for delivering an idealized example of the four-year, residential college experience and an educational engine for creating and sustaining a strong middle class. For some of us, it has provided a base of lifelong friendships as well, which is something I appreciate more and more with each passing year.
In other words, I think this type of college opportunity is worth fighting to preserve, even if it cuts against the current grain.
There is a nice piece in today's WSJ about a Notre Dame professor suing the school newspaper for defamation.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-notre-dame-professor-sues-the-student-paper-abortion-academic-freedom-catholic-3334c4f0?mod=opinion_lead_pos6 (https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-notre-dame-professor-sues-the-student-paper-abortion-academic-freedom-catholic-3334c4f0?mod=opinion_lead_pos6)
The bigger part is how the writer addresses the conflict between religious freedom and academic freedom, and I thought some of it was worth sharing because it hits on many of the issues facing VU:
When the religious institution is one committed to education, there's the added complication of academic freedom. It would seem obvious that the person who teaches at a religiously affiliated school necessarily accepts qualifications to that freedom. To deny this would be to raise serious questions about what the school's religious affiliation means. No doubt this would be uncomfortable for some—but we live in a free country and nobody is required to teach at religious universities.
How can these institutions maintain both their clear religious convictions and their academic integrity while also remaining places that educate rather than indoctrinate? That question will always be difficult to answer as long as the focus is on the freedom of the professoriate.
A large part of the solution lies not with those who teach but with those who are taught. It's reasonable for professors at religiously affiliated schools to be required to teach in a manner that doesn't contradict the institution's values. There's no parallel demand for students. When they have the right to challenge their professors, the classroom welcomes fruitful intellectual dialogue—not groupthink.
This applies across ideological lines. A religiously affiliated school with open enrollment must protect the right of all students to question their professors' views. That doesn't mean it must formally recognize groups that are opposed to the school's religious commitments or allow defamatory or slanderous attacks on a professor's character. It does, however, mean that no student should live in fear of being disciplined—let alone being sued—for voicing divergent views or for subjecting a professor's beliefs to public scrutiny. This is basic to the kind of dialogue that is necessary in the classroom and on campus for the promotion of true intellectual engagement rather than rote learning.
Quote from: usc4valpo on July 20, 2023, 06:29:29 AM
Academically, Liberty is nothing spectacular.
Valpo is not a radically liberal school as a national scale. But the dog mascots are still embarrassing.
I say with genuinely friendly humor, usc4valpo consistently stays on message about the mascots! If I'm Beacon or Blaze, I ask for a security detail if I know he'll be in the ARC. ;)
Let me fix this for you -
Quote from: historyman on July 20, 2023, 02:08:43 AMI know a medical student that grew up in Valparaiso who attended Liberty's medical school. He said there are good doctors there who are dedicated to teaching medicine but as for the university he couldn't get away from it fast enough because they don't teach reality. They make up things much like all the biased liberal and conservative media. This is just me reporting the facts that this student, now doing his internship in the real world, reported to me.
Quote from: FWalum on July 20, 2023, 10:13:46 PM
Let me fix this for you - Quote from: historyman on July 20, 2023, 02:08:43 AMI know a medical student that grew up in Valparaiso who attended Liberty's medical school. He said there are good doctors there who are dedicated to teaching medicine but as for the university he couldn't get away from it fast enough because they don't teach reality. They make up things much like all the biased liberal and conservative media. This is just me reporting the facts that this student, now doing his internship in the real world, reported to me.
Call it what you want Liberty University had moral codes for their students based on biblical teachings while their president was breaking all those moral codes and Michael Cohen, who worked for Donald Trump at the time helped that Liberty president evade a nude photo scandal. That is not something most Valpo people want to emulate no matter how popular Liberty University becomes. It doesn't matter if you feel that media is untruthful. The truth is that Liberty has had an awful scandal and it was reported accurately by the liberal media and in some way ignored by a lot of conservative media.
Quote from: historyman on July 21, 2023, 06:14:32 PM
Quote from: FWalum on July 20, 2023, 10:13:46 PM
Let me fix this for you - Quote from: historyman on July 20, 2023, 02:08:43 AMI know a medical student that grew up in Valparaiso who attended Liberty's medical school. He said there are good doctors there who are dedicated to teaching medicine but as for the university he couldn't get away from it fast enough because they don't teach reality. They make up things much like all the biased liberal and conservative media. This is just me reporting the facts that this student, now doing his internship in the real world, reported to me.
Call it what you want Liberty University had moral codes for their students based on biblical teachings while their president was breaking all those moral codes and Michael Cohen, who worked for Donald Trump at the time helped that Liberty president evade a nude photo scandal. That is not something most Valpo people want to emulate no matter how popular Liberty University becomes. It doesn't matter if you feel that media is untruthful. The truth is that Liberty has had an awful scandal and it was reported accurately by the liberal media and in some way ignored by a lot of conservative media.
I think there's some truth in the assertion that liberal-leaning media is more likely to fulsomely report the legal/ethical excesses of conservatives and that conservative-leaning media will do the same reporting on liberals, while sharing a tendency to be softer on their own. Furthermore, extremism in any form tends to foster scandalous and unethical behavior and its cover up. It's not just the social and political extremes. It also can include overzealous devotion to a successful sports program, whereby wrongful behavior is committed or overlooked in the pursuit of athletic glory.
In any event, unless there are some very lumpy rugs around that people have ignored, Valparaiso has managed to avoid horrible scandals at the higher leadership levels. Generally speaking, its leaders and head coaches have been people of good character.
Interesting sidebar: The only exceptions I know of are back in 1920s, during VU's pre-Lutheran days. In 1920, the school hired one Daniel Hodgdon as its new President. He came in with lofty paper credentials (6 degrees!) and even bigger plans to turn VU into a large, national university. But some enterprising VU students did a little digging and found out that his educational history was largely a hodgepodge of diploma mill graduate degrees and a non-existent Ph.D. from Columbia University. Hodgdon's administration dismissed the student investigators, dissolved the Student Senate, and tried to fire faculty who expressed concerns. Eventually the VU trustees voted to dismiss him.
This would be followed by the potential KKK purchase of the University, which put VU in a not-so-great national light even though the deal thankfully fell through. (Those of you bemoaning the art sale controversy going public, I think this one wins. 🤣 😜)
The eventually positive result is that the University was in such dire straits that it attracted attention from more legitimate entities as well, one of them being the Lutherans.
Dr. Richard Baepler's excellent history of VU through the beginning of this century,
Flame of Faith, Lamp of Learning (2001), tells the story.
Quote from: historyman on July 21, 2023, 06:14:32 PM
Quote from: FWalum on July 20, 2023, 10:13:46 PM
Let me fix this for you - Quote from: historyman on July 20, 2023, 02:08:43 AMI know a medical student that grew up in Valparaiso who attended Liberty's medical school. He said there are good doctors there who are dedicated to teaching medicine but as for the university he couldn't get away from it fast enough because they don't teach reality. They make up things much like all the biased liberal and conservative media. This is just me reporting the facts that this student, now doing his internship in the real world, reported to me.
Call it what you want Liberty University had moral codes for their students based on biblical teachings while their president was breaking all those moral codes and Michael Cohen, who worked for Donald Trump at the time helped that Liberty president evade a nude photo scandal. That is not something most Valpo people want to emulate no matter how popular Liberty University becomes. It doesn't matter if you feel that media is untruthful. The truth is that Liberty has had an awful scandal and it was reported accurately by the liberal media and in some way ignored by a lot of conservative media.
Quote from: historyman on July 21, 2023, 06:14:32 PM
Quote from: FWalum on July 20, 2023, 10:13:46 PM
Let me fix this for you - Quote from: historyman on July 20, 2023, 02:08:43 AMI know a medical student that grew up in Valparaiso who attended Liberty's medical school. He said there are good doctors there who are dedicated to teaching medicine but as for the university he couldn't get away from it fast enough because they don't teach reality. They make up things much like all the biased liberal and conservative media. This is just me reporting the facts that this student, now doing his internship in the real world, reported to me.
Call it what you want Liberty University had moral codes for their students based on biblical teachings while their president was breaking all those moral codes and Michael Cohen, who worked for Donald Trump at the time helped that Liberty president evade a nude photo scandal. That is not something most Valpo people want to emulate no matter how popular Liberty University becomes. It doesn't matter if you feel that media is untruthful. The truth is that Liberty has had an awful scandal and it was reported accurately by the liberal media and in some way ignored by a lot of conservative media.
ENROLLMENT SURGES: MORE THAN 15,500 RESIDENTIAL AND 115,000 ONLINE
December 5, 2022
Andi Shae Napier
"This fall, both Liberty University's campus and online program have experienced a surge in students with approximately 15,500 residential and more than 115,000 online students enrolling. Additionally, roughly 18,000 are enrolled in LU Online Academy (LUOA)."
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2022/12/enrollment-surges-more-than-15500-residential-and-115000-online/
As the article reveals Liberty has thrived since their President was fired in 2020. The mission of a 140,000 student mega university is not deterred by the personal indiscretions of one leader. I'm sure they followed a basic formula - agree to a severance package, sever ties, do damage control as necessary, and double down on marketing. Obviously, they didn't miss a beat.
Apparently size matters to wh! In that case, I presume he will really love the University of Phoenix!
University of Phoenix Online is a for-profit, online university. It is a large institution with an enrollment of 170,144 undergraduate students. The University of Phoenix Online acceptance rate is 100%.
Quote from: wh on July 22, 2023, 01:21:58 PMI'm sure they followed a basic formula - agree to a severance package,
https://newsadvance.com/news/local/liberty-university/arguments-presented-in-jerry-falwell-jr-s-suit-for-retirement-benefits-against-lu/article_24a5f2c8-25a6-11ee-84a3-cf7f710421a3.html (https://newsadvance.com/news/local/liberty-university/arguments-presented-in-jerry-falwell-jr-s-suit-for-retirement-benefits-against-lu/article_24a5f2c8-25a6-11ee-84a3-cf7f710421a3.html)
Rodney Robinson
After months of back-and-forth filings, Jerry Falwell Jr. and his attorneys were present in federal court Tuesday morning to give their arguments as the former Liberty University president seeks about $8.6 million in retirement benefits.
On March 8, Falwell and counsel filed a federal lawsuit claiming the school he steered as president from May 2007 to August 2020 has "wrongfully denied and withheld benefits" set forth in his retirement plan, bringing the action against the university and the executive committee of the board of trustees at LU as the plan administrators for the Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP).
I'm not sure what the Liberty bashing is all about. I can only assume it's some jealousy issue related to another denomination better resonating, or whatever. Please don't bother to explain it to me; it's irrelevant.
As I have said repeatedly, my interest is in Valparaiso University surviving. Period. Unlike Liberty and Grand Canyon, no one is embracing Valpo's watered down religious connection that sends a stronger message about what it doesn't stand for (or against) than what it does. It's totally illogical.
The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. IMO, Valpo continuing to symbolically attach itself to today's version of Lutheranism, a mainline Protestant faith in steep decline, is a fatal mistake. Valpo is an esteemed university in its own right, but it's not strong enough to continue carrying what has become an albatross around its neck. Cast it aside and survive. Hang on to it and become a distant memory in 10 years.
Quote from: wh on July 22, 2023, 03:24:37 PMCast it aside and survive. Hang on to it and become a distant memory in 10 years.
Great idea! Should we become Baptist? Or just go the way of Princeton where the cross was removed from the chapel?
Quote from: wh on July 22, 2023, 03:24:37 PM
I'm not sure what the Liberty bashing is all about. I can only assume it's some jealousy issue related to another denomination better resonating, or whatever. Please don't bother to explain it to me; it's irrelevant.
As I have said repeatedly, my interest is in Valparaiso University surviving. Period. Unlike Liberty and Grand Canyon, no one is embracing Valpo's watered down religious connection that sends a stronger message about what it doesn't stand for (or against) than what it does. It's totally illogical.
The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. IMO, Valpo continuing to symbolically attach itself to today's version of Lutheranism, a mainline Protestant faith in steep decline, is a fatal mistake. Valpo is an esteemed university in its own right, but it's not strong enough to continue carrying what has become an albatross around its neck. Cast it aside and survive. Hang on to it and become a distant memory in 10 years.
So are you suggesting some type of formal disaffiliation? If so, don't you think casting aside the school's Lutheran heritage might alienate some of VU's biggest and most loyal alumni supporters?
I'm not Lutheran, so I don't have a personal faith-based dog in this fight, but I respect how the Lutherans rescued VU and grew it into a very good and reputable university. VU's culture is grounded in that tradition. You say you want VU to survive, but if it survives in a very different form, then it's essentially a different university, inheriting the suddenly disconnected remnants of its past and a largely alienated alumni base.
Lutheranism, like most religious faiths in the U.S. right now, has been in decline. But I hardly see that as an albatross around VU's neck. Indeed, if anything, VU has to tap back more assertively into the Lutheran community to draw more students who identify as Lutheran, and many here have noted how those recruiting efforts have declined over the years.
For VU to reclaim some lost ground and regain financial stability, it need not recruit thousands more into each entering class. We're probably talking about adding low-to-mid hundreds. That strikes me as being eminently doable and sustainable.
Bradley University Board of Trustees
https://www.bradley.edu/offices/president/trustees/
Take a good look. Imagine Valpo with a Board full of local and regional powerbrokers like this. Totally invested in THEIR private university. The same people who serve on other high profile local boards. Connected and networked to the n'th degree with every mover and shaker in the region. People accustomed to raising money. Annual galas, golf outings, naming rights. Braced and locked in to drive campaigns, promote student growth, celebrate success, rotate in new blood, fresh ideas, and constant energy.
This and more could be Valparaiso University, once it sheds its self-imposed barriers that keep it isolated from the community in which it resides.
Quote from: wh on July 23, 2023, 01:27:34 PM
Bradley University Board of Trustees
https://www.bradley.edu/offices/president/trustees/
Take a good look. Imagine Valpo with a Board full of local and regional powerbrokers like this. Totally invested in THEIR private university. The same people who serve on other high profile local boards. Connected and networked to the n'th degree with every mover and shaker in the region. People accustomed to raising money. Annual galas, golf outings, naming rights. Braced and locked in to drive campaigns, promote student growth, celebrate success, rotate in new blood, fresh ideas, and constant energy.
This and more could be Valparaiso University, once it sheds its self-imposed barriers that keep it isolated from the community in which it resides.
wh, you are a valued member of this group and I always admire the passion with which you write. However, having written that, I think a deeper look into the Bradley experience might be in order. True, Bradley apparently has gathered leaders, many of which have local connections. Valpo's approach is to find successful leaders who may not be "local" though most live within a four or five hour drive of campus. I don't know if having a guy like Robert Hansen, the retired Chairman of Dow Chemical, as Chairman is better or worse than Bradley's Kathleen M B. Holst, the Chairperson of D2K Traffic. What I do know is that Bradley has a sizable difference in alumni base (their enrollment is listed as 5458 while Valpo's is listed as 2939) but our endowment is $15 million larger. That points to commitment of alumni, if nothing else.
This article points to financial issues which Bradley faced/is facing, which are not dissimilar from those facing Valpo. For example, it point to 65 to 75 people who took "voluntary separation" after the pandemic. This was followed by a "streamlining (her words) of the entire organization.
https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2021-05-04/q-a-bradleys-new-cfo-on-the-state-of-the-universitys-finances-and-what-lies-ahead
The part of the article which you might interesting is her comments on inclusion:
TS: And we know the students want to know they're coming to an environment that is inclusive of them. And that can be a selling point for university as well. So can you talk to me a little bit about how that might all play in?
SC: Well, you know, we know what's a strength.
Our goal is, in this new vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, is to help us retain this pool of individuals. And when I say retain, you know, it's one thing to recruit. And it's very obvious we have, we're very attractive as a campus for, for this community.
Finally, you seem ready to throw President Padilla under the bus as a failure because in your view he isn't "rotat(ing) in new blood, fresh ideas, and constant energy" I'm not. He has brought in a new team--in many part of the administration--and has been on the job since October of 2021, the day he had to shut the entire campus down. Things are changing, perhaps not as fast as any of us would like, but they are changing. Bring on basketball season! Peace out!
I took Introduction to Christian Theology my freshman year, like I presume for many of you on this board did the same. Fred Niedner was the professor and he was pretty good. He brought up Jerry Falwell several times throughout the year and really loathed his beliefs. The moral majortiy movement was pretty wacked out back then.
I work with some recent Bradley graduates and they mentioned to the school is hurting, apparently experiences similar struggles as Valpo. They mentioned the engineering school is on the decline , which I think is unlike what Valpo is experiencing.
Wow, this is a tough crowd lol. I point out 2 religious-affiliated universities that are kicking butt and people go down some "I don't like their religion" rabbit hole that that has nothing to do with anything. So, I switch things up and point to a private secular university and the same people start nitpicking that place.
Well, let me defend Bradley a little bit, and then I'll give it up as hopeless. I wasn't trying to infer that Bradley University is a model of perfection, albeit they're not hemorrhaging students like Valpo is. Im merely making the point that when times get tough and the market heads south (we haven't seen anything yet), it's better to have your city on your side than isolated on an island all by yourself. In fact, there's never a time when having people who have your back is a bad thing.
It's not an easy time to be a regional, private university like Valpo or Bradley.
I anticipate that VU will do a better job of building and nurturing local ties. That outreach may yield some new board members as well.
Universities are resilient entities, but improvements and turnarounds rarely occur overnight. Even the dramatic changes in the MBB program are stoking enthusiasm and anticipation at best, with initial W-L results to be seen in 2024.
72, not sure where you are going. I like Padilla, I just hate stupidity and a few naive folks dictating what's best for the university. The basketball program is in the right direction and Valpo made a bold move to make improvements. If Lottich were still around that would be another story.
Quote from: wh on July 23, 2023, 06:31:15 PMit's better to have your city on your side than isolated on an island all by yourself. In fact, there's never a time when having people who have your back is a bad thing.
Good point, wh. No arguing that. And I believe all of us on this board feel that way as well.
But we've gone through a few presidents prior to Padilla, and none have been able to bridge that gap. Why? I certainly have no solution — just try harder? Didn't work before.
What is the key that will unlock the secret to a true town-gown partnership?
Quote from: VULB#62 on July 23, 2023, 09:04:59 PM
Quote from: wh on July 23, 2023, 06:31:15 PMit's better to have your city on your side than isolated on an island all by yourself. In fact, there's never a time when having people who have your back is a bad thing.
Good point, wh. No arguing that. And I believe all of us on this board feel that way as well.
But we've gone through a few presidents prior to Padilla, and none have been able to bridge that gap. Why? I certainly have no solution — just try harder? Didn't work before.
What is the key that will unlock the secret to a true town-gown partnership?
Ok, I'll bite on this one final time. Valpo doesn't have an effort problem, it has a brand problem. Its brand has become outdated and no longer resonates with its target audience. What was engaging in times past is disengaging today. People change, and brands need to change with them. Those that do survive. Those that don't...
First, wh raises a valid point, but I do not think this is realistic. I have previously made the point that if Valpo were to move in a stricter religious direction, 25% or more of its donors would discontinue their donations - which would include a reduction in the endowment since it includes pledged donations. However, I think that a different 25% or so would discontinue if Valpo dropped any religious affiliation. Further, while I am a strong believer in not violating the sunk cost fallacy, Valpo wouid still need to deal with having a very large chapel in the middle of its campus. But the point that religious faiths have become very tribal and, thus, a university offends many if it adheres to any direction is an interesting and valid point.
Second (and perhaps related to the first - admittedly, I do not know), I have never quite understood why the university and the town have not recognized the value that they could (or do) get from one another.
WH, I'd be more comfortable with your premise if VU had just suddenly lost its identity.
But post OP Kretzmann (my president, and I have no clue how that Valpo and that community related, but at the time I thought it was pretty good) since 1969, it appears that every subsequent president never was able to or wanted to close the town/gown gap. So this is not a new thing. This is not a branding issue. Valpo has always been a Lutheran university in a small NW Indiana community an hour or so away from Chicago. That hasn't changed although the community has grown and become a bit more upscale. This has been an issue for 50+ years, not just recently. So, IMO, it's not branding. It's a fundamental disconnect for which I place responsibility on introverted, myopic leadership (probably a little harsh) which now is coming back to haunt.
Other colleges and towns regardless of the college orientation form bonds. Valpo has not bonded that well. Has it been because it has remained insular instead of vigorously embracing and including its host community? Maybe.
Here is a 'touchy' example of what might be: the Brauer Art Museum. The more I read about it, the more I am impressed, but I barely knew it existed until the recent controversy - very understated promotion. Might that understatement have also been true within the community? IDK. But that is a potential bonding vehicle — especially with high profile artists as guests. But it's got to be aggressively promoted, not only on campus and to alums, but vigorously in the community as well.
Another: the Chapel of the Resurrection. When I was attending, the chapel was a multi-use facility. Great seating capacity, beautiful environment, good acoustics. Certainly not the venue for Guns and Roses now, but how about quarterly symphonies, well known pops orchestra concerts, all open and heavily promoted to the community? Sure.
A non-Valpo example: UWGB is remotely located from Green Bay itself. It's an effort to get to campus. Yet, they built The Weidner Center (a 2,100 seat performing arts center) on campus. It supports the university's theater arts program, but more relevantly, it brings in national road shows, concerts and plays that are open to all of Green Bay and the surrounding counties. It draws in the community. And it also happens to make money.
A non-college example: Here in Manitowoc (pop. about 34,000) we have the Capitol Civic Center (capacity ~2,000) . A converted classic movie theater. It is home to the Manitowoc Symphony, countless touring plays and acts, a community theater group (The Masquers). Shows are very well attended. It is a great point of community pride. To my knowledge, the Valpo community does not have such a venue, but a community-involved university could provide one.
Now a view to the future. President Padilla has been clear about the development of a new arena. Most of us on the forum focus on the athletic component. But designed correctly with the surrounding community's needs also in mind, this could be a major bridge to the community, offering much more than athletic events and drawing the community on to campus.
None of this has to do with religious vs. secular branding. It is changing a mindset; opening the campus more to the surrounding community. I think Padilla gets that.
Of course this addresses only only one issue and there are others that must also be addressed, for instance, like increasing promotion and recruitment to potential Lutheran applicants nationally (heretofore, almost ignored), and so on.
........ and ain't hindsight great. ::)
5 TOP REASONS WHY BRANDS FAIL
• It becomes outdated.
• It loses relevance in the market.
• Consumers get confused about or lose faith in what it stands for.
• When companies feel their brand cachet slipping away, they often copy what successful competitors are doing. But rather than standing out from the crowd, this "me too" approach makes the brand look like everyone else.
•
When consumers can no longer perceive a brand's unique value proposition, its failure is inevitable.https://blmllc.com/5-top-reasons-why-brands-fail/#:~:text=A%20failed%20brand%20manifests%20itself%20in%20many%20ways.&text=It%20loses%20relevance%20in%20the,what%20successful%20competitors%20are%20doing.
Quote from: VULB#62 on July 24, 2023, 10:32:59 PM
WH, I'd be more comfortable with your premise if VU had just suddenly lost its identity.
But post OP Kretzmann (my president, and I have no clue how that Valpo and that community related, but at the time I thought it was pretty good) since 1969, it appears that every subsequent president never was able to or wanted to close the town/gown gap. So this is not a new thing. This is not a branding issue. Valpo has always been a Lutheran university in a small NW Indiana community an hour or so away from Chicago. That hasn't changed although the community has grown and become a bit more upscale. This has been an issue for 50+ years, not just recently. So, IMO, it's not branding. It's a fundamental disconnect for which I place responsibility on introverted, myopic leadership (probably a little harsh) which now is coming back to haunt.
Other colleges and towns regardless of the college orientation form bonds. Valpo has not bonded that well. Has it been because it has remained insular instead of vigorously embracing and including its host community? Maybe.
Here is a 'touchy' example of what might be: the Brauer Art Museum. The more I read about it, the more I am impressed, but I barely knew it existed until the recent controversy - very understated promotion. Might that understatement have also been true within the community? IDK. But that is a potential bonding vehicle — especially with high profile artists as guests. But it's got to be aggressively promoted, not only on campus and to alums, but vigorously in the community as well.
Another: the Chapel of the Resurrection. When I was attending, the chapel was a multi-use facility. Great seating capacity, beautiful environment, good acoustics. Certainly not the venue for Guns and Roses now, but how about quarterly symphonies, well known pops orchestra concerts, all open and heavily promoted to the community? Sure.
A non-Valpo example: UWGB is remotely located from Green Bay itself. It's an effort to get to campus. Yet, they built The Weidner Center (a 2,100 seat performing arts center) on campus. It supports the university's theater arts program, but more relevantly, it brings in national road shows, concerts and plays that are open to all of Green Bay and the surrounding counties. It draws in the community. And it also happens to make money.
A non-college example: Here in Manitowoc (pop. about 34,000) we have the Capitol Civic Center (capacity ~2,000) . A converted classic movie theater. It is home to the Manitowoc Symphony, countless touring plays and acts, a community theater group (The Masquers). Shows are very well attended. It is a great point of community pride. To my knowledge, the Valpo community does not have such a venue, but a community-involved university could provide one.
Now a view to the future. President Padilla has been clear about the development of a new arena. Most of us on the forum focus on the athletic component. But designed correctly with the surrounding community's needs also in mind, this could be a major bridge to the community, offering much more than athletic events and drawing the community on to campus.
None of this has to do with religious vs. secular branding. It is changing a mindset; opening the campus more to the surrounding community. I think Padilla gets that.
Of course this addresses only only one issue and there are others that must also be addressed, for instance, like increasing promotion and recruitment to potential Lutheran applicants nationally (heretofore, almost ignored), and so on.
........ and ain't hindsight great. ::)
These are well thought out ideas which, if implemented, may well keep Valpo paddling up stream a little longer. Like a shot of adrenaline.
One note on Bradley. WH rightly praises them for their high number of heavyweight local influencers. That influence may be even stronger by percentage of the 17 member board. Maybe 8-10 of the 17 are local or worked locally before retiring? If so, that could be 50% influence or more. I see some CAT names and OSF hospital. Two are legal/political in central Illinois. Hard to tell the others.
I like Lutheran roots for VU board members, but I concede easily that folks outside NWI would not have their ear to the ground in NWI or be able to influence on-site events and campus visits. I think Valpo has a much bigger board. Can anyone who knows that group take a stab at how many are local corporate or business leaders? No need to name names. Just looking at a percent who have local influence.
Quote from: crusadermoe on July 25, 2023, 02:57:47 PMCan anyone who knows that group take a stab at how many are local corporate or business leaders? No need to name names. Just looking at a percent who have local influence.
https://www.valpo.edu/about/leadership/board-of-directors-of-the-lutheran-university-association-inc-dba-valparaiso-university/
Here is a current list of Valpo's Board taken from the link above:
David A. Bochnowski, Munster, IN
Cristal M. Brisco, '02 Granger, IN
Luther C. Brunette, Carmel, IN
Jeffrey H. Dobbs '77, Leawood, KS
Mark H. Duesenberg '84, Rocky River, OH
Susan Jenny Ehr '82, London, England
Carolyn Schlie Femovich '71, Hellertown, PA
Christopher Good, Larchmont, NY
Robert D. Hansen, Jr. '82, (Chair) Greensboro, GA
Mark P. Helge '71, Rockford, IL
Danielle Carter '06 Iddins, '08, (VUAA President) Indianapolis, IN
Colette J. Irwin-Knott '81, Zionsville, IN
Frederick G. Kraegel '70, Henrico, VA
Bruce R. Laning '81, St. Francis, WI
Marian J. Moon '72, Arcadia, OK
Andrew N. Nunemaker '91, Milwaukee, WI
Noe M. Ortega, Hummelstown, PA
José D. Padilla (University President), Valparaiso, IN
Christopher Petrini-Poli '95, Lake Bluff, IL
John W. Shelton '80, Frankenmuth, MI
Philip C. Spahn '95, Chicago, IL
Jon A. Steinbrecher '83, Rocky River, OH
Paul A. Strasen '78, Littleton, CO
Julie M. Winkler '96, (Vice Chair) Naperville, IL
Susan G. Zeeb (Guild Chair), Lake Villa, IL
Bochnowski is the only local business leader I recognize from the list. He's the recently retired CEO of Peoples Bank (https://www.ibankpeoples.com/about-us/executive-team) where his son succeeded him as CEO.
From my concededly bird's eye view, I'll hypothesize that there's much more hope for a positive town-gown relationship than in decades past, because Valparaiso as a community is more educated and, frankly, more affluent than the one that many of us knew during our respective student days.
Valparaiso of 40/50/60 years ago was more rural Indiana than Chicago suburb/exurb. From a VU student's perspective, I thought of Valparaiso as a town abutting a university rather than as a university town. And that town square was a sleepy remnant of the 50s....even during the 70s and 80s! LOL.
That area feels very different today, and I'm guessing those committed to a robust future for Valparaiso -- merchants and public officials alike -- would be more open to entreaties from VU to work towards common interests than those who preceded them.
Again, this is based totally on look-and-feel contrasts of modern Valparaiso vs. mid/late 20th century Valparaiso.
Quote from: VULB#62 on July 24, 2023, 10:32:59 PMTo my knowledge, the Valpo community does not have such a venue, but a community-involved university could provide one.
https://chicagostreet.org/ (https://chicagostreet.org/)
https://www.memorialoperahouse.com/theatre-info.html (https://www.memorialoperahouse.com/theatre-info.html)
Re: The Chicago Street Theater. A beautiful little theater that seats about 45.
Re: The Memorial Opera house - Good range of events. Similar to the Capital Civic Center I mentioned previously. But it only holds 352 guests for events as far as I have found. Some of those productions could draw bigger audiences in a larger facility which VU could provide. For context, Manitowoc is a blue collar city of 34,000 and soidly supports its 2000+ seat Capitol Civic Center.
Both Valparaiso locations are intimate venues for limited events. They sit in a narrow niche and are intrinsically and historically valuable. But the city now has nearly 35,000 residents. And over the past couple of decades that growing population has also gotten increasingly upscale (which generally means more culturally aware). VU has the potential for greater capacity for cultural events to serve that demographic.
I'm certainly not saying VU compete with existing community organizations and activities. I am suggesting that there may be different or larger events that could be beneficial to the community that the university could support and provide bigger and more appropriate venues. All it needs is finding a way to reach out and draw in community groups to use VU facilities to the community's greater benefit. And of course VU could also add to the mix on their own. It'll be a big win-win.
Quote from: VULB#62 on July 25, 2023, 09:19:22 PM
Re: The Chicago Street Theater. A beautiful little theater that seats about 45.
Re: The Memorial Opera house - Good range of events. Similar to the Capital Civic Center I mentioned previously. But it only holds 352 guests for events as far as I have found. Some of those productions could draw bigger audiences in a larger facility which VU could provide. .
Both are intimate venues for limited events. They sit in a narrow niche. They are intrinsically valuable. But the city now has nearly 35,000 residents. And over the past couple of decades that growing population has also gotten increasingly upscale (which generally means more culturally aware). VU has the potential for greater capacity for cultural events to serve that demographic.
I'm certainly not saying VU compete with existing community organizations and activities. I am suggesting that there may be different or larger events that could be beneficial to the community that the university could support and provide bigger and more appropriate venues. All it needs is finding a way to reach out and draw in community groups to use VU facilities to the community's greater benefit. It'll be a big win-win.
These are excellent ideas. BTW, Valpo wisely follows a conservative planned growth strategy to avoid urban sprawl and maintain property values. Including areas outside the city limits, adjacent townships, etc., total population is considerably higher. The retail sector on the east end with its multiple national brands, 4 hotels, numerous eateries, specialty stores, etc. can't be supported by 35,000 residents alone.
Quote from: Valpo2010 on July 25, 2023, 04:29:35 PM
Quote from: crusadermoe on July 25, 2023, 02:57:47 PMCan anyone who knows that group take a stab at how many are local corporate or business leaders? No need to name names. Just looking at a percent who have local influence.
https://www.valpo.edu/about/leadership/board-of-directors-of-the-lutheran-university-association-inc-dba-valparaiso-university/
Here is a current list of Valpo's Board taken from the link above:
David A. Bochnowski, Munster, IN
Cristal M. Brisco, '02 Granger, IN
Luther C. Brunette, Carmel, IN
Jeffrey H. Dobbs '77, Leawood, KS
Mark H. Duesenberg '84, Rocky River, OH
Susan Jenny Ehr '82, London, England
Carolyn Schlie Femovich '71, Hellertown, PA
Christopher Good, Larchmont, NY
Robert D. Hansen, Jr. '82, (Chair) Greensboro, GA
Mark P. Helge '71, Rockford, IL
Danielle Carter '06 Iddins, '08, (VUAA President) Indianapolis, IN
Colette J. Irwin-Knott '81, Zionsville, IN
Frederick G. Kraegel '70, Henrico, VA
Bruce R. Laning '81, St. Francis, WI
Marian J. Moon '72, Arcadia, OK
Andrew N. Nunemaker '91, Milwaukee, WI
Noe M. Ortega, Hummelstown, PA
José D. Padilla (University President), Valparaiso, IN
Christopher Petrini-Poli '95, Lake Bluff, IL
John W. Shelton '80, Frankenmuth, MI
Philip C. Spahn '95, Chicago, IL
Jon A. Steinbrecher '83, Rocky River, OH
Paul A. Strasen '78, Littleton, CO
Julie M. Winkler '96, (Vice Chair) Naperville, IL
Susan G. Zeeb (Guild Chair), Lake Villa, IL
Bochnowski is the only local business leader I recognize from the list. He's the recently retired CEO of Peoples Bank (https://www.ibankpeoples.com/about-us/executive-team) where his son succeeded him as CEO.
Good to see Cristal's name on here, as I didn't know any Valpo BoD folks were from my time on campus as of yet. She was on the Crusaderettes with my ex.
Pretty impressive group!
Bochnowski--Retired CEO of a regional bank
Brisco--Indiana Superior Court Judge
Brunette--Pastor of a 3500 member Lutheran Church
Dobbs--Partner Arthur Andersen
Duesenberg--Harvard law grad
Jenny Ehr--International Banker
Femovich--Executive Director of the Patriot League
etc, etc, etc,!
OK, I got my answer. In its 40-mile radiuis Valpo has two board members: the businessman above and a judge from Granger. So 1 of 30 is 3% and 2 of 30 is 6% local influence and awareness.
Look up the Bradley Univ. board on its website and see that WH comments are insightful about board make up and the Bradley opportunity to receive Peoria businesses' endorsement and influence.
For what it's worth, if Valpo adopted the same rules and principles as Liberty I wouldn't allow my kid to go there. While I understand it may look attractive to go to the extreme, that knife cuts both ways.
Honest question: Did the board pick and choose who to fire or did whoever recommended which programs to discontinue not do their due diligence or decide those grants were not worth maintaining the position? I ask because some of those decisions might be laid at the boards feet or it could have been due to the nature of the discontinuance process not considering those because grant funding is temporary and might not matter if you have a program that has 3 professors and 3 students total in the major in regards to cost vs benefit?
I do think we need more community investment with the university. Not just because it will help in getting larger grants or more positive relationships but because you then may not always have to rely on just your alums for donations. I know Butler has gotten sizable donations from members of the community who valued a program or experience they had because of what the university offered and NWI has many large corporations with philanthropic arms that might be open to donating somewhere other than PNW or IUN. One sign that might show a positive move is that advancement has recently hired to well known and connected members of the community in Marie Foster-Burns and another person from the Valpo community whose name is currently escaping me.
Quote from: crusadermoe on July 26, 2023, 10:06:09 AM
OK, I got my answer. In its 40-mile radiuis Valpo has two board members: the businessman above and a judge from Granger. So 1 of 30 is 3% and 2 of 30 is 6% local influence and awareness.
Look up the Bradley Univ. board on its website and see that WH comments are insightful about board make up and the Bradley opportunity to receive Peoria businesses' endorsement and influence.
Moe, you and WH make a compelling argument. If VU is to enter into a better relationship with the city that hosts it, the citizens of that community need to feel involved on certain matters. Obviously, deeply academic decisions and matters of doctrine would be of less interest than, say, campus expansion or strategic business planning. But by increasing local citizen presence on the BoT it should engender more community involvement, better town/gown communication and mutual cooperation. End result: an improved, more vibrant campus culture that adds further attractiveness for potential students. And over time it is not improbable to visualize a billboard saying "Valparaiso, the home of Valparaiso University" compared to "Valparaiso, yeah, we have a college." 😉
Quote from: VULB#62 on July 26, 2023, 11:42:40 AM
If VU is to enter into a better relationship with the city that hosts it, the citizens of that community need to feel involved on certain matters. Obviously, deeply academic decisions and matters of doctrine would be of less interest than, say, campus expansion or strategic business planning. But by increasing local citizen presence on the BoT it should engender more community involvement, better town/gown communication and mutual cooperation. End result: an improved, more vibrant campus culture that adds further attractiveness for potential students. And over time it is not improbable to visualize a billboard saying "Valparaiso, the home of Valparaiso University" compared to "Valparaiso, yeah, we have a college." 😉
Valparaiso is a complicated city, which has been part of its appeal to me and my wife, a VU alum whose family has lived here nearly 70 years. There has always been a split between town and gown, though I am told it was less prominent decades ago when there would be such things as homecoming parades through downtown. In recent decades, some of the separation has grown more pointedly ideological. For example, in 2020 voters in Porter County supported all the Republican political candidates in a sweep across the board, with straight party ballots going to the GOP by a 54-45 margin, 1% went Libertarian. Likewise, Trump won the state by a 57-41 margin. Yet, on campus Trump's name was tacitly forbidden to be spoken unless modified by an expletive, and I wouldn't be surprised if the faculty voted 90% Democrat. In 2016, Trump won Indiana by a 20-point margin (57-37), took 60 of the state's 64 counties, and the campus was funereal the following days with some classes cancelled so that "grieving and healing sessions" could occur.
Economically, the split is evident as well. Valparaiso is regarded as an upper-income area compared to some surrounding locations, and sometimes stereotyped as snobbish. The downtown area has been wonderfully developed into a dining and entertainment center. The many restaurants are excellent, the Central Park events are well attended with overflow crowds, and the neighborhood residences are multiplying with upscale living. There are some mixed reactions to these changes. Obviously, the Republicans in office support the urban improvements. In fact, the former mayor responsible for much of the development will be returning to the office as he is coming out of retirement to run again. However, faculty from the university have vocally opposed the new construction, preferring that the city add more affordable rentals for low-income households. Many residents of the city, along with the Republicans, like the tax base brought by the new influx of higher-income individuals, but are wary of the downtown becoming an extension of Valparaiso University's more liberal population.
Yesterday, I met a couple of retired professors at a downtown coffee shop with $5 lattes, as I regularly do. With smooth jazz music playing softly in the background, conversation ranged from the hot weather and climate change to the university's enrollment situation and optimism for the basketball team. Afterward, I came home, about a half mile from downtown, and I helped a neighbor build a deck on the back of his house. My neighbor is a postal worker and he had a dozen friends or relatives assisting. Some wore Trump 2024 hats, others wore Cubs or NASCAR caps, and we listened to loud country music while working. Beer (not Bud Light) was available for drinking. A couple of the women were enjoying sunbathing and nobody spoke of climate change. The difference in atmosphere was distinct but also what I appreciate about this town.
I agree with others here that a greater connection between the university and the surrounding community is desired. I would love to see locals support VU athletics the way they do the high school sports teams. I remember fondly the following Homer with Bryce (plus Redmon, Cavanaugh, Schmidt, Jones, and other local players) brought from the community. I welcome ideas for strengthening town-gown connections without diluting the variety of experiences and perspectives the Valparaiso community offers.
Quote from: valpopal on July 30, 2023, 01:44:35 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on July 26, 2023, 11:42:40 AM
If VU is to enter into a better relationship with the city that hosts it, the citizens of that community need to feel involved on certain matters. Obviously, deeply academic decisions and matters of doctrine would be of less interest than, say, campus expansion or strategic business planning. But by increasing local citizen presence on the BoT it should engender more community involvement, better town/gown communication and mutual cooperation. End result: an improved, more vibrant campus culture that adds further attractiveness for potential students. And over time it is not improbable to visualize a billboard saying "Valparaiso, the home of Valparaiso University" compared to "Valparaiso, yeah, we have a college." 😉
Valparaiso is a complicated city, which has been part of its appeal to me and my wife, a VU alum whose family has lived here nearly 70 years. There has always been a split between town and gown, though I am told it was less prominent decades ago when there would be such things as homecoming parades through downtown. In recent decades, some of the separation has grown more pointedly ideological. For example, in 2020 voters in Porter County supported all the Republican political candidates in a sweep across the board, with straight party ballots going to the GOP by a 54-45 margin, 1% went Libertarian. Likewise, Trump won the state by a 57-41 margin. Yet, on campus Trump's name was tacitly forbidden to be spoken unless modified by an expletive, and I wouldn't be surprised if the faculty voted 90% Democrat. In 2016, Trump won Indiana by a 20-point margin (57-37), took 60 of the state's 64 counties, and the campus was funereal the following days with some classes cancelled so that "grieving and healing sessions" could occur.
Economically, the split is evident as well. Valparaiso is regarded as an upper-income area compared to some surrounding locations, and sometimes stereotyped as snobbish. The downtown area has been wonderfully developed into a dining and entertainment center. The many restaurants are excellent, the Central Park events are well attended with overflow crowds, and the neighborhood residences are multiplying with upscale living. There are some mixed reactions to these changes. Obviously, the Republicans in office support the urban improvements. In fact, the former mayor responsible for much of the development will be returning to the office as he is coming out of retirement to run again. However, faculty from the university have vocally opposed the new construction, preferring that the city add more affordable rentals for low-income households. Many residents of the city, along with the Republicans, like the tax base brought by the new influx of higher-income individuals, but are wary of the downtown becoming an extension of Valparaiso University's more liberal population.
Yesterday, I met a couple of retired professors at a downtown coffee shop with $5 lattes, as I regularly do. With smooth jazz music playing softly in the background, conversation ranged from the hot weather and climate change to the university's enrollment situation and optimism for the basketball team. Afterward, I came home, about a half mile from downtown, and I helped a neighbor build a deck on the back of his house. My neighbor is a postal worker and he had a dozen friends or relatives assisting. Some wore Trump 2024 hats, others wore Cubs or NASCAR caps, and we listened to loud country music while working. Beer (not Bud Light) was available for drinking. A couple of the women were enjoying sunbathing and nobody spoke of climate change. The difference in atmosphere was distinct but also what I appreciate about this town.
I agree with others here that a greater connection between the university and the surrounding community is desired. I would love to see locals support VU athletics the way they do the high school sports teams. I remember fondly the following Homer with Bryce (plus Redmon, Cavanaugh, Schmidt, Jones, and other local players) brought from the community. I welcome ideas for strengthening town-gown connections without diluting the variety of experiences and perspectives the Valparaiso community offers.
In fairness, there has been some effort to engage with the community through United Way. In the early 2000's the UWPC President approached President Harre about selecting a representative to serve on the UW Board. Subsequently, the late Roy Austensen and Bruce Berner both served extended Board terms, including board officer positions. Fast forwarding to the present, I see that VU has a representative, Carolyn Whittier, on UW of NWI, a merger of Lake and Porter County UW's. That is a high profile BOD representing business, heavy industrial, education, government, the state-controlled RDA, NWI Forum, etc.
UW NWI BOD
https://unitedwaynwi.org/board-of-directors/
Engagement is only meaningful if the community values it. Purdue University Northwest has a high value-add Leadership Institute, dedicated to developing current and future leaders in the NWI community. This is an an example of meaningful community engagement. I think a possibility exists that Valpo could partner with PNW on this.
Purdue University Northwest Leadership Institute
At the Purdue University Northwest Leadership Institute, we prepare great leaders of all ages to excel in an increasingly competitive global environment.
IN THIS SECTION
About Us
Leadership Northwest Indiana
Explorer Academy
LEAD Academy
Young Leaders Academy
Lunch and Lead
https://www.pnw.edu/leadership-institute/
REGIONAL PROFESSIONALS COMPLETE 2022-23 LEADERSHIP NORTHWEST INDIANA PROGRAM
By: Purdue University Northwest
Last Updated: May 17, 2023
https://nwi.life/article/regional-professionals-complete-2022-23-leadership-northwest-indiana-program/
22 - I agree where you are going as long as there is understanding and collaboration with8n the group. We need solutions and not something representing Congress.
valpo22 - I was with you until your argument that everyone gets the $5 Little Caesars pizzas. People from all backgrounds need to go for better pizza than that!
Ok, seriously - in 2016, Valparaiso university had to provide services for students pissed off about the election results? Are we an extension of Oberlin. Did the excess cocoa and crayons rip into our endowment? Unreal.
22: I believe you misread my statements. I wrote: "Valparaiso is regarded as an upper-income area compared to some surrounding locations, and sometimes stereotyped as snobbish. The downtown area has been wonderfully developed into a dining and entertainment center. The many restaurants are excellent, the Central Park events are well attended with overflow crowds, and the neighborhood residences are multiplying with upscale living." I was speaking about the city as upscale and perceived as snobbish by surrounding towns, and I was not referencing the faculty there. In fact, I commented that "faculty from the university have vocally opposed the new construction, preferring that the city add more affordable rentals for low-income households." This is where a split has happened.
As for faculty living conditions, I am not surprised when you say "most of the staff & faculty I know in their 30s or 40s are renters." When I first came to Valpo I rented for 8 years, buying my first home only after securing tenure. This seemed prudent. I purchased my first house in the 90s and upgraded to a home twice as large ten years later. I wish my houses appreciated to the 4-times price you suggest. The valuation has been more like a doubling during the past three decades. In fact, I have a niece and a nephew in their mid-20s, both of whom bought nice houses in good Valpo neighborhoods within the past six months: one paid 275k and the other 295k. I don't consider that exorbitantly priced housing.
Quote from: valpo22 on August 02, 2023, 11:47:25 AMif they make at least Valparaiso average gross salary $48,000.
I think you are assuming only one income. In today's world that is almost unheard of. If you double it to 96,000 the payment is very manageable.
Totally agreed ValpoUSC.
I did not know that. If our current students were "triggered" by the reality of the 2016 election result then that is ridiculous. If the university coddled them and their fellow snowflakes on the faculty then they are all pathetic. TDS became a pandemic it seems.
Most of my Valpo friends would be appalled and stop any giving.
Seems housing nowadays is priced for dual income families (and for people having less children as well)
Quote from: GaryCrusader on August 02, 2023, 02:36:50 PM
Seems housing nowadays is priced for dual income families (and for people having less children as well)
Housing is priced based on what buyers are willing to pay and the supply of houses that are on the market in a geographical area.
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 02, 2023, 02:29:59 PM
Totally agreed ValpoUSC.
I did not know that. If our current students were "triggered" by the reality of the 2016 election result then that is ridiculous. If the university coddled them and their fellow snowflakes on the faculty then they are all pathetic. TDS became a pandemic it seems.
Most of my Valpo friends would be appalled and stop any giving.
Ummm, folks, if we're going to get judgmental about overwrought responses to elections, I think we do have to include the last round of hardcore snowflakey responses from the other end of the spectrum, yes??? (Hopefully the disappointed VU-affiliated voters in 2016 weren't dressing up in Norse warrior outfits and threatening to take over the Capitol Building. 😜)
I now return you to your regularly scheduled program.
More seriously, schools like Valpo still have the potential to strike a balance, to strive for a sort of Aristotelian mean as its center of gravity, with room for students, faculty, and staff possessing different points of view, but striving for understanding and seeking to live values-informed lives. It doesn't mean that everyone ends up in the same mushy middle, but it probably helps to create adults who are not drawn to dangerous extremes.
Quote from: David81 on August 02, 2023, 07:14:50 PMIf our current students were "triggered" by the reality of the 2016 election result then that is ridiculous
Well, living in a state with similar voting results to West Virginia and Alabama might be a little depressing! ;)
whoever wins, students reactions requiring university pampering for their loser candidate is really pathetic, They need to get a life and understand that politicians are crooks and only care about their share of cash and power. Valpo [ampering to their needs is ridiculas.
I love the David81 vision and "Aristotelean mean." Healthy debate across all perspectives serves all of us. And what more appropriate role would a university play in our country? The First Amendment is a right and no party or group holds a monopoly on "micro-aggressions" that result from that speech. So, let's compile a list of the guest speakers VU has hosted on the campus in the last 4-5 years. Perhaps it is nearly balanced? It seems to me that this list would give you the clearest indicator of our student government and faculty culture. Valpo22 could get that information. Again, the nuanced vision of OPK sets the stage nicely for a balance.
I am trusting that the "shout down" treatment of a guest speaker judge by Stanford University Law School students was a huge aberration. Far more troubling than the student behavior (although they are all 22+ year-old "adults") was the host Dean joining students in berating her own guest speaker. If you think I exaggerate, google "stanford law school protests"
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 03, 2023, 09:40:42 AM
I love the David81 vision and "Aristotelean mean." Healthy debate across all perspectives serves all of us. And what more appropriate role would a university play in our country? The First Amendment is a right and no party or group holds a monopoly on "micro-aggressions" that result from that speech. So, let's compile a list of the guest speakers VU has hosted on the campus in the last 4-5 years. Perhaps it is nearly balanced? It seems to me that this list would give you the clearest indicator of our student government and faculty culture. Valpo22 could get that information. Again, the nuanced vision of OPK sets the stage nicely for a balance.
I am trusting that the "shout down" treatment of a guest speaker judge by Stanford University Law School students was a huge aberration. Far more troubling than the student behavior (although they are all 22+ year-old "adults") was the host Dean joining students in berating her own guest speaker. If you think I exaggerate, google "stanford law school protests"
Examples of university radicals shutting down free speech are everywhere. Even at highly conservative, evangelical Taylor University in Upland, IN, elements of the student body booed when it was announced that VP Mike Pence was going to be the commencement speaker, due specifically to his opposition to abortion. For all practical purposes, there is no "middle ground" in America's university system, anymore than there is middle ground in anything political. If I want my children or grandchildren to be exposed to anything right of center, I will send them to Liberty, Grand Canyon, et al. Their view is no more slanted right than most universities are slanted left, with cultural Marxist indoctrination in the humanities and pseudo sciences, cancel culture, and embracing every debase lifestyle known to mankind under the tolerance and choice strawman.
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 03, 2023, 09:40:42 AMSo, let's compile a list of the guest speakers VU has hosted on the campus in the last 4-5 years
I found a couple from 2022:
Featuring: James K.A. Smith
October 18, 2022, 6:00 pm
Location: VUCA, Duesenberg Recital Hall
James K.A. Smith is professor of philosophy at Calvin University and serves as editor in chief of Image journal, a quarterly devoted to "art, mystery, and faith." He is the award-winning author of a number of books, including Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?, How (Not) To Be Secular, You Are What You Love, On the Road with Saint Augustine, and, most recently, How to Inhabit Time: Understanding the Past, Facing the Future, Living Faithfully Now. His essays and criticism have appeared in LitHub, America, Christian Century, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, as well as the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.
Featuring: Danté Stewart
November 17, 2022, 6:00 pm
Location: VUCA, Duesenberg Recital Hall
Danté Stewart is a writer and speaker whose voice has been featured on CNN, The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Sojourners, The Witness: A Black Christian Collective, Comment magazine, and more. He is the author of the debut memoir Shoutin' in the Fire. As an up and coming voice, he writes and speaks into the areas of race, religion, and politics. He received his B.A. in Sociology from Clemson University. He is currently studying at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
Previous Pathways to Purpose speakers cover a wide range of disciplines and interests. Past guests include:
James Clarke, Director of Ghana Programs for Unite for Sight
Catherine Deamant, Director of Palliative Care Services for Cook County Hospital
Mike Del Ponte, Social Entrepreneur and Founder of SOMA Water
Anna DeLuna '11, Director of Business Development for Edovo
Rebecca Deng, Author of What They Meant for Evil
Robert Egger, Founder of LA Kitchen
Derrick Feldmann, Lead Researcher and Creator of The Millennial Impact Project
Nicole M. Garcia, Counselor and Trans Activist
Jason Greer '96, Employment and Diversity Consultant and Writer at The Good Men Project
Pamela Hack '84, Foreign Service Officer & Chief, U.S. Consulate, General in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Rozella Haydee White, Public Theologian
Larry James, community organizer and Founder of CitySquare
David King, Director of the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving
Kristin Kobes Du Mez, History Professor and Author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
Matt Kramer, Co-CEO of Teach for America
Evan Narciss, Author of Rise of the Black Panther
Andy Nunemaker '91, Philanthropist and CEO of Dynamis Software Corporation
Francis Su, Author of Mathematics for Human Flourishing
Jemar Tisby, President of the Witness: A Black Christian Collective
Jim Walker, Founder and Executive Director of the BigCar Collaborative
Taj Weekes, Grammy-Winning Reggae Artist and Humanitarian
Carolyn Woo, President & CEO of Catholic Relief Services
Aaron Yazzie, Engineer in NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Andrew Whitehead, Co-Author of Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States
Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, Author of Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World
Lydia Dugdale, Author of The Lost Art of Dying: Reviving Forgotten Wisdom
Fr. Greg Boyle, Founder and Director of Homeboy Industries
Christine Emba, Columnist at the Washington Post and Author of Rethinking Sex: A Provocation
Anne Snyder, Editor-in-Chief of Comment magazine
Michael Lamb, Director of the Center for Leadership and Character at Wake Forrest University
Katelyn Beaty, Editor at Brazos Press and author of Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platform, and Profits are Hurting the Church
Speakers include:
Robert Egger: "Feeding the Soul: The Interaction of Food, Policy and Potential," Sept. 6. As founder and president of L.A. Kitchen, Robert Egger and his company work to recover locally sourced, cosmetically imperfect fruits and vegetables to fuel a culinary arts job training program for women and men coming out of foster care and older women and men returning from incarceration.
Beverly Schultz '65: "Recoding Expectations: A Woman's Pioneering Journey in High Tech," Sept. 27. Beverly Schultz '65 is the author of "Skip the Typing Test — I'll Manage the Software: One Woman's Pioneering Journey in High Tech," in which she explores her unique success as a female engineer in a male-dominated field. Schultz received the President's Award from Mitsubishi Electric, and her team created one of the first 3D chips that won seven awards at COMDEX.
Kam Buckner: "Athletics and Justice: Translating Leadership from the Field to Your Community," Oct. 18. Kam Buckner, executive director of World Sport Chicago and former manager of government and neighborhood relations for the Chicago Cubs, works to further his organization's mission of supporting resiliency and strengthening community by increasing access to youth sport.
Beth Kreppin: "When Headlines Are Your Baseline: Serving in Crisis Scenarios," Nov. 1. As a special agent with the FBI, Beth Kreppin has collaborated with Chicago Division's Joint Task Force on Gangs and the Chicago Division Crisis Negotiation Team and was named the Chicago Division's Crisis Management Coordinator in 2016.
Rozella Haydée White: "The Road to Empowerment: Finding Purpose Outside of Institutions," Nov. 6. In addition to her role as owner of RHW Consulting, Rozella Haydée White serves as the Houston City Director for Mission Year and is a consultant with LEAD, an organization focused on empowering Christian leaders, transforming faith communities and influencing the world.
J.K. Smith sounds like a gentleman who is a rigorous thinker and has a balanced view.
Apart from him, a quick skim of the other speaker themes does not suggest a lot of political balance. I don't have time to research them. But the mentions of gender, the male bashing, and the disdain for evangelicals are not encouraging. And I may have overlooked the counterweight speakers.
Toward the goal of more regional focus on board selections cited by WH and me, I do see one indication of this emphasis.
They hired a new VP of Advancement who appears to have much more regional non-profit experience in NW Indiana than leadership roles in private university leadership. Marie Foster-Bruns appears not be an alumna of VU. Not that this should be required by any means.
So for better or for worse the fork in the road has been chosen. Padilla opted for someone whose perspective is solely a regional one to lead charitable giving. Read her background and see if you agree.
https://www.valpo.edu/news/news-archive/?type=post&site=239&id=13131
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 04, 2023, 10:05:25 AM
Toward the goal of more regional focus on board selections cited by WH and me, I do see one indication of this emphasis.
They hired a new VP of Advancement who appears to have much more regional non-profit experience in NW Indiana than leadership roles in private university leadership. Marie Foster-Bruns appears not be an alumna of VU. Not that this should be required by any means.
So for better or for worse the fork in the road has been chosen. Padilla opted for someone whose perspective is solely a regional one to lead charitable giving. Read her background and see if you agree.
https://www.valpo.edu/news/news-archive/?type=post&site=239&id=13131
I think is will be a great hire. She has loads of alumni experience and her regional contacts could well lead to stronger ties to corporations and hopefully to a naming partner for the new arena. Agree that she doesn't need to be an alumna as neither was Lisa Hollander, her predecessor. The new director of admissions is an alumna however and I think this is a wise choice.
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 04, 2023, 10:05:25 AM
Toward the goal of more regional focus on board selections cited by WH and me, I do see one indication of this emphasis.
They hired a new VP of Advancement who appears to have much more regional non-profit experience in NW Indiana than leadership roles in private university leadership. Marie Foster-Bruns appears not be an alumna of VU. Not that this should be required by any means.
So for better or for worse the fork in the road has been chosen. Padilla opted for someone whose perspective is solely a regional one to lead charitable giving. Read her background and see if you agree.
https://www.valpo.edu/news/news-archive/?type=post&site=239&id=13131 (https://www.valpo.edu/news/news-archive/?type=post&site=239&id=13131)
https://www.nwitimes.com/jose-padilla-and-marie-foster-bruns-a-beacon-for-a-region-realized/article_2b7f4749-f00a-57fb-bca4-338774c14cd0.html (https://www.nwitimes.com/jose-padilla-and-marie-foster-bruns-a-beacon-for-a-region-realized/article_2b7f4749-f00a-57fb-bca4-338774c14cd0.html)
This is a story written by President Padilla & VP Marie Foster-Bruns in the NWI Times back in March.
Thanks for re-posting this. I think it focuses on what wh and moe had in mind.
Quote from: historyman on August 04, 2023, 11:23:05 AM
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 04, 2023, 10:05:25 AM
Toward the goal of more regional focus on board selections cited by WH and me, I do see one indication of this emphasis.
They hired a new VP of Advancement who appears to have much more regional non-profit experience in NW Indiana than leadership roles in private university leadership. Marie Foster-Bruns appears not be an alumna of VU. Not that this should be required by any means.
So for better or for worse the fork in the road has been chosen. Padilla opted for someone whose perspective is solely a regional one to lead charitable giving. Read her background and see if you agree.
https://www.valpo.edu/news/news-archive/?type=post&site=239&id=13131 (https://www.valpo.edu/news/news-archive/?type=post&site=239&id=13131)
https://www.nwitimes.com/jose-padilla-and-marie-foster-bruns-a-beacon-for-a-region-realized/article_2b7f4749-f00a-57fb-bca4-338774c14cd0.html (https://www.nwitimes.com/jose-padilla-and-marie-foster-bruns-a-beacon-for-a-region-realized/article_2b7f4749-f00a-57fb-bca4-338774c14cd0.html)
This is a story written by President Padilla & VP Marie Foster-Bruns in the NWI Times back in March.
How on earth did I miss this!? This is exactly what I have been longing for - a desire AND A PLAN to partner with the community, the region, and the state to elevate the quality of life. IMO this vision is transformative. I feel like I just got a shot of adrenaline.
BTW, forget my idea about partnering with PNW on their leadership training initiative. This is bigger, bolder, fresher, and more impactful. Let Valpo make its own splash its way.
Quote from: historyman on August 04, 2023, 11:23:05 AM
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 04, 2023, 10:05:25 AM
Toward the goal of more regional focus on board selections cited by WH and me, I do see one indication of this emphasis.
They hired a new VP of Advancement who appears to have much more regional non-profit experience in NW Indiana than leadership roles in private university leadership. Marie Foster-Bruns appears not be an alumna of VU. Not that this should be required by any means.
So for better or for worse the fork in the road has been chosen. Padilla opted for someone whose perspective is solely a regional one to lead charitable giving. Read her background and see if you agree.
https://www.valpo.edu/news/news-archive/?type=post&site=239&id=13131 (https://www.valpo.edu/news/news-archive/?type=post&site=239&id=13131)
https://www.nwitimes.com/jose-padilla-and-marie-foster-bruns-a-beacon-for-a-region-realized/article_2b7f4749-f00a-57fb-bca4-338774c14cd0.html (https://www.nwitimes.com/jose-padilla-and-marie-foster-bruns-a-beacon-for-a-region-realized/article_2b7f4749-f00a-57fb-bca4-338774c14cd0.html)
This is a story written by President Padilla & VP Marie Foster-Bruns in the NWI Times back in March.
The Padilla/Foster-Bruns piece is worth reading for both its substance and its visionary, can-do, entrepreneurial voice. I don't use "visionary" lightly. But when the article actually prompts you to start envisioning some exciting projects and initiatives, well, it's visionary.
As someone who grew up in NW Indiana, when I look back I think of Valpo as being in a bit of its own little bubble when it came to having a presence beyond some narrow confines of Porter County.
This piece, however, suggests a full presence in Northwest Indiana for Valpo as a talent supplier, idea generator, and event host. I enjoyed reading it.
I thought Bradley was doing well. So this is a shock. Sadly, these issues are going to be a tidal wave across most midwest universities other than flagships and other publics.
https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2023-07-31/bradley-university-looks-to-slash-costs-by-10-as-institution-runs-a-13-million-budget-shortfall
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 16, 2023, 11:54:38 AM
I thought Bradley was doing well. So this is a shock. Sadly, these issues are going to be a tidal wave across most midwest universities other than flagships and other publics.
https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2023-07-31/bradley-university-looks-to-slash-costs-by-10-as-institution-runs-a-13-million-budget-shortfall
I'm guessing (hoping) that Valpo got out in front of these necessities with cuts done over previous years. Lets certainly hope so.
Yes, let's hope.
I think the top development guy from Valpo went to Bradley in the last year. Can't remember his name. Out of the fiscal frying pan and into the fire.
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 16, 2023, 03:32:59 PM
Yes, let's hope.
I think the top development guy from Valpo went to Bradley in the last year. Can't remember his name. Out of the fiscal frying pan and into the fire.
Q&A: Sitting down with new VP of Advancement Jason PetrovichBY JONATHAN MICHEL – CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ON JANUARY 27, 2023
"JP: So the campaign that we recently finished at Valparaiso from start to finish, I was a part of it [and] I was the main driver of it. We raised a little over 302 million dollars for [Valparaiso]. So that team made its largest campaign in the history of the university. We recently set a goal of $250 million so we eclipsed our goal by over 20 percent and that feels really good. What feels really good about it though is, in 2012 when I first got to Valparaiso, we were just kind of talking about what really needed to happen for the campaign to be successful. We were strategic and found the people and it felt like at times we were building the plane while we were flying it but it all worked. I'm proud to leave [Valparaiso] in a state that's better than what I found it in and I have the same hope and aspiration for my time at Bradley."
https://www.bradleyscout.com/news/qa-sitting-down-with-new-vp-of-advancement-jason-petrovich/
Impressive.
Quote from: wh on August 16, 2023, 06:19:38 PM
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 16, 2023, 03:32:59 PM
Yes, let's hope.
I think the top development guy from Valpo went to Bradley in the last year. Can't remember his name. Out of the fiscal frying pan and into the fire.
Q&A: Sitting down with new VP of Advancement Jason Petrovich
BY JONATHAN MICHEL – CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ON JANUARY 27, 2023
"JP: So the campaign that we recently finished at Valparaiso from start to finish, I was a part of it [and] I was the main driver of it. We raised a little over 302 million dollars for [Valparaiso]. So that team made its largest campaign in the history of the university. We recently set a goal of $250 million so we eclipsed our goal by over 20 percent and that feels really good. What feels really good about it though is, in 2012 when I first got to Valparaiso, we were just kind of talking about what really needed to happen for the campaign to be successful. We were strategic and found the people and it felt like at times we were building the plane while we were flying it but it all worked. I'm proud to leave [Valparaiso] in a state that's better than what I found it in and I have the same hope and aspiration for my time at Bradley."
https://www.bradleyscout.com/news/qa-sitting-down-with-new-vp-of-advancement-jason-petrovich/ (https://www.bradleyscout.com/news/qa-sitting-down-with-new-vp-of-advancement-jason-petrovich/)
Impressive.
Wow!! Talk about being a little verbose, saying that you were the main driver of the campaign. I think he was in charge of major gifts but he wasn't the VP of Advancement. The VP was Lisa Hollander, I wonder how she feels about him taking the credit for the 302 million.
Quote from: FWalum on August 16, 2023, 09:13:16 PM
Quote from: wh on August 16, 2023, 06:19:38 PM
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 16, 2023, 03:32:59 PM
Yes, let's hope.
I think the top development guy from Valpo went to Bradley in the last year. Can't remember his name. Out of the fiscal frying pan and into the fire.
Q&A: Sitting down with new VP of Advancement Jason Petrovich
BY JONATHAN MICHEL – CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ON JANUARY 27, 2023
"JP: So the campaign that we recently finished at Valparaiso from start to finish, I was a part of it [and] I was the main driver of it. We raised a little over 302 million dollars for [Valparaiso]. So that team made its largest campaign in the history of the university. We recently set a goal of $250 million so we eclipsed our goal by over 20 percent and that feels really good. What feels really good about it though is, in 2012 when I first got to Valparaiso, we were just kind of talking about what really needed to happen for the campaign to be successful. We were strategic and found the people and it felt like at times we were building the plane while we were flying it but it all worked. I'm proud to leave [Valparaiso] in a state that's better than what I found it in and I have the same hope and aspiration for my time at Bradley."
https://www.bradleyscout.com/news/qa-sitting-down-with-new-vp-of-advancement-jason-petrovich/ (https://www.bradleyscout.com/news/qa-sitting-down-with-new-vp-of-advancement-jason-petrovich/)
Impressive.
Wow!! Talk about being a little verbose, saying that you were the main driver of the campaign. I think he was in charge of major gifts but he wasn't the VP of Advancement. The VP was Lisa Hollander, I wonder how she feels about him taking the credit for the 302 million.
Not to mention the Deans of the colleges, who likely played a greater role than advancement for getting major donations for their colleges (which are included in the $302M).
Quote from: FWalum on August 16, 2023, 09:13:16 PM
Wow!! Talk about being a little verbose, saying that you were the main driver of the campaign. I think he was in charge of major gifts but he wasn't the VP of Advancement. The VP was Lisa Hollander, I wonder how she feels about him taking the credit for the 302 million.
Well, I'm not going to be too worried about it. He was asked,"What's a past campaign that you've done that you're the most proud of and how did you do it?" and that was his response.
As far as I can tell, Mr. Petrovich very well was the lead person in charge of the campaign. Clearly the VP would have other responsibilities including managing the entire Advancement office, just like the President (or Deans) would be involved with the campaign while doing other Presidential things. If you read the response, he uses "we" and "team" as well, even as the question uses the word "you" three times!
Fine to take credit I guess. I was just thinking he probably found the July 31 press release pretty shocking and may not have seen a crisis of that depth coming when he took the job. Bradley may want him to downsize a bit and/or raise money urgently to plug the holes in the ship's hull with more giving to the budget rather than do visionary stuff now. However, higher education finances are largely facing the same problems so I would guess he went in with his eyes wide open.
During the Heckler regime, a lot of people blamed the board for not being willing to invest in a new or revamped ARC, saying things like they're not interested in athletics, they have their own pet projects, etc. And yet, that same board signed on to President Padilla's strategic plan where a new bb venue is front and center. Heckler was a disgusting president on so many levels. Add this to the list.
Quote from: wh on August 19, 2023, 10:48:33 AM
During the Heckler regime, a lot of people blamed the board for not being willing to invest in a new or revamped ARC, saying things like they're not interested in athletics, they have their own pet projects, etc. And yet, that same board signed on to President Padilla's strategic plan where a new bb venue is front and center. Heckler was a disgusting president on so many levels. Add this to the list.
That a lot harsh! During President Heckler's time on campus a lot got done. For example, the new Chem/Bio building, the completion of the Union, the Arts and Science building, the Welcome Center, Beacon Hall, the Sorority complex, The Helge Center, the launch and large progress toward the Forever Valpo campaign, and I believe, the addition of the student fitness center as well as other stuff like the addition of new programs like physician assistant and bio engineering. As for athletics, during his tenure, Brown Field got artificial turf and lighting, the track was installed, significant upgrades to the softball complex and the upgrades to the basketball practice facility including air-conditioning.
So I guess maybe, just maybe, disgusting might be a little harsh. It was a different time with different challenges. A lot of facility challenges faced Heckler and the Board.
Heckler played us, the same way he played the MVC to gain entry into the league. I recall clearly that he committed to bringing the ARC up to MVC standards, complete with projected timelines. Taking him at his word was the biggest mistake Doug Elgin could have made. The MVC has been paying the price since.
Hopefully, President Padilla keeps Heckler's word and Roger restores Valpo to the program the MVC thought it was getting 7 years ago.
I disliked Heckler's politics and he seemed like a chameleon (was an actor by trade) in terms of his core beliefs. But I don't blame him anymore for strategic choices in our long-term finances. If some some of the posters on this forum are correct, then Heckler gave the board a strategic fork in the road in the early 2010s so they would own that choice:
1) Plan to grow to 6,000 students in order to continue the full program range at VU and build the new facilities required
2) Stay in a feasible domestic recruitment lane in the low 3,000s and consolidate VU's programs.
Again if these folks are correct about him, the board chose #1 and Heckler took his marching orders. So yes Heckler built a lot of great buildings, but they were financed heavily with long-term debt. Now Moody's is calling that out and cash flow is drying up. But it seems like that board is to blame for the debt approvals.
The VU72 comments on Heckler need to be revised. Yes, several buildings were built under Heckler. But the huge union project was raised by Alan Harre! With NO FINANCING! And Harre completed the turf, softball, turf, track, and lighting even though he gets a bad rap on athletics. He was not a great speaker, but they guy got things done.
Wonder how much money Heckler actually raised from donors for his buildings? We could find that in one of these forum threads. Put the rest on the credit card, please. -- Mark Heckler
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 21, 2023, 10:46:16 AM
The VU72 comments on Heckler need to be revised. Yes, several buildings were built under Heckler. But the huge union project was raised by Alan Harre! With NO FINANCING! And Harre completed the turf, softball, turf, track, and lighting even though he gets a bad rap on athletics. He was not a great speaker, but they guy got things done.
Wonder how much money Heckler actually raised from donors for his buildings? We could find that in one of these forum threads. Put the rest on the credit card, please. -- Mark Heckler
What I said was Heckler FINISHED the Union. As for the other things mentioned, I'll just quote the Athletics site as follows:
"On October 11th, 2014 — the 95th anniversary of the Brown and Gold's first victory on the gridiron — the Warren G. Hoger Track was dedicated".
"Lights were added as well in 2010".
"The facility underwent a number of substantial upgrades prior to the 2011 campaign. An aluminum grandstand structure was built, stretching behind the backstop from dugout to dugout. The middle section features chairback seating, while other sections provide bleacher seating". "A large scoreboard which was updated prior to the 2017 season to feature the program's league championships and NCAA Tournament appearances"
"Hilltop Gym underwent a two-year renovation, including the installation of air conditioning and new lighting, which was completed in 2018".
Heckler was President from 2008-2020.
I happen to think Heckler did a decent job. And while his record on athletics certainly showed less than fulsome enthusiasm, I think that some of the most virulent criticism is a pretext for not liking his political leanings.
For a guy whose tenure was bookended by the recovery from a global recession to start and the elevation of a global pandemic to finish, he did a pretty good job on fundraising -- at least much better than many presidents at comparable schools. Believe me on this as a professor at a comparable regional private university that would have trouble raising $300m if you spotted it $250m. I'm serious. And I know that my school is hardly alone in that distinction.
Valpo has had three successive presidents -- Schnabel, Harre, and Heckler -- who led respectable, successful capital campaigns. To those who harbor some resentment or anger towards Heckler for not prioritizing the athletics program, I'd suggest trying to let that go and recognize that under his watch, too, difficult choices had to be made.
VU72, points taken on the athletics projects. I was sure the turf was installed under Harre, but obviously I was mistaken on the other athletic upgrades. LaBarbera gets credit for those too.
But most importantly Harre raised the entire $70M cost of the union and that was the key presidential role in the project. The Valpo magazine misled the readers on this point when they did their tribute to Heckler.
In my other post I conceded that Heckler followed the BoD's lead on the strategic loan decisions to borrow $100m+. We are now house poor, paying a mortage on a decreasing household income. . But it does seem to fall at the feet of Heckler's BoD.
Quote from: crusadermoe on August 21, 2023, 09:49:04 AM
I disliked Heckler's politics and he seemed like a chameleon (was an actor by trade) in terms of his core beliefs. But I don't blame him anymore for strategic choices in our long-term finances. If some some of the posters on this forum are correct, then Heckler gave the board a strategic fork in the road in the early 2010s so they would own that choice:
1) Plan to grow to 6,000 students in order to continue the full program range at VU and build the new facilities required
2) Stay in a feasible domestic recruitment lane in the low 3,000s and consolidate VU's programs.
Again if these folks are correct about him, the board chose #1 and Heckler took his marching orders. So yes Heckler built a lot of great buildings, but they were financed heavily with long-term debt. Now Moody's is calling that out and cash flow is drying up. But it seems like that board is to blame for the debt approvals.
For schools like Valpo -- solid endowments but not rich, capable of doing respectable fundraising campaigns but much of it in IOU form (pledges & bequests) -- debt is the standard path towards new buildings.
Sooooo.....here's another reason why university boards need a greater diversity of board members. Load them up with business folks (1) who don't necessarily have the personal means to donate truly exceptional sums of money that result in naming gifts; and (2) who think of financing in a standard borrow-and-grow mode, and you get these results. Over the many years, universities have become among the most resilient of institutions by thinking in terms of sustainability. That can include smart plans to expand enrollment, put up new buildings, and even take on additional debt, etc., but it cannot involve magical thinking.
Perhaps President Heckler should've gone in with Plan #2 above only, saying that unless circumstances change dramatically, VU should plan on a moderate enrollment and determine how to best use its resources. But that would've been going against the grain of what many business-oriented board members think of as "success." And it was also contrary to what presidents and boards at comparable universities were saying about the necessity of growth.
Indeed, for all of the chatter about running universities "more like a business," I bet that if you compare the overall life spans and failure rates of private, for-profit businesses (including very established ones) to that of private, non-profit universities, the latter come out looking pretty good.
Quote from: David81 on August 21, 2023, 11:42:03 PM
I happen to think Heckler did a decent job. And while his record on athletics certainly showed less than fulsome enthusiasm, I think that some of the most virulent criticism is a pretext for not liking his political leanings.
For a guy whose tenure was bookended by the recovery from a global recession to start and the elevation of a global pandemic to finish, he did a pretty good job on fundraising -- at least much better than many presidents at comparable schools. Believe me on this as a professor at a comparable regional private university that would have trouble raising $300m if you spotted it $250m. I'm serious. And I know that my school is hardly alone in that distinction.
Valpo has had three successive presidents -- Schnabel, Harre, and Heckler -- who led respectable, successful capital campaigns. To those who harbor some resentment or anger towards Heckler for not prioritizing the athletics program, I'd suggest trying to let that go and recognize that under his watch, too, difficult choices had to be made.
A political cheap shot designed to delegitimize people who disagree with your view of the world. Where are the board rule pedants when you need them? lol
Quote from: wh on August 22, 2023, 08:49:16 PM
Quote from: David81 on August 21, 2023, 11:42:03 PM
I happen to think Heckler did a decent job. And while his record on athletics certainly showed less than fulsome enthusiasm, I think that some of the most virulent criticism is a pretext for not liking his political leanings.
For a guy whose tenure was bookended by the recovery from a global recession to start and the elevation of a global pandemic to finish, he did a pretty good job on fundraising -- at least much better than many presidents at comparable schools. Believe me on this as a professor at a comparable regional private university that would have trouble raising $300m if you spotted it $250m. I'm serious. And I know that my school is hardly alone in that distinction.
Valpo has had three successive presidents -- Schnabel, Harre, and Heckler -- who led respectable, successful capital campaigns. To those who harbor some resentment or anger towards Heckler for not prioritizing the athletics program, I'd suggest trying to let that go and recognize that under his watch, too, difficult choices had to be made.
A political cheap shot designed to delegitimize people who disagree with your view of the world. Where are the board rule pedants when you need them? lol
"A political cheap shot designed to delegitimize people who disagree with your view of the world." A bit of projection there? ::)
Anyway, to be more specific. Yes, I do take issue, for example, with calling Mark Heckler a "disgusting president on so many levels," and I have to speculate on what could cause such a severe, overwrought judgment on his performance. I'm certainly willing to concede that the athletics program was not among his personal priorities. But disgusting is a word I reserve for those whose words and conduct truly deserve it.
I happen to think that he was a good president with deeply held Christian beliefs, at a school for which he might not have been an ideal match. In that tension he tried to move VU in ways that made some folks uncomfortable, but I think the school is a better place in some of those dimensions because of it. I also happen to think that Jose Padilla offers a contrast and sense of direction that is very good for VU at this moment in time.
Overall, VU has benefited from stable leadership in its presidency -- especially if one looks at the revolving presidential doors of many other schools. In the post-O.P. life of VU, Huegli, Schnabel, Harre, and Heckler all had their strengths and weaknesses, but they all deserve credit for lengthy presidencies that have given a sense of stability and foundation to VU.
That's good and all, but I'm still trying to figure out why the sudden political attack. Is it something I said in reference to the collapse of Heckler's crazy 6000-student house of cards? You remember, when he thought he caught lightning in a bottle by partnering with the world's most oppressive communist government and Islamic states half way across the globe, willing to pay full freight to open the eyes of their best and brightest young people to a way of life and religion that they despise? ::) Never mind that once the money started to flow, CCP operatives swooped in and installed an official communist propaganda machine on campus to give students a false impression that the CCP was becoming more progressive in the human rights arena. Oh, and who can forget "hijab" day, where Islamic operatives convinced a group of naive VU Christian female students to wear Islamic garb out in the community to see how it felt to walk a mile in their shoes?
If the story ended there, with the university being played by foreign government operatives in return for some fast cash, that would be bad enough. Sadly, that's not the case. Heckler was so convinced that he held the golden key to future financial prosperity, that he fabricated an entire "strategic" plan around it, complete with projected enrollment figures that jumped off the page. Never mind that no other universities anywhere were making similar projections. They didn't have the connections he had. They didn't have the secret sauce.
So confident was President Heckler that he erected new buildings with the capacity to serve a much larger student population. Those same buildings stand there today as monuments to his ignorance. Empty classrooms, blocked off hallways, unused furniture, excessive infrastructure, millions of extra dollars in construction costs due to overbuilding, extra debt, the negative appearance of over capacity, etc., etc.
Lest I forget, for those tracking Heckler's accomplishments, you may want to add that Valpo's Law School that had stood proud and tall for generations crumbled to the ground under his watch while he was busy kowtowing to bad actors and erecting buildings elsewhere to support his fool's errand.
Quote from: wh on August 23, 2023, 04:43:41 AMYou remember, when he thought he caught lightning in a bottle by partnering with the world's most oppressive communist government
Once again our friend wh likes to overlook the fact that Valpo was far from alone in welcoming a Confucius Institute. In fact, there were 118 in the US alone and featured at schools like the University of Chicago, Indiana University and many other Big Ten institutions.
The concept was sound, in recognizing that the world of the future wouldn't be limited to America's shores, but more likely an international conglomeration including the world's second largest economy. Yes, it BECAME controversial but it started out with sound thinking.
To the comments about by David81 regarding business people on university boards and running a university "more like a business".
While there are certainly examples of business leaders who follow an unrealistic "borrow and grow" mode, this is generally not the case. From my experience, most business leaders (certainly the successful ones) develop a business model with realistic revenue and margin forecasts and then, if necessary, take out debt that has a high probability of being serviced over time. This is even more true for leaders in firms that are established - which are likely to be the type of leaders that serve on university boards. More relevant to this discussion, business leaders on boards that I have seen at universities other than Valpo have followed this model - because that is what has created or sustained the success of their business.
I do not know Heckler and do not have information to assess whether he pushed the university to follow a build and debt strategy that was too aggressive. But a generalization that can be made about university presidents is that they tend to view their legacy by how many buildings they build. For some, it is to build their resume' for their next job - which has not been applicable to any Valpo presidents.
Thus, I think that there are three salient questions:
-Did Heckler present a business model that was excessively aggressive and unrealistic at the time when the model was presented?
-Was an options approach included in the business model that prevented being stuck with an "all-in" approach if there were shocks?
-Was the board too passive? (board passivity - not asking the hard questions and digging into the detail - has been a problem for some boards for a very long time)
And let me offer some perspective on the "hijab day" comments (I will apologize up front to valpo 04 if the comments seem to wade somewhat towards the political side - I am trying to avoid that)
First, I doubt that you (wh) have ever been associated with many muslims. I have worked with muslims, had customers who are muslim, have friends that are muslim, and have had students who are muslim. Not just a few.... a lot. They or their parents were from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Pakistan. What is a common theme for the vast majority of these people? They have a deep dislike for their country (the exception being Jordan). They want to practice their faith as they see fit and are grateful (yes grateful) to be in the U.S. where they can do so. They are not operatives for anything or anyone. And I have never seen or heard of any of them evangelizing that someone should follow their faith.
OK, now "hjiab day". Let's suppose, wh, that you are president of Valpo and you discover that students plan to have such a day. What could you do? You could discuss this with the students and perhaps encourage them not to do so (which might work against you), but you could do little else because they are free to express themselves. Frankly, if you were president of Hillsdale or BYU, I don't think you could stop it for the same reason. You could set a policy - but you could not set it against one faith and say that expressions for other faiths (e.g., cross, crucifix, star of David) are allowed. Bottom line is that you cannot pin this on Heckler or any other university president...nor are there operatives, as they are from the group I discussed in my prior paragraph.
Quote from: vu84v2 on August 23, 2023, 09:19:43 AM
To the comments about by David81 regarding business people on university boards and running a university "more like a business".
While there are certainly examples of business leaders who follow an unrealistic "borrow and grow" mode, this is generally not the case. From my experience, most business leaders (certainly the successful ones) develop a business model with realistic revenue and margin forecasts and then, if necessary, take out debt that has a high probability of being serviced over time. This is even more true for leaders in firms that are established - which are likely to be the type of leaders that serve on university boards. More relevant to this discussion, business leaders on boards that I have seen at universities other than Valpo have followed this model - because that is what has created or sustained the success of their business.
I do not know Heckler and do not have information to assess whether he pushed the university to follow a build and debt strategy that was too aggressive. But a generalization that can be made about university presidents is that they tend to view their legacy by how many buildings they build. For some, it is to build their resume' for their next job - which has not been applicable to any Valpo presidents.
Thus, I think that there are three salient questions:
-Did Heckler present a business model that was excessively aggressive and unrealistic at the time when the model was presented?
-Was an options approach included in the business model that prevented being stuck with an "all-in" approach if there were shocks?
-Was the board too passive? (board passivity - not asking the hard questions and digging into the detail - has been a problem for some boards for a very long time)
vu84v2, I'm happy to defer to you on the frequency of the borrow-and-grow model and assumptions behind it in the business world generally, but it does capture a lot of what we're seeing in the higher ed world. And that model and accompanying assumptions have hit the wall at least twice in the past 15 years, first the Great Recession, and then COVID. It's putting schools like VU -- quality, regional universities that don't have the resources generally to build without borrowing -- in a difficult position.
As I've said before, I think VU will survive these challenges without becoming a hallowed out shell of what it once was. But whether it will be among a smaller number of like universities to actually thrive in this challenging market for higher ed is still up for grabs.
Quote from: wh on August 23, 2023, 04:43:41 AM
Lest I forget, for those tracking Heckler's accomplishments, you may want to add that Valpo's Law School that had stood proud and tall for generations crumbled to the ground under his watch while he was busy kowtowing to bad actors and erecting buildings elsewhere to support his fool's errand.
In the literal sense, yes, the Law School was closed under his watch. But as I've written elsewhere on this board, the painful decision to shutter VU Law was a somewhat perfect storm of very bad stuff. (I'll simply link rather than repeat what I wrote earlier this year if someone wishes to read my brief analysis: https://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=4357.msg144798#msg144798 (https://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=4357.msg144798#msg144798).)
In horribly practical terms, trying to save VU Law may well have meant taxing more stable and higher ranked programs (e.g., engineering) to support a law school that could never break out of the bottom quartile or so of the US News law school rankings and always had to compete for students with strong law schools in Indiana and in Chicagoland. So...another way to look at it is this: By reluctantly closing the Law School, Heckler & the Board may have made a painful decision that ultimately would put the rest of the University on stronger footing going into the pandemic.
I agree with you that the Law School had a long and distinguished history, and thousands of its graduates continue to practice with distinction. But in the world of legal education, where the US News rankings strongly influence virtually all perceptions of institutional quality (most of all, applicants' choices for where to apply and where to enroll), VU Law was forever trying to exceed expectations. Believe me, I do not like these rankings for so many reasons (including those that would undermine the worthiness of VU Law), but I understand how fundamentally they influence my vocation as a legal educator.
https://twitter.com/RogerPowellJr/status/1701363844113707390/mediaviewer
Very possibly the best good will ambassador in NWI. Genuine to the core. Will go anywhere, do anything, meet anyone. It was amazing to watch him in action - how many hands he touched, people he talked to, that beaming infectious smile, that boundless energy. The potential benefit to Valparaiso University extends far beyond the basketball court, IMO.
Fantastic! He had so many opportunities. We are fortunate.
Valparaiso University relocated artwork at center of controversial proposed sale
Adrian Martinez-De La Cruz 16 min ago
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/education/valpo-university-moves-artwork-at-center-of-controversy/article_383775c0-5268-11ee-a2f1-9f1ebc94720e.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest
Along with the rest of the campus community, yesterday afternoon I received the Padilla memo, which seemed particularly tone deaf in its communication, especially in the unilateral nature of its message. The Director of the Brauer Museum, responsible for the institution's art holdings, was conspicuously not a co-signer of the memo. In fact, he was never mentioned, not even as having been consulted, advised, or at least notified about the removal of the paintings. The impression left by the memo is that the artworks were stealthily taken against his wishes. The spirit of the memo will only serve to further burn bridges between the administration and other sectors of the campus community, as well as add to poor publicity for VU. In fact, the action of removing the paintings "for their protection" seems counterproductive and negative, creating more damaging public relations perceptions, indicating to possible donors that the University is not even confident in its own museum's security. Oddly, the disappearance of the artworks occurs exactly one week after John Ruff was quoted in the Torch: Ruff "expressed his relief that the paintings are still at the Brauer for students and the community to enjoy. 'The paintings are still on the wall. That's the best news,' Ruff said."
http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_fe5d6be8-49cf-11ee-8817-13129daacff3.html (http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_fe5d6be8-49cf-11ee-8817-13129daacff3.html)
Already, a longer, damaging and more detailed article appears online in the Suburbs section of the Chicago Tribune. Richard Brauer is referenced: "the safest place for the paintings, Brauer said in an email, is in the secure, climate-controlled underground vaults at the museum designed for just that purpose, 'in a safe, police patrolled campus handled by experienced art handlers incurring no extra cost.'" Ruff is also mentioned: "Ruff, too, said he finds it 'regrettable' that Padilla has decided the paintings aren't secure within the confines of the museum. 'They've been secure for how many decades now in the care of professionals and they were, in my mind, never insecure until (Padilla) and his staff found out their worth,' Ruff said." Moreover, contacted by the reporter and given an opportunity to support the administration's action in removing the painting, "Jonathan Canning, the museum's curator and director, declined to comment...."
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-brauer-paintings-removed-st-0914-20230913-h5evbevphbcv5fhiucjsr76adm-story.html (https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-brauer-paintings-removed-st-0914-20230913-h5evbevphbcv5fhiucjsr76adm-story.html)
Mark my words. You and your fellow faculty members will never see those paintings again.
Quote from: wh on September 13, 2023, 08:08:40 PM
Mark my words. You and your fellow faculty members will never see those paintings again.
It is peculiarly remarkable that you appear proud of your comment, as well as the various ramifications for strained university relations, internally and externally.
Quote from: valpopal on September 13, 2023, 08:17:35 PM
Quote from: wh on September 13, 2023, 08:08:40 PM
Mark my words. You and your fellow faculty members will never see those paintings again.
It is peculiarly remarkable that you appear proud of your comment, as well as the various ramifications for strained university relations, internally and externally.
More accurately, I'm proud of President Padilla. I would be hard pressed to think of another white collar workforce that more deserved to be put in their place than the aforementioned group of faculty rabble rousers. They have damaged Valparaiso University and embarrassed themselves in the process.
Isn't Homecoming in the next week or two? A little dispiriting that alumni aren't able to see the paintings one last time. Some might have even paid for the privilege.
Quote from: wh on September 13, 2023, 08:42:20 PM
Quote from: valpopal on September 13, 2023, 08:17:35 PM
Quote from: wh on September 13, 2023, 08:08:40 PM
Mark my words. You and your fellow faculty members will never see those paintings again.
It is peculiarly remarkable that you appear proud of your comment, as well as the various ramifications for strained university relations, internally and externally.
More accurately, I'm proud of President Padilla. I would be hard pressed to think of another white collar workforce that more deserved to be put in their place than the aforementioned group of faculty rabble rousers. They have damaged Valparaiso University and embarrassed themselves in the process.
Sadly, President Padilla has created a campus climate in which he seemingly needs to stealthily pilfer paintings without consulting the curator and director of the museum for consent or even advising the faculty senate, let alone notifying the individual who acquired all the university's artworks and for whom the museum is named. The atmosphere he has fostered is now so filled with friction that Padilla signals he cannot confide in the faculty or the museum director. He is like Captain Queeg. What kind of image is it when a university administration openly doesn't trust its employees or the security of its own museum, which houses millions of dollars of donors' gifts? Apparently, you are proud of the antipathy now present because of his words and actions, perhaps because it reflects your repeatedly expressed antipathy toward faculty who must "be put in their place."
At this point Padilla MUST sell the damn thing. If he caves now, after this stupid long battle, he would prove his is ultimately vulnerable to pressures like this. I was in a meeting when he stood his ground on this issue and he explained he does have the authority to do this and he is not required to ask for consent of faculty, etc, etc. So what I don't understand is why half measures and this poor attempt of trying to explain himself via these memos.
It is also possible that this relocation of these pieces is a middle finger shown to John Ruff and the likes to show them that "not selling" does not guarantee the art is in the museum. So for all practical purposes the Museum looks now as if the art was sold. To the public makes no difference if it is sold or hidden in a basement. Out of sight out of mind.
As I said in earlier posts, what is more damaging now is the distraction from other vital issues by making this issue the stupidest hill to die on.
Quote from: wh on September 13, 2023, 08:42:20 PM
I would be hard pressed to think of another white collar workforce that more deserved to be put in their place than the aforementioned group of faculty rabble rousers.
Object to their position if you wish, but keep in mind that the trio leading opposition to the art sale on ethical grounds are Dick Brauer, John Ruff, and Phil Brockington, among the most revered members of the Valparaiso community, on campus or off campus, who have selflessly dedicated their lives to the university—contributed decades of their time, unending energy, and millions of dollars. Brauer is a beloved legend who transformed the university by taking the art collection from absolutely nothing to a prestigious museum housing world-class works, which also made construction of the whole Center for the Arts building possible as well. Together, these three men have more than 100 years of unblemished ethical service to the university. They are the people you label with the derogatory term of "rabble rousers."
I certainly side with the board and president. And the law certainly does.
But what a PR disaster to steal them away shortly before Homecoming. it gives faculty and students a chance to complain and protest to our alumni. Maybe they can get some TV cameras out if they march down Union Street.
However,....its' truly possible that they have received threats from a deranged individual. You may know there have been several young nut job climate change activists who have ruined prized paintings in our major world museums over the past few years. So maybe an unstable 20-year-old at VU sees a chance for glory? Art students are not known for steady rationale thinking.
Quote from: crusadermoe on September 14, 2023, 10:25:42 AM
However,....its' truly possible that they have received threats from a deranged individual. You may know there have been several young nut job climate change activists who have ruined prized paintings in our major world museums over the past few years. So maybe an unstable 20-year-old at VU sees a chance for glory? Art students are not known for steady rationale thinking.
If that is the case and such a step is truly deemed necessary to protect the artworks by even removing them from the safety of the museum vault to an undisclosed location off campus, why wouldn't the administration have the curator and museum director—the professional responsible for security of the museum's holdings and someone who has credibility with those in opposition to the sale—agree and sign on to the action? Or is that just too sensible?
Quote from: wh on August 23, 2023, 04:43:41 AMto the collapse of Heckler's crazy 6000-student house of cards?
I have zero idea what the Board or Mark Heckler thought about the 6000 student plan or what influences they expected to get to such a goal. However, of you look at the facts, those that some on this board find difficult, here are a few to consider perhaps.
When Mark Heckler took office in 2008 the student body, as posted by 22, was 3,782. By 2013, roughly 40% through his tenure, the number had grown to 4,310 or an increase of 14% and and had been steadily growing for four straight years. Not sure when the targeted 6000 was planned but on this growth curve it isn't beyond the realm of possibilities in a pre-covid world.
There is much that the Heckler administration did not understand, and it seems like they went out of their way to not understand. This included attempts to grow the student body while reducing student selectivity in the face of a foreseeable demographic cliff. Trying to maintain the law school (and the reputation) by admitting more and more unqualified students, being utterly surprised when that didn't work and taking a hit to the reputation of the university. Building several new buildings funded only with increased debt (and debt service, see below). Alienating at least some of their traditional pipeline of applicants from LCMS high schools. Operating with annual structural budget deficits.
Part of the reason that President Padilla is in such a bind is that there is next to no borrowing capacity left. The June 2022 financial statements showed $105M of notes and bonds payable. In specific, only $2.5M of the $82.7M principle had been repaid from the 2014 and 2017 bonds (including none of the $42M 2014 IFA Educational Facilities Revenue Bond). There were two lines of credit (one expiring 10/31/2023) with $11M borrowed, and another expiring on 11/29/2022 with $10M borrowed. Both of the lines of credit were at interest rates of 2.05% (LIBOR + 60bp). Today, those lines of credit would cost the University 6% or so. To put it in perspective, the University incurred $4.3M of interest expenses in 2022 against $48.6M net tuition and fees, and I'm guessing that the interest expenses would be worse for FY 2023. So, when dorms need to be re-done to attract students, if the funds can't be raised from donors, there is little chance of borrowing more money.
I'm sure President Heckler had fun spending the money, and dedicating the new buildings. It is like President Padilla is the one who has to clean up after the morning after a house party.
Wow, your homework is extensive. Here is very quick math on the two lines of credit that total $21 million and expired Nov. 22 and Oct. 2023. Raising the cost of the interest payments from 2% to 6% would add $800,000 per year in additional carried interest. So on a per student basis, the interest cost of these two bonds alone is $300-400 per student.
Yes, the Fed rates are now compounding the nightmare of the VU debt Padilla faces as he cleans up the mess. He will move on in 3-4 years. The position was a "no lose" situation to land a President job for all the reasons above. He came in with eyes wide open. He will end up heading a large state university somewhere by 2027. So I think selling the artwork might be paying off bonds as much as building a new dorm (which may not be needed.)
Not here to defend Heckler or those who helped develop the plan. I just find it interesting to look back and perhaps take a closer look at what the critical mistakes were so they don't happen again. Here is a Torch article on the plan dated 10/25/2013:
http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_5a54cc80-3d7d-11e3-aa55-0019bb30f31a.html
Interestingly enough, the bigger mistake was assuming the Graduate programs would grow to 1500 versus the undergrad goal of 4500. Obviously, the grad portion included maintaining 400 or so in the law school.
Quote from: valpo95 on September 14, 2023, 02:09:51 PM
There is much that the Heckler administration did not understand, and it seems like they went out of their way to not understand. This included attempts to grow the student body while reducing student selectivity in the face of a foreseeable demographic cliff. Trying to maintain the law school (and the reputation) by admitting more and more unqualified students, being utterly surprised when that didn't work and taking a hit to the reputation of the university. Building several new buildings funded only with increased debt (and debt service, see below). Alienating at least some of their traditional pipeline of applicants from LCMS high schools. Operating with annual structural budget deficits.
Part of the reason that President Padilla is in such a bind is that there is next to no borrowing capacity left. The June 2022 financial statements showed $105M of notes and bonds payable. In specific, only $2.5M of the $82.7M principle had been repaid from the 2014 and 2017 bonds (including none of the $42M 2014 IFA Educational Facilities Revenue Bond). There were two lines of credit (one expiring 10/31/2023) with $11M borrowed, and another expiring on 11/29/2022 with $10M borrowed. Both of the lines of credit were at interest rates of 2.05% (LIBOR + 60bp). Today, those lines of credit would cost the University 6% or so. To put it in perspective, the University incurred $4.3M of interest expenses in 2022 against $48.6M net tuition and fees, and I'm guessing that the interest expenses would be worse for FY 2023. So, when dorms need to be re-done to attract students, if the funds can't be raised from donors, there is little chance of borrowing more money.
I'm sure President Heckler had fun spending the money, and dedicating the new buildings. It is like President Padilla is the one who has to clean up after the morning after a house party.
The Law Faculty thought they could pull off a miracle by applying VU Law's highly personal instructional approach to classes of students with median LSAT scores at a level that predicts, with fair accuracy, serious difficulty passing a bar exam. It was either that or (1) admit tiny entering classes (we're talking ~40-60 students, an unsustainably low number); and/or (2) heavily tax the other components of the University to provide largely tuition free scholarships to students who otherwise might go to a higher-ranked law school (think DePaul, Loyola, Chicago-Kent, IU-Indianapolis, etc.).
As a relatively small law school even during its heyday (~500 students total), VU Law didn't have much room to shrink until it started running into trouble. When the ravages of the Great Recession hit the legal profession, the impact on law school applications was brutal, and schools like VU were especially vulnerable. It was a no-win situation.
(Even today, there are still smaller, lower-ranked law schools on virtual life support, draining money from their parent universities and on the brink of closing -- longer-range casualties of the Great Recession.)
Valpopal - how Padilla removed the artwork with letting anyone know appears to be lacking tact. however, I would bet the there would be discussion and resistance from the director and curator to continue the selling process.
Sometimes you just got to move forward, and if Valpo needs dorms to stay alive and that is the decision and direction, then move on.
Yeah it's pretty clear the optics were: remove the paintings quietly now or wait until the sale goes through and risk removing them with a large protest outside. I believe that, especially how the potential sale was blown up by someone catching wind to the exploration of it and telling people, there's probably not a lot of trust that they would have been able to be removed quietly with the directors cooperation.
You can't both be a rebel and demand civility in dealings. I don't have issues necessarily with the protests anger law suits et al. Hiding messy stuff under the rug isn't a good way to do things either and ironically, it feels like this threat has caused faculty and others to actually seem to embrace and promote and use the museum in more public ways than I had every seen. But....no one has really "fought fair" in this, the choice is: to sell or not to sell and both sides are acting based on what they believe the best move is right now.
I am on team sell just because the state of our freshman dorms is absolutely abysmal and falling compared to competitors and renovating is much cheaper than rebuilding.
Regarding the mistake Heckler did in aiming to grow to a 6000 enrollment school. I am a senior faculty so I do remember some of those faculty meetings with Heckler. My impression at the time, as a person who is not an administrator (my competence is in the classroom) , was that he wasted an enormous amount of time to get input from everyone regarding the plan for the future. He said in one meeting that to be sustainable we either keep the present programs but we need to grow to 6000 or we become a small university of say 1500 but then programs must disappear. What should we do?
But see, this is why we hire administrators who (should be) are better positioned to steer the herd to the right direction. Cause when he asked that question it was like those surveys on the street asking questions like: do you want keep the benefits as they are and increase funds to cover them or do you want to cut them and be sustainable with what we have? And folks of course will choose the former. Because the choice is presented as equally likely and possible.
You ask a bunch of faculty, some of them disconnected from the real world, of course they will say sure let's grow to 6000 and keep the programs. Why not 7000 while we are at it.
But now, in retrospect, I really blame Heckler for not giving the tough talk when it was needed. INstead he jumped ship just in time and he's still pulling over 500K (probably deferred pay or some sort of severance) as of last tax filling, ironically, nearly just as much as the current president.
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/350868125/202311319349304436/full
One is in the lifeboat the other still on Titanic's deck, same pay.
Anyway, if Padilla manages to save this place, his portrait should be in Brauer Museum in place of O'Keeffee but I don't hold my breath
Fairly common for senior administrators to be retained as advisors after a transition year.
Whether Padilla is actively seeking Heckler's advice is another question.
Quote from: valpo22 on September 15, 2023, 04:12:27 AM
Yes, and also the Law School was extraordinarily expensive to run, with some of the Law professors and deans making in the $200s or even 300s range. To have such sky-high costs for running the law school and yet such dubious results in terms of the NY Times article covering how law graduates couldn't get jobs at all, etc.... It just was not tenable and would not have been fair to tax the other colleges heavily to keep it running and keep paying those kinds of salaries. The various other colleges had full-time faculty making more like $40-70K (CAS/CC) or maybe $80-100K (professional schools) depending on rank/seniority and, despite worries over admissions standards, could still often see the BA/BS alumni surpass the faculty in earnings after graduation.
Even taking into account that tenured law professors generally earn significantly higher salaries than peers in Arts & Sciences, those law school salaries are very high given the cost of living in Valparaiso (no longer cheap, but not a major urban area). But the salaries aren't what sunk the school. It was the sharp downturn in law school applications and VU getting caught in the vortex. You could've sliced the salaries in half and given the savings over to scholarships and it wouldn't have been enough to save the school. (In fact, when it became clear that the Law School had to shrink its enrollment considerably, a lot of senior faculty -- presumably including a good number of higher paid folks -- took a retirement package.)
Skimming through the salaries...yes the Heckler $500,000 is a major bloat and boat anchor. But it was probably negotiated severance and contractual. Count me impressed by finance and advancement career salaries. Good for them. But good for VU? There are three finance people at these high levels.
The big question for me is this. The big "Forever Valpo" campaign total was great for touting it across the media. But what amount inside that big $300 million number is/was eligible for paying the ever-increasing salaries and underwrite annual grants?
Sorry Valpo22. I guess my sarcasm on the high salaries for finance folk missed the mark.
Your post on the museum going back several posts was epic. And you bring great perspectives that seem really fair to all. If you are a 2022 grad (....a very young dunehawk), you have figured out a lot very early in life.
Quote from: crusadermoe on September 18, 2023, 09:50:42 AM
Skimming through the salaries...yes the Heckler $500,000 is a major bloat and boat anchor. But it was probably negotiated severance and contractual. Count me impressed by finance and advancement career salaries. Good for them. But good for VU? There are three finance people at these high levels.
The big question for me is this. The big "Forever Valpo" campaign total was great for touting it across the media. But what amount inside that big $300 million number is/was eligible for paying the ever-increasing salaries and underwrite annual grants?
As is typical for a capital campaign, most of the contributions are for specified purposes, and many of the contributions are in the form of pledges and bequests. (This is not a reality limited to VU; it's standard for most fundraising campaigns of this nature, especially schools drawing heavily upon successful upper-middle income folks rather than higher levels of wealth.)
Accordingly, there's usually not much available for annual operating expenses, including salaries, from these campaigns. However, the income from these gifts can allow the University to shift funding sources for line items on a budget, whereby campaign gifts can cover budgeted items, thus potentially freeing up other funds for everyday expenditures.
Porter County judge hears arguments to dismiss Valpo University paintings lawsuit
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/education/judge-hears-arguments-to-dismiss-vu-paintings-lawsuit/article_3830dd04-5d81-11ee-aac3-57b8180b0d91.html#tracking-source=home-top-story
Thanks for this timely update. Regardless of legal decisions, VU needs to move forward as fast as possible. This thing is eating up valuable time.
Press Release: Art sale at standstill
Caitlynn Shipe Sep 27, 2023 Updated Sep 27, 2023
(0) comments
http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_c626f186-5d75-11ee-bca3-9f062908f777.html
This story from the Torch has been posted for a week. Apparently, Valpo's resident faculty problem children forgot to manufacture even 1 comment from troubled students the way they manufactured 4-5k signatures for their petition last spring. There aren't that many people on planet earth that care about this "issue."
The next thing I want to see are construction crews on site. IMO this is an outstanding enhancement to Valpo's residential housing options that will turn heads of prospective students and their families. Enough with the game playing. Let's get on with it.
Quote from: wh on October 02, 2023, 11:09:29 PMThere aren't that many people on planet earth that care about this "issue." Enough with the game playing. Let's get on with it.
To digress a little, this quote reminds something I noticed in the last years. THe "algorithm" (for lack of a better word) that handles the invisible cord that connects people's brain and their phone, reached this point where any "crisis" cannot last too long in the prime real estate area of those brains. Every single day there is a queue of "issues" that demand emotions, involvement, notification checks, likes, comments, emojis and other toys of mental stimulation.
A consequence from this is that pretty much every crisis has much shorter lifespan. It's not like it goes away completely but it moves quickly from high intensity to almost an afterthought. LAst semester I had these students in my classroom wearing various ribbons and pins to support keeping the painting. This semester I don't hear anything about it from them and, from a cursory look, it maybe the last thing in their minds.
This information overload is poorly understood but it explains many things including the stuff that I care about like teaching: it is harder and harder to make folks focus exclusively on a learning activity for at least 10 freaking minutes or to care about something for more than a month or so. With so many "crises" lined up in the smartphone notification list, past semester might as well be ancient history
Quote from: DejaVU on October 05, 2023, 11:14:38 AMWith so many "crises" lined up in the smartphone notification list, past semester might as well be ancient history
Some of us love ancient history or even
recent ancient history. (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/SNice.svg/220px-SNice.svg.png)
Quote from: wh on October 02, 2023, 11:09:29 PM
There aren't that many people on planet earth that care about this "issue."
The current issue of the Torch seems to dispute your statement. According to a lengthy front-page article, the petition against the art sale lists verified signatures of approximately 2,700 students, faculty, and alums. This report also mentions the four national art associations that have opposed the art sale as unethical. Newspaper reports throughout the nation, including in The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune, have initiated further outside opposition to this move, which is guaranteed to create greater negative publicity and damage the reputation of the university additionally if the sale proceeds.
Elsewhere in the Torch, students report apparent censorship of protest at the university. The administration stealthily pilfered the artworks from the museum—without approval or even notification of the museum's director and curator, responsible for the status and condition of the paintings—during the week before homecoming so that they would not be on display for returning alumni. Then the alumni dinner seemingly was relocated from the VUCA to the Union, again to distance the gathering from the art museum. Further, students who showed up to distribute protest fliers at the alumni dinner were taken away from the event by police, had their materials confiscated, and were told they would be arrested if they even spoke to any attendees. According to Chief Garber, these actions were taken at the direction of the university president. As a dedicated free speech advocate, I believe no matter what your stand is on this issue (or any other), this is not the proper conduct of an administration at a liberal arts university.
President Padilla is trying to prevent you and your faculty friends from self destructing. I know you can't understand that, but you will thank him some day when clearer heads prevail and the university gets back on track. Trust the process.
Quote from: wh on October 09, 2023, 10:55:48 AM
President Padilla is trying to prevent you and your faculty friends from self destructing.
He was preventing alumni from viewing the artworks and shielding them from hearing differing voices or witnessing an example of peaceful free speech at a liberal arts university whose Mission Statement declares: "Difference is a strength and reason for celebration."
As someone who is in favor of selling the art (for reasons that I have detailed in prior posts), the university (particularly President Padilla) did not handle this mini-protest well. I can see no reason to dispute the summary of events provided by the student in the letter and it seems that she handled the events in a very mature manner (probably more mature than I would have been if I felt strongly about a cause and was stifled). Not allowing her in the banquet hall is one thing, but telling her that she is not allowed to speak at any location near the event and President Padilla making an off the cuff statement to students of "are you the muscle?" is not good leadership. Taking down flyers is also wrong.
Just OMG.
Quote from: vu84v2 on October 09, 2023, 03:16:04 PM
President Padilla making an off the cuff statement to students of "are you the muscle?"
Open mouth, insert cowboy boot.
People hear one side of a story from a student feeling offended, allegedly because she wasn't permitted to hijack a celebratory university-wide event for her personal gratification, and grown adults on a message blindly jump to her defense. She couldn't possibly be lying, or stretching the truth, or substituting inflammatory language for what was actually said, right? It matters not that every person on the face of the earth does or says something untruthful every day of their lives, some at the drop of a hat, right? What is it exactly that you find more credible about her side of the story than President Padilla's? Oh, that's right, you have no idea what his side of the story is. Even more egregious.
Quote from: wh on October 10, 2023, 07:51:33 PM
People hear one side of a story from a student feeling offended, allegedly because she wasn't permitted to hijack a celebratory university-wide event for her personal gratification, and grown adults on a message blindly jump to her defense. She couldn't possibly be lying, or stretching the truth, or substituting inflammatory language for what was actually said, right? It matters not that every person on the face of the earth does or says something untruthful every day of their lives, some at the drop of a hat, right? What is it exactly that you find more credible about her side of the story than President Padilla's? Oh, that's right, you have no idea what his side of the story is. Even more egregious.
The fact that Padilla made his derisive comment to a group of four students, who are named in the article as witnesses, plus she reports this incident in a university public forum to which she knows he could easily respond with a denial if she were lying, obviously adds to her credibility.
Quote from: valpopal on October 10, 2023, 08:40:34 PM
Quote from: wh on October 10, 2023, 07:51:33 PM
People hear one side of a story from a student feeling offended, allegedly because she wasn't permitted to hijack a celebratory university-wide event for her personal gratification, and grown adults on a message blindly jump to her defense. She couldn't possibly be lying, or stretching the truth, or substituting inflammatory language for what was actually said, right? It matters not that every person on the face of the earth does or says something untruthful every day of their lives, some at the drop of a hat, right? What is it exactly that you find more credible about her side of the story than President Padilla's? Oh, that's right, you have no idea what his side of the story is. Even more egregious.
The fact that Padilla made his derisive comment to a group of four students, who are named in the article as witnesses, plus she reports this incident in a university public forum to which she knows he could easily respond with a denial if she were lying, obviously adds to her credibility.
A university president would never engage in a public pissing match with a student (or a disgruntled group of faculty members who use the media to carry their story of woe). See Public Relations Blunders 101, Chapter 1.
Quote from: wh on October 10, 2023, 09:46:47 PM
Quote from: valpopal on October 10, 2023, 08:40:34 PM
Quote from: wh on October 10, 2023, 07:51:33 PM
What is it exactly that you find more credible about her side of the story than President Padilla's?
The fact that Padilla made his derisive comment to a group of four students, who are named in the article as witnesses, plus she reports this incident in a university public forum to which she knows he could easily respond with a denial if she were lying, obviously adds to her credibility.
A university president would never engage in a public pissing match with a student (or a disgruntled group of faculty members who use the media to carry their story of woe). See Public Relations Blunders 101, Chapter 1.
A university president should refrain from making derisive comments about students, faculty, and alumni. See the introduction to Public Relation Blunders 101.
If you're the President of the University, having the apparent power to make a decision on a controversial matter where a vocal constituency is holding the opposite view, then it helps to take the high road, be magnanimous, and consistently stick to the merits of your position. Even if you feel stung by gadflies, you go high. Why? Because others are watching you and assessing what kind of leader you are.
I think President Padilla has unnecessarily squandered some of his high ground and increased the likelihood that if/when the art sale goes through, there will be lasting bad feelings. This is unfortunate, because in many other ways, he is having a positive impact as VU's president.
I'm less bothered about the "bad publicity." The underlying issues here are very much a part of the dialogue about the present and future of higher education, and being seen as a school serving as a battleground for some of that debate is not the worst thing.
Quote from: wh on October 09, 2023, 10:55:48 AMTrust the process.
You were the last one who I thought would quote Coach Matt Lottich. :-)
Quote from: historyman on October 11, 2023, 12:51:49 AM
Quote from: wh on October 09, 2023, 10:55:48 AMTrust the process.
You were the last one who I thought would quote Coach Matt Lottich. :-)
That was good! lol
It makes far more sense that the handful of student protestors said to the police chief after he threatened to arrest them on orders from the top, "so you're the president's muscle," or something to that effect. In fact, that's exactly the way it happened.
Quote from: valpo22 on October 11, 2023, 06:17:38 AMAt many points the Board and Pres has made it pretty clear that they detest faculty, students, and alumni.
Because many of the Board are alumni, and further, because alumni giving is the life blood of the university, that I consider the above quote as totally out of touch with reality. As a member of the faculty who feels mistreated by this Board and Administration, I understand your feelings, it just run counterintuitive with reality.
I did not mean my points about how President Padilla handled a few student protesters to extend into broad conclusions about him and the board. While I believe the student's account of the events (they are presented in a logical and non-emotional manner in her letter) and I believe that he should have handled it better as a leader, I also believe that (if true) it was a mistake and not some grievous hatred of students, faculty, etc. I find it quite believable that the University President and Board may have strong disagreements on some topics and that they may get frustrated with some students and faculty, but that does not mean hatred and it does not mean that many (if not all) of them are respected.
Quote from: valpopal on October 10, 2023, 11:07:04 PM
Quote from: wh on October 10, 2023, 09:46:47 PM
A university president would never engage in a public pissing match with a student (or a disgruntled group of faculty members who use the media to carry their story of woe). See Public Relations Blunders 101, Chapter 1.
A university president should refrain from making derisive comments about students, faculty, and alumni. See the introduction to Public Relation Blunders 101.
This university president in particular has a published history of PR blunders. (See also, telling Faculty Senate that he would "not fundraise by asking old white guys for money.")
I have to imagine some of his advisors noted that "not a core resource" would be a perfect rallying cry for opposition to his plan to sell artwork.
Most recently, he introduced his new chief fundraiser - to a room full of alumni - by describing her as "a pickpocket."
By now, President Padilla has to be telling the Mrs., "I wish to God I would have never accepted this position. Not only did I inherit a financial mess sugarcoated by the Board during the interview process, I'm stuck with a bunch of entitled, butt-hurt faculty brats whose passion in life is sabotaging my every attempt to fix the mess they helped create." No good deed goes unpunished x 1000.
My advice to President Padilla, "Formulate your exit strategy. Run as fast as your legs will carry you. Never look back."
To say Padilla loathes students and faculty is a complete joke. How would he get the job if that were the case? Padilla is going to make mistakes, say something he will regret saying, and piss people off. Padilla has a tough job and has to make tough decisions. Why do you think the art is being sold? To keep Valpo competitive. It sucks to sell it but how are you going to address the facility issues?
Quote from: usc4valpo on October 12, 2023, 09:18:25 AM
It sucks to sell it but how are you going to address the facility issues?
I have always recommended a compromise solution be tried.
Fortunately, the art world has a practice called "fractional ownership," which has been embraced not only by other university museums but also by world renowned places like the Tate in London and the Whitney in New York. Fractional status allows for the partial sale of a painting, so that two or more institutions become joint owners with stipulated rights and time periods for display. There is an especially relevant precedent with Harvard University and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum partnering to purchase O'Keeffe materials.
For example, Valparaiso University could actually sell up to 90% ownership of the O'Keeffe painting to another museum, which would allow the Brauer to still list the artwork as an asset in the museum's collection and to mount it about five weeks each year—perhaps during the fall semester around homecoming. The exhibit could even be titled a "homecoming" for O'Keeffe. To sweeten the agreement, VU could pledge to use a portion of the proceeds from the painting's sale to set aside space in the renovated dorms as a student art gallery.
In this compromise, the administration receives money from the sale, the museum continues to list the work in its collection catalog, the community still has an opportunity each year to view the painting, and the university maintains some respect from the outside world with its innovative solution.
excellent idea, but don't you think they would have considered that?
Quote from: usc4valpo on October 12, 2023, 10:23:29 AM
excellent idea, but don't you think they would have considered that?
The idea has never been discussed in faculty meetings I have attended with the president, so I am assuming not. I would hope that if the legal avenue to stop the sale does not prevail, as I expect would be the case, and the looming specter of bad public relations continues, then this would be a good fallback position for those who wish to retain the painting as an asset in the museum and those who wish to sell the painting but retain respect. Maybe it is all part of the art of the deal: neither side offers a compromise until other paths are exhausted. In any case, it appears a compromise would be a win-win solution.
Quote from: valpopal on October 12, 2023, 10:36:45 AM
Quote from: usc4valpo on October 12, 2023, 10:23:29 AM
excellent idea, but don't you think they would have considered that?
The idea has never been discussed in faculty meetings I have attended with the president, so I am assuming not. I would hope that if the legal avenue to stop the sale does not prevail, as I expect would be the case, and the looming specter of bad public relations continues, then this would be a good fallback position for those who wish to retain the painting as an asset in the museum and those who wish to sell the painting but retain respect. Maybe it is all part of the art of the deal: neither side offers a compromise until other paths are exhausted. In any case, it appears a compromise would be a win-win solution.
This may be a wild suggestion, but, have you proposed this compromise to the President and/or Board? Just asking for a University.
I am all for considering alternatives on the art sale, but from what I can see (and I do not admit to being an expert on art or art transactions) there is a potential problem.
Let's assume that the O'Keefe is worth $8M. A museum offers a joint deal in which they get 75% ownership, Valpo gets 25% ownership, and both parties get to show the painting at their premises following the same ratio. Thus, Valpo get $6M. However, if Valpo goes to auction it would get at least $8M and (being a competitive auction) could get $10M (or more). That is $4M that Valpo is giving up and, again, owning art is not part of Valpo's main mission. Further, I suspect that museums are likely to want more friendly deals (after all, their perspective is going to be that they are doing the right thing for Valpo and the art institutions)...thus in my example they may only be willing to pay $4M for 75% usage.
This is definitely an option that should be considered, but Valpo should not be foregoing large sums of money just to appease art associations, etc. To make this decision, you need to get a strong assessment of what a buyer (museum or otherwise) would be willing to pay for an outright purchase.
Quote from: vu84v2 on October 12, 2023, 11:34:36 AM
I am all for considering alternatives on the art sale, but from what I can see (and I do not admit to being an expert on art or art transactions) there is a potential problem.
Let's assume that the O'Keefe is worth $8M. A museum offers a joint deal in which they get 75% ownership, Valpo gets 25% ownership, and both parties get to show the painting at their premises following the same ratio. Thus, Valpo get $6M. However, if Valpo goes to auction it would get at least $8M and (being a competitive auction) could get $10M (or more). That is $4M that Valpo is giving up and, again, owning art is not part of Valpo's main mission. Further, I suspect that museums are likely to want more friendly deals (after all, their perspective is going to be that they are doing the right thing for Valpo and the art institutions)...thus in my example they may only be willing to pay $4M for 75% usage.
This is definitely an option that should be considered, but Valpo should not be foregoing large sums of money just to appease art associations, etc. To make this decision, you need to get a strong assessment of what a buyer (museum or otherwise) would be willing to pay for an outright purchase.
All good points that I have considered; however, there are additional factors in the equation that counter the proposition VU would obtain the optimum price for the artwork in an auction. First, if Valpo goes to an open auction, the possible sale price likely would be lessened by two issues: museum members of the various art associations would be prevented from or advised against participating in any competitive bidding, plus the paintings will be regarded as "tainted" and diminished in the art world by the ethical questions echoing in the press or elsewhere, which would also tarnish the reputation of any buyer. Additionally, as has been witnessed in previous cases, an open auction would be even more harmful to the university's public relations if the painting were sold to a private owner and removed from public viewing.
Is there an update on the sale, or at least an accounting for its delay? I had thought the NWI judge wanted to move expeditiously, but we are going on a month now in legal limbo.
was it sold? Can we move on?
Torch is reporting that the Brauer suit has been dismissed: https://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_3c04d060-750b-11ee-8fa8-7328a984a99a.html
NWI Times, too: https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/education/judge-dismisses-vu-artwork-sale-lawsuit/article_98733e9a-74f2-11ee-aff5-835888e4529d.html#tracking-source=home-top-story
Great. Whether good or bad, at least we have clarity at long last.
The big question now is whether a new dorms can feasibly open by Fall 2024? Doubtful, but maybe all is set on the design side to bid it and go. They will battle winter during early phase. I am guessing Fall 2025 is more realistic. But I don't know that industry. So I can't judge whether the lawsuit cost us a full year of student recruitment promises.
Thought it might be interesting for people to see a report from our Auditor, a company that specializes in the education segment, on "Higher Education Trends." The effect to us as a seminary is not as immediate as with some of the universities like Valpo, but will effect us down the road as fewer students come to the sem directly out of college. Really hammers home that the threat is real. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/r5u26ehi51jo8lxcc1kux/20231108HigherEducationTrends.pdf?rlkey=lda8xaa3i7h9b6wm7hzu6msuz&dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/r5u26ehi51jo8lxcc1kux/20231108HigherEducationTrends.pdf?rlkey=lda8xaa3i7h9b6wm7hzu6msuz&dl=0)
Can you send a link without requiring drop box?
I have been thinking that we are building a NEW dorm.
Renovation would be a much faster job. What are the odds (today) that they can open a renovated dorm by Fall 2024? (slim)......by Fall 2025? Naturally you need to back plan against the paintings sale income and a few months of construction bidding. Hopefully the drawings and plans are final and ready to go.
It appears that Marian University has employed a nearly identical growth strategy with excellent results. On one hand it suggests that Valpo is on the right path. Conversely, it could suggest that it is behind the 8-ball. Time will tell.
Marian University sees nearly 18% increase in enrollment of Latino students
https://www.wrtv.com/news/education/marian-university-sees-41-increase-in-enrollment-of-latino-students#:~:text=INDIANAPOLIS%20—%20Marian%20University%20enrolled%20its,in%20enrollment%20for%20this%20population.
Quote from: wh on January 08, 2024, 07:24:38 PM
It appears that Marian University has employed a nearly identical growth strategy with excellent results. On one hand it suggests that Valpo is on the right path. Conversely, it could suggest that it is behind the 8-ball. Time will tell.
Marian University sees nearly 18% increase in enrollment of Latino students
https://www.wrtv.com/news/education/marian-university-sees-41-increase-in-enrollment-of-latino-students#:~:text=INDIANAPOLIS%20—%20Marian%20University%20enrolled%20its,in%20enrollment%20for%20this%20population.
It may not be anything consequential, but statements like "18% increase" and "most Latino students ever enrolled" can be misleading. For example, 18% increase from what to what? What is the total percentage of Latino students in the student body?
Historic Strongbow Inn razed to make way for future development
"While no plans have been finalized, the removal of the current structure will facilitate future developments for the benefit of the city and the region," university spokesman Michael Fenton said of the prime parcel at the heavily trafficked intersection of U.S. 30 and Ind. 49.
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/historic-strongbow-inn-razed-to-make-way-for-future-development/article_1cd639a8-b625-11ee-811b-9b9824bc1ee4.html#tracking-source=home-top-story