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Off to a slow start.

$123,700 and nearly noon.

Paul

Next 3 games: @Morehead State, @Dayton, St. Thomas.

I think the St. Thomas game is the key game of the season. If we beat Morehead and Dayton, then we are still in the hunt for a PFL title when we host St. Thomas. If we split the next two games, then a 7-4 season and top 4 finish in the PFL is possible with a win over St. Thomas - and a 7-4 record would be a huge accomplishment given a very tough schedule. Lose the next two, and a win over St. Thomas keeps alive the possibility of a winning season at 6-5. Paul

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

Thank you,

Paul

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

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

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

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

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

Paul 

[#223 - VU]

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

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

797 colleges were ranked

Paul

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

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

Mound Street is a complete disaster zone.

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

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

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

Signage on the ARC would be nice.

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

Lankenau Hall has to go.

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

Paul

Enough said.

Paul

Looking for some reading suggestions for the summer from the well-read and diverse group on this board.  Thanks!

Paul

The 2020 endowment results are in.  VU's endowment remained fairly steady at $254M, down from 259M in 2019.  That is a decrease of -1.87%.  We rank #282 out of over 700 schools.  The year before we were #278.

A brief glance at the list shows that half of all schools - maybe a bit more than half - reported endowment losses.  Drake, which ranks #307, dropped to about $220M from $226M.  Butler, which ranks #315, dropped to $212M from $215M.

We still have work to do.  Wheaton and St. Olaf, which might be considered two of our peer institutions, are both over $500M. Bradley, which is for sure a school that competes with us for the same students, is at $324M.

Paul

Jose Padilla has been named the next President of Valparaiso University.

Background includes 15 years at DePaul and a brief stay at the University of Colorado system.

Paul

I keep track of VU from a distance of 380+ miles.  I have some connections to people who work at VU but I don't try to milk my contacts for inside scoop.  Like most of us on this board I don't have a good appreciation for the difficulties in operating a small private university.  I try to follow on what's going on primarily from random comments from the VU people I still know and trust, and posts from some of the folks on this board.  What I'm saying is I have limited -- make that very limited -- information. 

Still, I have thoughts and opinions about VU.  Here is a list of what I like -- and what I don't like -- since President Heckler took over in June 2008.

What I like:

*VU had to build a new dorm (or three).  And Beacon Hall is great.

*VU seems to be increasing its commitment to practical majors -- those in which there are jobs waiting after graduation.  Science, technology, nursing, engineering, physician assistant. 

*The new buildings since 2009 seem to follow the pattern established by President Harre -- they are attractive and spacious, and not skimpy, unattractive outposts like Lankenau/Brandt/Alumni/Brown Field.

*VU has attempted, at least from what little I can see, to increase its footprint in the Valparaiso/northwest Indiana area (although it seems much work still needs to be done).

*The endowment HAD to be addressed, and the current fundraising campaign is most welcome.

*The sorority complex is pretty neat and a vast improvement over Scheele Hall. 

*President Heckler recognized VU was somewhat lacking in traditions and he has taken steps to correct that. 

What I don't like:

*VU consistently downplays its Christian heritage and has attempted to please everyone, which of course means that you wind up pleasing no one.  We are either a Christian school or not.  There is no middle ground.  Catholic schools like Creighton navigate these waters.  Why can't we? 

*VU has become much more liberal and the campus culture seems to have changed.  This I think is a reflection of the head guy. 

*VU seems to have an effort to recruit more city kids and international kids rather than be laser-focused on the kids from the traditionally strong VU areas such as the Chicago suburbs.  This has been, to my way of thinking, a big mistake and is inexplicable, really. 

*The closing of the law school is an ongoing PR disaster and is a big blow to VU's prestige.  I place blame squarely on the administration for not keeping close tabs on what was going on -- we were taking in classes that were increasing in size when just about everybody else on the legal planet was experiencing significant decreases in enrollment.  It appears no one bothered to look into this.

*One VU tradition has remained -- the underfunding of athletics, with inadequate facilities.  I'm in a minority here, I guess, but I can live with the ARC -- but Brown Field is bad, really bad.

*The goal of reaching 6,000 students was kinda silly and was bound to fail.  While I give President Heckler some credit for thinking big, his plan had to be reachable.  Perhaps this in some small way explains why the law school situation came about.

*VU's debt load has doubled.  That is never a good thing. 

Paul

Is Scheele ever going to be used again?

Paul

The annual NACUBO endowment study is out. Results:

VU total 250,417,000
Rank: #283

Here are the numbers for prior years:

2017 235,218,000 #282
2016 204,706,000 #295
2015 204,314,000 #302
2014 202,737,000 #302
2013 177,976,000 #301

Not sure why our endowment isn't higher in light of the current campaign, which has raised $200 million over the last 4+ years. I realize not all of the $200 mil was earmarked for the endowment, but still...

Paul

OK, the 2019 US News college rankings are out as of this morning:

1. Butler
1. Creighton (tie)
3. Drake
4. John Carroll
5. Valparaiso

We continue our slide down the rankings.  I realize there is more to running a university than trying to please US News and World Report, but the trend in our rankings is not good and the law school is closing.  This reinforces the doubts I have (and have had) about the direction the current administration is taking the school.

Paul

The fall 2017 enrollment figures are out and they look about as good as the Patriots defense last night.

Total enrollment is around 4,050.  Last year it was around 4,440.  In 2015 it peaked at around 4,540. 

Freshman class is around 780.  Last year it was around 850.

The law school has 31 first year students.  The year before it was around 110.  Simply stated, the law school cannot survive if next year's class is that small.  The NY Times hit piece last year had to be a huge factor in this dramatic decline. 

Paul

Forbes has just come out with its annual college rankings.  VU is ranked as the 72nd best college in the midwest.  Does this sound impressive to the folks on this board?  Because it doesn't sound that great to me.

Paul

I'm posting this in the hope that someone on this board who works for VU will read it and pass this along to the Department/persons responsible for putting together the VU Virtual Tour on the VU website.

The virtual tour is ... and I am sorry, but I will not sugar coat this -- awful.  Just one example will suffice. Take a look at the 40 seconds or so the tour devotes to the Library -- one of VU's finest buildings.  The entire 40 second spot is spent on a close up shot of the front metal doors.  Not one view of the beautiful exterior design or the impressive interior.  Nope, just the front doors.  Same thing with the Harre Union.  What the heck?

How can this be?  Is it possible no one from VU has looked at this and come to the immediate realization -- as I did -- that the virtual tour is not very well done?  It's depressing.

Paul

The 2017 NACUBO endowment report is out.  VU's endowment increased over the past fiscal year by several hundred thousand dollars to around $204.7 million.  This is as of July 1, 2016.

We rank #295 out of over 800 institutions.  To give some historical perspective, in 2002 the endowment was $118 million and we ranked #266.  To go back even further, in 1968 VU had essentially NO endowment.  None. 

Our endowment is still a bit larger than, for example, Butler, Drake, and Gonzaga (perhaps putting a little bit of a dent into the argument that mens' basketball success = huge endowment increases). But we are WAY behind other private schools like Wheaton, St. Olaf, Wabash and DePauw. 

What I don't understand is how VU can have an endowment campaign that by July 1 probably had raised over $100 million and our endowment, at least according to NACUBO, grew by several hundred thousand.  Perhaps someone a lot smarter than me (plenty of those people on this board) can educate me on this.  Thanks,

Paul

I live out of state so my campus visits are infrequent.  I got back over the weekend and took a tour.  Questions, thoughts, observations:

1. McIntyre has 8 or 9 vacant lots.  The street is ok but these vacant lots detract from the overall appearance of the street. VU probably owns half or more of these lots.  Why not offer them free to anyone who wants to build a home? 

2. What is the new building on the corner of University Park and Brown? Can't be a residence since there is no garage. It's nice, whatever it is. 

3. The new science building looks to be another in a long line of great additions to campus.

4. A while back the university decided that there needed to be more "density" to campus -- the buildings were too far apart.  We are now seeing much more density east of the chapel.  However, there isn't much west of the union and this lack of density is a problem.  I think a case could be made to place the next new building where the parking lot currently sits south of the softball field.

5. The new sorority houses are ... perfect.  Great job by VU. The Theta Chi house, however, is an eyesore and needs to be demolished.  Same with the Sig Tau house. 

6. LeBien Hall is now a lonely outpost on the fringe of campus.  A new nursing building needs to be built in the heart of campus. 

7. We simply need a new football stadium.  Period.  The small Christian high school my kids went to has a new stadium.  It is nicer than what we have.  I'm talking a high school of maybe 300 kids total.  I mean no disrespect to anyone with this comment. 

8. The landscaping around the Chapel addition and the library is really good.

9. An argument could be made that, next to the Chapel, the Welcome Center is the best building on campus.

10. The road from the east entrance off Sturdy to the Performing Arts building -- the one that goes past Gellersen -- is really bad and needs to be replaced.  The asphalt is broken and uneven in places.  There are no curbs.  Looks bad.  Detracts from the buildings.  Like wearing cheap tie with a great suit.  While I'm at it, there is no excuse for the front steps of Neils to look the way they do.  Embarrassing.

11. Guild/Memorial is a very underrated building. 

12. East Lincolnway still needs a LOT of help. The old 3D parking lot is a testament to neglect.  There were TWO cars in the lot when I drove by.  The empty lot next door on the northeast corner only adds to the dismal look of the area.  The definition of "bleak" in the dictionary should have a picture of this portion of the street. 

Paul

We have many problems.  And we take the beauty and freedom of this country for granted, sometimes.  But let us always give thanks to God for living in the United States of America.  Happy 4th of July!


Paul

President Heckler interview this afternoon at 5 pm on WVUR.

Topics discussed:

(1) Tuition increase of 3.57% (lowest increase in 20 years).  Affordability, quality, retain faculty discussion.  My comment: 3.57% seems reasonable.

(2) New programs added in last 18 months: data science, stats, biomedical engineering, business analytics, and a couple more he listed too fast for me to get.  My comment: impressive.

(3) VU default rate on student loans is 3%.  National average: 11%.  Amount borrowed by families has been going down at VU.  Nationally most families are borrowing more.  My comment: does the 11% include community colleges?  Not answered.

(4) For this fall there is an all time record for applications.  Expect a record size freshman class.  My comment: Let's see if they can beat my class which showed up in the summer of 1974 with 1,087 kids.

(5) Discussion about university-provided health insurance changes.  Interviewer made the huge PC mistake of referring to it as "Obamacare."  My comment: there will be no Obamacare in five years.

(6) Endowment.  The financial crisis in 2008 dropped the endowment from $200 million to a low of $137 million in 2009.  The endowment now is back to where it was, maybe a bit higher.  He referred to the big endowment fund raising campaign, the public roll out for which will be in September.  My comment: A school our size needs to be at $500 million at least. 

(7) Outreach programs with city of Valparaiso. Kind of boring town and gown discussion.  My comment: I don't believe the city has ever fully, truly embraced the University.  Perhaps the location on the edge of town has contributed to this.

(8) The predictable discussion about recruiting international students.  Diversity, diversity, diversity.  20 new engineering students coming from upper NE corner of China, near North Korea.  My comment: can they speak English?

(9) Valpo bball.  High hopes for next year.  My comment: ZERO mention of ARC remodel timeframe.

(10) VU goals for next year: Sept 23 kickoff for the largest fundraising campaign in the history of the school.  Looking at new academic programs to be launched next year. Major examination of strategic plan will take place. 

Paul

will be a very busy news cycle for VU basketball.  Let's hope the news -- coaches, transfers, recruits -- is all good.

Paul

My only complaint about the SI article on VU bball is the reference to "tiny" Valparaiso. There are many adjectives that would accurately describe Valparaiso University but "tiny" is not one of them.  That term is a holdover from the many articles that came along in 1998 as a result of the Sweet Sixteen team. It wasn't accurate then and it isn't accurate now. An example of lazy reporting.

That said, overall the article is wonderful PR for our school and makes me proud to be an alum.

Paul

VU 72
Oakland 68

All hands on deck for this one.  Most important game of the year. 

Paul

[s]

President Heckler gave his semiannual interview to WVUR this evening.  Highlights:

1. New science building is 56,000 SF and will be ready by fall 2017;

2. New sorority housing ready for occupancy fall 2016;

3. Current VUPD building just across from sorority housing will be demolished, as well as the apartment complex next door (this might be gone already, it looked like it was ready for demo when I was on campus in August) and a new frat will go in its place -- I think they mentioned Phi Psi (?) but not sure.  Another frat will go in at the bottom of the hill on the same side of the street -- I think he said Sig Ep, but again I'm not sure.  Sounds like the Sig Ep national group is still fund raising for this building, so it might be awhile before you see anything go up there.  VUPD will be relocated in a building occupied by the former hospital complex -- sounds like the one on the corner of LaPorte and Garfield, but not completely sure on this. 

4. His primary focus right now is fundraising for the endowment, although he mentioned "a lot of work is going on" for the new set of building projects (I emphasize that he said "projects" not "project"), but he is not prepared yet to say what these projects are.

5. Typical talk about diversity blah blah blah... Caution: editorial comment warning --Can someone, anyone, please interview a college president without having to talk about this?  VU has hired a someone who is the Provost for Inclusion.  No, that is not a joke -- Provost for Inclusion.  Heckler followed the PC script and used the term "marginalized" in his answer, in discussing how "students feel they are not being heard."

Paul

The five year plan released to students and faculty has a lot in it about increasing diversity.  Not to mention increasing diversity.  Oh, and did I mention diversity?  One of the goals is to "advance [VU's} vision of being a Lutheran University constituted by people of many and various beliefs and backgrounds."  This according to an article in the most recent edition of The Torch. 

I get the "various beliefs and backgrounds" part since this goal was mentioned several times in the Torch article and is now drilled into my head.  I'm just wondering what the university plans to do over the next five years to remain a "Lutheran" university, in the face of a declining Lutheran population nationwide.  And at what point does VU stop being a "Lutheran" university?  It's one thing to include people of different faiths and backgrounds -- and this administration seems bound and determined to make this a reality.  But what about the "Lutheran" part?  Can we call ourselves a Lutheran institution when we are at 35% Lutheran?  What about 25%  What if we fall to 15%?

We spent enormous time and energy to bring this international kids to campus, yet as pointed out by another poster, we have kids in our own backyard, Christian kids with good grades, who are good runners who want to go to a smaller school, and yet we give them zero -- zero -- looks.  What the heck?  Some insight from folks a lot closer to VU than I am would be welcome.  Based on what I see from out here in Iowa, I disagree with this administration. 

Paul

Does anyone know the freshmen class enrollment for this fall?  Usually the university puts out a press release on this, but I haven't seen anything other than 977 "new students" enrolled in August -- but this includes transfers etc.  Last year the freshmen class enrollment fell by 150 kids, which wouldn't be a big deal at Ohio State but it IS a big deal at VU.  If freshmen enrollment dropped again this year, I think that is cause for alarm.  The fact that VU hasn't said what the freshmen class size is this year seems to indicate to me that it dropped -- again. 

The overall enrollment for VU has increased over the past 6-8 years, but much of that has been fueled by large increases in transfers and grad students.  If anyone on this board works at VU, perhaps you have been told the freshmen class number for this year and could share it with us.

I've given up hope that VU can be a true Lutheran school anymore since only around 25% of its students are Lutherans (there are more Catholics on campus than Lutherans), and VU is in poor standing with the LCMS, but that is a topic for a different day.

Paul

Get to campus once each year.  This past weekend was it for me.  Thoughts:

1. President Harre and the Board do not get enough credit for their vision in basically redoing this campus.  The south loop road in particular was very well done.  They took advantage of the sloping terrain to create visual interest.  The retaining pond south of the library is very nice.  Give credit to President Heckler for insisting on the Welcome Center, the design and layout of which is outstanding.  The student bridge adjacent to the building is a bonus.

2. The intersection of Lincolnway and Roosevelt, while not technically part of campus, is beyond bad.  The fact there is a nice Horizon Bank building on one of the corners only accentuates the bleakness of the other three corners as well as the infamous 3D building.  I can only pray that first time visitors to VU do not access our campus via this route.

3. I very much like the Chapel addition.  I was concerned that the architect chose not to use VU orange brick, but the granite color blends nicely, I think, with the similar color of the side windows of the Chapel.  It looks like a parking lot will be going in from the south entrance road all the way across to this addition.  I suppose this is because we are Americans and cannot expect anyone to walk, say, 200 feet to their office. 

4. This is a serious question -- are there any ongoing frats at VU?  If so, they cannot possibly reside in any of the frat houses I saw (I must admit I did not get over to Mound Street since I was having a nice visit and I did not want to spoil it).  There is no frat house I saw that I would set foot in, let alone live there. 

5. A case could be made that the area in between Wehrenberg, the Geography building, the Business School, and the Performing Arts building is the best spot on campus.

6. Only two American flags on display throughout a 320-acre campus.

7. The sorority complex is going to be much larger than I thought.

8. The Chapel lighting is fabulous.

9. There are some goofy statutes around the Chapel/Performing Arts/Union.  Get rid of 'em.  They look creepy, especially at night.

10. The law school, Heritage Hall, and the grounds south of these buildings is very impressive.  Time for VU to make a connection between old campus and new campus by putting a new building in the vacant square-block area bordered by Union, Greenwich, Garfield and (I forget the name of the last one) streets.  The feeling for years now has been that the law school and old campus are separate and distinct from VU.  Time for that to change.  The sorority complex is a start in that direction. 

11. Alumni and Lankenau are living on borrowed time.  They both have maybe 3 to 5 years before they fall into eyesore status.

12. LaPorte Avenue has nothing on it except the nursing building.  It looks out of place sitting there.  Time to build the fieldhouse, put in the soccer fields, and move LeBien.  Easy to say, very expensive to do. 

13. The new track and improvements to Brown Field are a huge improvement.  Landscaping is needed around the crescent grassy area on the south end.  Anyone interested in helping with this -- I have participated in three landscape projects at VU -- please message me.

Paul

Not a peep on this board about last week's gay marriage decision by the US Supreme Court.  Interesting.

Paul

A four-game suspension is ridiculous.  The Chargers were found to have put some stickum on game balls.  A small fine, no suspensions.  The Vikings were found to have placed their game balls near a heater to warm them up.  A small fine, no suspensions. 

Ray Rice originally got a 2-game suspension for beating a woman senseless, and Brady gets four games for "more likely than not" knowing the game balls were altered to suit his preference. 

Peter King from Sports Illustrated had this to say (keep in mind the 12.5 psi referred to by King is the proper psi for NFL footballs):

"Officials used two gauges at halftime of the AFC Championship Game to measure the air pressure in 11 New England footballs and four Indianapolis footballs. On page 113 of the Wells report, after a description of the scientific Ideal Gas Law (eyes glaze over), Wells says the Patriots footballs should have measured between 11.32 psi and 11.52 psi. The average of one gauge for the 11 balls was 11.49 psi, on the upper range of what the balls should measure. The average of the other gauge was 11.11 psi, clearly lower than what the balls should have measured. Average all 22 readings, and you get 11.30 ... two-one-hundredths lower what the Ideal Gas Law would have allowed for balls that started the day at 12.5 psi. You're going to suspend someone—never mind a franchise quarterback, never mind without a smoking gun—for an air-pressure  measurement of 11.30 when the allowable measurement would have been 11.32?"

Paul

I made a comment yesterday I shouldn't have made.  During the game, with the score 11-2, I made a three word post: "Same old story" (referring to the MSU tourney game a couple years ago, where we also fell quickly behind).   I let my frustration get the best of me.  I regretted the post as soon as I made it.  I was called out on it, and rightfully so.  It was not respectful of our team.  It was wrong of me to post it.

I was also taken to task for my pregame prediction of 65-44 Maryland.  Just 'cause I think VU was going to lose does not equal disloyalty to VU, or disrespect to the coaches or players, at least in my mind.  A couple weeks ago I said that I was SURE we would beat CSU in the regular season finale.  I just felt we would not be competitive with a very good Maryland team and figured I had the right to voice my opinion without getting hammered.  That's it.

OK, I've said what I wanted to say.  If this apology is not sufficiently conciliatory, or if I'm wrong again -- which is absolutely possible -- or if maybe I should just drop off the board, I'm pretty sure I will hear about it from you guys.  Thanks.

Paul

www.cmdgroup.com/.../1002130528/

Paul

President Heckler was interviewed by WVUR last month.  You can hear the interview on Soundcloud.

Highlights:

(1) Chapel addition coming along well.  Will be ready July 1.  Last remaining issue is replacing the pews: new pews v. chairs.  I'm for new pews but I'm betting they will go with chairs.

(2) Sorority housing will be built in the empty lot right across to the west from the ARC.  This sounds like one main building with five separate entrances, one for each sorority.  Will begin in the spring and will be finished by Christmas.  I'm for a new building with the quality of Beacon Hall, but I'm betting on something that is not as special as our recent new buildings.  Just my gut feeling.  The relatively short time frame for construction has me concerned. 

(3) Scheele will be renovated, not torn down.  Question is whether to turn it into apartment style living, or dorm rooms.  I'm for renovated dorm rooms, but I'm betting on apartment style rooms. 

(4) The parking lot just to the south of the softball field will be removed, and a parking structure will be placed just behind the Union.  Not sure on the timeframe, but it won't be next year.  Sounds more long-term.

Paul

According to The Torch.

Paul

The Princeton Review Best 379 Colleges is now out.  I am guessing VU is not on the list.  We were not on the list last year either, after having made the list for several consecutive years.

The US News college rankings will be out in a few weeks.  I'm holding my breath to see where we end up.  Last year it was #6.  Before that we were tied for 4th.  Not long ago we were #3 or #2.  Before that we were #1 at least twice.

Enrollment is up.  Endowment is up.  Average ACT scores for incoming freshmen are up.  There are new buildings everywhere on campus.  Why the drop?  Why no longer on the Princeton list?  No one from VU has ever addressed this.  If recent history is any indication, we will drop even further than last year's #6 ranking.  Of the schools that were #1 or #2 at the same time VU was that high, no one has dropped as far as we have.  For instance, when we were #1 in our region, Villanova was #1 in its region.  Villanova last year was still ranked very high; not the case for VU.  What is going on?

Paul

Here is a recent picture I took of Beacon Hall.  I like the detail the administration put into this building, as evidenced by the VU Shield in this photo. 

Paul

The season for high school seniors to be making their college choices is winding down. Three times in the last month I have heard proud parents tell me their kids were considering Notre Dame or St. Olaf; Northwestern or Calvin; and, finally, Georgetown or Butler.

Is it just me, or does VU not enjoy the same sort of reputation as the smaller schools listed above?  St. Olaf I can understand, since it is located a lot closer to where I live than VU.  But I never seem to hear that a kid is considering, for instance, Northwestern or Valparaiso.  Or, for that matter, St. Olaf or Valparaiso. 

I overheard President Harre once say that he thought the Board of Directors he was dealing with at the time had an inferiority complex about VU.  I'm wondering: is this true of me?  Of most of those who have attended VU?  Has this attitude somehow seeped into the general public, where we are considered OK, but not a top notch private school? 

I know that when the first US News College Ranking came out in 1988, VU was rated #1 -- and the only criteria at that time was our academic reputation.  I think that reputation has taken a hit over the years, since in our category in the US News we have fallen from #1 to I think #6 last year.  That is not a good trend.  I have yet to hear President Heckler address this.  He should. 

Help me out with this.  Perhaps those who live in Indiana/Illinois have a different take on the VU reputation.  When I was in school in 74-78, our reputation was that it was an expensive place to attend.  And that we had a dedicated, top notch faculty.

Paul

Does anyone on this board have any idea when our next Capital Campaign will begin?  Or if we will ever have another one?  The last one started in 2004 and ended in 2009.  When I attended the Union opening in January 2009, President Harre mentioned the next campaign would likely start in 2011.  (I know President Heckler was VU president by then, but President Harre was present and gave some remarks.)

I know there has been talk about building phase one of a new science/health sciences building.  We are building a new dorm.  Just wondering where the money is coming from.  I hope we are not borrowing it.  For some reason I think VU borrowed the money to build the new Arts & Sciences building.  I hope that isn't right. 

Paul

I wanted to post a picture that might be of interest. I took it with my I phone. How do I do this?

Paul

Interesting and somewhat disturbing article in the Torch.  Appears that VU's efforts in increasing diversity bring their own set of problems.  Student retention, for starters.

I've always thought President Heckler's diversity efforts were tailor-made -- for a school in Denver, or Chicago, cities which have a lot more to offer these students.  Have to take things a bit slower, I think, with a school located in a county-seat town. 

It's one thing to boast about enrollment numbers on Sept 1; it's another thing when kids are telling parents that bunches of students have left school by mid-October.  Student retention is one of the factors considered by US News in its annual rankings.  VU in the past five years has gone from third to tied for fourth to sixth. 

Paul

Toured the campus this morning.  First time on campus in over a year, and second visit in the last three years.   I wanted to see how campus looked and so my thoughts here are limited to the appearance of campus.  Here are my impressions/takeaways:

1.  A pretty good case could be made that the area between the Geography building/Wehrenberg/the business school/the east side of the Performing Arts building is the prettiest spot on campus;

2.  I'm glad the new dorm is going up since Scheele/Lankenau/Alumni have had it;  we could use three new dorms, not just one;

3.  The power poles along Sturdy Road were replaced with newer, sleeker poles, reducing the visual clutter along that road and making that end of campus much better;

4.  The front (south) entrance to the ARC is in much need of landscaping and a new sign -- it looks quite neglected right now;

5.  I hope the administration has plans for a new academic building just west of the union since that area needs some density (not to mention one less parking lot -- I'm referring to the one just south of the softball field, which I have never ever seen full;

6.  The landscaping around campus, with the exception of the ARC, is literally 100% better than 10 years ago;

7.  The administration has done a good job of getting rid of several older homes around old/west campus, and now they need to put in a building or two there so that old campus is "reconnected" to east/new campus.  The German house was a start, but more needs to be done;

8.  I'm glad the administration has dropped plans to buy up McIntyre and then get rid of the homes there; the neighborhood is a welcome addition to campus;

9.  There is no other way to say it -- the current football stadium is terrible and we need a one, right now!  I don't know how Coach Carlson convinces kids to come here with that facility.  Some trees that turn color in the fall surrounding Brown Field/the stadium would be a welcome addition, too;

10. Where are the frats? 

11. The new university drive is going to be a enormous improvement to campus and the south side of Lincolnway is really starting to take shape.  There is much, much, much work to be done, though, on the north side of Lincolnway.

Paul

I know less about football than just about anyone else on this board but here is my prediction for 2013:  6-5

Paul

Couple LCMS pastor friends of mine have told me VU is a virtual "non-entity" with the LCMS.  VU wasn't even allowed to attend the triennial LCMS youth gathering this summer.  (I don't know exactly what this youth gathering is, but if VU isn't even ALLOWED to attend, things must be bad.)

This is really distressing to me.  VU has a long history with the LCMS and it looks like that is out the window now.  (Sort of explains why Ft. Wayne is not on the list of cities that President Heckler will be speaking at this coming year.) 

I completely disagree with VU's zealous approach of admitting students of non-Christian faiths (or of no faith whatsoever).  The administration can talk all they want about "having dialogue" with these folks, "searching for truth," "working with others from different cultures," blah blah blah, but the simple truth is that VU is trying to grow enrollment and increase tuition income and will stop at nothing to accomplish these goals, even at the expense of being a Christ-centered institution. 

Paul

You may have already listened to President Heckler's interview last week on WVUR, but in case you missed it, here are the highlights:

1. Construction of the new dorm (which will look a lot like Guild-Memorial) will begin in August.  Suite-style dorm with 290 student capacity, which will house sophomores.  Three tennis courts, the Health Center, and Confucius Institute will be removed to make room for this L-shaped dorm.  Open by fall of '14.

2. Construction of Chapel addition will begin in spring '14.  As I understood his remarks, the addition will be a stand-alone building just to the south and will be connected to the Baptismal Fount part of the Chapel by some sort of walkway.  9000 sq ft. 

3. When asked about plans for academic buildings, President Heckler implied that something was in the planning stages, and that he would be able to give some information about it at his next interview in December.

4. The ARC will undergo some work this summer to replace/reconfigure the venting, since all the hot air is now vented into the swimming pool area, causing the air and water temperature there to be way too uncomfortable.  When asked about plans for athletic facilities, he indicated that several projects (he specifically mentioned the track --yay!) have now moved into the planning stages. 

If I am allowed one editorial comment, I was happy to hear the new dorm will have a more traditional look since I think VU relies too much on a modern look -- even though I will admit our newer buildings look great, with the exception of the Arts and Sciences building, which I think was a swing and a miss by VU.

Paul

VU 66
WSU 64

Going to be optimistic on this one.  Will be a very tough game for us.

Paul

Attached is the yearly NACUBO endowment study for U.S. colleges and universities.

http://www.nacubo.org/Research/NACUBO-Commonfund_Study_of_Endowments.html

This year we rank #302 with an endowment around $163 million.  Butler and Drake are just below us. 

Last year we ranked #310. 

Most schools lost money last year.  VU's endowment dropped by a tenth of a percent, which isn't bad compared to most schools. 

We have work to do.  The #202 school, for instance, has an endowment of $325 million.  #102 is at $693 million.

Paul

Any word on whether a new capital campaign is in the works?  With our ambitious campus master plan, I thought a new campaign would have been rolled out by now.

Paul

I probably should not be the one starting this thread since I do not think we are capable of beating a good team on the road, but here goes:

VU 61
New Mexico 84

Listening to Heckler interview. Highlights/comments as I listen:

New dorm construction starts next spring/summer.  Health Center and Confucius Institute torn down first (Health Center relocated to old Lankenau cafeteria).  Dorm will go in that spot.  He said three tennis courts adjacent to Health Center will also be removed.  (Not sure if these three courts are leftover ones, or are part of the tennis court complex put in as part of FITT project several years ago.  If so, not sure I agree with removing three recently-installed, and nice-looking, tennis courts.)  Completed by spring 2015.  Suite-style, but no kitchens.  For sophomores. 

Greek village will be funded by the Greek frat national organizations, not VU.  These buildings will be built just west of the ARC, along Union Street going west on both sides of the road.  Buildings are to be designed by the frats.  (I'm not convinced this will ever take place since funding is up to the frat national organizations.)

Boring discussion about social media, Torch, etc.  Snooze.  Not a highlight.

Discussion about VU's "brand" etc.  (Heckler comment: the Crusader mascot is here to stay.)

Comments regarding launch of new VU website.  (Who selects the questions to be asked?  These are boring questions.) Another non-highlight.

Even more questions regarding VU website.  Enough already!

Last question regarding new grandfather status.  Nice touch, but hey, you only have 25 minutes to ask questions!

Paul

Tried to imagine how the campus might change in the next 6-7 years.  Here is one scenario:

2012: Start Welcome Center; finish Academic building next to library
2013: Start new dorm; finish Welcome Center
2014: Start Chapel remodel; finish new dorm
2015: Start ARC remodel; finish Chapel remodel
2016: Start Brandt remodel; finish ARC remodel
2017: Start Fieldhouse; finish Brandt remodel
2018: Start new nursing or science building in old Huegli space; finsih Fieldhouse

Just some random thoughts.  I did not include any reference to a new track since I have no idea when that is gonna happen. 

Probably time will prove me wrong on all counts.  And even though this is an ambitious schedule, it isn't much more ambitious than the last 7 years (new library, union, south and north entrances, tennis complex, academic building, geography building, softball field, engineering addition).

Paul