• On September 21, 1859, Valparaiso Male and Female College opened its doors to 75 students to become one of the first co-educational colleges in the United States. The Methodist Episcopal Church and Valparaiso citizens founded the college and believed education should extend to all qualified students.
• Between 1859 and 1867, the Student Bridge is constructed and serves as a landmark for the student population. It becomes tradition that if a student couple is strolling across the bridge together and a train passes underneath, the couple has license to kiss during the entire length of the passing train.After prospering initially, Valparaiso Male and Female College is forced to close due to the effects of the Civil War, industrialization and changes made by the Indiana Legislature.Henry Baker Brown reopens the school as Northern Indiana Normal School and Business Institute.The Valparaiso University School of Law is founded as the Northern Indiana Law School.The Valparaiso Male and Female college is renamed Valparaiso College.President Brown purchases the American College of Medicine and Surgery from Northwestern University and later changes the name to Chicago College of Medicine and Surgery. Students could take the entire course in Chicago but had the option of taking the first two years in Valparaiso at a lower cost.• Valparaiso College purchases the Chicago College of Dental Surgery.
• Valparaiso College is renamed Valparaiso University.The University is acclaimed as second in enrollment only to Harvard. Recognized for its excellent faculty and practical, low-cost education, VU becomes popularly known as “the poor man’s Harvard.”The Torch is created as a monthly literary magazine. In 1915, it becomes VU’s weekly student newspaper.VU participates in intercollegiate sports for the first time; a basketball team made up of intramural players competes against the Chicago YMCA Training School.• The University begins to fall upon financial hardship once again following the death of President Brown, administrative changes and America’s entry into World War I.
• VU sells the medical school to Loyola University in 1917.The Old College Building, built by the Methodists in 1860 and focal point for the VU campus, is destroyed by fire. The University lacks the money to clear away the rubble.Valparaiso University is at the point of bankruptcy when the Lutheran University Association (LUA) purchases it to establish a Christian school dedicated to academic excellence, faith and service.Valparaiso University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and the School of Law receives its American Bar Association accreditation.Valparaiso University’s School of Law is admitted into the Association of American Law Schools.The Valparaiso University Guild is founded by President Kreinheder.The Alumni Association is founded.The Department of Engineering begins a cooperative plan with Purdue University.With the construction of the new gymnasium, physical education receives greater emphasis and students are required to take two hours of physical education classes each week.• The Department of Art is launched with the thought that art is an inexpensive hobby for a student’s leisure time.
• The yearbook name changes from The Uhlan to The Beacon.• VU’s nickname for its athletic teams changes from the “Uhlans” to the “Crusaders.”
• VU’s basketball team gains acclaim as the “world’s tallest basketball team.” Known as “The Valparaiso Giants,” and featuring players as tall as 6 ft. 10 inches, the team plays at Madison Square Garden in New York City during the 1944-45 season.• The impact of World War II is evident in the enrollment of 332 students, of which 234 are women.
• A student-initiated, student-enforced Honor Code is created and remains in force today.During WWII, the Home Economics Department is started because of the large increase in female enrollment.The Engineering Laboratory is designed and built by students.• VU’s football team competes in the Cigar Bowl on New Year’s Day.
• After World War II, the first four-year degrees are offered in Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering.VU’s Chapel-Auditorium is destroyed by fire November 27, 1956.The Chapel of the Resurrection is dedicated September 27, 1959, and becomes the heart of the campus. It is one of the largest collegiate chapels in the world.On November 11, 1960, the Valparaiso University radio station WVUR begins broadcasting via telephone cables. Six years later, VU obtains an FCC license to broadcast at 89.5 FM, making it the first FM station in the city of Valparaiso.Valparaiso University students travel to Birmingham, Alabama to promote Black voter registration.Christ College is founded by Valparaiso University President O.P. Kretzmann and is the third oldest honors college in the United States.• Robert Kennedy speaks to a crowd of 5,000 people on campus during one of his campaign stops.
• VU inaugurates two international study centers and academic programs: one in Cambridge, England, the other in Reutlingen, Germany.• On May 6, 1970, Kinsey Hall catches fire during a student protest.
• Mueller Hall becomes the home of Christ College.LeBien Hall is dedicated as home for the College of Nursing, which graduates its first class.Valparaiso University moves its athletics program to the NCAA’s Division I.Urschel Hall is opened as the new home for the College of Business Administration.Deaconess Hall is renamed Huegli Hall and becomes the home for the majority of departmental faculties for the College of Arts and Sciences. Previously, departments such as Theology, History and English were housed nearly a mile from their students’ residences.• Wesemann Hall is dedicated as the new home of the Valparaiso University School of Law.
• U.S News and World Report ranks VU first in academic quality among universities of its type in the Midwest.
• Professor John Steven Paul creates the liturgical drama troupe Soul Purpose.In Homer Drew’s first year as head coach of the men’s basketball team, a record crowd of nearly 5,000 at the ARC sees the men’s basketball team defeat Notre Dame in overtime, 71-68. Coach Drew dubs the game the “Lutheran miracle.”• The Lilly Fellows Program is established at VU under the leadership of Mark Schwehn and Arlin Meyer. The Lilly Fellows National Network eventually grows into a coalition of more than 85 universities and colleges.
• VU’s first NCAA Division I sports title is a North Star Conference championship won by the women Crusaders volleyball team under Coach Cindy Harris.• The Center for the Arts is dedicated as the home for the visual and performing arts.
• The Valparaiso University Museum of Art opens its doors with its inaugural exhibition
• In 1996 The Valparaiso University Museum of Art is renamed the Brauer Museum of Art in a ceremony honoring Valparaiso University Professor Richard H. W. Brauer.Valparaiso University men’s basketball team reaches the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament.• The Kade-Duesenberg German House and Cultural Center opens, providing students with the opportunity to live in a communal, German-speaking environment.
• VU celebrates 75 years as a Lutheran university.• VU exceeds its goal of $75 million in the “Three Goals, One Promise” capital campaign.
• Maestro Helmut Rilling directs Valpo musicians in a performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.
• The Brauer Museum hosts a photography exhibit by Ansel Adams, attracting 16,000 people from across the Midwest.The Valparaiso University China Center is established to enhance learning opportunities in both the U.S. and the Hangzhou region of China.• Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources is dedicated, combining stunning architecture with research technology for the digital age.
• VU is awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society.
• The School of Law celebrates its 125th anniversary at The Field Museum in Chicago, with former President George H. W. Bush as keynote speaker.• The historic Student Bridge is moved back to campus and reconstructed in a joint effort by students in the Society of Civil Engineers and VAULT (Student Alumni Association) - once again it serves as a University landmark.
• Kallay-Christopher Hall opens, providing a state-of-the-art environment for the study of geography and meteorology.President Alan Harre announces plans for a $74 million project that includes construction of a new Union. The Union, being built on the site of the former Moellering Library, is scheduled for completion in January 2009.• VU becomes one of a handful of universities in the nation – and the only one of its size – to have a dual-polarization Doppler radar system for the study of meteorology.
• The NCAA recognizes nine Valparaiso University athletic teams for their multi-year Academic Progress Rate Scores.
• U.S. News and World Report ranks VU as one of the top Midwest master’s level universities for the 19th consecutive year.
• Mark A. Heckler announced as the 18th president in the University’s nearly 150-year history and will replace Alan F. Harre, who is retiring June 30, 2008 after 20 years as president.• Mark A Heckler becomes the 18th president in the 150-year history of the University.
• Valpo is honored by NAFSA: Association of International Educators with the prestigious Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization.
• Valparaiso University is ranked by U.S. News & World Report magazine as one of the Midwest's top master's-level institutions for the 20th consecutive year, cited as a "best value" and named to a list of "schools everyone should be watching".