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Valparaiso University has achieved a 95.7 percent placement rate for 2011-2012 graduates, marking the 20th straight year of placement rates higher than 90 percent.

Through dedication to preparing students for a post-Valpo life and a time-tested career services strategy, the independent Lutheran university graduates accomplished students who attain job and graduate school placement throughout the country and the world.

“Valparaiso University’s high placement rate is a testament to the intellectually rigorous and innovative education we offer and to the supportive community we foster for our students,” Valparaiso University President Mark A. Heckler, Ph.D. said. “Valpo’s brilliant faculty and dedicated staff provide the resources and mentoring necessary for students to achieve great success, and our extraordinary students achieve this greatness every day.”

Valparaiso University’s Department of Theatre presents “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” a musical based on an improvisational play by Rebecca Feldman, opening April 24.

A recipient of a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is a one-act musical comedy that centers around six young adults in the throes of puberty who learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser.

“This musical is a breath of fresh air and is full of unpretentious fun,” director Lee Orchard said. “It encourages a unique sense of community and an atmosphere of creativity between the actors and the audience.”

Valpo’s rendition of “Spelling Bee” promises to be a truly engaging performance, and members of the audience will be able to participate in the excitement as four attendees will be invited to take part in the bee with the students.

Valparaiso University announces the schedule for the 2013 Jazz Fest, which will be held April 15-20. As Valpo’s featured guest artist, the world-renowned David Sanborn Trio featuring Joey DeFrancesco and Byron Landham promises a thrilling performance as the highlight of Jazz Fest on Saturday evening.

Valparaiso University’s Donald V. Fites Engineering Innovation Center has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute. Recognition of the LEED Platinum certification will take place during a ceremony at the Fites Center on April 12, at 4 p.m.

“The Donald V. Fites Engineering Innovation Center is already a special place for learning,” said Eric Johnson, Dean of the College of Engineering at Valparaiso University. “The LEED Platinum certification indicates that the building itself is special, too; it is a place where engineering innovation is on display every day.”

Valparaiso University has selected Matt Delnick as the Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration. Most recently Delnick has been the CEO of Greenstar Recycling based in Texas. He begins employment at the University on April 8.

In his new role, Delnick is responsible for financial strategy and oversight, and he joins University leadership as an integral team member overseeing Valpo’s continued efforts to implement the Strategic Plan.

WHO: Valparaiso University welcomes popular recording artists Outasight and The Ready Set with special guests The Jane Doze.

Outasight is the stage name for Richard Andrew, a singer and hip hop artist from Yonkers, New York. His best-known hits include “Tonight is the Night,” “Now or Never” and “I’ll Drink to That.” The Ready Set is an alternative pop singer from Fort Wayne, Ind., who was signed by Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz to his label Decaydance Records in 2009. The Jane Doze is a DJ/production duo from New York City.

WHAT: Valparaiso University’s 2013 Spring Concert. Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased online at valpo.edu/union/tickets.

WHEN: Friday, April 5, 9 p.m. Doors open at 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Harre Union Ballrooms, Valparaiso University.

CONTACT: Jessica Wilson, Assistant Director of Student Activities and Volunteer Programs, at 219.464.5194 or valpo.upc@gmail.com.

Valparaiso University Law School’s Business Law Society and Sports and Entertainment Law Association will host the third annual Catwalk for the Cause Charity Fashion Show to raise money and awareness for Lakeshore PAWS, a local animal rescue organization.

All proceeds from ticket sales and donations will go to Lakeshore PAWS. Lakeshore PAWS is dedicated to finding loving homes for abandoned and unwanted pets in Northwest Indiana. The organization is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization in Porter County, Indiana. For more information, visit www.lakeshorepaws.org.

The 3rd Annual Catwalk for the Cause Charity Fashion Show will take place Friday, March 22, on the Valparaiso University campus at the Harre Union in Ballrooms A, B, and C. Non-alcoholic cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m., and the fashion show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $6 for Valpo students, faculty, and staff (with ID), $10 for general public (adults), $5 for children 12-and-under, and free for children under 5. Tickets can be purchased at the Valparaiso University Harre Union Information Desk.

For more information, contact Chris Hammer at chris.hammer@valpo.edu.

For the last 14 years, Valparaiso University’s Biology Club has been one of the regions’ most effective environmental improvement organizations, recently receiving two federal grants from the Lake Michigan Coastal Program. On March 24, coinciding with National Water Month, the Biology Club will be spending a work day at the Elkhart Conservation Club (ECC) property on Cobus Creek.

While at the ECC, which has seen dramatic improvements on their trout stream, grounds and facilities over the years thanks largely to the Biology Club, students will perform building maintenance, monitor the river (flow, chemistry, stability and habitat), remove any log jams and adjust previous improvements such as bank stabilizers, flow deflectors and trout and macro invertebrate habitats, which may have been disrupted during the winter.

The Bach Institute at Valparaiso University presents its triennial performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B Minor on Saturday, March 23, featuring the Valparaiso University Chorale and Bach Choir.

Bach’s most beloved and inspirational piece, Mass in B Minor is a universal statement of Christian faith that speaks to the essence of the human condition. The extraordinary Mass in B Minor was one of Bach’s last major compositions, completed the year before his death in 1750. Much of the work, however, was composed earlier in Bach’s life. Several sections of Mass in B Minor were composed during Bach’s residence in Leipzig, Germany, where members of the Valparaiso University Chorale were fortunate enough to visit during residencies at St. Thomas Church.

Valparaiso University has appointed Peter Kanelos, PhD, as Dean of Christ College—The Honors College effective July 1, 2013. Most recently he has been a faculty member at Loyola University Chicago.

In his role as Dean, Kanelos will be responsible for the strategic leadership, coordination and guidance of Christ College. He has an accomplished record in higher education and brings a comprehensive vision for liberal arts education; an ability to collaborate with academic and administrative colleagues; and experience with a diverse student body, combined with commitment to supporting initiatives to expand diversity. Kanelos is deeply devoted to honors education and has a rooted enthusiasm for Christian higher education.