- State of the University Address speaks to quality
President Mark Heckler called on the Valparaiso University campus community to focus on quality, value, and financial sustainability with his State of the University Address on Tuesday, Jan. 11, in the Harre Union Ballroom.
As the University begins the implementation of an ambitious strategic plan that will that will lead Valpo to its most desired future, Heckler spoke of the many recent success stories across campus, highlighting the 166 “Big Ideas” being advanced by University planners, the performance of the team in enrollment management, the progress made with the institutional image, and the ongoing work of Valpo’s faculty and staf
“Valpo is exceptionally well positioned for future success in a rapidly changing external environment,” Heckler said.
Heckler said the University must respond to the challenges facing the American higher education system.
“Valparaiso University ought to fully embrace the opportunity that such times present—the opportunity to advance and ascend while others hunker down or retrench; the opportunity to collaborate and unite while others struggle with factions and infighting; the opportunity to bring greater clarity and focus to our work while others splinter and struggle to make sense of things,” Heckler said. “This is an extraordinary moment of opportunity in the history of this University, and together we can make the most of it.”
Even with an articulated vision and an ambitious plan before the University, Heckler said it is easy to fill time with activities and initiatives while losing focus as an institution. In his address, Heckler spoke of ways to bring greater clarity and focus to the work of faculty and staff.
“Through our collective efforts, we must raise the quality of Valparaiso University,” Heckler said. “We must grow the value of the Valpo experience in the minds of students, parents, alumni, and donors. And we must do both while steadily lowering the cost.”
Heckler said quality starts with the people.
“First and foremost, we must recruit and keep people of quality at Valparaiso University—faculty, students, administrators, and support staff,” Heckler said. “Second, we must deliver excellent programs and services. Third, we must provide quality facilities for our students, faculty, and staff.”
Along with quality, Heckler said the perceived value of what Valpo offers brings better students and more families willing to commit to the University.
“It is incumbent upon us, then, to leverage our institutional strengths and the distinctive capabilities we have developed over time and not downplay them,” Heckler said. “These strengths and distinctive capabilities, along with institutional quality, are what increase the value of the University to students, alumni and parents.”
Heckler pointed to Valpo’s Lutheran tradition and the ethos of scholarship, freedom, and faith as bringing both distinction and distinctiveness to the University. In addition, he spoke of internationalization and the need to retain students and faculty from a variety of cultures, communities, and countries. Heckler also addressed academic initiatives, the student experience, and Valpo’s sense of a caring and engaged community.
To ensure long-term sustainable success, Heckler said the University must focus on the substantial growth of its endowment, the development of attractive degree programs, new educational delivery models, and robust institutional partnerships.
“Together, we must give serious consideration to these and other innovations that are emerging during these times of uncertainty and economic distress,” Heckler said. “Only through ongoing and significant discussions among faculty, staff, and administrative leaders will we arrive at the best set of innovations for Valpo—innovations that will increase quality, grow value, and lower cost.”
In his closing, Heckler called on the campus community to commit to collaboration, mutual care and respect, transparency, and inclusiveness.
“Our capacity to manage change together, as friends and colleagues, and our complete trust in God to guide us in our deliberations and decision-making, will enable us to do more than we ever thought possible,” Heckler said.
