Welcome to ReVU (Retirees of Valparaiso University)
ReVU is an organization of retired Valparaiso University faculty and staff members who meet regularly to participate in educational and social activities and to provide service to the university and to each other.
Incorporated in 2002 as an independent affiliate of Valparaiso University and governed by a Board of Directors, ReVU enjoys a cordial relationship with the VU administration, which provides the organization with a mail box, an email account, use of meeting rooms, and other amenities. In return, ReVU members volunteer on an as-needed basis in service of the university’s mission.
Officers are elected annually to serve a term running from July 1 to June 30. The election takes place at the April meeting.
Chair: Hugh McGuigan
Vice-Chair: Sarah Glenn DeMaris
Secretary: Dot Nuechterlein
Treasurer: Susan Collins
The Board of Directors is constituted of the four officers and four additional members who are appointed by the officers:
Membership Coordinator: Don Koetke
Activities Coordinator: Sylvia Luekens
Newsletter Coordinator: Jim Caristi
Membership Service Coordinator: Carol Koetke
Membership in ReVU is open to those of retirement age who have been employed by or have given significant service to Valparaiso University, as well as their spouses, partners, widows, widowers, or any person of longstanding service to the university solicited by the Board of Directors.
Dues are paid annually by September 1. Retirees in their first year of retirement are traditionally offered one year of dues-free membership in ReVU.
The Membership Coordinator annually solicits the names of retiring colleagues from appropriate university officers so that they might be introduced to and offered membership in ReVU. The Membership Coordinator additionally coordinates the introduction of new retirees at the annual May reception and ensures that they are appropriately welcomed.
During a typical year, ReVU meets six or seven times for socializing and to hear an informative speaker. Additional social meetings take place in December (Christmas luncheon), May (new retiree reception), June (potluck lunch), and in the summer (potluck picnic). Additional ad hoc events are also scheduled.
September 14, 2023 (Thursday) at the LDA Center (1304 Laporte Avenue)
10:00 am: Coffee, pastries, and conversation
11:00 am: Men’s Basketball at Valpo
Speaker: Roger Powell Jr., Head Coach – Men’s Basketball
October 12, 2023 (Thursday) at the LDA Center (1304 Laporte Avenue)
10:00 am: Coffee, pastries, and conversation
11:00 am: ChatGPT – What’s That?
Speakers: Jim Caristi, Professor Emeritus and Nick Rosasco, Associate Professor of Computing and Information Sciences
November 16, 2023 (Thursday) at the LDA Center (1304 Laporte Avenue)
10:00 am: Coffee, pastries, and conversation
11:00 am: The Lutheran Purchase of the Valparaiso University Campus
Speaker: Edgar Luecke, Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering
December 14, 2023 (Thursday) at the Don Quijote Restaurant
11:30 am: Socializing
12:00 noon: Annual Christmas Luncheon
January 11, 2024 (Thursday) at the LDA Center (1304 Laporte Avenue)
10:00 am: Coffee, pastries, and conversation
11:00 am: Project Neighbors – Recent Developments
Speaker: Paul Schreiner, Executive Director, Project Neighbors
February 8, 2024 (Thursday) at the Mueller Hall Refectory
11:30 am: Socializing
12:00 noon: Valentine’s Potluck Luncheon
March 21, 2024 (Thursday) at the LDA Center (1304 Laporte Avenue)
10:00 am: Coffee, pastries, and conversation
11:00 am: The Upcoming Solar Eclipse – April 8, 2024
Speaker: Todd Hillwig, Professor of Physics and Astronomy
April 11, 2024 (Thursday) at the LDA Center (1304 Laporte Avenue)
10:00 am: Socializing and Annual Meeting of the Members
11:00 am: The Valpo Oral History Project – Its Past and Future
Speaker: Rebecca Ostoyich, Archives and Special Collections
May 9, 2024 (Thursday)
Program: Annual New Retiree Luncheon
Details to follow
June 20, 2024 (Thursday) at the Rotary Shelter at Forest Park
4–7 pm, dinner at 5:00
Program: Annual Summer Potluck Picnic
The Newsletter Coordinator issues a newsletter, called ReVIEW. Distributed monthly through email, ReVIEW reports on past and upcoming activities of ReVU. Additionally the newsletter compiles a listing of university activities open to the public, including athletics, musical and theater events, lectures, film series, and much more.
From time to time, members of ReVU are in need of assistance, either generally or in conjunction with attendance at ReVU activities. The Membership Service Coordinator meets the needs of these members by, for example, coordinating rides to meetings for those who no longer drive or developing a phone tree to ensure that members who do not have an email account are informed of ReVU events.
The Membership Service Coordinator helps meet the needs of members who occasionally need general assistance and does so by soliciting help from the broader ReVU membership.