“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” — Helen Keller Dear Colleagues, As our academic year comes to an unusual close, it is important that we remind one another of the many accomplishments the Valparaiso University community achieved this year. It is undeniable that we faced an unimaginable set of […]
Category: 2019-2020
End of Year — Class of 2020
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt Dear Class of 2020: You’ve made it. The journey that you began at Valparaiso University is coming to a close, and while none of us could have anticipated it ending the way it has, you have all faced the […]
Spring Break
“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” — John F. Kennedy Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff, Spring Break is hours away! This mid-semester break gives us all a chance to reflect on our early semester accomplishments and prepare for the weeks to come. No exams, no presentations, no classes, and no lectures […]
Christmas
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12 Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, now is the darkest time of year. But it is also — here and all around the world — the […]
Now Is The Time For Our Light
“God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.” — Martin Luther Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: As a Christian university imbued with a Lutheran ethos, we believe that we are saved not by works but through the undeserved grace of God. Yet, we also know this does not mean good works are […]
Terra Nova
Dear Valpo Community, There is a theme that runs through the soundtrack of the musical, “Hamilton:” the world turned upside-down. As I listen to that musical motif, I wonder what it might have been like in those early days during and immediately after the American Revolution, when everyone found themselves in unchartered territory, making the […]
Thanksgiving
Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand, Mine to yours, yours to mine. You gave me blue and I gave you yellow. Together we are simple green. You gave me What you did not have, and I gave you What I had to give—together, we made Something greater from the difference. From “When […]
Welcome Back
“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” — Plato “Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” — Harriet Tubman “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not […]
Living within and between the divides
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: When I first came to Valparaiso University a dozen years ago, early conversations among faculty, staff, and students made it clear to me that this community had an opportunity to build an institutional culture that would make its campus inviting, welcoming, and inclusive of people coming from many different backgrounds. […]
Veterans Day
“Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.” – Douglas MacArthur Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: Our nation observes Veterans Day to recognize and celebrate the women and men who have so honorably defended our nation and protected our freedoms and liberties. […]