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Post by 78crusader on Mar 15, 2010 20:29:59 GMT -5
I think President Heckler's plan to increase enrollment from about 4,000 total undergrad/grad students to 6,000 total undergrad/grad students within the next five years is not only unrealistic, but also fraught with danger. To increase undergrad enrollment VU will have to either (a) lower undergrad standards, or (b) offer more financial aid. The first option is not acceptable since our ACT average is 22-29. This sounds good until you consider, for instance, Wheaton at 26-31 or Butler or Drake, both of whom are at 25-29. You can talk all you want about the various factors the US News uses to rank schools, but it basically boils down to ACT scores. And ours has been declining; hence, the reason we have gone down in our category from #2 to #5 last year. The second option is unrealistic given our endowment size. We simply do not have the endowment support needed to increase financial aid packages. I'm talking here about scholarship money, not student loans. Just about any school can offer those. The other alternatives are also undesirable. We could recruit way more online students and/or local, stay-at-home students, but then VU loses its residential appeal and becomes seen by many as a "commuter" school. Lost in all this discussion is the fact that with more students, most of whom will not be Lutheran, is that we lose more of our Lutheran heritage. This may well mean that Lutheran kids who would normally come here won't, because VU isn't "Lutheran" enough anymore. These kids will go to other Lutheran schools, such as Wartburg, Wittenberg, etc. Why do we want to dilute the very thing -- our Lutheran heritage --that separates VU from other schools, that makes VU a "special" place? I agree VU needs to grow. But growth for growth's sake is not a good plan. I say we continue to upgrade our facilities and improve our admissions standards first; then, more (and better) kids will want to come here. Am I wrong? Paul
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Post by okinawatyphoon on Mar 15, 2010 20:36:25 GMT -5
I think President Heckler's plan to increase enrollment from about 4,000 total undergrad/grad students to 6,000 total undergrad/grad students within the next five years is not only unrealistic, but also fraught with danger. To increase undergrad enrollment VU will have to either (a) lower undergrad standards, or (b) offer more financial aid. The first option is not acceptable since our ACT average is 22-29. This sounds good until you consider, for instance, Wheaton at 26-31 or Butler or Drake, both of whom are at 25-29. You can talk all you want about the various factors the US News uses to rank schools, but it basically boils down to ACT scores. And ours has been declining; hence, the reason we have gone down in our category from #2 to #5 last year. The second option is unrealistic given our endowment size. We simply do not have the endowment support needed to increase financial aid packages. I'm talking here about scholarship money, not student loans. Just about any school can offer those. The other alternatives are also undesirable. We could recruit way more online students and/or local, stay-at-home students, but then VU loses its residential appeal and becomes seen by many as a "commuter" school. Lost in all this discussion is the fact that with more students, most of whom will not be Lutheran, is that we lose more of our Lutheran heritage. This may well mean that Lutheran kids who would normally come here won't, because VU isn't "Lutheran" enough anymore. These kids will go to other Lutheran schools, such as Wartburg, Wittenberg, etc. Why do we want to dilute the very thing -- our Lutheran heritage --that separates VU from other schools, that makes VU a "special" place? I agree VU needs to grow. But growth for growth's sake is not a good plan. I say we continue to upgrade our facilities and improve our admissions standards first; then, more (and better) kids will want to come here. Am I wrong? Paul Don't underestimate President Heckler's plans with the new VP of Enrollment......this man has turned things around at other institutions very quickly, without sacrificing quality -- in fact, quality has improved as well as overall enrollment numbers in just a few years. The administration sees things this way I believe, so I'm not too worried about increasing enrollment while watching quality deteriorate. Also, the way the university is set up among the various colleges and class set ups is inefficient. We are set up to run with a student population of around 6,000 not 4,000.
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Post by 78crusader on Mar 15, 2010 20:44:45 GMT -5
Okinawa -- Just curious, are the numbers for this year's incoming class ahead of where we were last year? Paul
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Post by agibson on Mar 16, 2010 7:58:22 GMT -5
I won't even touch USNews and the ACT. But,
That seems too simple. Marketing could also, potentially, make a big difference. Expanding the geographical scope of the student body, already mentioned as part of the plan, is one option.
Just marketing Valpo in a way to make it appealing (or more appealing) to more students is another.
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Post by okinawatyphoon on Mar 16, 2010 20:45:32 GMT -5
Okinawa -- Just curious, are the numbers for this year's incoming class ahead of where we were last year? Paul Can't address those numbers until released publicly....but something might be revealed soon. Stay tuned. Let's just say that I feel like the new VP for Enrollment is ambitious....we're all excited.
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Post by okinawatyphoon on Apr 2, 2010 17:29:00 GMT -5
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Post by okinawatyphoon on Apr 2, 2010 17:29:18 GMT -5
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Post by jj on Apr 3, 2010 9:38:15 GMT -5
The need for a racially diverse coaching staff is more apparent than ever. Let's go for it!
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Post by rick on Apr 3, 2010 11:23:14 GMT -5
The need for a racially diverse coaching staff is more apparent than ever. Let's go for it! econfaculty.gmu.edu/wew/gift.html Proclamation of Amnesty and Pardon Granted to All Persons of European Descent Whereas, Europeans kept my forebears in bondage some three centuries toiling without pay, Whereas, Europeans ignored the human rights pledges of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, Whereas, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments meant little more than empty words, Therefore, Americans of European ancestry are guilty of great crimes against my ancestors and their progeny. But, in the recognition Europeans themselves have been victims of various and sundry human rights violations to wit: the Norman Conquest, the Irish Potato Famine, Decline of the Hapsburg Dynasty, Napoleonic and Czarist adventurism, and gratuitous insults and speculations about the intelligence of Europeans of Polish descent, I, Walter E. Williams, do declare full and general amnesty and pardon to all persons of European ancestry, for both their own grievances, and those of their forebears, against my people. Therefore, from this day forward Americans of European ancestry can stand straight and proud knowing they are without guilt and thus obliged not to act like damn fools in their relationships with Americans of African ancestry. Walter E. Williams, Gracious and Generous Grantor
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Post by granny on Apr 3, 2010 16:11:39 GMT -5
Why not fully fund all our sports. From the looks of the conference all academic honors, I think our coaches are recruiting some quality student athletes, I'm sure they could bring in more numbers. I have no idea how we compare to other schools in the Horizon,but I would assume we lag behind the state schools, like Cl. St.,UIC, wright State,etc. in athletic scholarships.
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