Dear Colleagues,
With the 2023-24 academic year underway, I want to welcome everyone back to campus and provide a quick update as we enter year two of our strategic plan, Uplift Valpo: Our Beacon for the Journey Forward. The successful progress we have made with the plan is because of the dedicated efforts of so many across the campus — thank you so much.
Following are important updates on the Operational Sustainability Initiative and just a few of the many accomplishments we have achieved in year one of the plan. For more information and to keep track of the plan moving forward, I invite you to bookmark the website at valpo.edu/uplift-valpo. It is the source of everything about Uplift Valpo.
An update on the Operational Sustainability Initiative:
As Eric and Mark shared in July, the comprehensive academic analysis and administrative review launched over the summer, and work will be continuing throughout the fall semester.
Cross-functional support teams, specifically a project Steering Team and a Data Team composed of Valpo faculty and staff, have been established and will bring their deep institutional knowledge and important Valpo context to the information gathering and evaluation efforts. A list of colleagues who are members of the teams can be found here.
The campus community is an essential resource. All faculty and staff will be asked to contribute feedback and relay honest observations throughout the process. In addition to meeting regularly with the key project stakeholder groups, such as faculty senate and SEAC, town halls will be scheduled to allow for sharing of project updates and facilitating questions and answers. The first campus town hall is scheduled for Thursday, September 14 at 8:30 a.m. in the Harre Union Ballroom. Leaders of this initiative and representatives from rpk GROUP will be available to answer questions and provide more information about the review process.
As we move ahead through this initiative, regular updates will be made available on the operational sustainability website. The website includes a project description, timeline, members of the project support teams and a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section. An opportunity to submit questions is available under the FAQ section. We encourage everyone to visit the website at least monthly, and we welcome your input.
Accomplishments of Year-One Initiatives:
LEARN
- Launched Valpo Connect Sustainability Scholars Program.
- Established faculty team focused on first-year students, they recommended we reposition our CORE First Year Experience, revise it, and rename it as The Valpo Experience.
- Captured stories and built community to promote signature arts and humanities programs
SERVE
- Launched pilot programs for Valpo Success Initiative (Access College) and Summer Bridge (Bloom) programs
- Assessed and began updating processes and spaces to ensure they are student centered
- Finished 19th nationally and first in Indiana I Campus Race to Zero Waste competition
- Captured data and survey responses and developed a series of recommendations to move the campus to be more transfer friendly
LEAD
- Completed draft of institutional definitions and outcomes for leadership, service, and vocation
- Initiated Carnegie Leadership application
THRIVE
- Significant progress has been made toward achieving status as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)
- Committee gathered feedback from across campus toward establishing competitive salary and benefits for all faculty and staff
- Began operational sustainability initiative.
In the coming weeks I will be able to update you on the prioritized work that the campus will engage in this academic year. Thank you for your continued support and engagement.
Sincerely,
Kevin Goebbert
Executive Director of Strategic Planning
