“To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.” — Johannes A. Gaertner When many of us hear the word “Thanksgiving,” we think of a day set aside for food, family, and football. Perhaps we will take a moment before dinner to […]
Category: Letters
A House Divided Cannot Stand
“A house divided cannot stand.” Jesus first spoke these words as he addressed a crowd of followers and critics — many of whom disagreed with each other about the ways to embody both their religious and political identities. We have also come to know these words because Abraham Lincoln uttered them in a speech he […]
Welcome
Good morning, Valpo! Here are a few words to carry on your journey today… This is always an exciting week at Valparaiso University. We are filled with anticipation and expectation as each pursues a personal path of learning and discovery. Students, our campus is energized by your desire to grow in knowledge and make a […]
Standing by our brothers and sisters — Sept. 6, 2017
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: On Tuesday the Trump administration announced plans to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on March 5, 2018. Under the current DACA program, recipients must have been under the age of 31 prior to June 15, 2012; have resided in the United States continuously from June 15, […]
Remembering the Reformation
“Everything that is done in this world is done by hope.” — Martin Luther Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: This weekend and next Tuesday mark an important time in the Christian tradition — a time when we remember 500 years since the first beginnings of the Protestant Reformation. Whether we are Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal, Catholic, […]
End of Year
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” — T.S. Eliot Dear Faculty and Staff: As we celebrate the end of another academic season, I am reminded of all the explorations, achievements, and discoveries that […]
Spring Break
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: Spring break is just days away. The demands of the semester are set aside so students and faculty can refocus and refresh, can reconnect with family […]
Welcome
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” — Marcel Proust, 20th century French novelist Good morning, Valpo! Today we embark on a new academic year at Valparaiso University, where we continue our individual and collective voyages to pursue truth, and we welcome our new students who […]
End of Year — Faculty and Staff
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when [contemplating] the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day.” — Albert Einstein […]
All are Welcome in this Place
“I was a stranger and you invited me in.” — Matthew 25:35 Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: Valparaiso University is constituted by people of different backgrounds and beliefs in dialogue with one another in the common pursuit of Truth. Those of us who have chosen to link our destinies with this place — whether faculty, […]