“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins, not through strength but by perseverance.” — H. Jackson Brown Jr. Dear Colleagues: As we celebrate the end of another academic year, I am reminded of the many achievements our community has made this year and of the persistent search for knowledge […]
Category: Letters
End of Year — Students
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” — Anne Frank Dear Students: As Commencement Weekend quickly approaches and we celebrate the end of another academic year, it seems fitting we should reflect on the many achievements made by our community this year and to remind […]
Veterans Day
“The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.” — Patrick Henry For more than sixty years, November 11 has been a day to honor American women and men who have bravely fought to protect the freedoms and ideals we hold so dear. Originally known as […]
Spring Break
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” — Martin Luther King Jr. Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: Spring Break is nearly here: a respite from lectures, presentations, papers, and exams. Time for students to set aside the demands of the semester to relax and recharge, reconnect with family and […]
Veterans Day
“Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid, they have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.” — Harry S. Truman Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: Our nation observes Veterans Day to recognize and celebrate the women and men who have […]
Thanksgiving
“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” — Meister Eckhart For many of us, Thanksgiving is a day set aside for food, family, parades, and football — or maybe the Westminster Dog Show. Many will take a moment before dinner to share what we are thankful […]
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, […]
Welcome
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: Good morning, Valpo! Today marks the beginning of a new academic year at Valparaiso University. We gather in this place because we are called to seek Truth, serve generously, and cultivate hope. This […]
Spring Break
“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” — Woodrow T. Wilson Dear Students, […]
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 […]