Our Beacon for the Journey Forward

The higher education landscape has seen remarkable changes across the country, and those changes have brought challenges to institutions looking to thrive in the future. Valparaiso University is no different. To meet these challenges, faculty, staff, and administrators have come together, along with input from students and alumni, to craft Uplift Valpo: Our Beacon for the Journey Forward.

The strategic plan is formed around four themes — Learn, Serve, Lead, Thrive — that align with the University’s mission as a Lutheran institution and serve as a reflection of our community to the outside world. Each theme is supported by key initiatives that will purposely drive Valpo toward achievement of these ambitious goals.

Learn

Valpo creates an unparalleled learning experience for students that is nationally recognized for its excellent teaching, experiential learning, and demonstrated career outcomes.

Serve

Service is at the center of what we do. We prepare students for lives of service — lives shaped by a sense of calling, equipped for thoughtful reflection, engaged in the larger world and responsive to its deepest challenges. As Beacons, we live out our service-mindedness in our daily commitment to inclusion, justice, diversity, and equity on our campus and in the community.

Lead

Beacons lead by example. Our graduates are sought after for their knowledge, character, integrity, and wisdom. That translates into thoughtful, compassionate, and ethical leaders ready to take on the challenges of a complex global world.

Thrive

Living out lives of faith and service, grounded in our Lutheran traditions, we thrive in our calling to serve in society. We strive to lead meaningful lives as individuals and work toward a better world. Valpo will flourish in its operations and finances and will become a driving economic force in the Northwest Indiana region.

Our Mission

Valparaiso University, a community of learning dedicated to excellence and grounded in the Lutheran tradition of scholarship, freedom, and faith, prepares students to lead and serve in both church and society.

Our Vision

Valparaiso University will be renowned worldwide for preparing women and men who are highly sought for their knowledge, character, integrity, and wisdom.

Our Commitment

We are called to seek truth, serve generously, and cultivate hope.