Alumni

Dear Arts and Sciences graduates:

Valparaiso University’s academic year has drawn to a close and, with it, my role as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

This is a time of mixed emotions for me. I am anticipating the opportunity to again teach, study
and research. Yet, I will miss the collegial planning and discussions with the department chairs,
faculty and administrators who, like myself, keenly support Valpo’s mission of solid academics in
a faith-based environment. Together we have worked to shape the study of the liberal arts and
sciences at VU into a premier college, one in which all of its graduates can be proud.
I hope that my time as dean is viewed as a fruitful decade in the college’s history. Top on our
agenda has been the hiring of qualified faculty who fit with our mission. It has been a challenge
that we have embraced with zeal, and in which we have celebrated success. There is no doubt
that it is the hard work of our faculty and other dedicated individuals that has kept the college
strong.Meanwhile their successful enhancements have raised the bar on the quality of the
education we offer students.

Some of these enhancements include:

• Establishing on campus a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, the premier honor society for students studying the liberal arts and sciences.
• Creating the freshman Core Course, a required curriculum for first-year students. This program has been a creatively dynamic way for students to build reading, writing and analytical skills.
• Revitalizing VU’s Center for Church Vocations, where students preparing for service to the church can be together to study, attend symposiums and generally feed one another’s enthusiasm for their chosen vocation.
• Our education department, which goes hand in hand with church vocations study, has grown as a more distinguished program at VU under the leadership of department chair Jan Westrick.
• Our Chinese and Japanese programs have greatly expanded in terms of programming and cocurricular activities.
• The meteorology program, now housed in the impressive new Kallay-Christopher Hall, has gained a national reputation, and is one of the leading suppliers of meteorology graduates for the U.S. Air Force.

The Bach Institute, made possible through an endowed gift from Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg, brings to campus world-renowned conductors and experts on the music of J.S. Bach.

This list could go on. These continued successes secure a more solid foundation for the future of the college and for Valparaiso University overall.

Next fall Professor Jon Kilpinen, who has served since 2000 as chair of the department of geography and meteorology, will begin his service as the new dean. A1988 honors graduate in geography and history at VU, Jon went on to earn his master’s and doctor of philosophy degrees in geography at the University of Texas before returning to join the VU faculty in 1992. I am confident that the college will be in good hands under Jon’s leadership. I believe greater achievements are on the horizon.

I am grateful to have been blessed with the call to serve as dean of the college and to be a part of Valpo’s many exciting developments as it has grown into a nationally respected faith-based university. If you have not seen the campus recently, I encourage you to do so. Not only will you recall fond memories of your time here, you will see many improvements unfolding and an alma mater of which you can be proud.

Sincerely,

Albert R. Trost, Ph.D.